MotionDive originated in late 1998 to the best of my knowledge, and has become a very popular piece of software in Japan.  While intended for the growing VJ market, it is sold widely in Japanese retail computer stores, hitting other market segments as well.  I think Japan has been a bit ahead of the curve in a lot of things tech oriented, and when it comes to VJ related software, Japan is where it's at!  MotionDive is definitely at the head of the pack here, and now the 3rd generation of it has been recently released.  I've been in touch with the creators of the software since it's inception, begging for some way to get a hold of a copy.  I carefully translated all my emails to Japanese, and wrote, asking to purchase with my credit card, but since mid 1999, I was told: soon, soon...  Well as I write this it's almost 2002, and unfortunately for the rest of the world, MotionDive is still largely unavailable outside of Japan.  

This is a screen capture of the main interface.

You now can get a trial version for either mac or pc so you can check MD3 out prior to purchasing it.  When you click on the picture on the right, you'll be forwarded to a translation page, just hit the "translate" button, so you'll be able to read the trial version download page in English. Trial version limitations -you can't read in your own .avi / .mov files -you can't save your work, you only can see it onscreen. -It only works for 15 minutes at a time, but otherwise is fully functional.

I had temporarily stopped selling MD3 due to cash flow issues, but am happy to say that I have now reached a new credit agreement with my Japanese distributor, so we are able to sell MD3 again! :)
Pricing is changed slightly to better reflect the cost of stocking product and licensing fees I pay.

		$239 for Windows version  from stock - airmailed to you
		$239 for Mac Version from stock - airmailed to you
		$425 for both Win & Mac versions - FedEx'd to you directly from Japan.

You also get 8 or 16 (depending on just 1 platform or both) of our coveted VJ Loop CDR's with your order (700 megs each) airmailed to you.

Building new libraries of loops, it's all drag and drop, quite intuitive. Please note:  To get a full screen output to your video mixer or video projector, you will either need a 2nd video card (then drag your output window to the 2nd monitor, and hit the fullscreen button, then hopefully your 2nd video card has a RCA or S-Video output).  Or, you can use the recommended method (by the MD3 authors, and what I'm doing), by using an external scan converter to zoom in on your final mix window, and then use the fullscreen output from your scan converter to feed your video mixer or projector.  An external scan converter will set you back a minimum of about $100 USD but is an essential piece of gear that you can use on both Mac & PC's, and you'll thank yourself through the years.

Crazy news! Denon is rumored to be producing a new hardware interface for MD3 - I don't know any of the specifications, but was lucky enough to secure this top-secret shot of the unit.  I'm in touch with my Japanese contacts to try and track down one of these, so with luck I'll be able to post a review in the near future. March 2002 Update: After speaking to the head of Denon USA, it seems it is extremely unlikely that I will be able to acquire this unit, aside from going to Japan, which I'm not likely to do anytime soon.  I'll let everybody know though if I have any more luck on this in the future...