RipRoar - Creation Station

by Manley

• Easily create, share, and star in videos, just like the pros!
• The Green Screen technology allows you to "knock out" the background, replacing it with any image or video that you want!
• Full editing suite allows you to easily add-in and manipulate extra objects, pictures, sound f/x, and music
• Get extra content and files from bonus CD, your computer, or the internet
• Post your finished creations on the internet, or burn yourself a DVD and One-click upload to YouTube, and other video sharing websites.

Product Details

• Item Weight: 3.9 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000NI2Y76
• Item model number: 34726
• Our recommended age: 8 - 13 years
• Manufacturer recommended age: 8 years and up
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #172,570 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)

Product Description

Amazon.com

This toy is perfect for budding directors, actors, or kids who just want to explore creative options. RipRoar’s Creation Station is an all-inclusive system for setting up, filming, editing, and uploading videos. Hardware includes a full-resolution camera, tripod, and green screen--simply hang the screen, point the camera at it, and start filming. Then use the integrated software and included CD to edit the action, replace the green screen with background images, drop in sound or visual effects, and add music. Once your masterpiece is complete, there’s a one-click feature that lets you upload your film to YouTube or other online video sharing site. Now all you have to do is pop the corn and write that Oscar acceptance speech.

Everything you need to create, edit, and upload your own personal video is in this set.

What's In the Box

• Camera
• Tripod
• 9.8-by-6 foot green screen
• Software
• CD with sound effects, music, backgrounds, animations, and objects

Product Description

The Creation Station allows you to film, edit, and share amazing videos, so that you can display your creativity to the world. Using the included green screen, integrated software, and one-click upload, the possibilities are endless! For example, you can easily make it look like you are surfing down a mountain, next to a bear who's telling you a joke, with fish flying over your head!

What can I do with it?

• Easily create, share, and star in videos, just like the pros!
• The Green Screen technology allows you to "knock out" the background, replacing it with any image or video that you want!
• Full editing suite allows you to easily add-in and manipulate extra objects, pictures, sound f/x, and music
• Get extra content and files from bonus CD, your computer, or the internet
• Post your finished creations on the internet, or burn yourself a DVD
• One-click upload to YouTube, and other video sharing websites

What does it include?

• Video Camera with full 640x480 resolution and 30fps
• Large Green Screen (118"x72"), and easy-to-use Green Screen Software
• Built-in Microphone, LED Lighting, and USB cord
• Adjustable Tripod
• Bonus CD with hundreds of backgrounds, videos, objects, pictures, and sounds!

System Requirements:

• Microsoft Windows XP / Windows Vista
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or Higher
• Microsoft DirectX 9.0 or Higher
• Intel Pentium III / AMD Athlon Processor - 800 MHZ or Higher
• 256 MB RAM or Higher
• 20 MB Hard Disk Space
• USB 2.0 Port
• CD-ROM drive (CD/DVD RW drive for movie output)
• Graphic display card with 16MB DDR RAM or Higher
• Windows Compatible Sound Card

**For the best experience with the Creation Station, please carefully follow the CD Installation guide on www.RipRoarMedia.com after purchase**

See all Product Description

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

105 of 115 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your time. I did it for you! November 26, 2007

By Gromit Pup

Durability: 1.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 1.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 1.0 out of 5 stars   

This is the worst item. I had high hopes. I wasted four hours just with the software. Even the WEB site indicates people are having issues and so does the outside of the box with a yellow sticker READ FIRST.
Never worked on one XP computer. Finally worked (sort of) on the other XP computer, both high end units. It kept lauching Photoshop Elements when you lauched the Creation Station software. Half the time it would fatal error. The camera would freeze. The cable would come loose and launch PS Elements again. The bonus clips were very poor quality. The kids would have hated it and become frustrated. Buy Adobe Premiere Elements, a cheap web camera and a lime green table cloth at the party store and you'll be much happier.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Bad product, do not buy December 26, 2007

By Michael Pusateri

Durability: 1.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 1.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 1.0 out of 5 stars   

I bought this for my daughter for Christmas.

The software won't run.

I'm a technology professional and I did the software install. After a convoluted set of steps that required CD install, downloading from the internet, plugging and unplugging of the camera USB cable, and even a good old command line patch, the software won't run. Crashes everytime.

Undaunted, I uninstalled and reinstalled. Same problem again. It doesn't work.

I track down the customer service line for Rip Roar/Toyquest. Amazingly a real person answers. I speak to him for a bit, but he tells me that they can't support the Rip Roar Creation Station, that I need to use the 'Help' email address. I asked if there was a phone number to call, since solving software problems via email is usually useless. He said there was no phone number and that only the email address.

I expressed my concern that waiting for an email to resolve the problem for a Christmas problem was not good. He responded that the 'Help' email people should get back to me "in a few days". He also suggested that I could return the item to "my local retailer". Yes, I'll enjoy explaining that to my daughter.

