Apple Unveils Final Cut Pro HD, DVD Studio Pro 3
April 18, 2004
- Apple unveiled new versions of its popular nonlinear editing and DVD authoring software today at NAB.
Final Cut Pro HD, the latest version of Apple’s Emmy award-winning editing software, now features real-time performance with high-quality native DVCPRO HD in addition to real-time support for DV and SD. Final Cut Pro HD delivers the ability to capture, edit and output broadcast-quality high definition (HD) video over a single FireWire cable, without requiring any additional hardware—an industry first. Final Cut Pro HD supports native DVCPRO HD editing with no recompression or image degradation and enables HD preview monitoring on an Apple Cinema HD Display.
Taking advantage of the performance and architecture of the Power Mac G5 and Mac OS X version 10.3 “Panther,” Final Cut Pro HD provides playback of up to four streams of native DVCPRO HD video or when adding an Xserve RAID, up to 10 streams in preview quality. Final Cut Pro HD’s support of native DVCPRO HD makes media conversion unnecessary, preserving the full quality of the camera original. Final Cut Pro HD’s frame-accurate, native DVCPRO HD editing environment gives broadcasters, producers and post-production professionals the ability to capture, edit and output broadcast-quality HD video, and the freedom to cut HD video anywhere, even on a PowerBook.
Final Cut Pro HD’s Digital Cinema Desktop feature allows basic SD and HD monitoring directly to an Apple Cinema Display, further lowering the cost of entry for working in HD editing. Built on the open architecture of QuickTime, Final Cut Pro HD scales smoothly from DV through SD, HD and film. Final Cut Pro HD can output to most professional tape formats or encode MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and QuickTime files for DVD, web, or delivery on 3G devices.
Final Cut Pro HD offers unprecedented integration with Apple’s suite of professional applications, including Motion, a breakthrough new application that redefines professional motion graphics production; DVD Studio Pro 3, a professional DVD authoring application; Shake 3.5, a new version of the industry-leading compositing and visual effects software; and Logic Pro 6, the standard in computer-based music production.
DVD Studio Pro 3 delivers 30 professionally designed transitions that can be blended seamlessly between menus, slides in slideshows and stills in tracks with just a click of the mouse. In addition to standard transitions, such as dissolve, radial blur and fade through color, DVD Studio Pro 3 features revolutionary new Alpha Transitions, which are stunning QuickTime based movie transitions that add a new level of elegance and sophistication to DVDs. DVD authors can also build their own Alpha Transitions from scratch with Apple’s Motion or Adobe After Effects and quickly add them into DVD Studio Pro 3.
In addition to DV and SD, DVD Studio Pro 3 now provides the ability to scale HD and encode directly to MPEG-2 all in one step. Using Compressor 1.2, Final Cut Pro HD editors can save time, money, effort and hard disk space by encoding directly from HD to MPEG-2, and users can maximize the integrated workflow between Final Cut Pro HD and DVD Studio Pro 3.
In addition to support for Dolby Digital, DVD Studio Pro 3 now includes DTS 5.1 audio support to provide users with the best options for creating the highest quality surround sound audio for professional DVDs.
DVD Studio Pro 3 offers unprecedented integration with Apple’s suite of professional applications, including Final Cut Pro HD, the latest version of Apple’s Emmy award-winning editing software; Motion, a breakthrough new application that redefines professional motion graphics production; Shake 3.5, the latest version of the industry-leading compositing and visual effects software; Soundtrack, the innovative music composition tool; and Logic Pro 6, the standard in computer-based music production.
Pricing & Availability
Final Cut Pro HD is available immediately to registered Final Cut Pro 4 users. The Final Cut Pro HD retail package is available for pre-order through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $999 (US). Final Cut Pro 1, 2, and 3 users can upgrade to Final Cut Pro HD for $399 (US). Full system requirements and more information on Final Cut Pro HD, including a list of certified, compatible hardware and software, can be found online.
DVD Studio Pro 3 will be available in May through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $499 (US). Registered users of DVD Studio Pro 1 and 2 can upgrade to DVD Studio Pro 3 for $199 (US). Full system requirements and more information on DVD Studio Pro 3 can be found online.
For more information, visit
www.apple.com
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