Here’s a quick post possibly foreshadowing a future review. The UPS guy delivered a big red box yesterday containing the new VEX Protobot Robot Kit Dual Control Starter Bundle. I was on my way out to a meeting of the Dallas Personal Robotics Group at the time, so I took the box with me and got Glenn Pipe of the DPRG to shoot a quick VEX Protobot Unboxing video. Enjoy.
Maybe I spoke too soon on the Optibase card. I got a call from a Dallas Optibase rep today saying they’d have a card for me tomorrow. We started playing with the Sigma Designs card today and it’s pretty cool. Once we evaluate them, there’s still a ton of coding to do to get this project done on time. It’s going to be a long couple of weeks…
The UPS guy just dropped off a Sigma Designs NetStream 2 card. We’re evaluating MPEG 2 cards for a project that’s got to be completed in the next couple of weeks. An Optibase VideoPlex Xpress card may be in the running too if they can get it to us in time. Unlike Sigma Designs who offer evaluation units and cheap pricing through distributors like Tech Data, Optibase appears to be a much smaller operation. They didn’t have any eval units handy and their products aren’t carried by any major distributors. Also, Optibase is a Microsoft-only company and refuses to develop or allow others to develop Linux drivers. Sigma Designs has working beta version Linux drivers and isn’t afraid to release the technical details required to do driver development. You always have to wonder what’s being hidden when a company won’t tell you how their product works!