Apple used the IBC trade show in Amsterdam to provide a ‘technology preview’ of support for 720p/50 video inside Final Cut Pro – as well as support for Sony’s XDCAM EX solid-state media, as used by its PMW-EX1 camcorder.
Currently Final Cut Pro supports 720p/60, as used in the US, but not 720p/50 for Europe and other territories. Support for 720p/50 allows editors to work with material captured in this format by JVC’s GY-HD200, GY-HD201 and GY-HD251 camcorders. The 720p/50 format features 1,280-x-720 progressive frames captured at 50fps.
The European version of Sony’s PMW-EX1 camcorder was formally launched at IBC. It captures XDCAM and XDCAM HD video to SxS PRO flash memory cards – the first model to do so as previous XDCAM camcorders have recorded video and audio onto optical discs similar to Blu-ray Disc media. Final Cut Pro 6 includes the Sony XDCAM Transfer dialog for importing XDCAM media, and the update adds support for importing from SxS PRO cards.
Apple representatives wouldn’t say when support 720p/60 and XDCAM EX would be added to Final Cut Pro: claiming, as many companies do, that they can’t make forward-looking statements. However, sources say that an update containing at least 720p/60 support should be released within the next month.
Author: neil_bennett, Global director, product and data
Neil is global director of product and data at Foundry. Previously he spent 20 years editing Digital Arts, so knows a thing or two about design.