EZ Auto Lip-Sync via After Effects

EZ Auto Lip-Sync via After Effects:
With Auto Lip-Sync you can create a mouth that automatically animates according to your voice recording.


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SpeedGrade CS6 Fundamentals

Fxphd Fastforward: SpeedGrade CS6 Fundamentals | Learn SpeedGrade CS6 | Adobe TV:
SpeedGrade CS6 Fundamentals will quickly get you up to speed on how to more effectively use the new grading software from Adobe. Taught by Joost van der Hoeven, this all-new course contains over three and a half hours of training covering the fundamentals you need to know to get most out of this new release. It also contains almost 1GB of source material used in the classes so you can follow along with the instruction.

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BBC News - Super Hi-Vision 8K TV standard approved by UN agency

BBC News - Super Hi-Vision 8K TV standard approved by UN agency:
Broadcasts in 8K will offer a resolution of 7,680 by 4,320 pixels - roughly the equivalent of a 32 megapixel photo.

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Copying your Adobe Media Encoder Presets?

Copying your Adobe Media Encoder Presets?:
If you are trying to move your Adobe Media Encoder presets between machines, or you want to share some of your bad ass presets with your parents as an anniversary gift… here is where you find them.
<user name>/Library/Preferences/Adobe/Common/AME/6.0/Presets
Its important to know you don’t need to copy over the one called “PresetTree.xml”, those represent the default settings that the good people at Adobe supplied you with.

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בנוסף, אפשר לייצא פריסט מסויים ולשמור אותו לאן שרוצים ישירות מהתוכנה.

מוסיפים קונטרול/קומנד לפני שלוחצים על כפתור ה Save Preset. אנקודר יקפיץ חלון המאפשר לשמור את הפריסט הספציפי שעליו עבדתם לכל מקום שתרצו במחשב.

המרת חומרי RED – ל-1080p

המרת חומרי RED – ל-1080p:

חברת RED מציגה: כיצד ליצא ולהמיר חומרים שצולמו באיכויות גבוהות של 4k או 5k מתוכנת REDCINE-X – ל-1080p.

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Calibrated Software's Codec Solutions: AVC-Intra Encode Expands Editing Options

Calibrated Software's Codec Solutions: AVC-Intra Encode Expands Editing Options | www.creativeplanetnetwork.com:
The direction of Apple’s product development efforts and the current status of the Final Cut Pro ecosystem has professional editors a bit rattled. One by-product of this uncertainty is concern over whether it is wise to master final files in one of the ProRes codecs. This concern opens the door to other codec options, like Sony XDCAM or Avid DNxHD. One powerful solution is Panasonic’s AVC-Intra codec, a 10-bit, 4:2:2, I-frame compression scheme based on the H.264/AVC family.

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What are you grading today? August 2012

What are you grading today? August 2012:
The results are in. Alexa on top, not surprising considering it’s popularity across all genres.
Red One drops to 4th after being 1st in 2011. Film drops down and Epic makes a big move up to number 2

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Next-Generation Ethernet to Support 1Tb/s Speeds by 2015 - X-bit labs

Next-Generation Ethernet to Support 1Tb/s Speeds by 2015 - X-bit labs:
IEEE, the world's largest technology standard setting organization, has announced formation of the IEEE 802.3 industry connections higher speed Ethernet consensus group, to build consensus toward the development of the next speed of Ethernet. IEEE is looking forward towards 1Tb/s Ethernet standard by 2015 and 5Tb/s standard by 2020.

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Adobe Premiere CS5, CS5.5 and CS6 Video Cards with CUDA Acceleration Mercury Playback Unlock Enable MPE Hack Mod Tip David Knarr

Adobe Premiere CS5, CS5.5 and CS6 Video Cards with CUDA Acceleration Mercury Playback Unlock Enable MPE Hack Mod Tip David Knarr:
If you don't have a certified card or you want to use a non-certified NVidia video card, there is a way to edit a file and add your video card to a list, so Adobe Premiere CS5, CS5.5 and CS6 will allow your video card to run with GPU Acceleration.  Some people call this a mod, hacking or unlocking the video cards, whatever you choose to call it, this will not make it "certified" in the eyes of Adobe.  But, you will be able to use the GPU Acceleration feature of Adobe Premiere CS6, CS5.5 and Premiere CS5.

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Pros and Cons of Data Storage Devices

Pros and Cons of Data Storage Devices | Digistor Blog:
There are lots of choices when it comes to backing up or archiving your data and digital assets.  While everyone’s needs are different and there is no one-size fits all solution, we took a look at the most common data storage devices used by consumers or professions for backup and archive. Here are some of the benefits and pitfall associated with them.

