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Mar 1, 2006 12:00 PM
Full Speed Ahead?
By Dan Ochiva
Chipmakers Intel and AMD have both announced quad-core CPUs due out later this year and next.
While some might think CPU development hit a new plateau with the recent introduction of dual-core processors, don't tell that to AMD and Intel. Both chipmakers have announced quad-core CPUs, due to hit the shelves later this year and next.
While aimed initially at servers, there's no reason the chips couldn't be pressed into service to create powerful workstations. Even today's dual-core CPUs can find themselves in unique systems created by enterprising manufacturers. Take Boxx Technologies, for example. At NAB 2006, the Austin, Texas-based company debuts its APEXX 4 workstation, which packs in four dual-core AMD Opteron processors and up to 64GB of memory.
Intel recently demoed its upcoming quad-core processor code-named Clovertown. When the systems launch in 2007, servers will run two of the chips, for a total of eight cores under the hood. Chief Technology Officer Justin Rattner spec'd the Clovertown architecture as capable of scaling to 32 or more cores on a single chip. The chips could support hundreds of cores.
But even as Apple went with Intel for its plans to emphasize cooler running chips with high performance, expect to see new generations of processors deliver the goods in more efficient packages. At March's Intel Developer Forum, Intel CTO Rattner lauded the just-released specs on the Intel Core microarchitecture, coming out in the next Conroe (pre-launch name) desktop processor, releasing later this year. Rattner says that Conroe will boost performance about 40 percent over the high-performing Pentium D 950 CPU, even while knocking down power needs by a similar amount.
But what about the latest dual-core CPUs? What are they good for? For starters, Microsoft's coming release of its next-gen Vista operating system requires more horsepower to run well. More relevant to most could be the change in work habits. More CPUs mean a system can hold more RAM, which allows programs to reside in memory, and not spread over a disk drive. That can be a big boost for interactivity.
If you've used workstations or laptops with dual- or multi-core processors, you already know they provide enough performance to process multiple tasks simultaneously. In our multi-tasking society, we want to do more at any one time, so multiple CPUs help eliminate annoying system delays, even with apps running in the background, such as rendering.
More compositing responsiveness comes to Adobe's After Effects with the launch of GridIron's Nucleo software at NAB 2006. It was the Ottawa-based company's breakthrough X-Factor for After Effects that first opened low-cost, grid-style computing to the masses, speeding up previews and rendering. Now, Nucleo for After Effects brings a snappier response to workstations running these new generations of dual-core — and beyond — processors. The app creates a parallel processing subsystem said to boost previews and renders up to 300 percent.
Part of the reason multiple-CPU workstations haven't made After Effects speedier is that the software doesn't know how to use multiple processors on the same machine, says Steve Forde, CEO of GridIron. “The processes run in serial mode,” says Forde. “But Nucleo allows plug-ins to run in parallel. Complicated AE effects that might take 43 seconds on a dual-core, dual-CPU workstation now complete in 11 seconds.”
Two for the Budget of One
Video productions that involve multiple days of shooting at a remote location can be expensive. So why not do two productions at once and sweeten the return on your investment? That was precisely Flagship Films' rationale as the Los Angeles-based production company embarked on a nine-day trip to the Grand Canyon last fall to shoot an alternative travel documentary.
The five-person team, led by writer/director/producer Guy Noffsinger, shot Off the Path at the Grand Canyon largely on Super 16 film while simultaneously shooting video for a training DVD, How to Make a Documentary. Flagship used Canon's XL2 for the “how-to” portion, recording redundantly to tape and an 80GB Focus Enhancements drive. The crew also shot time-lapse stills for the documentary with a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II, a 16.7-megapixel camera that was outfitted with a 15mm fisheye.
Noffsinger was focused on maximizing his $25,000 budget from preproduction on. Instead of making a trip to the Grand Canyon before the shoot to do location scouting, he turned to Google Earth for a web-based bird's eye view of the terrain. The Web also came in handy for timing sunrises and sunsets in advance.
