HD For Indies

NAB 2006 Editing Hardware Wrap Up
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Hey all - so at long last, here's my NAB 2006 Editing Hardware wrap up notes. It took me so long to get all this transcribed from audio, emailed press releases sifted, brochures sponged for actual facts instead of "marketing copy', that I don't have the time/energy/inclination to go through another pass and format all this. So here it all is, a big gob of data, not in any particular order of preference:

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Update: Well, I'll summarize a bit because this is LONG. So Big Deal Stuff at NAB:

-AJA Kona3 now has 2K support for ALL Kona3 cards - is just a driver update (this is the hidden feature I mentioned before)
-AJA also has two new converters, the HD10AVA and RD10MD
-AJA also has Xena (cards for Windows) to mirror what the Kona2 and I think Kona3 do as well, I need to do some more reading
-BlackMagic's new PCIe based DeckLink HD Extreme that does 4:2:2 everything (SD/HD/analog/digital), the, is under $1000
-Blackmagic also has a new MultiBridge, this one MultiBridge Pro, it is a cut down, 4:2:2 only, no 2K version of the Extreme
-CineTal has high quality LCD panels for critical color (with options for everything from frame buffer to scopes)
-eCinemaSys is working on a new 40" LCD panel for critical color viewing as well
-EditShare is hardware/software for group editing on a variety of NLEs, including Final Cut. Uncompressed SD works over GigE, uncompressed HD works over 10GigE - this is MAJOR for groupware editing.
-JL Cooper has editing control surfaces for Final Cut, but eek, like $3500
-Matrox has the MXO, a DVI to HD-SDI adaptor that sounds REALLY promising, does SDI, HD-SDI, component, etc., and uses QT drivers to handle interlace and formatting - this is one of the most significant products at the show for indie editors I think if it works as promised.

OK, here we go, this is in (roughly) alphabetical order, not in order of priority (scroll down to that Matrox MXO for instance, it's worth it!):

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AJA

Kona3 gained some serious new features (here's my previous coverage when it was announced), like the ability to input and output 2K resolution footage (at both 1556 an 1080 pixel heights) simply via new drivers. It can also crop 2K footage to play out on HD monitors, a major boon - and you can even adjust WHERE the crop takes place by sliding around a little viewing window in their Kona3 Control Panel.

Kona3 was already a powerful SD/HD RGB 4:4:4 pro capture/output card, but the new drivers enable 2K workflows for filmmakers. Key new features:

-supports dual link for HDCAM SR and Viper modes
-allows 2K files to be viewed on HD 1080p24 monitors
-2K telecine to Mac by reconfiguring the dual link HD-SDI for HSDL (High Speed Data Link) connection to various telecine devices
-the 1080p HD output can be downconverted to standard def SDI and/or component output on the fly as well for making offline dailies etc.
Other features:
-can upconvert SD to HD (motion-adaptive)
-1080 to 720 as well as 720 to 1080 cross conversion
-live 10 bit keyer as well for adding logo bugs etc.
-K3-box gives you a rackmount hardware breakout box
-Kona3 is $2900, K3-box is $300
-you can make 2K DPX files straight of the telecine and make 2K Quicktime reference movies
-can play 2K out over HSDL (but it has a max speed of 15 fps or so)
-or crop it to 1920x1080 and play out realtime (storage system throughput allowing)
-making DPX files from the get-go is friendlier for the production pipeline, since most serious post software is built around DPX files anyway
-check out the bottom of page 2 in this PDF Kona3 brochure, it outlines the workflow...WOW, this is good. I'll be trying this myself ASAP.

New Converters: HD10AVA and RD10MD

The HD10AVA is a HD/SD audio and video A/D miniature converter, while the RD10MD is a 10-bit, broadcast-quality card for dual down-conversion from HD to SD.

