Interesting new UNIX commands/binaries in OS X Mountain Lion « Ask Different Blog

Interesting new UNIX commands/binaries in OS X Mountain Lion « Ask Different Blog:
In addition to those on its well-known list of 200+ new features, OS X Mountain Lion also brings along a handful of new UNIX commands and binaries. Most are probably outside the scope of Ask Different (e.g. commands concerning Radius Authentication, Kerberos or Berkeley DB maintainance) but some of them may prove valuable to (aspiring) power users out there. As always, you will find more information in the corresponding man pages.

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Vizrt Web Design Tools Create Mobile Device-Aware Services

Vizrt Web Design Tools Create Mobile Device-Aware Services:

The Vizrt Online Suite works as responsive web design software supporting broadcast
companies that need to shift content and services across mobile devices.

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New EBU subtitling specification published

New EBU subtitling specification published: EBU-TT is a new XML-based subtitling specification that's suitable for modern file-based production methods.

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Blackmagic Design Releases DaVinci Resolve 9 Public Beta for Mac, Windows and Linux

Blackmagic Design Releases DaVinci Resolve 9 Public Beta for Mac, Windows and Linux:

Blackmagic Design today announced the release of DaVinci Resolve 9 public beta, a major new update to the world’s most advanced color correction tool featuring a completely redesigned user interface to optimize workflow speed. DaVinci Resolve 9 public beta is now available for free download to existing full featured DaVinci Resolve customers, as well as the free DaVinci Resolve Lite!

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MIST and RAIN get new features

MIST and RAIN get new features:
Marquise Technologies has released some new features for MIST and RAIN.

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Post Haste

Post Haste:
Create customized folder structures with Post Haste to get your projects off to a running start.
One of the biggest roadblocks to an efficient video project workflow is consistency.
There may be thorough naming convention and project organization guidelines at your studio, but they’re no use if they’re not consistently used.

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MediaSilo

MediaSilo:
This week’s Tools Spotlight interview is with MediaSilo VP of Product Management, Erik Freid.  MediaSilo is an emerging Cloud-based platform for video asset management, multi-user collaboration and file sharing and distribution.  MediaSilo 3.0, unveiled at this year’s NAB Show, introduced hundreds of new features and a unique user interface based on plug-and-play widgets.  These “Pods” as they are called, give users a flexible toolset for interacting with content.


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Premiere Pro memory settings explained

Premiere Pro memory settings explained:
In the Preferences dialog for Premiere Pro there is a section called Memory that allows you to specify how Premiere Pro and other Adobe applications will use your RAM.

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OS X Server: Advanced Administration: OS X Server basics

OS X Server: Advanced Administration: OS X Server basics:
With OS X Server, small organizations and workgroups without an IT department can take full advantage of the benefits of a server. A nontechnical user can easily set up and manage OS X Server for a group. Other users in the group can automatically configure computers using OS X and iOS devices such as iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch to get services from OS X Server.

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Automatic Duck Somewhat-Almost-Best Practices

Automatic Duck Somewhat-Almost-Best Practices « robgwilson.com:
Quick note: What I’ll talk about here is transferring between Avid and Final Cut Pro, because that’s what I have experience doing. However, since Adobe After Effects workflows are prevalent nowadays as well, I’d love to hear about your experiences there. Please, leave comments.

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Running DHCP on Mountain Lion Server

Running DHCP on Mountain Lion Server:
DHCP is one of the services that Apple has removed from its server product in the latest release, Mountain Lion Server. Given that the Server app and serveradmin command line tools no longer support using DHCP, it would seem on the outside that Apple no longer supports DHCP. However, when enabling Internet Sharing, the DHCP service is enabled and started.

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New Free Editing App “Automatically” Edits Your Videos in Cloud

New Free Editing App “Automatically” Edits Your Videos in Cloud:
You need help editing your videos, but you’re not a professional video producer, nor are you a business who can hire a web video production company.  Where can you go?

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Backup and Archiving Workflow with Premiere Pro

Backup and Archiving Workflow with Premiere Pro:
Since my recent switch from Final Cut Pro to Premiere Pro, I have had to make slight adjustments to my backup and archiving workflow. The main reason for this is Premiere Pro’s ability to work with native formats.

