Originally Posted By: tkntz
Given the fact that it exists in test mule form, its probably a little late to cut it. I also think it would put the 978 at a major competitive disadvantage. I think we would all like to see the 978 come to market, but past that, we would like Outlaw to be around to support the 978. Releasing a non-competitive pre/pro wont help them survive in a competitive environment.


On video processing specifically I simply disagree that the lack of video processing automatically makes the 978 pre/pro uncompetitive. But that's a matter of opinion and I can agree to disagree. I do agree its probably too late to cut it specifically from the 978. My "cut it" comment was intended to mean cut it from the general Outlaw pre/pro playbook (if it's a sticking point).

I also read gonk's helpful explanation that video processing is a natural progression from video switching. I'm a bit skeptical of that - to me his explanation sounded more like a slippery slope than a natural progression. However, the last part of his explanation argues that the technology has commoditized to the point where the chipsets are mostly self contained and easily integrated. And that is persuasive to me, but that also removes video processing from the list of features that makes it difficult for small companies to compete with the big boys.

But I don't want to get hung up on the specific example of video processing in the 978. The general theme is that Outlaw cannot hope to win a feature war with the big boys. And as long as the typical mainstream consumer demands feature bling, Outlaw cannot hope to woo the typical mainstream consumer. So if they want to stay in the pre/pro market (which is debatable in itself), they need a unique value proposition to entice a relatively small niche of loyal customers.