nextLAB - All in one Ingest, Manage, Color, Sync, Transcode and Archive.

[Michael.B]

Hey everybody. I wanted to start a thread about FotoKem's nextLAB dailies system. We wrote and created the software in-house, and having completed hundreds of RED projects (or more), thought it would be good to reach out to fellow RED users to talk a bit about our solutions and get some suggestions. Several REDUSER locals have used our system, hopefully we can get them to chime in a bit. I can post a brief explanation and some screenshots, but in the vein of talking about RED workflow and how manageable it can be, wanted to start a conversation on some of our philosophies and functionality.

The strength of this software is the all-in-one approach to media management through archive, reducing the need for many programs on a kit and consolidating throughput.

Our software and hardware has been on the sets and near location for features directed by Steven Soderbergh, Sam Raimi, and Bryan Singer, Network and Cable Television shows, commercials, independent films, music videos, etc. Each job has a slightly different requirement and we can talk about that here (e.g. need to do everything on-set for a commercial by the end of day). It would be great to hear about some of the challenges from DITs, Data Managers, Assistant Editors, and anybody else working in production/post.

Brief explanation of nextLAB.

• FotoKem's own dailies software, created and maintained in-house, often customized for specific projects
• Ingest Media at maximum speeds with full checksums and without the fear of overwriting original material
• Manage Media / System is aware of all ingests, transfers, transcodes, attached drives, original magazines, etc
• Apply Color / Full color controls, RMD, LUT, CDL's Presets, Color History
• Sync Sound / Auto Sync, internal and second system audio, utilization of audio metadata
• Transcode to Avid DNxHD, ProRes, H.264, DPX with optimal speeds, multiple simultaneous transcodes
• Archive to LTO5 as standard TAR, compatible and non-proprietary
• Full automated customized media reports

We are constantly working to improve our system and have some exciting things in the works. It would be great to hear from anybody interested in what we are up to.

Thanks!

One Sheet (to be updated soon) http://www.fotokem.com/resources/ser...LAB-Mobile.pdf

edit: new cart at NAB

[Matt Ryan]

Hey Michael,
This sounds great but when will it be available and what is the pricing for the software? Or is it a system that must be rented?

I have heard of productions using your nextLAB but they also had your entire system so not sure if there is a software only version.

[Michael.B]

Hey Matt,

We have thought about it quite a bit and for now we work on a rental model. We offer complete kits for a variety of reasons. Most notably our objective is to provide a resource for DITs and Data Managers. Among those resources is supplying a kit and the hardware behind it to ensure things like optimal ingest speeds (530 MB/S double red card ingest with checksum). Another of those things are calibrated monitors, RAID6 storage, SASS connections, Kits that can be safely shipped and plugged in and working in minutes (without having to assemble a bunch of parts), current drivers and OS versions, and the knowledge that if computer equipment has issues on location, we can get it working as soon as possible by sending new hardware or a person to fix it. We have seen a variety of guys and gals doing this work that have their own gear and we appreciate that. In some cases we have put our software on somebody's kit. We have also heard from people that are not interested in owning a kit that is in constant need of updating with expensive computer equipment, software versioning, and peripherals. So we've heard from both sides.

We have other software products that we are potentially going to sell and we'll talk about those in the future.

[Matt Ryan]

Thanks for the response Michael.

Personally I think if you offered a software only : Media Management, Sync Sound, and automated media reports into one bundle it would be of huge interest to the masses. At least to the more indie crowd working with a limited budget.

As great as the system is for a larger production, it would be great to have a "lite" version with the above included.(Software version for the end user) Maybe a version that utilizes RedcineX Pro for its transcodes and interfaces with it. This could open up a huge market. Sort of a send to RedcineX pro with sound synced, where we can do a 1st light cc and transcode.

I understand the reasoning in your decision but I feel as though you can maximize the market with a stripped down version to interface with RedcineX Pro and offer the great Fotokem tools professionals demand.

Thanks again and look forward to using the system in the future.

[Michael.B]

It is something we have considered. Thanks for the feedback!

Thanks for the response Michael.

Personally I think if you offered a software only : Media Management, Sync Sound, and automated media reports into one bundle it would be of huge interest to the masses. At least to the more indie crowd working with a limited budget.

As great as the system is for a larger production, it would be great to have a "lite" version with the above included.(Software version for the end user) Maybe a version that utilizes RedcineX Pro for its transcodes and interfaces with it. This could open up a huge market. Sort of a send to RedcineX pro with sound synced, where we can do a 1st light cc and transcode.

I understand the reasoning in your decision but I feel as though you can maximize the market with a stripped down version to interface with RedcineX Pro and offer the great Fotokem tools professionals demand.

Thanks again and look forward to using the system in the future.