VT Availability Update

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Today, NewTek announced that VT[5]™ will no longer be available for purchase, effective December 30, 2010, or while supplies last.

Cost-effective and ground-breaking, the VT product line launched the desktop video revolution and established the foundation for advancements in NewTek video production technology, such as the NewTek TriCaster™ line of portable live production systems.

While orders for VT[5] and related bundles will no longer be accepted, NewTek will continue to offer technical support to VT[5] owners, and provide repair as long as parts are available.

[Novaman350]

No say it isn't so Newtek ! The one that gave you life is now kicked to the curb?
Tricaster came from vt-5! Are vt-5 owners looking like the deer in the headlights?
Come On Man!

[SBowie]

The one that gave you life is now kicked to the curb?

I think most would contend (in the friendliest possible way) that the Amiga Video Toaster can make that particular claim.

[csandy]

Eeek. I guess I made sure that either way I was wrong - or right depending which way you look at it. I'm right if you believe my VT5 is end-of-life post, or I'm dead wrong if you believe my VT6 post. Or I'm just simply right if you read my VT6 post more as a plea than a prediction....

[Novaman350]

Steve, sure you're right! Amiga Toaster started it, which is the very first toaster I purchased for the A2000, and then went to the A3000,toaster/flyer, then A4000,and when mircosoft dumped WinNT and went to Windows 2000 and the first vt-1 card on the Windows platform I think it was! Refresh my memory, The framefactory card! And
now what we know as the VT-5.Yes it's been a long ride on the Newtek shuttle I'd still
love to see a new card, even though the TCX 850 is a great product.Will Newtek take us
to the next level to beyond HD to support 2k and more!Say Epic/Scarlet systems!

[ACross]

Novaman,

We have absolutely no intention of stopping developing gound breaking new video products ...

Andrew

[Novaman350]

Andrew, that's very encouraging thanks great to hear that!

[ted]

My Post from another forum.
This news broke my heart for several reasons.
Personally, we do work that we revisit years later. We'll have to keep at least one of our VT systems alive for many years to take care of our clients while we merge new clients to a different system.

It's also sad since there isn't any product that so perfectly fits into a full service production house. Our Break out box lets us feed video throughout our facility and decks as well as always having every source within our facility permanently wired for input/output. I'm going to miss this the most.

On a larger scale, the demise of one of our industry’s most groundbreaking developments is a real loss not only of nostalgia, but of a product that has out lasted most everything else in the industry. It revolutionized our industry, evolved with our industry and I hate to see it go.

I have a lot of sadness to express, but I gotta get ready for a session tomorrow morning that we've been working on for over 3 years on the VT and will need to re-visit for years to come.

Without begging for reconsideration, I'll just say THANKS JIM and NewTek for an amazing product and an equally amazing ride!!!

[starchieo]

OK, so I am a late adopter, and I have yet to finish my VT to the standard I would like to have it, ie: a VT5 live SDI bundle. That said I understand why Newtek have done this, it is so much easier to sell a box and say " that's it Jack, oh we have some expensive add ons that you can attach via USB" rather than have people build boxes to their own spec around their excellent hardware and software.

I am now being pushed to the arms of another as I need more than 8 inputs, not all of them SDI which the VT5 would have suited beautifully.

It really is a pity that such a ground breaking product has been dumped for it lesser brother, maybe 8 inputs is enough for most people.

[mhankins]

Thanks for the "GOOD TIMES"!

[SBowie]

Our Break out box lets us feed video throughout our facility and decks as well as always having every source within our facility permanently wired for input/output. I'm going to miss this the most.

I'm keeping mine - SX-84 and all.

It really is a pity that such a ground breaking product has been dumped for it lesser brother, maybe 8 inputs is enough for most people.

Just to put it in another perspective though, VT really only has 3 real inputs, while TCXD850 has 8, all of which can be previewed simultaneously without external hdwe. Even with the breakout box, VT only offers 8 component connections max.

Another slant on it - although it's not intended for this workflow, you can actually connect 24 inputs simultaneously to TCXD850: 8x composite, 8x Y/C, and 8x SDI/HD-SDI. You can even mix HD and SD sources. Of course you can only directly monitor 8 at a time, and you have to futz with Input Config to switch between sources, whereas VT let's you put them on the Switcher. This isn't handy for live production with a huge number of cameras (though in some exceptional cases it might just do in a pinch), but is just fine for lots of utility purposes around a studio (of the sort Ted was talking about).

