Thursday, March 06, 2008

PMW-EX1: XDCAM Transfer 2.5.1 for Mac Released

Adam Wilt | 03/06- 05:07 PM

Fixes clock-mode timecode import bug; qualified for OS X 10.4.11 and higher

Sony has released XDCAM Transfer 2.5.1, software used to import XDCAM clips into QuickTime and Final Cut Pro. This version fixes a bug where PMW-EX1 recordings made with CLOCK-mode free-run timecode were not being properly imported, and it is qualified to run both on OS X 10.4.11 and 10.5.x.

Monday, March 03, 2008

Staggering Mistakes: Reversing Field Order

Chris Meyer | 03/03- 12:23 PM

People are still screwing up field order - on national TV.

The two most-watched cable channels in our household are CNN and Speed (guess who watches which). Speed just started a new game show called “Pass Time” where several of the bumpers as well as in-show inserts exhibit the maddening two steps forward/one step back staggered motion of fields that have been reversed (maybe they thought it was a “look”...). CNN isn’t immune to this either; through the years some of their graphics have also exhibited this reversed-field judder.

This prompted us to upload an updated version of a classic column we wrote on interlacing, field rendering, and separating fields; you can find it here. But like any good motion graphics designer who tries to reverse-engineer any graphic they see on television, this has led us to speculate what might have been at the root of this particular problem.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Sticky: Traveling with batteries, Pro Apps Updaters, etc.

Adam Wilt | 02/24- 04:21 PM

Stuff to watch out for; tips ‘n’ tricks

• FAA rules on lithium battery transport
• Apple Pro Apps - save those updaters!
• PMW-EX1: XDCAM Transfer 2.5.1 for Mac Released; fixes CLOCK-mode timecode import bug.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

New Software From Vara Software

Scott Gentry | 02/20- 07:31 PM

Perhaps the best software you’ve never heard of?

Best may be piling it on too much for certain.  Never heard of it, now that may be likely.  Vara Software has been one of my favorite companies since I first encountered VideoCue.  If you don’t know VideoCue, go to their site right now and download it.  It’s an entire TV studio in an inexpensive package.  In fact, I often use the teleprompter alone when necessary.

Ok, enough love, but they do have a new product that does have me equally excited, and it’s called ScreenFlow.  It gives very good flexibility in creating screencasts, tutorials, etc.  You can use your built-in iSight (Mac only folks) and also bring a window of yourself into the mix where necessary.  I downloaded the demo and created a brief tutorial on a SSD MacBook Air.  Yes, only the 1.8 processor, and the software still worked flawlessly.  Needless to say, I whipped out the plastic and you’ll have a full on demo here shortly. 

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Toolfarm Sales and New Releases

Chris Meyer | 02/17- 10:00 AM

A great deal on Mocha AE, plus other new releases

ToolfarmIs a handy one-stop shop for anyone looking to buy plug-ins for After Effects, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, Shake, Motion, Cinema 4D, Avid, or Autodesk products. They also sell the host applications themselves, upgrades, stock footage, and training. It is worth getting on their mailing list, as they regularly have special offers, plus inform you about product updates.

Below is an example of some of their current deals and promotions (if not visible, click on the “more” link):

Thursday, January 31, 2008

After Effects 8.0.2 and gamma issues

Chris Meyer | 01/31- 04:10 PM

Among numerous enhancements, its color management system has been tweaked.

Adobe has released an 8.0.2 update for After Effects CS3. Its headline new features are support for Mac OS 10.5, as well as for P2 media. There are also the expected array of bug fixes. What’s been getting less press than it deserves is a change in the way it handles color management with respect to QuickTime files.

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