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[Monday at NAB]
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New Editing Features, Format Capabilities Offered
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by Jay Ankeney,
~ April 14, 2008
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TV TECHNOLOGY
Echoes of the absence of the two leading providers of edit systems, Avid and Apple, only leave more time for visitors to explore, and perhaps discover, other NLE offerings that are presenting new editing features and format capabilities to fill in the gap. Here is a look at the edit systems that should garner the most interest during the 2008 NAB Show.
Adobe Systems can be seen making a big splash with its new Adobe Media Player, with capabilities that are rapidly migrating throughout many areas of post production. In addition, Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 editing software — available for Windows PCs and Intel-based Macs as part of Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium — supports every major video format from DV to HD and beyond. Since Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 does not transcode or rewrap the P2 format into another file format, this shortens the video acquisition process and gives editors the flexibility to edit footage in the native MXF format.
Autodesk is showcasing Flame, Smoke, Lustre, Maya, Toxik and Motion Builder on its new Windows platforms. We’ll also be seeing two new versions of 3ds Max modeling, animation and rendering software from Autodesk in Las Vegas. These include 3ds Max 2009 software for entertainment professionals and 3ds Max Design 2009, a tailored 3D application for architects, designers and visualization specialists. Key features in Autodesk 3ds Max 2009 include a new rendering toolset, which streamlines workflows and the ProMaterials material library for simulating real-world surfaces.
Blackmagic Design is displaying its Multibridge Pro and Multibridge Eclipse for PCI Express editing and converting solutions, DeckLink HD series, Intensity HDMI capture and playback card, HDLink, and Workgroup Videohub.
The NewsForce HD/SD newsroom system with direct Fibre Channel access to Harris Nexio storage is a highlight at the Harris booth. This includes NewsForce LE, a software-only package that can be installed on a Windows computer with Gigabit Ethernet connection to Nexio and NewsForce XNG software-based laptop editor. NewsForce also features full integration of Apple’s Final Cut Pro editing software through a Harris FCP Integration Gateway, which enables editing directly onto the Nexio SAN, even during ingest.
Visitors to the Harris booth can also see the journalist’s proxy editor, NewsForce Desktop. NewsForce Desktop runs on standard desktop PCs accessing H.264 low-resolution images from the Nexio browse server.
Matrox Video Products Group is showing off its MXO release 2.1.1 that offers support for the latest generation of the Apple MacBook Pro with NVIDIA graphics. Matrox is also presenting a full range of productivity enhancing systems for Adobe CS3 Production Premium and Apple Final Cut Studio including the Matrox Axio platform now completely integrated with the Adobe software and Matrox RT.X2 that provides professional real time native HDV, P2 MXF, and DV editing.
An interesting new idea from Maximum Throughput called MAXedit Web Edition is a hosted, subscription-based online editing service that editors can access on demand from any location via the Web. Store your material on the Maximum Throughput server system, and you can edit collaboratively with anyone who is anywhere on the Internet.
New Version 12.5, the fifth major software release from Boris FX for the Media 100 line of NLE’s is going to be seen at the show with enhanced support for HDV video including capture through Apple native FireWire, multichannel audio input and editing, and integrated support for Media 100’s 2D/3D compositing features. The new Version 12.5 release also introduces a DV only package called Media 100 Associate Producer.
Quantel has a full spectrum of new systems, with a lot of them emphasizing the company’s new interest in Stereoscopic 3D post production. Quantel is showing off its new interactive color-correction system, Pablo Neo, and its Genetic Engineering approach to teamworking in post production and Digital Inter-mediate creation that now boasts full Final Cut Pro integration. In addition, we’ll be seeing new options for Quantel’s Newsbox HD, a “complete news production system in a box.”
Also brand new at the 2008 NAB Show is Dino for remote editing from widely separated locations.
Sony Creative Software promised us a 64-bit version of their Vegas editing software last year, and we are indeed going to get a preview demonstration 64-bit upgrade of Vegas Pro 8 NLE on Windows Vista designed to accommodate the increased computing power requirements of HD production workflows. Vegas Pro 8 also now includes the ability to cut the Sony AVCHD tapeless recordings, a new ProType Titler and improved scripting capabilities. Included with Vegas Pro 8 is DVD Architect 4.5 for disc output, updated with a total of 44 professional design themes.
Thomson is bringing Version 4.6 of its Edius Broadcast software to the show. This includes new functionality based on the JPEG2000 codec used in the Thomson Grass Valley Infinity Digital Media Camcorder. Edius Broadcast Version 4.6 takes advantage of JPEG2000’s bit layering which provides not only the full 100 Mbps encoded stream, but can provide an intermediate level (30 Mbps) or a high-quality browse level (6 Mbps) so that today’s laptop users can edit JPEG2000 in the field.
Thomson is also demonstrating Edius’s ability to edit Sony’s new XDCAM EX format now added to its previously announced capability to cut AVCHD.
Lastly, a new version of the Thomson Grass Valley Aurora Craft edit system is bringing Edius editing into shared storage environments, especially in newsroom workflows.
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