
FAQ Video Annotation and Reference System
http://vars.sourceforge.net
http://groups.google.com/group/mbari-vars

Q: Help!! VARS isn't working for me, where do I get help?
A: If you have problems send an email to mbari-vars@googlegroups.com
   or brian@mbari.org and our support staff will get back to you as soon 
   as possible ;-)

Q: VARS won't start.
A: For installation instructions refer to the INSTALL.macosx and INSTALL.windows 
   files. You will need to follow these instructions before you can run VARS. Also,
   we don't normally use batch files or shell scripts to start the VARS applications
   at MBARI, so sometimes an error sneaks by in the scripts that launch VARS. If
   you have problems please send an email to vars-users@lists.sourceforge.net or
   brian@mbari.org so that I can correct the problem in future releases.

Q: Why does VARS require a database server?
A: VARS is designed to work in a distributed environment. At any given time at MBARI,
   we may have numerous scientists annotating videos in both their labs and from our 
   ships. A centralized database server greatly simplifies the storage, organization
   and sharing of this information.

Q: How do I deploy VARS at a large organization?
   We (MBARI) deploy VARS using Java Web Start which allows users to start a VARS
   application through a web browser. For an example of this in action you can 
   launch the VARS query application from 
   http://varspub.mbari.org/webstart/varsquery.jnlp. If you are interested in
   deploying VARS at your organization using Java Web Start, send an email to 
   brian@mbari.org.

Q: What can VARS use as a video source?
A: VARS is designed to work VCR's that support serial connections (RS232 or RS422) or
   video files. This version that you've downloaded is for VCRs.
   Release 8.1 has limited codec support, the recommended container/codec is 
   mp4/h.264 with AAC audio encoding. See the documentaion at
   https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/javafx/api/javafx/scene/media/package-summary.html
   for the complete list of supported codecs. NOTE: We are actively working 
   on additional codec support.

Q: What hardware do I need to annotate video tapes?
A: 1) A VCR with a serial port (either RS422 or RS232), most professional quality 
      decks will have this port. Firewire connections are NOT supported.
   2) A serial port on your computer. USB-to-Serial adapters will work.
   3) A video capture card that supports the QuickTime API. This is not
      required, but is useful for capturing images from you video. At MBARI,
      we have had good experiences with Decklink cards from Blackmagic Design
      (http://www.blackmagic-design.com/). 
   4) If your VCR has an RS422 port you will need a converter for RS232-to-RS422. 
      These are pretty inexpensive. Some video capture boards have build in RS422
      so you might not need a converter with those boards.
   
       