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HP DreamColor versus its closest alternative

HP DreamColor versus its closest alternative:

Many people appreciate the HP DreamColor monitor’s multiple virtues enough to tolerate its complex integration issues for pro video systems, which are so severe that they have merited over ten articles in the past few years. However, some readers (and some of my consulting clients) sometimes become so frustrated with the complexity and frequent need for a “Band-Aid” (especially in the age of free, bundled, or affordable DaVinci Resolve versions for grading) that they have begun to ask me for alternatives to the DreamColor monitor in a similar price range that can be plug-and play, and just work. So this article is dedicated to comparing the DreamColor monitor to its closest alternative (to my knowledge).

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When looking at timecode, how can I tell drop frame from non drop frame?

When looking at timecode, how can I tell drop frame from non drop frame?:
This questions used to get me every time until someone (I can’t remember who or I would give credit) told me drop frame is a semicolon because you “dropped” a period. (You dropped the period and have a comma instead, get it?)  Meaning non drop frame could only be a colon.

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AFTERGLOW – DNG’s are out in the wild | johnbrawley

AFTERGLOW – DNG’s are out in the wild | johnbrawley:
Afterglow – The first CinemaDNG files from the Blackmagic cinema camera publicly released.

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Coraid Announces EtherFlash Programmable SSD Cache and EtherCloud Software-Defined Storage

Coraid Announces EtherFlash Programmable SSD Cache and EtherCloud Software-Defined Storage | StorageReview.com - Storage Reviews:
Coraid today announced EtherFlash Cache, a programmable SSD cache solution that accelerates read performance, and EtherCloud, which aims to allow enterprise and cloud customers to provision and manage petabytes of block and file storage with the simplicity of consumer cloud services.

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New Fiber-Optic KVM Extension and Video Distribution Over IP Solutions from Matrox to Drive Broadcast, Post-Production, and Digital Signage Platforms at IBC 2012

New Fiber-Optic KVM Extension and Video Distribution Over IP Solutions from Matrox to Drive Broadcast, Post-Production, and Digital Signage Platforms at IBC 2012: Avio F120 KVM extender joins Maevex Series Encoder/Decoder pair and DualHead2Go Digital ME external multi-monitor adapter at Europe’s premier broadcasting conference (Montreal, Canada--August 20, 2012) Matrox Graphics announced today the Matrox Avio™ F120 KVM extender will serve as just one of many high-performance solutions managing visually impressive digital media and entertainment content at International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) 2012, stand #7.B29. New Matrox Maevex™ Series video distribution over IP technology will also be showcased, extending 1080p video to a network of Maevex Decoders. The Matrox DualHead2Go™ Digital ME external multi-monitor adapter will meanwhile expand a Mac notebook's onscreen space through the addition of two external DVI displays, enhancing the workspace and overall computing experience of users in the process.

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NYC Production & Post News » No Surprise: HP is Number One in Workstations. Where’s the Mac Pro?

NYC Production & Post News » No Surprise: HP is Number One in Workstations. Where’s the Mac Pro?:
There are some larger factors at work here too beyond cool hardware. For one thing, if you’re running a Mac Pro tower, you might be growing increasingly envious of your PC brethren who easily benefit from the latest processors and graphics cards. Mac Pro towers have only been incrementally upgraded over the past few years, which causes some people to wonder if Apple is in the midst of abandoning their efforts in the pro space altogether.

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The Basics of Working With Waveforms

The Basics of Working With Waveforms:

Being able to read a waveform monitor is one of the most valuable skills you can posses, both on set and in post. The waveform is the most precise way to check for exposure and, to a certain extent, color accuracy. Eric Philpott over at the Adobe SpeedGrade blog, Moving Colors, has written an easy to digest article about the basics of working with a waveform, including how to balance your blacks and work with luminance settings. While he focuses on utilizing waveforms in SpeedGrade CS6, the information is certainly applicable to all waveform monitors.

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The Codec Conundrum

NextWaveDV – The Codec Conundrum:
H.264, RAW, uncompressed, 4K, bit rate, color space… Chances are you’ve seen all these terms and many more listed in the specs of various cameras and on the pages of flaming debates on numerous forums. The truth is, the codec that your camera shoots to will be either its Achilles’ heel or its saving grace. It will either limit your shooting style and color grade or open up a world of options. My goal with this article is not to explain what all the terms mean, but rather discuss what you should be most concerned with as a shooter.

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TechTerms

TechTerms:
TechTerms is a free web dictionary of computer and technology terms. Now you and your client can literally be on the same page.
We’ve recently written about a couple of extremely useful glossary apps by Digital Rebellion: Film Terms helps you understand industry terminology and EditCodes helps you understand error messages.
These are great for industry words and concepts but often you’ll come across general technology terms that need clarification.

