5 top requests for Cineform

[Giga Barone]

Hi I've been following the Cineform developments at NAB regarding Raw conversion and I must say they seem to be doing a great job. Well done !!!

As somebody seriously looking at Cineform as a possibility for my DI workflow I think it would be good to outline customers top 5 features we would like to see for the Mac platform. Windows users please feel free to contribute too.

As somebody already using DVCPROHD and HDCAM as well as a future RED owner my top 5 are.

1. HD Link working without emulation on Mac (DVCPROHD Conversion being my first priority 24/25p then HDCAM)

2. AJA Kona 3 Support (SD,1080,2K, monitoring and output of Cineform would do me just fine at the moment, both NTSC and Pal formats 24/25p 50/60i)

3. As their is no other DVI-D 2K Monitoring option (please correct me if I'm wrong) Full support NTSC and PAL for Blackmagic HD Link Pro.

4 Blackmagic HD Link Extreem support (I sometimes work with Blackmagic products, having this supported would really cover all the basics.

5. ..........Thats it. My wishlist !!! With these items support I could see myself using Cineform for a long time to come.

G

[tillHavis]

Hi G !
These are pretty much the same requests I am looking for. I must say I am really looking forward to the Raw conversion tool.
If anybody from Cineform is out there could they give an indication of when the DVCPRO HD Conversion tool will work nativly on Mac. I agree DVCPRO HD/50 and even SD are my top money earners followed by HDCAM and the ability to convert them nativly to Cineform would be great. No more work arounds !!!

Also Kona 3 support for monitoring and output in 2K please !!!

[tillHavis]

Anybody from Cineform know when we might see the HD Link working Nativly on Mac ??? Even an aprox month/date

[David Taylor]

Till, HD Link will be ported, but I realize that doesn't answer your question. We're actively working on Mac features/performance which is currently taking priority over the HD Link port.

[tillHavis]

Thanks for the reply David. I understand the features /performance are important but I am going to put another plug in for getting the HD Link working on Mac.
I understand your resources may be limited but for most of us working with existing formats this is the biggest issue we keep running into; and the one that stops us making actual money.
Ok their are work arounds but this is not what I want in a DI, when I see workarounds in any workflow I immediatly avoid them.
This is why I invested in a Mac editing studio not windows.
I do understand the need to be on the cutting edge but don't forget their are thousands of customers still working with these existing formats.
To put it another way if you can keep the existing market happy and still develop cutting edge tools you will have a winning product. I reckon that 80- 90% of us Mac users work with these existing formats on a daily basis (DVCPRO HD, HD CAM etc)
I am upgrading to the Red this year but it is these formats that are paying for this upgrade.
At the moment Mac users working with these formats are not really being served by Cineform. We have the codecs but not the conversion tools.
This is not a criticism but rather a genuine issue I hope you can resolve.
It is my genuine belief (I may be wrong) that most users would settle for a full/working 2K solution for Mac monitoring and output, using Cineform above anything else. 2K is the highest quality and most cost effective option for high end tv/advertisement and film work at the moment. (Ok 4k is here but is not really a finishing medium Yet !)
David myself and I'm sure many others would like to work with one DI throughout the process and export at the highest quality we can, even if this is only DVCPRO HD; having a Cineform 10 bit DI versus an 8 bit native gives me that little bit extra to work with.
Heck if you corner this market alone these customers wont be going anywhere else in a hurry.
David I hope you will consider this request. Keep up the good work.
Till

[David Taylor]

Till, we are in complete agreement with you. Thanks for reinforcing the point. We'll get it done....

[tillHavis]

Thanks for that David.
I am really looking forward to Cineforms 2K DI Workflow on Mac. The ability to use one DI throughout the editing process is amazing. Don't forget the need to output and monitor using Kona/Blackmagic cards etc
Till