Channel Wolves

Boris Continuum Complete 6 AVX for Avid DS Now Available

2009-07-06T06:49:00.003-04:00

Boris Continuum Complete 6 AVX for Avid DS brings nearly 180 filters to 64-bit versions of Avid DS. The release features over 30 new filters including Pixel Fixer, DV Fixer, and Smooth Tone tools; Swish Pan, Cartoon Look, Pencil Sketch, and Water Color effects; and OpenGL-accelerated effects such as 3D Extruded Image Shatter, Damaged TV, Glint, Glare, Glitter, LED, Lens Flare, Lightning, and Scanline.

New features include:

• 64-bit OS Support. Based on Avid's AVX 1 plug-in architecture, BCC 6 AVX for DS supports 64-bit versions of Avid DS, including Version 10 and higher.

• New Fast-rendering OpenGL Filters such as 3D Extruded Image Shatter, Damaged TV, Glint, Glare, Glitter, LED, Lens Flare, Lightning, Prism, Scanline, and Tile Mosaic.

• Pixel Fixer removes bad pixels resulting from a faulty digital camera sensor or dust on a camera lens. Up to ten bad spots can be repaired with a single filter application - without any degradation of image quality or sharpness.

• Smooth Tone smoothes or softens an image while preserving detail contrast, making skin tones silky-smooth without loss of sharpness in the image.

• Other New Effects include Charcoal Sketch, Pencil Sketch, Water Color, Cartoon Look, a Swish Pan transition filter, and DV Fixer for removal of jaggies from an image clip.

• Significant Performance Gains. Every BCC 6 AVX for DS filter is either OpenGL-based or multiprocessor-accelerated for ultimate rendering speed.

BCC 6 AVX for Avid DS is immediately available for an MSRP $2,495 USD. Owners of previous versions of BCC AVX for DS may upgrade for an MSRP of $599 USD. BCC 6 AVX for DS is based on Avid’s AVX 1 plug-in architecture. An AVX 2 version will be released as a free update for BCC 6 AVX for DS users as soon as AVX 2 support becomes available in Avid DS. A fully-functioning 14-day Trial Version may be downloaded at www.borisfx.com.

Bluefish444 Epoch 2K Horizon and Create 2K Base Now Available

2009-07-05T11:10:00.008-04:00

Epoch Video Cards
Epoch video cards are Bluefish444's next-generation, flagship HD and true 2K resolution capture and playback solutions. The dual link, multi-channel Epoch 2K range offers the best way to bring true film quality to the desktop and is the perfect choice for the demanding DI market.

Epoch Product Family Brochure

Epoch 2K Horizon ($3,695 USD) and Epoch Horizon ($2,495 USD) are available now. Other Epoch video cards will be available later in Q3 2009.

Create Video Cards
Create video cards cater perfectly to the specific needs of modern video and graphics artists in post-production and broadcast graphics. Small or large! Whether you're in editing/compositing/animation, film production, or corporate or event videography, creating at the highest quality is within reach!

Create Product Family Brochure

Create 2K Base is available now for $1,795 USD. Create 2K Base includes all Create 2K features except for hardware scaling and DVI/HDMI preview. Other Create cards will be available later in Q3 2009.

Compare Epoch 2K Horizon, Epoch Horizon, and Create 2K Base

Supported Applications
Bluefish444 Symmetry
Adobe CS4 (Windows)
Apple Final Cut Studio 2
Assimilate SCRATCH
Autodesk Combustion
Autodesk 3ds Max
Eyeon Fusion

Reseller Pricing
Please contact a Bluefish444 distribution partner for reseller pricing:

North America
JB&A Distribution
1.415.256.2800
sales@jbanda.com

Latin America
Techexport
Patty Grasso
+1.781.685.5009
pgrasso@techexport.com

Boris Continuum Complete 6 AVX Now Available

2009-06-22T15:41:00.004-04:00

Boris FX announced that Boris Continuum Complete 6 AVX (BCC 6 AVX) for Avid editing and finishing systems is now available. BCC 6 AVX is based on Avid's AVX 2 plug-in architecture with support for Avid Media Composer, Avid NewsCutter and Avid Symphony. A special AVX 1 version of BCC 6 AVX for Avid DS will be released in the near future.

BCC 6 AVX adds nearly 200 plug-in filters to Avid editing and finishing systems. The new release features 15 new effects including Extruded Text, Extruded EPS, Layer Deformer, Cartoon Look, Lightning, and Swish Pan. In addition, BCC 6 AVX delivers unique workflow enhancements such as the ability to animate BCC filters in Adobe After Effects and transfer the animation to the Avid timeline - while preserving After Effects keyframes.

"BCC 6 AVX shows our strong commitment to Avid plug-in development. We are thrilled to bring OpenGL-accelerated 3D filters to Avid editors via Avid's AVX real-time plug-in architecture," commented Boris Yamnitsky, president and founder, Boris FX. "With BCC 6 AVX, Avid editors can edit extruded text, warp 2D layers in 3D space, and import and extrude EPS files within Avid's native editing interface - without needing to render in another application. In addition, for the first time, Avid editors can animate BCC filters in Adobe After Effects and transfer the animation to the Avid timeline while preserving After Effects keyframes."

