Saturday, April 24, 2004
What an incredible week! Since I work on Final Cut Pro (a non linear editor for TV and film), NAB is the big show we work towards. Last year we released 4.0 with RT Extreme, and this year we released Final Cut Pro HD. For the past 8 months I have been working on this version, counting the days to NAB and the release.
Last Sunday was the product announcement in a convention hall in the Venetian, full of people from the industry, media, etc. Apple announced 5 new products.
1. Final Cut Pro HD: Native HD editing on any desktop or laptop
Final Cut Pro HD lets you edit HD using your computer over the firewire connection you already have. You get real time effects (no rendering required) without any additional hardware. So basically you can edit HD for about $1000. Our competitors charge $60,000-$100,000 for the same functionality! And to top it all off, this version is a FREE upgrade to 4.0 users.
2. Motion: Very cool motion graphics in real time
I can't explain in words how cool this application is. If you are working in motion graphics, you will be blown away. At the show people were amazed. After the first part of the demo, the audience was so loud the presenter said something like "You can stop clapping, you haven't seen anything yet"
3. Xsan: Storage Area Network
Let's a group of computers share the same data stored on a central server. Priced at 1/3 the competition.
4. DVD Studio Pro 3: New features to create professional DVDs
5. Shake 3.5: Update to the high end compositing app used to make every movie that has won the special effects academy award in the past 7 years.
At the end of the presentation, Rob Schoeben, Apple's vice president of applications marketing, asked all the engineers in the audience to stand. That was the biggest applause of the presentation.
The following day, Apple updated the entire line of iBooks and Powerbooks!
I was in Vegas for the entire week, but it wasn't all partying. I was demoing Final Cut Pro HD for about 5 hours each day. I had so much fun demoing that the days I was signed up to be a floater (give people bathroom breaks), I switched so I could demo the entire 5 hours! This is the first year that I know enough about Final Cut and about movie editing that I can talk for hours to people.
It's great to be able to talk to people who already use your product, get their feedback, hear their stories. And it's even better to talk to people switching away from the competition. I talked to many people who were ready to switch and just needed some more info.
The reaction from the people I talked to was incredible. Some good quotes:
"Awesome"
"That's sick"
"How much does HD cost? It's free!?"
Someone I was talking to got a call from his partner. "We are switching to Final Cut Pro. All we need is a G5 and the software and we can do this TOMORROW."
Website for all the new products
Final Cut Pro HD press release
This is what it's all about: After working so hard on a product, to be able to see it in people's hands, talk to the users, get feedback, and see that the industry is happy with what you're doing.
Overall it was a great show. The crowd at the Apple booth was unbelievable. At times there wasn't enough room to walk. There was a classroom that was always full. And we had a theater doing demos that was always overflowing. At one point there were people sitting in another company's booth, turned around so they could watch the Apple demo.
Come back Monday for the other side of NAB, with pictures.
Last Sunday was the product announcement in a convention hall in the Venetian, full of people from the industry, media, etc. Apple announced 5 new products.
1. Final Cut Pro HD: Native HD editing on any desktop or laptop
Final Cut Pro HD lets you edit HD using your computer over the firewire connection you already have. You get real time effects (no rendering required) without any additional hardware. So basically you can edit HD for about $1000. Our competitors charge $60,000-$100,000 for the same functionality! And to top it all off, this version is a FREE upgrade to 4.0 users.
2. Motion: Very cool motion graphics in real time
I can't explain in words how cool this application is. If you are working in motion graphics, you will be blown away. At the show people were amazed. After the first part of the demo, the audience was so loud the presenter said something like "You can stop clapping, you haven't seen anything yet"
3. Xsan: Storage Area Network
Let's a group of computers share the same data stored on a central server. Priced at 1/3 the competition.
4. DVD Studio Pro 3: New features to create professional DVDs
5. Shake 3.5: Update to the high end compositing app used to make every movie that has won the special effects academy award in the past 7 years.
At the end of the presentation, Rob Schoeben, Apple's vice president of applications marketing, asked all the engineers in the audience to stand. That was the biggest applause of the presentation.
The following day, Apple updated the entire line of iBooks and Powerbooks!
I was in Vegas for the entire week, but it wasn't all partying. I was demoing Final Cut Pro HD for about 5 hours each day. I had so much fun demoing that the days I was signed up to be a floater (give people bathroom breaks), I switched so I could demo the entire 5 hours! This is the first year that I know enough about Final Cut and about movie editing that I can talk for hours to people.
It's great to be able to talk to people who already use your product, get their feedback, hear their stories. And it's even better to talk to people switching away from the competition. I talked to many people who were ready to switch and just needed some more info.
The reaction from the people I talked to was incredible. Some good quotes:
"Awesome"
"That's sick"
"How much does HD cost? It's free!?"
Someone I was talking to got a call from his partner. "We are switching to Final Cut Pro. All we need is a G5 and the software and we can do this TOMORROW."
Website for all the new products
Final Cut Pro HD press release
This is what it's all about: After working so hard on a product, to be able to see it in people's hands, talk to the users, get feedback, and see that the industry is happy with what you're doing.
Overall it was a great show. The crowd at the Apple booth was unbelievable. At times there wasn't enough room to walk. There was a classroom that was always full. And we had a theater doing demos that was always overflowing. At one point there were people sitting in another company's booth, turned around so they could watch the Apple demo.
Come back Monday for the other side of NAB, with pictures.