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White Paper: Deliverable Data Management and Hard Drive Usage in Video Production

White Paper: Deliverable Data Management and Hard Drive Usage in Video Production:
Examining the Loss of Magnetic Media From Repeated Hard Drive Usage in Video Production

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Mac Pro RAID setup

Mac Pro RAID setup:
I recently posted about choosing a new storage solution for my Mac Pro where I decided to invest in an SAS based RAID system from www.rentaraid.co.uk. Now that the kit has been installed I thought I’d post a quick update about the installation procedure, an issue I ran into and the results so far.

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Logs, Scripts and OS X Mountain Lion Server

Logs, Scripts and OS X Mountain Lion Server:
OS X Mountain Lion has a lot of scripts used for enabling services, setting states, changing hostnames and the like. Once upon a time there was a script for OS X Server called server setup. It was a beautiful but too simplistic kind of script. Today, much of that logic has been moved out into more granular scripts, kept in /Applications/Server.app/Contents/ServerRoot/System/Library/ServerSetup, used by the server to perform all kinds of tasks. These scripts are, like a lot of other things in Mountain Lion Server.

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2012 Camera Comparison Chart for High-End Commercial HD Video Production

2012 Camera Comparison Chart for High-End Commercial HD Video Production:
Are you in the market for a new imaging device? Are you focused on upgrading to a new model or manufacturer but are unsure of how compatible it will be with the digital production technologies you use? Are you concerned that the info you’ve found to compare cameras is unreliably biased? Well, you just hit the broadcast camera information jackpot because Fletcher Camera & Lenses has done all the work for you!

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When Will H.265 HEVC Arrive and What Will it Mean for MPEG DASH?

When Will H.265 HEVC Arrive and What Will it Mean for MPEG DASH? - Streaming Media Magazine:
The latest draft of the high-efficiency video coding codec appears to point to early 2013 for the final specification.

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StorageDNA Unveils DNA Evolution 2.1 at IBC with Improved User Experience

StorageDNA Unveils DNA Evolution 2.1 at IBC with Improved User Experience: Enhancements to user interface, usability boost, better error reporting, and expanded integration support (Irvine, California--August 20, 2012) StorageDNA, Inc. today announced version 2.1 of its LTO-5 LTFS archive and retrieval workflow product, DNA Evolution™. The company is adding feature enhancements for an improved user experience, more detailed error reporting, expanded support for integrations, and superior usability for workflows. StorageDNA will demonstrate DNA Evolution 2.1 in September at the IBC 2012 trade show in Amsterdam.

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Rohde & Schwarz DVS Presents CLIPSTER Version 5 with 8x Faster DCP Remastering

Rohde & Schwarz DVS Presents CLIPSTER Version 5 with 8x Faster DCP Remastering | 3Droundabout: At IBC 2012, Rohde & Schwarz DVS GmbH will be presenting version 5 of its CLIPSTER® DI workstation. The new feature set will impress users, especially in terms of its 3D performance. Furthermore, the DCP remastering process is now up to eight-times faster than before thanks to CLIPSTER’s new render pipeline.

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Working in a Linear Color Space for the After Effects User

Working in a Linear Color Space for the After Effects User:
James Whiffin of AETuts+ demonstrates the advantages of working in Linear Color Space inside After Effects.

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Adobe Dynamic Link troubleshooting

Adobe Dynamic Link troubleshooting:
Dynamic Link is a key selling point of the Adobe suite that many people rely on for their workflows. Here's what to do if it doesn't work as expected. This article is mainly aimed to dynamic linking between After Effects and Premiere but many of the suggestions will apply to the other applications in the suite.

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DaVinci Resolve v9.0b3 released

DaVinci Resolve v9.0b3 released:

Blackmagic Design has released v9.0b3 which has many bug fixes since the last update, and also a few important changes:

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Flanders Scientific Unveils C-Log and S-Log Monitoring Modes for FSI Monitors

Flanders Scientific Unveils C-Log and S-Log Monitoring Modes for FSI Monitors | Digital Production BuZZ: Flanders Scientific is pleased to bring you another great new feature: C-Log and S-Log monitoring modes. These new monitoring modes have been designed to make On Set monitoring of C-Log and S-Log signals easier and more useful to you well before post production

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Benchmark Tests: Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 vs. Apple Final Cut Pro X - Streaming Media Producer

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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Scaling and Cropping in Adobe Media Encoder - Lesson

Scaling and Cropping in Adobe Media Encoder - Lesson:
The new scaling and cropping options in Adobe Media Encoder CS6 make it easy to resolve mismatches between output dimensions and source dimensions. You'll see how they work in this video.