EMAIL FROM JON THORNE OF AJA, new product manager for Mac Video products:

I (Mike) asked: Are there any other new products, new drivers, new stuff I should be
aware of from AJA from NAB?

A: Yes. The Xena line for the PC is now Premiere Pro 2.0 compatible...although that release hinges upon folks having Premiere Pro 2.0. Basically the Xena cards are Kona cards for a PC but have unique software. Also of note is we now have a converter, the HD10AVA which will be available soon which allows analog HD and SD, video and audio, to be input to the converter and an SDI output results. Great for Kona3 users who want to input from HDV cameras to a 4:2:2, 10 bit uncompressed codec or for legacy analog users who can't part with their BetaSP deck but who know they should be buying the super powerful Kona 3 card.


I hope to have lots more conversations (blogged or otherwise) with Jon in the future, he is Ted Schilowitz's replacement at AJA.

I also have a chunk of data to post about Xena cards on PC, but I'm having trouble finding the info (my own dumb fault) so I'll update as soon as I get it.

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BLACKMAGIC DESIGN

-Blackmagic DeckLink HD Extreme - pretty much like the AJA Kona LH/e models, this is the does pretty much EVERYTHING card (SD/HD in & out, analog and digital in AND out) - the only thing it doesn't do is 4:4:4, and is $1000 for the PCIe card.

-Multibridge Pro - like the Extreme, but not 4:4:4, no 2K, now HDMI out not DVI (different? Better? Same?), $1595 price point

-Interview with Matt Dowling, Product Manager for BlackMagic

-new DeckLink HD Extreme - like the old Extreme in terms of analog in and out, but now does HD as well, can do HD analog in and out,
-analog component in and out
-2 SDI out
-1 SDI in
-s-video
-AES out
-RS 422
-2 channels XLR audio in and out
-those SDI ports autodetect HD/SD
-$995
Matt Dowling, product Manager interview:

