Studio Monthly articles from February 2008

Studio Monthly archives from February 2008

Bring in the new.(editor's note)
February 1, 2008... At this time of year, one expects to be dazzled by new technology. CES and Mac-World have primed us, as has the steady build-up to NAB that begins in mid-winter. The soft launches, revelations and bloggy innuendos of the past few weeks have not...

G-Tech goes for speed.(Spotlight on Storage)
February 1, 2008... G-Technology (G-Tech), a supplier of external disk storage for Mac and PC, is now shipping a new G-SPEED eS storage system featuring 47200 RPM Hitachi SATA II drives with up to 32 MB/cache. An optional 4-port PCIe x4 RAID controller can enable...

Portable power.(Spotlight on Storage)
February 1, 2008... Sonnet Technologies is now shipping the Fusion F2 portable RAID storage system, which communicates via eSATA, but draws power from a FireWire 400 port. Fusion F2 features 640 GB of storage using two 2.5-inch drives mounted side by side. Nice...

Focused integration.(Spotlight on Storage)
February 1, 2008... Focus Enhancements is releasing the latest addition to the ProxSys family of Media Asset Management solutions, the PX-1, which is the industry's first entry-level, turnkey MAM system that fully integrates both hardware and software. Designed to...

More AVC-Intra support.(Spotlight on Storage)
February 1, 2008... Omneon now provides server support for the AVC-Intra high-performance HD format. The new MediaPort modules for the Omneon Spectrum media server and the Omneon MediaDeck integrated server allow real-time encoding and decoding of HD material...

Multiple connectivity.(Spotlight on Storage)
February 1, 2008... Avastor has expanded its Avastor HDX product line with the HDX-1500 SATA Quad interface drive, now shipping. The drive can connect to USB 2.0, FireWire 400 (via supplied 800-400 cable), FireWire 800, and eSATA ports in a single unit and has...

Mediavault set for OS X.(Spotlight on Storage)
February 1, 2008... At Macworld in mid-January, Ciprico introduced its MediaVault 5116 PCI express (PCIe) direct attached storage system. The MediaVault 5116, which supports OS X, is the second member of the MediaVault 5100 series. The new 16 drive system supports...

Sachtler SOOM camera support system: more than just a set of sticks.(ROI reviews)
February 1, 2008... Common among video professionals (and technology users in general) is the "keeping up with the pack" syndrome. If you want to stay competitive in your market you must continually upgrade or purchase newer gear. Anyone who uses computers knows...

Sony Vegas Pro 8: putting on the ritz.(ROI reviews)
February 1, 2008... Sony takes Vegas up a notch with Vegas Pro 8. This first-rate video and audio editing software package has been revamped to run on Windows Vista, a feat that its Vegas 7 predecessor couldn't quite accomplish effectively. Vegas coders enhance...

Trapcode Form: form follows function.(ROI Reviews)
February 1, 2008... With so many 3D plug-in effects available, you would think it would be easy to choose the right one. Unfortunately, as the number of plug-ins increases, so does the complexity of the choice. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I wanted a simple,...

Create a Red Book audio CD master with Sony CD Architect 5.2.(how)
February 1, 2008... STEP 1 PREPARE YOUR FILES AND SESSION After you're done with the hard work of creating your masterpiece--and preferably after the professional mastering process of said opus--you'll usually end up with some finished .WAV or .AIF files...

Make sturdy snowshoes for your tripod.(how)
February 1, 2008... STEP 1 CUT AND SAND Cut three similarly sized rectangles in your plywood, big enough to step on when wearing boots. Round off the corners with sandpaper so there won't be sharp edges to catch on your expensive parka. [ILLUSTRATION...

Add essential VFX with Autodesk Toxik 2008.(PRODUCT MANAGER TUTORIAL)
February 1, 2008... STEP 1 START WITH A RAW ASSET Start by working with either a finished composite or footage to which you want to add motion blur and/or depth of field. In this example, CGI source assets were rendered out of mental ray by my good pal, Daryl...

Desktop scoring for video: whether your next project needs a simple melodic hook or a richly textured symphonic experience, the latest desktop scoring software will help you lay down the perfect tracks.(TECHNOLOGY)
February 1, 2008... The number of software and hardware choices for adding original music to video and film has increased exponentially over the past few years. At the high end, where budgets for original scoring are serious, the latest versions of the longest...

Hollywood's newest contender down south: advantageous tax credits, a vibrant art scene, stellar state support. Why isn't your production in Louisiana?(the biz)
February 1, 2008... We all know that Hollywood and the surrounding Los Angeles area lead the nation in movie productions. And most of us would correctly guess that New York comes in second. But would you have guessed that Louisiana is a strong third? The final...

Spy Post has an Eye for FX.(STUDIOS ON THE RISE)
February 1, 2008... WHAT'S THEIR GIG? Eric Hanson, the CEO of Spy Post, got his start working in Silicon Valley. When he decided to open his own visual effects and post-production studio, it never occurred to him to travel down the coast to LA, where the...