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Apple releases OS X Mountain Lion: Videoguys notes and links

Apple releases OS X Mountain Lion: Videoguys notes and links:
Apple OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion is now available for download in the Mac App Store for $19.95. Before you rush out and upgrade, here is some advice from Videoguys:

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GovernmentVideo: Budget 4K: The Next ‘New Thing’

GovernmentVideo: Budget 4K: The Next ‘New Thing’:
In January 2012, JVC announced a sub- $5,000 hand-held camcorder—the GY-HMQ10—with native 4K-resolution, which is a little more than twice the resolution of 1080 high definition. If the GY-HMQ10 becomes popular with indie film and television producers, Sony, Panasonic and Canon might focus on budget 4K as well.

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Facilis Rolls Out TerraBlock 5.6 with Support for 3TB Drives

Facilis Rolls Out TerraBlock 5.6 with Support for 3TB Drives

Facilis Technology, a leader in advanced shared storage solutions for post-production and content creation, today announced the release of TerraBlock version 5.6 with support for 3TB drives. The new version also includes enhanced Ethernet client performance for the DPX workflow and new administration features that make it easier for post production professionals and content creators to streamline and manage the flow of data. For a limited time, Facilis is offering sales promotions tied to the release.

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Where Did All My Server Commands Go In Mountain Lion Server?!?!

Where Did All My Server Commands Go In Mountain Lion Server?!?!:
Mountain Lion Server is a lot more self-sufficient as an app than it used to be. Not only do you no longer need the Server Admin and Workgroup Manager applications to manage the server, but the Server app actually has a faux root for the tools that were once distributed almost half hazardly across the rest of the file system. These objects are now stored in a faux root, where /Applications/Server.app/Contents/ServerRoot is the path to the faux root itself.

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Does Your Editing Software Work With Mountain Lion?

Does Your Editing Software Work With Mountain Lion?:
On Wednesday, July 25th, Apple unleashed the next major release of Mac OS X, Mountain Lion, via the Mac App Store.

CUPERTINO, California—July 25, 2012— Apple® today announced that OS X® Mountain Lion, the ninth major release of the world’s most advanced desktop operating system, is available as a download from the Mac® App Store℠. With more than 200 innovative new features, Mountain Lion includes iCloud® integration, the all new Messages app, Notification Center, system-wide Sharing, Facebook integration, Dictation, AirPlay® Mirroring and Game Center. Mountain Lion is available as an upgrade from Lion or Snow Leopard for $19.99.

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Wonder what's new in Photoshop CS6 for video and motion? Watch this webinar!

Wonder what's new in Photoshop CS6 for video and motion? Watch this webinar!:
Richard Harrington does not need an introduction as he is a well-known editor and expert in the field of filmmaking. Recently Richard had an eSeminar during which he described the new features in Photoshop that benefits the motion graphic artist and video editor. If you had not the possibility to watch it yet, Richard posted a recording of the event. He covered many new features in this one hour session, and here’s a brief outline of the features and how you can use them in productions:

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Transmit

Transmit:
The new Transmit is faster and has a Finder-like interface. One of the best FTP clients for Mac just got better.

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Understanding Bits, Bytes and Bottlenecks

DV 101: Data Rates for Digital Production: Understanding Bits, Bytes and Bottlenecks | www.creativeplanetnetwork.com:
Despite the fact that it’s 2012 and we’re more than a decade into the digital revolution of high definition (and beyond) moving images, there is still a very narrow bottleneck that keeps digital shooters from getting everything they want. That bottleneck is data.

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Remote SSH using Back To My Mac

One Thing Well | Remote SSH using Back To My Mac:
If you have more than one Mac running OS X Lion and you’re signed in to the same iCloud account on all of them, you can SSH between them via iCloud’s IPv6 network.

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ClipWrap version 2.5.2 adds conforming and other new features

ClipWrap version 2.5.2 adds conforming and other new features:

USA-based developer divergent media (which prefers that we write their name in all lower case) just released a update to their ClipWrap application, about which I published a complete review back in November 2011. The new palindromic version is 2.5.2 and includes conforming (i.e. to create natural 2.5x slow motion by conforming AVCHD 1080/59.94p to 23.976p, or fast motion by conforming a slower framerate to a faster one) and a few other new features as you’ll see ahead.

