Shuttle Pro

[Zarxrax]

Anyone use one? Is it worth the cost? Are there any cheaper alternatives that work just as well? Looks like a cool little gadget, but I'm having some difficulty envisioning just how it would make my life easier :p

[bum]

basicaly itl shrink the hell out your pc, and make it look alot cooler. plus it cna play cd's and mp3's without it having to be turned on. shuttle is prety much the leader im making sff (small form factor) pc's. but abit recently released a sweet little model that ive heard kicks shuttles butt. note that most (if not all) sff pc's use p4 motherboards. they also only have 1 pci slot and an agp8x. but they've got onboard ethernet and sound and usualy have a bunch of usb, firewire and audio ports, as well as all other comon ports found on normal pc's. note that most sff pc's only have one 5.25" drive, while the occasional ones have 2. the also usualy only have one ram slot

[trythil]

Anyone use one? Is it worth the cost? Are there any cheaper alternatives that work just as well? Looks like a cool little gadget, but I'm having some difficulty envisioning just how it would make my life easier :p

We have a Shuttle Pro hooked up to a dual G5 box at the library here, and they're really sweet little gadgets. They don't take much time to learn or configure, and they're practically instant productivity boosters IMO. I never realized how much of a pain in the ass it is to seek through footage using a mouse and a slider bar until I played with a Shuttle

damn, I sound like an ad.

[Zarxrax]

Hmmm I noticed that there is another model called the Shuttle Express, which only runs about $50. I think this one might be more up my alley. I think I will purchase one one of these days. Does anyone know if its mainly just useful for video editing applications, or is it also helpfull for After Effects?

[Nightowl]

I got one back when they first came around... for about two months I thought it was great, mostly because it was a cheap little jog shuttle. But after awhile, I found the wheel was starting to act funny... it was getting dirty pretty quick, not responding well. After six months, I wasn't using it at all. Now it sits in my closet collecting dust. Great idea, but I don't find the shuttle responsive enough; and if I'm gonna use buttons to slice clips or hit play, I'll just use the keyboard. Really, the only drawing factor for the thing, is the wheel itself, and it hasn't acted as anything more than a gimmick for me. I would put my cash elsewhere, but that's just my personal experience.

-N

[TaranT]

basically itl shrink the hell out your pc, and make it look a lot cooler....

He's not talking about Shuttle PCs. It's the ShuttlePRO media controller. Same name, different things.

Does anyone know if its mainly just useful for video editing applications, or is it also helpfull for After Effects?

The Contour Web site lists the supported applications. I know that Sony Vegas 4 comes with built-in support for the ShuttlePRO. Maybe Premiere does, too.

Like you, I was unwilling to pay the $100 price tag for this pad. I came across this new game controller instead - the Belkin n52 - reviewed here, more reviews at Amazon.com. Street price is about $35. The older model n50 has fewer keys; I've seen it going for as little as $16.

I've used the n52 for several hours while separating clips and I'll give it a qualified thumbs up. Good things are easy programming, form/fit and key layout. Negatives would be mixed construction quality and stiff keys. The thing is built to take a lot of abuse which is good for gamers, but for editors, it's bulky and the key pressure takes some getting used to. It also looks kind of tacky, IMO.

If you're in the habit of using hot keys, then a device like this or the ShuttlePRO could be useful. I found it good for navigating the timeline, using the n52 d-pad for multi-frame steps and a couple of forefinger keys for frame-by-frame. The wheel was good for changing magnification and track scrolling.

I don't know if this issue concerns you, but I looked at these things from an ergonomics angle. I was getting some elbow pain from working the mouse off to the right side. The solution was to move mouse to the front, except that the keyboard was in the way. A Shuttle or n52 allows me to push the keyboard back and have both controllers directly in front.

After all that, I have to say that I'm not using the n52 now. I'm experimenting with a mini-keyboard & mouse combination instead. Haven't decided which I prefer to use.

There are other game controllers you might want to look at. The main things are programmable keys and some kind of directional controller.

[TaranT]

Another alternative: Bella Corp. DV Keyboard...(Press release)

[dwchang]

Anyone use one? Is it worth the cost? Are there any cheaper alternatives that work just as well? Looks like a cool little gadget, but I'm having some difficulty envisioning just how it would make my life easier :p

Is this that sort of remote control thingy for editing? I first thought you were talking about Shuttle PCs (those small PCs).

In any case, I've only had one experience with them (ACen'03 Iron Chef), but it certainly helped me go through footage quickly and thus the experience was positive. The pricetag is a bit hefty, but if you edit as much as I think, I guess you could rationalize it.

I could debateably say that without it my video would've sucked (even more) since I wouldn't have been able to go through the footage at lightning fast speed and efficiency .

[Zarxrax]

I just recieved a ShuttleXpress today which I purchased off Ebay. Not had a chance to try it out yet, but after I've used it for a while I'll come back and post my impressions.

[Zarxrax]

After trying it out in both vegas and AE I have some somewhat mixed reactions. As far as general editing in After Effects, I find it to be quite useless. However for my fansubbing work, its quite a nifty tool, allowing me to scroll through the episode with great ease. In Vegas, its a bit different story. It's pretty usefull for editing in general there, and once again the spot it would really shine is in seeking through entire episodes looking for scenes.
Was it worth the $40 bucks I paid for it? I dunno yet. If I had paid only $30 I would say it's definately worth it, but $40 is a bit questionable to me :p