Hauppauge and IceTV Promotion offering FREE
3 months interactive Electronic Program Guide (EPG)
for Windows MCE on all Hauppauge TV Tuner products
- Exclusive Hauppauge Promotion

Hauppauge and IceTV are pleased to announce that all Hauppauge TV Tuners (both retail and OEM) will commence shipping with a 3 month FREE IceTV membership, look for specially marked products (example the product sticker shown below)

Hauppauge TV Tuner solutions for Windows
with FREE 3 month IceTV Subscription (WIN)
From RRP $69
New Magic Code: VARIOUS

• Click here for the Hauppauge retail overview sell sheet
• Click here for the Hauppauge OEM/MCE overview sell sheet

Blackmagic Design OpenGear frames are now available from New Magic, Please note frames must be ordered with a minimum of one Blackmagic Design OpenGear converter fitted.

The Blackmagic Design OpenGear (DFR-8321) is a 2RU high density modular frame, designed to accommodate up to 20 openGear cards (10 BMD OpenGear Cards) **. The 21st slot is reserved for network control.

** Note all Blackmagic Design OpenGear converters will populate 2 slots due to rear IO connections.

Modular Frame Architecture
The DFR-8321 offers the flexibility of independent rear modules for connectivity to a wide array of interfaces such as BNC, twisted-pair audio and fiber. The DFR-8321 offers a full rear module which offers 10 BNCs per module, or a high density split rear module which offers 5 BNCs per module. Using the split rear module allows for up to 20 independent openGear solutions to be installed (10 BMD OpenGear Cards) **.

Robust Power Supplies
The DFR-8321 can accommodate two front-loaded PS-8300 power supplies. A single supply can fully power a loaded frame, the addition of a second (optional) supply gives the frame full power redundancy. Each power supply contains an independent cooling fan, status LED and a front-mounted power switch.

Cooling
The frame has been designed with an advanced cooling architecture with increased ventilation. The front-door mounted fans provide forced air cooling to all cards with front to back cooling. An intelligent fan controller adjusts fan speed with changes in power supply loading and temperature.

Control
The DFR-8321 offers optional Ethernet connectivity for Control and Monitoring via DashBoard and optional SNMP.

Features

• 2RU frame houses up to 20 openGear cards (10 BMD OpenGear Cards) **
• Supports any mix of analog, digital, video and audio modules in the same frame
• Modular I/O panels for connector flexibility
• Removable front door for easy fan servicing • Frames come standard with cooling
• 2 independent looping references with connection to each card slot
• Robust 150 watt power supply with integral cooling
• Optional redundant power supply, hot-swappable for 24/7 operation
• Power switch is accessible from front of rack frame
• Front loading power supplies
• Optional Ethernet-based frame controller for remote set-up, monitoring and control
• Optional SNMP control and monitoring
• Power Supply and Ethernet-based frame controller common to DFR-8310
• 5-year transferable warranty

The new Blackmagic OpenGear Converters give you a great range of conversion, all packed with the latest video technologies at an affordable price! OpenGear is the television industry’s open standard for rack-based conversion and processing. Get the freedom and cost savings of an open standard combined with centralised network control and monitoring using the OpenGear DashBoard software on Windows™, Mac OS X™ and Linux™!

• Click here for the Blackmagic OpenGear Converter product family overview PDF.

• Click here for an overview of all Blackmagic Design products.

Via the latest firmware upgrade the (SDI – Analog) and (HDMI – SDI) Mini Converters now feature a built-in hardware down converter.

• Click here to download

Blackmagic Design Mini Converters feature the highest grade broadcast quality audio and video electronics. Build your studio with the world’s most advanced and easy-to-use converters! Only Mini Converters include auto SD/HD switching, redundant input, AES/EBU and analog audio on standard 1/4 inch jack connections. Choose from 4 great models depending on the conversion you need. There are simply no converters on the market today with the same ease of use and powerful features as Blackmagic Design Mini Converters!

• Click here for the Blackmagic Mini Converter product family overview sell sheet.
• Click here for an overview of all Blackmagic Design products.

Matrox Convert DVI lets broadcasters easily and economically take to the air computer-based content, which is quickly becoming a key part of the nightly news to air. It's ideal for creating broadcast video from computer applications such as Skype, YouTube, Google Earth, video games and web browser sessions, as well as citizen journalists' mobile phone videos.

Quality HD-SDI scan converters with genlock typically cost thousands of dollars each and SDI audio embedders are often required. Costs balloon when stations require multiple units. Matrox Convert DVI is very inexpensive by comparison and allows system audio to be embedded in the SDI signal.

Matrox Convert DVI controls are provided via a simple PC-based user interface. By simply dragging a mouse, rather than fiddling with buttons on the unit itself, users can choose to output the entire screen or a region of interest of any size. Premium features such as a flicker reduction filter, an underscan mode, customisable presets with user assignable hotkeys, password protection and a stand-alone mode ensure optimal flexibility for many different applications.

