NAB Report - Part 1

Final Cut Studio 2
A proper upgrade, adding useful functionality across the board.

Final Cut Pro 6
Open format Timeline – mix format/code on the timeline. When you drag the first clip to a new empty sequence with different settings FCP will ask you if you want to change the sequence settings to match the clip.

Now if you drag a new clip to an existing sequence with different settings you no longer get the red line and a render, it just plays (subject to the power of your system).

The Apple demo mixed HD, SD uncompressed, DV (PAL and NTSC) and played smoothly on a full spec Mac Pro. You have a user setting to allow an automatic scale to full screen so the SD clips fill the screen. On the Apple demo booths it was hard to evaluate the quality of the 25fps to 29.97fps conversions, which was the Achilles heal for mixed format timelines on the Quantel IQ.

ProRes 422 - 10bit online codec
For me this is number one feature added, ProRes is a DCT based online codec similar to Avid's DNxHD.

Quality appears to be extremely good and is in a different league to PhotoJPEG, DVCPRO-HD, HDCAM etc. delivering near HD-D5 quality with full 1920x1080 4:2:210bit and excellent multi-generation characteristics. Apple's demo had a split screen with original on one side and a 10th generation on the other, the difference was not easily discernable on the Apple booth.

The codec comes in two main flavours standard and HQ, the average bitrate for standard doing 1080 25fps is 147 Mbps (18.4 MBps, 65GB per hour) and 184 Mbps (23MBps, 81GB per hour) for HQ mode.

HQ mode has a higher processing overhead but can still be played back full res on a MacBook Pro.

In addition to 1080 the codec also supports 2K, 720p and SD resolution, 625 PAL in HQ mode is 61Mbps (7.63Mbps, 27GB per hour)

The only downsides are no 4:4:4 or 4K and no cross platform support.

Any Mac Pro with a suitable I/O card (AJA Kona, Blackmagic) can use ProRes with suitable drivers. And with ProRes you can even do 1920x1080 4:2:210bit on a MacBook Pro laptop using the AJA Io HD which implements the ProRes codec in hardware, more details below.

Would I use ProRes for my online? For a HD/SD television deliverable, yes. For DI work it makes a great full res 10bit offline and approval codec in FCP.

Log and Transfer – enhanced file based import
P2, XDCAM-HD and other file-based cameras have improved shot selection with in/out selection and meta data entry. Feels more integrated.

Smoothcam – easy stabilisation
FCP inherits Shake's smoothcam & optical flow stabilisation technology. It's very demanding CPU wise, so the analysis is background task allowing you to carry on working.

Motion templates directly in FCP
You can now create a template in Motion and use it directly in FCP easily. Edit the text and drop in video all within FCP. This will be a big help.

Motion 3
3D environment, 3D particles, 3D Vector Paint, Motion tracking with trakx.

Soundtrack Pro 2
5.1 audio mixing – at last. Good basic surround mixing with a nice panner.

Automatic audio conform – track changes from FCP
If you make a change in FCP soundtrack will try and match the audio. Soundtrack gives you a list of what has changed and what it did, which you can override.

Multipoint spotting display
Makes matching audio to picture much faster as it allows you to scrub the audio and see where it is in relation to the video. This is much faster than using markers to align audio and video.

Take management.
Makes cutting dialogue easier, allowing you take the best part of multiple takes with complete control of cross fades.

Color – high end non-linear grading and finishing.
Formerly Final Touch from Silicon Color, Apple bought the company last October. Since then Apple has concentrated on stability of the app and have only done minimal changes like adding an undo and the name change to Color.

A non-linear grading tool like Baselight and Filmaster, Color allows primary and secondary colour correction. Realtime GPU accelerated (graphics card dependent up to 32bit float) previews and the 32bit floating point rendered output with 3D LUTs.

You have 4 live grades and 8 secondaries per shot, the inside and outside of a secondary can be manipulated separately, which is very useful.

A full set of tools including keying, mattes, motion tracking, scopes and the excellent 3D Color Space scope. Support for 4:4:4 2K, HD and SD with DPX, uncompressed and ProRes 422 codec.

