Description of ViSCA in Windows 95

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ViSCA is an acronym for Video System Control Architecture, a machine- control protocol designed by Sony to allow synchronized control of up to seven ViSCA devices on a daisy chain. Using the Windows 95 VCR ViSCA protocol and the computer's RS-232 port, you can control a Vdeck or other device that can be operated on a ViSCA port. You can use the VCR ViSCA protocol on any computer with a serial port.

ViSCA uses packets to send messages. Each packet consists of the following three parts:

• The packet header. This is a single byte indicating the source and destination for the message. Addresses are actually encoded in the message header.
• The message header. This can be up to 14 bytes in length and contains information to be processed. This part of the packet contains the command message, inquiry message, and address message.
• The terminator. This is a single byte indicating the end of a packet.

The commands used to control, and retrieve information from, the device are passed in the message header.

Facts About ViSCA:

• The primary purpose of the ViSCA protocol is the control of devices on a single network.
• The ViSCA protocol is a platform-independent machine-control protocol.
• Using the ViSCA protocol, up to seven devices can share the same network and can be addressed individually.
• The ViSCA protocol is flexible and can be extended to a wide variety of equipment such as monitors, camcorders, VCRs, A/V switchers, and so on.
• The protocol is open, and no licensing is required for distribution of ViSCA-compatible software or hardware.