It looks like Apple's campaign for winning back professional editors is attempting to gain more traction, as today LumaForge announced a system that promises to bring an affordable workflow for capturing, processing, and delivering 4k footage. While the platform is cooperating with several companies including Adobe, Blackmagic Design, Autodesk, and RED -- their workflow for editing and finishing looks like it's based on Final Cut Pro X. Read on for more details.
LumaForge is a 'value added reseller and systems integrator' based in California, and they will install and maintain the 4KFLOW (Flexible, Lean and Open 4k workflow) platform for film and television productions. 4KFLOW handles real-time playback up to 5k and was created with easy delivery to any resolution in mind. The system is comprised of a "display from Eizo, storage from ExaSAN, technology from Apple, expansion from Magma and iPad dailies from COPRA." From LumaForge:
Everyone is looking for workflow solutions that address the challenge of saving time and money as well as increasing quality – we all know that waiting hinders creativity but getting the right files to the right people at the right time is not always simple or cheap. The 4kFLOW end-to-end solution from LumaForge addresses the growing need for fast and efficient 4K shared data storage with secure high-speed networking at a cost-effective price.
Main features of 4kFLOW end-to-end solution:
- Extensive range of Macs for ease of integration
- Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5 and Compressor 4 for 4K, 2K and 1080 editing and finishing
- XSAN software for sharing data between workgroups
- The ExaSAN range of storage RAIDs and switches for storing and moving vast quantities of data quickly and securely around the network
- Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Resolve software for color correction and digital dailies
- Integrated VFX workflows with Autodesk SMOKE
- On set media management with ShotPut Pro
- RAW processing with REDcine-X
- Dailies creation and expedited syncing using Sync n Link, Dropbox and Vimeo
- Dailies review with COPRA 4 iPad system
- 4K monitoring from Eizo and NVIDIA
Neil Smith, CEO of LumaForge, adds:
It was imperative that we find the most robust and cost-effective 4K platform possible, 4K digital acquisition and file-based workflows demand a ton of horsepower and resilience. Traditionally this has been supplied by expensive proprietary systems. However, by combining the power of the Mac and Final Cut Pro X with our other hardware and software, we are able to create a system that accomplishes the best result at a fraction of the price of our competitors.
It's an interesting approach -- putting together some of the most powerful hardware and software tools into one manageable package -- and I think we'll start seeing more solutions like this become available. For productions who just want 4k to be a no-brainer, it might be a good choice. No word on price for the system yet, and even though one of their major selling points claims 'affordability,' since most of us aren't shooting in 4k (yet) it might be a bit pricey for the indie-minded. Also considering the constant battle for NLE superiority, the fact that this platform is based around FCPX could be a make-or-break factor. If you haven't seen Adobe's recent jab at Apple via their NAB customer video, check it out:
For all you NAB-ites, LumaForge will be showing off their platform at Booth #SL15113.
Links:
[via Pro Video Coalition]
