Final Cut Pro 5 at NAB?

[Lacero]

FCP 4.5 was a free upgrade. I'd say it was an update, but it was really more of an upgrade.

 

[ogminlo]

Don't forget about Xsan. FCP needs to be SAN-aware for it to be truly useful in a shared environment. As it stands now, you CAN use FCPHD with Xsan, but there are rules users must follow so as not to crash their clients. Xsan changes the paradigm for how the NLE must operate, and FCPHD5 is the other half of that puzzle.

The Core technologies are obvious with respect to Tiger, but working seamlessly with Xsan is huge for larger post operations (like the one I support).

As far as MPEG-IMX goes, didn't we see Sony's CEO onstage at MacWorld? Didn't we hear about how Apple wants to work with Sony on future media collaborations? That's a good sign...

 

[ASP272]

I think it will be optimized toward the G5, but will continue to run on G4 processors; and some parts will definitely take advantage of 64 bit processing. But the real difference is CoreImage, which depends on the graphics processor. Also, the interface will be updated to look like the other current Pro Applications (like DVD Studio Pro). So, maybe they did a complete rewrite. I wonder if old plugins will be compatible.

How well do you think Tiger will run on the G4? With all the new integrated system features like CoreImage - will a G4 (especially a slow one like one of mine - 450mhz) be able to handle it? My graphics card in that machine is the ATI Rage Pro with only 32mb of ram (AGP 2X) - do you think it will really work with CoreImage? It's a little off the FCP 5 discussion, but I was wondering.

 

[TVGenius]

...require users to spend another 130 on some other product just to use the 1000 program they just paid for.

Or $60 and $300 for us lucky enough to work in education...

 

[Eniregnat]

Fantastic, FCP doesn’t need a makeover, but I would love to see if real-time rendering would be improved. What I would like to see is complete extensibility and integration with Shake and the complete Apple Pro Line. It would also be nice if the next version of FCP could import and convert iMovie files. Right now the conversion can be done with FCE or through rendering, but that’s just stupid. FCP should have some settings so that dropped frames and lost time codes are extrapolated out. It isn’t a pro feature, less that I would guess that some for pay video monkeys must get asked from time to time to import non-rendered iMovie clips into

Side note: Buy camera and then buy FCP, not the other way around. I borrow/rent a camera and purchased FCP. That was dumb, as the software upgrades always seem to add more features.

 

[Rod Rod]

FCP 5 will rock. But Quicktime 7 is the engine that runs it all! The new CODEC is going to just be a KILLER. Look for FCP and AUTOMATOR in TIGER to work together to increase workflow. Imagine setting up an AUTOMATOR task to export your sequence to three, five, seven different sizes and if needed CODECS...you come back and you have all the versions of your masterpiece ready to go to broadcast, web, cd, etc. TIME to PONY up for a new G5 DUALIE 3.0!

Others have mentioned Compressor... let me add Cleaner to that. Cleaner has been capable of doing what you're suggesting for years and years already, long before Compressor came out. Since Cleaner also works hand in hand with QuickTime, all QT codecs automatically show up within Cleaner.

All I am hoping for in FCP5 is native editing support of HDV, so no longer having to transcode to Apple Intermediate Codec.

I'd rather have Apple create a better AIC (AIC2 / AICPro?) because the current AIC introduces artifacts that aren't in the original MPEG2 transport streams. Even better than that would be enabling real-time effects for Photo JPEG 100%.

No disagreement about CoreVideo (and frankly I just can't understand people who claim that cutting edge software shouldn't require the latest OS, they clearly have no idea about development requirements), but QuickTime 7 will be available for other OSes, and probably at similar times.

Why can't Apple make an OS 9 version of FCP5? (just kidding) 😉

 

[virus1]

Good to see another FCP update, but I wonder how the people feel who have to pay for upgrades to this software every few months it seems. 😉 Ah well, that's the price for progress and keeping current! Can't wait to see what kind of goodies this one will have in it...

they release a new fcp about every 2 years... which is also why this rumor is so predictable.

