Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!nuchat!sugar!karl
From: karl@sugar.UUCP (Karl Lehenbauer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Video Toaster (was Re: 100% amiga "Computer Chronicles"
Message-ID: <1508@sugar.UUCP>
Date: 3 Mar 88 03:23:06 GMT
References: <1019@neoucom.UUCP> <1963@cadovax.UUCP>
Organization: Sugar Land UNIX - Houston, TX
Lines: 41
Summary: speculation, followed by some hard facts

In article <1963@cadovax.UUCP>, keithd@cadovax.UUCP (Keith Doyle) writes:
> The apparently handle the ability to continuously read a video
> signal into frame buffer memory according to programmable algorythms
> which can provide the various real-time effects, zooming, spinning,
> rotating etc. on the image.  Kind of a video-scan microprocessor.

Yeah, that is how I decided that they do it, too.  When I saw the 
Video Toaster mapping stuff onto a sphere in realtime, I was
totally blown away (try doing a purely software implementation of that on 
about anything and get it to run in real time!)  Well, some
thoughtful introspection made me conclude that they probably have
some device as you described, where one could say "pixels from here to
here copy over here to here, backwards...", etc. etc.  Perhaps the
transitions can be specified, a display list type thing, to automate
spinning the cube (the transfer rate for the data required to specify what 
the board is to do could get pretty hefty)  This automation is
vaguely implied by the March 1988 Amigaworld which, incidentally, contains
a lot of useful info for Amiga video spuds.  Maybe the toaster could
actually execute programs, as well, I mean "classic" programs like ones that 
include a conditional branch.  Wouldn't that be great?

The Toaster incorporates a digitizer, frame buffer and genlock in one
unit.  It can accept two video inputs and they do not have to be in
sync with each other.  NewTek claims that is is broadcast quality.
(...and I assume it is.  I just can't attest to it.)

List is going to be $800.  I called NewTek today.  They're planning to
ship end of May (plan for at least the usual schedule slip).  They
won't take any orders until four weeks before they ship.  (I assume 
that's a sliding scale :-)  

I'm getting one, no question.

What I want to know is when is the Atari ST version coming out? (snicker)

> Sure like to peruse the spec sheets of these animals.

Yeah.  Anyone with such info please post it.
-- 
"Lack of skill dictates economy of style." - Joey Ramone
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