Yummy... Final Cut Studio 3

Opened some Final Cut Studio 3 this morning, and have it installed on one machine here.

Sony HVR-Z5 and Z7 importing for Final Cut Pro

When you shoot to the "Sony Recording Unit" on a HVR-Z5 or HVR-Z7, the video is recorded either as ".dv" files (when in DVCAM mode) or ".m2t" files (when in HDV mode). The ".dv" files can be used in Final Cut Pro directly, but you might encounter problems. The M2T files cannot be used in Final Cut Pro, although you could use something like MPEG Streamclip to convert them into Quicktime movies - but this is a tedious process.

Better is to install the "Sony Recording Unit RAD plugin", which comes in versions for either Final Cut Pro 6.0.2+ or 7.0+. Download it here - http://support.d-imaging.sony.co.jp/www/pro_hdv/fcp_plugin/ (this link does NOT require you to register with Sony, bla bla bla).

It was really hard to find this link, or even to establish that such software existed! Sony's website is absolutely impossible to search.

With these plugins installed, you can simply use the Final Cut Pro "Log and Transfer" tool to preview and import the clips conveniently into your specified Capture Scratch folder and bins.

Apple brings back the Xserve RAID?

It wasn't long ago that Apple discontinued their line of Fibre Channel RAID systems (Xserve RAID) and started punting Promise VTRAK RAID systems as the new hardware for mass storage, especially for Xsan.
Now, I get an e-mail from Digicape South Africa selling something called "Active XRAID", which are 16TB (with 16TB expansion chassis option) or 8TB Fibre Channel / SATA II RAID systems...

But I go th

e main apple.com site and there is no mention of this hardware at all. Instead, they still have prominent links to Promise RAID from the Xsan section:

What is going on here? Which system is Apple supporting? Both? It seems the prices are very similar for Promise RAID and this "XRAID" systems for similar capacity/performance. Surely it wouldn't make sense to have two very similar hardware options for Xsan?

Except the XRAID is much prettier...

Final Cut Studio 3 released today

Apple today released a new version of Final Cut Studio, with lots of great new features. There is even some support for Blu-Ray, although there is still no comprehensive Blu-Ray authoring tool (DVD Studio Pro does not seem to have been updated into, say, "Blu-Ray Studio Pro") - but that is not all that surprising (see "Why I think Apple will never support Blu-Ray").

Final Cut Pro 7 is much bigger leap forward than, say, FCP 5 to FCP 6. It seems they have been working hard on features and tools that editors actually need, and that is most welcome. Also, the "Share" feature addresses some of the serious weaknesses that were always present with the "Export" functionality (especially the ability to do exports in the background!).

Motion 4 continues a trajectory of steady improvement, now including 3D reflections and 3D shadows, parameter linking, etc. These are all going to make it easier to create stunning graphics when you don't have the time (or the budget) to bring in the heavyweight graphics systems.

Soundtrack Pro 3 is hopefully going to finally pull this application out of the doldrums - it has so much promise, but has never really delivered well; hopefully it might even be a worthy replacement for Pro Tools LE now? We'll see.

I can't wait to get my hands on a copy, and start playing.

NTFS drives on Mac OS X

A very useful utility for the Mac is NTFS-3G. It's a peculiar name. Anyway, the latest version installs very simply (automatically installs the required "MacFUSE" without needing a separate download/install), and works straight away.

With NTFS-3G installed, you can read (and write to) NTFS-formatted volumes easily. This is very useful in a mixed-platform environment where you want to be able to use external hard drives for both Macs and Windows-based PC's. FAT32 format is the other option (supported by OS X without additional utilities), but restricts you to a 2GB file limit, which is useless if you work with large files.

With NTFS-3G installed, your standard OS X "Disc Utility" app also allows you format ("Erase") volumes as NTFS on your Mac, which simplifies things even further.

SA 3G users: beware the Software Update!

We've been having such issues with rising 3G bills in the last 3 months, and couldn't work out why it was happening. Finally, discovered that the OS X "Software Update" has a setting "download important updates automatically", which doesn't do exactly what you think. I mean, for some of us, the latest version of iTunes is not exactly an "important update". Be sure to switch this off!

I eventually confirmed that this was the source of our ridiculous 3G bills. The System log had recorded the "Auto-download" for a number of updates:

Confusingly, these are not actually installed by OS X - just downloaded, so they still appear as "available" on your Software Update list.

Also - and here is my real gripe - the Vodafone Mobile Connect software for the Mac is so utterly useless that it is difficult to keep track of your data usage. Unlike the Windows software, the Mac one literally just allows you to connect. It provides no usage statistics, SMS inbox, etc. And it bypasses all the usual Mac networking frameworks. So your only way of checking data usage is by registering with Vodacom4Me, and checking there.

High quality company logos for download

A great site where AI or EPS (vector illustration) versions of most company logos can be found (including South African ones): www.brandsoftheworld.com

Very useful for those corporate videos! Often better quality than the ones the client tries to e-mail to you.