LAS VEGAS — Post’s team of writers, contributors and industry pros recently spent long days on the show floor of the 2016 NAB Show in Las Vegas, searching for the most innovative and coolest new products and technologies. Having returned from the show with much to think about, Post is now proud to announce the list of products, technologies and news that we all agreed had shown an impressive amount of innovation, as well as captured the most attention and interest at the exhibition. Below are the "Post Picks" for NAB 2016, as well as our list of Honorable Mentions.
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WINNERS
Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve 12.5
DaVinci Resolve 12.5, now in public beta, is a massive and impressive update with more than 1,000 enhancements and 250 new features, which includes major additions to the editing toolset, new and enhanced color features, including improved HDR support, and powerful new effects. DaVinci Resolve 12.5 beta is available now for download from the Blackmagic Design Website (www.blackmagicdesign.com). Resolve 12.5 is pictured below, left.
Boxx Technologies Apexx 1
While several of the company’s popular workstations, including the Apexx 4 and 5 were at partner booths throughout the show floor, Boxx (www.boxxtech.com) featured its Apexx 1 ultra-compact workstation, available with an overclocked Intel Core i7 processor, professional Nvidia graphics, Intel solid state drives (SSD), and PCI-E NVMe SSD technology. Apexx 1 demonstrated Clarisse iFX 2D/3D animation software, the fusion of an animation package, compositing software, and 3D rendering engine. Boxx's Joe Pizzini is shown with the new Appex 1, below right.
Dell (www.dell.com) announced new VR-ready solutions that feature a refined set of criteria for an optimal VR experience, whether consuming or creating VR content. Dell has defined VR-ready solutions by three criteria: Minimum CPU, memory, and graphics requirements to support optimal VR viewing experiences; graphics drivers that are qualified to work reliably with these solutions; pass performance tests conducted by Dell using test criteria based on HMD (head-mounted display) suppliers, ISVs or third-party benchmarks where available.
Boris FX Boris Continuum Complete 10
Boris FX (www.borisfx.com) launched Boris Continuum Complete 10 (pictured,
left) for Adobe Premiere Pro CC and After Effects CC at NAB 2016, along with Boris Continuum Complete 10 for Avid. The new package is a thorough collection of professional plug-ins for Adobe Creative Cloud video applications. Highlights include integrated Mocha technology for advanced masking and effects isolation; BCC Beauty Studio, a skin smoothing and retouching filter; and BCC Title Studio, Boris FX’s next-generation 2D/3D titling and motion graphics plug-in. The recent merger between Boris FX and Imagineer brings two development teams together for the largest Adobe targeted plug-in release in the company’s history. Now, Adobe Premiere Pro CC editors now have the ability to access mocha tools from their timeline. Features in BCC 10 for Avid include: integrated Mocha technology for planar motion tracking and masking, BCC Beauty Studio and BCC Title Studio.The company is now also offering BCC 10 for OFX which now supports Resolve & Sony Vegas Pro. It includes BCC Beauty Studio and BCC Title Studio, Image Restoration tools and more (integrated mocha technology coming soon).
AJA Video Systems Kona IP
AJA Video Systems (www.aja.com) announced Kona IP, its first desktop video and audio I/O product for professional IP-based workflows. Kona IP is the company’s next generation of its Kona line of PCIe capture cards and works with AJA Control Room and Control Panel software and SDK tools, along with leading third-party content creation applications. Kona IP is designed as a flexible platform that supports today’s SMPTE 2022-6 IP-encapsulated uncompressed 3G-SDI, HD-SDI and SD-SDI video, audio and VANC data; and via future firmware updates and codec package offerings, it will also support compressed codecs like J2K and advanced IP protocols including VSF TR-04, VSF TR-03 and more. The new Kona IP is pictured.
