High-Def Video Production, DVD Authoring for Windows Media Unveiled
April 19, 2004
Las Vegas, NV - Microsoft Corp. and Sonic Solutions have unveiled DVD Producer–WMV HD Edition, a special version of Sonic’s award-winning professional authoring application that supports the production of DVD titles using Microsoft Windows Media Video High-Definition (WMV HD). WMV HD delivers dramatically superior image quality with high-definition video at data rates comparable to standard-definition DVD video, the companies describe.
Sonic is launching a beta program for DVD Producer – WMV HD Edition to provide high-end professional facilities with early access to this groundbreaking technology so they can build exciting high-definition experiences using WMV HD for playback on Windows XP PCs. Production companies interested in joining the beta program may contact Sonic via e-mail at [email protected].
The demonstration highlights tight integration with Avid Technology Inc.’s nonlinear video workstations and focuses on the preparation of high-definition video and authoring using Sonic’s new application. DVD Producer – WMV HD Edition is targeted for release in September of this year.
Microsoft also announced that Windows XP and Windows Media 9 Series solutions from Adobe, BOXX Technologies Inc. and CineForm Inc. are now available for Windows XP, making desktop real-time, multistream, 10-bit high-definition serial digital interface (HD-SDI) video editing a reality. In addition, real-time Windows Media Video 9 Series HD (WMV HD) encoding is being demonstrated at the show, with both software-only and hardware-accelerated solutions.
HD-SDI Capture and Real-Time, Multistream, High-Definition Video Editing
Real-time, multistream, high-definition video editing has not previously been available for video professionals at low cost using 10-bit HD-SDI technology. The announcement brings HD editing capability to the Windows XP desktop, with the following solutions:
In addition, HD-SDI I/O (input/output) cards from Bluefish and DeckLink are being demonstrated, featuring enhanced support for Windows XP-based desktops.
Blackmagic Design is highlighting the use of its DeckLink HD line of 10-bit uncompressed video cards with Windows at Booth No. SL2472. The DeckLink product lines are among the world’s highest-quality video cards for the post-production and television broadcast industries, and the DeckLink HD is one of the world’s highest-quality uncompressed 10-bit PCI capture cards with standard definition and full HDTV support.
Bluefish444 is demonstrating its 10-bit uncompressed SD\HD-SDI HÐD Fury video card with support for Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5. The HÐD Fury video card enables either
SD-SDI or HD-SDI video editing via Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5, which can then be exported to Windows Media 9 Series.
Real-Time Software and Hardware-Based WMV HD Encoding
Powerful PC processors now are able to encode WMV HD in real time for digital dailies or final delivery, using software only. Companies demonstrating WMV HD 720p encoding at NAB include:
Digital Rapids is demonstrating real-time, software-based, WMV HD encoding with its multiformat HD capture card with extensive A/V preprocessing and the Stream Pro encoding application, which has numerous advanced capture/encode/management features. This demonstration is part of an HD dailies workflow via Sample Digital Inc.’s industry-leading Digital Dailies service.
Intel Corp. is demonstrating the power of its Xeon processor MP-based servers, which deliver productivity, scalability, dependability, and excellent price and performance. The Intel NetBurst microarchitecture provides support for MP speeds of up to 3 GHz and offers a 400MHz system bus for outstanding throughput and scalability for multiprocessor platforms and multithreaded server applications.
Inlet Technologies is demonstrating HD Workbench, a new application that streamlines professional encoding from AVI, QT, DivX and MPEG-2 into high-quality, WMV HD content. Other features include batch-mode encoding, StreamRepair for reliable two-pass encoding, and controls for frame-accurate encoding from a file or tape. In addition, Inlet is showcasing its innovative hardware platform for encoding media from live HD-SDI sources or transcoding files into high-quality WMV HD.
Finally, a technology preview of a hardware-accelerated solution from Tarari also will be shown at NAB2004:
Tarari Inc. is demonstrating acceleration technology that will significantly speed the encoding of WMV HD content. This technology, the result of collaboration between Tarari and Microsoft, will eventually enable creators, producers and broadcasters of WMV HD content to encode and deliver content in near-real time.
For more information, visit
www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia
or
www.sonic.com
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