One area in which only the best was good enough was audio. Flagship hired prominent sound editor Frank Serifine (at top right) to record field audio. He took along a pair of Sony MZ-M100 mini-disc recorders. At one point he slated the two stereo units together via walkie-talkie and recorded opposite ends of the canyon for a surround-sound ambience. Flagship also recorded 2-channel audio into the XL2s via boom mics. Matching the 16-bit quality of the MZ-M100 was a 4-channel DAT used to record audio for the Super 16 camera.
Noffsinger edited both productions in Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5 (using a Digi Beta master of the Super 16). He performed limited graphics work in After Effects. Finishing and film transfer was completed at Cineworks in Miami. The entire postproduction process was also documented for How to Make a Documentary.
Noffsinger says the training DVD assumes the target viewer will hire a DP rather than try to act as one. As such, technical aspects of shooting film or video do not take center stage. The how-to explores the documentary workflow from concept to production, through post and distribution. Intended for broadcast on Discovery Travel or a similar network, Off the Path at the Grand Canyon should be proof that Noffsinger knows that terrain well.
Tech Envy: Hitachi CE-ATA hard drive
Ready for the next bump up in hard drive technology? One that will help create new markets for video content creators? Think small. Hitachi's Microdrive 3K8, a 1in. diameter silver sliver, holds an incredible 6GB or even 8GB. It's also the first such drive with a CE-ATA interface, the new standard for consumer electronics and small form-factor hard drives.
That's an ideal combo for creating low-cost, high-capacity storage, key to next-gen cell phones and digital media devices. No Flash RAM need apply, since the Microdrive can deliver a sustained data rate of 5.1MBps to 10MBps, something still beyond simple memory chips.
www.hitachigst.com
Camera accessories: Reviews for Reference
LitePanels IR and Mini 50
digitalcontentproducer.com/fieldprod/revfeat/video_litepanels_ir_mini
Kino Flo Kamio 6 light ring
digitalcontentproducer.com/fieldprod/revfeat/video_kino_flo_kamio
VidPro EBRA-121R
digitalcontentproducer.com/fieldprod/revfeat/video_vidpro_ebrar
Focus Enhancements FireStore DR-DV5000
digitalcontentproducer.com/storage/revfeat/video_focus_enhancements_firestore_2
Reflecmedia Chromatte and LiteRing
digitalcontentproducer.com/cameras/prods/video_reflecmedia_chromatte_litering
Jaws Redux: The Shark is Still Working
By Michael Mallory
His devotion to film is well known. Yet Steven Spielberg was totally cool when James Gelet and Erik Hollander shot a 30th anniversary tribute documentary to '70s blockbuster Jaws on a Sony HVR-Z1U HDV camcorder. The two independent videographers from Tennessee even got a lengthy on-camera interview with the director, who also took time to admire their camera, according to Gelet.
The camera's size, cost-effectiveness, and high contrast capabilities were key factors that allowed Gelet, the project's writer/co-producer/co-editor, and Hollander, director/co-producer/co-editor, to make the two-hour documentary for about the price of a new Mustang. The Shark is Still Working exemplifies a growing trend toward production of tribute documentaries made by regular fans, rather than professional filmmakers, thanks to the availability of low-cost hardware and off-shelf software.
Although Gelet and Hollander normally work making religious videos, they readily admit they are not tech wonks and had little budget or crew. Therefore, they required simplicity in their approach, and chose the HDV camera and their editing software — Sony's Vegas 6 — simply because those were the tools they were able to borrow from their employer, Nashville,Tenn.-based Apologetics Group.
Gelet says they shot the documentary in the camera's 1080i mode, using a miniscule lighting package and little else. He says the unit's built-in neutral-density filters excelled in high-contrast situations, such as when they were shooting an interview with Jaws DP Bill Butler in his Santa Barbara, Calif., home overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Upcoming Tradeshows/Events
March 2006
13-16
Las Vegas
ShoWest
www.vnufilmgroup.com/filmgroup/showest/index.jsp
14-18
Las Vegas
NSCA Systems
Integration Expo
www.nscaexpo.org
April 2006
22-27
Las Vegas
NAB
www.nabshow.com
May 2006
23-24
New York
Streaming Media East 2006
Conference & Exhibition
www.streamingmedia.com/east
June 2006
3-9
Orlando, Fla.
