Any one currently using Toaster/Flyer?

[Plaz]

I've got some video projects in mind, and some I want to post to youtube. I could go out and get a basic PVR card for the PC, but I've already got a prefectly good Amiga setup that's been collecting dust for several years.

I'm pretty good on the toaster. Where I could use some advise is with the flyer setup. I bought one used way back when, then mothballed the whole setup without ever using the flyer. I'm not sure my old 2000 has enough CPU horse power. Both my CPU cards for my 3000 and 4000 have died so all that's left is the 2000 with an 030 (I think) I need to take a look inside and refresh my memory.

Plaz
(Cross posting to AW.net too)

[Piru]

Wouldn't it be smart to skip the PVR and go all digital?

[Plaz]

I'm on a budget of $0, so I'm using what I have. A cheap PVR card would be about all I could afford. In the end it will all be converted to wma, avi or mpeg any way, but I need to edit the vid first and blend in some hi quality audio. The flyer should get me there.

Plaz

[Pyromania]

We still use it. The Video Toaster Flyer is a cool system and includes a realtime switcher. Something that still costs a ton on PC & Mac.

[Sig999]

Not understanding why you need a pvr card to tell the truth.

But then again you should give some details on what your source video is, and what you want your destination to be.

I'm going to assume that you're going to be going DV quality, mainly because you say you're going to be posting to YouTube - and to be honest it's good enough for 99.9% of anything shy of professional production - so unless your output is to BetaSP or DigiBeta, you're not going to need anything over that.

If you're going from a digital camera - most have firewire or usb and you can import your video directly to your PC (if you don't have a firewire card - they are dirt cheap)

If you need to go from composite, you might need to get and analog to digital converter - these are getting cheaper all the time - I've seen some as low as 50 bucks.

There's plenty of editing software out and about ranging from free - to cheap - to expensive.

I think Avid still has a free version of it's DV Express software, it's a very cutdown version of Avid, but is still very capable and I've recommended it to many people wanting a free way to edit videos for internet streaming.

If you don't need to output it directly to a tape - it's actually a great free solution.

Unless the object is to actually edit it on the Amiga for the retro-coolness factor - in which case go that route.

If it's for anything else, honestly - you'll do it twice as fast, and half the headaches following the above.


I'm a professional video editor - and if you need any advice on the subject, feel free to send me a PM

[Plaz]

@Sig999

Not understanding why you need a pvr card to tell the truth.

I don't neccesarily. If I were to use the PC with my old camera, a PVR card would be cheap and easy solution. The digital converter you mention below is a better solution.

I'm going to assume that you're going to be going DV quality,

A little background.... when I left video projects years ago and sold my non-Amiga equipment, my best cameras were SVHS. I've not bought a modern camera since. What I at the moment is a non-digital, non-usb/fireware Hi8 camera. Last week I was hit with a bit of inspiration and thought.... "what do I have? My toaster/flyer setup and a decent analog camera. Should be doable."

If you need to go from composite, you might need to get and analog to digital converter - these are getting cheaper all the time - I've seen some as low as 50 bucks.

A converter and Avid might be a possibility then.

If you don't need to output it directly to a tape -

No tape necessary. Any one actually still using that? :-)

Unless the object is to actually edit it on the Amiga for the retro-coolness factor - in which case go that route.

Yeah, that was part of it. A reason to break out the old stuff and make it useful again while saving the expense of any additional hardware. If a $50 converter, my laptop and some free software can do the same thing though....

I'm a professional video editor - and if you need any advice on the subject, feel free to send me a PM

Thanks, very kind of you. I think my biggest learning curve is going to be syncing he video/audio. The camera will be vid only. The corresponding sound will be digitally recorded mixed and synced with the video. Since the first venue will be things like youtube, the vid quality doesn't have to be stellar, but I want it to sound as good as possible.

Plaz

[Pyromania]

@Plaz

There is nothing wrong with setting up your Video Toaster Flyer system. Free editing applications will not replace 100% of what a Amiga VTF system does. There are elegant and cool features that it has even today. It is a real time system. You can also use it with any PC or Mac solution as one of your video inputs. To 100% replace it you would need to get a Video Toaster VT[5] on Windows and that is very expensive.

[Crom00]

Having used Imoive, it compares nicely with the Flyer codec.

If you can get a fully configured Flyer setup with instructional tapes and the flyer Mastery guide then great.

Also a PC with the ability to save flyer clips or stills is great. You will be stunned at the quality of ligthwave anims compiled on the flyer. Heck I even did After Effects anims and used them on the flyer.

Just be sure to leave about 2 seconds of padding at the starte and end of each clip.

If you have the money...Actually a VT4 system is much more funcitonal than a Flyer.

Here are some added benefits:

Uncompressed/ suppor for every format.
True Timeline video
Real Time dual stream plus a graphics layer
Much more flexible audio editing
100% D1 Res Transitions and VFX
Easy color processing and functionality that elimiated the need for after effects for everything but complex motion graphics.

The above are features I was waiting for on the Flyer, but never got. Some became available via 3rd party plug ins.

The flyer IS a great, realtime- Dual stream editor, no doubt. The storyboard interface of the time was limited yet very powerfull and liberating.

Very easy to setup a person who had never edited video on a flyer was very easy. I toook interns and had them edit sizzle Teaser tapes for the toy industry in a smap to music.

Also Flyer drives need to be cailbrated and formated before use on the flyer, with a VT4 you get the approved SATA or SCSI drives Raid them and go!

Much easier than Imovie.

[Sig999]

Plaz - actually most analog digital converters will do that (audio sync) for you.  I have absolutely no desire to go back to the 'bad old days' of having to do that.

What it comes down to is what you want to put in one end, and what you want to get out the other end - what you do in between is really a matter of preference.

If your end result is to have video clips for youtube or what you - I'd start looking at how you want to accomplish that end of things first, and then your options of how to do that.

If you can convert it all to an mpg and upload it using your Ami - then you have a no-cost solution.  If at some point your video has to go through another computer to get there, and/or you can't get it to the end format you want on your Ami, I'd look at it as an opportunity to see what else is out there in the wide world - you may find something you like.

Shop around and see if you can find a usb or firewire converter that will do the trick on your budget - you could edit on your ami and use it as an input into your PC to do your conversion and upload - theres a lot of things for you to decide that depend on your comfort zone - how much mucking around you want to do - or how much $$ you have to spend to make your project happen.

[Plaz]

Thanks for the advise everyone. I'm going to look in to those cheap convertors. That and a laptop might be all I need.

The old Amiga is giving me fits too. All worked well the first day, but then I find the CPU socket is shot causing  the acclerator to go flaky. I can replace it ok, but then on day two the HD started failing taking many files with it. No problem, just grab another HD and reinstall toaster/flyer software. Managed to find my manuals and boxes, but after serveral years of neglect, I can't find my toaster floppies or my 4.1 toaster/flyer CD. Brilliant.

Plaz

[Plaz]

Newtek hasn't replyed yet to my request for replacement media, but I've found a local still using an A3000 toaster system and I can borrow any thing I need.

I've ordered sockets to replace the bad one (only about $1 each) so I can get rid of the intermittant problem with the CPU socket.

Seems I started on a video job and turned it into a restoration project.

Plaz

[hardlink]

Plaz wrote:
Seems I started on a video job and turned it into a restoration project.
Plaz

Sounds familiar  ;-)

Actually, I find playing with Amiga video gear (the journey) more fun than the video job itself (the destination).