CompuServe Messages

"it was costing him more money to buy a beta than to get a production unit because of how early he ordered the production unit" I'm not sure I understaqnd that. Is NewTek charging for the beta units? Considering them as a forerunner, so to speak, of the production stuff? "can't understand why you would need 175 people to beta test it" I can and don't have a problem with the number. The more people who actively beta test something, the higher the *probability* that you'll iron out most of the bugs – and keep a lot more people from becoming involuntary beta testers when they get the so-called production units. But a lot depends on how seriously the beta testers attack the unit. Most beta testers don't really stress whatever it is they're testing. "On the other hand, most of the reviews that I have heard about the Flyer do emphasize its high quality video" Personally I've come to discount any of the product "review" editorial that appears in Video Toaster User. At this point, I feel that they've basically become a NewTek house organ. For example, I'm sitting here with a Studio 16 that still won't do what it's advertising claimed a year ago – and Video Toaster hasn't had a word about that or the many other programs, such as Toaster Toolkit, that were shipped incomplete or so buggy that they were useless. I'd rather wait for some reviews and comments who don't have a direct interest in the success of the Video Toaster market – and except for a squib or two, there haven't been any – and that bothers me. "I think the interface also is quite nice and easy to use, although I think a time-line metaphor is fundamentally better than a storyboard, insofar as it can actually incorporate a storyboard as well" Yep. I don't have a whole lot of experience with non-linear video editing, but the timeline interface strikes me as a lot easier and efficient to use. But that's kind of a personal quibble I guess, like preferring automatic transmission to stick shift. Both can get the job done. "The latest information I heard today from this guy who talked to New Tek was that they had figured out a software fix to reduce the amount of data passing through the chip and overheating it" There's a whole thread on the NewTek BBS about the overheating problem and, more importantly, on the need for NewTek to cherry pick drives to work with the Flyer. Their claim is that they're pushing the edge of the envelope. My concern is that you can push the edge too far. If the drives need to be cherry picked to begin with, does that also spell the beginning of lots of downtime for repair when a drive goes slightly out of spec? Personally when I see anyone making a "we're pushing the edge of technology" claim, I want to put my money back in my wallet. Like most people who have been in the computer business for a few years, I've seen a lot of those situations turn into crash 'n burns. "I think represents a better incremental cost even if you have an IBM and are looking to either the Fast Machine or the Targa Boards which I see as the competition" There's also Raster Ops, SuperMac, Radius, D/Vision (or something like that) and lots of others. It's obviously a market that lots of people are getting into and Moore's Law dictates that capacities will double and prices halve every 18 months. Without any solid factual knowledge about the Flyer's true performance and capabilities, the thought is growing in my mind that this might be one of those situations where waiting for the second generation is the wiser and more cost effective move. (If you've ever bought any Apple products, you know exactly what I mean. <G>) The problem for me is that NewTek is essentially asking people to take a flyer (couldn't resist that one) on untested technology. The independent reviews and commentary just aren't there. The feedback from real users isn't there. And I don't see a safety net: what will NewTek's return policy be if newly delivered Flyer units don't live up to the customer's expectations? To my knowledge, NewTek hasn't ever even published a real spec sheet on the Flyer. Everything is by reference in press releases or comments at trade shows and stuff like that. The claim of D2 quality, of course, is totally subjective, like "broadcast quality". With drives and whatnot, the Flyer is not an inexpensive proposition. The slippage of their software schedule is also bothersome to me – it means that a Flyer buyer is essentially taking delivery of an incomplete unit. I don't know. My doubts are growing – but not a word of what I'm saying should be taken as a slam of any kind against the Flyer for the simple reason that I've never seen one. Period. And it also seems that no other end-user has ever had the opportunity to sit and use one for an extended period of time. Right now, everything about the Flyer is sort of "all in the family" – in the hands of people who have a lot of reasons not to say anything negative (even is such existed) because they have an economic interest in the cashflow NewTek hopes to develop in the near-term. Just the kind of situation with all the unknowns to make me kind of uncomfortable. And, of course, it should be remembered that the Flyer could also be the greatest thing since sliced bread. The problem is a lack of objective information, nothing more, nothing less. Jerry