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DSLR Video Tips | Video Tutorial from lynda.com

DSLR Video Tips | Video Tutorial from lynda.com:
This weekly course covers the most common questions videographers encounter when shooting and editing with DSLR cameras, from choosing a frame size and frame rate to understanding moiré. Authors Rich Harrington and Robbie Carman will also help you understand the impacts of compression and the difference between cropped (or micro 4/3rds) and full-sized sensors in cameras, and much more. This continual FAQ guide is a handy way to find the answers to the questions that plague you the most.

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Metadata for File-Based Workflows Becomes Core Component

TVTechnology: Metadata for File-Based Workflows Becomes Core Component:
Media management, storage systems and video servers all employ varying degrees of metadata to keep track of the assets stored on their systems.

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Getting started with Adobe SpeedGrade

Getting started with Adobe SpeedGrade:
The addition of SpeedGrade to Adobe’s Creative Suite 6 line-up gives users yet another powerful tool for film-style color correction and grading. The Adobe SpeedGrade interface is minimalist with few menu commands, so it will help for new users to seek out some of the online tutorials before diving into their first project.

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How To Use Photoshop Files in Your Adobe Muse Website

How To Use Photoshop Files in Your Adobe Muse Website:
Efficiently converting PSDs into Web content can be an enormous time-saver*. Here Terry White shows how to put two great tastes together for HTML:

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New AAF Importer up on Labs.

New AAF Importer up on Labs.:
In an effort to bring improved support in Premiere Pro CS6, Adobe now has an AAF Importer available for Premiere Pro 6.01, which has a number of improvements to the existing AAF support.

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new ProRes, Kindle Fire, Nook, iPad, Android, and MXF presets for Adobe Media Encoder CS6 « Premiere Pro work area

new ProRes, Kindle Fire, Nook, iPad, Android, and MXF presets for Adobe Media Encoder CS6
We have recently released new sets of encoding presets for Adobe Media Encoder CS6. These include new presets for some mobile devices, including the Amazon Kindle Fire, Barnes & Noble Nook, iPad, and Android tablets, as well as new presets for XDCAM EX and AVC-Intra in MXF wrappers.

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Apple’s new patent: Final Cut Pro X is a platform

Apple’s new patent: Final Cut Pro X is a platform:
FCP.co has reported in detail on Apple’s new Methods, systems, and apparatus for collaborative media editing patent:

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‘The List’ Cedric’s thoughts on the grading systems available today

‘The List’ Cedric’s thoughts on the grading systems available today:
Hi all,
there’s been a discussion that I’ve seen a couple of times about which system to choose, here is a little list I’ve compiled, feel free to comment!

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Interview with color assistant from EFILM

Interview with color assistant from EFILM:
What does a colorist’s assistant do?
Aaron Williams has a great interview with his friend Luis Silva on what its like to work at EFILM, one of the world’s major DI houses as a colorist’s assistant. There’s plenty of great advice for guys and girls setting out on the path to become world class colorists…

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Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 PC VS MAC

Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 PC VS MAC: By how much can Shawn Lam’s 2012 Video Editing PC beat Jan Ozer’s 2009 Mac Pro?   This article is in response to Jan Ozer’s recent article in Streaming Media Producer entitled: “Benchmark Tests: Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 vs. Apple Final Cut Pro X“. Video Production Article Discussion I wasn’t too surprised by the results.

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REVIEW: RAIDAGE GAGE

REVIEW: RAIDAGE GAGE:
OK, time for another review for a hard drive enclosure: the RAIDAGE GAGE104U40SL-SAUF 1U 4 Bay RAID Enclosure from iStarUSA. This one is cool…it stands out. That’s why, when the makers asked me to review the unit by commenting on a previous post, I leapt at the chance. Well, after first starting to compose the email gently letting them down… “Thank you for your interest in my blog. I’m sorry, but I no longer do hardware reviews for drive enclosures as I find them dull and the same old same old…” But then I got a wild hair and clicked on the link to look at the thing.
I liked what I saw.

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How to Properly Calibrate Your HD Viewfinder or Monitor

How to Properly Calibrate Your HD Viewfinder or Monitor:

While most cameras provide exposure tools like waveform monitors and zebras, having a properly calibrated monitor or viewfinder serves as an additional means to quickly determine exposure – something that is especially useful in run & gun situations. In addition to helping you gauge exposure, a calibrated monitor also gives you a way to check for color accuracy and can help in making color decisions.

