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Scriptovision Super Micro Script: Canada's Forgotten Video Titler

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The Scriptovision Super Micro Script represents a fascinating chapter in Canadian computing history, blending video titling technology with home computer architecture. This Montréal-made device from 1985 could overlay 32x16 text and 64x32 block graphics in eight colors directly onto composite video signals using an integrated genlock - one of the earliest consumer units to offer this capability.

What makes this device particularly intriguing is its internal architecture. The Super Micro Script uses a Motorola 6800-family microcontroller and Motorola 6847 VDG video chip, the same combination found in many 1980s home computers. This off-the-shelf design approach makes it ripe for hardware hacking, with socketed EPROMs that could theoretically be replaced with custom firmware. The device sits at an interesting intersection between video titlers and home computers, sharing DNA with both categories.

Video titlers emerged as specialized tools for broadcast television, evolving from complex monoscope-based systems to integrated circuit solutions. The Scriptovision joins a lineage that includes the CBS Vidifont and Chyron systems, but brings this technology to the consumer market. Its potential for modification - including plans to add a bitbanged serial port and create a MAME emulation driver - transforms this once-proprietary device into a platform for experimentation and software development.

The Super Micro Script exemplifies how video titling technology could be democratized through clever engineering choices, making professional-grade video overlay capabilities accessible to enthusiasts and hackers alike.