More Information

Boris Continuum Complete 6 AVX supports Avid Media Composer, Avid NewsCutter, and Avid Symphony and is available immediately for an MSRP of $1,995 USD. Owners of previous versions of Boris Continuum Complete AVX may upgrade for an MSRP or $599 USD. A 14-day trial version is available for free download from www.borisfx.com.

Boris FX Announces New Boris Continuum Unit: 3D Objects

2009-06-01T18:41:00.002-04:00

The Boris Continuum 3D Objects Unit includes the following filters from Boris Continuum Complete 6:

• Extruded Text - OpenGL-accelerated 3D text generator with built-in 3D shatters and a warp deformer.
• Extruded EPS - provides an easy way to import and extrude saved logos or graphics in EPS format.
• Type-On Text - animate 3D extruded text in true 3D space in a type-on or type-off fashion.
• Extruded Spline - create 3D extruded objects with bevels and spline-based extrusion profiles.
• Layer Deformer - warp any 2D layer in 3D space with built-in 3D shatters and bend deformers.

Boris Continuum 3D Objects supports Adobe After Effects, Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple Motion, and Apple Final Cut Express. The 3D Objects Unit is the latest addition to previously-released Boris Continuum Units: Chroma Key, Pan and Zoom, UpRez, Motion Key, Lens Flare, Film Look, Glitters, Optical Stabilizer, and Light Rays.

Boris Continuum 3D Objects is immediately available for an MSRP of $399 USD. Customers who purchase the Boris Continuum 3D Objects Unit or any other Boris Continuum Unit may credit the price of the Unit towards the full Boris Continuum Complete plug-in suite.

Boris Continuum Complete 6 FxPlug Now Available

2009-05-26T08:46:00.006-04:00

Boris Continuum Complete 6 FxPlug brings over 200 filters to Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple Motion, and Apple Final Cut Express. In addition to new features included with the recently-released Boris Continuum Complete 6 AE for Adobe - such as Extruded Text, Extruded EPS, Extruded Splines, and Extruded Shapes - BCC 6 FxPlug takes advantage of Apple FxPlug's real-time architecture for simultaneous live previews of dozens of preset transitions, glows, and color and film look effects in a newly-designed effects browser window.

New features include:

• 28 New Filters ranging from realistic 3D vector graphics extrusions to organic 3D deformers to painting and image restoration. The new 3D Objects category includes Extruded Text, Extruded EPS, Extruded Spline, Type-On Text, and Layer Deformer. New image restoration filters include DV Fixer, Smooth Tone, and Pixel Fixer. New image painting filters consist of Charcoal Sketch, Pencil Sketch, Water Color, and Cartoon Look. New OpenGL filters include Lightning and Tile Mosaic. A new Swish Pan transition filter is also included.

Learn More

• New Shader Technology. BCC 6 FxPlug takes advantage of Apple FxPlug's real-time architecture for simultaneous live previews of preset transitions, glows, and color and film look effects in a newly-designed effects browser window. Shaders include Chroma Key Studio with built-in Matte Choker and Light Wrap, a 3D Perspective filter with a Floor Reflection feature, MultiTone, Film Effect with built-in grain management, Glow Edge, Luma Rays, 3D Pull Swap, 3D Spin Flip, Dissolve Glow, Dissolve Luma Mask, and Dissolve Rays.

• Custom Presets in XML Format. Save and re-use every parameter in every BCC filter - even across host applications and platforms. Presets are now saved in XML format so that they can be viewed and edited by any XML-compliant text editor. BCC 6 FxPlug includes over 1500 factory-installed presets.

• Single-Click Custom Preset Navigation Tool for easy browsing of presets without opening a pop-up window. Presets are immediately applied and the host preview window is automatically updated to reflect the selected preset. Over 1500 factory-installed, user-modifiable presets are included.

• Built-In Motion Tracker Enhancements are found in almost every filter in the set. You may now save motion tracker data from one BCC filter and load the saved data in another BCC filter.

• Significant Performance Gains. Every BCC 6 FxPlug filter is either OpenGL-based or multiprocessor-accelerated for ultimate rendering speed on modern computing and graphics platforms.

Boris Continuum Complete 6 FxPlug is available for an MSRP of $995 USD. Owners of previous versions of Boris Continuum Complete FxPlug may upgrade for an MSRP or $295 USD. A 14-day trial version is available for free download from www.borisfx.com. Customers who purchased BCC 5 FxPlug since February 5, 2009 are eligible to receive a free upgrade to BCC 6 FxPlug.

Sony Creative Software Includes ShuttlePRO and ShuttleXpress Settings with Vegas Pro 9

2009-05-19T18:44:00.003-04:00

New Settings for Professional Video, Audio, and Blu-ray Disc Creation

Contour Design announced that updated ShuttlePRO V.2, ShuttlePRO, and ShuttleXpress settings are included with Sony Creative Software's Vegas Pro 9 release.

The new settings give Vegas Pro 9 editors the ability to:

• Move left and right through the timeline by marker or by grid
• Enter or Exit Event Edge Mode
• Select Left and Right Event Edges
• Deselect All
• Preview Edit
• Mark In and Out points
• Control Play/Pause and Play/Stop
• Zoom in and out of the timeline

ShuttlePRO V.2, ShuttlePRO, and ShuttleXpress settings are also available for ACID Pro, ACID Music Studio, Sound Forge, Sound Forge Audio Studio, Cinescore, and CD Architect.

