Jul
A few days ago Grass Valley released the latest version of its multiformat non-linear editing system, Edius Pro 6.5. The main new features are the functions for editing stereoscopic content, 10-bit color correction, support for new formats and cross-platform encoding.
By introducing all these improvements, the company is trying to open a “niche” for its software in a market where most editors are betting on Avid Media Composer, Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere. However, it has a clear disadvantage, and that is that it only works on PC, at 32 and 64 bit, on Windows 7 (not XP or Vista). At the moment there is no Mac version and there have been no comments on its release, which limits the possible range of users.
Turning to what’s new, in this new version Grass Valley will make its encoding technology available to other applications. In addition to the PC-based HQ and HQX codecs, a version of Quicktime with 10-bit HQ encoding will now also be available for free download for both Windows and Mac platforms.
Edius version 6.5 features a full s3D workflow, with stereoscopic editing tools and new 3D support through editing peripherals such as Storm 3G and Storm 3G Elite. These editing hardware seamlessly integrate with the Edius timeline, and have s3D input and output through a single 3G SDI source and/or dual 3G SDI signals.
To meet the needs required by users, new native support for formats such as R3D, EOS .MOV and AVCHD 2.0 has been introduced. In addition, 10-bit color correction, alpha channel export, image stabilization, Flash exporter, several enhancements to the Layouter tool, an integrated volume meter, subtitle support, and Blu-ray authoring in 720p have also been added.
Virtually all standard stereo display modes are supported, including “Side-by-Side”, “Top & Bottom” and “Line-by-Line”.
Edius Pro 6.5 is available for $699, and for those who already have version 6, you can upgrade for $299. It is not recommended to install the new version without uninstalling the old one.
From this page you can download a free 31-day trial and here you can see all the technical specifications.
They have also released a special systemized version called Edius Elite, based on Edius Pro 6.5. It takes full advantage of the proxy files created and stored on Grass Valley’s K2 Summit 3G server. This version also allows integration with Stratus, and includes Dolby-E and AC-3 audio support.
By simply updating the software, the K2 Summit or K2 Solo servers can be used as a server for 3D recording or playback, a Slow Motion (2X or 3X) recording device, or as a server for simultaneous recording of 2 to 6 camera angles, with at least one channel for playback.