In the end, it's hard to be all things to all people. Even so, VT made a valiant effort to be just that, and remains a phenomenal accomplishment.

[dweinkauf]

Like Steve, I'm keeping my VT[5] and SX-84. In another month, I'll be looking at the new Panasonic HD camera that's coming out for possible purchase. If that purchase is made, I hope to replace my 12-year old workstation (upgraded two years ago) with a new one this spring that will have VT[5], SX-84, standalone SE, Mirage, blu-ray, and SD and HD software I use regularly.

By the way, my non-profit (www.twotreesinc.org) just picked up a donation of four VT[3] cards, two daughter cards, two SX-8 BOBs, VT software, two Amiga 4000 towers with Video Toaster Flyers, and other Amigas (3000, 4000) and toasters that we have for sale to raise money for our charitable work. If there's interest in any of this, drop me a line.

[Heck]

So does this mean there will be NO updates forever on the total VT5 software? ie Speededit, capture, render etc....

[OaheTV]

Okay, so what else is out there? Drop the cash on a TCX 850 or . . . .

Anyone want to take bets on how long before SE2 goes the same way?

[csandy]

I'd say NewTek has made a good business decision for the following reasons.

1. Consumer response: The Video Toaster (yeah, yeah, yeah, VT) has quietly shuffled off this mortal coil with barely a whimper.
2. Rational consumers knew this day was inevitable.
3. NewTek has pledged continuing support for current VT owners.
4. Product development lagged behind that of other products, perhaps therefore siphoning off scarce resources from all products.

Though I had a selling spree last week (and no, I had no idea this announcement was coming when I listed my two surplus VTs for sale - I don't work for NewTek, I'm not affiliated with NewTek, and I'm not a NewTek contractor), I'm keeping my remaining i5 based Windows 7 VT-5 because it can do a lot of things the SD TriCasters (and some things my TCXD850) simply can't.

Also, I'd challenge Steve with the assertion that VT5 has only three real inputs. Really, we're talking about are three real discreet video channels. On a switcher, the number of inputs really could be infinite. More accurate would be a statement that VT5 only has three real outputs but even that really isn't too accurate. Best to say three discreet video channels.

That said - as Ted uses his VT as described sort of like a studio router, the VTs use at a 24 input switcher is useful in many industrial applications. Even with the surge of HD applications - sometimes a bunch of distributed and switched composite video signals is all you need. Here the VT will always shine - what other device will let you switch 24 inputs of composite video for the price? Kind of like the venerable MX-50 switcher - it's one of those things you simply hold on to because it's so useful.

Also, for webcasting - the VT is simply amazing. While Flash doesn't work as you would expect, the work-around produces phenomenal results - better quality than you can get out of a TCSD because of host computer limitations. You can also be liberal with the number of sources fed because of the 24 input capability.

On the comparison to the 850 - yes, I'm loving that you can monitor all 8 inputs. Hooking of 24 sources using different types of video signals is cute, but really not practicable. What would be useful, however would be a software update that provided matrix switching capability - and also allow remapping of the component inputs to ingest composite sources like the SX-8(4).

Finally, I go back to my VT6 post - a software-only suit that takes advantage of the many hardware offerings from multiple manufacturers simply makes a lot of sense. The danger would be cannibalizing NewTek's current market to do so, but it would allow faster reaction time to market changes - and allow Dual-Link SDI, 3G-SDI, 2K, 4K, and beyond technologies to be leveraged without the cost and lead time and manufacturing headaches and delays of rolling out a proprietary hardware solution.

But that would take bold executive leadership. Take for example Ivan Seidenberg from Verizon. When he took over Nynex in the 90s, it was making perhaps $15 billion. Its business was a wireline monopoly and real competitors looked scant. After partnering up with UK's Vodaphone and creating Verizon Wireless, it is now a >$100 billion company. Risky move because naysayers were yelling about how this wireless stuff was eating their wireline lunch. But with so many people using VoIP and mobile right now, the move seems genius. Can you hear me now?