Shane Ross and his cronies discovered that they can import P2 MXF files natively into Final Cut Pro without using the Log and Transfer function. This is possible with the help of a little importer component that comes along with P2CMS.

DivX is offering a limited-time “holiday download” of their DivX Pro package. The software for both Mac and Windows is normally priced at $20. We’re not sure when the offer is going to end, so snag a copy before it’s too late.

ProRemote is a application for the iPhone and iPod Touch that allows you to wirelessly remotely control your ProTools LE workstation with realtime feedback.

“ProRemote will be going into beta next week…currently the server is Mac only but will be an easy port to Windows later on (one thing at a time!) It is nearly feature complete now and runs on jailbroken iPhones and iPod touches.”

While the Beta will be available soon, they won’t ship the final application until Apple certifies the software when the iPhone SDK is released. In a later revision the developer plans to use the iPhone’s built-in accelerometer for panning. Video of this unique one-two combo below…
Continue reading ‘Pro Tools + iPhone = Remote Control Sweetness’

The three big tape manufacturers in Europe have been found guilty of price-fixing on professional tape media.

The 3-way Japanese cartel controlling 85% of the professional videotape market was found guilty of artificially controlling prices on Betacam SP and Digital Betacam — the two most popular professional videotape formats in use between 1999 and 2002. According to the EU commission, they “organized three successful rounds of price increases and endeavored to stabilize prices whenever an increase was not possible.”

Did the Final Cut Pro 6.0.2 update cause P2 importing via Log and Transfer to stop working? Shane Ross may have the answer for you…he narrowed down his FCP issues to a plugin package.

“… At this point I yanked out the new drive and put back the old one. I ran the FX Factory Uninstaller. And guess what? I was able to import P2 using the Log and Transfer window! If you have FX Factory, uninstall it and see what happens. If not, it might be some other FxPlug plugin.”

UPDATE: Check the comments below for a update from FX Factory.

We’ve mentioned Jeff Han several times here at FreshDV, from his first multi-touch demo at the 2006 TED event to his tech growing into a company and garnering mainstream attention. Well it’s time for another Jeff Han Multi Touch Update. Embedded below is the latest interview and video demostration. I can’t wait until we can get multitouch in the edit room!
Continue reading ‘Specialized Multi-Touch Interfaces Mature’

Useful third-party codec pack Perian may cause issues with Final Cut Pro 6. The Apple fix is simple…just trash /Library/QuickTime/Perian.component if FCP is crashing when attempting to transfer AVCHD footage.

LifeHacker has compiled an extensive list of useful video converting applications and ripping software. You’ll see that there is something for everyone, whether you are a PC or Mac user (or both).

10. VLC media player (Open source/All platforms)
9. MediaCoder (Open source/Windows)
8. Avi2Dvd (Freeware/Windows)
7. Videora Converter (Freeware/Windows only)
6. Any Video Converter (Freeware/Windows only)
5. Hey!Watch (webapp)
4. VidDownloader (webapp)
3. iSquint (Freeware/Mac OS X only)
2. DVD Shrink (Freeware/Windows only)
1. Handbrake (Open source/Windows, Mac)

Read the comments on that LifeHacker article, there are a wealth of other solutions noted by users, tools like MPEGStreamclip, Virtualdub, etc.

Final Cut Pro 6.0.2 is out in the wild, and they have added XDCAM EX1 support. It still requires the installation of Sony’s Transfer software, and a plugin…but it is supported. And just in time, as the EX1 should be shipping out in the next few days. There are also a number of bugfixes and some behavior changes. Scott Simmons has a post over at the Editblog that talks about all the Avid-like features and UI changes introduced in this new update. Stuff like “Zoom In on Playhead in Timeline” and “Scroll to Playhead”, all commonly-noted annoyances by new FCP users.

You’ll find a slightly more detailed list of additions and changes thanks to an apparently fully-caffeinated Mike Curtis. Oh…important note: Users won’t see the FCP 6.02 option in Software Update until they first update OS X to version 10.4.11. All the other FCP Studio updates are listed at that last link as well. Thanks Mike!

The DVD title on Compressing Video for the Web by Aharon Rabinowitz was released recently, and Creative Cow is hosting the first chapter online, free. Look for the 60mb link at the bottom of the page. This instructional title looks like a good one, as web compression can be a bit tricky to master. So go check it out already!

The recent 6.0.1 FCP software updated adds AVCHD ingest support via the Log and Transfer interface. However, there are a few caveats; it’s only available on Intel Macs, Standard-def AVCHD sources cannot be captured, and the footage must be transcoded into either AIC or ProRes for editing. There also appear to be a few scrubbing related bugs and in/out point wonkiness. So while it feels a bit incomplete, at least there is a supported option for AVCHD users. Read on for details on what is or is not supported. Continue reading ‘Final Cut Pro 6.0.1 Update Adds AVCHD Support’

Ripple Training has a great video tutorial up on creating non-standard codecs and format presets in Apple Compressor (direct MOV link). So you could purchase a Flip4Mac WMV export license, and then use Compressor to do the heavy lifting. It’s worth noting that a cheaper WMV export option exists, but it does require a Windows PC and some duct-tape.

Imagineer Systems has reduced the license cost for two popular software packages. Monet v2.1.2 and Mokey v4.1.2 are both now priced at €4,050 / $5,590 USD node locked and €5,185/ $7,195 USD floating. Registered users can download the latest versions online. Contact Imagineer for trial keys if you wish to test drive the software.

(Thanks Randall)

Anthony Burokas has an Adobe CS3 for Mac review in print and also up at EventDV.com. He goes pretty in-depth on the Premiere Pro interface, and spends some time comparing specific features and capabilities vs. Final Cut Pro. Excellent review on a highly-anticipated new software package. And as a FCP editor, I found his comparisons extremely informative and helpful. While it doesn’t sound like Adobe will be replacing my primary NLE anytime soon, it could be a worthy addition to the editors toolkit, particularly if one needs some of the other interesting features and integration offered in the CS3 Production Suite.

Apple has released an iLife ‘08 update that includes a few new features for iMovie.

“Among the new features delivered with the release is Multiple Clip Selection, which lets users select multiple clips in order to assign keywords, paste adjustments or reorganize clips in projects more quickly than before. Similarly, a Fine Tuning feature allows users to quickly refine the start or end frame for any clip without leaving the Project view. iMovie 7.1 also introduces Still Frame Creation, which freezes the video action for creating a dramatic ending or applying the “Ken Burnsâ€? effect on any frame of a video clip. Other features delivered in the release include Frame-by-Frame trimming, Audio Ducking level control, Manual Audio Fades, a duration settings for Transitions and Stills, an option to show the current playhead time, and other performance improvements that allow users to enjoy their video more quickly by switching between Events.”