CompuServe Messages

Andrew: For the DTV work you're considering, I highly recommend the Amiga. While there are other packages that might suit you, here are my three reactions to your needs: 1. For a high-end setup, a Toaster 4000 setup would do very nicely everything you want and then some. "High end" means about two grand for the A4000 and another $2500 for the Toaster itself. You'd probably end up investing some amount beyond that for other nicieties or necessities, of course. But the Toaster is pretty well self-contained, with a frame buffer, genlock, etc. already on board. All it's missing is a time base corrector, and that's not always needed depending on how good your VCRs are. Figure a grand if you need one. 2. For low-end stuff, you could get in very cheaply with Gold Disk Video Director, a simple genlock and a cheap titling program — perhaps an investment of $400 above the computer's cost. I use Video Director myself for editing home movies; it fully controls my two decks (one via a Ctrl-L "LANC" port and the other via an infrared adaptor), lets you log tapes, made an edit list and use a genlock to add titles, fades, etc. Very cheap, very efficient, though not quite pro-quality (that depends on your decks, but even with a Sony VBox added to the above, you don't get zero-frame accuracy; close, but not quite). 3. For medium-level, pro-quality work of the type you suggest, an unbeatable Amiga software package is Scala Multimedia 210. It's big brother version, Infochannel, is used by some TV stations, but that would probably be overkill. Scala is a mouse-driven program with a nifty interface that does almost everything. E.g., it's a scrolling CG titler, presentation system, image cataloger, DVE generator, sound editer, etc. Street price of around $300, but it outclasses anything on the Mac or PC. You'd have to add a pro-quality genlock to that (starting at around $500) and some add-on Scala software modules (see below). Other features: 1. Integrates stuff from laserdiscs, still video, MIDI or CDTV into presentations. 2. Has more than 80 software-based wipes and transitions. 3. Handles voice-over, music and sound effects, with complete record and playback control. 4. Preview up to 112 pages of any presentation and shuffle them around in thumbnail mode. 5. "Snapload" feature to load pictures and animations from disk at fast speeds. 6. Can be used to create interactive presentations, complete with hotspot buttons, like Hypercard only better. 7. Takes full advantage of the A4000's native AGA graphics (262,000 colors from 24-bit palette in high resolution). 8. Lingua and AREXX multimedia languages for advanced scripting and links to other Amiga software, which can multitask, allowing you to customize a setup. 9. AnimLab, to fine-tune animated graphics and play them back four times faster than normal on an Amiga 4000 (fast already). Two drawbacks: Scala currently comes with a hardware dongle, as a form of copy protection. It's a plug you put in the spare joystick port on the Amiga. Not a problem, really, unless you lose the dongle, but I do have a philosophical hangup about that sort of thing. Obviously they're just trying to protect themselves, as Scala is a software-only package that's otherwise not copy-protected. Also, for full 24-bit on-screen graphic support (not just a 24-bit palette) and VCR control, you have to buy optional modules which add to Scala's price. But that is reasonable to begin with, given the power of this package, so maybe it's not a problem. I don't know the cost of these modules. Amigavision Professional is much like Scala with a different approach to a user interface (uses an iconized timeline system, whereas Scala uses a highly stylized edit-list type interface). AV Pro is also a bit cheaper. However, it's better suited to interactive presentations than to DTV. I like the Apple IIgs, and think it's been passed over unfairly. You may not know that numerous programs written to run on Apple IIgs also were issued for the Amiga, such as Electronic Arts' Instant Music and Graphics Studio. So they are kindred, to an extent! I don't know much ProDOS — that's the disk format you use, right? Well, if a standard Mac drive can be made to read ProDOS format in some fashion, I would expect that to be achievable with the Emplant board on the Amiga (when in Mac mode, Emplant uses the standard Amiga 3.5" drives as Mac floppies). The Emplant also has standard Appletalk ports, so you probably could network to a IIgs through it, presumably. I'd fax Scala Inc. at 703-709-8242 for more info on Scala. I don't have the number handy for Utilities Unlimited (which makes the Emplant Mac-emulator card) but probably could round it up for you. Good luck in your investigations! — Ron Legro, Milwaukee via AUTOPILOT (the only way to fly)