All I want is for the camera & software to work. I guess that is too much to expect these days.

Don't buy this. Yes, it looks great, but it's a disappointment to the kids when it doesn't work. Look at the other reviews, this product is a lemon.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars DOESN'T EVEN INSTALL! I TRIED ON 2 DIFFERENT COMPUTERS! December 25, 2007

By Michael C. Lee Jr.

Durability: 1.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 1.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 1.0 out of 5 stars   

First off, let me say; I have a BS in Computer Science and a Masters of Software Engineering. I design Software for a living. I am actually MORE tolerant than almost anyone and can work through almost any WORKABLE issue.

I installed this buggy garbage on one machine. First off, it does NOT have auto start. You have to run some program in one of the folders after browsing to it, then all that program does is download another program to your desktop. Then, after running that, I got an error with some 'Install shield script' and it kept running the installer only to fail later. After many attempts later I gave up and tried on another machine. On this one things looked more promising. It appeared to install ok. The installer is HORRIBLE, it even runs batch files that pop up in the install process. Many cumbersome steps, etc. Anyway, it asks to reboot. When I reboot and plug in the camera, its says 'USB Device not recognized' and the software won't load because it HAS to have their horribly cheap, crappy camera to run the software. Then it started rebooting machine over and over, even without the camera plugged in! Now I have to boot into safe mode and go back to a restore point to even be able to use that machine. I was going to try on a third machine but I don't want to hose it up either.
Oh, and to the guy who said he gave this 3/5 stars but didn't actually run the software? Review AFTER you actually get this up and running.
Their documentation is actually FULL of typos, poor grammar and confusing diatribe. The camera feels like a McDonald's happy meal toy. It is complete crap. Oh, and to use it, it HAS to stay plugged into the computer.... And get this, this is a perfect example of what morons they are at riproar (the makers of this crap), they recommend that you plug the included USB cable from the camera into the back of your computer but only give you 3 feet! It will take you about 2 feet to even go from the camera to the back of your computer! The tripod only goes to about 3 feet and feels even cheaper than the camera if that is at all possible.
One pathetically small positive...the green screens were slightly larger than I was expecting...whopee. Good job on the green screen tools. Now try actually getting your horribly crappy software to actually work.
SUMMARY: THIS PRODUCT DOES NOT INSTALL AND WILL NOT WORK BUT PROBABLY FOR 1 OUT OF 7 PEOPLE HERE! DO NOT BUY THIS UNLESS YOU ARE THREATED AT GUNPOINT AND EVEN THEN ONLY BY A LARGE CALIBER GUN!
Mike Read more ›

35 of 45 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars my son loves this December 5, 2007

By Jon Anderson

Durability: 4.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 4.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

i got this for my son. you should see the videos he makes... made himself look like he was doing weather reports, then took pictures from my wife's business trip to Pheonix and did a funny dialogue over the pictures for her birthday.

the green screen was bigger than expected, and the software definitely has a learning curve, but we were able to post videos pretty quickly.

if he likes this video editing stuff enough, maybe he'll move to hollywood and become famous? fingers are crossed...

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Awful Camera, Tripod, & Software... Good Green Screen July 6, 2008

By C. F. Hill HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWER

Durability: 1.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 4.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 3.0 out of 5 stars   

This product, as a package, is really very bad and not worth the retail price. Here is what you get and my comments:

1)Camera - Very bad image quality, but the built in LED lighting is fairly good. NOT standalone, must be connected to a PC.
2)Tripod - Just awful, seriously useless flimsy piece of plastic.
3)Door Clips - OK for what they are (plastic clips to hang the included Green Scree material)
4)Sticky Tape - OK for what it is (tape to hang the included Green Screen material to a wall, etc)
5)Instruction Manual - Not very good, poorly written
6)Quick Start Guide - Just useless
7)Installation Disk - This is a mixed bag. A) the software installation is problematic (see comments below), B) the editing software is somewhat unstable, C) the included "Bonus" material is actually fairly good and useful (include Sound FX, Music Clips, Video Clips, and Backgrounds)
8)Green Screen - Surprisingly good! This material comes in two sections with Velcro fasteners so you can use a small or large area. This fabric was worth the price I paid (see below).
9)USB Cable - A good quality cable, but a little short if connecting to a desktop/tower PC.

Installing the included software was a rough experience on my XP laptop and it ultimately failed due to, I suspect, my 1.0 USB ports (MUST HAVE USB 2.0). It was a much better experience on my son's Vista laptop, which installed it without much problem at all. As noted above, the camera quality was not very good and the editing software is hard to use....

My recommendation: If you are interested in Chromakey (Green/Blue Screening) buy the Creation Station at one of the auction sites (I found a lot of 5 for the retail price of 1 here), keep the included "Bonus" material and Green Screen fabric, use the Camera & Tripod as "props", buy a cheap web cam or Flip Video (just love that product!), and Sony Vegas 8 Studio (really good inexpensive editing software with Chromakey). Read more ›