Apple finally updating their online FCPX Pro marketing

[Michael Gissing]

Yes FCP7 is doing the finishing and no-one has asked me to post a job cut on FCPX so it is all a moot point. What is pertinent to this thread is that clearly facilities that already have finishing tools like Smoke & da Vinci can now start to use FCPX purely as an edit tool.

Like you I wanted a kick arsed edit finishing system in FCP 8. This sort of publicity seems to be mostly crowing about how FCPX can be part of a big broadcast setup but it is mostly because other third party developers plus da Vinci have made it possible. What was shown a year ago at NAB has only become useful in my area of the market in the past month. So if anyone was wondering why this sort of publicity is now being done, it is because Apple have made some strides but the limelight should be shared. I don’t expect Apple publicity to do that so I am just noting and slightly venting. Pre NAB jitters if you like. I think Apple will need a lot more than the rest of the year to catch up with what is likely to be revealed at NAB. Hard to catch a bolting horse.

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Craig Seeman] “Give what’s in and not in those stories, an educated guess is MacPro is gone (maybe replaced at some point)”

It seems to be that way, but at the same time, every MacPro that Apple sells today needs to be “in the system” for at least three more years for the AppleCare crowd. Why are they still hanging on to it? It’s a rhetorical question as I think we feel the same about it.

Maybe it’s a marketing decision to not include the words “MacPro” as it would cause a major firestorm. Perhaps they don’t want anymore fires?

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Michael Gissing] “This sort of publicity seems to be mostly crowing about how FCPX can be part of a big broadcast setup but it is mostly because other third party developers plus da Vinci have made it possible. “

Well….

That’s what we have been saying all along, right? With the metadata and organizational capabilities that are truly unique to any NLE, really decent color correction (if you can get around the color board interface, the quality and power are remarkable, along with shape masks), logic effects for audio for the people that don’t need bigger iron finishing, what appears to be a decent built in keyer, fcpxml being preliminarily in place to get out to big iron when you need it via paid third party capability, it runs well on lower power editorial machines……whats not to like if an editor likes to edit on it? If you’re a shop and need to buy 50 seats (hell even 5 seats), do you want 50 $6-10k MacPros? You used to need it. Today? Maybe you don’t. Ivy Bridge will notch performance up once more and you won’t have to buy an expensive GPU configuration to run it on every machine, or switch platforms to buy a machine that will allow you to put in an expensive GPU.

There are people that like this software, and in my opinion, it’s warranted. Of course it needs more work as any software that has been rewritten from zero needs after being released for 9 months, but it seems it’s still being developed. It looks like people are starting to bet the farm on it if you believe the advertising.

Apple dumped Shake, and FCS3. It seems clear they are out of the “high end” finishing game, what’s left is an editor with decent effects controls for those that are comfortable with the layout, a developing interchange language for those that need to get in and out of fcpx, and decently powered, cost effective, miniaturized machines.

It’s not for everyone, and that’s fine. There’s some really cool tools and deals out there these days for production and post, big iron and little iron, pc and Mac, dogs and cats. We should be excited, not discouraged.

Jeremy

[Michael Gissing]

We have been recycling these arguments for a while and it is off topic.

All I wanted to point out is that FCPX making inroads into broadcast, an area they clearly indicated was low priority on release, is mostly due to third party developers. So credit where it is due with regards to this publicity.

[David Lawrence]

[Craig Seeman] “Give what’s in and not in those stories, an educated guess is MacPro is gone (maybe replaced at some point) and since others are saying Red Rocket runs in Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis the only thing I can think of is that either RED or Apple has something else in mind. “

Maybe what Apple has in mind is a new iMac.

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[Jeremy Garchow]

[Michael Gissing] “We have been recycling these arguments for a while and it is off topic.

All I wanted to point out is that FCPX making inroads into broadcast, an area they clearly indicated was low priority on release, is mostly due to third party developers. So credit where it is due with regards to this publicity.
“

This is not off topic. Apple did not say that they wanted out of broadcast editorial. They did say they were interested in the professional. They had a funny way of showing it and it appears they are throwing out the floppy disk on some level, too.

This has been the point from about June 23rd.

It is obvious that FCPX is going to rely on third parties. You buy what you need, don’t buy what you don’t.

Thunderbolt is going to fit that model, too. Buy pci if you need it, don’t if you don’t.

Fcp7 and below relied on third parties as well.

If none of that works there’s adobe, avid and a slew of PC manufacturers, that will bundle all the third parties up for us.

Jeremy

[Craig Seeman]

[Jeremy Garchow] “I think the Tocket would throttle to whatever the throughput.

4x PCIe isn’t to shabby especially when you consider straight CPU render times which are long.
“

But if there’s no link to it in Apple’s In Action there’s only 3 possibilities that come to mind:

A mistake (I doubt that)
A new enclosure (something improved over the Sonnet / Rocket / Thunderbolt combo)
A new card

Obviously the current combination is perfectly workable but, barring a mistake, it seems like there’s about to be a change. What that is is certainly speculative but it’s either improved convenience or improved performance if that’s the case.

PCIe3 related . . . and a new case by Sonnet or an OEM case built specifically for Red Rocket?
Of course if I head down that road it means Macs capable of handling that (PCIe3))
Some other road other than simply a mistaken missing link?

[Craig Seeman]

[David Lawrence] “Maybe what Apple has in mind is a new iMac.”

I mentioned something like that in another post recently as I rethink the possibilities (straying from my pizza box system).

Sort of an iMacPro.

Dual processor 6 core Xeon (case design changes to handle the heat?).
More Thunderbolt ports (3 or 4) PCIe 3 maybe?
Anti Glare monitor.

Interesting that Compressor 4 can now use a headless Mac. MacMini in its current state (sans BTO) is a bit underpowered for what I’d like to see in a render node. Perhaps a standard quad core i7 is on the way.

It’s another variation on the modular approach I think Apple can take.

I do think something a bit more powerful and flexible than the current top iMac has to happen though.

[Craig Seeman]

https://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/in-action/phoenix/

Since 1999, Hake has edited dozens of TV shows, movies, commercials, and shorts.

The transition to Final Cut Pro X was smooth for Hake, a Final Cut user since 1997.

So was he working on Macromedia KeyGrip pre release pre Apple before he edited professionally or somebody didn’t proofread?

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Craig Seeman] “Obviously the current combination is perfectly workable but, barring a mistake, it seems like there’s about to be a change. What that is is certainly speculative but it’s either improved convenience or improved performance if that’s the case.

PCIe3 related . . . and a new case by Sonnet or an OEM case built specifically for Red Rocket?
Of course if I head down that road it means Macs capable of handling that (PCIe3))
Some other road other than simply a mistaken missing link?”

It is oddly vague, but perhaps we are over thinking it. 😉