Which Toaster to buy?
19 messages in this thread
I am looking at purchasing a Toaster system. I want to incorporate it
into an A/B roll system with Hi8 and Betacam SP recorders. I want to
be able to use Scala software and use the Sunrize studio 16 for audio
recording. My question is this:
What type of toaster should I purchase? Should I buy a new 4000 Amiga
w/4000 toaster or should I purchase a used 2000 Amiga w/either a 2000
toaster and software upgrade or a 4000 toaster board?
I've read about a tower version of the 4000 Amiga. Should I wait for
this product?
I want to get the best product for the money. I'm not on a specific or tight
budget, but I do want to get the best VALUE for my money.
I've read posts and articles that had negative vibes for the 4000 amiga. One
negative is the fact that it lacks sufficient expansion slots.
Let me hear what you folks think!
Scott Stroud
Greensboro, NC
No matter which Amiga you end up with, the Toaster 4000 board seems to have a
better signal quality, so if I were you, I'd buy the T4000. As far as whether
to put it in a 2000, 3000, 4000 it just depends on if you want the AGA mode
effects on the toaster and the speed of a 4000 for graphics/3d work. If you
have a sunrize, I assume you already have an Amiga of some sort. Since the two
don't have to be in the same Amiga, maybe you should go with the 4000. You'd at
least have current hardware. If all the machine is going to do is house the
toaster, the slots don't really matter. Plenty of room for the Toaster, a SCSI
i/f and a nice sized SCSI drive if you need extra disk space. You can also
"network" two machines for file transfer with something called paranet (unsure
that is the right spelling).
just my $.02 worth.
Brian
Do you think I can get out cheaper without sacrificing quality by picking up a
used A2000 and add an 040 accellerator card?
I've been told the only feature I would lose is the real time animation on the
T4000 by using an older A2000 platform. Since that isn't something I would use
it seems like a good value trade off.
I say, YES. I use an A2000 with T4000 card and 3.1 software. I'm not
missing anything, so far, by not having AGA. (Though, with a PAR board, I
guess I shouldn't cry about lack of anim playback capability). From the
latest gab, it also seems that the A2000/'040 set-up renders twice as fast
as the A4000, though this may change with the new GVP accelerator for the
A4000.
And, another plus is the A2000's greater expansion capabilites. Room for
TBCs, Sunrize soundcard, hard drives, etc.
That's my view from the Windy City.
Stephen Bailey
Sawyer & Bailey Film and Video CIS # 72773,2451
Doug,
The Toaster 4000 board does indeed have a higher quality output. There are
also the AGA transitions with the colors, which is really no big deal to me,
but may be to some folks. One of the best 4000-only features, IMO, is the fact
that it highlights selected polygons and objects in bright yellow in Modeler
and Layout. This in itself is worth the difference if you're gonna spend much
time in Lightwave…
Jerry
Actually, there is a way to get the yellow polys with a 2000 Amiga, if
anyone is interested.
GT
Yellow Polys with a 2000? Yes Greg, please go on! (and don't say by a 4000
card and put it in a 2000! :} )
Glen "Ciecel B. De'"Miller
Try hitting the Alt and star key on the NUMERIC keypad. Either that or
shift. Warning however! Your display will slow down considerably!
Buying a 4000 card would work the best however…..
GT
Got that mail to work! Now, about that yellow display… on a 4000 with a 4000,
if I were to hit that ALT- star combo, would the 4000 LW go into non-yellow
mode?
..speed things up a bit? I'm gonna try when I get finished here!
Glen
Can't say about the 4000, don't have one on my desk….
GT
Greg,
Well, I use my 4000 for CServe! It also has a TOASTER in it for home! My real
work is produced on 2000's! SPEED!
Also, could you resend your tip on two splines (Keystroke) and delete one of
the splines? You said hit Ctrl – P. That is make spline?
Were you talking about another key other than "p" ?
Just wondering!
Glen
When your building an object that is identicle on both sides, you only
need to build one half. Select the splines that intersect at the halfway
point, mirror them over and merge your points. Next hit Cntrl-S to smooth
across the points. Then delete one half. That's it!
GT
tried it. Doesn't do anything on a T4000/3.1 in a A2000.
wmc – via Autopilot!
Greg,
Do tell us how to get the yellow poly's with a 2000. Please. I used
to do most of my modeling in Imagine, but primarily use Modeler now. I
really miss the use of color in the LW modeler though, so this sounds like
a tip worth knowing.
Doug
Sorry,
There is no way to do this with the shipping version of LW.
JG
Greg,
NO there isn't. That doesn't work.
JG
What dosen't work? The only thing I can't get to work is stupid AP
program!
GT
Yellow colors in Interface…
(Use your Parent button located here)
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Doug, You will loose more than real time anim playback. There are some Toaster
effects that require the AGA chipset in the 4000. Some of them are "neat" but
may not be useful in the "real world". I suggest you go to a dealer if possible
and view these effects. I know you can pick up a refurbished Amiga2000 for
about $300 and add 2mb chip ram for a little less than $200. I do not know what
040 accels are going for in the 2000 flavor. I have an 030 40mhz. Check the
mags for 040 prices. Memory is the killer in any flavor right now, about
$200/4MB in the GVP series or the 4000.
I don't know what kind of video decks you have, but the real time anim playback
is pretty cool, if you want to do any LW logo type stuff. Without it you will
have to get a DPS PAR/disk drive set up for a mininum of about $2300 or a
single frame controller/deck setup at a minimum of about $2600 in the S-VHS
flavor (the Sanyo deck). From what I have seen, the PAR is the HW of choice for
LW anims, but you may be buying an S-VHS deck anyway and the Sanyo might serve
two needs nicely, eliminating the need for real time anim playback.
I've raised a lot of questions, but I think this further illustrates the
tradeoffs you will have to make. You could find a used 2000 over on the Amiga
User forum, or call Mr. Hardware in Islip, NY. Other sources are in AmigaUser
mag.
Best, Brian