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Author Topic: Current uses for Video Toaster / Flyer  (Read 3305 times)

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Offline Duce

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Re: Current uses for Video Toaster / Flyer
« Reply #14 from previous page: July 20, 2015, 03:32:31 AM »
Very little practical use or cash value in the setup these days, but a lot of fun to noodle around with and learn the basics of video work on.  Toaster setup is still a lot of fun to fiddle around with if SD stuff is acceptable for you.
 

Offline trekiej

Re: Current uses for Video Toaster / Flyer
« Reply #15 on: July 24, 2015, 03:12:26 AM »
Retro Coolness
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Offline klx300r

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Re: Current uses for Video Toaster / Flyer
« Reply #16 on: July 24, 2015, 03:37:36 AM »
Quote from: trekiej;793011
Retro Coolness

main reason we're here eh:lol::cool:
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Offline trekiej

Re: Current uses for Video Toaster / Flyer
« Reply #17 on: July 24, 2015, 04:50:55 PM »
:)
Amiga 2000 Forever :)
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Offline Gulliver

Re: Current uses for Video Toaster / Flyer
« Reply #18 on: July 24, 2015, 06:28:01 PM »
The Video Toaster was outstanding gear back in the days of analog video. Today is just a doorstop or museum piece at best.

The Flyer was never good enough for professional work. It had a custom video format (VTASC) that compressed video in a non standard manner. Under high compression, it did not made the signal pixelated like we are used to, but instead generated video noise. It was always an expensive and clumsy setup involving too many drives and cables. There were much better professional and semiprofessional Amiga based NLE solutions back then (BroadCaster Elite and VlabMotion/DraCo which could do both PAL & NTSC). Anyway, the Flyer sales were always riding on the back of Video Toaster studios wanting to upgrade their setups to digital video.

Today, I would say that beyond collecting them, there is little use. Maybe the Video Toaster  could find some use as a teleprompter, but then it was so crippled by design: it is NTSC only and requires its inputs to be passed thru a TBC. You are better of with a simple genlock for this.
 

Offline SACC-guy

Re: Current uses for Video Toaster / Flyer
« Reply #19 on: July 24, 2015, 08:17:56 PM »
Quote from: Gulliver;793057
The Video Toaster was outstanding gear back in the days of analog video. Today is just a doorstop or museum piece at best.

The Flyer was never good enough for professional work. It had a custom video format (VTASC) that compressed video in a non standard manner. Under high compression, it did not made the signal pixelated like we are used to, but instead generated video noise. It was always an expensive and clumsy setup involving too many drives and cables. There were much better professional and semiprofessional Amiga based NLE solutions back then (BroadCaster Elite and VlabMotion/DraCo which could do both PAL & NTSC). Anyway, the Flyer sales were always riding on the back of Video Toaster studios wanting to upgrade their setups to digital video.

Today, I would say that beyond collecting them, there is little use. Maybe the Video Toaster  could find some use as a teleprompter, but then it was so crippled by design: it is NTSC only and requires its inputs to be passed thru a TBC. You are better of with a simple genlock for this.
I think he dost protest too much...

This was the same "complaints" we heard back in the day.

There are several ways and places to use ntsc and toaster/flyer stuff.
The most common is in small site training tapes and systems that have lots of older vcr's and no cash to upgrade to HD.
Besides, any video from any source can be added to the web and inserted into other video projects.
Not to mention special interest one offs. (yes like wedding with very small budgets)

I know of several folks that made lots. Just were too busy to report to amiga types.
They preferred to work. Still do!
« Last Edit: July 24, 2015, 08:25:03 PM by SACC-guy »
 

Offline Duce

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Re: Current uses for Video Toaster / Flyer
« Reply #20 on: July 24, 2015, 08:48:55 PM »
In a world where people can take HD and 4k video on their cell phones and import it directly into a PC via SD card for processing, I don't see a lot of people going through the effort of noodling around with an Amiga from 20 years ago, combined with a low rent camcorder for wedding videos or training videos.

The "no money to upgrade to HD" is a bit of a cop out in a world where pretty much everything is HD.  Any $150 TV off the shelf of a BestBuy is HD.  HD's been around in a public capacity since 1998, after all.
 

Offline SACC-guy

Re: Current uses for Video Toaster / Flyer
« Reply #21 on: July 24, 2015, 09:25:06 PM »
Quote from: Duce;793063
In a world where people can take HD and 4k video on their cell phones and import it directly into a PC via SD card for processing, I don't see a lot of people going through the effort of noodling around with an Amiga from 20 years ago, combined with a low rent camcorder for wedding videos or training videos.