The Perfect Tool for Every Application
ShuttlePRO V.2 is designed for ergonomic integrity and maximum productivity, allowing one-handed access to 15 fully-programmable buttons, a jog knob, and a spring loaded shuttle wheel. At the head of the ShuttlePRO are nine programmable buttons complete with crystal clear removable keycaps for intuitive labeling and ease of reference. The inner ring or 'jog knob' at the center of the ShuttlePRO rotates a full 360° to provide precise frame-by-frame control while the outer black ring or rubberized 'shuttle wheel' facilitates fast forward and rewind. In addition, the jog and shuttle can also be configured for many other purposes including scrolling, volume control, and sequencing.

Modeled after the award-winning ShuttlePRO, the ShuttleXpress offers a professional multimedia controller at an attractive price. Packed with five oversized buttons, a jog knob, and a shuttle wheel, the ShuttleXpress is a full multimedia control surface in a compact design. Use it alone or simultaneously with a ShuttlePRO for enhanced cooperative control.

Availability
The new Sony Vegas Pro 9 settings are included with all packaged and download purchases of Vegas Pro 9. ShuttlePRO V.2 and ShuttleXpress are available for MSRPs of $109.95 USD and $59.95 USD, respectively.

Digital Kitchen Standardizes on Boris Continuum Complete

2009-04-28T22:07:00.004-04:00

Award-Winning Creative Agency Chooses BCC for Adobe After Effects

Digital Kitchen is a creative agency that focuses on film production, experiential design, motion graphics, brand identity, and interactive work for marketing and entertainment. With studios in New York, Chicago, Seattle, and Los Angeles, Digital Kitchen has created experiential campaigns for Target and Microsoft, broadcast spots for hundreds of leading brands, interactive work for AT&T, Budweiser, and Mercedes, the Emmy Award-winning main titles for "Dexter" and "Six Feet Under", a series of manga comic books for Nike, and the live show content for The 2008 Webby Awards.

To give its artists a wide range of tools and plug-ins in one unified visual effects suite, Digital Kitchen recently standardized on Boris Continuum Complete AE for Adobe After Effects, investing in 65 licenses including 20 render-only licenses. Instead of constantly digging and searching for the right plug-in, Digital Kitchen artists turn to one of BCC AE's nearly 200 filters for fast, easy, and visually-striking effects. Using BCC AE as a one-stop shop for visual effects has resulted in increased creativity and productivity.

Read the Story

EditShare and Automatic Duck Team Up to Simplify, Streamline Shared Workflows Between Avid and Apple Final Cut Pro

2009-04-21T18:16:00.009-04:00

Instant, automated file format and sequence translation enables Final Cut Pro and Avid editors to share same media, with timelines intact, from a single storage space

EditShare announced that it has partnered with Automatic Duck to solve a critical workflow productivity issue for postproduction facilities and editing workgroups that want to collaborate on shared media files across disparate editing platforms. EditShare's unique Universal Media File technology - a core feature of the Flow product line - allows a single media file to be used simultaneously by Apple and Avid editors. Automatic Duck's Pro Import FCP and Pro Export FCP allow editors to translate bi-directionally between Avid and Final Cut Pro sequences. Now EditShare and Automatic Duck have joined forces to create a special version of Automatic Duck that understands EditShare's Universal Media Files and that knows how to retrieve information from the Flow database.

As a result of this technology partnership, for the first time it becomes possible for editors in a mixed Avid and Final Cut Pro environment to seamlessly switch back and forth between the two applications, using a common pool of media files, with entire timelines intact. This development eliminates the time-intensive, productivity-draining process of exporting, re-linking, re-connecting, transcoding and re-importing media - a workflow typical in multi-platform, collaborative environments. This is a tremendous time-saver, enhancing overall collaboration. The newly integrated solution will be demonstrated at NAB 2009 (April 20 to 23 in Las Vegas, NV) on the EditShare stand (SL6420).

"Many facilities feel they have to choose which editing application they go with - typically Final Cut Pro or Avid. This limits the talent pool because editors are usually aligned with one application versus another. The new Automatic Duck and EditShare integration means that organizations can build mixed application environments without having to make a painful choice," explains Andy Liebman, President and founder of EditShare "Under the new workflow, an assistant editor can log projects on Final Cut Pro while the senior editor works on Avid - or vice versa. You can truly use the editing application you want to and share the very same media files".

"There's a simple reality facing editors - editing applications don't talk to each other, and we created Automatic Duck to solve that issue," added Wes Plate, president of Automatic Duck. "EditShare was founded on a similar premise: there was no easy way for editors in a workgroup to share media files. Partnering with EditShare on this initiative enables us to build on our original vision, taking the notion of simplifying workflows between applications and extending that value to the collaborative, shared media workgroup environment."

EditShare Adds ASSIMILATE to List of DI Workflow Partners

2009-04-18T09:23:00.003-04:00

EditShare has announced a technology partnership with ASSIMILATE, a leading developer of high-resolution and stereoscopic applications for the DI market. The new development combines EditShare's XStream shared storage solutions with ASSIMILATE's SCRATCH Digital Process Solution, enabling real-time DPX and RED 4K workflows across DI and non-DI post-production equipment. This new integration offers EditShare's highly-popular Project Sharing with unmatchable real-time performance to SCRATCH artists.

The newly integrated solution will be demonstrated at NAB 2009 (April 20 to 23 in Las Vegas, NV) at EditShare Booth SL6420.