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Speed Tests - Various Drives and Configs

Speed Tests - Various Drives and Configs:
I’ll be the first to admit, most tech specs elude me… megabytes, megabits, throughput, output, blah blah blah. I hate MOST of it. So when I get a chance to do a single test on various items where the comparison is all one data point that is easy to compare, well, I get sort of excited.  I just finished a bunch of tests of various drives around the office and I wanted to post it all, mostly for me to refer to but I thought, “I may as well share with our little group of friends here too.

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High Frame Rate Cinema

High Frame Rate Cinema - Creative COW:
All eyes are on High Frame Rate cinema, the latest technology shift touted by such heavyweight filmmakers as Peter Jackson and Jim Cameron. But how many frames per second is ideal? How does HFR cinema change the workflow and the bottom line? This group of experts weighed in on why we should be excited by the opportunities of HFR cinema and what we can expect in day-to-day production and post workflows.

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Object Matrix Partners with XenData for Integrated Near-Line Disk and LTO Storage

Object Matrix Partners with XenData for Integrated Near-Line Disk and LTO Storage:
Object Matrix to leverage XenData LTO archive technology to offer customers greater choice and flexibility (Walnut Creek, California--August 15, 2012) XenData, the leading provider of LTO archive solutions to the media and entertainment industry, and Object Matrix, provider of resilient near-line disk storage platforms for video workflows, today announced their partnership to provide a comprehensive, end to end solution that will enable customers to automate and move content seamlessly from near-line disk to LTO tape.

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Revenge of the Great Camera Shootout Part 3

Revenge of the Great Camera Shootout Part 3:
Zacuto concludes it’s epic shootout with Part 3 of their “Revenge of the Great Camera Shootout” this time showing off ungraded and empirically graded footage from this year’s line up of cameras.
Parts One and Two.

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4TB Drives

Post Magazine - 4TB Drives:
We've all watched over the years as storage and memory capacities have continued to grow in conjunction with Moore's law. It seems true that Intel and other manufacturers have figured out how to overcome barrier after physical barrier to double the number of transistors on a chip (or double storage density on a platter) and continue to overwhelm the industry with more space, cores and storage than we know what to do with! (I myself date back to the age of full length, full height, 25pin SCSI devices that didn't quite get to 1GB. I also got to repair more than a few of those washing machine sized "tubs" that you would lower spindles into with a handle and a few reel to reel tape devices as well.)

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Blender Siggraph Reel 2012 – YouTube

Blender Siggraph Reel 2012 – YouTube:
Check out Blender’s Siggraph Showreel 2012 – All this content was made with Free Open Source software. Download Blender.org and start creating!
Blender Siggraph Reel 2012 – YouTube.

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HP DreamColor Mac connectivity & functionality: update 2012.2

HP DreamColor Mac connectivity & functionality: update 2012.2:
MacBook Pro Retinas’ hardware is kosher for DreamColor, but Apple software currently disqualifies them without a change of religion. When I published HP DreamColor Mac connectivity & functionality: update 2012.1on July 3, I had a feeling that there would likely be plenty of more news this year.

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Pro Player

Digital Heaven - The Hottest Tools for the Coolest Apps:
Pro Player is a professional QuickTime player for video content creators and motion graphics designers.

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The ACES Color Space: The Gamut to End All Gamuts

The ACES Color Space: The Gamut to End All Gamuts - International Business Times: A development in the field of color science called ACES will let video professionals work with footage less destructively at the post-production end of the pipeline. This has immediate ramifications for shooters, colorists and visual effects houses and will be accomplished by utilizing a much wider gamut than the current specification for high-definition video.

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Prores Faceoff | Exit Editorial | Long Live the Moving Image

Prores Faceoff | Exit Editorial | Long Live the Moving Image:
Just how lossy is Prores LT compared to Prores HQ?  On the surface level, the images look almost indistinguishable to the human eye.  Here’s two.  Click the images to get the high-res if you don’t believe me.

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DAM Survival Guide

DAM Survival Guide:
This week’s Tools Spotlight interview is with David Diamond, author of DAM Survival Guide – a digital asset management book that details DAM initiative planning. He also directs global marketing for DAM software vendor Picturepark. DAM Survival Guide can be purchased from Amazon. Visit DAMSurvivalGuide.com to learn more.

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Arri Alexa - Legal vs. Extended

Arri Alexa - Legal vs. Extended - NegativeSpaces - Ben Cain:
While this article is very specfic to the Arri Alexa and its digital color workflow, in a broader sense much of the information here can be readily applied to the difference between YCbCr 422 digital video, RGB Data, and all the things that go wrong when we monitor in video but post process RGB Data.