Key features of Matrox Convert DVI
• DVI input up to 1920 x 1200
• Digital outputs: HD/SD SDI
• Analog outputs: HD/SD analog component, S-Video and composite
• SD analog black burst (bi-level) or HD tri-level genlock with timing offset controls
• Simultaneous analog and digital output
• Stereo audio input can be embedded into the SDI output signal
• Realtime HD to SD hardware downscaling with proper colour space and aspect
  ratio conversion
• Region of interest output support
• Can operate as a stand-alone appliance
• Advanced features such as an anti-flicker filter, underscan mode, customisable
   presets and password protection

• Click here for the Matrox Convert DVI overview sell sheet.
• Click here for the Matrox product family overview sell sheet.

This February Matrox have announced the Matrox Vetura Playback software, a new application on the Mac for convenient playback of H.264 and .mov files using any of the Matrox MXO2 I/O devices.

Field journalists equipped with a Matrox MXO2 device which includes the Matrox MAX H.264 encoding accelerator can shoot and edit their stories, then quickly encode to a very high quality H.264 file faster than realtime. Via any internet connection, the small H.264 file can be efficiently uploaded to headquarters then ingested to a video server or played directly to air using another MXO2 device and the Matrox Vetura Playback application.

The new Vetura Playback application lets broadcasters leverage the power of Matrox MAX H.264 encoding acceleration to deliver breaking news stories to air in HD faster than ever before. Matrox gives them the tools they need to scoop their competition.

Release 1.9 provides the following new features for Matrox MXO2,
MXO2 Rack, MXO2 LE products:
• New Matrox Vetura Playback application.
• Now supports up to 16 audio channels on SDI input/output instead
  of eight audio channels.
• Closed captioning capture and playback is now achieved using SDI audio
   track 16 instead of audio track eight with the patent-pending Matrox 4VANC method.
• Now supports AFD (active format description) data for capture, edit and
   playback. AFD data capture and playback is achieved using SDI audio track 15
   with the Matrox 4VANC method.
• Core audio support.
• Updates to address specific customer issues and to improve overall stability.

Release 1.9 provides the following new features for Matrox MXO2 Mini:
• New Matrox Vetura Playback application.
• Core audio support.
• Updates to address specific customer issues and to improve overall stability.

Release 1.9 provides the following new features for Matrox CompressHD:
• Updates to address specific customer issues and to improve overall stability.

Matrox User Stories:

	Matrox MAX Technology Revolutionizes H.264 Encoding Workflow at BrightDawn. - Full story
	Matrox MXO2 smoothes KDVR’s transition to HD. - Full story
	Rev13 Films Preserves Closed Captioning with Final Cut Pro and Matrox MXO2. - Full story

• Click here for the Matrox MXO2 overview sell sheet.
• Click here for the Matrox CompressHD overview sell sheet.
• Click here for the Matrox product family overview sell sheet.
• Click here for more information on Matrox MXO technology.

Send Matrox your HD demo reel or clips from your best projects and have a chance to be a part of our upcoming show reel which will be featured at events worldwide in 2010. You will have a chance to win one of two Matrox MXO2 LE I/O devices with Matrox MAX H.264 encoding acceleration! Click here to enter or for more information

“Avatar” Animation Technical Director and Virtual Art Department Supervisor Joins NewTek
- Product News and Promotion (while stocks last)

Valued at $295

Rob Powers Appointed Director of Entertainment and Media Development. NewTek, manufacturer of industry-leading 3D animation and video products, this week announced that Rob Powers has joined the company as Director of Entertainment and Media Development. Rob will serve as a liaison between studios, 3D artists and NewTek, sharing the benefits of LightWave 3D® with the visual effects community and communicating the studios’ and artists’ needs to the NewTek LightWave 3D development team.

Pandoran Epiphytes in LightWave OpenGL and fully realized and rendered	Na'vi Polygonal Model in NewTek Lightwave Modeler OpenGL (Photo: Business Wire).

“Rob has extensive experience working with 3D visual effects pipelines, a deep understanding of 3D artists, and is well-known for creating amazing visual effects for legendary films and television shows,” said Jim Plant, president and chief executive officer, NewTek. “Rob will be a tremendous asset for NewTek, and an advocate for the 3D community as we continue to develop new, innovative technologies that meet the growing needs of visual effects producers.”

As the creator and supervisor of the Virtual Art Department (VAD) for James Cameron’s “Avatar,” Rob was a key member of the primary team who conceived and pioneered a whole new approach for directors to shoot a movie within an immersive virtual nonlinear filmmaking workspace. Rob and his team used NewTek LightWave 3D as the main tool for developing the environmental assets used for the Virtual Production workflow. Baking the LightWave render engine and advanced lighting into the UV maps made it possible to provide extremely high production value to all of the real-time assets. Lush jungle scenes with all of the light and appealing atmospheric elements which Rob and his team created in LightWave 3D were viewed in real time by director James Cameron before and during on-set virtual production.

