Category — Silverado

As I’m sure most of you are now aware, Apple decided to release the newest version of Final Cut Studio last week.  I found it a bit strange that it wasn’t on a Tuesday and there was no mention of it on their website . . . unless you count the tiny news ticker below the massive iPhone 3GS banner.  Anyhow, I want to mention that the guys at Apple were quick to point out that is is NOT called Final Cut Studio 3 but instead just Final Cut Studio.  They named the last one Final Cut Studio 2 but decided not to continue the numbering scheme on this one . . . not sure why but what Apple wants, Apple gets.

So on to the content!  There are a number of exciting features added to the arsenal and a number that many feel were still left out.  I do like the $999.00 price tag though – and only $299.00 for the upgrade!  Rather than ramble on myself over what’s new and what’s missing, I’ll let our good friend Mike Curtis tell you.  Head on over to his site HD for Indies to read all about it.  Also, he should be posting a more in depth review at theProVideo Coalition.  AND, just to completely overload you with information, here are a few more tidbits worth noting . . .

1. Final Cut Studio is Intel Only it requires Mac OS X v10.5.6 or later & Display with 1280-by-800 resolution or higher

2. Blu Ray Authoring is a Burn Only Feature, not an Authoring feature.

3. You need to purchase a Final Cut Studio License to get Blu-ray burning.  Final Cut Server, or Compressor (alone) will not include this functionality.

4. Final Cut Pro 7 User Manual HERE.

That’s it for now – enjoy!

TB

I’m happy to announce that for now, Silverado is the exclusive reseller of RED’s latest release RED Rocket.  Here are the specs:

RED Rocket board with Quad DVI and Dual Link HD-SDI- $4750

Decode and debayer 4K R3D files realtime. Hyper-accelerated transcode to any system codec. Specs to be posted upon completion of testing.

Plays full quality realtime 4K to 4K monitor or projector from DVI output. Plays full quality 2K/1080P scaled from 4K footage out the Dual Link HD-SDI from RED Rocket card.

Plays full quality 2K scaled from 4K footage realtime through system graphics card and monitor.

Optional Breakout box with Quad HDMI and Quad Dual Link HD-SDI- $1200

Plays full quality realtime 4K to 4K monitor or projector from QUAD HDMI/HD-SDI RED Rocket breakout box output.

Delivery schedule in now 1st week of July.

You can buy it stand alone or bundled with a Mac like THIS.  The Special Edition RED Rocket Mac Pro config is not required, we can bundle it with any config you like. . . .

TB

As a Mac user I’ve become pretty cavalier in my browsing and downloading habits.  I know for a fact I’ve clicked on more than one virus disguised as a link only to realize it after I’ve tried to run it.  Even after these near misses I still don’t even give it a second thought when clicking away on the web.  I doubt I’m alone in this practice but the other day I received a call from my good friend Steve Holsapple over at Blaise Media telling me of his recent encounter with, brace yourself . . . . a Trojan Virus on his Mac Pro.  Yes, I know they’re out there and yes I know I really shouldn’t be surprised by it but come on!  Mac’s don’t get viruses!  Right?!

Well, unfortunately they do.  The odds are certainly quite a bit lower than our PC counterparts but the fact of the matter is, Mac’s do get viruses.  So, just to help ease the horror of realizing you’ve been infected, HERE is a link of the steps Steve took to get a clean bill of health again.

TB

[click photo above for larger view] The original Mac Pro required AJA Kona Cards to be inserted into slot 3. You could then go into the expansion slot utility to configure the slots properly. Then, the early ‘08 Mac Pro’s were released and AJA announced their cards should now go in slot 2. Well, we’ve come full circle now with the release of the Nehalem based Mac Pro’s – I spoke with AJA yesterday and they told me that after running some tests on the new machines, they again recommend slot 3 for their Kona line. No need to worry about the expansion slot utility but on a side note there is now a memory slot utility that lets you know if your memory is configured for optimum performance. I think it’s pretty cool and have to admit it’s saved me a few times. I haven’t yet figured out Apple’s method for RAM setup. . . .

I really like the new guts of the Mac Pro. The drive sleds are larger (finally, thank you Apple – no more finger pinching when removing drives!), the lower tray containing the processors and DIMM Slots slides all the way out, pretty cool! AND coolest of all, the removed those annoying tabs that held in PCIe cards (and usually ended up getting broken off since most people didn’t even know they were there) and replaced it with a locking bar. The bar is controlled by a button on the fan to the left of the slots. Simply press the button and slide the fan to the left, revealing the PCIe slot numbers and disengaging the locking bar. Pretty slick.

The only downside I see so far is it appears they have done away with the two additional SATA ports on the board we used for our Raptor boot drives. They were hidden under a fan assembly so not many people knew they were there. Those two combined with the 4 main drives enabled a total of 6 SATA drives to be installed. Maybe they’re still there but I didn’t see them at first glance.

TB

Jim Jannard posted this shot on REDUser last night. I just thought it was cool and wanted to post it. Creative group out there in the desert!  Click on the image for a full size shot.

TB