Now that Photo Show Pro supports Speedo GDOS text overlays, the folowing
information from Kodak may be helpful in deciding what size font to use
for broadcast TV output.

Images on a VGA monitor are sharper than images created with composite
output to a VCR or TV. If you use the same principals for Speedo GDOS
text overlays on true color images, your text will be readable when
recorded to VCR or output to broadcast TV. Note in particular the 
paragraph on "busy images".


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                          TELEVISION GUIDELINES

The guidelines used by broadcast TV organisations in Europe for the minimum 
text size to be transmitted on TV (for titles, credits etc) are that the 
text should be at least 20-24 TV lines high.  The exact value of minimum 
acceptable height will depend on the type of font used (in particular how 
bold or fine it is) and also on the colour and brightness of the text and 
the type of background.

The same guidelines should also be appropriate for text used in Photo CD 
images.  I would therefore recommend that in creating text slides or 
negatives for transfer to Photo CD and subsequent display on TV the text 
should be at least 20-24 TV lines high.  This means that with horizontal 
images the text should be at least 1 to 1.1 mm high on the film i.e. approx 
4-5% of the frame height.

This is only a guideline, not a hard and fast rule.  The important point 
that it should be recognised that small text which may be perfectly readable 
on a projected slide may not be readable on TV display.  This is a limitation 
of the broadcast TV system, not a limitation of Photo CD. In fact it should 
be noted that the full text detail is retained on the Photo-CD Master Disk. 

The same consideration should also be given to graphics which are used in 
images for TV display.  "Busy" graphics which are perfectly acceptable on 
a projected slide may be too busy when viewed on TV.

People who are experienced in creating text and graphics for TV or video 
will be well aware of these considerations.  However, people whose main 
experience is in creating slides for projection may not be fully aware of 
the limiting factors of the TV system.

The above guidelines apply to text which is intended to be easily readable 
at normal viewing distance (around 6 to 8 times the picture height).  Viewed 
close to the screen, smaller text than the minimum recommended above may be 
readable.  However, tests carried out in Rochester indicate that any text 
which is less than 16 TV lines high is likely to be difficult or impossible 
to read, even when viewed close to the screen.

These guidelines for minimum text size should apply equally well for both 
the PAL and NTSC Photo CD players because, although the NTSC system has 
slightly less resolution than the PAL system the NTSC players also provide 
slightly greater image magnification.

Mike Lucas, Colour Photo Technology, Kodak Limited.