The "no money to upgrade to HD" is a bit of a cop out in a world where pretty much everything is HD.  Any $150 TV off the shelf of a BestBuy is HD.  HD's been around in a public capacity since 1998, after all.
@ duce

There are and always have been those with less...

The "amiga made it possible" to do good things.

BTW, in my experience...broadcast was and could be anything that was wanted by those who paid for it. i.e. I have even added 8mm video into paid for projects.

Think not about the lasted and greatest, but the project!!!

Ever seen Ken Burns still images (from the civil war) inserted in PBS broadcast shows?
How about old timey pictures in sfi-fi movies. How about Andy Warhold "Live" slides from the first roll out of the amiga (boy that cost/made lots of cash)
 

Offline MotormouthTopic starter

Re: Current uses for Video Toaster / Flyer
« Reply #22 on: July 31, 2015, 02:32:11 AM »
Quote from: Oldsmobile_Mike;774544
I got a box full of genlocks and other video gear in a recent parts haul I found.  Thought it might be cool to make some "retro" videos for my roller derby team.  But considering the amount of time it would take to learn all this stuff (never had it back in the day) I doubt it will ever happen.  :(


Actually, I like having a couple hi quality genlocks around.  In a pinch they give a nice composite (or S-Video) output that works on most modern TVs.  Not as good as RGB but much better that using a crappy A520.
 

Offline Pyromania

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Re: Current uses for Video Toaster / Flyer
« Reply #23 on: July 31, 2015, 05:08:22 AM »
The Video Toaster/Flyer is a cool retro video editing system. It's one of the best the Amiga had but is NTSC only so Europeans didn't get to experance the fun. It also has a 4 input hardware switcher which is something software only editing soluutions don't have.

For those that experanced it, it was ahead of its time and easy to learn and use. If you set one up today you can just use solid state drives so no more hard drive madness. In the modern HD world that's quickly moving to 4K it would not be your daily editing system. Out of respect I would never call it a door stop. It's a great tool for what it does and the era it comes from. The software/hardware has not been updated in almost 20 years.

You can always buy a modern version of the Video Toaster, it's called a TriCaster and has none of the limitations people complained about in this thread about the original.
 

Offline tonyvdb

Re: Current uses for Video Toaster / Flyer
« Reply #24 on: August 04, 2015, 07:42:45 PM »
Is the Toaster/Flyer dead? well in the usefulness of production work yes but it still is alot of fun to mess around with. My system that I bought in 1992 is still working today. Sure Ive had issues but all have been fixable and I still play around with it from time to time. I even have a big green screen that Ive used when my kids want something fun to do on a cold winter day.
Newtek up until recently even offered free repairs on the Toaster and Flyer boards. What company has that good a warranty these days?

I used my system primarily for Wedding production and some promotional videos for small business here.   The output quality was as good as NTSC could get if your source was up to par (garbage in, garbage out) 525 lines of resolution was its max. I still have my Digital-S deck with a few tapes with stuff on them that I worked on.
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Offline Pyromania

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Re: Current uses for Video Toaster / Flyer
« Reply #25 on: August 04, 2015, 10:05:27 PM »
@tonyvdb

Awesome to hear, thanx for sharing.
 

Offline Ral-Clan

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Re: Current uses for Video Toaster / Flyer
« Reply #26 on: August 04, 2015, 10:30:53 PM »
The Video Toaster may not be of much use for editing...

But as a video effects mixer for live performance (i.e. in a dance club, video art project or as a video mixer for projection of live images behind a band, etc.) it could be very cool - and something Sony Vegas and an iPhone couldn't match.

For art projects video resolution and 16:9 doesn't matter.  In fact some people are intentionally using old VHS camcorders, etc. for an interesting look (much like some are still using super-8 film).

I'm pretty sure someone was live-streaming the feed from a real Amiga video toaster during the Amiga 30th celebration in California this past weekend.  It sure looked like that anyway - it still looked good and was extremely appropriate for the event.
« Last Edit: August 04, 2015, 10:33:13 PM by ral-clan »
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Offline mbrantley

Re: Current uses for Video Toaster / Flyer
« Reply #27 on: August 04, 2015, 10:54:53 PM »
ral-clan.... yes, I was operating Bill Borsari's Video Toaster at the event in Mountain View. Did seem fitting, though I am sorry we got the stream going a bit late Saturday morning. Had a few technical difficulties and not enough setup time, but things got ironed out as we got into it.