AMD FirePro W9100
AMD (www.amd.com) announced its new AMD FirePro W9100 32GB workstation graphics card with 32GB memory support for large asset workflows with creative applications planned for availability in Q2 2016. Features include 5.24 TFLOPS of peak single-precision floating-point performance, choice between 32GB or 16GB GDDR5 GPU memory, 4K resolution, OpenCL 2.0 support and DirectGMA and SDI support. An AMD product showcase during NAB demonstrated support for a VR production workflow and featured the AMD FirePro W9100 32GB graphics card for speed and ultra-high-definition visual performance, and the Radeon Pro Duo graphics card, which forms a powerful platform for virtual reality (VR) when combined with the AMD LiquidVR SDK, capable of both creation and consumption of VR content. The AMD FirePro W9100 32GB graphics card is also designed for computer-aided engineering (Siemens NX Nastran, SIMULIA Abaqus) and visualization tools (Autodesk VRED 2016).
Quantum Xcellis
Quantum’s Xcellis workflow storage system made its NAB debut. Xcellis consolidates media and metadata management, extends connectivity options for both Fibre Channel and Ethernet clients, and supports hosted applications in a single hardware solution that enhances productivity in collaborative media environments. Working with a growing array of technology partners and application providers, Quantum is continually extending the ways in which Xcellis can optimize end-to-end workflows. Based on the company’s StorNext 5 platform, Xcellis facilitates flexible configuration of performance and capacity.
G-Technology G-Rack 12
G-Technology (www.g-technology.com) introduced its G-Rack 12 high-performance NAS at this year’s show, bringing its studio-friendly technology to centralized storage. G-Rack 12 combines the following technologies into a centralized storage solution for demanding 4K and beyond workflows: High-performance network-attached storage (NAS); scalable 12-bay server from 48TB to 120TB capacities; enterprise-class HGST hard drives; advanced BTRfs file system for reliable data protection; iSCSI support for simplified shared storage management; seamless integration with top nonlinear editing suites; optional 48TB, 72TB, 96TB or 120TB expansion module; and future-friendly platform for software add-ons.
Lytro Cinema
Lytro (www.lytro.com) introduced Lytro Cinema, a new light field solution for film and television production. Designed for visual effects work, Lytro Cinema represents a paradigm shift in the integration of live action footage and computer generated visual effects. The rich dataset captured by the system produces a light field master that can be rendered in any format in post, and enables a range of creative possibilities. With Lytro Cinema, every frame of a live action scene becomes a 3D model. Every pixel has color and directional and depth properties bringing the control and creative flexibility of computer generated VFX to real world capture. Lytro Cinema captures 755 raw megapixels at up to 300fps. The camera (pictured below) has to 16 stops of dynamic range and wide color gamut.
JMR Lightning
JMR’s (www.jmr.com) portable Lightning desktop for Mac Mini (LTNG-XD-8-MMDT) is a desktop/DI cart that incorporates an Apple Mac Mini via a slide-in sled. Lightning provides front-panel USB3, audio I/O and media card reader, while the rear panel provides all other Mac connections. An internal Thunderbolt controller and 2-slot PCIe (x8 full-height slots) expander with an internal 6Gb SAS RAID controller are standard, as well as eight 3.5-inch hot-swappable disk drive bays to provide up to 64TBs of native disk storage capacity (RAID 0/1/4/5/6/40/50/60). An optional flip-up eight-inch LCD monitor can also be added. The system can be used for ingest and dailies.
THUNDERBOLT 3
LaCie (www.lacie.com) introduced the 12big Thunderbolt 3 desktop RAID, a 12-bay storage solution capable of supporting 5K editing workflows. The 12big is offers 2600MB/s performance and has dual Thunderbolt 3 ports for USB-C daisy chaining. LaCie is offering the 12big in three configurations: 48TB, 72TB and 96TB. The 12big can be used to edit multiple streams of ProRes 422 (HQ), ProRes 444 XQ, uncompressed HD 10-bit and 12-bit video. In its 96TB configuration, the 12big can store 100 hours of 4K ProRes 444 XQ footage in RAID 5.
