CompuServe Thread

#Flyer Hardware ?

44 messages in this thread
#92066From: Hilary SzymanowskiOct 7, 1994 3:32 PM
I have read a lot about the Flyer…. mostly its performance. Would like to know more about the hardware: 1) Is it in the form of a board… if so where does it go in an Amiga 4000/040 ? My present 3 slots are full. Or is it in the form of an outboard "black box" ? 2) Where do the 2 hard disks go ? Little room inside the computer. 3) What is the VCR to Flyer interface… what type… RS422 or what ? Does the board/box provide the necessary 9 pin connectors ? 4) Will the power supply of the Amiga 4000/040 be able to provide the wattage to drive the Flyer card/box ? Would be glad of any info;. Thanks. Hilary
#92081From: Frank VanellaOct 7, 1994 9:24 PM
Hilary, JUst in passing, you might be interested in knowing that all the answers to your questions are answered in the new VTU issue (should be on newstands now). But here goes; It's a baord that occupies any of the available IBM type slots in ANY amiga that has them. If you are using any of your current slots for a SCSI card, you can remove that card because the Flyer has 3 on board SCSI controllers. One can be used to act as your main Amigados/Workbench SCSI contoller in addition to acting as a contoller for the Flyer's specialized hard drives. Although it is certainly possible to cram small form factor large capacity hard drives in your existing computer, besause of the heat buildup and power requirements of these drives the recommended setup will be to mount them externally in some form of drive case or other PC case that might also do double duty housing TBC/Vectorscope cards. As of the last time I saw the unit demonstrated (in SF two weeks back) there were no immediate plans to address VTR control via any protocol such as RS422. Machine control will fall to the aftermarket developers such as RGB and TAO. Flyer shouldn't require any more wattage/votage than your conventional TBC card or similar device, so the power supply that is currently installed with your 4000 should do nicely. Hope this answers the questions you posted. Be looking for your new issue of VTU to give you more in depth coverage. Frank
#92096From: Hilary SzymanowskiOct 8, 1994 9:48 AM
As usual Frank…. you come to my aid, in this case to educate me. QUESTION: In the demo you saw…. how did those blokes interface between the card sitting in their Amiga and at least the 2 VCR's needed ? There must be some sort of control code that comes out of the Flyer – both for the 2 Macropolis hard drives = plus the Source and Record VTR's. Did they have some mysterious black box… and who made it? Does the article in the magazine (to which I do subscribe – being one of their oldest contributors) – cover the hardware? Most articles quickly pass over this point. Think the reason is that there are so many VTR control set-ups and protocols. Saw Barry the other day…. he talks of you on glowing terms…. all his stuff is up and running!! All the best, Hilary
#92118From: Frank VanellaOct 8, 1994 6:27 PM
Hilary, I think why we are failing to connect here is your quite reasonable assumption that more than one VTR is required for the Flyer. Only ONE vtr is required to work in ANY NLE environment, although machine control of more than one (or even ONE in the Flyer's case) is desireable. Don't get me wrong.. I have much invested in my plain old linear tape machines and would like to continue to have access to all my tape based footage during an edit session WITHOUT having to digitize it first, but apparently that isn't to be. What MIGHT be implemented in a future version of the Flyer software would be the capability to use the computer's serial port to communicate to ONE vtr for the purposes of batch capture of several segments from a previously compiled SMPTE edit list. My gut tells me that Newtek will probably let someone like Nucleus electronics (the makers of the Personal SFC) fill in the void since they have already done all the engineering required to operate RS422 tape machines from the Amiga serial port. For the mean time, you would connect the output of your TBC (which will be fed