"For many years, EditShare has been at the forefront of Network Attached Storage solutions for popular post-production tools from Adobe, Apple, Avid and more. With the introduction of digital cameras such as the RED ONE Digital 4K Camera providing stunning performance, there is now a significant move toward DI workflows. EditShare XStream is a key component in enabling DI production pipelines to be fully integrated and tapeless from acquisition to finishing," comments Andy Liebman, CEO and founder, EditShare. "EditShare guarantees real-time performance and image quality while facilitating cross-workflow media sharing with non-DI applications and systems, freeing facilities from bringing work into digital and putting it back to tape."

EditShare XStream allows an entire facility to be connected, from ingest to delivery of the final cut. EditShare is agnostic to any specific manufacturer so EditShare XStream has been engineered to work seamlessly with any application supporting Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet. EditShare XStream takes advantage of PCIe infrastructure to combine high data rate streams such as DPX with a large number of simultaneous video streams and almost limitless storage capability.

"SCRATCH includes a rich tool set of cost-effective real-time post tools - conform, construct, color grading, and finishing - which have made it a key enabler in the migration to digital intermediate pipelines by post production houses for many years now. While SCRATCH is resolution independent, it's ideal for tapeless workflows at digital 2K and 4K," says Jeff Edson, CEO, ASSIMILATE. "Combined with EditShare XStream storage, users will experience a seamless, extremely efficient workflow that can greatly increase productivity."

ION Media Networks Adds EditShare XStream Technology

2009-04-17T18:56:00.007-04:00

ION Media Networks has expanded its EditShare shared media storage with the deployment of two new EditShare XStream high-performance systems. The XStream units with a total of 64TB of storage support the HD production by the ION Creative Services team. Utilizing content creation tools from Avid, Apple and Maya, the Creative Services professionals produce on-air promotions, graphics and branding for all of ION's company-owned stations and networks from their West Palm Beach, Florida facility.

"With our move to HD, we upgraded all our editing systems and we looked to the EditShare XStream because it gives us the high performance to support the intensity of an all-HD workflow with unlimited expandability," says Robert Cummings, Director of Engineering for ION. "We've had great experience with our other EditShare servers. The ability to share media with EditShare really brings efficiency and organization. To handle the HD workflow, speed and scalability were the big drivers for bringing in the XStreams."

"XStream is specifically designed for the most extreme and demanding media sharing workflows, handling high volumes of simultaneous users as well as very large numbers of video streams," says Andy Liebman, CEO of EditShare. "We've incorporated the latest technologies including PCIe connectivity between the XStream chassis and faster drives to provide extremely efficient use of bandwidth and maximum performance. And to grow the system, it's quite simple and affordable to connect another chassis full of drives."

ION elected to configure the two EditShare XStream systems with one 32TB system acting as primary storage handling only HD content and the second 32TB system operating as a backup with automated, scheduled synchronizations. The EditShare storage servers which were installed in late 2006 and 2007 are still being used to handle SD production work for some older television series which are only available in SD, as well as for web content, audio and graphics. EditShare's Extreme Scalable Architecture (ESA) allows multiple EditShare servers to operate on a single network. ESA makes the process transparent for editors who simply work on designated media spaces. System administration is simplified with smart management tools that can be used from any workstation to manage across systems.

NAB Special: Save $600 on the Boris Motion Graphics Pack

2009-04-16T11:39:00.006-04:00

Boris Motion Graphics Pack is on sale for $995 USD through April 24th

Boris Motion Graphics Pack is a bundle of Boris Red, Boris Continuum Complete, and Final Effects Complete. The Motion Graphics Pack takes the place of multiple plug-ins, while also offering features that no other plug-in offers. Meet tight production schedules. Create dynamic titles, composites, effects and vector graphics inside your editing system. Take advantage of cutting edge support for OpenGL hardware acceleration, the perfect combination of efficiency and speed. If you need effects for your NLE, build them inside your NLE. No tedious cycle of exports and imports, no media management issues, and no format hassles.

Boris Motion Graphics Pack for Adobe CS4 or Apple Pro Video Applications is on sale for $995 USD (regularly $1595 USD) through Friday, April 24th.

Please contact us for more information.

Contour Design Releases ShuttlePRO and ShuttleXpress Settings for Adobe Creative Suite 4, Apple Final Cut Studio 2, and Avid Liquid 7

2009-04-15T08:31:00.012-04:00

All-New Settings for Adobe Encore, Adobe Soundbooth, Apple Color, Apple DVD Studio Pro, Apple Motion, and Apple Soundtrack Pro

Contour Design has released new ShuttlePRO and ShuttleXpress drivers with optimized settings for Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium, Apple Final Cut Studio 2, and Avid Liquid 7. The driver includes new settings for the following video editing, audio editing, and graphics applications:

• Adobe After Effects CS3 & CS4
• Adobe Encore CS3 & CS4
• Adobe Flash CS3 & CS4
• Adobe Illustrator CS3 & CS4
• Adobe Photoshop CS3 & CS4
• Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 & CS4
• Adobe Soundbooth CS3 & CS4
• Apple Color
• Apple DVD Studio Pro 4
• Apple Final Cut Pro 6
• Apple Motion 3
• Apple Soundtrack Pro 2
• Avid Liquid 7

ShuttlePRO V.2 is designed for ergonomic integrity and maximum productivity, allowing one-handed access to 15 fully-programmable buttons, a jog knob, and a spring loaded shuttle wheel. At the head of the ShuttlePRO are nine programmable buttons complete with crystal clear removable keycaps for intuitive labeling and ease of reference. The inner ring or 'jog knob' at the center of the ShuttlePRO rotates a full 360° to provide precise frame-by-frame control while the outer black ring or rubberized 'shuttle wheel' facilitates fast forward and rewind. In addition, the jog and shuttle can be configured for many other purposes including scrolling, volume control, and sequencing.