InfoComm 06
www.infocommshow.org
6-7
Los Angeles
Digital Media Summit
www.digitalmediasummit.com
23-25
Los Angeles
Cine Gear Expo
www.cinegearexpo.com
27-29
New York
Entertainment Technology Alliance
Summit and C3Expo
www.etaexpo.com
July 2006
30-Aug. 3
Boston
Siggraph 2006
www.siggraph.org/s2006
What did NBC use to store its library of footage during the 2006 Winter Olympics?
NBC's Torino production facility consisted of six Avid Unity ISIS systems and three Avid Unity LANshare shared-storage systems, totaling more than 100TB of storage.
Business Intelligence
Video Encoding: Gearing Up
By Neal Page Inlet Technologies
Digital video burst onto the scene more than 10 years ago. Since then, consumers have driven the momentum of the revolution, and are now demanding expansive content selection — anywhere, any time, on any device. How can you deliver this content quickly and cost-effectively? With advanced encoding.
Encoding is the process of converting video to a specific digital format, and in most cases compressing it for efficient delivery and storage. Until recently, MPEG-2 has been the encoding format of choice — it is well entrenched in the industry and will remain a standard for many years. But now there are two new formats in town; they will soon outpace MPEG-2 for meeting the requirements of next-generation media.
SMPTE VC-1, based on Windows Media Video 9, and H.264 (a.k.a. AVC, MPEG-4), a collaborative creation from the ITU and MPEG groups, can more efficiently squeeze high-volume data (such as HD video) into small packages. MPEG-2 requires approximately 4Mbps to 6Mbps for good-quality standard-definition video and 15Mbps to 19Mbps for high definition. With advanced codecs, these rates can drop to 2Mbps to 3Mbps for SDTV, and 8Mbps to 10Mbps for HDTV. In other words, advanced encoding delivers two to three times more content than MPEG-2 using the same bandwidth, or lets consumers receive high-quality content via limited-bandwidth delivery mechanisms such as DSL and mobile devices.
Where you need to be
MPEG-2 has a notable place in the history of digital media, but it is now time to start making the transition to a better encoding solution. The providers that do so first will be best positioned to meet consumer demand and cost-effectively monetize their content.
Don't be confused by reports of the “format war” brewing around the new formats and the studios/manufacturers backing each. Delivery and playback devices are now being built to handle all three of the major formats — VC-1, AVC, and MPEG-2. You are free to choose the solution that best fits your needs.
How to get there
The best encoding solutions will give you speedy production, high-quality output, and control over the process. Choose a solution that can increase your content throughput without a massive investment in computing power or increased manpower. Due to the large size of HD content, encoding HD will take longer than SD timelines. A good encoding solution will give you the flexibility to balance time constraints with quality standards in order to meet deadlines, without unnecessary budgetary strain.
For better visibility into the encoding process and higher-quality output, find a solution with a comprehensive analytics toolset. Quality control (QC) is an integral part of the encoding processes, and there are tools available that let you automate QC and facilitate touch-ups.
If you do not currently deal with HD content, you can still benefit from the bandwidth savings and speed of advanced encoders, choosing an affordable solution that encodes SD-only content. If this is your approach, be sure to choose one with a simple upgrade path to HD.
Finally, choose an encoding solution that is ready today. All solutions are not equal. The best choice is a mature, scalable product that will deliver next-generation media immediately, and do so without disrupting your workflow.
Who's already there
Satellite provider DirecTV has started to upgrade its HDTV customers to equipment that supports advanced codecs, and Echostar plans to follow. The cable industry is keeping its eye on new encoders as well. Comcast has signed a deal with Panasonic and Samsung to produce set-top boxes with both MPEG-2 and MPEG-4/H.264 decoder capabilities.
By leveraging advanced encoding, you can establish competitive advantages, create new business opportunities, and prepare for future HD. Early adopters will be among the first to translate the technological benefits of advanced encoding into new revenue streams. The evolution of HD technology has just begun. As consumers continue to adopt this technology, they will also create demand for new and innovative applications, and providers who have made the transition will be ready to meet this demand.
Neal Page is the founder and CEO of Inlet Technologies. Inlet provides advanced encoding solutions to help content providers drive digital media through a multitude of next-generation distribution vehicles.