PCIe - all new products are and will be PCIe
-4 lane PCIe
-not discontinuing old product, transitioning to PCIe
-compressed all old products into this one new aggressively priced product
-$100 more than the SD one was
-but get total HD and it's PCI Express
-new Multibridge Pro, is a cut down version of the Extreme, not 2K capable, doesn't do dual link (4:4:4), has HDMI direct out instead of via converter that ship with DVI to HDMI converter, this is a true HDMI port - advantage is that HDMI runs at native frame rate, DVI is up to 60 which can cause some interlace problems, is really for client previews is the best bet
-different from the DVI on the Extreme? DVI vs. HDMI - Pro has no DVI, HDMI only. Is that better or worse than the Extreme, feature wise is similar, the I/O is different, is cut down from the Extreme's feature set
-DVI vs. HDMI: Matt likes HDMI because you can send 5.1 down it too; DVI is limited to 8 bit, HDMI is uncompressed as well, he likes it
-some of the graphics cards have HDMI instead of DVI so can plug into HDTV directly
-if has HDMI, is assumed can plug into consumer stuff
-any other new products? new software called BlackMagic On Air, is a mixer in software, with the Extreme because have A&B inputs, can have 2 streams coming in and one coming out, they are showing two XL H1's feeding an Extreme over HD-SDI and when in this mode, it is spitting out tri-level sync to lock the two cameras to the MB-X, and that On Air program will allow monitoring of what you're sending out, can mix between the two channels, dissolve between, is a live mixer. Is designed for little productions of people on a budget or church/wedding guys. A freestanding box usable in the field as a mixer? NO, can't drive it over a laptop, gotta be plugged into a G5.
-is it possible to use the Express/34 slot to do something interesting HD-wise with that?
-Matt: we've been looking at that, it's not 2.5 gig, it is 1.8/1.9, it is borderline to get HD down it, you might get 1080p24 8 bit, but maybe 720p50 8 bit maybe, when they saw'em a few months back they looked into it and they thought it'd be cool, but it doesn't have the bandwidth to do it. At this stage it doesn't look like it, we've been looking into it. It gets a little bit tricky because you have to have a power source from somewhere. If trying to power it off the notebook (MB-X, for instance), you'd last maybe 10 minutes or less. It's not exactly built for that. Theoretically possible to do an SD based product, but you'd still need power would be the potential concern. I'm not sure if it would actually fit the chipsets we'd need to fit in there card only (I was thinkng of a card going out to breakout device, it'd be a MAJOR challenge to fit it into the form factor to go into computer). And connector wise how would you fit it into there?
-I said I thought the breakout box with stub card was a great idea for small facilities so that it can be handed around. The stub card has no brains, it is just wires to connect to the breakout box that has boards and brains in it. Could have multiple stubs in the studio and move the box around as you need it, just have to power down as you need to in order to hook it up.
-don't hotswap, you'll definitely crash it! Is just like pulling out a PCIe card.
-I like the MB-X so much I bought one.
-On my long list of stuff to do is to run it through the tests.
-used the MB-X during the Texas Shootout to capture uncompressed from analog sources
-some folks thought that maybe the quality was lesser because price was lower, some folks think they run low profit margins to compete, but matt says they make a decent profit because of their efficient production methodology. By dropping price point, can sell more product, amortize R&D better, they don't compromise on quality, we just engineer it for lower production costs.
-Talking about the On Air stuff - any new drivers released for the show? No, they'll be releasing around May 20, they are on a 30 day software release cycle, release new versions about once a month to customers. Sometimes slips, but the goal is once every 30 days.
-May 20th - new features? On Air will be there, 720p50 will be included for the Euro customers in the May 20 release
-On Air is not out until the 20th
-ON the PC side a few more frequencies working with Premiere Pro, HDV plays on PPro2 with uncompressed on the same timeline to mix HDV and uncompressed and it handles the 1440 to 1920 sizing on the fly. (that's a BIG deal!)
-I said I hate that you can't mix and match sizes on the same timeline. In PPro2, can do 8 bit, 10 bit, HDV all on same timeline.
-I said I've heard would require a major rewrite of FCP to do similarly, Matt says he hopes they'll do it.
-drivers these days - any new product they make, instantly works with any supported app - Premiere, After Effects (Mac & PC), Vegas, Final Cut works; they try to make it as transparent as possible
-anything that has a QuickTime video out will work with this hardware, it's a QuickTime compoment
-any issue running 5.1 FCP on a G5 with the current drivers? Nope, works fine.
-Apple put in some codecs in version 5.1 - neither of us know what is different with those codes, "but nothing that affects us" said Matt
-Matt said he doesn't like to list out issues that they've fixed, but do constantly tweak drivers

Letter from Grant Petty (his usual thing he sends out before a show). I include this in full because a.) it has good info in it, and b.) I'm too busy/lazy to go extract all the good factoids out of it and edit out all the marketing foof. It's all a quote, so I put it in italics to differentiate from something I write:

Introducing DeckLink HD Extreme

I am incredibly excited about this new product, and it's really going to drive more change in the television industry.

DeckLink HD Extreme is quite similar to our original DeckLink Extreme standard definition card, however it's a completely new design using technology from our Multibridge Extreme, so it has incredible quality 14 bit digital to analog conversion out.

DeckLink HD Extreme is important because it replaces all models of the DeckLink HD family of cards, as it combines all the features of the current range of cards and a lot more. For people who need 4:4:4 or older PCI-X support, we are keeping the DeckLink HD Pro 4:4:4 models. For people who are only using standard definition and need older PCI or PCIe 1 lane, we also have the SD card range.

Because it's a HD model it switches between high definition and standard definition video. It features an SD/HD-SDI input, and dual SD/HD-SDI outputs, which can be used as two outputs, or you can output fill and key when selected in our LiveKey application. DeckLink HD Extreme also includes 12 bit analog video in, and 14 bit analog video out. The analog video connections can be independently switched to component (YUV) or composite NTSC/PAL and now S-Video. When using component (YUV) video, the analog connections will switch between high definition and standard definition.