by your VTR or be internal to the VTR itself) along with the audio out connections to the Flyer's inputs and playback your footage while the Flyer captures it. Any subsequent manipulation of the video is done with the "captured" sequences. On the whole, I got the impression during the demonstration in SF that Newtek's vision of the new era of desktop video doesn't include machine control. The viewpoint being fostered by Jennison and Stranahan at that time essentially declares that "With a totally digital video environment, you won't need a vtr" except to play the footage "into" the system for the first time, then use it on the final pass to "capture" the final assembly of the seperate video/audio clips as they are spewed forth out of the Toaster's output. This process being required only if you wish to distribute your precious vid to the rest of the world on that antiquated medium called tape.<g> Stranahan even went so far as to suggest that you should capture your footage directly into the Flyer by taking it on location with you. While the idea of a main control room on your desktop being "fed" signals from your camera operator somwhere in the vicinity is appealing, I don't think it's very practical. Most footage will be "aquired" via tape based camera systems for some time to come. On your other question; The video/audio playback from hard drives is indeed "controlled", but through software that brings your Toaster's switcher environment "in on the process" of editing video in a very familiar interface. Because (for the time being anyway) all this magic is being performed within the confines of your Amiga, (Both Toaster and FLyer cards contained therein) there is no need to have a seperate "black box" interface to communicate between hard drives and Flyer. There IS of course the SCSI connection (3 of them) by which all kinds of lovely info will flow between Flyer/Toaster/Swithcher/Amiga Operating System. I have yet to actually see my new VTU so I can't really say how in depth the hardware coverage is. My assumption though would be that since there isn't much in the way of hardware to look at (just a board) there will be more emphasis on the software environment and an explanation of the procedures required to operate it by a typical user. Glad to hear Barry is doing so well after his illness. I will post him a note. Frank
#92120From: Hilary SzymanowskiOct 8, 1994 7:29 PM
Thanks so much Frank for all that "explaining". My son-in-law, who produces some of the Network stuff, recently showed me a non-linear system called the "Cube" (around $50,000) which he has just bought. He does his own editing on Betacam SP. He hires crews for aquisition – also on Betacam SP. He has just the two VTR's, Source and Edit/Record. He plonks the tape given to him by his crew on to the Play VTR. He then inputs the "scenes" he wants to use into the Cube – up to about a limit of 20 minutes of stored video. He then "arranges" each scene and the sequence they should run – plus any transitions between scenes. He then presses PREVIEW… and you see the output from the Cube. If then OK, again with his Mac', he hits a key and all the stuff is recorded as a master on the Record VTR. Quick and neat. I had thought that the Flyer was a poor man's version of the Cube… or something like it. When seeing stuff at shows and demo's I tend to drift behind the equipment, and try and see the stuff they do NOT want me to see. I gain the impression that at the moment the Flyer is a board, hard disk(s).. and some software. It does not appear to be a working system. All the best, Hilary
#92168From: Peter GreciOct 9, 1994 10:13 AM
PMFJI, I believe thats an IMMIX Video Cube, base price around $38,000 I guess yer Son in Law added some EXTRA Space since I believe the base Model only handles and hour of storage Member of the Association of Media Professionals
#92187From: Hilary SzymanowskiOct 9, 1994 1:23 PM
Thanks Peter. I am under the impression that around 20 minutes of data storeage for operator to fully edit a sequence of a show is adequate for initial editing. This is how the son-in-law operates at the moment. Hilary. Member SMPTE.