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ProVideo Coalition.com: Creating Motion Graphics by Chris & Trish Meyer | Founders

ProVideo Coalition.com: Creating Motion Graphics by Chris & Trish Meyer | Founders:
One of the early advantages of desktop video production software over dedicated hardware was that it could run on “any” computer. As tasks became more demanding (multiple streams of 4k video, anyone?), and computers become more capable (4 gigabyte drive modules used to be considered huge; now that’s a minimum RAM configuration), configuring desktop computers to get the most out of this software became more of a black art. Recent advances in using graphics processing units (GPUs) on video cards for tasks beyond faster interactive gaming have only upped the ante.

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Use the exFAT File System and Never Format Your External Drive Again [Hard Drives]

Use the exFAT File System and Never Format Your External Drive Again [Hard Drives]:
Using an external drive between Mac and Windows computers can be a hassle, since you constantly have to reformat it to fit which computer you're using it on. Instead of reformatting it all the time, just use the much more platform-independent exFAT and never format it again.

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Adobe Prelude: Ingesting and Converting DSLR Footage to ProRes

Adobe Prelude: Ingesting and Converting DSLR Footage to ProRes: Leverage the tools within Adobe Prelude to ingest and transcode your video footage to ProRes - a solid intermediate codec for video editing! We've got the scoop on how to do it.

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DaVinci Resolve Lite for transcoding Avid MXF media

DaVinci Resolve Lite for transcoding Avid MXF media:
A recent projet required the editorial department to transcode dailies using a set-generated LUT for the ARRI Alexa camera. The simplest method to transcode media, apply LUT, and prepare for cutting with Avid Media Composer is using DaVinci Resolve Lite.

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The BMFM

The BMFM:
The Big Mean Folder Machine restructures your file collections into folder hierarchies according to a range of criteria.
This app allows you to batch rename files that you often get from cameras.  You know, stuff like MVI_0722.mov and the always fun Untitled16.mov.

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What I like about Red Epic…and what I don’t like about Red

What I like about Red Epic…and what I don’t like about Red:
Last week I posted about how camera companies need to step up their game now that competition is starting to come to fruition in the 4K market. Red was one of the first companies to truly push 4K (okay 3.2K).

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Nine External Thunderbolt Storage Devices, Rounded Up : Nine Thunderbolt Devices Feel The Need For Speed

Nine External Thunderbolt Storage Devices, Rounded Up:
We compare nine different Thunderbolt-based storage solutions, delivering scorching sequential throughput. Of the nine, three submissions rise to the top. Although it remains pricey, in the applications where it makes sense, Thunderbolt cannot be beat.

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HD Magazine Pro Video Camera Database Is Online

HD Magazine Pro Video Camera Database Is Online:
HD Magazine's traditional pro camera database is now available onlineHD Magazine print edition has always had an equipment list at the back of their magazine, it is now available online as a fully searchable and editable database. The database is currently holding details of 99 pro cameras that are being used on the market today, some of the cameras are not available for sale anymore and some cameras are still to reach the marketplace.

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Man Pages

Man Pages:
For those learning OS X or other Unixy based systems, and for those who have been using them for decades, man is one of the most important commands in our arsenal. The man command is short for manual and shows us how to use each command that has a man page, or a page that acts as an instruction manual for the command (or method). Another command, apropos, searches the whatis database for objects that match a string, or entry. For example, if you’d like to see a listing of all man pages that reference the word case, use the following command:

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How To Get Your AMD / ATI GPU To Work In Premiere Pro CS6 MPE

How To Get Your AMD / ATI GPU To Work In Premiere Pro CS6 MPE:
One thing that may of been missed by a lot of folks in the release of Premiere Pro CS6 - support for real time full res full frame effects by using OpenCL in Mercury Playback Engine. Almost everything thats done with CUDA on nVidia cards is also now being done as well in OpenCL on ATI / AMD GPU's. Read more on adobe site for the details. So I wanted to try this out on my iMac 27" as I figure it had a new enough GPU and enough VRAM to work.

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Safecopy

SafeCopy: 
Safecopy is a data recovery tool which tries to extract as much data as possible from a problematic (i.e. damaged sectors) source - like floppy drives, hard disk partitions, CDs, tape devices, ..., where other tools like dd would fail due to I/O errors.

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Revenge of the great camera shootout from Zacuto part 2 now live…which camera looks best to you?

