First, let's talk about their new product line. The Resolve FX, Resolve DI, and Resolve RT systems are each designed to address specific user needs and all feature the same UI as da Vinci's color correction tools combined with nonlinear conforming tools.
With three versions now offered by da Vinci (www.davsys.com), the base-level mode Resolve FX retains much of the Resolve features already introduced, providing a solution for budget-conscious studios wanting to offer file-based, nonlinear color enhancement and conforming work. The Resolve FX model is an affordable tool in previsualization applications where realtime color enhancement is not needed, making it ideal for processing and matching short clips in a less-demanding digital intermediate workflow. Resolve FX is equipped with PowerPlant, da Vinci's software-programmable image-processing accelerator launched earlier this year.
"Because Resolve is offered in a choice of configurations, studios just entering the digital intermediate arena can invest in a Resolve FX or perhaps a Resolve DI system knowing they can upgrade to Resolve RT later as their need for faster processing and expanded toolsets develops," says da Vinci director of marketing Tony Fox.
The new Resolve DI system is well suited for digital intermediate projects that may not need realtime throughput yet still call for a substantial volume of color-look creation and conforming. One of the most notable additions in the Resolve DI model is PowerGrid2, a pair of PowerPlant accelerator boards that, when combined, increase processing speed and performance.
Optimized for studios requiring flexibility, efficiency and high-volume throughput, Resolve RT offers realtime image processing in film, digital intermediate and video finishing. Resolve RT gets its speed from PowerGrid3, a set of three PowerPlants. The system also features realtime waveform monitoring of data, a unique capability that allows colorists to simultaneously view a vectorscope, parade, or histogram display of the color grades they're applying.
Additional PowerPlants and PowerGrids can be added to both the RT and DI. Resolve FX and Resolve DI will be available before the end of 2005. Resolve RT and PowerGrid are currently shipping.
da Vinci's other IBC news is its collaboration with DVS (www.dvs.de/english). Version 4.0 of the 2K Plus software, debuting here at IBC, includes the new interface developed for the DVS Clipster. When sizing changes are made to an image with the Clipster, the size and position of PowerWindows in the 2K Plus will be updated automatically. By sparing colorists from having to update the positions of the windows manually, this functionality allows post studios to realize significant cost savings from increased operational efficiency. The new interface also features other enhancements specifically for the Clipster, such as queued stepping and transport control.
"The 2K Plus has long been the most widely used system of its kind for DI applications, and our collaboration with DVS makes it an even more important tool for this application by boosting the 2K's nonlinear functionality," says da Vinci's Fox. "Customers who have ColorTrace and a DVS Clipster will realize a much improved, more efficient workflow with their 2K Plus/Clipster combination."