#LIVE 2000 Software
32 messages in this thread
Does anybody recall a program that worked with the LIVE 2000 board that
allowed special effects and I believe High Res anim creation ? I believe it
was made by the people that made ELAN. I would be interested in any help
or if it is not available any longer to purchase or trade a copy. Please
leave a message for me or call 201-535-7350 thank you Jeff Kelly 71201,3007
Jeff,
The program's name is INVISION, and it is by Elan Design.
The address on the package is:
Elan Design
P.O. Box 31725
San Francisco, CA 94131
415-621-8673
You might try posting a "Want to Buy" ad in the Classified Section of the
AmigaUser Forum, which is the proper place for such things.
David
I don't think that address is valid. That company's products have been
marketed and sold by NewTek for several years… almost all the people from
that company now work for NewTek.
John,
It wouldn't surprise me that the address is invalid, but it's the only
info that I have available. Hopefully, somebody can provide updated
information. Is NewTek the place to call for support now for INVISION?
David
I'm not certain they continue to market that particular product. They do
sell Elan Performer. Is Amiga Live! still on the market? Somehow, I doubt
NewTek would continue to promote a product that served the Amiga Live!
market.
John,
That's a good question, and one for which I have no good answer. Amiga
Live! is an interesting product, and one for which I know of no good
replacement. It's not really competition for the Toaster. From what I've
heard from somebody who's used it extensively for some interesting VR
stuff, there's nothing that can touch it in terms of real time video
digitizing, although it's only monochrome. I picked up a used one
recently, but still haven't had time to install it. <sigh> The Live!2000
board apparently does not work properly in the A3000, and I've been a bit
leery of it, since I've got the ECS Denise installed in my A2000. I'm
hoping that the people involved are still around somewhere in case I have
problems with the card.
I'd appreciate hearing about any information you might come across, both
on INVISION and Live!2000.
David
I don't think it's because they thought the Live was competition to the
Toaster; I'm sure it's more along the lines of "let's not confuse our
message and the market." It's also the reason other low-end versions of
the Toaster have never appeared. NewTek's "television museum" includes
prototypes of devices such as the "Sea Monkey", a device not much different
than a DCTV, for example. They used it to render some of the very early
demo tapes that preceded the release of the real Toaster, there was a
version of VideoScape / LightWave that could render to it…
As for the Live!, heck, if I saw one for sale for $50 I'd probably buy it
just for fun.
Live works in color and black and white. There is a ROM change you need
for the A3000.
Arnie,
Do you have a source of Tech support for Live? I'd like to find out
whether or not I need the ROM change, and, if so, where/how to get it.
I read a couple of chapters farther in the manual than I had before, and
found that you're right about it working in color, both 32 color and HAM.
My only experience with the product to date has been one of an observer to
someone who was using it for VR stuff and needed the fastest response
possible – therefore I only saw it work in black & white and thought that
was the only thing available.
Thanks for the correct info, 8)
David
The 16-color hi-res B&W looks best, but a variety of modes are available. I
used to do some consulting for Elan before they broke up into a Topeka
bound group and the SF contingent. I heard that the two who are doing Live
moved to half moon bay, south of SF. You may be able to find a listing for
Jim Buckley or Elan Design in directory info. The ROM change is definitely
needed for the 3000.
Arnie, What needs the rom change the 3000 or the live card? Where does one
get the needed rom from?
Thanks much for your reply
-dan
Sorry, A ROM on the Live2000 board needs to be changed. The source is,
presumably, Elan Design, now of Half Moon Bay. Sorry, I don't have a # for
them in this new loction.
And where can we get this ROM change for the Live! board?
Hopefully from Elan!
Got a number/address for Elan?
sorry…
The A-Squared people who make LIVE! are still around and will call
you back! I bought a used LIVE! 500 board a year ago cheap, found
A-Squared's number in AC's Guide to the Amiga, and left a message. A
guy called back about three days later and we chatted for a good
hour. I picked up lots of interesting tips. I gather there's more
LIVE! sales action in Europe these days than here. Too damn bad LIVE!
didn't take off. It was the Video Toaster before there was a Video
Toaster, and could've been the first after-market product that
stamped the Amiga as special.
If you talked over the history of LIVE! with the A Squared people, you'd
find out how much Commodore blew their chance by… ANyway, I just wish
there was something comparable to the Mac's Video Spigot, which is a great
deal of fun., provides high quality imaging and Quicktime videos. AMy 4000
should have shipped with a cheapo video digitizer.
Elan (Bev. and Jim) are still handling Invision. NewTek handles Elan
Performer.
Hey, I was wrong! I talked with them at the party, I thought they said
they were "retired"…
You know the lifestyle of the Amiga developer… it can be hard to tell if
you're retired or not…
At last report, LIVE! is still being made, in small batches. E.g., the
Really Cool Computers store near you in Madison had a fresh LIVE! 2000
board this past summer.
No kidding? I had hoped to pick up a few bargains at their
going-out-of-business sale, but they were selling everything at cost,
and were going to dump the rest of the inventory to other Amiga
dealers…
Oh no, "Really Cool" is out of biz? Meaning there's no authorized Amiga
dealer in the Madison area, I presume. Fortunately, I think there are 4-5
authorized dealers in the Milwaukee metro area, if you count
Waldensoftware and Software Etc. I buy from Computability and Safe Harbor
all the same, and Systech is an authorized repair shop.
As for LIVE!, I think the MSRP has gone down, so probably one of the
mail-order shops could track down a unit at a similar price.
Boy, this was one of the most underrated and overlooked computer
peripherals on any platform. I can't understand why it didn't get better
noticed in the Amiga world, not to mention the larger computer world. If
it had come out for the Mac, a unit by now probably would be in a glass
case at the Smithsonian.
One big reason – it's a 12-bit grabber; even digiview could outdo it for
image quality.
–Ben
…via AutoPilot
True, but for special effects work, it's fine. Digiview sure doesn't grab
at 15 fps! I stipulate that better real-time framegrabbers for the Amiga
are now available, but only mean to say LIVE! was and to some extent
remains quite a product, especially if you compare to what's available on
other platforms at similiar pricing.
Yep, that's all true.
–Ben
…via AutoPilot
If all goes well, I'll be moving 30 minutes closer to Milwaukee in a few
months, so a trip into Waukesha or Brookfield won't be a big deal.
(Syndesis is in the process of moving to new offices in Jefferson, WI –
five miles south of the "Gobbler" exit on I-94… I'm most tickled that
I'll finally have a cable system that carries the Comedy Channel, the
Cartoon Network, and the Science Fiction Channel.)
The software you want is Invision+ from Elan Design. They are somewhere in
the SF area, I think Half-moon bay. They sell mostly in Europe now, but
some of the US distributors anddealers should still have info..
I have a LIVE board and a copy of the Invision software – they don't
work in/on my 3000T, though. I was sort of saving them for when I
get an old 2000 and do some live real-time stuff, but I mihgt part
with them… What do you want? Make me an offer…
Invision Plus is what you want. It's been discontinued. However, one
supplier still had a few copies about nine months ago and I got Safe
Harbor Computers, the mail order house, to fetch me one. Instead of
the $200 retail, I paid only about 40 bucks! And it's very nice
compared to the LIVE bundled software. Call Safe Harbor (their 800 #
is in Amigaworld) and see if they can still scrounge you a fresh
copy.