“With LightWave’s optimized polygonal modeler, integrated dynamics engine, add-and-go deformation system, world-class render engine, autonomous asset workflow, and compatibility with other graphics applications seamlessly integrated into our production pipeline, we were able to bring Jim Cameron's vision of the Epiphyte plants, the great Leonopteryx creature and the entire world of Pandora to life. It was NewTek's LightWave that made it possible for me and my team to achieve our breakthroughs and goals on one of the most demanding films ever made. Now I would like to extend the reach of LightWave even further with my new position,” said Powers.

Rob’s VAD team provided detailed templates, down to the exact placement of plants, camera motion, composition of shots, lighting and atmospheric cues for the film. Ultimately, the VAD real-time environment scenes and sets developed by Rob and his team with LightWave were key to the innovative new Virtual Filmmaking workflow which Cameron used to create the movie.

Prior to joining NewTek, Rob worked with James Cameron, serving as Animation Technical Director and Virtual Art Department Supervisor for “Avatar” and as CG Supervisor for “Aliens of the Deep.” Rob also worked with Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson, serving as Virtual Art Department Supervisor for “Tintin.” He worked on Disney’s “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” and Jet Li’s “The One” and was the lead animator of the famous 3D dancing baby on “Ally McBeal.” NewTek also enlisted Rob to use LightWave 3D to create the first 64-bit Windows animation, which was presented by Bill Gates in a keynote address.

Rob graduated from the University of Southern California Cinema Production programme and attended the Academy of Motion Pictures, American Film Institute.

LightWave Promotion
While stocks last: NewTek LightWave 3D® V9 full product (only) customers who purchase between Feb 1st 2010 and April 30th 2010 can claim (via redemption) a FREE version of the award-winning Stop Motion Pro software (Windows only) valued at $295

LightWave CORE Update News
from Joy Roth
(President of the 3D Division NewTek)

Since unveiling details of the feature list for LightWave with CORE Technology to our HardCORE community and entire LightWave community - we have been making exciting progress. This week, I’d like to update everyone and unveil some first looks at the new working interface we are developing for NewTek LightWave with CORE Technology. We are also excited to share with you our first Camtasia video, which demonstrates the amazing speed of our new Viewport Preview Render (VPR) rendering system currently under development.

Click Here to read more

NewTek LightWave 3D v9 with BONUS Stop Motion Pro for Windows (via rebate)
and FREE upgrade to LW CORE (WIN/MAC)
RRP $1299 (Educational version available from $369)
New Magic Code: LWF9

NewTek LightWave 3D v9 Upgrades with FREE upgrade to LW CORE  (WIN/MAC)
RRP $799 (Educational version upgrades available from $229)
New Magic Code: LWF9

• Click here for the NewTek LightWave 3D overview sell sheet
• Click here for the NewTek product family overview sell sheet

Did you know that Vegas Pro 9 supports the Blackmagic Design Intensity Pro, Multibridge and DeckLink products? At an unbelievable low price, these products, when combined, offer a cost-effective and high quality HD NLE editing solution.

The Vegas™ Pro 9 collection offers an efficient and intuitive environment for professional video and broadcast production, as well as DVD and Blu-ray Disc™ authoring. This comprehensive suite supports nearly all video formats including XDCAM™ EX and RED ONE™, and provides a full complement of editorial tools for a streamlined workflow.

Intensity features HDMI-in for connecting to cameras and digital set-top boxes for the highest quality capture. Get higher quality capture from HD cameras by capturing direct and bypassing the HDV compression chip for high quality video captured direct from the image sensor. As edit software can't play back to HDV cameras for monitoring, Intensity is ideal to use for monitoring uncompressed HD or HDV and even DV edits on the latest big screen televisions and video projectors by connecting to the built-in HDMI out.

To strengthen the flawless integration between Vegas Pro 9 and the Blackmagic Design Intensity Pro card we have come up with a "Grand plan" (pun intended). When you purchase Vegas Pro 9 with an Intensity card you pay only a $1000 (a Grand) - $68 saving See your local stockist for more details.

Note: SD 16:9 playback requires additional settings (please ask)

• Click here for the Sony Creative Software product family overview sell sheet
• Click here for the Blackmagic Design product family overview sell sheet

“Which off-the-shelf tools have you used to edit, colour correct and composite your films?"

We used Premiere for many years, and then Final Cut, but we just recently moved to Sony Vegas. From our experience, Premiere just couldn’t handle a one-hour program in such high-resolution, let alone 3D. I was really surprised with the 64-bit version of Vegas, which we started testing back in June. Even though it’s only in Windows, it has a really elegant interface. But more important, it never crashed when we were working in 4K. This was just stunning to me—it’s the first time in my life that an editing program doesn’t crash, even with heavy, hi-res files. We’re still using After Effects, and I can’t wait, of course, for a 64-bit version of that…”

• Click here to read the whole article

Also check out the recent webinar: The 10 Vegas Pro Techniques for Power Editing webinar that was held two weeks ago is now up and available for on-demand replay at Click here. Sony have also posted the answers to over 150 questions which came in during the event.  These questions and answers make for great learning material and we encourage you all to read through them. There’s a link to the Q&A on the page linked to above.