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MillimeterFifteen award winners point to a steady pace of technological innovation.
Perhaps 2003 will be the last year that video industry chatter is dominated by talk of the recession that followed the bursting of the dot-com bubble. Indeed, signs of a recovery started to peek through the entrenched gloom this year.
Something of a paradox, however, is that the recession has never seemed to slow the technological innovations achieved by the professional video industry. The economic malaise that afflicts manufacturers' balance sheets has not created a lull in advances for the simple reason that competition remains fierce. R&D thus becomes even more crucial. Software and hardware vendors need to attract adherents who are working with budgets that still haven't returned to last century's levels.
It's no surprise that instead of keeping pace with the high end of the market, A/V departments have had to wait until premium technology — high-definition video in particular — is adapted to serve a broader slice of the market. The obvious case in point this year has been the emergence of the MPEG-2-based HDV format, heralded by JVC's single-chip JY-HD10 camcorder, one of this year's Vanguard winners.
One of the nagging questions posed by HD has been how to edit it affordably. In 2003, video professionals finally got answers, and our judges awarded two of them with Vanguards. For less than $2,000, editors can get high-definition I/O via the Decklink HD from Blackmagic Design. And speaking of HDV, CineForm's Aspect HD plug-in for Adobe Premiere is designed to edit material captured by the JVC HD10.
Three of the most prominent NLE software vendors released major updates to their flagship software. Avid showed a new focus, unveiling hardware designed to broaden access to functionality that was once prohibitively expensive for most smaller production facilities. Apple's Final Cut Pro 4 added several well-received software modules that had previously stood alone as separate programs, and Adobe rewrote Premiere from the ground up and went PC-only with the NLE.
All 15 of the Vanguard Award winners shipped within calendar year 2003. Sony's new disc-based camcorders, the PDW-510 and PDW-530, are products that won Video Systems Pick Hits awards at NAB. Many of our judges nominated these potentially revolutionary cameras again for these end-of-the-year accolades. Unfortunately, they did not make this year's Vanguard list simply because they will not be released for general purchase until next year. Congratulations to the award winners, and a hearty thank-you to our judges.
Panasonic AJ-SDX900 Panasonic AJ-SDX900. |
Price: $25,000 NEC WT600
 With its short-throw, big-picture projection power, the NEC WT600 wins a Vanguard by combining past and present technologies. |
Price: $6,995 Discreet Combustion 3
For those relatively new to compositing and effects software, getting usable results can be frustrating — the learning curve is steep. But while competing packages offer similar sophisticated image controls, Discreet's Combustion continues to differentiate itself with its mix of a simple interface and some of the most useful tools you'll need. In version 3.0, Combustion now includes more chops from Discreet's top-line graphics and effects products. The improved motion tracker is ideal for image stabilization, but you can also use it to replace a person or object with a moving graphic. Other nice touches in 3.0 include the flexible particle effects system, an improved keyer, and more subtle color correction. Use the color correction to color-match scenes, an ideal way to add a professional sheen to finished projects.
Price: $995
This year Steinberg released a major update to its Nuendo digital audio workstation. Sound quality has been much improved, thanks to the plug-in delay compensation that Steinberg has introduced for version 2.0. Phase cancellation has been decreased, cleaning up the audio dramatically. Automation and MIDI functions are now resolved to 32-bit floating point, resulting in more accuracy across automation moves and velocity fades. Judge Gary Eskow noted: “Audio post professionals have been waiting for a multi-channel, native mixing environment equal to the task of posting multi-channel mixes in surround sound with high-quality DSP and a gorgeous summing buss.” With Nuendo 2.0, they now can have one.
Price: $1,499; $299.99 for upgrade
 Videotek VTM-300G. |
Price: $7,250 JVC JY-HD10
The HDV format makes its debut to video professionals via JVC's JY-HD10, a 3lb. handheld camcorder with a 1.18-megapixel CCD that records to MiniDV tape. That doesn't sound like much, but for a 720×1280 HD image, a CCD with only about 1 million elements is necessary. The HD10 records in three modes: 4:3/true-16:9 NTSC DV, 16:9 SDTV (480p60) MPEG-2, and 16:9 HDTV (720p30) MPEG-2. It's that MPEG-2 compression (with a short, six-frame GOP) that keeps the 720p30 transport stream to a manageable 19Mbps.
Price: $3,995
Final Cut Pro editors have so much to be excited about in version 4 that it's doubtful that any of them have fully explored every last new module and feature. Soundtrack, the new loop-based music composition program, synchs the tempo and matches the key of tracks in realtime. Cinema Tools is now included with Final Cut Pro for 24fps editing. A new titling application called LiveType uses LiveFonts, in which every character of a font is a separate animated movie. LiveType includes more than 8GB of media. Besides these applets, Final Cut Pro 4 has a new render engine that uses precision floating-point color (32 bits per channel) for high-quality image output.
Price: $999; $399 for upgrade
Previous updates to Premiere gained accolades for simply removing bugs. Not this time around, as Adobe scraps the version-numbering system and renames its NLE “Pro.” That appellation is truly deserved, as Premiere Pro adds support for HD, AAF, multiple nested timelines, and VST audio filters. Also new is much-improved realtime editing — without any external boards boosting playback power. One of the best features is tight integration with the Adobe Digital Video Collection; for example, Photoshop files now can be imported with layers on separate video tracks. “While previous versions of Premiere grabbed market share by being bundled with most capture cards,” says judge Frank McMahon, “Premiere Pro seems poised to set off on its own and capture the flag via sheer star power.”