For audio, we have included 2 channels of analog balanced professional audio in and out via XLR connectors, as well as 2 channel AES/EBU digital audio in and out via unbalanced BNC connectors. The AES is also S/PDIF compatible if you want to connect to consumer equipment.

As with all DeckLink cards, DeckLink HD Extreme includes RS-422 control, Genlock/Tri-Sync input, and is fully compatible with Mac OS X, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP x64 and Windows Server 2003 x64. DeckLink HD Extreme is a PCI Express 4 lane card, and there is no PCI-X version, as that older bus standard is starting to decline.

This card is a fantastic solution that has all the features most people would ever need all in the one card. DeckLink HD Extreme will connect to any video equipment in both HD or SD, as well as SDI and analog. Examples are Betacam SP, Digital Betacam, D1, Consumer HDV Cameras, HD set top boxes, HDCAM, HD-D5, HDCAM-SR 4:2:2, Telecines, CRT monitors, LCD televisions and many more.

DeckLink HD Extreme retails at only US$995, and it's available immediately. We have stock at some of our resellers on the NAB show floor, so if you have been in the market for a new DeckLink card, then you can get a DeckLink HD Extreme now at the show.

DeckLink HD Extreme is a replacement for our DeckLink HD, DeckLink HD Plus, and DeckLink HD Pro 4:2:2 models, which will now all discontinued. We think having a single model with all these features is a much better solution.

If you need a 4:4:4 card based solution, we still have DeckLink HD Pro 4:4:4 models in PCI-X and PCIe models, but we don't expect them to be as popular as they are still more expensive, and are really only useful when you absolutely need a low cost 4:4:4 solution, or you need a PCI-X solution for older computers, and don't need the analog video input, and analog audio features.

Introducing Multibridge Pro

Multibridge Pro is an exciting new model of the Multibridge family that features PCI Express, so you can use it as a capture playback solution or unplug it from the computer to use it as a standalone bi-directional converter.

Multibridge Pro is very similar to Multibridge Extreme, however the main difference is we removed the expensive 2K film features, that are not needed by most video users, and this allows it to be lower cost. Multibridge Pro also has more connections than the DeckLink HD Extreme PCIe plug in card, so its a nice solution for people who want more power in video, but don't do feature films. It's also a break-out box style of capture/playback solution when connected to a computer via PCI Express, so will be popular with people who like a break-out box style solution.

Multibridge Pro switches between high definition and standard definition video, and features a single SD/HD-SDI input, and dual SD/HD-SDI outputs, which can be used as two outputs. Multibridge Pro also includes 12 bit analog video in, and incredible 14 bit analog to digital video conversion out. The analog video connections can be independently switched to component (YUV) or composite NTSC/PAL and now S-Video. When using component (YUV) video, the analog connections will switch between high definition and standard definition.

For audio, we have included 2 channels of analog balanced professional audio in and out via XLR connectors, as well as 4 channels of AES/EBU digital audio in and out with each input featuring sample rate converters. Multibridge Pro also features 2 channel unbalanced audio out for HiFi monitoring, and is a compact 1 rack unit in size.

Multibridge Pro also features a built-in HDMI digital monitoring output. HDMI is becoming popular on most modern flat screen televisions and video projectors. It's quality specifications allow up to 12 bit, and our software drivers currently use full 10 bits on output, and can use 12 in the future. It's a very high quality monitoring standard and on Multibridge Pro it's built in. Digital monitoring allows HD monitoring at much lower cost, and because it's digital, the image quality is amazing and noise free.

Multibridge Pro retails for only US$1,595, and will be available approximately 2 weeks after NAB. It's complete, and we are just waiting for more parts for production to start.