Revenge of the great camera shootout from Zacuto part 2 now live…which camera looks best to you?:
Part two is here…I think it’s an improvement on part one, which I very much enjoyed though. Less talk and more substance! It’s fascinating to see how all the cameras faired against each other when lit. Let me know in the comments what you thought looked best. I have my top three in the blind test, the Alexa, Epic and F3…what were yours? Did the plucky GH2 blow you away. They all looked totally usable…well the iphone looked like the iphone but still a usable tool.

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Home page | Apertus - Open Source Cinema

Apertus - Open Source Cinema:
The goal of the Apertus project is to create a powerful, free (in terms of liberty) and open cinema camera that we as filmmakers love to use. The idea of using an Elphel camera for this particular purpose was born in 2006, found many followers over the years and ultimately resulted in this community driven project entitled "Apertus" (word definition) and this website.

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Speedy tracking camera brings crazy new perspective to sports | DVICE

Speedy tracking camera brings crazy new perspective to sports | DVICE:
By combining a tracking system with a response time of one millisecond and a high-speed camera that can take HD footage at 500 FPS, the University of Japan has developed a way to precisely track fast-moving objects on video in real-time. You've definitely never watched ping pong like this before.

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Via Adi Soffer

External Hard Drives for Video Editing

External Hard Drives for Video Editing:
There's more external hard drive options than ever before, so which one is right for you? This quick video tells you what to consider when choosing a hard drive for video editing.

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Entangle: Controlling Your DSLR Camera From Linux

[Phoronix] Entangle: Controlling Your DSLR Camera From Linux:
Entangle is an open-source program that allows for "tethered shooting" from Linux with digital SLR camera. A major update to Entangle last weekend introduces new features.

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Dailies Workflow with Pomfort LiveGrade & DaVinci Resolve

Dailies Workflow with Pomfort LiveGrade & DaVinci Resolve:

Pomfort has put together a new tutorial on how to use their LiveGrade software in conjunction with DaVinci Resolve to create dailies. LiveGrade can be used with hardware like the BlackMagic HD Link Pro to create LUTs live.

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How I Work: App List

How I Work: App List:
I use a lot of extra, smaller programs to make my work easier. After gauging interest on Twitter, it seems many people are curious about what I use. A while back, I wrote about some iOS apps, but an expanded and updated list including Mac apps is due, since many of those apps have been abandoned, or have been replaced in my workflow with others.

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An IT Manager’s Checklist for Integrating Video at Your Company

An IT Manager’s Checklist for Integrating Video at Your Company:
Integrating more video into your network doesn't have to be daunting. These 8 tips will help you smooth the way. By Guest Blogger CorporateTechDecisions

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Avid Media Composer/Symphony 6 R3D Complete Workflow 11min Guide

Avid Media Composer/Symphony 6 R3D Complete Workflow 11min Guide:
Works with RED One, RED MX, and RED EPIC files up to 5K. Does not work with HDRx. Scarlet support coming soon.

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Quantum Stornext 4.3 Released. Supports Named Streams.

Quantum Stornext 4.3 Released. Supports Named Streams.:
By: abstractrude
The most relevant section of the press release "For Mac OS X only-based StorNext File System environments, StorNext 4.3 now supports Named Streams. StorNext 4.3 enables simpler hardware upgrades and disaster recovery. With the ability to migrate file system metadata stored on the metadata controller to a different disk geometry, the software allows customers to take advantage of new drive capacities and technologies."More after the break....

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Autodesk Flame’s Evolution Gives 3D Compositors the Edge

Autodesk Flame’s Evolution Gives 3D Compositors the Edge:

Autodesk is celebrating 20 years since the launch of Flame. VFX artist Caroline Journo at Digital District in France tells why her skills in Flame make a difference in the world of visual effects.

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HTML 5 and Web Video

HTML 5 and Web Video | Blog Central | Crews Control:
One of the best improvements with HTML 5 is its ability to play video. Previously HTML alone was not able to display video so solutions such as Real Player, Flash, and Quicktime have been filling the gap.

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TVTechnology: Selecting An Xsan Replacement

TVTechnology: Selecting An Xsan Replacement:
Many companies who have deployed Apple Xsan as a storage system are interested in selecting a new storage solution that is consistent with their longer-term requirements. In this paper we will discuss the key criteria to consider when selecting an Xsan replacement.

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TVTechnology: Metadata Is Paramount to Content Files

TVTechnology: Metadata Is Paramount to Content Files:
Metadata has two broad definitions. One is “structured data about data” or as some say—“the bits about the bits.” Another definition is more literal and comes from the Greek meaning of meta—alongside, that is “alongside” that being described.