#92270From: Peter GreciOct 10, 1994 4:16 PM
for a Half Hour show I'd agree 20 minutes is the average "ACTUAL" air time, the rest is taken up with opening and Closing Credits as well as Commercials. So does yer son in law let ya play with his TOYS? 😉 Member of the Association of Media Professionals
#92302From: Hilary SzymanowskiOct 10, 1994 7:48 PM
No Peter… He is in Philadelphia, and I about 400 miles away. I like the distance because the grand children are a noisy bunch of hooligans! I did get a demo of the Cube last time I plucked up courage and visited…. also was allowed to play – but under strict supervision. Incidently, was adding up the total add-on Flyer package. If my estimate is right, one has to shell out around 8 K. bucks to put one into your Amiga 4000 with the Toaster already there. Check my numbers:- Flyer. Board and CD-ROM software $4000 Two.. 2 Gig Hard drives @ $1500 EA. 3000 CD-ROM Double speed drive 400 500 Meg Hard disk for Audio 450 So it's not quite "a linear system for $4000"… as the ad's seem to imply. Still it's far less that the Cube. All the best, Hilary
#92308From: Michael MiloffOct 10, 1994 8:28 PM
Hilary, Here is my $.02 worth. The 4 gig drives may only give you 15 minutes or so of storage. If you are working on a project of longer than 15 minutes or a couple of projects concurrently, you may want to budget for more hard drives. The hard drive component, though, is pretty standard for any system. I have a flyer on order and did some comparison to another viable alternative called the Video Machine. Its cost is about 12k Canadian (maybe 8k US) for the basic board and a couple of other pieces of relevant equipment. That is not counting the computer or the hard drives. On the other hand, it gives you linear editing if you want. On the whole, I feel the Flyer provides significantly lower costs if you already have a toaster system. I am planning to spend another 2-3 on what I hope will be excellent third party software, more sophisticated audio boards etc. Still – if it produces D2 – an excellent price. My one concern is that it will not easily produce layering and there is some pixellization with the Toaster for certain scalable window effects. I am not sure what the work around is, though I believe NewTek are working on adapting the software so you can have two Flyers in your system, which should allow – for only 4-5k more – the potential of some very sophisticated layering. Michael
#92351From: Hilary SzymanowskiOct 11, 1994 9:16 AM
Thank you Michael. It would seem to me that…. given that you have an Amiga 4000/040 with a Toaster card installed – and more than 10 Megs of RAM. I think that the Flyer would cost somewhere in the region of $8000 more. Flyer card and CD-ROM software $4000 TWO 2, Gig Hard drives 3500 CD-ROM Double speed drive 400 500 Meg hard drive for Audio 450 I read a long blurb on the Flyer… before I came up with these numbers… and I think the cost is minimum. All the best, Hilary
#92389From: Peter GreciOct 11, 1994 4:26 PM
Seems right to me Hilary. Tho I believe Double Speed CDROMS are a bit less than $400 now. I think Quad speeds aren't much more than $500 now. Member of the Association of Media Professionals
#92189From: Frank VanellaOct 9, 1994 2:10 PM
Hilary, Your comment; >>I gain the impression that at the moment the Flyer is a board, hard disk(s).. and some software. It does not appear to be a working system.<< I think you are a bit premature with your proclaimation. Although the Flyer is going through final testing as we chat here on CIS, it DOES work. I've seen it with my own eyes and I would say that it more than qualifies as a poor man's "Cube" or "Avid" since even with the purchase of a new computer & hard drives it probably will deliver the same (if not better) video fidelity for less than half the cost of any On-Line quality system currently available. I suspect the reason your son in law's plaback deck is just that, a Playback only model. With a patch panel, he could easily be using the record VTR for both playback and recording with his Cube, but perhaps he occasionally requires Dynamic Tracking (Slow Motion) which is usually not a feature supported by most edit decks. In my particular setup, I have a Dynamic Tracking Betacam source deck (BVW-15) and it doesn't have any record capabilities. Frank
#92223From: Hilary SzymanowskiOct 9, 1994 11:06 PM
Before I am tempted in the direction of the Flyer Frank, I too would like to see it with my own eyes – preferably also connected to a Tek' waveform monitor and vectorscope – and and engineering grade monitor. I agree, it sounds great from all the published waffle… so far. My son-in-law uses the player so that he is able to do quick and nasty assembly edits in the normal linear way, also to see stuff raw when it comes in. Personally I would like to see re-writeable laser type storeage – rather than magnetic, but think that will come in due time. All the best, Hilary
#92298From: Adib NasleOct 10, 1994 6:59 PM