LaCie's
Kim Myers poses with the new 12big.
Atto’s (www.attotech.com) ThunderLink 3402 allows Thunderbolt 3 platforms to connect to 40Gb Ethernet and the new 40GbE FastFrame NICs with OS X drivers. At NAB, the company was demonstrating the performance capabilities of its 40GbE solutions and the ability to run 40GbE in both Windows and Mac environments.
Post's Linda Romanello with Atto's Red mascot, below.
Sonnet Technologies (www.sonnettech.com) showcased the Fusion Thunderbolt 3 PCIe flash drive, a rugged, pocket-sized solid-state storage device capable of transferring data at speeds of over 2,000MB/s. The Fusion is equipped with 512GBs of flash storage and connects to any Windows computer with a Thunderbolt 3 port via an attached 0.5-meter Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable. Measuring 2.8 inches wide by 4.1 inches deep by 1.25 inches tall, the Fusion features a fan-less aluminum enclosure that enables silent operation. The device is bus-powered and requires no power adapter.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
TVLogic's LUM-240G
TVLogic (www.tvlogicusa.com) showed four new 12G-4K reference monitors at NAB, including the 24-inch LUM-240G. The 10-bit native 3840x2160 reference monitor has 3G quad link and 6/12G single link input, and HDMI 2.0 for 4K 60p. The LUM-240G provides an ultra-wide color gamut up to DCI, 10-bit color, and includes 3D LUT import/export, HD 1:1 or full-screen upscaling function, as well as TVLogic’s free color calibration utility.
Red’s Avid support
Red Digital Cinema (www.red.com) announced that its DSMC2 cameras — Weapon, Scarlet-W and Red Raven — can now shoot in Avid DNxHR and DNxHD recording formats via free firmware update. This update includes the ability to shoot Redcode RAW (R3D) simultaneously alongside Avid DNxHR/HD. The company also showed its Weapon 8K, which is being used in the production of Guardians of the Galaxy 2.
Panasonic's VariCam LT
Panasonic (us.panasonic.com) delivered the VariCam LT 4K cinema camcorder, which features the same super 35mm sensor and imaging capabilities as its VariCam 35, but with significant reductions in size, weight and price. The AU-V35LT1G delivers 14-plus stops of dynamic range with V-Log, and VariCam image quality and color science, as well as the VariCam 35's dual native ISOs of 800/5000. Weighing just under six pounds, VariCam LT (below, left) is well suited for handheld, SteadiCam, jib, crane, drone, gimbal and overall cinema verité work. It can shoot in 4K, UHD, 2K and HD formats, and like the VariCam 35, is fully capable of High Dynamic Range (HDR) field capture.
Deluxe VR
Deluxe Entertainment Services Group (www.bydeluxe.com) launched Deluxe VR, a dedicated virtual reality creative services unit that will offer end-to-end production and post production services. At NAB, the Deluxe team highlighted several VR projects, as well as their service capabilities. Deluxe VR provides end-to-end and a la carte VR production and post services across all VR platforms, including creating realtime and pre-rendered CG content, as well as 360-degree live-action video. In addition to the dedicated team, Deluxe VR will leverage the talent of more than 3,000 artists worldwide across Deluxe studios, including Company 3, Method Studios, StereoD, Rushes, and Iloura. An example of Deluxe's VR work, below, right.
Assimilate Scratch Web VR
Assimilate (www.assimilateinc.com) expanded its Scratch Web cloud-platform capabilities to offer professional, Web-based dailies/review tool for reviewing headset-based VR content. Scratch Web — already supporting the Oculus Rift and Google headsets, and now the Samsung GearVR headset for Samsung smartphone — offers a secure, easy, and fast means of review for 360-degree VR content. Scratch Web VR is available immediately, starting at $79 per month for a private channel through the Assimilate store on the company’s Website. Post's Marc Loftus gets a VR demo from Assimilate's Jeff Edson, below.