While the concept of "pay as you go" may already be well established in the mobile phone industry, it's unheard in the post-production world for professionals. Until now. Quantel is adapting the concept to meet the needs of the post industry as post producers transition from SD to HD. Quantel said its eQ system comes fully equipped, with a twist: The ingest and playout is limited to SD until a password is loaded into the system. Weekly or monthly passwords can be purchased from Quantel.
Quantel, a British firm, believes while the quality and increased creative potential of HD is a major driver for the industry, a lot of customers feel that HD remains a big financial risk. The company said its "pay as you go" HD approach means Quantel carries that risk--and eliminates the temptation for customers to put up with low-performance HD systems that could ultimately disappoint clients, potentially putting them off HD altogether.
An eQ purchased under the "pay as you go" configuration costs 60 percent as much as the standard "always on" system. A one-week password is priced at $2,250 (about 1,250 pounds sterling).