Hi Frank, Just to soliticite your opinion and also bring one item to the attention of those who are looking over these particular exchanges regarding the Flyer: NewTek does claim D2 output quality on the Flyer, but if the input is not D2 quality (I have no idea how you would input D2 signal into the Flyer), then the output is NOT going to be D2. As with other products, Garbage In Garbage Out. So I don't think the D2 quality is a feature that many Toaster buffs will be able to take advantage of, and therefore the emphasis placed on it is rather misdirected (in my opinion). The fact that the you can achieve excellent Y Y-R Y-B signal quality is the major factor, and one which a significant percentage of the target audience can truely take advantage of. I had a chance to see the Flyer this past weekend, and it was a really nice product with a very easy to use interface (its a true no brainer). One other note of importance is the fact that most users will have to purchase an additional SCSI drive for two of the audio tracks (2 are supported on the A/V drives). This drive does not have to have the high transfer rate of the A/V drives, so any 250MB SCSI will do (250MB should hold about an hour of audio sampled at 44.1). Adib
#92323From: Frank VanellaOct 11, 1994 12:31 AM
Adib, I'm in agreement with you that most potential Flyer user's will be more than happy with compression settings that aproximate BetaSP quality as opposed to the D-2. But let's not forget that these compression settings are designed to denote aproximate picture quality standards that are familiar to those using video and NOT representative of actual formats that these standards are named for. In other words, "there ain't no D-2 in or out of the Flyer". Neither is there Y, R-y, B-y, just plain ole composite. IF I can fault Newtek for anything in Flyer/Toaster marketing, it's the misuse of the term "D-2" (and the misleading pricing figures they use to compare the total cost of a functional NLE system). For anyone who has actually seen more than one of the current crop of "On-Line" quality NLE systems up close and personal, I think the Flyer's picture fidelity in it's least "lossy" setting will be a clear winner in price/performance per minute compared to other systems. That along with the ease of use in it's software interface is where the emphasis should be placed since those features alone are strong enough reasons to buy. The additioanl D-2 "hype" only serves to create doubts in the minds of those who have taken the time to research the field sufficiently enough to understand the terminology. Most people willing to shell out the nearly 20k it will take to build a serious Flyer based NLE from scratch will probably have done so. It's unfortunate that Newtek feels that the Flyer can't stand on it's own merits, because it really is a viable product that doesn't require all the smoke and mirrors. The additional 2 tracks of 44.1 audio storage you mentioned I would assume is intended for stereo soundtrack laybacks. Since most of the work I am involved in is simple edit to pre-produced narrator/music mix, I don't think it will come into play all that often. Even at that, I have a couple of 2-300 SCSI drives laying around (used on macs at the moment) that could be easily pressed into service should the need arise. Frank
#92332From: Wayne ColeOct 11, 1994 7:08 AM
Frank, I went to the HT ELectronics open house and saw the Flyer there. What surprised me was the number of "novice" users who were interested in it, even when told clearly by the demonstrator that it required 2 2gig drivs for video, .5-1 gig for audio, and tbc for input. Many of these people had be so beaten with the term "component" that when the answer came back "compsite" they automatically think "VHS". I think it is just easier for NewTek to say "D2" without having to educate their potential market on luminance bandwidths etc. And I've always heard them say "D2 quality" which is probably accurate for the digital stuff originalting in the Toaster environment and played back via the Toaster spigots. I'm not sure how "right" it is, but its sorta like the camera manufactures who talk about the 700 line camras that dock to the 400 line S-VHS recorder. The 700 lines is coming out of the spigot, but you'll never get it on tape. wmc – via Autopilot!
#92416From: Frank VanellaOct 11, 1994 9:33 PM
Wayne, I guess the point I ws trying to make is that the product is good enough to stand on it's own without having to heap more misdirecting hype about "D" this or that on top of it. It's kind of "like a box of chocolates". Frank
#92507From: Wayne ColeOct 12, 1994 3:31 PM
Yeah, Frank, I know what you mean. But after having to provide tech support to marketdroids a few times in my life, I see another side too. Uninformed/misinformed potential buyers with "Great Expectations" and a hip-pocket full of buzz words. The problem is the buyers have real faith in the buzz words (cause someone they respect told them somethint that the buyers ofte lift out of context and take tpo be an immutable law of the Universe). So the marketdroids build ammo for return fire. It helps the marketdriods sell the uninformed without really lying (or at least thats the theory) but it makes the informed buyer grimace a little and have to wotk a little harder to get the core facts in view. wmc – via Autopilot!
