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Video synthesizer is the visual pendant of the audio synthesizer, therefore it is a contraption that is supposed to make, create, generate electronically a video signal, without having an actual camera input. Because such imagery is closely related to video effects used in TV broadcasts, the two basically different devices overlap, and many video synthesizers can accept, distort, clean up and enhance TV imagery, usually in real time. A video synthesizer is expected to be able to generate a wide array of electronically manipulated imagery and output it as a video signal. This signal should be viewed by means of conventional equipment such as TV monitors, video projectors, VGA computer displays and similar.
While synthesizer imagery can be either static, evolving or even moving, any king of patterns can be created, including geometric imagery, text characters of any desired font even weather maps. The requirement of immediate performance in real time was always expected, because video synthesizers were created for live TV broadcasts. Such video synthesizers existed long before similar video synthesizing engines were developed for computers. These analog video synthesizers were mainly used by television and also by video artists, who engaged in electronic performance art projects.
The translation into the digital world did not go as easy as it may have seemed. The change of perception in concept needed to take place first. Despite problems, first digital video synthesizers did use digital oscillators that were linked to generate timing ramps and horizontal and vertical frames. One of the first to use analogue and digital techniques would be the EMS Spectre in 1974. The first full digital video synthesizer was designed by Ed Tannenbaum, a video artist, who developed it for an interactive museum exhibit, by using parts of an Apple II computer with a four bit frame buffer. The installation was called Recollections, the video synthesizer was later named Chromachron.
In recent times video synthesizers are as common as the Windows media player. Yes, the quirky pulsating stuff that is moving in sync with the music, called visualizations, that is also a video synthesizer. One of the more sophisticated video synthesizer concepts is Neon, developed by Jeff Minter for a never realized video game, called Unity. It is currently being used in a revamped version for the Xbox 360 as the visualization engine. Digital video synthesizers have been used for live performances of such music greats like Pink Floyd, but also by Jean Michel Jarre. Every single TV broadcasting unit that is having a special effects module, also has a video synthesizer module integrated. It seems that video synthesizers have become an intricate part of our lives.