The Amiga has always had niches in areas such as multimedia and video, and with licensing and new technology, hopefully the Amiga will return more strongly than ever to these areas.
NewTek future development is, sadly, uncertain, but there is a new product that aims to do for the Amiga now, what the Video Toaster did for the Amiga in the late eighties.
Named the Playable TV, it is actually based around the Video Toaster. There were some initial problems about them getting a license from NewTek - they were considering basing it around the PC, something they did not want to do.
Thankfully, sense has shone through, and hopefully this revolutionary product will make it to the Amiga, and do wonders for the platform...
But what is Playable TV? You can read all about it at www.playabletv.com, but I shall explain for readers without internet access.
Details are sketchy, but it appears to be a hardware / software package that is based around the Amiga and Video Toaster / Flyer. Products are tailored individually to suit particular needs.
The Access looks great, but it is extremely low end ('020/030? AGA?) Playable TV, on the other hand, is the other end of the spectrum, extremely high end.
Here's a brief run down of some of the specifications:
There are also details of various other features, including Interactive Interface, Systems Activation (eg, motion detectors), Statistical Memory, Card Readers, Security (locks, limited access, surveillance cameras, etc), Remote Programming and Intelligent Operations (self diagnostics and monitoring).
They will provide a presentation system specifically suited to a company's needs.
Such a system is of course no interest directly to the average Amiga user. But hopefully this system will encourage NewTek to continue developing the Video Toaster for the Amiga, and also produce Lightwave 5.5 for Amiga and PPC Amiga.
Mark