Multibridge Pro is a replacement for our Multibridge HD and Multibridge SD models, which are now discontinued. The advantage is you get a HD product at a similar price to the older standard definition model. You also get similar features to the older HD model, but with PCI Express built in, so you can use it for editing without purchasing an SDI card, plus you have the added benefit built-in HDMI monitoring and AES sample rate converters. Of course there will still be more software updates for the Multibridge HD and Multibridge SD models, even though they are now discontinued.

We hope that with all these powerful features, Multibridge Pro should be incredibly popular as a converter, even if you don't need to use the PCI Express feature for capture and playback. Most other converters cost over $2,000 just for digital to analog conversion, while Multibridge Pro converts from digital to analog, and analog to digital at the same time, with AES digital and analog audio support, and HDMI video and RCA audio monitoring out. It's incredible value for only US$1,595.


It's been our dream to allow a multi function converter to be mass produced so it can have lower cost than more simple converters, while including extra features such as analog and digital audio, HDMI and PCI Express, so it becomes so much more.

We would really like to get your feedback on both DeckLink HD Extreme and Multibridge Pro at NAB. If you are on the show floor, and get the chance to visit out booth, look out for our engineering guys who have traveled to the show.

Introducing Blackmagic On-Air

Sometimes it's nice to have a radical new idea, and to build a new kind of product, and see what people think.

Our radical idea for this NAB, is a new mixing software tool for use with Multibridge Extreme for live mixing between two cameras. We feel that over the last 10 years we have been building video cards to help make editing and broadcast design very low cost, at incredible quality. We have done that well, and the industry is now very different to how it was 10 years ago.

However we noticed part of the industry that has not been able to change, and has not been able to use computers well to improve workflow. That's live mixing and production, which still use independent mixers, and monitors all connected by dozens of cables. There have been some attempts at solutions, but the quality was not great, and there were no good camera solutions.

We wanted a tool that worked in HD, was low cost, and allowed better camera monitoring plus recorded direct to disk. Blackmagic On-Air does all these things, and it's a fantastic tool. Live two camera production is a very fast and low cost way to cover events, and our aim was to help improve workflow by using computers, and also allow a HD solution.

The big change came over the last 6 months as Canon's new XL H1 1080i HD camera, which is low cost, but features genlock input, and HD-SDI output. Now a camera with HD support is available to help make a complete solution affordable.

We use a standard Multibridge Extreme model that has enormous processing power and two SDI inputs. Blackmagic On-Air is a simple software update and will mix between the two SDI inputs, a graphic, and black video. It uses a large window that incorporates both camera views, and the program mix view in real time. There are actually three streams of video coming back over the PCI Express to the computer, so you need a more powerful computer to run this. The specs for that are on our web site.

The great thing about including the camera and program views on the main mixer window is you don't need to connect external camera monitors when setting up. You could do a full system with only a single 20 inch monitor on the computer itself, so it's more portable and faster to setup. You can connect an additional monitor to the DVI or SDI outputs of Multibridge Extreme for program monitoring, so you can see the camera mix. Graphic and black are mixed in the computer, and not seen on the SDI outputs, so you can get a "title-less" master if you record the SDI output.

We can also draw a soft red "tally" border around the camera monitors to indicate which camera is on air, so you can see exactly what's happening when looking at the camera monitors. The program view can also show a red border when recording.

Capture to disk is supported direct in the main window, and you can record with a single button click, and program duration is displayed in real time. If you have Final Cut Pro HD installed, you can capture to the DVCPRO HD codec, so you don't need to use a bulky disk array for HD recording. Most people we have spoken with really want HD production more than uncompressed HD production, as HD is the most important aspect of their needs. Capture to the compressed codec should really help reduce cost.

There is a lot more information on the Multibridge Extreme page on our web site, and please select the On-Air tab to learn more. Blackmagic On-Air will be included free in the next major software release for the Multibridge family, which will be v5.6 due early May. Initially Blackmagic On-Air will be Mac OS X only, and will move to Windows as soon as possible.