Modeled after the award-winning ShuttlePRO, the ShuttleXpress offers a professional multimedia controller at an attractive price. Packed with five oversized buttons, a jog knob, and a shuttle wheel, the ShuttleXpress is a full multimedia control surface in a compact design. Use it alone or simultaneously with a ShuttlePRO for enhanced cooperative control.

The new driver is available at www.contourdesign.com. ShuttlePRO V.2 and ShuttleXpress are available for $109.95 USD and $59.95 USD, respectively.

Please contact us for more information.

Boris FX at NAB 2009: New Boris Continuum Complete 6 Product Line

2009-04-14T08:10:00.004-04:00

Boris FX will demonstrate the new Boris Continuum Complete (BCC) Version 6 visual effects suite of plug-ins at NAB Booth SL5320.

Boris Continuum Complete is a widely-adopted, industry-standard visual effects suite with site-wide installations at Turner Studios, CNN, BSkyB, MTV Networks, Digital Kitchen, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, and many other broadcast and post-production facilities throughout the world. Avid includes BCC AVX with every new Avid Media Composer and Avid Symphony video editing system. Fishbowl Films, a Los Angeles-based trailer house, recently used BCC 6 AE to create graphics for the 2009 Academy Awards television show.

Boris Continuum Complete 6 brings nearly 200 filters to leading video editing and compositing applications on Macintosh and Windows. This new release features 13 new filters including Extruded Text, Extruded Spline, Type-On Text, Layer Deformer, Smooth Tone, DV Fixer, and Pixel Fixer. In addition, BCC 6 delivers unique workflow enhancements such as saving and loading of XML-based animated presets and a single-click custom preset navigation tool.

The Boris Continuum Complete 6 product line consists of:

• BCC 6 AE for Adobe CS4 and Adobe CS3
• BCC 6 AVX for Avid editing and finishing systems
• BCC 6 FxPlug for Apple Final Cut Studio and Apple Final Cut Express

BCC 6 AE is available now for an MSRP of $995 USD. BCC 6 AVX and BCC 6 FxPlug will be demonstrated for the first time at NAB 2009. Customers who purchase BCC 5 FxPlug or BCC 5 AVX now will receive a free upgrade to Version 6 when it is available.

Please contact us to schedule an appointment at NAB.

EditShare at NAB 2009: New Feature Highlights

2009-04-13T17:16:00.010-04:00

EditShare Flow Version 1.2
• Scans Media Spaces locating media that was not originally ingested through Flow, moves it into the Flow database, and generates video proxy thumbnails and tracking metadata.

• Supports up to 8 channels of audio per video ingest.

• Expands codec support to include DVCPRO HD and other HD formats enabling more users to take advantage of EditShare's Universal Media File technology.

EditShare Flow

EditShare Storage Series and XStream Series Version 5.5
• EditShare Project Sharing: New enhancements make managing project bins easier than ever for Apple and Avid editing systems.

• Advanced Rights Management: EditShare Storage and XStream Series servers can now query an Active Directory server for user passwords.

• New Playout Integration: Automates migration of files to third-party broadcast servers for playout.

• EditShare XStream: Servers can now scale to 128 drives and beyond.

• EditShare XStream: New DI workflows with a number of industry-leading applications including Nucoda (Digital Vision) and Bones.

EditShare Storage Series or EditShare XStream Series

EditShare Ark Version 1.0
EditShare Ark is scheduled to ship in Q2 2009. Feature highlights include:

• Backup and archive EditShare Shared Project Spaces

• Backup and archive to disk and Quantum LTO tape libraries.

• Restore from disk or tape library back to EditShare Media Spaces.

• Comprehensive backup management features for automating backup and syncs.

EditShare Ark

EditShare Channel Partner Meeting at NAB 2009
EditShare's Worldwide Channel Partner Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, April 19th at 10:00am. Please contact us for details.

NAB Sneak Peak: New Bluefish444 2K/HD/SD 3G SDI Video Cards

2009-04-09T08:05:00.016-04:00

At NAB 2009, Bluefish444 will announce its new cross-platform Create family of 2K/HD/SD 3G SDI uncompressed video cards. This extremely high-quality range of cost-effective PCI Express cards will support Apple Final Cut Studio 2, Adobe Creative Suite 4, Autodesk Combustion and 3ds Max, and Eyeon Fusion. Symmetry, Bluefish444's acquisition, preview and playout software for Windows, will also be included with each Create card.

What differentiates Create video cards from alternative solutions is on-board 12-bit video processing and Sinc(x) hardware scaling that combine to enable real-time format conversion at amazing quality. The 12-bit video processing used throughout the Create cards offers four times the quality of traditional 10-bit pixel depth video processing. This allows for very high-quality color space conversion that is essential for compositors and animators. The hardware-based 25 X 25 tap Sinc(x) scaling algorithm provides for 1/128th sub-pixel scaling accuracy. This scaling algorithm combined with the 12-bit processing enables Create's scaling module to up, down and cross convert between 2K, HD and SD video resolutions in real-time at the highest quality.

