BROADCAST FILM AND VIDEO DIRECTORY
- Red Giant Software Unveils Film Fix Restoration Tools For Mac Os
- Red Giant Software Unveils Film Fix Restoration Tools For Mac Free
15/02/2006 Next generation of Sony XDCAM Professional Disc completes HD line-up
The next generation of Sony's XDCAM Professional Disc system offers European cinematographers, broadcasters and video professionals a complete toolkit of flexible, digital production options. The Son
The next generation of Sony's XDCAM Professional Disc system offers European cinematographers, broadcasters and video professionals a complete toolkit of flexible, digital production options. The Son
(San Francisco, CA, February 13, 2006) Red Giant Software, publisher of a line of professional desktop tools including Magic Bullet and Knoll Light Factory, today announced the availability of the Macintosh version of Film Fix. The plug-in supports Adobe After Effects 7 and is now cross-platform. Cintel Scanner 35mm Gate HDR.
15/02/2006 Spanish national broadcaster TVE extends relationship with Pro-Bel
Reading-based Pro-Bel have announced that TVE has extended its relationship with the company by purchasing and installing additional routing and control technology. The deal has been handled by Pro-B
Reading-based Pro-Bel have announced that TVE has extended its relationship with the company by purchasing and installing additional routing and control technology. The deal has been handled by Pro-B
15/02/2006 Sundance Digital advances broadcast automation and workflow at NAB 2006
With an aim to 'ease', Sundance Digital will introduce a variety of new and enhanced software products at NAB 2006 aimed at simplifying the complexities of master control operations, news programming,
With an aim to 'ease', Sundance Digital will introduce a variety of new and enhanced software products at NAB 2006 aimed at simplifying the complexities of master control operations, news programming,
15/02/2006 VintenRadamec Robotic Controller offers 'backward' control
Among the latest additions on show at NAB will be the VintenRadamec controller which is backward compatible with Radamec and Autocam products. The VintenRadamec controller will sit behind the curren
Among the latest additions on show at NAB will be the VintenRadamec controller which is backward compatible with Radamec and Autocam products. The VintenRadamec controller will sit behind the curren
15/02/2006 Visit London announces London TV on Narrowstep’s TelVOS
Visit London, the official visitor organisation for London has launched its own 24 hour broadband channel on visitlondon.com, using Narrowstep Inc’s Television Operating System (TelVOS). The new Narr
Visit London, the official visitor organisation for London has launched its own 24 hour broadband channel on visitlondon.com, using Narrowstep Inc’s Television Operating System (TelVOS). The new Narr
14/02/2006 Eyeheight safeEyesMDi offers multidefinition safe area generator
Eyeheight's new safeEyesMDi multidefinition safe area generator automatically senses and adapts to incoming 1080i and 720p HD as well as 625i PAL and 525i NTSC SD. The safeEyesMDi allows programme-ma
Eyeheight's new safeEyesMDi multidefinition safe area generator automatically senses and adapts to incoming 1080i and 720p HD as well as 625i PAL and 525i NTSC SD. The safeEyesMDi allows programme-ma
14/02/2006 Film London holds events at the Berlin Film Festival
A seminar for European producers, Getting the Best out of London - an A-Z guide to the UK's production centre, in association with Peacefulfish - kicked off the Film London presence at the Berlin Film
A seminar for European producers, Getting the Best out of London - an A-Z guide to the UK's production centre, in association with Peacefulfish - kicked off the Film London presence at the Berlin Film
14/02/2006 Hamlet delivers test and measurement flexibility at NAB 2006
The Flexiscope from test and measurement specialist Hamlet was an award-winning hit of NAB and IBC2005. At NAB 2006 the true potential of this uniquely powerful, high-precision digital platform will
The Flexiscope from test and measurement specialist Hamlet was an award-winning hit of NAB and IBC2005. At NAB 2006 the true potential of this uniquely powerful, high-precision digital platform will
14/02/2006 Irish film Winter’s End seeks votes for Hollywood award
Irish film, 'Winter’s End', has been invited by Cinequest Online to compete in the prestigious 2nd Annual Viewer's Voice Awards. A contemporary thriller set on an isolated farm in rural Ireland, carr
Irish film, 'Winter’s End', has been invited by Cinequest Online to compete in the prestigious 2nd Annual Viewer's Voice Awards. A contemporary thriller set on an isolated farm in rural Ireland, carr
14/02/2006 ITV Local to broadcast live sport using Narrowstep's TelVOS
ITV Local, the new broadband TV channel for the South and South East of England powered by TelVOS, Narrowstep's Television Operating System, will be broadcasting a pay-per-view basketball match with N
