Quantel announces support for .r3d files

[Keith Neff]

Mainstream manufacturer Quantel will be supporting Red!!! The product lineup includes EQ, IQ and Pablo.

An excerpt:
Key features are:
* Preview r3d file before importing
* Partial file import - set in and out points and import between them
* Import at 4K, 2K or 1k resolution (full, half, and quarter res) with different quality options
* Full use of all the RED options including exposure, colorspace, color temperature and more.

This should put some of the workflow issues to rest and it will be available 'very soon'.

[Keith Neff]

Here is the link to the press release...

http://www.quantel.com/site/en.nsf/HTML/IBC2008?OpenDocument

[Charles Angus]

Sweet...

[Steve Freebairn]

Great news, post is just going to keep getting easier and easier.

[Alex Carr]

Yay!!!

[SandeepDey]

Nice... the SDK should keep news like these coming.
Very soon the 'editor' resistance should die out.

[Tim Fassnacht]

I bet Plaster City is stoked!

[Philip Powell]

Mainstream manufacturer Quantel will be supporting Red!!! The product lineup includes EQ, IQ and Pablo.

An excerpt:
Key features are:
* Preview r3d file before importing
* Partial file import - set in and out points and import between them
* Import at 4K, 2K or 1k resolution (full, half, and quarter res) with different quality options
* Full use of all the RED options including exposure, colorspace, color temperature and more.

This should put some of the workflow issues to rest and it will be available 'very soon'.

In this workflow, where does the final debayering take place? On output? The boxes would be working with "quick" debayers, until then? Anybody know?

[Andrae Palmer]

Great news.

[Adam Glick]

good stuff.

[Bruce Allen]

In this workflow, where does the final debayering take place? On output? The boxes would be working with "quick" debayers, until then? Anybody know?

The cynic in me says: Red has probably not given Quantel access to the file format.

So you'll have to pay $$$/hr while the Quantel machine imports your R3D file using the SDK's (presumably pretty slow) conversion? Because you're using the SDK, they can't use the custom hardware so it'll only be as fast as a normal PC.

Find a company who is flexible with rates, get the R3Ds to them ahead of time, and get this stuff imported during the night shift.

You probably don't want to be sitting in a room filled with clients while the Quantel operator complains about how long it takes to import. That's a nice way to give Red a bad name amongst top ad agency execs.

I think this will be a nice money spinner for post houses. They say "yeah, we can handle Red. Just it takes a long time to import, so all that money you saved shooting Red you're going to have to pay to us."

Plan ahead, manage client expectations, be clever and avoid this.

Quantel is fantastic, though. I used to use the old Paintbox. Also, look at Peter Greenaway's use of it in Prospero's Books - he was working with NHK on a HD system doing a digital intermediates back in 1991!!!

Bruce Allen
www.boacinema.com

[reality]

Don't you have to import everything into Quantel becaues it's proprietary storage anyway?

[Lucas Wilson]

Don't you have to import everything into Quantel becaues it's proprietary storage anyway?

Correct.

[Bruce Allen]

Don't you have to import everything into Quantel becaues it's proprietary storage anyway?

Yep. Question is, how fast? I am assuming it will be slower than other formats right now. So plan ahead.

Hey maybe I'm wrong and it won't be. Great!

Bruce Allen
www.boacinema.com

[Keith Neff]

Yep. Question is, how fast? I am assuming it will be slower than other formats right now. So plan ahead.

Hey maybe I'm wrong and it won't be. Great!

Bruce Allen
www.boacinema.com

I'm told you may be surprised. They do have some fast hardware at their disposal, but we shall see.

[Sanjin Jukic]

New at IBC: RED Camera support on eQ, iQ and Pablo

Our new RED importer allows import of the raw r3d files produced by the RED camera.

Key features are:
Preview r3d file before importing
Partial file import - set in and out points and import between them
Import at 4K, 2K or 1k resolution (full, half, and quarter res) with different quality options
Full use of all the RED options including exposure, colorspace, color temperature and more (See screenshots).

Some of the many RED import options
http://homepage.mac.com/sanjinjukic/RED/Quantel1.gif

Previewing an r3d file before it is imported
http://homepage.mac.com/sanjinjukic/RED/Quantel2.gif

The RED importer will be available in V4.0 software during October 08 and will be free of charge to customers with V4. See it in action at IBC.

All quoted from this LINK>>> (http://www.quantel.com/site/en.nsf/HTML/SOWN-7H4GTN_C_C)

Probably Park Road Post Production- Wellington (http://www.parkroadpost.co.nz/), New Zealand, and Peter Jackson demanded this development.

[Bruce Allen]

I'm told you may be surprised. They do have some fast hardware at their disposal, but we shall see.

Gotcha. But if they're using the SDK, and not allowed access to the file format, then they can't write a file reader / debayer engine that uses their custom hardware.

They have to use the SDK functions, which only make use of the standard Intel CPU.

Bruce Allen
www.boacinema.com

[Keith Neff]

Gotcha. But if they're using the SDK, and not allowed access to the file format, then they can't write a file reader / debayer engine that uses their custom hardware.

They have to use the SDK functions, which only make use of the standard Intel CPU.

Bruce Allen
www.boacinema.com

Going to try to get the real scoop next week, will let you know.