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Anatomy of a grade – node by node breakdown

Anatomy of a grade – node by node breakdown:
Node by node breakdown of a grade
Colorist Chris Hall from Basher Films has created nine episodes of ‘Anatomy of a grade’ which provides a creative look at some of his grading work. In this episode he provides a node by node breakdown of a bleach by pass look for a western and in 4 and a half minutes demonstrates how to achieve this look in DaVinci Resolve 9.

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איך להכניס נכון חומרים לAVID – לפי פורמטים של מצלמות – פוסט חובה למשתמשים בתוכנה

איך להכניס נכון חומרים לAVID – לפי פורמטים של מצלמות – פוסט חובה למשתמשים בתוכנה:

מסמך זה יפרט איך להכנס נכון בכל פורמט למטרות און-ליין, או שילוב של אוף-ליין ואון-ליין.

אני יודע שהפוסט הזה חוזר קצת על דברים שכתבתי פה בעבר בפוסטים קודמים

ולמרות זאת אני חושב שהמידע הזה חשוב, ולא מספיק נפוץ בין משתמשי התוכנה.

אני כל הזמן נתקל בטעויות, ותהליכי עבודה לא נכונים שמביאים לתוצאות לא טובות, ובזבוז זמן.

זו הרשימה המלאה של איך להכניס חומרים לאביד נכון, על מנת לא לאבד איכות, בין אם אתם עושים זאת ישירות לאון ליין, או לאוף ליין ואחר כך און ליין.

אני מתייחס לגרסה האחרונה שלMedia Composer  גרסה 6 ומעלה

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A Buyer’s Guide to Encoding and Transcoding Products

A Buyer’s Guide to Encoding and Transcoding Products: 2012 on Onlinevideo.net – Online Video Strategies, Platforms, News, and Tips:
Should you go with a hardware or software encoding solution? Or maybe try cloud encoding? It’s not only hard to choose an encoding product, it’s hard to choose the type of encoding that fits best with your workflow.

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Media Composer 6.0.3, Symphony 6.0.3, NewsCutter 10.0.3 ReadMe

Media Composer 6.0.3, Symphony 6.0.3, NewsCutter 10.0.3 ReadMe:
The following changes have been incorporated in Avid Media Composer v6.0.3, Avid Symphony
v6.0.3 and NewsCutter v10.0.3.

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50i-to-50p (or 60i-to-60p) double deinterlacing

50i-to-50p (or 60i-to-60p) double deinterlacing:
A 50i video can be deinterlaced to either 25p or 50p. A 25p deinterlace is an approximation of an originally shot (with too short shutter time) 25p video and a 50p deinterlace is an approximation of an originally shot 50p video. Naturally the approximations fall short of the goals because in each of them half the lines are constructions. Using complex deinterlacers the constructions can be very good. For each high quality deinterlacer the approximation to the 50p goal will be just as good as the approximation to the 25p goal. The 50p goal contains more information than the 25p goal. More of the 50i information is preserved in the 50p deinterlace than in the 25p deinterlace. Whether that extra information can be of use in the final output depends on the case at hand.

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Red claims Dragon is 'single most significant sensor in the history of image capture'

Red claims Dragon is 'single most significant sensor in the history of image capture':

Red Camera's bombastic CEO, Jim Jannard, says that internal testing of the new 6K Dragon sensor proves that it's the new "resolution and dynamic range king." He also claims it will be "the cleanest sensor you have ever seen, ISO 2000 looks better than MX [the current sensor] at ISO 800." The imaging chip was first outed at NAB in April, promising 15+ stops of DR and 120fps at a full 5K of resolution, with $6,000 upgrades for Epic customers by the end of the year. Owners of the $9,700 (brain only) Scarlet-X will also get the Dragon, though no price or date has been given yet for that camera. Needless to say, some independent testing will be needed to substantiate his claims, but Jannard sure does sound confident.

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S-Log and the F3 – Part 5: 3D Look Up Tables

S-Log and the F3 – Part 5: 3D Look Up Tables | CineTechnica:
In this last part of my Sony F3 and S-log series, I go over how to generate 3D LUTs that can be used with external LUT boxes and in post. In order to do this I use an HD Link Pro from BlackMagic Design and, to control it, a program called LinkColor. In my last video, I generated several 1D LUTs with Sony’s CVP File Editor, and then converted them to 3D LUTs for use with LinkColor. I call these simple 3D LUTs “DeLog Curves,” and you can download them here. Finally, I created several 3D LUTs and CDLs that are matched to my F3 Scene files, which you can download here.

