G5-optimized Pro apps

Apple today unveiled G5-optimized versions of which it says also take advantage of Panther. The new version 4.1 of Final Cut Pro now delivers simultaneous playback of seven fully uncompressed standard definition (SD) video streams with real-time effects using a dual-2.0GHz processor Power Mac G5 and Xserve RAID. The new G5-optimized Final Cut Pro 4.1, Shake 3.0.1 and DVD Studio Pro 2.0.2, with the new Compressor 1.1 update, are immediately available for current customers.

Apple says that while broadcast professionals will benefit from this new industry-leading SD performance of seven fully uncompressed streams, DV editors will benefit from the groundbreaking ability of Final Cut Pro 4.1 on a Power Mac G5 to deliver five simultaneous streams of DV video in safe-mode without the use of any additional hardware. In addition to the real-time performance, Final Cut Pro 4.1's rendering is now almost twice as fast at 32-bit floating point render jobs on a Power Mac G5 when compared to a Power Mac G4. Other changes include

• Frame Offset for synchronizing NTSC/PAL display with computer display during playback
  
• Support for XML Interchange format
  
• A new Create Support Profile option in the Help Menu for AppleCare
  
• A source selector that lets Audio Mixer follow Canvas or Viewer
  
• 3-perf film support in Cinema Tools
  

DVD Studio Pro 2.0.2 with the Compressor 1.1 update delivers a significant performance leap for encoding projects from Final Cut Pro 4.1 into MPEG-2, supplying the highest quality for DVD authoring. Compressor 1.1 completes high volume and repetitive encoding tasks up to 55 percent faster on a Power Mac G5 when compared to a Power Mac G4. The integrated workflow between DVD Studio Pro 2 and Final Cut Pro 4 saves time and hard disk space while delivering pristine-quality video by removing the need for an intermediate export file thereby eliminating generational loss.



Shake 3.0.1 for the Power Mac G5 and Panther is the standard for advanced compositing and visual effects with an extensive toolset specifically designed to handle the most complex tasks in the industry. Shake 3.0.1 is now optimized to render up to 45 percent faster on a Power Mac G5 when compared to a Power Mac G4. The image processing engine can now handle massive amounts of data even faster and with better results. Free distributed rendering on Panther enables any artist to produce film-quality content at unprecedented speeds.

by MacNN Staff