Price: $699; upgrades from $199
The largest release in Avid's history, the Digital Nonlinear Accelerator (DNA) family includes Mojo (to be coupled with Xpress Pro, the successor to previous versions of Xpress DV), Media Composer Adrenaline, and DS Nitris. “All three offer levels of performance and capabilities that the software alone could not hope to achieve, and are cost-effective when compared with hardware-based competitors,” says judge Bob Turner. “As a leader in the nonlinear editing industry, it is amazing that Avid decided essentially to offer replacement products for all its popular NLE product lines at one time.” Many believe that this risk will pay off richly — for Avid and for editors.
Price: Varies; $24,995 for Media Composer Adrenaline system
As PC CPUs increased in processing speed at a steady clip, Mac users were left waiting for the next generation of Apple's processors for a speed boost. This year, their long wait ended with the release of the G5, unhindered by RAM limitations. The first 64-bit desktop processor, the Power Mac G5 comes in three varieties: a 1.6GHz version with a 800MHz front-side bus, a 1.8GHz processor with a 900MHz front-side bus, and a dual 2.0GHz version with dual independent 1.0GHz front-side buses. Says judge Tom Patrick McAuliffe, “The new G5 is the perfect foundation for software applications needing high-powered hardware, like Final Cut Pro 4, Photoshop, and After Effects.”
Price: Varies; Power Mac G5 starts at $1,999
The product's name sums it up pretty well: input and output. Designed for Final Cut Pro 4, the product serves as an uncompressed audio/video capture device for 8- or 10-bit analog or digital video. With Io, users no longer have to install PCI cards or serial port adapters. “Instead of spending time trying to figure out how to get different signals into your Mac,” says judge Dan Ochiva, “rely on the Io to deliver 10-bit uncompressed video and multi-channel 24-bit audio via one simple FireWire cable.” The plug-and-play breakout box supports component and composite video, SDI, balanced analog audio, AES/EBU digital audio, optical audio, RS-422 machine control, and genlock.
Price: $2,290
JVC's JY-HD10 HDV-format camcorder ships with a basic software editing package, but professional video producers need a more full-featured NLE. Enter CineForm's Aspect HD plug-in for Adobe Premiere 6.5 and Premiere Pro. Aspect HD's Vanguard is due in part to its first-out-the-gate status, but that's not to downplay the significant functionality of the HD video engine. Key to its editing power is a proprietary video codec that takes MPEG-2-based HD material from the JVC camcorder and spits it out in a form that Premiere can edit. CineForm claims that with a hyper-threaded 2.8GHz Pentium IV PC with a RAID 0 configuration, Premiere editors can use Aspect HD to handle up to four streams of HDV plus transitions, effects, and motion. “Aspect HD not only enables one to edit HD MPEG-2 using Adobe Premiere,” notes judge Steve Mullen, “it enables editing to edit up to six streams of HD video in realtime.”
Price: $1,200
DeckLink HD achieves the revolutionary: It brings the price of HD editing down to the level of everyman. Currently it works with Final Cut Pro, and soon it will work with a string of Windows-based software-only NLE applications. When plugged into PCIX 100MHz or PCIX 133MHz slots, the product switches between SD SDI and HD SDI to work in HDTV formats. Only when working with uncompressed video is a disk array necessary. “The reason it is so unusual,” says judge Bob Turner, “is that this HD and SD card costs less than most SD-only cards, and the 10-bit video quality is impeccable.” An editor can use the card to work in high-quality standard definition, and should an HD job come up, all the editor would need is a rental deck.
Price: $1,995
Designed to integrate into broadcast systems that use Grass Valley Profile servers for playback, the M-Series iVDR imitates VTR controls with its intuitive touchscreen interface. The device supports DV and MPEG-2 in one chassis and offers four channels — two record and two playback — making it a cost-effective replacement for a traditional professional VTR. With no tape heads or mechanical parts that need repair, the iVDR saves on equipment maintenance. The basic iVDR configuration uses three 36GB drives for eight hours of DV25 storage, but the unit is expandable up to six 146GB drives (64 hours). And once material is on those drives, it's available to anyone with access to the server.
Price: Starts at $22,995
Though it costs several thousand more than a similar-sized plasma screen, the Samsung SyncMaster 403T wins its Vanguard distinction because it represents the first appearance of an LCD monitor in the 40in.-and-larger class. “It is believed by many, including me,” says judge Pete Putman, “that active-matrix LCD monitors will take over the flatscreen market from 10in. up to 42in. and that plasma will retreat to the 50in.-and-larger market over the next three to four years.” Liquid crystal offers sharper images than plasma, as well as a longer screen life that can lead to a lower total cost of ownership compared to plasma. The 403T has a 1280×768 resolution, brightness of 500cd/m
Price: $6,999
Judges
The following Video Systems editors and contributing editors sat on the Vanguard Awards judging panel:
Barry Braverman, cameraman
Gary Eskow, recording producer/audio professional
David Leitner, independent filmmaker
Tom Patrick McAuliffe, camera and sound professional
Frank McMahon, media artist/educator
Steve Mullen, digital video consultant/Ph.D.
Dan Ochiva, technical editor
Pete Putman, projection consultant
Bob Turner, video editor
To comment on this article, email the Video Systems editorial staff at vsfeedback@primediabusiness.com.
For past Vanguard winners or to download the 2003 Vanguard Award logo, visit videosystems.com.