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Fast DSLR Post Workflow: Ingest to Output » Rampant Design Tools Blog

Rampant Design Tools Blog » Fast DSLR Post Workflow: Ingest to Output » Rampant Design Tools Blog:
Hey friends, just thought I’d share how my team and I do our post production over at The Division. We are in production of several types of TV shows at the moment, but our specialty is Documentary style using DSLR cameras. A few things are really nice about Doc Style: It’s all handheld, no big equipment to complicate things. It’s pretty cheap to produce, and you can be forgiven a lot by simply saying: “It’s a reality show, it’s not gonna look perfect!”

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Need for Speed

Need for Speed:

There’s a revolution in the After Effects world – a revolution of speed. Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you caught that VideoCopilot and Red Giant released some ridiculously fast OpenGL powered Plug-ins that promise to change the future for AE users. Moving from the CPU to the GPU is clearly the wave of the future, and that future starts now. Just in case you missed it, I’m talking about VideoCopilot’s Element3D and Red Giant’s Trapcode Mir.
I should also point out that Mettle beat most everyone to the punch with ShapeshifterAE.

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Why Video Storage Is Different--An Introduction for IT Professionals

TVTechnology: Why Video Storage Is Different--An Introduction for IT Professionals:
Video workflows are very different than the enterprise applications that IT organizations are accustomed to deploying and supporting. Large video files and demands for fast access and real-time performance result in requirements for highly scalable storage systems with enormous bandwidth, consistently low latency and the ability to effectively support highly specialized video applications.

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Autodesk Announces Extensions for 2013 3D Animation Software

Autodesk Announces Extensions for 2013 3D Animation Software:

Autodesk Inc., has announced new extensions for Autodesk Maya 2013 and Autodesk 3ds Max 2013 3D animation software, which are included in the Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suites 2013. Available to users with active Subscription contracts, the extensions will help artists create more sophisticated physical simulations, and move data more easily through complex pipelines.

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Alembic 1.1 - store and share animation and vfx scenes across multiple tools!

Alembic 1.1 - store and share animation and vfx scenes across multiple tools!: Have you ever heard of Alembic? It is an open source project jointly developed by Sony Pictures Imageworks and Lucasfilm Ltd. Now the companies released its newest version (1.1) that brings some improvements and updates. The software focuses on efficiently storing and sharing animation and visual effects scenes across multiple software applications. Since the software’s debut last year both companies have integrated the technology into their production pipelines on such project as The Avengers, Men in Black 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man.

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Has IP video transport become a commodity?

Has IP video transport become a commodity? | Videonet:
The demand for CDNs is growing as providers try to deliver a more Internet protocol (IP)-based video. Many companies can help them. Given network traffic and sourcing requirements, most high-volume CDN customers are not even looking for single-source solution.

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Why does Super Hi-Vision offer a 3D effect?

Why does Super Hi-Vision offer a 3D effect? | 3D News from 3D Focus:
It is not difficult to understand why the 7680 x 4320 pixels of picture resolution, immersive 22.2 channel 3D sound and 60 FPS refresh rate impresses viewers more than 3D with its bright super crisp images. But why people acknowledge a 3D effect remains a mystery, even to NHK.

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Setting Up File Services in OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion Server

Setting Up File Services in OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion Server:
File Services are perhaps the most important aspect of any server because file servers are often the first server an organization purchases. There are a number of protocols built into OS X Mountain Lion Server dedicated to serving files, including AFP, SMB and WebDAV. These services, combined comprise the File Sharing service in OS X Mountain Lion Server.

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CDN Video Delivery in ScreenLight

CDN Video Delivery in ScreenLight:
We all hate it when videos take a long time to load and when playback stutters. There are plenty of stats that show engagement and viewing time on consumer video sites decreases as buffering increases.
Things are a bit different with a video collaboration platform. Your stakeholders may not be able to go elsewhere if your videos get stuck buffering. However, their satisfaction with the review process and your brand will be impacted if videos do not play properly. In fact, one of the key aspects of a video collaboration application is reliable and secure video delivery.

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NVIDIA Maximus Lifts Workstation Graphics with Kepler Architecture

NVIDIA Maximus Lifts Workstation Graphics with Kepler Architecture:

SIGGRAPH NVIDIA Maximus has been updated with Kepler GPU architecture, for speed
and more efficiency, enhancing the iteration process.

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Find Your Format: The Ins and Outs of Video Converters

Find Your Format: The Ins and Outs of Video Converters | www.creativeplanetnetwork.com:
There are two basic kinds of video converters—hardware and software—each with variations that provide plenty of options for users. However, in the age of powerful nonlinear editing systems that accept all sorts of video standards, users do not need as many of the video standards-converting “black boxes” that have been used in postproduction since the 1980s.