That's all for this update, and I hope you are as excited by these updates as we are.

What I find really exciting about our new product range this NAB is every product is true to our original dream to get the highest quality video tools into everyone's hands because it's priced as affordable as possible. That's not easy.

We hope you get the chance to come by our booth at NAB and see DeckLink HD Extreme, Multibridge Pro and Blackmagic On-Air!

-Grant


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CINETAL

-talking to Bob Caldwell from Cinetal
-24" 1920x1200 monitor showing 1920x1080 footage
-can feed it 720 footage, does it 1:1
-keeps it pixel for pixel in 720
-there are various options, pricing starts at Cinemage at $8500, takes in single link only (two feeds), can upgrade to dual link
-SEE HANDOUT/BROCHURE
-can add waveform, vectorscopes, that kind of thing
-FILO is the entry level, broadcast side of things
-Cinemage is their post/d-cinema type stuff
-SEE OPTIONS ON SHEET
-runs from about $7500 for Filo, $8500 for Cinemage for entry level, with all the options getting into the $28-$30K range for the Cinemage
-recommend doing critical color work on this? DEFERRED ANSWER TO OTHER GUY
-talking to Robert Carrol - CEO of CineTal, is this an appropriate monitor for color critical work - "is not up for us to determine, is up to person doing critical color work - creative color analysis is very subjective, and even though we might be able to measure and determine we match 709 or DCI standards, because of LCD vs. CRT differences, the perception by the human is slightly different even if it can be measured empirically to be the same. Because of that subjectivity, let folks loook at'em and decide what to use. Currently a CRT is reference grade monitor, because of technical issues that's going to go away/change, as this transition occurs, our product people say looks pretty good, it may or may not work in your particular application for critical color monitoring, it depends on the subjective nature of the person making that judgement, that person has to look at it and decide whether it is going to work for them or not."
-dumb question - why can't I plug in a Dell 24 and get the same thing?
-first off, no SDI or HD-SDI inputs for professional inputs
-the electronics in the Dell system are designed for consumer world
-we're actually modifying the panels to give it better characteristics for this particular marketplace, as in calibrating, rec 709 and DCI and other things
-Q: chroma and phase controls? A: No, that's a very analog context on monitoring. Moving to a data centric workflow model, a lot of our monitoring tools in the past have been analog, waveforms and vectorscopes with IREs and millivolts on'em, there's no such thing as millivolts in data, our monitor is strictly viewed as a data monitor, and what we are doing is allowing that data to be represented by light throught the system, you can measure that light and specify that light to a recommended practice or whatever (controlled and calibratable fashion?) Absolutely
-last thing you want to do is grab a phase knob if yo have a calibrated system
-Q: How maintain calibration on these? A: Gretag MacBeth jointly developed a photometer and photospectrometer, both are a little different, we have custom software behind it that allows you to calibrate the system to pretty much anything you want. Q: 23.98 and 24.0 off of this? A: Yes, all HD standards. Q: True 24p or 3:2 pulldown? A: Frame doubling anything below 40, 30 is 60, 23.98 is 47.something, we double it up, no 3:2 pulldown. Double buffered. If you're looking at 24 frame material, you're seeing it refresh at 24.
-Q: I see various monitoring extra goodies here. A: We set out to create a production tool for digital cinema production. A lot of features built for that - Color Look Up Tables with a split screen generator, see what your camera is doing, previz wha tyou want your final color grade to loook like - can load 2D and 3D LUTs, and can do calibration LUTs. It is all inboard, no outboard boxes. Plug in an AC cord and a video source and you're ready to go.
-Q: So no box to box to box daisy chain of devices? A: No, it's an integrated system, also to have Omnitech waveforms and vectorscopes in it, so highest quality waveforms and vectorscopes built into it
-I like using the extra pixels top and bottom for UI elements
-Q: I'm familiar with Rec 709, but DCI stuff - how's that different? A: slightly different gamma with same white point. It is user selectable between 709 and DCI, you can put any gamma and any white point into the system and calibrate to those, so if trying to match something that isn't in your system that may not be calibrated to one of those systems, can force this system to match it. But 709 and DCI are presets
-Q: Anything else I should know? A: Because it is a prodution tool, has 30 frame store, realtime access frame stores, network based product so sits on the network and can save, grab, move frames from network areas, has wireless option to pull or push frames from a PDA is an option, the whole concept from a collaboration point of view has always been "I'm onset, I've got a colorist in New York and a VFX house in SF, I need to pull a frame from this set, send to each of those guys over the Internet, have colorist do a quick grade to match what I did 2 days ago, send me a LUT so I can previz with that LUT, have VFX guy make sure that my parameters are good to pull off the VFX when I bring the files to him." I said very nice, very slick
-been delivering this since December 2005
-how many in field? "Significant..." More than 10 I ask? "Oh yes." he says