#92400From: Adib NasleOct 11, 1994 7:20 PM
you are right, the smoke and mirrors marketing tactics of Newtek really serves no purpose other than to cast a shadow of doubt for those professionals who are seriously considering a non-linear system. I can just see Avid sales people telling their potential clients about NewTeks unattainable "D-2" quality claims. But a YC++ goes a long way for a few hundred bucks extra – NewTek should throw this device in with the package or ask for a nominal charge for it as an option, then they can at least stand straight and claim Component and Y/C support. Adib
#92472From: Arnie CachelinOct 12, 1994 9:30 AM
But claiming component, when internally the signal is converted to composite, albeit at high digital quality, would also be deceptive.. more so. The D2 claim has been around since the earliest toaster days, since the toaster used the D2 digital format for its framestores and internal processing. NewTek claiming d2 quality is perhaps obscure, and possibly misleading, since there is no real way to get a d2 signal into the flyer, but I think it is honest, and based upon statistics of the hardware's bandwidth and signal processing techniques. As a pure marketing claim, D2 is too obscure a term to be valuable.
#92525From: Adib NasleOct 12, 1994 5:39 PM
I whole heartedly agree with your view. Adib
#92598From: Steve_COct 13, 1994 10:16 AM
> NewTek does claim D2 output quality on the Flyer, but if the input is > not D2 quality (I have no idea how you would input D2 signal into the > Flyer), then the output is NOT going to be D2. > As with other products, Garbage In Garbage Out. Can't the Flyer import frames directly from Lightwave? Steve
#92124From: BRAD HAYESOct 8, 1994 8:21 PM
Hilary: If you don't mind me jumping in here, the Flyer dose not "INTERFACE" with any VCR's other than direct video IN and OUT. All you need to do is hit play on your VCR and REC on the Flyer (also select a resoution for the digitizing), then vice-a-versa when you are done. So you only need one VCR that has REC and Playback. All your sources play back directly from the HD's. NewTek has desined it with a fairly open arcatechutre so Third Parties can intagrate machine control. The HD's are SCSI II and conect directly to the FLYER card and show up as system directories acessable from workbench or any other program. Brad Hayes H.V.C.
#92171From: Hilary SzymanowskiOct 9, 1994 10:40 AM
Thank you Brad. Then – as far as I can tell from input – the Flyer is just a card – plus hard disks – that can store and output video. I get the impression that it cannot arrange scenes or edit, but somehow can intergrate the EFX from the Toaster. Not very impressive. I suspect that – with the demise of Commodore – there will not be many outfits that will try and intergrate this hodge=poge into a system, with full computer control of data entry, data selection and full machine control of the VCR's. Perhaps it is worth turning to the various PC video edot system which do deliver a "System"… All the best, Hilary
#92229From: BRAD HAYESOct 10, 1994 12:59 AM
Hilary: I hesitated to answer a previous message from you because I figured that some one else would do it one In which you said that the Flyer dose not appear top be a working system. YOU CAN NOT BE MORE WRONG! I certainly can't imagine were you are getting your information from. The Flyer is a fully Integrated Random Access Nonlinear editing system. The interface is a hybrid of story board editing and the Toaster Switcher. Toaster 4.0 will allow you to select several switcher modes. One of which will show you a storage area on the lower part (were the Main, Preview, and overlay are in version 3.0.) In this Storage BIN you can choose FrameStore, CG Pages, Wipes & transitions, and (If you have the Flyer) Video clips. This will allow the Toaster to be the Best toaster Sequencer available. And (If you have the Flyer) a complete Nonlinear Edit system! The Upper portion of the Switcher screen becomes a Storyboard were you place in sequence the items in the order that you want them to occur. The best part is that once you are done arranging the clips transitions and titles and whatever in the order you want you hit the play button and its done. Fully Integrated with the Toaster Switcher the playback is in real-time. No waiting for effects to render like the Cube, Avid and D-vision. However you are limited to the toaster effects in real time. Not to worry if you want a Hi-Res version of an effect send it to LightWave. LW will render a video transition in full res with NO pixilation. Where I am working Now we Have 2 