A tip for anyone who starts to explore the non-flash software: use photo-jpeg (at 75% or higher quality) as the codec for the video files. Frame-based codecs are much easier on the processor, and photo-jpeg (though some prefer apple motion jpeg A or B) has emerged as a good balance between performance and quality. Temporally compressed codecs don't work too well, and h.264 is particularly tough for more than a stream or two. I hate the banding photo-jpeg creates but there isn't a viable alternative yet.
If you like programming or scripting, the two most popular choices for building your own setup are Max/MSP/Jitter (www.cycling74.com) and Isadora (don't have the URL handy - it's marketed by a live performance group that uses it in their performances). Some contemporary live-cinema performers who come to mind that you may want to explore: Sue Costabile Miranda July Laurie Anderson Nate Boyce Zoe Beloff Wet Gate Scott Arford Nate Boyce Potter-Belmar Labs/Future Worker Girl There are also many theater and dance companies doing really interesting things with live video. Brook _______________________________________________________ Brook Hinton film/video/audio art www.brookhinton.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]