ITV Local, the new broadband TV channel for the South and South East of England powered by TelVOS, Narrowstep's Television Operating System, will be broadcasting a pay-per-view basketball match with N
14/02/2006 MSA Focus to showcase ForeTV at NAB 2006
MSA Focus is to reveal the broadcast industry’s next-generation automated broadcast management system to audiences at NAB 2006. The new suite, ForeTV, is to migrate MSA Focus’ flagship solutions onto
MSA Focus is to reveal the broadcast industry’s next-generation automated broadcast management system to audiences at NAB 2006. The new suite, ForeTV, is to migrate MSA Focus’ flagship solutions onto
14/02/2006 Red Giant Software unveils Film Fix restoration tools for Mac OS X
Red Giant Software, publisher of a line of professional desktop tools including Magic Bullet and Knoll Light Factory, has announced the availability of the Macintosh version of Film Fix. The plug-in
Red Giant Software, publisher of a line of professional desktop tools including Magic Bullet and Knoll Light Factory, has announced the availability of the Macintosh version of Film Fix. The plug-in
14/02/2006 Vision Ped Plus from Vinten is ideal for 'lightweights'
The Vinten Vision Ped Plus, billed as ideal for today’s lightweight production techniques, will be showing at NAB 2005. The Vision Ped Plus is the natural successor to the highly popular Vision Pedes
The Vinten Vision Ped Plus, billed as ideal for today’s lightweight production techniques, will be showing at NAB 2005. The Vision Ped Plus is the natural successor to the highly popular Vision Pedes
13/02/2006 Austria’s ORF selects Harris
Harris Corporation has announced that ORF, Austria’s public broadcast network, has added 11 Videotek VTM-420HD/SD multi-format, on-screen monitors to its facility. This recent installation brings th
Harris Corporation has announced that ORF, Austria’s public broadcast network, has added 11 Videotek VTM-420HD/SD multi-format, on-screen monitors to its facility. This recent installation brings th
13/02/2006 AXON HD-channels used by Alfacam and Euro1080 in Torino
One of the most prestigious recurring international winter sporting events has begun in Torino, Italy as the Winter Olympics get underway. TOBO, the host broadcaster that is responsible for the produ
One of the most prestigious recurring international winter sporting events has begun in Torino, Italy as the Winter Olympics get underway. TOBO, the host broadcaster that is responsible for the produ
13/02/2006 BBC shortlists three companies for facilities management supply
The BBC has chosen three companies to go through to the final stage of its procurement process to find a facilities management supplier for parts of its property portfolio. This follows detailed eval
The BBC has chosen three companies to go through to the final stage of its procurement process to find a facilities management supplier for parts of its property portfolio. This follows detailed eval
![Tools Tools](https://pages.uoregon.edu/koch/texshop/ThemeTab.png)
![Restoration Restoration](https://venturebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/sony-019.jpg)
13/02/2006 Filming starts on new comedy drama for BBC THREE
Filming has begun on 'Teenage Supermodel' (working title), a brand new comedy drama for BBC THREE. The comedy drama is written by Carmel Morgan (The Royle Family; Shameless; Coronation Street) with a
Filming has begun on 'Teenage Supermodel' (working title), a brand new comedy drama for BBC THREE. The comedy drama is written by Carmel Morgan (The Royle Family; Shameless; Coronation Street) with a
13/02/2006 New Chair of FOCAL International named
Four very strong candidates had put themselves forward for the position left empty since the death of Jane Mercer last September. New Chair of FOCAL Sue Malden brings a wealth of experience from the
Four very strong candidates had put themselves forward for the position left empty since the death of Jane Mercer last September. New Chair of FOCAL Sue Malden brings a wealth of experience from the
13/02/2006 Over 50 global TV channels powered by Narrowstep’s Television Operating System (TelVOS)
Narrowstep, the TV on the internet company, who now power over 50 global broadband channels using their Television Operating System (TelVOS), exhibited at I Deliver at Video Forum. Over the past thre
Narrowstep, the TV on the internet company, who now power over 50 global broadband channels using their Television Operating System (TelVOS), exhibited at I Deliver at Video Forum. Over the past thre
13/02/2006 PESA to go to 2006 Winter Games
PESA, part of the QuStream group of companies and a leading provider of analogue and digital video and audio equipment for broadcast applications, has announced that its routing solutions will be used
PESA, part of the QuStream group of companies and a leading provider of analogue and digital video and audio equipment for broadcast applications, has announced that its routing solutions will be used
13/02/2006 Radioscape launch new RS200VE module