IMix Cube systems and I like them a lot, however they still have some sever limitations. Like out put quality. NewTek is claiming that the Flyer will deliver D2 video quality. That is a pretty bold statement, I must admit. But if any one could do it I believe that NewTek can. The other thing that the Flyer has over the Cube is LightWave. Brian our Cube operator dose a lot of pretty cool stuff in PhotoShop. But with LightWave and TPaint I can run circles around him Graphical speaking. Maybe that is a testament to both our abilities but that is what I have witnessed. I disagree that there will not be very many companies willing to purchase a flyer. Every single production company that I consult with now owns a Toaster or is now trying to get one because of what I have shone them it can do with my system. I think that Sceptics will say the same thing that they said about the toaster when it came out. However every body is now using them and I think that speaks for it's self…. Brad Hayes Hayes Visual Communication
#92248From: Hilary SzymanowskiOct 10, 1994 9:24 AM
Again Brad…. many thanks for your views and information. Sometime soon we have a SBE show (Society of Broadcast Engineers) around here. That is where I saw… and played with the Toaster some years ago. Perhaps I will be able to see this 9th Wonder of the World there. All the best… and thanks. Hilary
#92251From: Gary KleinerOct 10, 1994 10:54 AM
Thanks Brad, SOMEONE had to respond! Regards, Gary
#92260From: Hilary SzymanowskiOct 10, 1994 12:11 PM
Brad. I have read the long and detailed question/answer file about the Flyer. Very interesting. It would seem that what I had thought to be the TOTAL cost… is just not so. From my somewhat over simplified calculations, the cost of a workable Flyer system for use in our existing Amiga 4000/040 would come out somewhat as follows:- Flyer board and software (CD-ROM) $4000.00 Two 2 Gig. hard dives 3500.00 Double speed CD-ROM drive 400.00 500 Meg audio hard disk 450.00 Which brings the outlay to about 8 to 9 thousand dollars. Is this about right? All the best, Hilary
#92271From: Peter GreciOct 10, 1994 4:16 PM
You forget 2 other goodies you'll need Hilary. You'll also need at LEAST 1 TBC and of course a Toaster Member of the Association of Media Professionals
#92314From: Jim MaddoxOct 10, 1994 10:03 PM
>> You forget 2 other goodies you'll need Hilary. You'll also need at >> LEAST 1 TBC and of course a Toaster Um…while we're getting picky here…how about the computer? <g> Actually, I think she might be pricing a Flyer upgrade for a current Toaster system. If not, she'll need to add around $4000-6000. Say, wait a minute. Since there's only one input source for the Flyer, why should you need a TBC? (Just curious.) – Jim, on AutoPilot!
#92324From: Frank VanellaOct 11, 1994 12:31 AM
Jim, PMFJI, >>Say, wait a minute. Since there's only one input source for the Flyer, why should you need a TBC? (Just curious.)<< You need to use a TBC on the input video to the flyer when capturing footage from taped sources. BTW, Hilary is a HE not a SHE. Frank
#92414From: Jim MaddoxOct 11, 1994 9:31 PM
>> BTW, Hilary is a HE not a SHE. My apologies to Hilary. (I was wondering why it was only spelled with one "l.") >> You need to use a TBC on the input video to the flyer when capturing >> footage from taped sources. In other words, the Flyer needs a sync-free input source? The thing that had me confused is the fact that you don't need a TBC if you only use one input on the Toaster (no two-source transitions). Oh well. I already have two, so I guess it doesn't really matter. – Jim, on AP!
#92426From: Frank VanellaOct 11, 1994 10:08 PM
Jim, Once trhe video is digitized into the Flyer clips, they play directly into the video inputs of the Toaster's switcher for "real time" transitions. So the reason for the single TBC is to make ceratain that the video was corrected i=on the way into the Flyer, once that is accomplished, you can have multiple clips (for A/B roll transitions) playing back video from seperate files that are already sync stable to the Toaster without the need for TBCs. Frank
#92446From: Jim MaddoxOct 12, 1994 12:51 AM
Ah. Well, that makes a little more sense, I guess. But wait — the Flyer is digitizing the video in real time, right? A digitizer/framegrabber should be able to ignore the sync signals, right? (I don't need a TBC for my VIDI-12. I don't _need_ one to digitize with the Toaster either, although it does help.) So why should the Flyer need to have the incoming video pre-corrected — unless it digitizes the sync signals as well as the video? – Jim, on AP!