 

[~loserman~]

Don't forget about Xsan. FCP needs to be SAN-aware for it to be truly useful in a shared environment. As it stands now, you CAN use FCPHD with Xsan, but there are rules users must follow so as not to crash their clients. Xsan changes the paradigm for how the NLE must operate, and FCPHD5 is the other half of that puzzle.

The Core technologies are obvious with respect to Tiger, but working seamlessly with Xsan is huge for larger post operations (like the one I support).

As far as MPEG-IMX goes, didn't we see Sony's CEO onstage at MacWorld? Didn't we hear about how Apple wants to work with Sony on future media collaborations? That's a good sign...

Well actually if you sneeze you can crash XSAN.
It has been very very very very unstable for us. We have 8 Xserve raids and are using 8 xsan clients with 1 MDC and one backup MDC all hooked to Qlogic Sanbox 5200's
So far it has been totally unusable

 

[GregA]

I'd like to see some lossless compression for the DV files I'm working with. Surely we could save half the file size. No matter how much hard disk I have I use it 🙂

This would also help for distributed rendering if the file sizes being distributed over the network were smaller.

 

[twinturbo]

How about a Universal Timeline?

I'm getting tired of having to only have one codec in a timeline that has to fit one specification (size, frame-rate, etc.), or else I face a render.

Sure would be great to just drop PAL, NTSC, HD, uncompressed, DV50, DV25, DVCProHD, SheerVideo, etc. all in one timeline and then have your setting be something else (another one of the above mentioned) for output, and it simply plays it out if it can.

I'm sure a dual 3.0Ghz G5 could do something like the above, especially considering what they're able to do with Final Touch HD.

 

[Gregory]

I'm an editor, but many of my close friends are Shake ops. I admit my information is second hand, but they have no reason to lie 🙂

As for Shake vs Final Touch HD, I was talking about underlying technology. Final Touch HD can work in real time 2K frames by using the GPU, no reason the same tech can't be applied in Shake. Certainly the rumours amongs the post community are that Motion was a 'beta test' for Shake tech.

That said, I'm very open to hearing your thoughts on my thoughts!

OK Good Point on That, I think your right. . . I can see Core Image engine Bulit into Shake just think how nice that would be. . .

 

[Gregory]

i must correct you. it is sweet as apple pie..

couldn't resist.. 😀

Lol good thinking !!! 😀

 

[Gregory]

I'm an editor, but many of my close friends are Shake ops. I admit my information is second hand, but they have no reason to lie 🙂

As for Shake vs Final Touch HD, I was talking about underlying technology. Final Touch HD can work in real time 2K frames by using the GPU, no reason the same tech can't be applied in Shake. Certainly the rumours amongs the post community are that Motion was a 'beta test' for Shake tech.

That said, I'm very open to hearing your thoughts on my thoughts!

By the way Final Touch req. are Dual 2.0 G5 or Faster and a ATI 9800 or Faster Graphics Card. How much tech is that, sounds more like Speed is the Key. . .
So with shake optm. for core image would be awesome and maybe better than Final Touch tech. . .

 

[Gregory]

Final Touch HD System Requirements

System Requirements


Computer
Apple Macintosh Dual 2GHz G5
1GB RAM
ATI Radaen 9800 Pro/XT (X800 highly recommended)
Apple OS 10.3.7

Storage
A fast disk subsystem capable of sustaining at least 250MB/s
Apple's Xserve RAID is recommended

Displays
2 displays - Minimum resolution of 1280x1024.
For SDI out, a Blackmagic Decklink HD is required.