RadioScape, the world leader in Software Defined Digital Radio solutions, has launched the latest addition to its innovative range of Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) modules. The RadioScape RS200VE mod
RadioScape, the world leader in Software Defined Digital Radio solutions, has launched the latest addition to its innovative range of Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) modules. The RadioScape RS200VE mod
10/02/2006 5 Star supplies HSL with 100 new Motor Cases
5 Star Cases has supplied leading lighting and rigging rental company HSL from Blackburn with 100 new Tour Grade road cases to accommodate a variety of CM Lodestar motors. HSL uses 5 Star exclusivel
5 Star Cases has supplied leading lighting and rigging rental company HSL from Blackburn with 100 new Tour Grade road cases to accommodate a variety of CM Lodestar motors. HSL uses 5 Star exclusivel
10/02/2006 ATG Broadcast equips new playout facility for TV4 Sweden
TV4 Sweden has chosen ATG Broadcast, one of Europe's leading broadcast systems integrators, to equip a new multichannel playout area. The country's leading commercial television broadcaster, TV4 Swe
TV4 Sweden has chosen ATG Broadcast, one of Europe's leading broadcast systems integrators, to equip a new multichannel playout area. The country's leading commercial television broadcaster, TV4 Swe
10/02/2006 Blackmagic Design announces Multibridge Extreme 5.4
Blackmagic Design has announced software Version 5.4 for its highly popular Multibridge Extreme editing and converting solution. Multibridge Extreme is the world's first all-in-one bi-directional A/
Blackmagic Design has announced software Version 5.4 for its highly popular Multibridge Extreme editing and converting solution. Multibridge Extreme is the world's first all-in-one bi-directional A/
10/02/2006 Dayang announces 32-channel multi-display controller
A powerful addition to Dayang's MagicWall range of monitor splitters will be introduced at NAB2006 in April. Designed to supercede bulky CRT walls in broadcast master control rooms and presentation
A powerful addition to Dayang's MagicWall range of monitor splitters will be introduced at NAB2006 in April. Designed to supercede bulky CRT walls in broadcast master control rooms and presentation
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Posted by Bill on Jun 7, 2011 in Resource Articles | 31 comments
RHMG – Bill Werba
The industrial grade film restoration application space is not an overly occupied one. You can count the number of these software vendors on your fingers. Some are well known and well entrenched in the industry, yet others are relative new comers attempting to take a piece of the market pie in this narrow niche. Did I say the tools are expensive? The least expensive with a common set of filters costs $3000 and goes up from there. Not your average pricing for the everyday Joe to buy into. Packages range from software only to combined hardware/software systems bound together to yield the best efficiency and results.
Most old film regardless of its gauge, suffers from one or more effects of poor processing, bad handling and long term environmental stresses. The larger 35mm to 70mm film sizes has and continues to have the benefit of professional restoration services due to the availability of industrial level financing driven by the urgency to preserve for historical reasons. On the other hand the smaller amateur gauges like 8mm and Super 8 being a consumer gauge have been and are largely ignored. Cost being the out of reach factor.
I have been looking into the software tools for professional film restoration and have compiled a list of these vendors along with some commentary.
Mizuno mp 630 fast track driver settings. The hardware platforms needed to run the software, even in its minimum system configuration is at the high performance end of the spectrum and thus will drive cost as well (in most cases the computer platforms cost more than the software).
Ok, so here they are:
Film Fix
A tool from Red Giant software. Target users are consumer to semi-pro. The product is discontinued. It appears Red Giant is working on a revamped version with no indication of when it will be re-introduced. It is a plug-in for After Effects v6 to CS3. I tried this tool in CS3. It’s clunky to use, but it does work quite well when it doesn’t crash. Learning curve is so-so. Render times are long. Adobe and Red Giant offers render farm support, but I didn’t try it. Introduced at about $2K about 5 years ago, but can be found on Ebay sometimes for $125.
A tool from Red Giant software. Target users are consumer to semi-pro. The product is discontinued. It appears Red Giant is working on a revamped version with no indication of when it will be re-introduced. It is a plug-in for After Effects v6 to CS3. I tried this tool in CS3. It’s clunky to use, but it does work quite well when it doesn’t crash. Learning curve is so-so. Render times are long. Adobe and Red Giant offers render farm support, but I didn’t try it. Introduced at about $2K about 5 years ago, but can be found on Ebay sometimes for $125.