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10 נקודות למחשבה למתלבטים אם לצלם בRED חלק ב’

10 נקודות למחשבה למתלבטים אם לצלם בRED חלק ב

בחלק הראשון של הפוסט הזה דיברתי על 5 נקודות למחשבה למי שמתכוון, מסתקרן או מטלבת אם לצלם על מצלמת RED

הפוסט מתמקד ביכולות של הקטנה במשפחת RED הSCARLET שהיא כרגע מצלמת ה4K לקולנוע דיגיטאלי הזולה ביותר להשכרה בארץ.

אז… בלי פטפוטים מיותרים, הנה חלק ב’

עוד...

Premiere Pro CS6 render & export times

Premiere Pro CS6 render & export times:
(UPDATE JULY/11/2012 … plz scroll down)
A lot of numbers flying around in the interwebs regarding the power of CUDA in Premiere Pro. Mostly they are about how much layers of blur or how many “tracks” of HD video can be played in realtime without dropped frames without rendering and stuff like that. All that is very nice and indeed the combination CUDA & Premiere Pro  is very powerful. In Fact its the most impressive native codec / footage performance I have seen and experienced so far – if you have a powerful machine.
On a 2006 MacPro you will not have the same experience at all.

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White Paper: Deliverable Data Management and Hard Drive Usage in Video Production | Blog Central | Crews Control

White Paper: Deliverable Data Management and Hard Drive Usage in Video Production
Crews Control has collected statistical data reflecting the trending shift from tape-based cameras to tapeless formats in video productions where the deliverable is a hard drive.  We've produced this detailed report covering:

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Visual Field

xkcd: Visual Field:


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Rocsafe MX

Rocsafe MX:
With an embedded keypad and smart-card authentication, Rocsafe MX is the most secure external drive on the market today.



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הדיסק הזה מציע פתרון לאחסון נייד ומוגן. הדיסק מוגן ע"י סיסמה וכרטיס מגנטי. מגיע בנפחים של עד 1GB, עם ממשק FireWire ו USB2. בולט בו החוסר ב USB3, E-sata ואפילו ThunderBolt שנהיו סוג של סטנדארט בדיסקים ניידים.
הרעיון של דיסק מסוג זה יכול לקסום להפקות רגישות ו/או עם אופי סודי. בגלל הנפח הקטן יחסית והמהירות הנמוכה הוא יכול להתאים לפרסומות או קליפים יותר מאשר להפקות קולנוע או טלוויזיה. אם המוצר הזה יתפוס ויהיה לו ביקוש, בטח נמשיך לראות בעתיד מוצרים כאלו בעלי נתונים מרשימים יותר. מחיר המוצר הוא $590 לדגם ה750GB.

Download AAF Import for Adobe Premiere Pro - Adobe Labs

Download AAF Import for Adobe Premiere Pro - Adobe Labs:
The Advanced Authoring Format (AAF) Import for Adobe® Premiere® Pro Preview, comprised of the AAF and FCPXProjectConverter modules, provides improved AAF import capabilities for Premiere Pro CS6.0.1. This preview release allows Premiere Pro users to import AAF sequences exported from Avid Media Composer that reference AMA and some Avid MXF media.

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On set Post Production

On set Post Production:
Light Iron Digital’s On Set Post Production
This video from Michael Cioni and his team at Light Iron Digital is seeking to demonstrate a) how their kit works and b) their vision of the future of on/near set post production. Its a really interesting watch…

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וואו!

הוידאו המצורף לפוסט הוא אחד המצגות הכי מרשימות שראיתי למערכת DIT. שווה להשאר את כל התשע דקות, יש טוויסט בסוף!
העלות של מערכות כמו זו של של Light Iron או של המתחרה הפופולרית Colorfront OSD (שהייתי מעורב בפיתוח שלה), יכולה להגיע לעשרות אלפי דולרים ליחידה. מצד שני, כשמחשבים את עלות החומרה בלבד - מחשב עוצמתי, מוניטורים רגישים ומכויילים, רייד דיסקים גדול ומהיר, טייפ LTO, נתב רשת ועוד, נראה שהרווח על המערכות האלו הוא לא כזה גבוה. גם פתרונות "עממיים" יותר כמו Premiere או Resolve Lite החינמי, יגיעו מהר מאד לעלויות דומות, אם יותקנו על חומרות דומות.
כמו תמיד, החכמה היא לדעת להתאים להפקה את הפתרון הכי נכון בשבילה.

