video toaster NT software

[vjpixylight]

hey has anyone got to try this software??
it look's like the bomb, if what they claim rings true...

http://dvguide.sharbor.com/toasternt/about/

[Linus]

hi

looks realy nice but has heavy system requirements too
i dont have some machine with that hadrware or speed :(

Video Toaster NT Requirements


Pentium IV 1.4 GHz (or faster)
Intel 850 chipset motherboard
256 MB of PC800 ECC RDRAM (2 x 128MB RIMMS)
At least 20GB ATA100 IDE (7200 rpm) system drive
4 x 18GIG Ultra160 SCSI 10,000RPM harddrives striped as a RAID 0
nVidia graphics card (see approved list)
Windows 2000


the only thing i have is windows 2000 and i think the scsi_disks would be the most expensive after the processor
but for the people who dont have to look on the money or have such pc?s it would be a stable plattform with that hardware?

Linus

Linus

[MoRpH]

With those requirements, the cost and what you can actually do with it I hardly see it as an appropriate VJ tool... IMHO

[vjklik]

As a VJ who used the original toaster off my Amiga I can tell you flat out that it is a content MACHINE. For everybody who has ever sweated a minute of looping, I've gone into gigs with two cameras and two monitors and a record deck and come home with a two-hour VHS which I could recycle at will and nobody was the wiser. Well, after a year's worth of weeklies, it started to look familiar. But my point is once you've got it running, it makes dazzling visuals on the fly. One of the best features was the TBC-IV software which allowed you to manipulate the strobe speed from 0-60. Minute changes in the strobe speed let you easily keep up with whatever the D.J. was spinning. About 2 or 3 hours of preparation on the different Chroma FX values was really all you needed to do. I seldom used Lightwave, but when I did it looked great. The extra drives would be for storing broadcast-quality footage similar to DV that you could mix with. For a much cheaper price, it might be worth looking into e-bay and seeing what other people are selling Amiga Toasters for. There are downsides to the Amiga toaster, but when it was running smooth it was way too easy. The Toaster 4000's were much more stable than the 2000's but I'd wager you could get one cheap. Probably under $1000 but I haven't looked. I still use my Amiga's TBC even though the Toaster software got corrupted and is no longer working on my Amiga... Perhaps in a year or so the emulation will run on cheaper machines and everybody will have one.
-klik-

[elbows]

Mmmm nice bit of kit, shame it costs so much and it looks like a version that supports PAL costs even more and may not exist yet?

Add on 8 input Switcher (SX-8) looks nice, but again its very pricey.

http://www.dvwarehouse.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/36/products_id/349

If I ever went "professional" or did proper live streaming internet TV then maybe it would be worth it, but for the average VJ I dont see the point. Also be wary of which features are truly useable "live" as opposed to stuff that may well be "realtime" but only in the sense of rendering in realtime from the timeline.

[MoRpH]

I have to agree with klik, although I never owned one, I have seen the old Amiga toaster in full effect and they are VERY cool. A bit on the bulky side to what most pply take out to gigs these days but hey, like the CVI its old skool but its worth it :)

[vjklik]

Originally posted by MoRpH
I have seen the old Amiga toaster in full effect and they are VERY cool. A bit on the bulky side to what most pply take out to gigs these days but hey, like the CVI its old skool but its worth it :)

The Toaster's no joke. Perhaps the most amazing aspect about it was that all of its output was broadcast-quality. I did do a little snooping and a functioning Amiga 4000 and Toaster 4000 on ebay cost around $800. That didn't include the TBC or the Flyer. The TBC is essential, the flyer is convenient to have. It is definitely bulkly, no question there. But Amigas are easily rack-mounted. If you really want a Toaster (yes you do), I'd suggest going the Amiga route if you're in a hurry to have one. But until then I imagine the price will drop and the clock speeds will catch up to the emulation in time. Do some snooping for the video toaster for NT as well. NewTek released it around 95 or 96. If you have an NT machine you could probably get the earlier version of the package off ebay. The DPS TBC IV in my Amiga is compatable with the slots on the motherboard on my old NT and the software is available for free. I didn't check but the TBC itself might run you around 75 to 150 dollars. Give it up for the old skool!
-klik-