Hippotizer

[vandeti]

hi,

does anyone know the HIPPOTIZER ??
see it at http://www.green-hippo.com/hippotizer/

cause I don't get it, what can you do with it
and most of all .. what's the price ??

[Rovastar]

:) Honestly the price is thing that you do NOT want to know.

?5,000 for the lite version. :)

To be honest it is just aPC with Visual Jockey on it (I know it does more than that but not enough to justify the price tag for the average VJ).

It is more designed for nightclubs who want an all in one automated solution.

[slike]

hippotizer is just a toy for people who have to much money ...

for this price buy an fairlight cvi and you HAVE a toy to work with (not a toy where "just press play";) ...

nothing against hippotizer ! - i dont know the whole functions but its to easy to work with ... i need more doin than lookin ...

[Meierhans]

As said before Hippotizer isn`t made for the VJ who knows all his equipment and tries to do artful stuff by himself but for smaller pubs or clubs that can`t hire a VJ all the time.

The main thing you pay for isn`t the hardware - its the whole concept and the content that makes it so expensive.

Coming with a a lots of presets (manual / half auto /full auto modes) you can fill hundreds of evenings with beat synced visuals without knowing anything about the inside.

So from sight of a VJ this thing may be a toy, but from sight of a pub owner it could be a usefull inventory.

For him counts:
-does this thing works prober everytime I switch it on: Yes!
-do I need to read books or learn weeks to use it:NO!
-Do people remember my place better and tell other about it because of the visuals: Yes (in my opinion)



The basic question thats coming up in this context:
Do we have a reason to fear hippotizer will be used instead of booking us??

I think no, not really. In our times everything that makes (Party-)Visuals themself more public helps us.

After 2 months of running Hippotizer a club owner will be more open to spend money on a VJ than before in my opinion.
When things like hippotizer are for normal days - what do you do at the special days? Rent a VJ???

;)

[Rovastar]

Maybe not threatened but it does depend on your viewpoint on this. When I suggested an automated system in my initial posts here it was seen as a bad idea (negative, bad for Vj's in my area) and some thought I would be a wanker to do this. Yet the hippo does not get this - in fact it is all postive for it? Why because it cost more???

and I could do a similiar thing at a fraction of the cost of teh 5k hippo.

Anyway just a personal viewpoint. I do not think the hippo is all that anyway I wasn't blow away by it and for 5k I should be IMHO. An expensive promo box for clubs that do not know any better but honestly good look to them and I wish them well.

[GreenHippo]

Some good discussion here chaps! Good to see that although you know the limitations, you also understand where it sits in the marketplace.

Yes, the Hippotizer is pre-set to some extent and the front end, athough in our opinion extremely flexible, is in standard form, only using a fraction of its potential. We limit this for no other reason than it has so many posibilities that its impossible to offer it all and have it used by anyone and sundry.

However, one thing you may not be aware of is that we also do 'custom profiles'. For a fee, we will analyze a VJ's style and configure the unit to perform all the functions required. If you want to know how this is done then ask VJAnyone who uses a customised Hippotizer (this weekend he is using it again). If you have a touring set of say, 5 evening sets you can have them, and all your media preloaded and the keypad configured for you. This can eliminate the need for two sources, a vision mixer and so on and just grab yer flight case and head out the door.

For some of you who take a car/van this might not be a bonus but for anyone who travels a lot, a 3U rackmount unit is a lot easier than several bits of AV/PC/Mac bits rattling off the conveyer at some godforsaken airport. Obviously you might take your own monitor but a 5"flatscreen video monitor would do and that goes in your washbag. Also it would be nice to turn up at a venue and load your own show from CDR(s) onto a preinstalled Hippotizer which is feasable but hardly a reality at this moment in time as its not exactly industry standard!

The system in its custom profile state will suit those who believe, as I do, that technology is the instrument not the focus. A good guitarist isn't good because he owns a classic Les Paul goldtop. Its his tool to make music.

As for Off The Shelf VJ Solutions threatening the VJ fraternity, I believe the only ones who need fear are those who think their skills as technicians are what makes them good with a disregard for output. What units like The Hippotizer will do is allow those who are visually creative but technically impared get their content seen. When this happens I think there will be some 'pixel spotters' who fall by the wayside because their content is weak. We already have people using the media upload feature to display their own content via the unit (Skye Club in Belfast being one). These people want to focus on acquisition and creation more than they do want to learn complex programmes. Those really pushing the envelope of technology might never go for an off the shelf. However, I'd put good money on it that, as bookings and cashflow increase, even these guys will rackmount, simplify and preconfigure their own kit much more... which is really what The Hippotizer hopes to be.

I forsee an increase in, say, media students focused on content and performing a couple of night a week to become more prevelant as technology facilitates their needs. I suppose this could be a threat to some.

That said I also think when things take off we will also see more partnerships between artists and technicians as teams. 'Technowizz' and 'creative technophobe' can co-exist and feed off eachother as a team. And thats where the hardcore technical people will finally recieve the recognition they deserve because some of you guys still amaze me with your abilitiies as you did at AVIT etc.

James
Green Hippo Ltd

[Anyone]

this coming saturday,

I'm gigging at a venue where the Hippo is already installed.
all I'm bringing is my laptop, where my hippo profile is configured and stored.

once my updated profile is transfered to the hippotizer box,
I can shut down my laptop and VJ on the hippo for about 8 hours, without repeting myself. (This particular gig I'm only VJing for two hours)

Yes I can put it on automatic once in a while to go to the loo...

Obviously if your VJing is about installing screens a special way, or scratching vhs tapes, then the hippo is not a priority for you. different strokes, mate....

but my focus is on getting the opportunity to use the latest hi-end digital hardware for video playback and run-time effects, available with VJ software I already know inside out.

so Hippo is defenitely in, for me.

NE1

[Rovastar]

Originally posted by Anyone

but my focus is on getting the opportunity to use the latest hi-end digital hardware for video playback and run-time effects, available with VJ software I already know inside out.


Latest hi-end tech do you think?

Personally I thought the tech behind it wasn't all that great but I always look at these things from a tech 'pushing the boundards' point of view. But I had only really seen the demo at AVIT and a few 'demos clips' on the web. Maybe I will see it in more detail live at some point.

From a constructive VJ point of view what can this do that say 2 laptops cannot?

I don't mean to totally slag the product off but very little seems to be known about the VJ part with and what real benefits it creates.

Maybe the live VJ side it is more designed for a next/further generation of VJ that just mix with a Hippo when they are in all the clubs.

[Meierhans]

I think the goal of the concept is to make Hippotizer kinda standard mixing device for VJ`s like 1210 are for the DJ.
Imagine every DJ would bring turntables and his mixer with him.

That also means this thing isn`t designed for home use, but for everyday use in a club.

I do like the idea to bring my whole show on a CD with me.

Multiple PC`s with multiple capture devices and a mixer in between are still the the only choice for bigger events in my opinion.
But for playing in a smaller club, like every weekend this could make live much easier.

For this kind of use it needs at least a midi port and a mouse connector on the front.

Finnally i got to say: My opinion isn`t 100 % clear about it.
Lets see what the future will bring.