Wow, that was fast. Apple has only just announced its dual GHz systems, and the digital media specialists at Media 100 have already touted the benefits of the system (and the other new Power Mac revs) with their Media 100i.
Media 100i is a combination of hardware and software that turns a Power Mac G4 into a streaming media production system. Available in a variety of configurations, the Media 100 i system is offered specifically to provide interactive streaming content for Web site production.
The Mac OS X version, due early this summer, has a new Aqua-fied user interface and new effects creation and sound design capabilities, Mike Savello, vice president of Dual Stream Systems for Media 100, told MacCentral. Media 100, which has 30,000-plus installed systems worldwide, engineered Media 10i V8 from the ground up, with its roots in native OS X code to ensure that the systems take full advantage of the workflow and performance enhancements embedded in OS X, he added.
Media 100i has been tested “extensively” on the dual 1GHz as well as the 933MHz Power Mac G4 systems with “notable performance increases,” Savello said. Media 100i Version 8 running on the new dual 1GHz Power Mac G4 “will deliver even more creative power to users that have embraced Apple’s OS X with its multi-threaded workflow,” he added.
Media 100i version 8 boasts effects design enhancements. You can draft composites directly in the timeline, using the newly expanded number of graphics layers within Media 100 i Version 8. You can export composites to Adobe After Effects or other graphics/effects applications for further finishing and then bring them back directly into the V8 timeline using InstantMedia technology.
You can access audio tracks and user marks from within Boris FX or Boris RED; this allows synchronization of visual effects design to program timeline elements.
V8 also has sound design enhancements, Savello said. Audio track mixing and processing has been expanded to support 24 real-time tracks simultaneously. And a new master audio track and support for audio reverb and dynamics processing effects have also been added. Real-time audio track mixing and processing have been expanded from eight to 24 tracks simultaneously.
V8 also beefs up its AppleScript support. It now has an AppleScript recorder for creating custom scripts.
Media 100i Version 8 also includes the “highest quality” analog video and DV capture, standard in all models, Savello said. The system’s available Serial Digital Interface (SDI) can capture data as mathematically lossless streams, maximizing image quality and preserving disk space, he said.
If you buy a new Media 100 system before early summer, you’ll receive V8 at no charge when it’s available. Pricing varies depending upon system configuration: List prices are: Media 100 i/xr, US$14,995; Media 100 i/xs, $9,995; Media 100 i/l, $4,995; and Media 100 i/le, $2,995.