Archive of the Editing Category

At IBC 2008 Quantel announced the full integration of Apple’s Final Cut Pro into the Quantel Enterprise sQ server-based production environment. The solution brings the exact same workflow advantages with Final Cut Pro workstations as they have with Quantel’s native editors.

With this development, FCP editors have full access to both rushes and metadata as well as to edited sequences generated on Quantel desktop and craft editing workstations. more

The Thomson Grass Valley Infinity Digital Media Camcorder (DMC) now includes MPEG-2 HD Long GOP as a codec choice. The addition of MPEG-2 Long GOP creates a low bit rate recording choice to complement the existing high-quality, high bit rates within the Infinity DMC. This allows Infinity users to choose among a range of HD choices from 18 Mb/sec up to 100 Mb/sec — all in the same camcorder, which can all be recorded to the same piece of media.

Thomson has now added a Long GOP MPEG-2 codec with user selectable bit rates of 18Mb/s, 25Mb/s, 35Mb/s and 50Mb/s. The MPEG-2 Long GOP choice gives users additional file-based workflow options that are compatible with industry NLEs and expands the options for recording and transmission. more

Barco had a full stand as attendees eagerly sought the company’s HD reference monitor. The RHDM-23-1 provides the highest level of color accuracy, image stability and motion handling. Is uses the most advanced LCD display including 10-bit processing and real-time color stabilized LED backlights. The monitor provides 120Hz scanning and LED backlighting, thereby avoiding motion blur and judder.

The reference monitor is being shown in the Barco booth at stand, 1B.31.

Finally, a da Vinci color corrector broadcasters can afford. At IBC 2008 da Vinci Systems unveiled its new Resolve R-100, a fully-upgradable, cost-effective version of the powerful Resolve R-series family of digital mastering suites, but designed for boutique post houses, production studios, and television broadcasters.

The Resolve R-100 is a full-featured, nonlinear image processor that can handle 4K resolution and fits seamlessly into existing digital workflows, including post houses that principally perform editing or VFX work. Like all Resolve suites, the R-100 is capable of running a telecine and of operating from a shared database to enhance workflow efficiency. more

Thomson declared 2008 to be the year of HD sport on the eve of the opening of IBC2008 in Amsterdam.

Gathered at the Amsterdam Arena home to the city’s Ajax professional soccer team, the company’s management laid out exactly why to the press. Pointing to HD coverage of the just-completed 2008 Beijing Olympics, Euro2008 soccer championships and Wimbledon Championships, Thomson made the point that HD has entered the mainstream of television around the world.

In keeping with the theme, the company turned to a couple of skilled soccer ball kickers — which Thomson Grass Valley VP of communications Laura Barber-Miller referred to as keepsie-upsies — to illustrate the effectiveness of Thomson’s Grass Valley LDK 8300 HD Super SloMo camera. more

Blackmagic is changing the rules on video routing with the launch of its 3Gb/s Broadcast Videohub. The Videohub provides 3Gb/s SDI connectivity, routing any SD, HD or 3Gb/s HD-SDI video format. The router provides 72 SDI inputs, 144 SDI outputs, 72 deck control ports, twin redundant power connections, SDI re-clocking, and 3Gb/s SDI technology all in a compact 8 rack unit chassis less than 1in deep.

The router provides 72 independent Sony-compatible RS-422 serial control ports included so users can access and control external decks. Each deck control connection is independently reversible via software control, so it’s easy to connect edit stations or decks to any of the control ports. more

Avid is promoting its new DS 10 production solution at this year’s IBC. The DS 10 provides both online and offline editing, compositing, keying, image retouching, paint and graphics capabilities in one application. The DS version 10 is built on a new platform which provides a significant increase in performance and speed. The new system is powered by the HP xw8600 with dual-quad 3.0GHz CPUs with 8GB RAM, the NVidia QuadroFX 3700 (G92 GPU) and a dual-link I/O card with a rack mountable breakout box.

The production platform offers multistream, 10-bit uncompressed HD, Avid/s DNxHD codec, and SD finishing and mastering as well as HD-RGB and 2K/4K file-based editing with real-time playback up to 2K. For those needing a comprehensive solution for high-end projects such as television commercials, music videos, promotional spots, feature films and trailers or projects that require color-managed workflows, The Avid DS 10 offers a range of new features and functionality, including: more

I got an in-booth demo of Wohler’s HDMon-260, a production-grade 26in widescreen TFT display for HD field and studio monitoring applications. The monitor accepts video signals up to 1920 x 1080/60p and enabling the monitoring of digital HD-SDI, SD-SDI and DVI signals; analog composite, component and RGBHV video; and CGI images up to WUXGA resolution without the need for optional cards. Sure would make my PC look great!

With the monitor’s built-in noise reduction, motion interpolation and motion-adaptive processing the user always sees crisp, clear display of images, regardless of their native resolution. The monitor can be used as either a desktop monitor or in a rack-mount configuration, the HDMon-260 display offers HD resolution, a choice of 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios, user-adjustable scaling, and up to 176 degrees of off-axis viewing without the image and color distortions. You can see the monitor at stand 9.E40.

Related articles: Wohler adds 26in HD monitor to HDMon family; Wohler unveils new widescreen TFT display

Friday started with Snell & Wilcox, a company we associate with their advanced motion estimation technology. They lifted the curtain on a new technology, the subject of a session paper, that provides a smart way to change aspect by removing “white space” in the picture. It detect seams between objects, then removes video between seams. That way face don’t get stretched, and important content isn’t cropped. It’s not a product yet, but if it sounds interesting to you, track down the technical paper and have a read.

Next to the impressive Sony booth for a guided tour. Sony announced it is to be a lead technology partner with the UK’s BSkyB in the construction of an all-new broadcast center for 1080P production and broadcast.

Another announcement was that JVC has licensed the EX SxS solid-state record format, a move that will aid the move away from videotape for all but high-end production, where the high bandwidth of HDCAM-SR still offers a video quality that the newer media formats cannot equal — for now!