Optional Tangent and JLCooper controllers.
We have a special pre-order price for the new JLCooper EclipseCX control panel, give me a call for details. http://www.jlcooper.com/pages/eclipse.html

Color included with Final Cut Studio 2 is equivalent to Final Touch 2K, which sold for US$ 25,000.

Compressor 3 – encoder
Burn-ins from Motion projects, Support for 8 core Mac Pros. Optional - Telestream Episode Pro integration for WMV.

DVD Studio Pro 4
No change, so no Blu-Ray or advanced HD-DVD support.

Final Cut Studio 2 pricing (ex VAT and delivery).
Upgrade from Final Cut Studio £280
Upgrade from any version of Final Cut Pro £382
Full version £722

Due to ship from Apple in May.

Final Cut Pro Server.
Based on the Proximity Artbox asset management software, useful for some applications like news but not the Avid Unity equivalent with dynamic multi user FCP projects I had hoped for.
Call for more details and pricing.

AJA Io HD
Implementing the Apple ProRes 422 in codec in hardware allows the Io HD to do 1920x1080 4:2:2 10bit HD near HD-D5 quality over a Firewire 800 connection. This allows full res HD capture, edit and playout from a Mac Book Pro laptop with external drive.

On set live recording with the Io HD will give a new lease of life to HDCAM and Varicam cameras with HD-SDI output. HDCAM based camcorders like the F900 have good camera front ends with what is now an outdated VTR format that records compressed 1440x1080
3:1:1 8 bit, using a HD-SDI adaptor like the HDCA-901 to record live SDI output to full 1920x1080 10bit with Io HD to ProRes. With Varicam instead of 960x720 compressed 8 bit DVCPRO-HD on tape you will have 1280x720 10bit ProRes.

In addition to HD support (1080i/psf 24,25, 30 and 720p) full SD uncompressed compatibility. Up, down and crossconversion like the Kona 3, 8 channel audio (AES/Embedded), LTC in/out, HDMI in/out, RS-422, REF. Front panel status display and 8 channel audio metering. Stand
alone converter mode.

Pricing £2,225 plus VAT and delivery, currently scheduled to ship in July..

AJA Gen10 – affordable HD/SD sync generator
No more excuses for making do without a sync generator. 7 outputs split into 2 groups so can do SD on one group and HD on the other.. HD Trilevel sync (inc 24fps) and SD black or colour bars. Embedded AES-11 audio silence or 1Khz tone.

£260 plus power supply, delivery and VAT, shipping in June.

8 x 3Ghz core Mac Pro
Now shipping, being promoted as a render farm in a box. Current software is not taking full advantage so to make full use of the cores in say Compressor it launches multiple instances of itself. Also good if you multitask heavily or want to run Red Code with realtime 2K proxy extraction. When leopard ships better use should be made of the additional cores.
Price difference is approximately £380 more than a 4 x 3Ghz core Mac Pro.

RED Camera
A 12 minute Peter Jackson short "Crossing The Line" shot in 4K over 2 days with 2 Red prototypes cameras and projected on the 4K Sony SXRD projector was shown at NAB. The short was edited on Final Cut Pro and graded in 4K on a Quantel Pablo over the 2 weeks preceding the show.

It looked very good, the Red has a 4K bayer sensor and to me looks more like 2.5K RGB and will make great 2K and HD deliverables. The picture does not scream 4K detail like the 4K RGB IMAX films scans that Sony have showed in the past. However it's priced at Varicam/HDCAM levels, so all you Red reservation holders should be very happy.

The first 12 Red beta cameras ship by the end of May (2007) with next 80 going out in June, with 3500 due to have been shipped by the end of year.

Jonathan Smiles
Managing Director - Digital Safari Ltd.

BBC And ITV Launch High Def FreeSAT

The BBC has today been given approval by the BBC Trust to launch a nationally available free-to-view satellite proposition as a joint venture with ITV.

"Freesat", as it is currently known, will provide a Standard and High Definition (SD and HD) enabled digital satellite proposition with launch anticipated for Spring 2008.

Consumers will be offered up to 200 channels plus full digital satellite interactivity and high definition capability, without the need to pay a subscription.

Consumers will also have a choice of equipment (including both SD and HD receivers, an HD personal video recorder and an integrated digital television), together with a range of installation options.

