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Can I trade in my Kona ? (the end is near !)
This is for the people that want to know if buying “brand A or brand B” is a
good 5 year investment –Bob Zelin
From PC Magazine 2/28/07
Sources report that Apple is finishing up development on a new version of its Final Cut Studio suite, including Final Cut Pro 6, and will likely deliver the next-generation version of its professional video editing software when the National Association of Broadcasters kicks off the annual NAB trade show in April.
Apple originally planned to ship Final Cut Pro 6 at NAB last year but ran into delays when the company was forced to move members from that software’s development to the Aperture development team. Aperture, Apple’s professional photo editing and management software, received a lukewarm reception with its 1.0 release and required substantial rewriting of the code to deliver better performance and features, improvements that were delivered in September 2006 with the release of Aperture 1.5. Most of the reassigned developers returned to Final Cut Pro duties following that software release, sources say.
Most notable among the additions planned for Final Cut Pro 6 will be the release of a new, hardware-accelerated version of the software dubbed Final Cut Extreme. Sources say Extreme is slated to ship later this year, likely in the summer, with a price range of $10,000 to $30,000, depending on configuration. With such a solution, Apple is gearing up to take on main rival Avid in the realm of high-end video editing systems.
Working in tandem with Apple’s Mac Pro system, Final Cut Extreme will enable customers to work with uncompressed 4K and 2540p video, suitable for working with Red Digital Cinema’s Red camera, which is also expected to be delivered at NAB, as well as the Panavision Genesis, Dalso Origin, Thompson Viper, Sony Cinealta, Phantom HD, and Arri D20 cameras.
In addition, the hardware acceleration is said to support new versions of Apple’s Motion software, as well as future applications, including the next-generation version of Shake, Apple’s digital composition solution, currently on track for delivery in 2008.
Sources also say that Final Cut Pro 6 will require a 64-bit processor
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21 Replies
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The only problem I see with this article is that it’s written by someone from “thinksecret” which as we all know is a rumor site.
I think it’s absolutely correct that FCP 6 will be shown at NAB since Apple has announced the Sunday event, but how much of the details will be correct remain to be seen. I take the article with a grain of salt until April 15 when we see for real what Apple is unveiling.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com
HD Editorial & Animation for Food Network’s “Good Eats”
HD Editorial for “Assignment Earth”“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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While that’s PC Magazine note that the author is from a rumor site. So while I agree that FCP 6 will be introduced at NAB, I’m taking all the specs with a grain of salt and will wait until April 15 to see what Apple really shows us.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com
HD Editorial & Animation for Food Network’s “Good Eats”
HD Editorial for “Assignment Earth”“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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That rumor has been around for a long time. It is obvious that Apple is going to release a major update this year to its Pro App product line. I’ll take the wait and see approach.
Steve Eisen
Eisen Video Productions
Director-At-Large
Chicago Final Cut Pro Users Group -
In real life, we don’t do motion pictures down here in Orlando, nor have I ever seen anyone do a 2k project either. I will faint when my entire client base switches over to “standard def HD” – least not film res 4K stuff. I guess this is really for the LA feature market (and those who do independent features around the country). Perhaps the NY commercial market will shoot and edit in 4K, and downconvert for TV. I will be surprised if infomercials, corporate video, local TV spots, cable shows, etc. will “demand” being shot in 4K and edited in 4K. But you never know –
Bob Zelin
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First of all, I do know that FCP has been re-built groundup, so it will be big. The team working on it has not even been in the same building as the FCP5 team. So definitely expect a vast improvement over the old versions.
My next is a guess: I personally think that this whole “extreme” thing will probably be just a bundled version. It’s about time Apple gets it together and sells entire systems, especially if they debut a card/hardware for I/O (which I’m not sure I believe). Anyways, put their top tier Mac, an XRaid, FCP suite and you pretty quickly get into the $10k-30k range they’re talking. My guess is it will just be a bundled package.
Now, I sure would go for a few other things before I ask for 4k media (improved capture window to log as it loads & see meters, better media management, etc.)
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Kevin writes –
My next is a guess: I personally think that this whole “extreme” thing will probably be just a bundled version. It’s about time Apple gets it together and sells entire systems, especially if they debut a card/hardware for I/O (which I’m not sure I believe).REPLY – if this happens, it’s the end of FCP, and entryway for someone else. Apple’s hardware support is non existant. If there were not AJA and Blackmagic out there to help us with the REAL issues (hardware, FCP would be useless.
If what you say were to happen, unless the Apple Enterprise Group was to be in 100% control of this product, the entire product line would fail, and hi end users would abandon FCP completely. The generic “technical support staff” of Apple Computer is a bunch of useless morons, that have no clue about their own product line (with the exception of the very qualified Apple Enterprise Group). Can you imagine paying $30,000 for a turnkey Apple solution, only to be directed to the “Genius Bar” at the local mall. Kevin, walk to your nearest mirror, look at yourself, and slap yourself in the face for even suggesting this.
We are all here because of John Apt and Grant Petty – Apple’s FCP is only a software interface we use to make a living, and without AJA, Blackmagic (and in the past Pinnale Cinewave, Digital Voodoo, and Aurora), FCP would be a joke.
Long live AJA.
Bob Zelin
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[Bob Zelin] “We are all here because of John Apt and Grant Petty – Apple’s FCP is only a software interface we use to make a living, and without AJA, Blackmagic (and in the past Pinnale Cinewave, Digital Voodoo, and Aurora), FCP would be a joke.
Long live AJA.”
This is very true, though if Apple were to release some sort of OEM hardware bundle I would venture to guess whose hardware would be included. It only takes three letters.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com
HD Editorial & Animation for Food Network’s “Good Eats”
HD Editorial for “Assignment Earth”“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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I’m with you guys! Bob, no need for self-slapping. 🙂
I always thought that if Apple was going to get into the true turnkey edit system biz, they would buy AJA. That said, I hope you’re right, Bob. I personally don’t think they need to get into that game. Again, I’m guessing, but I don’t think this would be a true “turn key solution,” but just a bundle of their existing products. (Computer, storage, software, high-end graphics card, display…)
I’m looking forward to FCP6 and hope some of the few pains have been resolved.
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Can Apple create a fully pro piece of software? Or are the always doomed to this hybrid pro-sumer sort of thing? Right now thanks to companies like AJA and BMD, plus all the high end gurus out there, we’ve enhanced and jimmy rigged FCP into a viable professional studio application.
It would be wonderful if someday Apple created a dedicated professional grade system with a dedicated support system ala Discreet – where you pay a premium for yearly service, yes, but you can get a uber trained engineer on the other end who can diagnose and solve your problems. Unfortunately like you’ve said, the current Apple model of tech support is some underpaid college kid at the Genius bar who I’m sure we all know MUCH more than.
I know Apple is trying to create a solution for both the curious amateur and the professional editor – and we obviously traded in our Avid bays for FCP because its a great alternative – but I’d really love Apple to bear its teeth a little, even if it means leaving the little guys behind with an “Express” version to play with
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Ouch, CharleyX2, I would hardly call Apple’s FCP software a hybrid pro-sumer app. That’s pretty harsh. I work nearly every day on both AVID’s and FCP and I would say short of a VERY few things, they are pretty close in their “professionalism.” Not bad for Apple considering their compretitor had a 10 year headstart.
Keep positive about FCP 6. It’s going to be big. It’s the thing I love (and the thing that drives companies crazy) about Apple, they keep moving forward. I remember I took about 3 or 4 years off of AVID editing (’98-’02) and I couldn’t believe how little had changed when I sat down with it again. 🙂 Good thing or bad thing? Both…
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