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Shotgun Software Releases Shotgun v. 4.0 at SIGGRAPH 2012

Shotgun Software Releases Shotgun v. 4.0 at SIGGRAPH 2012: Shotgun Software will demonstrate its new Shotgun 4.0 at SIGGRAPH this week in Los Angeles, as well as an upgrade to the pre-release version of Revolver, currently in private beta. Shotgun is a web-based production tracking platform for the visual effects and animation industry. Revolver provides an all-in-one review and approval toolset.

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Frame Accurate Comment Timecodes in ScreenLight | ScreenLight

Frame Accurate Comment Timecodes in ScreenLight | ScreenLight:
Time-coded commenting will help you and your collaborators reach consensus and ensure that there is a common understanding of what needs to get done in order to move the production to the next step. This will help you finish projects faster so that you can spend more time doing what you love instead of chasing down feedback.

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TotalFinder

TotalFinder:
Say goodbye to your multi-box desktop. TotalFinder brings tabs to your native Finder and more!
The real estate market has been diminishing over the past few years. Since I’m talking to computer users, by ‘real estate’ I of course mean ‘screen’ real estate.
Editing using two monitors was once more or less standard. Now in the age of the all-in-one iMac and the discontinued 17″ MacBook Pro, creatives have less room to be, well, creative.

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CuteDCP, DCP creation plugin for After Effects

CuteDCP, DCP creation plugin for After Effects:

Fandev announces CuteDCP, a DCP (Digital Cinema Package) creation tool for After Effects. CuteDCP is an exporting (output module) plugin which allows users to create DCPs from any file imported into After Effects and reduces the number of steps creating a DCP to a minimum. CuteDCP has been tested on most major play-out servers.

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Color Correcting the Phantom Miro

Color Correcting the Phantom Miro:

The new Phantom Miro M320S high-speed camera from Vision Research records 12-bit raw cine files for advanced color correcting with professional imaging software such as GlueTools or DaVinci Resolve. However, many shooters are instead utilizing the camera’s HD-SDI output to record directly to an external device like the Sound Devices PIX 240. This is a super fast way to get gorgeous high-speed shots recorded in Apple’s ProRes codec for easy ingest into an editing system.

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SIGGRAPH NEWS: Southpaw Technology Launches Open Source TACTIC

SIGGRAPH NEWS: Southpaw Technology Launches Open Source TACTIC:
One of the most proven asset management systems on the market is now available free of charge to digital content creators (Siggraph 2012--August 6, 2012) Southpaw Technology, a leading developer of production asset management (PAM) technology for digital content creators, announced today that it has released its technology under the Eclipse Public License, an OSI (Open Source Initiative) approved open source license. Effective immediately, any team, studio, department or enterprise creating digital content can download TACTIC for free and start using it to manage their assets, projects and creative workflow. The Company will continue to offer support packages, professional services and commercial licenses to entities who prefer or require such licenses. The open source version of TACTIC can be downloaded at: http://www.southpawtech.com/opensource .

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Video Formats Explained

Video Formats Explained:
In the 1980s, shooting and editing movies got only slightly more complicated with the introduction of VHS, VHS-C and Betamax. You could read a two page article and know the differences between competing video formats. When video went digital though, everything went out the window. Suddenly there was a bewildering array of video formats - .wmv, .asf, .rm, .mov, .mpeg, for compressing files, - and on top of that, many of these standards had their own substandards (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, etc.) How's anyone supposed to keep it straight?

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TVTechnology: DVS to Highlight VENICE Media Production Hub at IBC

TVTechnology: DVS to Highlight VENICE Media Production Hub at IBC:
The CLIPSTER DI workstation incorporates a cutting-edge DCP QC Tool in the area of mezzanine-format generation which greatly accelerates performance in the DCP remastering process. The new render pipeline in CLIPSTER significantly boosts performance with processes running up to 8 times faster – a great benefit especially in DCI workflows with tight deadlines. CLIPSTER supports mezzanine formats like IMF (Interoperable Master Format) and follows the latest IMF standardization developments offering, among other things, CPL version 5 support.

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What's new in HTML5: The Track Element

What's new in HTML5: The Track Element | LongTail Video | Home of the JW Player:
One of the more exciting developments in HTML5 video is the inclusion of the track element in the newest versions of the desktop browsers. In addition to bringing captioning and subtitle support to HTML5 video, the invisible track element allows publishers to attach a rich array of textual metadata to their videos. In this blog post, we'll look at the different types of tracks that can be used in conjunction with the tag.

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Optimize Your Wi-Fi Network with Mac's Hidden Diagnostic Tool

Optimize Your Wi-Fi Network with Mac's Hidden Diagnostic Tool [Wi-Fi]:

OS X: Want to know how good your Wi-Fi network really is? If you have OS X 10.7 or above (Lion or Mountain Lion), a handy but hidden built-in utility can monitor your network's performance and show your network's signal strength.