Supported QuickTime Formats
Apple DV (including DVCPro HD) and Blackmagic

 

[Gregory]

Shake 3.5 System Requirements

System Requirements
Mac OS X

* Power Mac G5; Power Mac G4 or PowerBook G4 with 800MHz or faster PowerPC G4 processor; or Xserve G5 or Xserve G4 with 1GHz or faster PowerPC processor
* Mac OS X v10.3.2 or later
* QuickTime 6.5 or later
* 256MB of RAM or more
* 1GB of available disk space for caching and temporary files
* Graphics card with at least 32MB of video memory and OpenGL hardware acceleration
* Display with 1280-by-1024-pixel resolution and 24-bit color
* Three-button mouse

 

[h'biki]

I'd like to see some lossless compression for the DV files I'm working with. Surely we could save half the file size. No matter how much hard disk I have I use it 🙂

Microcosm and SheerVideo do exactly that - they're lossless codecs which can be used in Final Cut Pro.

But, y'know, if you're working with standard-def DV25 at a measely 3.5megs/sec, then these codecs aren't going to do you zip (Microcosm is 6.6meg/s, SheerVideo is 12meg/s). They're really for working with uncompressed SD and HD - particularly 64 bit elements. They're good if you're doing a lot of high-end work in AE and want to maintain image-quality (with alphas) without using the 'Animation' codec or None16 (a free uncompressed 16bit codec for quicktime)

If you want to learn more about codes then the best site is One River Media Codec Resource.

Anyway, complete aside, but what the hell is the new video app going to be? They've got a compositor, an editor, a DVD authoring program and a motion graphics app. What else is there to do?

 

[Lacero]

If you're working with DV footage, it doesn't make sense to convert it to a lossless or even high quality lossy format since DV-compressed footage is already extremely compressed and very poor in quality compared to all other formats. So unless you are creating motion graphics from scratch or doing heavy color correction or multi-layered composites, there really aren't many options available to DV-originated projects.

 

[mvc]

...Anyway, complete aside, but what the hell is the new video app going to be? They've got a compositor, an editor, a DVD authoring program and a motion graphics app. What else is there to do?

Fanatasia sounds like animation to me.

 

[h'biki]

Fanatasia sounds like animation to me.

Cell animation is too niche (its all moving to China)- so I'd suggest it'd be 3D, built upon CI.

The other possibility is a dedicated DI solution - but why make it a separate App?

 

[gugy]

Tiger on April 12th

I hope you are right. But, Apple not necessarily will release FCP 5 right away. They probably will announce and ship couple months later like they did in the past.

But again, I hope you are right. I can wait to have Tiger! 🙂

 

[~Shard~]

they release a new fcp about every 2 years... which is also why this rumor is so predictable.

Good point. 😉

 

[748s]

Good to see another FCP update, but I wonder how the people feel who have to pay for upgrades to this software every few months it seems. 😉 Ah well, that's the price for progress and keeping current! Can't wait to see what kind of goodies this one will have in it...

upgrade costs are not an issue when you can make back the cost in a few hours working with fcp. paid upgrades dont come along too often. the cost is minimal compared to upgrades of other NLE's of a few years ago. it's cheap at twice the price 😀

 

[~Shard~]

upgrade costs are not an issue when you can make back the cost in a few hours working with fcp. paid upgrades dont come along too often. the cost is minimal compared to upgrades of other NLE's of a few years ago. it's cheap at twice the price 😀

Sounds like you know what you're talking about, so thanks for the insight. Not working with the software and not working in that industry myself, I was just assuming... Always helps to have a user's point of view!

 

[bigandy]

and of course they could release FCP5 WITH Tiger at the WWDC... an afterthought, or a showcase of what they can do together....


🙂

 

[NickFalk]

Anyway, complete aside, but what the hell is the new video app going to be? They've got a compositor, an editor, a DVD authoring program and a motion graphics app. What else is there to do?

My guess: Sound. A Pro Tools Express sort of thingy. The sound mixing is the one area I find FCP to be lacking the most they fixed the hopeless internal title-software through Livetype last time, now they can take care of this with a new mixing-app. Heck, even the code-name Fantasia connects perfectly to the mixture of sound and image... 🙂