The Create family of video cards includes:

Create HD for HD/SD 4:2:2 workflows - $1,795 USD SRP
Create HD is for uncompressed HD/SD digital content creation. It is ideal for connecting digital VTRs, cameras and monitors working in either HD or SD SDI.

Create HD allows for hardware-based, real-time up, down or cross-conversion during capture or playback. The same hardware-based scaler accelerates real time effects within supported NLE applications. Additionally, dual SDI outputs allow for original and converted signals to be output simultaneously.

Create 2K for file-based DI 4:4:4 & 4:2:2 workflows - $2,995 USD SRP
Create 2K is targeted at the file-based workflow of independent filmmaking. Ingested files are edited and previewed within Adobe CS4 or Apple Final Cut Studio as part of an offline workflow. The offline project can then be used to reconform color corrected material and master to SD, HD or 2K resolutions in either single or dual link output modes.

Create 2K has 3 X 1D LUTs on all outputs allowing for calibration of the display device and log/linear conversion.

Create 2K's DVI/HDMI preview output includes a high-quality, hardware-based scaler. The scaler converts the selected input or output to the LCD / Plasma's native resolution and frame rate, bypassing the lower-quality internal scaler of the LCD / Plasma. This provides for low-cost and flexible monitoring within the workflow as a wide range of TFT, Plasma and projectors can be used.

Create 2K incorporates the Create HD feature set and builds upon it by offering dual link output and high-quality DVI / HDMI preview output.

Create 2K Ultra for DI dual link 4:4:4 I/O workflows - $3,495 USD SRP
Create 2K Ultra is aimed at 4:4:4 I/O digital intermediary workflows. Bluefish444 has built its reputation on RGB workflows and Create 2K Ultra brings together Bluefish444's 10 years of expertise in a cost-effective product tightly integrated with Symmetry for Windows DI acquisition, preview and playout.

Create 2K Ultra incorporates the Create HD and Create 2K feature sets and builds upon them by also offering dual link input.

Common Features for all Create Video Cards
The 4-lane PCIe Create products all share a common set of features that meet the demanding requirement of today's uncompressed DCC workflow:

• 8/10/12-bit 3G SDI I/O
• 16 channels of embedded audio
• RP 188 timecode
• 6 channels of AES/EBU balanced digital audio I/O for 5.1 surround sound
• 8 channels of AES/ID3 unbalanced digital audio I/O for 7.1 surround sound
• 2 channels of analog audio unbalanced RCA output
• RS422 deck control
• 3 X 1D LUTs
• 3:2 pulldown
• Audio sample rate converters
• Genlock
• Internal keyer
• Safe title and letterbox generator

See Bluefish444 at NAB - Booth SL7626
The Create range of video cards will be available in the 2nd quarter of 2009. Attending NAB? Please contact us to set up an appointment to discuss this exciting new range of 2K/HD/SD 3G SDI video cards.

Making the Transitions to HD with Media 100

2009-03-31T14:47:00.003-04:00

Everyone was talking HD to Creative COW's Nick Griffin. Everyone that is except his clients... until the latter part of last year. With Media 100 Version 13, making the transition from a Standard to a High Definition shop was far simpler than he'd ever imagined. In this article, Nick describes the transition.

Read the Article

Digital Arts Reviews Boris Continuum Complete 6 AE

2009-03-03T14:02:00.003-05:00

Neil Bennett recently took a look at BCC 6 AE for Digital Arts. BCC 6 AE garnered 4.5 out of 5 stars and received Digital Arts' Best Buy distinction.

Here are a few excerpts from the review:

"BCC 6 is a powerful collection of plug-ins that most motion graphics artists and editors will want, especially for the new 3D Objects filters."

"Where Extruded Text really shines - literally - is in its integration with the rest of AE's 3D workspace. The text interacts with lights and cameras, casting shadows if necessary, and you can use other layers to create reflection maps (for added realism) or texture maps (for 'on-text' video)."

Read the complete review

Media 100 Delivers Creative Efficiencies for MonsterQuest

2009-02-24T10:49:00.002-05:00

"I have used Media 100 faithfully for 18 years now. It's like a box of sharp pencils for my video 'art creations'. Media 100 has helped my career grow and prosper as a successful producer of National TV programming. It allows for creative efficiencies in editing like no other system."
- Doug Hajicek, series creator of MonsterQuest, Whitewolf Entertainment

"I like the fact that Media 100 was designed from the ground up as an online solution with built-in, razor-sharp editorial efficiencies. I don't have enough hours in the day to use a system that doesn't operate at my speed or in my work style. I guess that is why you could call me a Media 100 zealot."
- Dan Nyberg, Founder, Electric Picture Company

Read the story

EditShare Sees Global Expansion in Education Market

2009-02-22T18:32:00.005-05:00

From media labs to broadcast sports, EditShare Shared Storage solutions improve collaboration and stretch dollars for colleges and universities

EditShare has announced several recent sales to educational institutions, greatly expanding the company's roster of academic customers. Many schools have paralleled the industry's move to EditShare Complete Collaboration products, which are designed to maximize media sharing and storage for multi-user editing environments. The recent purchases are especially noteworthy at a time when academic budgets are severely strained. EditShare offers state-of-the art technology at a cost-effective price, ensuring that educational facilities provide superior technology to students and in-house production units while respecting budgetary restraints.