BBC Director-General, Mark Thompson, said: "The BBC's objective in launching Freesat is to support Digital Switchover by providing another way for licence payers to receive digital television channels and radio services, subscription free from the BBC and ITV.

"Its primary purpose is to drive digital take-up in analogue homes, particularly in those areas which are out of digital terrestrial coverage.

"Freesat also offers a trusted free-to-view digital upgrade path that gives licence payers all the benefits of digital television (notably high definition capability) guaranteed free of subscription."

ITV Executive Chairman, Michael Grade, said: "Freesat will build on the success of Freeview by offering viewers a simple and cost effective way of upgrading to digital TV. By filling in the current gaps in Freeview coverage, Freesat will ensure that a free-to-air, no strings attached option for accessing digital TV is available to the whole of the UK ahead of digital switchover.

"By offering HD capability we will future proof Freesat if, as expected, high definition television continues to capture the imagination of UK viewers."

The BBC and ITV have been working with selected manufacturers, retailers and installers to develop an innovative consumer proposition.

The proposal for a nationally available free satellite platform offered by the BBC working with other public service broadcasters was supported in the Government's White Paper on the BBC Charter.

It said: "The Government is keen to ensure that consumers have as wide a choice as possible of how they get digital TV. We welcome the plans being developed by the BBC and ITV for a free-to-view satellite service alongside Sky's offering and we hope that the other public service broadcasters will join them in this endeavour. This promises to enhance further both consumer choice and competition in the television market."

Archos Launch WVGA Media Player

ARCHOS has launched their 704 WiFi Personal Media Player. With a 800x480 7-inch colour touch-sensitive widescreen, the PMP combines wireless connectivity with a 80GB hard drive (40GB version also available)- large enough to store up to 100 movies approx., 40,000 songs or 800,000 photos. The ARCHOS 704 WiFi is available from the end of April at an SRP of £399.99 for the 80GB and £329.99 for the 40GB version.

This 704 can link wirelessly to your PC so you can watch everything on your hard drive, from downloaded movies and TV shows to photo slide shows and home videos, on your TV, using the optional DVR station, regardless of where your computer is in the house.

ARCHOS claim that their devices are the only portable media players to support all video downloads, whether they are formatted for the PC or portable device, you can download just one file for playback on your PC, Mac, PMP and TV.

As with all ARCHOS Generation 4 PMPs, you can download movies and TV shows directly onto the PMP, or record programmes directly from the TV or cable box, using the DVR station accessory. Then choose between watching them on the 7-inch screen, which boasts 800x 480 pixel resolution with 260,000 colours, or on your TV. The unit also has video editing capabilities for trimming recorded video directly on the device.

The 704’s WiFi capability allows content to be streamed around the home via a wireless network. Movies and music stored in a shared folder on the home network can be accessed wirelessly by the Archos 704 WiFi and viewed in the desired location.

The ARCHOS Generation 4 line of products, including the 704-WiFi, also features accessories, such as the ARCHOS Helmet Camcorder, which turns the 704-WiFi into a camcorder with DVD resolution.

The 704-WiFi is available from ARCHOS at SRPs of £399.99(80GB) and £329.99(40GB). The DVR Station has an SRP of £69.99. All ARCHOS portable media players come with headphones, USB cable, DVR saddle for connecting the optional DVR Station and protective pouch.

More info at www.archos.com

Sonic Releases White Papers on HD Format Production

Sonic Solutions today released a key set of comprehensive high-definition white papers that provide professional content creators and authoring facilities with the knowledge and expertise required to effectively and efficiently create rich HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc titles.

Sonic's white papers cover all aspects of high-definition title production from format technical specifications and capabilities to extensive information on project planning, preparation, and execution. Essential tools for authoring houses initiating high-definition services, the white papers also serve to help firms with high-definition experience establish best practices and streamline their production efforts.

The white papers are available direct from Sonic as a free download (www.sonic.com/HD/whitepapers).

Toshiba HD Product Launch

Toshiba have launched a shiny new range of HD products for 2007. When we reviewed the 32WL66P LCD TV last year, we reckoned it had the best picture quality in its class, so we are excited that Tosh have extended their range of Regza TVs for this year.

At the entry level is the C series, available in 26”, 32”, 37” and 42” models. These are HD ready 1366x768 pixel panels at a good ‘starter’ price.

Next up is the X series, confusingly in a couple of flavours. Both flavours are true 1080p, and are available in 32”, 37” and 42”. The flavours differ in the number of HDMI inputs and in the panel surround – one has a narrow ‘picture frame’ surround so that when it’s off it doesn’t look so much like the black monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Personally, when the TV’s off, I always have an urge to put on a monkey suit and throw bones around, so I reckon that’s a winner.

Finally, the flagship Z range is available in 37”, 42”, 47”, 52” and a 57” unit big enough to swallow Keir Dullea, pod and all. They are also 1080p and add 100Hz picture processing thus – and I quote from the press release – “providing the ultimate HD picture”.

Let’s hope Toshiba put their panels where their press releases are and get us some review models soon.

Also in the new line-up is a range of HD-DVD players. Toshiba are bullish about the HD-DVD market, even though the PS3 seems to be winning the war for Blu-ray (at least in the number of installed players). That aside, the player range nicely matches the black and silver look of the new TVs (if you won the lottery and want to buy both) and comes in three flavours. The HD-E1 is a 1080i output unit, the HD-EP10 is much the same but outputs 1080p and the top of the range HD-XE1 outputs 1080p and has a 5.1 sound decoder built in. The E1 is on the streets at a reasonable £255 but the EP10 is expected to be about £450 – about the same price as a PS3…

Adam Garstone

New 2K HD Camera From Germany

Another new 2K HD camera and again from Germany, remember the Drake camera?

All kinds of expansive claims 're-invention of film!' is just one...

Main features:

• 2K resolution (2048 x 1152 at 25-fps max)
• Full HD (1920 x 1080, progressive, 23.98-, 24-, 25-fps)
• Downsize possible to 720p (23.98-, 24-, 25-, 29.97-, 37-fps max)
• Single 1.2" CCD chip
• More than 12 f-stops dynamic range
• CCD signal conversion via 14-bit A/D converter

• 8.4" high resolution 400 cd/m² control monitor with touch screen
• Electronic view finder (optional)
• Full resolution viewing output

• Raw Bayer data recording
• Direct recording to integrated exchangeable HDD data pack raid
• Gigabit Ethernet based file access
• 18 seconds shock protection
• Programmable undercranking <>
• 360-degree shutter
• Stereo mic/line level inputs with 16-bit/48Khz sampling (optional)

• Easy-to-use control software with touch screen or remote control
• Adjustable HD-curves (aka S-curves or Gamma-curves)
• Personal presets saveable
• Clip browser
• Instant raw data playback
• Integrated pre-cut system for rendering dailies and quick snapshots
• Per-channel live histogramm display
• Waveform display
• Vectorscope display

• Interchangeable camera heads (HD 2K, High Speed 640 x 480 at 200-fps max, HD 2K real monochrome)
• Fully compatible to 35 mm accessories
• Robust aluminium alloy body
• Electronic back focus
• Different interchangeable mounts available (PL, F, C, Canon, etc.)
• V-mount rechargeable battery system (min 1 hour)
• 12 V two pin connector for external accessories
• HD-SDI (optional)
• Remote control (optional)
• Shoulder pad (optional)
• noXboX Digital MAZ solution for data backup and rendering (optional)

Check out the details here

RED Lands In NZ For Jackson Demo Plus other pics

The Oakley Corporate Jet Lands in Wellington, New Zealand for a demo in front of Peter Jackson, by all accounts there were a few issues but the RED picture looked good!














The RED camera all 'accessorized' up!














The RED EVF

Dalsa Preview New 4K Camera at NAB for 2008

DALSA is to launch the Evolution 4K Camera at NAB, this is a smaller form factor model that incorporates the company’s latest generation frame transfer CCD image sensor.

The new camera, which uses cine-lenses and has a real optical viewfinder, also includes a new live HD/SDI output feature for enhanced on-set monitoring and direct HD recording if desired. Available early 2008.

Also previewed will be Flashmag an untethered solution for recording RAW, uncompressed 4K data from the Origin II and Evolution 4K cameras, based on high speed, non-volatile, solid-state memory.

The DALSA-designed compact device captures 20 minutes of RAW, 16-bit, uncompressed 4K data or 40 minutes of RAW, mathematically-lossless data. Available early 2008.

More details here