Final Cut Pro X update from London

Apple held a private Final Cut Pro X (FCP X) briefing for enterprise contracts in London on July 6th. One first hand report has been posted to the internet detailing what Apple discussed during the event. Alex4d summarizes tweets by @aPostEngineer which reveals the following points:

1. FCP XML in/out is coming via 3rd party soon…no FCP 6/7 support project support coming ever it seems…

2. Ability to buy FCP7 licenses for enterprise deployments coming in the next few weeks…

3. FCPX EDL import/export coming soon…

4. FCPX AJA plugins coming soon for tape capture and layback…capture straight into FCPX [events].

5. XSAN support for FCPX coming in the next few weeks…

6. FCPX Broadcast video output via #Blackmagic & @AJAVideo coming soon…

7. Additional codec support for FCPX via 3rd Parties coming soon…

8. Customizable sequence TC in FCPX for master exports coming soon…

9. Some FCPX updates will be free some will cost…

Source is http://www.dvcreators.net/final-cut-pro-x-update-from-london/

Amazon's deal with NBCUniversal could open doors for new tablet

Amazon.com added Universal Pictures movies to its digital video offerings as it lays the groundwork for its forthcoming media tablet.

Such content deals will be critical for Amazon, as it prepares to introduce a new tablet for watching accessing movies and TV shows, reading books and listening to music. The media device is expected to debut in October, and will compete directly with Apple Inc.'s hot-selling iPad.

"The tablet is really a defensive move," said Colin Gillis, research director for BGC Financial. "The tablet is becoming the front door for commerce. ... Amazon wants to be there. It doesn't want to get boxed out by anybody, including Apple."

The online retailer reached a licensing deal with NBCUniversal that will bring to 9,000 the number of movies and TV shows that customers can watch instantly, at no additional charge, through the Amazon Prime membership program. This program also gives subscribers a shipping discount for an annual fee of $79.

Among the movies to be offered through Amazon's service are "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "Babe" and "Being John Malkovich."

The Amazon announcement is another sign of intensifying competition in the digital marketplace, reflecting changes in how consumers are entertained. Earlier this week, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it would begin offering 20,000 movies and TV shows to rent or purchase through its Walmart.com website.

"We are very excited to offer Prime members popular Universal films at no additional cost," Cameron Janes, director of Amazon Instant Video, said in a statement.

The online retailer still has a long way to go to catch up with services like Netflix, which makes about 20,000 movies and TV shows available online to subscribers.

Source is http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/07/amazon-tablet-nbcuniversal.html

Apple Introduces World’s First Thunderbolt Display

Apple has unveiled the new Apple Thunderbolt Display, the world’s first display with Thunderbolt I/O technology and the ultimate docking station for your Mac notebook. With just a single cable, users can connect a Thunderbolt-enabled Mac to the 27-inch Apple Thunderbolt Display and access its FaceTime camera, high quality audio, and Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 800, USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt ports. Designed specifically for Mac notebooks, the new display features an elegant, thin, aluminum and glass enclosure, and includes a MagSafe connector that charges your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air.

“The Apple Thunderbolt Display is the ultimate docking station for your Mac notebook,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With just one cable, users can dock with their new display and connect to high performance peripherals, network connections and audio devices.”

With a beautiful 16:9 edge-to-edge glass design, the Thunderbolt Display uses IPS technology to provide a brilliant image across an ultra wide 178-degree viewing angle. Any Thunderbolt-enabled Mac notebook can dock with the display to quickly and easily create a full-fledged desktop solution. The Thunderbolt Display includes a built-in FaceTime HD video camera for crisp video conferencing, a 2.1 speaker system for high quality audio, an integrated MagSafe charger to keep Mac notebooks charged, three USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, one Gigabit Ethernet port and a Thunderbolt port for daisy chaining up to five additional Thunderbolt devices.



The Thunderbolt Display is the world’s first display to include Thunderbolt I/O technology. Featuring two bi-directional channels with transfer speeds up to an amazing 10Gbps each, each Thunderbolt port delivers PCI Express directly to external peripherals such as high performance storage and RAID arrays, supports DisplayPort for high resolution displays and works with existing adapters for HDMI, DVI and VGA displays. Thunderbolt-based Macs with discrete graphics can drive two external displays giving professional users over 7 million additional pixels of display real estate and the ability to daisy chain additional Thunderbolt devices, as well as video and audio capture devices.

The Thunderbolt Display includes an ambient light sensor which automatically adjusts the display brightness based on external lighting conditions and uses only as much energy as necessary to provide an optimum viewing experience.

Pricing & Availability
The new Thunderbolt Display is available here, at Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $999. The Apple Thunderbolt Display requires a Mac with a Thunderbolt I/O port.

Source is http://www.dv.com/article/109428

James Cameron Wants 60p

James Cameron in 2009 (photo by Natasha Baucas)
Whatever you think of 3-D, it's hard to deny that James Cameron took it to a new level with Avatar. Now he's talking about another innovation for Avatar II - increasing the frame rate from the current standard of 24 frames per second (AKA 24fps or 24p) to 48 or even 60fps.

This will undoubtedly cause a similar reaction from traditionalists as the 3-D trend. 24p is hugely popular amongst filmmakers and is often considered a critical element of the genuine "film look". Many filmmakers and critics will be highly reluctant to reverse years of endorsing 24p over higher frame rates.

Part of Cameron's rationale for higher frames rates is that 3-D really needs it, which of course will mean little to the hordes of anti-3-D activists. However Cameron is quick to point out that 2-D will benefit just as much.

60p has been tried before, for example the technologically successful but virtually unknown Showscan. In the past, economics and existing hardware were against higher frames rates but this is no longer the case. Most new digital projectors could be capable of 60p after a simple software update.

The main challenge for 60p now is not technology, it's resistance from filmmakers who prefer 24p on aesthetic grounds.

Cameron claims to have supporters in George Lucas and Peter Jackson. He will certainly need a few allies - even Cameron's status won't be enough to shift the balance from 24p. The technology is already here, but moving to a higher frame could be just as much of a challenge as gaining acceptance for 3-D.

Source is http://www.mediacollege.com/forum/content.php?69-James-Cameron-Wants-60p

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