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Doremi V1-UHD recorder

See this page for related photos

V1-UHD - is applicable for field acquisition, it'll do dual link for 4:4:4
-capacity on the UHD for uncompressed can record via dual SCSI (so can connect to external RAID capacity) can go up to 6TB
-price point: w/2.6TB storage, is $49,000, with dual link option another $10,000, so about $60K for 4:4:4 recording capability.
-1080p60 for 4:2:2 - working on it, another month or two
-V1-HD is he JPEG2000 based product, V1-UHD is the uncompressed based product.

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DVS
-makes Pronto 2K.2 and Pronto HD.2, file based DDRs
-HD.2, up to 3.6 TB storage, RAID 0
-expand to 7TB with a 4U rack unit
-no compression at all
-roughly $30K for 3.6TB storage, additional 4U storage is another $15K for up to 7TB
-they also make Clipster, which I consistently hear good things about, and hear referred to often. It can ingest/conform SD, HD (single/dual link), 2K or 4K via HSDL, and there's a SAN product to work with it, too. Realtime color correction, zoom and pan, etc. Price unknown (can't be cheap). But after hearing it mentioned many times, and now seeing the brochure, it sounds pretty robust and respected.

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eCinema Systems
-Martin has a new display
-ship around IBC for around $40K
-40 inches (I think)
-1920x1080 res
-4096 (10 bits at the pixel) - give you an honest to god at least 1000 if not more gradations, well beyond the 200 you usually get on LCD based systems
-I assume 24.0 and 23.98 fps
-should be a DCI spec in Rec 709 critical color calibrated display system, recommended for reference grade work
-for a 40" display!
-for a 40" calibratable....hmmmm...compare that to a Sony CRT and the engineering resources required....
-talked to a colorist who, when I mentioned it, shook his head - he was there at NAB, he saw it, didn't consider it up to snuff for color critical work (he works on a $40K 32" Sony HD CRT daily)
-press release forthcoming, I'll update with that when it comes out

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EditShare

See related photos on this page

-Editshare starts at $15K for 2TB, unlimited clients (other than what the hardware will support).
-it isn't client based, it is GigE connected to a switch, no big deal to GigE
-they have a 10 GigE option, that lets you do uncompressed HD (and that's what's required)
-GigE can do compressed HD formats and uncompressed SD
-for instance, a Mac Mini running on the show floor on GigE was doing 4 streams of uncompressed SD (wow!)
-if you want to expand capacity beyond 2TB, what kind of pricing structure? Different chassis sizes, standard is 3U, can go up to 5U and 8U, depends on how many spindles needed for speed and how big those drives should be for the capacity you need. In an 8U chassis, 40x500GB drives is 20TB, how much? Probably about $70Kish. The system is "infinitely expandable" to add multiple chassis together.
Uncompressed SD/HD NAS product, starting at around $15K for 2TB, is RAID 5, the usable is 1.7TB
-hook up as many Macs as you want that doesn't exceed bandwidth provided
-so painless to add more clients presuming they don't
-there's ports on the back, and you get GigE switches, I asked if off the shelf would work, he said more or less (so get good ones, full duplex, etc.)
-Grant Carrol is the guy I talked to, the national channel manager

