Editing
Adobe has added Adobe Encore DVD, a DVD authoring tool, to its product line. The program includes a variety of design tools tightly integrated with Photoshop-users, for example, can edit menus without flattening or re-rendering Photoshop files. Video and audio transcoding functionality automatically converts video source files to MPEG-2, audio source files to Dolby Digital, and optimizes file compression. The product will ship in the third quarter of 2003 and costs $549. www.adobe.com
Apricorn has introduced Videoxb, a FireWire-compatible video editing and storage peripheral for burning digital video footage onto a DVD. The package includes Pinnacle Systems Studio 7 SE for video editing; Ulead's DVD Workshop for DVD authoring; Cyberlink's PowerDVD XP for computer playback; and Record Now DX and DLA from Veritas for backup. Videoxb comes with a one-year warranty and costs $799. www.vidoxb.com
Canopus's new EDIUS nonlinear editing platform, which works with the company's DVRex RT and DVStorm hardware, offers unlimited video and audio tracks, graphics and title layers, and the ability to transition between multiple video tracks. Additional features include voiceover recording, 3- and 4-point editing, multi-format conversion capabilities, and real-time output. The application supports Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional. The standard price is $599; until August 31, 2003, a special introductory price of $299 is available.
Also just out from Canopus is ACEDVio, the only OHCI-based video editing solution to deliver analog and DV capture and output with native OHCI support for all popular video cameras and decks. ACEDVio comes bundled with a fully functioning version of Sonic Foundry's Vegas 4.0 and also includes Ulead's DVD creation software, MovieFactory 2.0. ACEVio supports both Macintosh and Windows and is available at $499. www.canopus.com
In-sync now sells the Speed Razor 5.5 editing package for the Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows XO platforms. Features include a customizable frame rate, 20 pass variable bit rate encodes, manual VBR, Constant Quality, and RealTime CQ encoding. New to this version is an optimized EDL importer/exporter as well as support for importing and exporting AVID EDLs. Prices start at $2000. www.in-sync.com
MovieWorks Deluxe is a multimedia authoring and presentation program, as well as a video editor. It comprises a suite of tools for editing sound, text and titling, animation, paint and photo enhancement, and for capturing and editing digital video. The software also allows authors to creative interactive elements to presentations through the use of buttons and text hot links. MovieWorks Deluxe supports both analog and DV editing, and can capture from any video source using your built-in video capture card or external devices such as ADS's USB Instant Video or their Pyro 1364 Web camera. Call company for pricing. www.movieworks.com
SmartSound recently released version 3.0 of its Sonicfire Pro software for video soundtrack creation. Upgrades to the title include improved support for Windows Media Formats, and a new search engine that allows users to find and download thousands of music selections. The standard version, which includes the software plus two disks of royalty-free music, costs $299. The Sonicfire Pro Bundle Edition is $499. www.smartsound.com
ULead has announced the company's digital image slideshow software is now available for the Macintosh platform. DVD PictureShow for Mac provides theme-based templates, background music, and images for creating digital image slideshows. The software burns to CD or DVD discs for playback on a television using a standard DVD player or on a computer using a CD or DVD drive. The downloadable version available at ULead's Web site is $29.95. www.ulead.com
Delivery
Discreet, a division of Autodesk, has released cleaner XL for Microsoft Windows for mastering and encoding video content for output to all major digital media formats. It includes support for HD Multi-channel Windows Media 9 Series, QuickTime 6, and MPEG-4. Among the new features are a document-based interface with drag and drop capabilities, job templates, and Watch Folders. The software is available for $599 or can be upgraded for $179. www.discreet.com/cleanerXL
VBrick Systems has introduced VBXcast, a networked appliance that lets educators, business people, and others, deliver streaming video to any Internet-connected device. VBXcast connects to standard video technologies such as cameras, DVD players, and VCRs, and compresses the output into an MPEG-4 format. Video can be played using standard viewers as well as VBrick's StreamPlayer viewer. Contact VBrick for price information. www.vbrick.com
Training
Digital Video Expo East, at the Javits convention center in New York city, July 8-11, offers the chance to get up close and personal with digital video technologies from major vendors including Adobe, Avid, Bogan, Canon, Canopus, Discreet, JVC, Matrox, Panasonic, Pinnacle, Sharp, Sony, Ulead, and many more. In addition, hands-on DV Certified training classes are being offered in Apple Final Cut Pro and Avid Express DV nonlinear editors, other classes include all-day intensives on Lighting for digital video and audio for digital video and the DV Expert track consisting of 90-minute session on DV cameras, lighting technique, compression technology, DVD authoring, and more. For more information, contact: www.dvexpo.com/east/
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