Apple Computer, long a dominant player in the professional desktop publishing, graphics and photography industries, joined the ranks of broadcast vendors at NAB2004. This was evident in the broadcast-centric products it introduced, and other companies, such as Avid, Chyron, BBC Technology, Omneon Video Networks Panasonic, SeaChange International and Thomson Grass Valley have included compatibility with Apple’s Final Cut Pro editing software as part of their NAB marketing message.
Apple released several major new broadcast-centric products at the show including a new high-definition video editing system that can be purchased with hardware and software for less than $5000.
Motion allows the animation of text, graphics and video; instant previewing of multiple filters and particle effects; and “behaviors.”
At an NAB press event, Apple also debuted Motion, a new motion graphics design package. Motion allows the animation of text, graphics and video; instant previewing of multiple filters and particle effects; and “behaviors”— the natural movement of type and graphics with effects like gravity and wind, without depending on key frames. Motion will be available this summer.
Apple also introduced Final Cut Pro HD, a new high-definition version of its editing system. The new Final Cut now supports DVCPRO HD capture and output over firewire in addition to HD-SDI capture over PCI. The application can scale from DV to SD, HD and film, and work in 1080i and 720p HD from start to finish without managing multiple offline formats. Final Cut Pro HD also introduces RT Extreme for HD, the real-time HD playback of effects, filters, transitions and composited video streams.
Also new from Apple is Xsan, a storage area network (SAN) file system aimed at users in video and other businesses looking for high-speed access to centralized, shared data. The company also introduced DVD Studio Pro 3, an upgraded DVD mastering application.
Thomson, a strategic partner with Apple, said it is integrating Final Cut Pro HD software into its Grass Valley digital news production (DNP) pipeline. The manufacturer said it would use Grass Valley plug-in software modules for the integration and connectivity with FCP to the Grass Valley open SAN system.
For more information, visit: www.apple.com.
