Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/5315
8 Post • December 2009 www.postmagazine.com S AN DIEGO — Sorenson Media (www. sorensonmedia.com) has released Version 6 of its Squeeze video encoding software. Sorenson Squeeze 6 features a simplified overall workflow that allows users to more easily encode and publish video files on the Internet. The tool works in tandem with the Sorenson 360 Video Delivery Network, the company's online video publishing platform. Users can now upload high-qual- ity encoded video directly to popular social media sites, such as YouTube and Twitter, as well as to con- tent deliver y networks, including Akamai and Lime- light. Squeeze 6 can send automatic notifications to clients or the users themselves via e-mail and text message (SMS) when encoding jobs are completed. Post houses can add clients' contact information, which will automatically send them secure, password- protected videos for review and approval after en- coding jobs are completed. The new release incorporates the latest On2 VP6 and MainConcept H.264 codecs, which tests have shown to encode H.264 and VP6 formats 500 percent faster than Squeeze 5. New input formats have been added, including suppor t for AVC-Intra and WMV with VC-1 for use in Blu-ray and Microsoft Silverlight. Output formats now supported include AVI, AIFF, DV Stream, Image Sequence, Wave and WMV with VC-1. And new video filters that have been added include blur, RGB, tint, white balance and timecode. Sorenson Media has also launched Preset Ex- change, an online repository of pro encoding presets created by compression experts. Users can impor t new presets into Squeeze by clicking "Install" on the Preset Exchange Website. Along with with Avid's suite of editing applica- tions, Squeeze 6 also now works with Apple's Final Cut Pro and iMovie. Squeeze 6 ($799) and Squeeze 6 for Flash ($499) are available for electronic download or for shipping in CD form. Upgrades from previous ver- sions begin at $199. The complimentar y one-year Sorenson 360 Review & Approval account includes 5GBs of storage, 100 streams per month and a max- imum video length of 30 minutes. Bits & Pieces C ULVER CITY, CA — Sway Studio (www.swaystu- dio.com) contributed visual effects to Roland Emmerich's new apocalyptic sci-fi thriller 2012.The studio is responsible for the scene in which the film's hero, played by John Cusack, races through Los Ange- les as the street crumbles beneath the wheels of the limousine he's driving. Uncharted Territory, the film's production com- pany, approached Sway after hearing about the stu- dio's proprietary Drive-A-Tron technology, which simulates the physics of cars in full 3D, taking into account the physical properties of the car body, the engine, suspension, and the deformations of the tires riding over rough terrain.This all happens in real- time, with the artist sitting in a driver's seat.This saves days of work when compared to the traditional animation process. Sway employs Drive-A-Tron for 2012 Squeeze 6 simplifies video encoding and publishing Squeeze 6 makes publishing video to the Web easier. Vegas NLE adds professional workflow updates M ADISON, WI — Sony Creative Software (www.sonycreativesoft- ware.com) has upgraded its Vegas Pro NLE software with new features for pro- fessional video editing workflows.Version 9.0c features Sony XDCAM EX MP4 file rendering and the ability to Smar t Render MPEG-2 video across different containers for faster, more seamless editing. XDCAM EX MP4 file rendering suppor t allows users working with XDCAM EX cam- era footage to edit material within Vegas Pro software and then write back to the camera. Cross-format MPEG-2 Smart Render technol- ogy allows video frames to pass through the engine unaltered, facilitating faster encoding while providing less generation loss. New audio features in the ap- plication include Elastique Pro time stretching and the ability to impor t stereo audio as dual mono. The Elastique Pro time-stretch process enables audio time stretching and pitch shifting while retaining maximum sound quality. The option to automatically split stereo audio channels into in- dependent audio tracks as they are brought into the timeline increases processing control for apps such as an inter view in which channel one contains the interviewer's voice and the second channel contains the subject's voice. For pros working with footage shot with the Red One camera, file access and efficiency has been streamlined for working with footage up to 4K. Users can now browse, display and impor t .r3d files directly from the device ex- plorer allowing them to quickly impor t only the media needed directly from the camera. Additionally, the new release includes ex- panded card suppor t for capture and output via SDI, HD-SDI and HDMI. This suppor t ac- commodates Blackmagic Design Decklink HD Extreme, AJA IO Express and AJA Xena LHi. Version 9.0c is available for free to existing registered users. Vegas Pro 9 is priced at $699.95.