Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cbmvax!grr
From: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: Wither Video Toaster?
Message-ID: <5026@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: 18 Oct 88 17:26:21 GMT
References: <5380001@otter.hple.hp.com>
Reply-To: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins)
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 59

In article <5380001@otter.hple.hp.com> ljc@otter.hple.hp.com (Lee Carter) writes:
> Okay, okay, I give up!
> Does anyone have any information on when (if ever) the video toaster is
> going to be released. I saw blurb about this device almost a year ago and
> thought "Great!! sounds just what I need!"
> So, can anybody help with the latest rumours about price, release date, etc.
> Thanks.

From their product support group on BIX:

newtek/toaster #86, from tjenison, 3006 chars, Sat Oct 15 13:17:48 1988

TITLE: Toaster Update
It's time to bring all of you up to date on what's happening with the
Video Toaster and to explain some of what's happened in the past.  When
we first started work on the Video Toaster last year, it was our intent
to bring it to market as swiftly as possible.  We showed our first prototype
at a few shows to get initial reactions and to solicit comment; we went
on Computer Chronicles for the same reason.  Boy, did we get a reaction.
After we dug ourselves out from under the blizzard of letters and phone
calls in the next month, we took a look at the situation.  In the time
that we had been developing the Toaster, the RAM chip prices had shot
through the roof, and there was a severe shortage.  After we talked to
our suppliers and made some calculations, the following facts became clear:
1) At the current RAM prices, we would have to charge at least $2500 for
the Toaster to make a decent profit, and 2) we couldn't even GET enough
RAM chips to meet a fraction of the demand for Toasters.  After we discussed
this (read: pitched battles), we came to the following conclusions: 1) we
didn't want to the Toaster to be expensive; the whole idea was to bring
the technology to as wide an audience as possible, and that meant as low
a price tag as we could accept, and 2) we didn't want to disappoint or
enrage our customers by having a very limited supply of Toasters that was
clearly far below the demand already present.  (The thought of Toaster
smugglers and amred bandits creating a lucrative black market was also a
factor in our decision.)  We decided to wait until the RAM chip situation
cleared up before marketing the Toaster, and use the time to continue
research on the breakthroughs behind the Toaster.  Well, the RAM chip crisis
is passing, and so we are getting very close to bringing the Toaster to
market.  The time has not been wasted; we've have made a number of
breakthroughs that enable us to give you a much better product.  We've
incorporated the comments and features that many of you have suggested.
The picture quality is much better now than with the first prototype, the
genlock is dead-on broadcast RS-170A spec (unlike some others), and the
software is much more powerful.  We've also engineered for future add-on
products, making sure that the line of additional video equipment we plan
will be easily connected to the Toaster.  In the next month or two, we'll
provide more information and more detailed specs.  I'm still hesitant to
give an exact date, since the software and the documentation are still in
process.  But our full attention is now focussed on the Toaster, and we'll
bring it to you as soon as we can. I appreciate your support and your
patience, and I apologize for the long time between prototype and product.
But the Toaster is a revolutionary device, and such things are always
difficult to create. I promise that you won't be disappointed when you
finally get a Video Toaster.

-- 
George Robbins - now working for,	uucp: {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing	arpa: cbmvax!grr@uunet.uu.net
Commodore, Engineering Department	fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite)