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Adobe Releases Creative Suite 4 Production Premium


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Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
September 23, 2008

Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced Adobe® Creative Suite® 4 Production Premium, a complete solution for creative professionals who craft world-class video, audio, and interactive media — for delivery on-air, online, and on device. Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium offers unprecedented levels of integration across major new releases of its video, audio, design, and Web tools, including Adobe After Effects® CS4 Professional, Adobe Premiere® Pro CS4, Adobe Encore® CS4, Adobe Photoshop® CS4 Extended (see separate release), Adobe Illustrator® CS4, Adobe Flash® CS4 Professional, Adobe® Soundbooth® CS4 and Adobe OnLocation™ CS4 — now redesigned to natively support Intel-based Macs.

"With new tools for creating searchable video content in Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium, we’re opening up incredible opportunities for media professionals of all kinds," said John Loiacono, senior vice president of Creative Solutions at Adobe. "Imagine being able to create world-class content, distribute it online, and precisely target rich-media advertising based on the embedded metadata. These capabilities forge a new interactive media paradigm for distributing, differentiating, and monetizing content in ways that were not possible until now."

Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium offers unique features for professional production. Powerful new Speech Search in Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 and Adobe Soundbooth CS4 uses spoken dialogue to make video searchable, significantly reducing the time spent searching for clips and creating rough cuts, and makes content searchable when delivered online. With deep XMP metadata support, the production workflow is simplified, resulting in online content that gives viewers new ways to interact with and search for video, while giving content owners new opportunities to track and monetize content. In addition, After Effects CS4 has enhanced support for Adobe Flash CS4 workflows providing new, powerful paths for creating compelling interactive content.

With Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium, Adobe strengthens its support for film and broadcast production, as well as extending its industry leadership in supporting efficient, tapeless, cross-platform workflows. Editors can work natively with RED, P2, XDCAM, and AVCHD without transcoding or rewrapping, giving them one of the fastest possible workflows to see what the camera captured without loss of fidelity. Adobe OnLocation CS4 enables the capture of DV, HDV and DVCPROHD footage directly to disk and offers powerful on-set clip annotation and metadata editing, then couples with Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 for a streamlined editorial workflow. For final output, Adobe Creative Suite 4 has powerful workflows for large and small screens, efficiently exporting to film, DVD, Web DVD, Blu-ray disc, the web and mobile devices.

"At Disney Online we marry our world-class content with cutting-edge technology to create top-quality, high-impact guest experiences," said Eric Freeman, vice president of Technology, Disney Online. "We rely heavily on Adobe solutions to support the creation and distribution of our content and the new features of Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium will further enhance our ability to deliver innovative offerings to our guests."

The Adobe Creative Suite 4 product line, which includes Adobe Creative Suite Design editions, Adobe Creative Suite Web editions, Adobe Creative Suite Production Premium and Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection (see separate releases), offers access to online services* to creative professionals and developers who work and collaborate online. Adobe ConnectNow, a service of Acrobat.com, can be accessed from InDesign® CS4, Illustrator CS4, Photoshop CS4 Extended, Flash CS4 Professional, Dreamweaver® CS4, Fireworks® CS4, and Acrobat® 9 Pro, allowing real-time collaboration with two colleagues or clients. Designers can also share color harmonies with Adobe Kuler™, which is now accessible from within InDesign CS4, Illustrator CS4, Photoshop CS4, Flash CS4 and Fireworks CS4. Other online resources include: Adobe Community Help for technical questions; Resource Central for accessing video and audio product-related news and tutorials, as well as Soundbooth scores, sound effects, and other stock media; and Adobe Bridge Home, a customizable resource for tips, tutorials, news and inspirational content. With a searchable library of more than 450 dynamically updated device profiles from leading manufacturers, Adobe Device Central CS4 (see separate release) enables users to easily test mobile content designed using many of the Creative Suite 4 products.

Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium for Mac OS X on Intel® based systems and for Microsoft® Windows® XP and Windows Vista® platforms is scheduled to ship in October 2008 with availability through Adobe Authorized Resellers and the Adobe Store at www.adobe.com/go/gn_store . Estimated street price for the Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium edition is US$1699. Prices for upgrading to Creative Suite 4 Production Premium from CS3 will be US$599 and from previous versions will be US$799. For a limited time, licensed customers of any version of Adobe Production Studio are eligible for the US$599 upgrade price. For more detailed information about features, upgrade policies, pricing, and international versions please visit: www.adobe.com/creativesuite .


Safe Harbor Announces New Tutorial for Matrox RT.X2 Users


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Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
August 4, 2008

Safe Harbor Computers, a leading supplier to professional videographers, today announced the release of "HDV & Blu-ray for the RT.X2," hosted by Jeff Pulera.

This DVD, aimed at all levels of RT.X2 users, provides over 90 minutes of unique instruction on the steps, tips, and tricks necessary to maximize an HDV-to-Blu-ray workflow in the RT.X2.

Highlights include:

  • The technical details of HDV and Blu-ray
  • Supported HD formats and ingest procedures
  • The proper workflow for using HD with your RT.X2
  • Monitoring options including downconversion
  • Mixed-format editing and aspect ratio conversions
  • Encoding options and settings for Blu-ray
  • Blu-ray menu creation using Encore and Photoshop

About the Instructor
Jeff Pulera is a professional videographer with 15 years experience. He also works for Safe Harbor Computers, sharing his knowledge and real-life editing experiences with their customers. His company, Digital Vision Productions, specializes in corporate, event and wedding videography. The author of many tech reviews and articles, Jeff is widely known throughout the industry as the "Matrox guru."

Pricing and Availability
"HDV and Blu-ray for the RT.X2" is available exclusively from Safe Harbor Computers. Suggested retail is $49.99 For more information or to order, please visit www.sharbor.com.


Panasonic Announces Solid-State AG-HMC150 AVCHD 1080 Camcorder


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Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
April 18, 2008

At NAB 2008, Panasonic added a powerful, new camcorder to its AVCCAM professional line – the handheld AG-HMC150. Building on the phenomenal success of the highly popular DV tape based, standard definition AG-DVX100 camcorder, the affordable HMC150 blends professional 1080 and 720 HD production capabilities and enhanced quality recording (at average 21 Mbps/ Max 24Mbps) with the simplicity and familiarity of SD card, digital still camera workflow.

With an exciting range of professional-level features and a sleek, compact design, the HMC150 can record hours of high-quality 1080 and 720 HD images onto solid-state SD and SDHC memory cards, at lower bit rates than current HDV compression formats. This new model offers an enhanced quality mode at average 21 Mbps (Max 24Mbps) that moves quality up even further. The AG-HMC150 camcorder utilizes AVCHD, the industry’s newest long GOP compression standard based on MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 high profile encoding (the same as Blu-ray HD players). AVCHD provides a near doubling of bandwidth efficiency and improved video performance over the older MPEG-2 compression used in HDV formats and standard definition DVD players. AVCHD high definition recordings look clean and clear, even during fast motion, reducing the image degradation or dropout associated with HDV.

Highest-Quality, Full HD Recording
Designed to be used in a variety of budget conscious production applications, the HMC150 records stunning high definition in four recording modes – PH mode (average 21 Mbps/Max 24Mbps), HA mode (approx.17 Mbps), HG mode (approx.13 Mbps) and HE mode (approx. 6 Mbps). It captures full horizontal resolution 1920x1080 images at its PH, HA and HG recording modes. The camera can also be set to capture 1280x720 images at PH mode. At its 6 Mbps record mode, it captures 1440x1080 HD images for extended HD recording at its lowest bit rate. The HMC150 supports a range of HD formats, including 1080/24p, 1080/60i and 720/60p.

This mainstream, production-level camera features native 16:9 progressive 1/3" 3-CCD imagers, enhanced by a high-performing digital signal processor with 14-bit A/D conversion and 19-bit processing. Its 13X Leica Dicomar zoom lens offers a 28mm (35mm equivalent) wide-angle setting (the widest in its class), a 72mm diameter, and a cam-driven manual zoom. The HMC150 provides auto or manual operation of focus and iris, and automatic optical image stabilization (O.I.S.) to ensure stable, smooth and precise shooting. It also features a range of selectable gamma functions including Cine-like gamma, making it well suited for cinema-like video production.

Extra-Long Record Times
With the HMC150, videographers can capitalize on the cost advantages, reliability, and widespread availability of SD and SDHC memory cards. Using just one 32GB SDHC card, users can record three hours of full pixel 1920x1080 video and audio at PH mode, four hours at HA mode and 5.3 hours at HG mode. In the HE mode, the camera can record up to 12 hours of 1440x1080 HD content – all on a single 32GB SDHC card. Panasonic also offers a variety of other SD and SDHC card sizes with Class 6 performance including 16GB, 8GB, 4GB, 2GB and 1GB.

Easy HD Playback on a Growing Number of Affordable Consumer Players
Content shot on the HMC150 can be played back directly on a wide range of widescreen flat panel displays, and front and rear-screen projectors, directly from the camera. Unlike HDV tapes, SD cards with HD content can be inserted into and played back on a growing number of affordable playback devices including Blu-ray players (like Panasonic’s DMP-BD30), the Sony PlayStation 3, and some new Panasonic plasma displays as well as computers with an SD card slot using applications that play AVCHD files. Using NLE software, content can also be edited and rendered in various formats and delivered on a wide range of media. Currently, AVCHD is supported by over 30 companies and implemented in numerous camcorders, NLE systems and consumer HD playback devices.

Professionals can instantly transfer content from the HMC150 camcorder to Mac or PC computers with an SD/SDHC card reader or by connecting the camcorder directly via its USB 2.0 interface. Other standard interfaces on the camera include HDMI out, component out (mini D terminal), composite out, remote jacks for zoom, focus iris and start/stop functions. The camera’s 3.5-inch LCD monitor displays content in thumbnail images for quick viewing.

The HMC150’s professional audio connections include XLR two-channel audio input (48V phantom power) with mic/line select, manual two-channel audio level VR and RCA audio out jacks. The camera offers waveform monitor display and an array of recording functions including time/date stamp, pre-record, shot marker, Index, time code/user bits and metadata.

Panasonic’s AVCCAM camcorder line-up brings the benefits of solid-state recording to budget-conscious professionals. Like digital still photography, recording onto SD/SDHC cards offer a fast and simple, file-based workflow with ultra-reliable performance and resistance to shock, vibration and extreme temperatures and weather. SD and SDHC memory cards are inexpensive and widely available and can be reused repeatedly. Since AVCHD records video as digital data files, content can be transferred and stored on affordable, high-capacity hard disk drives (HDD) and optical storage media and transferred to future storage media as technology advances.

The HMC150 will be available this fall at a suggested list price under $4,500.


DV MAGAZINE ANNOUNCES 2008 NAB BEST OF SHOW WINNERS


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Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
April 17, 2008

Digital Video (DV) magazine, published by NewBay Media, announced its Best of Show awards today at the 2008 National Association of Broadcasters Convention.

NewBay Media's Broadcast & Video Group of products, which also includes Videography magazine, DV Expo and the Creative Planet Community of websites, is uniquely poised to recognize the full spectrum video technology. A select panel of engineers, production and post professionals and editors joined the magazine staffs to judge the Best of Show awards for each publication.

The Best of Show Awards recognize outstanding achievement in the advancement of the art and science of video technology. These awards include the Videography Vidy Awards, the longest-running NAB awards program; and the DV Black Diamond Awards, which launched in 2007.

"To receive an award, a technology is evaluated by our panel of editors and industry experts," says NewBay Media Broadcast & Video Group Vice President of Sales Eric Trabb. "The winning technologies reflect innovation and engineering excellence."

The award winners are as follows:

  • Audio-Technica AT2020 USB Microphone
  • Blackmagic Design Video Recorders
  • Cartoni Status Pro Head
  • DSC Labs Advanced Guide to Digital, Film and Television Production
  • EDIROL F1 Digital Field Recorder
  • Indie-Dolly Systems Universal Dolly
  • Innovision DV Probe
  • JVC MR-HD200
  • Litepanels Micro
  • Matrox MX02
  • Media Services Movie Stick
  • MOTU V3HD
  • Panasonic AG-HMC150 AVCHD
  • Prompter People Mic Light
  • Rosco LitePad HO
  • Sachtler SOOM
  • Sonnet Technologies Fusion F2 RAID
  • Sony PMW-EX3
  • T-Jib T-Slide
  • VariZoom Zero Gravity


WEVA Partners With Universal Studios Florida For WEVA EXPO 2008 Tour


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Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
April 17, 2008

WEVA International has partnered with Universal Studios Florida Production Group to plan an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of the Universal Studios Production Facilities for professional videographers in conjunction with the WEVA 18th Annual Wedding & Event Video Expo, August 11-14, 2008. WEVA EXPO 2008, the wedding and event video industry's largest convention and trade show will be held at Orlando Grande Lakes Resort, just 10 minutes from Universal Studios Florida.

The largest working motion picture and television studio outside of Hollywood, Universal Studios Florida boasts 9 state-of-the-art soundstages, multiple broadcast studios, and more than 100 backlot sets. Numerous feature films (including The Waterboy, Matinee, and Parenthood) have been shot on the studio backlot.

Home to cable network’s Nickelodeon, Universal Studios Florida has hosted TV programs as diverse as The Ellen Degeneres Show; The Food Network's Emeril, Live!; The Steve Harvey Show; America's Most Wanted; Fear Factor; BattleBotsIQ and TNA (Total Nonstop Action). TNA, today's popular contemporary wrestling show, is taped in Stage 21 - (adjacent to the park).

This summer, WEVA EXPO 2008 attendees will have a rare opportunity to take an optional pre-convention, behind-the-scenes tour of Universal Studios that is being planned for Monday August 11, 2008 (starting early afternoon, ending before the official WEVA EXPO 2008 Opening Night Gala at 5:45pm).

"As announced at our NAB event this week, WEVA is already at work with the Universal Studios Production Group (USPG) designing a backlot tour that is ‘professional to professional’ rather than the standard ‘visitor’ version normally presented to park guests," relates Dan Argenas, WEVA’s Director of Association Communications. "Our goal is to offer WEVA EXPO 2008 attendees an inside view of state-of-the-art television and film production that’s up close and personal."

The WEVA and USPG teams are finalizing details of the tour, including ground transportation (private busses will depart from the JW Marriott). Watch WEVA.com for more news on the Universal Studios Tour and continuous updates on all WEVA EXPO 2008 Wedding and Event Video Sessions, EXPO 2008 Trade Show, and EXPO 2008 Special Events.


Sony Unveils PMW-EX3 Camcorder and XDCAM EX Technology at NAB 2008


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Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
April 16, 2008

The expanding family of Sony’s XDCAM EX™ video production technology now includes new models that increase the benefits of a solid-state workflow. These include the PMW-EX3 camcorder, the PMW-EX30 deck, and the PHU-60K professional hard-disk unit.

Sony is also unveiling a prototype 32 GB version of the SxS PRO™ solid-state memory card.

"These new products significantly upgrade solid-state production, while continuing the series’ heritage of ExpressCard technology – the new standard of PC card interface," said Bob Ott, vice president of professional and optical products for Sony Electronics. "Now, users have access to an enhanced workflow and greater functionality, plus all the benefits of the original XDCAM EX camcorder, including superb full HD 1920 by 1080 image quality without spatial offsetting."

The PMW-EX3 camcorder features similar functionality to the PMW-EX1, but it allows user to make lens choices depending on the nature of their project, through its interchangeable lens system.

The PMW-EX3 camcorder features gen-lock and timecode in/out for multi-camera operation. For use in a studio configuration, model RM-B150/B750 remote controllers will adjust basic camera parameters such as gain, iris, white balance, pedestal, and gamma through the 8-pin remote connector on the PMW-EX3 camcorder.

The PMW-EX30 model is Sony’s first solid-state memory recorder/player. The 1080i/720P switchable unit has an HDMI digital connection for use with an external monitor. It has HD-SDI in/out, making it ideal for recording live HD content, as well as dubbing to other formats. The deck can also be used as an SxS PRO card reader/writer, and for feeding content to existing HD and/or SD non-linear editing systems.

Specifically designed for use with XDCAM EX camcorders, the PHU-60K hard-disk unit is a 1.8-inch, 60 GB external storage unit with an USB 2.0 interface. Users can achieve approximate recording times of 200 minutes in 35 Mbps HQ (high-quality) mode and 260 minutes in 25 Mbps SP (standard play) mode.

When attached to a camcorder, the hard-disk unit functions just like an SxS PRO card, with thumbnail views available on the LCD panel of the PMW-EX1 or PMW-EX3 camcorders or PMW-EX30 deck.

Sony’s unique CyberCapture™ technology allows clips to be recorded at a stable transfer speed, leading to fewer frame drops under challenging conditions such as extreme temperatures or vibrations and shock.

A new "dumping" system is used to protect the HDD from a 1.5m drop, and buffer memory is used to allow recording immediately after powering on. Also, a salvage function enables restoration of content damaged by battery/cable disconnection or accidental powering down during recording.

A 3-D G sensor and the buffer memory allow for stable recording. When the G sensor detects that the unit is being dropped, the head of the HDD is immediately parked to protect the HDD. The content is temporarily stored in the buffer memory and then restored in the HDD when it is operating again. Approximately 12 hours of continuous operation are possible on a small size BP-U30 battery.

32GB SxS PRO Memory Card
Sony plans to introduce a 32GB SxS PRO memory card later this year. One 32GB SxS PRO memory card will record 100 minutes of full HD 1920 by 1080 video at 35 Mbps, and 140 minutes of 1440 by1080 video at 25 Mbps. Pricing will be announced at a later date.

Clip Browser Version 2.0
The Clip Browser software that ships with each XDCAM EX camcorder at no additional charge is expected to be upgraded to version 2.0 this summer. Enhancements will include the capability to use XDCAM EX content within a DV editing workflow.

Optional plug-in software separately under development for Clip Browser 2.0 will export XDCAM EX files on SxS memory cards to Professional Media discs, allowing XDCAM HD optical disc products to seamlessly interoperate with content shot by the XDCAM EX camcorder.

Other optional plug-in software under development for Clip Browser 2.0 will enable XDCAM EX files to be viewed on a range of portable consumer devices or to be uploaded to video sharing web sites.

Non-linear editors can deliver higher-quality footage and accelerate the post production process by editing XDCAM EX files natively. Major NLE vendors have solutions that support a true file-based workflow with XDCAM EX files without the need for transcoding. Adobe is announcing native support for XDCAM EX through its Adobe Premiere® Pro CS3 video editing and production software. Also, this summer, Avid’s non-linear editing systems are expected to fully support 35Mbps HQ (high quality) mode at 1920x1080/60i and 1280x720/60p.

The new XDCAM EX products are expected to be available in the third quarter of 2008.


Avid Delivers Ultimate HD Editing Experience With Next-Generation Systems


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Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
April 16, 2008

Avid Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVID) has unveiled a new family of professional digital video editing systems that offer greater speed, responsiveness, reliability and price-performance – delivering an exceptional HD editing experience to media professionals.

The new lineup, which includes next-generation versions of Avid® Media Composer® (v3.0), NewsCutter® (v7.0), and Symphony™ (v3.0) software, as well as new hardware configurations, Mojo DX and Nitris® DX, maximizes real-time performance for customers by intelligently using all available computing bandwidth to evenly disperse the processing of video and effects across the entire system. The result is an extremely fast and responsive HD editing experience that provides greater creative freedom and flexibility to end-users.

The increase in power and performance of Avid’s new editing systems is the result of an architectural design that tightly integrates Avid software and hardware with the CPU, host graphics card and PCI Express connection, to create a high-bandwidth, high-performance effects engine. This design eliminates the lag time in responsiveness that users often experience when working with HD material during the editorial process.

"For any project we begin, we need to know that our tools are going to help us work as fast as we can think and get the job done under budget, usually with intense deadlines," said Dave Ballard of LAB 601, Inc., a beta tester of the new Media Composer Nitris DX. "Lots of products boast the latest bells and whistles, but if the tools don’t allow us to perform flawlessly in high-pressure situations, none of the bells and whistles matter. The creative process can grind to a halt the moment that technology prevents us from trying something new – on the fly. Speed and performance rank at the top of any wish list for editors. I need a system that responds to the way I want to work and allows me to work more freely. The Media Composer Nitris DX is faster than any other Media Composer I have worked on in the past, and has been rock-solid reliable and flexible in all of our daily workflows."

Avid’s Next-Generation Editing Systems
Avid’s new editing lineup offers a range of new capabilities designed to enhance the HD editing process, including:

  • Real-time output of all major SD and HD formats, which eliminates the need for rendering with the Avid DNxHD® codec; customers will experience greater responsiveness during the output process.
  • A real-time effects architecture that closely ties multi-core CPU, GPU and PCI Express hardware into a single high-performance pipeline that increases the speed of the HD editing experience.
  • Improved codec and file-based format support including:Native support for "Thin Raster" formats including DVCPRO HD and XDCAM HD; with real-time output with multiple streams of HD;
  • Native editing support for AVC-I, which will be supported in 50 Mb/s and 100 Mb/s formats, via the same Avid workflow as P2/DVCPRO HD;
  • Sony XDCAM-EX (requires Sony Clip Browser software – currently available only on Windows); and
  • JVC 23.976p and 25p HDV codecs
  • Support for Mac Leopard OS and Windows Vista 32 and 64 bit operating systems.
  • A SubCap™ visible captioning tool for adding subtitles, with the import and export of EBU-N19 formats.
  • MetaFuze™, a new tool designed for quickly merging single-frame files (such as DPX and TIF) from film scanning or CGI systems into a single media clip on the Windows platform. MetaFuze enables users to create Avid DNxHD 36 files from DPX or TIF masters and use the files during the offline edit in a DI workflow – with final conform taking place on a DS system.
  • A real-time multi-window timecode burn-in tool, which enables customers to simplify the screening process by burning multiple timecodes and sequence information onto a video and superimposing the timecode over the picture during output and playback.
  • Blu-ray output with new Avid DVD by Sonic™ which makes it easier for PC users to create high definition DVDs.
  • XML export for sequences via Avid FilmScribe which enables all source and record side metadata to be exported as XML, including change notes. With this feature, transforms can be applied to create EDLs (e.g., scan lists, ASC color metadata, etc).

"This news represents another milestone in how Avid continues to drive ‘New Thinking.’ Our customers have told us that quality, performance and value are the most important characteristics in any product or solution. We’re glad to say that this new suite of offerings reflects these priorities," said Kirk Arnold, executive vice president and general manager of Avid Video.

System Configurations, Availability and Pricing
The new HD systems are expected to be available in Q2 2008 and will offer exceptional price-performance, with flexible hardware configurations designed to meet a range of professional production needs. In addition, both the new Media Composer and Symphony configurations are qualified to run on Mac OS X Leopard and Windows XP and Vista platforms, and NewsCutter configurations are qualified for Windows XP and Vista. All Media Composer and NewsCutter systems offer the same software toolset across their respective configurations – with additional capabilities coming from different hardware options. These configurations include:

  • Media Composer software – For independent or mobile film and video editors looking for a portable offline editing solution with support for file-based editing – priced at $2,495 USMSRP.
  • Media Composer Mojo DX – Ideal for small studios, production companies or customers looking to do on-location work – offering standard digital SD and HD I/O - priced at $9,995 USMSRP.
  • Media Composer Nitris DX – Geared towards post production facilities or anyone looking for a full feature edit bay – offering analog and digital I/O with Avid DNxHD encode and decode – priced at $14,995 USMSRP. Customers can also purchase configurations with an 8 core MacPro or HP xw8600 workstation starting at $21,995 USMSRP.
  • Symphony Nitris DX – Now available on both the Mac and Windows systems and ideal for online finishing facilities looking for all the features of the Media Composer plus secondary and relational color correction and universal mastering – priced at $35,995 USMSRP including an 8 core MacPro or HP XW8600 workstation.
  • NewsCutter software – News editing software ideal for field, tapeless and networked news environments – priced at $4,995 USMSRP.
  • NewsCutter Mojo DX – Ideal solution for full-featured suite-based news editing with real-time multi-format playback and effects and standard digital SD and HD I/O – priced at $19,995 USMSRP including an 8 core HP xw8600 workstation.
  • NewsCutter Nitris DX – Geared towards news operations looking for all of the options of NewsCutter with comprehensive analog and digital I/O with Avid DNxHD encode and decode – priced at $24,995 USMSRP including an 8 core HP xw8600 workstation.


CalDigit’s HDElement launched at NAB 2008


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Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
April 14, 2008

The HDElement is the compact 4 – bay storage you’ve been waiting for. From professional content creators to educated amateurs, CalDigit understands that people are always looking for affordable storage solutions. The HDElement was built with these people in mind. Working in conjunction with the CalDigit RAID card, the HDElement is a 100% hardware RAID based product.

" Our customers had been asking for a 4 bay RAID 5 external storage solution capable of the high bandwidth requirements of editing Uncompressed HD with, for some time now", said Jon Schilling, Sales Manager of CalDigit. "We responded to these needs by manufacturing the HDElement RAID 0,1,5,6 & JBOD storage solution product."

The HDElement gives you room to grow. You can connect up to 3 HDElements to the CalDigit RAID card, as your workloads increase, so does your storage. The HDElement is also bootable, starting up from your RAID volume can also give you mobility when you need to take your footage and system with you to another location.

Management, Migration and Expansion are easy, with CalDigit’s RAID Shield GUI. Managing your drives, running performance checks and monitoring your system are a snap. In the event of any errors, alerts or changes to the RAID array an e-mail notification is sent to you immediately.

Software RAID cards use the internal processing power of your host computer’s CPU. The CalDigit Hardware RAID card frees up your computer’s processor to do what you need it to do - run your applications and OS. This allows you to work with more fluidity without slowing you or your workstation’s processor down. Hardware RAID, as on the CalDigit RAID card, is possible because of a dedicated Intel processor, and 256MB of built-in cache memory. This gives true hardware RAID capabilities. Utilizing the PCI-e expansion slots in the latest MacPro or PC machines, the CalDigit RAID card offers unrivaled performance and protection for the capturing, storing and editing of large HD media files and content creation.

The new HDElement - 4 bay external drive enclosure, with RAID 0,1,5,6 & JBOD connected through external mini-sas) is capable of speeds of 350MB/s. You can achieve sustained speeds of 500MB/s when connecting multiple units. The HDElement also features CalDigit’s ASTT, (Active Sustained Transfer Technology), to keep your performance sustained and in check.

Retailing at 99 cents a GB, the HDElement is your new storage solution.


Matrox Announces New RT.X2 LE


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Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
April 14, 2008

Matrox® Video Products Group today announced that the new Matrox RT.X2 LE realtime HD and SD editing platform is now available through a worldwide network of authorized dealers. Priced at $1,095 US in North America (£649, €895), Matrox RT.X2 LE is a ¾-length PCIe card with a professional breakout box. It is designed to work with Adobe® Premiere® Pro CS3 or Adobe Creative Suite® 3 Production Premium.

"The demand for HD video production is set to skyrocket now that HD televisions are in widespread use and Blu-ray has won the battle of the distribution formats. There has never been a better time for corporate communicators, event videographers, project studios, educational facilities, digital filmmakers, and video enthusiasts to get into HD," said Alberto Cieri, Matrox sales and marketing director. "HDV and P2 cameras are affordable and the new Matrox RT.X2 LE card dramatically reduces the cost of a high-performance HD editing system. Not only is the price of the card itself lower than ever, it also fits into a low cost desktop system."

"The new Matrox RT.X2 LE card for Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 and Adobe Production Premium CS3 delivers substantial benefits for customers," said Hart Shafer, senior product manager at Adobe. "RT.X2 hardware combined with our software gives customers accelerated editing of full-quality, full-frame-rate video, export to DVD, Blu-ray, QuickTime, Adobe Flash and other media formats, and extra productivity with WYSIWYG graphics and realtime downscaling of HD projects for SD delivery."

The Matrox RT.X2 product line will be demonstrated at NAB 2008 in booth SL320.

Key features of Matrox RT.X2 LE
Matrox RT.X2 LE extends the capabilities of the Adobe CS3 software with many important benefits.

  • Realtime, mixed-format, multi-layer workflows that combine HD and SD material from analog and digital sources
  • Realtime Matrox Flex CPU effects - color correction, speed changes, chroma/luma keying and many more
  • Realtime and accelerated Matrox Flex GPU effects - 2D/3D DVE, blur/glow/soft focus, shine and many more
  • Extensive camera support including many new models from Canon, JVC, Panasonic, and Sony
  • Native HDV 1080i, HDV 1080p, HDV 720p (JVC ProHD), Panasonic P2 MXF 720p, and MPEG-2 4:2:2 I-frame HD editing
  • Native DV, DVCAM, DVCPRO, Panasonic P2 MXF SD, and MPEG-2 4:2:2 I-frame SD editing
  • Realtime playback of 32-bit MPEG-2 I-frame AVI files with alpha in HD and SD
  • Realtime mixed-format multi-cam
  • Realtime high-quality downscaling for analog SD output from an HD timeline
  • Accelerated export to Blu-ray, DVD, multimedia formats including Flash Video, and Adobe Clip Notes
  • WYSIWYG for Adobe After Effects, Bridge, and Photoshop, Autodesk Combustion and 3ds Max, eyeon Fusion, NewTek LightWave 3D, and Windows Media Player with dynamic Alt+Tab switching
  • Composite, Y/C, HD/SD analog component input and output


Telestream Introduces Support for Final Cut Server and ProRes


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Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
April 14, 2008

Telestream has announced major additions to its Apple workflow solutions. With Pipeline, Telestream’s award-winning network video capture family, it is now possible to ingest media from tape or live sources directly into Final Cut Server, Apple’s powerful new media asset management and workflow automation software. Pipeline now also supports ProRes 422, Apple’s innovative post-production format that offers pristine quality at small file sizes. This includes the ability to edit while ingesting for Final Cut Pro workflows. Telestream announced support for Pro Res 422 standard definition workflows today and high definition workflows later this year. In addition, Telestream’s Episode encoding software expands format support beyond QuickTime to virtually any file format for Final Cut Server.

"Telestream substantiates its commitment to the Apple community with further development of its Episode and Pipeline product families. This commitment continues with integration into Final Cut Server workflows and the adoption of this important industry format," said Dan Castles, CEO at Telestream. "Support for ProRes 422 means that Final Cut Studio users gain immediate access to this high-quality format for editing."

Pipeline is an industry-first network-based video capture device that provides freedom from the format and access limitations of traditional capture card solutions. Pipeline was designed with flexibility in mind, to easily add major new formats into users’ workflows. Real-time encoding to a choice of formats – DV25, IMX, MPEG-2 I frame, and now ProRes 422 SD (SQ) as a free software upgrade – provides flexibility for users’ changing format needs.

Users can log and capture video from tape or schedule recording of live feeds. Pipeline provides fast baseband media ingest into a variety of editing, transcoding and digital asset management workflows, including Final Cut Studio and Final Cut Server. In editing environments, Pipeline offers significant time savings, as both ProRes or other QuickTime movie files are available immediately, allowing incoming media files to be edited while they are being captured.

While Pipeline is a great choice for baseband media ingest into Final Cut Studio and Final Cut Server workflows, Telestream’s Episode encoding software is a great choice for expanding format support beyond QuickTime to virtually any format in Final Cut Server workflows. Episode desktop software expands encoding format choices through its integration with Apple’s Compressor. Episode Engine server software integrates with Final Cut Server to automate full format encoding and decoding. Scalable from a single server to enterprise-level encoding clusters, Episode Engine provides ultimate encoding speeds for increasing high-volume needs.

The Pipeline product family which includes standard definition, single-channel and four-channel models is available now with prices starting at $1,950. The free Pipeline upgrade to include Pro Res 422 SD support will be available shortly after NAB. Pipeline high definition models, with support for ProRes 422 HD, will be available later this year. Episode desktop pricing starts at $395. Episode Engine server software is available in two models with prices starting at $3,450; integration with Final Cut Server is available immediately.

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