#Toaster Q's
4 messages in this thread
Howdy.
I just became a new Toaster owner; purchased a Toaster 2000 with 2.0
software from a chap on the Internet. I've been playing and playing
with it (really bought it for Lightwave), and I have some
Questions…
* How much is the upgrade? Can I simply buy 3.1 from a dealer, or do I
need to get it direct from NewTek? Given the LightRave thing, do I
need a letter of transfer from the seller?
* Rending times…I have a 28mhz '030 with a 50mhz '882. My rendering
times have been slow (not that the hardware is all that speedy,
but…). Will 3.1 speed things up at all?
* Warp effects…I've been playing with the Switcher, doing
transitions between live video and DV1/DV2. I noticed that the Warp
effects actually Warp the framebuffer contents, but seem to "key"
over live video. Is this right? So far, I haven't really seen any
'3-D DVE' for the live video…did I read too much into the
Toaster-hype?
* Other upgrade stuff…does Newtek have a continuing hardware upgrade
policy? Could I upgrade the older card I have now, for a Toaster
4000?
Any other tips and advice would be greatly appreciated. Lightwave is
out of this world – I should have bought this stuff years ago.
Jonathan
Jonathan,
Congrats on getting your Toaster. I'll try to answer yout questions as best as
I can.
The upgrade to 3.1 from 2.0 retails for $699 US dollars, you should be able to
get a discount from that price by going mail order as opposed to buying from
Newtek direct. I'm not sure if they will require you to furnish proof of
ownership or not, check with the dealer on that one. As far as upgrading
firmware; I am afraid you are too late to take advantage of the special trade
in offer from Newtek. That's been over for quite some time now.
If you decide to upgrade to 3.1 you will see marked improvement in lightwave
render times. In some circumstances there is a 300% or more increase in speed.
The other upgraded features in both Lightwave and Modeler are too numerous to
mention, suffice to say it's probably more than worth your while to upgrade the
software. I am sure Newtek would be more than willing to furnish you with a
free demotape of 3.1's features along with a brochure, but you must be patient.
I have heard that it can take weeks for that info to arrive once it is ordered
by Newtek, I think they might be using an outside service to provide
fullfilment on the promotional tapes.
The warp effects you mentioned make use of the digital frame buffers (DV-1 DV2)
to accomplish their magic. In order to get them to work properly on the other
channels of video, the buffers must be available (at least one of them anyway).
Try experimenting a bit, you will find a way to work with the digital style DVE
effects with most combinations of DV's and input signal sources so long as you
bear in mind there are some limitations. I find some interesting ways to work
with images "keyed" over each other while using the DVE's it can get real
interesting. Your manual should be a good source of info on the basic
explanation of the different combinations available. If you didn't get a
manual, I suggest you either get the 3.1 upgrade, or contact someone who would
be willing to let you photocopy their 2.0 manual. I can't imagine you using
lightwave without a manual anyway.
Frank
Frank,
Thanks for the information! While the Switcher is something that I will
probably not use a whole lot, its good to know that I'm probably doing
something wrong 🙂 Now to find a good price on the upgrade…any suggestions on
who has a good price? What is a good price, anyway?
Curious Jonathan
Jonathan,
Sorry I can't help you out on a "good price" or a "good dealer". I would check
the dealer directory or the ads located in the Video Toaster User magazine.
Frank