Expect Labs’ MindMeld iPad App Understands Your Conversations In Real Time http://t.co/Y8Mx9PWC
First off, I need this!
Category: Technology
One thing that fascinates me are numbers: not for their own sake, but for what they reveal. While re-reading John Buck’s excellent Timelines2 (recommended reading for anyone who is interested in the history of the NLE, volume 2 takes us just past the release of Final Cut Pro 1) I came across some interesting numbers, particularly juxtaposed with a Beat.tv post titled Adobe Claims “Industry Leadership” in Video Editing with 2.5 Million Users. Remembering that Apple have claimed 2 million “seats” of Final Cut Pro (1-7). And I’m pretty sure Avid have sold a few copies of Media Composer, Sony copies of Vegas, and Grass Valley aren’t in the Edius business for giggles. So, somewhat more than 2 million NLE users in our modern world.
The latest release of 7toX for Final Cut Pro includes:
• Bug fix for mono audio clips appearing black (no media) in the timeline
• Bug fix for xml files ending with .XML
• Bug fix for clips with no media file
• Bug fix for clip naming in the Event
Disappointing 3DTV sales makes 4K the Next Big Thing http://t.co/N0xVEBfk
The problem is that these “big things” are not driven by consumer demand, but by the tool makers who need to keep selling more production gear, and – perhaps more importantly – more consumer equipment to get the hardware turnover faster. Given that the average TV sits in the corner for 10 years or so, something has to be “created” to induce consumers to want to buy the next “big thing”.
FBI launches $1 billion face recognition project http://t.co/G7SSZclO
The technology behind facial recognition is growing better all the time. Various companies, including Apple, are building up portfolios of relevant technology to implement into their application. Now the FBI have their own “application” (catching bad guys) but:
Adobe Anywhere collaborative editing in a familiar environment. http://t.co/u8AFGLKN
One of the pleasures of the whole Solar Odyssey experience was my exposure to Hoverfly, who had signed on as a sponsor for Solar Odyssey (although it never actually happened).
Final Cut Pro X
I made the deliberate decision to use Final Cut Pro X to experience it on a bigger project. While there are some things that bug me in the interface – see my Disclosure Triangle rant for a start – there are many things I really enjoy and I’m mostly still finding it faster, particularly now that I’m into editing.  Faster for my editing style at least. It performed well with FW800 and USB2 interfaces into the mid-2011 MacBook Pro I was working with in the field. It performs even better with that USB drive connected via USB3 on the MacBook Pro Retina. (My welcome home gift to myself, originally intended to be used as part of the production.)
For the on-board production, the plan was to ingest all footage via the Mac Mini server to create a Final Cut Pro X Event – for the day, the sub-day or the story . The funny thing is, I questioned Apple’s use of “Event” in Final Cut Pro X until I had to try and find a term to cover the same ground. Event seems to work as well as anything.
My approach to audio is where I would make the biggest changes. Largely because the show I produced was not the one I set out to produce, and because I think the radio mics on board were overkill.