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Editing and Output at NAB 2007

Apr 27, 2007 6:39 PM, By Jan Ozer

With the big three covered, let’s run through the balance of the editing-related announcements. Autodesk launched multiple “extensions” for its 2007 visual effects, editing/finishing, and color-grading products. Notably, Extension 1 for Inferno, Flame, Flint, Fire, and Smoke includes QuickTime support for the Linux platform, simplifying cross-platform production and workflow. Also new is Incinerator 2007 clustering technology for the Autodesk Lustre digital color-grading system and Lustre Color Management, which enables greater color consistency among Autodesk systems products. Notable new features in Toxik include Retimer, enabling speed changes, and Grain Management.

Matrox announced that Release 3.0 of the Matrox Axio family of HD and SD editing platforms would support both Adobe CS3 Production Premium and Microsoft Windows Vista. The upgrade also incorporates new formats, including Sony HDV 1080p (HVR-V1 cameras), Canon 24f and 30f, Sony XDCAM HD 1080p (29.97 fps), and XDCAM HD export, along with 486p (29.97 fps) and 576p (25 fps). New realtime filters include color correction using RGB curves, Adobe garbage masks, and a sphere effect.

Matrox also upgraded its MXO to version 2, adding DVI calibration functions, super black and super white monitoring, and controls for hue, chroma, contrast, brightness, and blue-only. Also new is pixel-to-pixel mapping in SD, 720p, and 1080i. Matrox demonstrated the MXO side by side with a Sony broadcast monitor, and the test images and real-world videos were virtually identical. Note that the unit works on Intel-based and PowerPC-based Macs, and it should work with Premiere Pro when it's released for Intel-based Macs.

Media 100 demonstrated version 11.6 of its namesake editor, which is a universal binary release of Media 100's systems for Mac OS X. Also new is the Media 100 Producer, a software-only editing solution designed for mobile editing. The new system allows users to record via FireWire or Panasonic P2, assemble projects in the field, and then transfer their projects to full Media 100 systems for HD upconversion or faster processing of projects such as DVD creations

NewTek announced a free upgrade to its SpeedEdit program that enables DVCPRO HD (MXF) file support, mixed-resolution editing on the timeline, VST filter plug-in support, CG Post animated titling, and WMVHD, VC1, and Windows Media Format 11 output. The upgrade should be available by the end of Q2, 2007.

Sony Creative Software announced and demonstrated a 64-bit version of video editor Sony Vegas, though it’s not scheduled to ship before the end of 2007. During the demonstration, Vegas ran on a 64-bit AMD computer running 64-bit Windows Vista and previewed four HDV clips simultaneously. According to Sony, 64-bit mode lets the software address more memory, so it can cache video clips in RAM or on disk, and it enables more efficient multi-threaded operation. Also new is Soundforge 9, which includes the company’s vaunted noise-reduction software and several plug-ins from Izotope, plus sorely needed multi-channel capabilities.

Finally, Thomson Grass Valley Edius editor moved up to version 4.5 at the show, with a “sleek new user interface.” There's support for JPEG2000 for HD recording in the Grass Valley Infinity digital media camcorder, Panasonic AVC-Intra and DVCPRO HD 720p, Sony HDV 1080 24p/25p/30p, and JVC HDV 720 50p/60p. Edius 4.5 is a free upgrade, so Edius 4 owners should definitely check it out.

The first wave of computer companies to appear at NAB related to nonlinear editing systems on computer platforms and supporting technologies. The next wave relates to compression for streaming, and multiple such companies were at NAB in force.

The new Adobe Media Player was one of the most important announcements at the show. Briefly, it’s a standalone Flash player for the Windows, Mac, and (down the road) Linux desktops. It’s significant because it eliminates two big negatives of the Flash format: the lack of digital rights management (DRM) capabilities, and the inability to easily store a Flash file for later playback. As you would expect, the player is highly customizable for branding and advertising purposes.

Interestingly, one huge remaining gap in Flash functionality is the inability to play on portable devices such as the Zune and iPod. I spoke with product manager Craig Barberich about this, who reported that Adobe was watching viewing statistics for portable devices and may take steps to address this in the future—but certainly not the short-term future. For the present, it appears that MPEG-4 is king in the portable space.

Speaking of that, French company Ateme announced the Kyrion family of HD products. The rack-based (1RU) unit that the company demonstrated accepted MPEG-2 input, and it output scalable MPEG-4 ranging from HD resolutions (at about 6Mbps) down to 300kbps playing on a cellphone. Remarkably, the HD MPEG-4 video, playing side by side with the original MPEG-2, actually seemed to look better than the source, courtesy of proprietary de-blocking algorithms deployed in the MPEG-4 stream.

Digital Rapids launched a new version of its Stream Transcode Manager, a media transcoding program, and also the Studio AVC Encoder, an MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 encoder for the VOD and IPTV platforms. Kulabyte demonstrated its Professional encoding solution, three years in the making, which uses time slicing to efficiently distribute encoding among multiple processor cores. Kulabyte claims it has the “world’s fastest” encoder; we’ll find out in June, when the first product ships. The Professional Flash Encoding Suite is a highly optimized solution for VP6 Flash encoding. In addition, Grass Valley showed the latest version of its software-based batch-encoding tool, ProCoder, which adds new acquisition formats and outputs for mobile video (including the Apple iPod), and improved support for multi-CPU and multiple-core PCs, as well as inverse telecine.

Microsoft revealed Silverlight, previously called Windows Presentation Foundation/Anywhere (WPF/A), a plug-in designed to compete with Flash. The efficacy of this solution is already heating up the message boards, and it should be interesting grist for the discussion mill over the next few months. Microsoft also announced the Expression Media Encoder, and its booth was filled with VC-1 encoding partners, including Intel, Digital Rapids, Winnov, ViewCast, and Tarari.

In its booth, Rhozet showed Carbon Coder 2.5, with support for SD and HD versions of Panasonic P2, Sony XDCAM, and Avid MediaStream formats, as well as Dolby Digital (AC-3) audio support. While interviewing company president David Trescott, I got to meet two members of the ESPN digital media services group, who regaled me with gossip about their anchors and praise for Carbon Coder. It was a fun moment.

Finally, Telestream announced direct integration of its Episode series of compression applications with Apple’s Compressor 3, expanding format support to include Flash 8, Windows Media, and VC-1.

For more news from the NAB show floor, as well as audio podcasts, check out NABlog.

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© 2008 Penton Media, Inc.