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TmpDisk

TmpDisk:
TmpDisk is an Open Source simple RamDisk management tool. RamDisks are disks that use your memory (RAM) to create virtual hard disks on your Mac.

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Trapcode Mir: a new plug-in for After Effects

ProVideo Coalition.com: AE Portal by Rich Young:
Trapcode Mir 1.0 was released this week. Mir creates 3D shapes that are built from a simple polygon mesh. Using fractal noise for distortion, texture mapping, repeating and wrapping geometry, and After Effects light integration—all accelerated by your OpenGL hardware—Mir generates smoothly shaded objects or flowing organic elements, bendable tubes & tunnels, nebulas, abstract landscapes, and so forth animated with light and depth. Shader options include Ambient Occlusion and wireframe mesh and point fills.

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Shotgun Software Announces Tank, A New Approach to Asset Management

Shotgun Software Announces Tank, A New Approach to Asset Management:

Shotgun Software, the pipeline tools developer for the visual effects and animation industry, today announced a new asset management solution called Tank, designed specifically to support rapid and constant pipeline evolution, while organizing and automating a studio’s file-based workflow. Tank is the third product available from Shotgun Software and is built on top of the Shotgun production tracking platform alongside Revolver, its all-in-one review and approval toolset. Shotgun Software will be demonstrating Tank at the SIGGRAPH Conference (Booth #837) at the Los Angeles Convention Center from August 7-9, 2012, and will host its annual User Group Meeting on Tuesday, August 7 at 2:00PM.

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Understanding Canon Log

Understanding Canon Log:
An exciting new gamma setting included in the Canon EOS C300 is Canon Log, and while not a RAW recording format, it delivers a number of the benefits of RAW recording to cinematographers and colorists looking for the most information to work with in color grading. Canon Log simplifies the production process, ensuring both single and multi-camera shoots produce consistent and predictable results. The Canon EOS C300 records images with Canon Log using the same reliable and tested on-board Canon XF Codec, but with approximately 12 stops of dynamic range, an overall flat image quality, low contrast and subdued sharpness. This allows for more image information to be retained for color correction and visual effects.

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IBC 2012: Qube Cinema Shows Uncompressed 4K

IBC 2012: Qube Cinema Shows Uncompressed 4K:

The Qube Xi IMB features a Quad 3G interface with four 3G-SDI cablesSimplifying 4K Review for Postproduction with the Quad 3G Interface

Qube Cinema will show visitors to IBC how its Quad 3G interface for digital cinema projectors facilitates digital intermediate and D-cinema mastering workflows. The Qube XP-I server can stream uncompressed 4K data, as well as compressed DCP images, directly to a projector through a 4K Xi Integrated Media Block (IMB) featuring the Quad 3G interface.

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Von Thomas On-Set Workflow for “Maniac”

Von Thomas On-Set Workflow for “Maniac”:

My name is Von Thomas, and I work as a DIT (Digital Image Technician) for motion picture and television. My work varies from job to job, but most often encompasses trouble shooting camera issues as they arise, supporting the DP with knowledgable info on exposure and color settings (through the use of scopes, and experience), safe backup of digital footage, creating one light, DP-approved color correction for dailies, syncing audio, and the creation of dailies for iPad or cloud delivery.

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The race to the bottom

The race to the bottom: Whenever a group of established professionals in the business gets together, they bemoan the “race to the bottom”. That’s the concept that simpler, more inexpensive tools result in the lowering of quality. The prevailing attitude is that now “anyone can do it” so no one “values the craft”. Editors complain about what low-cost editing software...

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XMiL Workflow Tools releases EDL-X, a tool to convert Final Cut Pro X XML to a CMX 3600 EDL.

XMiL Workflow Tools releases EDL-X, a tool to convert Final Cut Pro X XML to a CMX 3600 EDL. XMiL Workflow Tools announces the release of EDLX, an application that generates industry-standard Edit Decision Lists (a.k.a. EDLs) based on XML information from Apple Inc.'s video editor Final Cut Pro X.

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MAXON Announces CINEMA 4D Release 14

MAXON Announces CINEMA 4D Release 14:
Breakthrough Innovations in Modeling, Performance and Product Integration Bring a High-Impact Creative Experience to 3D Professionals.

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The Case for LCD

The Case for LCD:
A very interesting read regarding OLED vs. LCD monitor technology.

While I do have a Sony BVMF250 on order, I am keenly aware that many of the issues with OLED outlined on this list are very real concerns. I was hesitant with this purchase for a long time but at the end of the day, I think the new Sony series of OLED's are very good displays and are undeniably becoming ubiquitous on the set with both video engineers and video assist operators.
Thanks to Ben Schwartz for the forward.

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