Apple publishes urgently needed FCP X FAQ

Apple has just published the following FAQ for FXP X, in which the company answers previously unanswered questions and commits itself to adding certain missing features. Here they are.

PluralEyes for FCP X: a public statement from the creator Singular Software

The creator of PluralEyes, Singular Software, has received lots of questions about PluralEyes and Final Cut Pro X. There are nine questions, which cover compatibility, availability, policies, and price regarding PluralEyes for FCP X. Here are the answers.

How to pick Mac video editing software after the FCP X launch

After the launch of FCP X 1.0, Mac users can finally analyze which video editing software to choose depending upon key features. Now there is finally a recent version to compare from Adobe (Premiere Pro CS 5.5), Apple (Final Cut Pro X 1.0), and Avid (Media Composer 5.5). Since Apple has ceased to support FCP 7 as of the release of FCP X, the possibility of using FCP 7 under MacOS 10.7 (Lion) is unpredictable. [UPDATE: Apple has stated that FCP7 will run under Lion.] This article will cover three key features which may be critical to your current or upcoming projects: multicam (or the capability of auto syncing clips from multiple cameras, whether or not some of them have stopped recording during the event), full use of a professional i/o interface (like the ones from AJA, Blackmagic, Matrox, or MOTU), and the inboard capability of incorporating and viewing closed captions. Since as of October 2010, closed captions are legally required in the USA even for certain web videos (details ahead in this article), this will be of increasing importance to many editors.

Panasonic AF100 joins forces with Sony encoder for 25p Euro spot in Miami

Recently I was put in charge of the technical workflow for an HD 1080/25p real estate commercial spot to be shot in Miami, Florida, and broadcast in several European countries. I suppose my years of writing articles and giving seminars about 25p workflow in (ex) NTSC countries had something to do with my being chosen. This article covers: why director Rubén Abruña chose the Panasonic AF100 rather than the Sony FS100, the lenses used, how the Sony “Beyond XDCAM-HD” encoder in the nanoFlash recorder achieved a superior 4:2:2 recording, the technical workflow used in the production and post, and even how we were able to display the final 25p spot on the client’s segregated HDTV set (which normally rejects anything 25Hz or 50Hz) without having to convert the signal. You’ll also be able to view and hear all four language versions of the 30-second spot: Castilian, English, French, and Italian.

Untapped features in Sony NXCAM’s new HDMI output

Sony’s latest NXCAM cameras fortunately feature unprecedented new features with their live HDMI outputs, including uncompressed 1080p at 50p or 59.94p, timecode, and even RGB 4:4:4 capabilities as an alternative to the standard YUV 4:2:2 modes. They also offer special pulldown modes for 23.976p (2:3), 25p (2:2), or 29.97p (2:2) (model dependent) with flags to help an external recorder reverse-telecine and recover the original, pure progressive signal. This is great for those of us that —for certain projects— want to record an even better signal than what’s possible inside of the camera with AVCHD. However, today’s external HDMI recorders don’t yet support these new features. This article is about which NXCAM models include these new features, more details about them, and the response from each external recorder manufacturer about the likelihood of supporting these features, either in their current —or future— models. We’ll also explore which new NXCAMs say farewell to 29.97p.

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