Recent educational sales in the US include new systems purchased by University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Oregon State University, University of Central Florida, Baylor University, Harvard University, Florida State University (FSU), Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), the US Army War College, University of Texas at Austin and University of North Texas. Recent sales in Europe include Glasgow Cal College (UK), University of Bolton (UK), Napier College (UK), Sapir Academic College (Israel), Yizrael College (Israel), E-Universidad (Spain) and European Film College (Denmark). In EditShare's Asia Pacific region, large EditShare systems have recently been purchased by University of Technology (Sydney), Deakin University (Melbourne) and the Victoria College of Arts at Melbourne University.

In academic settings, EditShare systems are used in media training labs, distance learning scenarios as well as in-house, professional video production facilities. Designed for the industry's leading editing and compositing products from Avid, Apple, Adobe, Autodesk, Digidesign, Media 100 and Sony, EditShare storage servers allow all connected workstations to capture, access and share in real time a common pool of media files. Regardless of application or platform, source material, work in progress and finished packages are shared and instantly available to all users on the EditShare network.

XStream Series tackles high demand scenarios
The University of North Texas (UNT) recently purchased a 32TB EditShare XStream which is specifically designed for the most extreme and demanding media sharing workflows, handling high volumes of simultaneous users as well as very large numbers of video streams.

"We needed a system that could handle all of our users and all of our editing environments - Avid, Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro systems," says Mark Dobson, Media Services Coordinator at UNT. "EditShare XStream gives us that flexibility and ensures that we can meet high-capacity demands. That's all the more important as we expand the editing lab and transition our workstations from SD to HD."

In media lab and classroom settings, EditShare servers act as the media hub, centralizing media so students in various edit suites can simultaneously access video, graphics and other multimedia assets. Tutorial media can be placed in shared workspaces with built-in protections to secure an individual student's work from accidental override or deletion. Instructors can review work-in-progress as well as completed assignments with complete security.

EditShare Flow enhances workflows
Many colleges, like West Virginia University (WVU) and Florida State University, have recently expanded their EditShare systems to meet the growing needs of their busy broadcast and production operations which cover high-profile athletic events as well as news, lectures and other campus activities. WVU has also purchased FLOW, one of the newest products in EditShare's Complete Collaboration product line-up.

* FLOW Ingest captures up to four channels of media and associated metadata, storing each channel in up to three formats simultaneously and outputting a proxy for fast retrieval. No background transcoding is required and files are available immediately for editing. EditShare's unique Universal Media File allows ingested media to be shared and used by editors working on both Avid and Apple editing applications.

* FLOW Browse simplifies media cataloging, search and retrieval within EditShare shared storage environments. Users can quickly locate media among hundreds of thousands of clips on the EditShare media spaces. From Flow Browse, users can update metadata, log clips, and drag and drop media to Avid and FCP bins.

About EditShare Complete Collaboration
The EditShare Complete Collaboration line of products provides shared workflows throughout the media workflow - from ingest through production to archive. FLOW Ingest and Browse are fully integrated with EditShare's Storage Series as well as the ultra-performance XStream Series for high volume, high-demand environments. EditShare Ark provides a range of disk-based solutions for backup, mirroring and archiving needs.

Pro Editing @ Home Reviews Boris Continuum Complete 6 AE

2009-02-19T17:18:00.003-05:00

"Looking ahead, I can see BCC 6 being on people's 'Top 10 of 2009' list, as Boris has taken the one problem with After Effects (not 'real 3D'), and has given us real 3D text with complete camera and lighting support, and has taken something that works exceptionally well in Boris Blue, Deformers, and added those as well. These, combined with all of the other great effects in the package, make it something that shouldn't be overlooked."

Read the complete review

MacVideo Interview with EditShare Founder and CEO Andy Liebman

2009-02-18T12:54:00.007-05:00

In a new MacVideo interview, Andy Liebman explains how EditShare technology is being used to bring key workflows to Apple Final Cut Pro which, until now, have previously only been found in top-end Avid systems.

Watch the Interview

Limited Time Offer: Save Over 60% on Final Effects Complete 5 FxPlug

2009-02-11T18:31:00.003-05:00

Final Effects Complete 5 FxPlug is a set of 100+ visual effects filters re-designed for Apple's FxPlug plug-in architecture, providing seamless integration with Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Express, and Motion. FEC 5 FxPlug adds support for 16 bit-color processing and takes full advantage of FxPlug for a big performance boost including unlimited RT filters and native Final Cut Pro transitions. The same FEC filters are recognized by Motion and run within Motion's accelerated GPU environment for improved compatibility and flexible workflow.

One of the first plug-in packages released for Adobe After Effects, the heart of Final Effects Complete is its ability to generate full-featured 2D and 3D particle animations including ball action, explosions, distortions, jet trails, hair, liquid mercury distortions, spotlights, and color transitions.

Through February 20th, Final Effects Complete 5 FxPlug is on sale for $295 USD. The regular price is $895 USD. Please contact us for more information.

