| Page (1) of 1 - 04/24/09 |
 email article |
 print
page |
|
Though attendance at this year's NAB Show (National Association of Broadcasters) was lower than previous years, there were plenty of great announcements. And with 3D all the rage these days, many companies were presenting hardware and software solutions for users to get into 3D film and video production.
3D
Silicon Imaging, creator of the groundbreaking SI-2K (read my review here), have developed a 3D digital cinema system which works in conjunction with CineForm RAW and CF's Neo3D. It's called SI-3D.
The camera features two lenses and processes the raw data to become one CineForm RAW QuickTime video clip (opposed to two 2D video streams), which makes editing much easier. You can easily cut in Final Cut Pro and use Neo3D to monitor your work on a monitor in 3D (either a standard monitor with 3D glasses, or a 3D monitor), in real-time. Visit http://www.siliconimaging.com/DigitalCinema and http://cineform.com/neo3d/ for more information.
Panasonic has stepped into the 3D game by developing a P2-based 3D high definition camera. This is one of the first 3D cameras from the big four (Panasonic, Sony, JVC, and Canon), and it looks like it'll be popular with the P2 crowd. It features twin lenses and 3D technology, and will be built close to the same specs as its past P2 hi-def cameras.
Panasonic is also developing 3D HDTV plasma displays (Full HD, 1920 x 1080), which is another great step in the direction of getting 3D into homes without having to use cheesy 3D glasses to watch a 3D movie. www.panasonic.com
JVC was showcasing its 46 inch GD-463D10, a 3D HD monitor that is compatible with the industry standard line by line and side by side video formats, the company said. It sports three HDMI input terminals that are compatible with 1080/24p, 50p, 60p, 50i and 60i video signals. Its input signals can be displayed as 3D images 50i and 60i for side by side format. It uses the Xpol polarizing filter method that JVC says provides a stable and flicker free visual experience. The HD 3D display will ship with two pairs of light polarizing glasses.
 |
| JVC Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Communications Dave Walton showcases the company's 3D displays. |
Quantel has teamed up with Spatial View to create a special plug-in to create 3D content using Quantel's hardware and software, without the need of glasses on Spatial View's 3D devices.
Both companies have a solid history with 3D: Quantel develops hardware and software solutions for video creators working in SD, HD, 2K, 4K and 3D, while Spatial View creates 3D accessories for mobile users along with 3D monitors. That's right, Spatial View has special accessories that you can put, say, your iPhone into to watch 3D content without the glasses! Visit www.quantel.com and www.spatialview.com for more.
Matrox
I'm a big fan of Matrox's hardware solutions for Mac and PCs, and now they're introducing a new card to help speed up H.264 encoding. It's called the CompressHD card, and you install it into your Mac Pro (OS 10.5.6 Leopard) or Windows-based PC tower (Windows XP/Vista). Then you start encoding your video clips to H.264 (HD-quality all the way down to video formats for handheld devices), and the card will process those encodes faster than real-time.
As Matrox says, this will increase the longevity of your Mac Pro or PC, because we all know the newest models sport faster processors, better RAM (plus increased capacities), etc. Save your $2,000 to 3,000 and check out the CompressHD card at http://www.matrox.com/video/en/products/compresshd/.
Sony Creative Software and VASST
Not only did Sony Creative Software introduce the next generation of their popular non-linear editing software app (NLE) with Sony Vegas Pro 9, but they also teamed up with my friends at VASST to create the Pro Production Assistant plug-in.
Windows using RED One and 4K enthusiasts, your day has come! 4K and native RED One support has come to one of the most popular NLE apps out there! Vegas Pro 9 also includes better AVCHD and XDCAM support, and more.
The Pro Production Assistant plug-in is a way to streamline your post-production process. If you have repetitive editing tasks, it will help automate those. It also makes it much easier to deliver to multiple platforms. For more details, visit www.sonycreativesoftware.com and www.vasst.com. I plan on doing reviews of both in the near future.
Boinx and Noise Industries
Boinx, creator of many cool Mac-based apps like BoinxTV and iStopMotion, have partnered up with Noise Industries (creator of FxFactory visual effects plug-in for After Effects, Final Cut Pro/Express, and Motion) to bring FxTiles Fx Pack.
The plug-ins provide Final Cut Studio/Express and After Effects users the chance to create and use 3D FX and transitions. The software is affordable (starting at $49, though I've seen the price at $39), and you can purchase more plug-ins as they become available, though some may be free. Get more details at www.boinx.com.
Conclusion
It's another great year at NAB, even though attendance was lower in 2009 than previous shows. And with 3D production on the rise, you won't need to spend hundreds of thousands to get started in this new age of filmmaking and video production.
Page: 1
Related Sites: Digital Producer , Digital Video Editing , IBC News , Audio Video Producer , BN - Broadcast Newsroom , Digital Post Production , HD Issues , Presentation Master , Oceania , Vegas , BN - HD , BN - Production , BN - Acquistion , BN - Hardware , BN - Software , BN - Sony
Related Newsletter: DMN Newsletter , Waveform Newsletter , Timeline Newsletter , KNews Newsletter , Digital Media Net , BN - HD Weekly , DMNForums , Tutorial Finder , Review Seeker
AV-HS450 16+ Input HD/SD Switcher w/ dual screen MultiViewer
Perfect your production with iStock video and audio
Vegas Pro 8 + Free Vegas Seminar Series