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JL Cooper

See this page for related photos

MCS-3800 is the control surface (Media Command Station) Ethernet option card, comes with software to map MIDI and key commands to do transport control, jog/shuttle, touch sensitive motorized faders, can multiple banks of the faders to get access to up to 32 channels
-price point is $3495, $3000 without the faux stone wrist rest, is $3K, the MCS-3 is jog/shuttle USB controller for $595

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Matrox MXO

See this page for related photos

-Matrox MXO is $995, DVI to HD-SDI and SDI
-MXO has a QuickTime driver (not like an external box that is a scan converter), there is an external box connected over DVI, the QT driver in the Mac gets all the video set up frame accurately, then transmits all the info over DVI, and then they broadcast SDI/HD-SDI/component SD/HD in all the frame rates, 720p60, 1080i60, PAL, NTSC. For 1080p23.98 NO, would have to have 3:2 pulldown added, but maybe that'll be added later - firmware is updateable
-ships June
-this could be one of the most relevant products of the show if it works as advertised - laptop output of HD-SDI!
-June, $1000, not just an outboard converter to properly handle interlace, takes QT, sends to external box over DVI, that box sends frame accurate video over component, composite, SDI/HD-SDI etc.
-this will be useful for ALL KINDS of things - Motion output, Final Cut output, even software demos and Keynote presentations can now be run out in real time - this is a MAJORLY good thing beyond just "Oh good, I can output from my laptop now."

Matrox also showed the RT.X2, HDV and DV editing tool bundled with Premiere Pro 2.0 and Matrox hardware with analog inputs. $2000

Axio will gain support for XDCAM HD. DVCAM, MPEG IMX, and MPEG HD will also be supported. All the Panasonic native DVCPRO based formats (50 and HD) will be supported as well.

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MIRANDA

See this page for related photos

-DVI RAMP 2 - DVI to HD-SDI, intended for serious production, could run it out realtime, is genlockable as well - so whatever graphics can do stuff over a DVI bus to a computer screen, you can send that to an HD-SDI as well now. Think Motion, which relies heavily on the OpenGL card to do it's thing.....
-it is a calibrateable, color accurate display feed (or production feed is probably a better way to phrase that)
-$5000
-(gleaned from brochure): 3 modes:
-full or partial graphic frame scaled to video
-pixel for pixel extraction from screen up to 2K
-pixel to pixel extraction to HD/SD fill and key
-has anti-flicker and detail enhancement (which means it is changing your content)
-prorammable LUT
-ships July

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PANDORA'S POGLE

240K for 2K system, $400K for 4K color grading and stuff....oooooooooouch!


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Grand Vitesse has their

GVS9000 4NXU DV, SD, HD and 2K VTR
Designed to fit seamlessly into a high-resolution production workflow, the GVS90004NX VTR offers a Virtual Tape capability that allows users to incrementally move to a digital disk based workflow. With this digital disk based technology, the GVS9000 4NXU VTR provides a single flexible platform for all your content production from live and post production applications.

With a huge choice of QuickTime Video hardware and industry standard compatibility with leading video editing, GVS9000 4NXU VTR is a professional, non-linear VTR with uncompressed SD, dual-link HD 4.4.4, 2K support and provides transparent storage and sharing over dual 4Gb/s fibre and dual gigabit network for a wide variety of digital assets making it the ideal environment for Event, Broadcast, Post house, Design and Production facility to working storage, transport and archive.


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Whew! That's it for now. Tune in tomorrow, NAB 2006 Editing Software Wrap Up Notes is next!

-mike