New Release: Boris Continuum Complete 6 AE Now Available

2009-02-04T21:08:00.005-05:00

Extruded Text, 13 New Filters, Support for AE's Camera & Lighting System

Boris Continuum Complete 6 AE (BCC 6 AE) brings nearly 200 filters to Macintosh and Windows versions of Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro. The new release features 13 new filters including Extruded Text, Extruded Spline, Type-On Text, Layer Deformer, Smooth Tone, DV Fixer, and Pixel Fixer. In addition, BCC 6 AE delivers unique workflow enhancements such as support for After Effects' Camera and Lighting System, the ability to import After Effects mask paths into BCC 6 AE filters, saving and loading of XML-based animated presets, a single-click custom preset navigation tool, and motion tracking data import and export in an industry-standard format.

"BCC 6 AE is a giant leap forward in 3D," commented Boris Yamnitsky, president and founder, Boris FX. "We harnessed the power of modern graphics cards to deliver a true 3D experience for editors and compositors while integrating with Adobe applications tighter than ever before."

"The beauty of BCC 6 AE's new 3D text and spline filters is that I can now create and fine-tune 3D objects within After Effects - at the same time as I'm working with other BCC 6 filters like rays, particles, generators, and distortions," commented Larry Andersen of Spot Editorial in Boston, MA. "I also appreciate the 3D filters' thoroughness - built-in textures, character animation, camera, and lights make for very powerful yet easy-to-use tools."

New BCC 6 AE Feature Highlights

* 13 New Filters ranging from realistic 3D vector graphics extrusions to organic 3D deformers to painting and image restoration. The new 3D Objects category includes Extruded Text, Extruded Spline, Type-On Text, and Layer Deformer. New image restoration filters include DV Fixer, Smooth Tone, and Pixel Fixer. New image painting filters consist of Charcoal Sketch, Pencil Sketch, Water Color, and Cartoon Look. New OpenGL filters include Lightning and Tile Mosaic. Learn More

* Support for AE's Camera and Lighting System. Many BCC filters - including Extruded Text, Type-On Text, and Extruded Spline - are now integrated with AE's camera and lighting system for easy, intuitive setup using AE's native tools and controls.

* Import AE Mask Paths into Boris Continuum Complete Filters. From 3D text on a path to custom bevel profiles and extruded spline objects, AE masks can now be used to control the geometry of BCC 6 AE filters. Now there is no need to learn a custom user interface or switch to a different application to adjust spline shapes. Users may take advantage of AE's familiar mask tools for all custom spline work. Additionally, all BCC 6 AE filters feature the ability to load custom AE spline masks into BCC's built-in PixelChooser matte and masking system for ultimate control over the filtered result.

* Custom Animated Presets. This unique feature lets users save and re-use every parameter animation in every BCC filter - even across host applications and platforms. BCC 6 AE includes 1000+ factory-installed animated presets. Animated presets are now saved in an industry-standard XML format so that they can be viewed and edited by any XML-compliant text editor.

* Single-Click Custom Preset Navigation Tool lets users easily browse presets without opening a pop-up box. Both static and animated presets are immediately applied and the host preview window is automatically updated to reflect the selected preset. Over 1500 factory-installed, user-modifiable presets are included with BCC 6 AE.

* Built-In Motion Tracker Enhancements are found in almost every filter. Users may now save motion tracker data from one filter and load the saved data in another filter or in After Effects itself.

* Significant Performance Gains. Every BCC 6 AE filter is either OpenGL-based or multiprocessor-accelerated for ultimate rendering speed on modern computing and graphics platforms.

Pricing and Availability
Boris Continuum Complete 6 AE supports Adobe After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro and is available immediately for an MSRP of $995 USD. Owners of previous versions of Boris Continuum Complete AE may upgrade for an MSRP or $295 USD. A 14-day trial version is available for free download from http://www.borisfx.com/. Customers who purchased BCC 5 AE in 2009 are eligible to receive a free upgrade to BCC 6 AE.

Boris Continuum Complete 6 FxPlug for Apple Final Cut Studio and Apple Final Cut Express and Boris Continuum Complete 6 AVX for Avid editing and finishing systems are scheduled for release later in Q1 2009. Customers who purchase Boris Continuum Complete 5 FxPlug or Boris Continuum Complete 5 AVX as of February 5, 2009 will receive a free upgrade to Version 6.

EditShare Case Study: Greedy Goes Daily with The Electric Playground

2009-01-27T16:25:00.005-05:00

When it comes to video games, Vancouver-based Greedy Productions is ahead of the curve. Greedy founder Victor Lucas is a guru of video gaming. A new multi-year contract with Canada's Rogers TV has catapulted Lucas's weekly TV program "The Electric Playground", which serves up industry news and game reviews, into a daily, half-hour entertainment slot...

Read the Case Study

Avid Editors: Save Over 60% on Final Effects Complete 5 AVX

2009-01-19T20:37:00.003-05:00

Final Effects Complete 5 AVX brings Ball Action, Mr. Mercury, and 100+ other legendary visual effects to Avid editing and finishing systems as an AVX 2.0 plug-in set. Supporting both Windows and Macintosh, Final Effects Complete 5 AVX takes full advantage of AVX 2.0's power and performance. New features in Version 5 include support for 16 bit-color processing, AVX 2.0 real-time filters, native on-screen controls, multi-processor acceleration, a number of new wipe transition filters, and hundreds of factory-installed presets. Learn More

Through Friday, February 6th, Final Effects Complete 5 AVX is on sale for $295 USD. The regular price is $895 USD. Please contact us for more information.