#92429From: Gary KleinerOct 11, 1994 10:20 PM
Jim, You DO need your signal to be time base corrected even with only one source. The Toaster will not process the signal if it is not stable enough. Perhaps you are confused because you definatly need a way to sync the two sources together (if you are mixing two). Regards, Gary
#92445From: Jim MaddoxOct 12, 1994 12:51 AM
>> The Toaster will not process the signal if it is not stable enough. But if it's sufficiently stable, it will be processed. I've done it many times. >> Perhaps you are confused because you definatly need a way to sync the >> two sources together (if you are mixing two). I think I understand now — the Flyer has composite outputs that go into the Toaster's inputs. Now it makes a little more sense…except…oh well. – Jim, on AutoPilot!
#92512From: Peter GreciOct 12, 1994 3:47 PM
No Even if using 1 Source VCR you still REQUIRE a TBC unless the 1 source is a Laser Disk player or a Signal from a Camera. Member of the Association of Media Professionals
#92390From: Peter GreciOct 11, 1994 4:26 PM
HUH? I'm perplexed by your question of WHY you need a TBC since there's only 1 input on the Flyer. oh yea and Believe it or not Hilary's a Man. Member of the Association of Media Professionals
#92413From: Jim MaddoxOct 11, 1994 9:31 PM
>> oh yea and Believe it or not Hilary's a Man. Oh. That one got me. Sorta like Leslie Robert "Bob" Hope, eh? >> I'm perplexed by your question of WHY you need a TBC since there's >> only 1 input on the Flyer. Well, I was just wondering…you don't need a TBC for a Toaster if you only have one input source, so why do you need it for the Flyer? Unless the Flyer can't handle non-time-base correct input, of course. – Jim, on AP!
#92473From: Arnie CachelinOct 12, 1994 9:30 AM
I feel fairly confident that Hilary is a man as He/She claims, but I am absolutely certain that the Toaster requires a time-base correct input even if it is the only input. The Toaster and the Flyer have this fact in common: They are digital thingies that need to lock to video frame timing of their input source, and if that timing is not stable, bad results can be expected. I detect a strong current of confusion about the difference between the need for the incoming signal to be stable, and the need for mulriple incoming signals to be in sync as well.
#92515From: Jim MaddoxOct 12, 1994 4:02 PM
>> I detect a strong current of confusion about the difference between >> the need for the incoming signal to be stable, and the need for >> mulriple incoming signals to be in sync as well. I'm not confused there. I've seen what happens when attempting to switch between two non-TBCed video sources (I wanted to try it and see for myself what the trouble would be <g>). My question relates to using ONE non-TBCed source with the Toaster and the Flyer. No other inputs; no switching except maybe with the framestore pages. I have done this with my Toaster before, with a live, computer- generated (game console) video signal; I wanted to see if that would eliminate the fps reduction that the TBC causes. (Can't remember whether or not it did, though. Probably didn't.) I was asking why the Flyer should need a TBC for its single input when the Toaster doesn't (when you use only one input). It doesn't really matter much in my case — I have two TBC IV's and some 10-year-old TBC boxes available — but I'm still a little curious. – Jim, on AutoPilot!
#92513From: Peter GreciOct 12, 1994 3:48 PM
The Toaster can't handle non Time Base Corrected input either no matter if it's 1 input or 4. Member of the Association of Media Professionals
#92554From: Jim MaddoxOct 12, 1994 9:50 PM
>> The Toaster can't handle non Time Base Corrected input either no matter >> if it's 1 input or 4. I'm going to try it again (after I dig my Toaster out from under my desk mess). But I distinctly recall being able to run a single input into the Toaster and its working well. – Jim, on AP!