How to create timecode tracks for H.264 movies in Compressor

How to create timecode tracks for H.264 movies in Compressor:
I had this question asked to me the other day so I thought I'd write a quick article on it. You may have noticed that Compressor does not create H.264 files with timecode tracks when using the Apple Devices presets.

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Benchmark Tests: Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 vs. Apple Final Cut Pro X

Benchmark Tests: Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 vs. Apple Final Cut Pro X - Streaming Media Producer:
There have been lots of comparisons between Final Cut Pro X and Premiere Pro CS6, with most focusing on features and workflows. This article discusses a series of multiple-format benchmark tests that analyzed comparative performance between the two programs.

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eyeon® Ships Highly-Anticipated AVID® Connection

eyeon® Ships Highly-Anticipated AVID® Connection:

eyeon Software Inc. announced today the shipping release of the highly-anticipated eyeon Connection® bridge to the AVID workflow. Strategically based upon AVID’s AVX2 architecture and eyeon’s 6.4 version release of Fusion™, Connection seamlessly opens the Media Composer®, Symphony™, NewsCutter®, and *Avid DS™ product lines to an infinite degree of creative possibilities.

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DCP עשה זאת בעצמך

בפוסט הזה אנסה להסביר על התהליך של ייצור חבילות לקולנוע דיגיטאלי בעזרת תוכנות חינמיות. התהליך דורש ידע מקדים בהליכי עבודה של פוסט פרודאקשן, סטנדרטים ופורמטים שונים.

קודם כל נסביר מהי חבילת קולנוע דיגיטאלי. DCP, או Digital Cinema Package זוהי תיקייה המכילה בתוכה קבצי וידאו, אודיו ומטה דאטא, ששרתי קולנוע, כאלו הנמצאים בבתי קולנוע דיגיטאלים יודעים לקרוא ולהציג.

DCP תקני מורכב מרצף (sequence) של קבצי JPEG200 עטופים ב MXF, קבצי האודיו הם WAV שגם כן עטופים ב MXF, בנוסף אליהם קובץ רשימת ניגון בפורמט XML, קובץ רשימת קבצים בפורמט XML וקובץ המזהה את הכונן שמאחסן את הקבצים.

השלב הראשון והחשוב מכולם ביצירת DCP הוא זיהוי ואפיון חומרי הגלם שאיתם נתחיל את התהליך. השלבים שיבואו אחרי הם ידועים מראש (פחות או יותר) וכמעט שלא משתנים מפרוייקט לפרוייקט. הקובץ ההתחלתי יכול להיות קובץ וידאו כלשהו (QuickTime, AVI...) עם תמונה וסאונד ביחד או בנפרד, הוא יכול להיות רצף של קבצי תמונה עם סאונד בנפרד, הוא יכול להיות קלטת HD או SD או בכל מדיום אחר. הכרחי לדעת בתחילת התהליך את מאפייני חומרי הגלם כדי שנוכל להשתמש בפרמטרים אלו בהמשך הדרך.

בגדול, התהליך הוא כזה:

- זיהוי מאפייני חומרי הגלם - גאמוט, פלטת צבעים, גודל, פרופוציה ופריימים לשנייה.

- המרת הוידאו לרצף של קבצי TIFF, המרת הקול לקבצי WAV.

- המרת הTIFFים לרצף של JPEG2000, התאמת הצבעוניות, עיטוף החומרים בMXF,

- ייצור DCP

- העתקה לדיסק נייד

- בדיקה

במדריך זה נשתמש בתוכנה החינמית OpenDCP, למיטב ידיעתי זו התוכנה היחידה שמוצעת בחינם, ויש בה יכולות שלא נמצאות בכל התוכנות המסחריות. מה שאין בתוכנה זה האפשרות להצפין את הDCP. ההצפנה היא קריטית לסרטים מסחריים ולאולפנים הגדולים. לסרטים עצמאיים אין לה כמעט אף פעם חשיבות.

שלב 1 - זיהוי חמרי הגלם.

אנחנו חייבים לדעת את מאפייני פלטת הצבעים והגאמוט (סוג של מנעד) של חומרי הוידאו הקיימים, בכדי שנוכל לשנות אותם בצורה מדוייקת לאלו של הDCP. רוב מצלמות ומערכות העריכה המודרניות יודעות לעבוד גם בHD. פלטת הצבע או הגאמוט של HD נקראת REC709. אם ידוע לנו שלאורך כל תהליף הפוסט (דגימה, עריכה, אנימציה, אפקטים...) עבדנו ב REC709 אז אנחנו בסדר. אם אנחנו לא בטוחים מה יש לנו ביד, יש כמה דרכים לנסות לברר. חלקן טכניות ומדידות, וחלקן ע"י תשאול המעורבים בהפקת הסרט. לצורך ההסבר כאן נניח שאנחנו בתסריט הנפוץ ביותר - REC709.

שלב 2 - המרה לTIFF

בשלב זה צריך לשים לב לכמה דברים, העיקריים הם מספר הפריימים לשנייה (FPS) וגודל הפרים. הסטנדארט של קולנוע דיגיטאלי הוא 24 FPS וגודל פריים של 2K. בשרתי קולנוע מסויימים אפשר לנגן גם סטנדרטים אחרים (24-60 פריימים לשנייה, 4K, HD ועוד) אבל אנחנו נלך על התסריט הנפוץ יותר של 2K@24FPS. ניתן לעשות את שלושת ההמרות - המרה ל TIFF, שינוי פריימים לשנייה והתאמת גודל הפריים, בהליך אחד. ניתן לפצל כל שלב בהמרה לכלי יעודי. בשוק קיימות המון תוכנות להמרת קבצים. אחת התוכנות הטובות יותר היא MPEG StremClip החינמית. אפשרות נוספת היא לבצע את ההמרה ישירות בתוכנת העריכה/אפקטים.

שלב 3 - המרה ל JPEG2000, שינוי פלטת הצבע ל XYZ ואריזת החבילה.

השלב הזה מתואר במדריכי התוכנה ובפורומים של OpenDCP. בהנחה וכל השלבים הקודמים נעשו בתשומת לב וצלחו, השלב של יצירת החבילה עצמה הוא די פשוט. מומלץ לעבוד עם הגדרות ברירת המחדל של התוכנה. לרוב הם יעבדו.

יש בתוכנה אפשרות להוסיף ערוצי תרגום והיא אפילו מאפשרת סגירה של סרטים סטראוסקופים. יש בתוכנה עוד מספר פונקציות מתקדמות, אבל לא נדון בהם כעת.

שלב 4 - העתקת הסרט לכונן

בסוף הליך יצירת החבילה הדיגיטאלית נקבל בעצם תיקייה המכילה את כל חלקי החבילה. שרתי הקולנוע מצפים לקבל דיסק שבו נמצאת תיקייה אחת בלבד בראש (Top level) הדיסק. בנוסף, מכיוון שרוב השרתים מבוססים לינוקס, הם ייצפו שמערכת הקבצים (File System) של הדיסק תהיה בפורמט EXT3. אין דרך קלה לפרמט ולכתוב את הFS הזה בווינדוז. הדרך הכי פשוטה היא להתקין לינוקס, אובונטו החינמית למשל, ולצלול לתוך ההגדרות.

שלב 5 - בדיקה

הדרך היחידה לבדוק תקינות של חבילה דיגיטאלית, היא באולם קולנוע. רק שרת קולנוע מקצועי שמחובר למקרן קולנוע מקצועי יתנו אינדיקציה לתקינות של DCP. יש תוכנות שמנגנות DCP של מחשב (1, 2), אבל הן לא מבטיחות בצורה מלאה את תקינות החבילה. פלטת הצבעים XYZ היא בעלת טווח דינאמי גדול מזה של כל סטנדרט וידאו, היא כל כך רחבה עד כדי שמסך מחשב או מוניטור וידאו "רגיל" לא מסוגלים להציג אותה בצורה נכונה.

סיכום

קולנוע דיגיטאלי הוא עסק לא פשוט. לא דיברנו בפוסט הזה על ניהול צבע, אמצאי אחסון מהיר, מוניטורים, עבודה עם קבצי מצלמה שונים ומשונים ועוד. ובכל זאת, יש לקולנוען הביתי והפחות ביתי מספר אפשרויות להפיץ סרטים לפסטיבלים וסינמטקים באיכות מדהימה, תאימות מקסימלית ובזול.

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