Diamant by HS-ART
Based in Germany, these big boys have been around awhile. They have three product lines, two just for dustbusting called Dustbuster (who could have guessed) and Dustbuster+. The other called Diamant-File Restoration IV. The latter has a sizeable set of restoration filters which can operate in automatic, semi-automatic and manual modes. The tool is resolution independent (SD, HD, 2K and up and handle multiple bit depths) and works in Windows on moderate platforms. Cost is unknown. Offers free trial download for Dustbuster+ only. Fully functional but cannot save your work.
Based in Germany, these big boys have been around awhile. They have three product lines, two just for dustbusting called Dustbuster (who could have guessed) and Dustbuster+. The other called Diamant-File Restoration IV. The latter has a sizeable set of restoration filters which can operate in automatic, semi-automatic and manual modes. The tool is resolution independent (SD, HD, 2K and up and handle multiple bit depths) and works in Windows on moderate platforms. Cost is unknown. Offers free trial download for Dustbuster+ only. Fully functional but cannot save your work.
Cinema Craft – ReNeat
Another big boy based in Japan, $50K for a typical system (software/hardware solution). The associated US web site is better. It looks like a limited number of filters. Resolution support only to 2K. Operates in Windows on a specially configured platform using their software to take advantage of SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data) computing techniques. Let’s just say SIMD works very well for this type of computing.
Another big boy based in Japan, $50K for a typical system (software/hardware solution). The associated US web site is better. It looks like a limited number of filters. Resolution support only to 2K. Operates in Windows on a specially configured platform using their software to take advantage of SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data) computing techniques. Let’s just say SIMD works very well for this type of computing.
PFClean
Another big boy, if price is any indication. This product is distributed and supported by Pixelfarm in the UK. It costs about $20K. Has a powerful, but in my view a limited set of filters when compared to DaVinci Revival. The claim to fame in support of the price I guess is the power of the algorithms in doing a superior job in defect removal. Going to the forums however suggests otherwise.
Another big boy, if price is any indication. This product is distributed and supported by Pixelfarm in the UK. It costs about $20K. Has a powerful, but in my view a limited set of filters when compared to DaVinci Revival. The claim to fame in support of the price I guess is the power of the algorithms in doing a superior job in defect removal. Going to the forums however suggests otherwise.
Davinci Revival
Black Magic Design bought this long known venerable brand. It comes in two flavours, one for about $1.5K, is limited to manual operation and has only one filter, Dustbusting. The pro version is about $10K and has a lot more filters and offers automation. Only MAC and Linux support. If you want the Linux version it must be bundled with a custom configured hardware Linux box, (did I say the cost just went up?). The turnkey hardware systems are sold by Film Systems which really drives the cost up beyond the advertized software only sticker price. You can’t buy just the Linux version software from Black Magic. The MAC version is sold as software only by Black Magic Design and FilmSys. Marketing blurb looks glossy.
Black Magic Design bought this long known venerable brand. It comes in two flavours, one for about $1.5K, is limited to manual operation and has only one filter, Dustbusting. The pro version is about $10K and has a lot more filters and offers automation. Only MAC and Linux support. If you want the Linux version it must be bundled with a custom configured hardware Linux box, (did I say the cost just went up?). The turnkey hardware systems are sold by Film Systems which really drives the cost up beyond the advertized software only sticker price. You can’t buy just the Linux version software from Black Magic. The MAC version is sold as software only by Black Magic Design and FilmSys. Marketing blurb looks glossy.
Fdshows Resto
Pricing on this product looks really promising for the many useful filters it offers, about $3K to $5K depending on frame resolution. But their web site is way short on information and no one seems to be home when contacting them. No blogs or forums, yields much info on these guys. I wonder how they intend to sell this product without basic support!! Laying out 5 grand for a piece software without any key information to make a confident decision is just plain dumb.
Pricing on this product looks really promising for the many useful filters it offers, about $3K to $5K depending on frame resolution. But their web site is way short on information and no one seems to be home when contacting them. No blogs or forums, yields much info on these guys. I wonder how they intend to sell this product without basic support!! Laying out 5 grand for a piece software without any key information to make a confident decision is just plain dumb.
AVISynth
Open source software with many plugins, though have limited set of restoration filters. Have to use a script to integrate filters of your choice. No biggie, easy to learn. Most of all it’s free. Great for command line programming if you like that approach, but can also be integrated into GUI type interfaces for more intuitive operation.
Open source software with many plugins, though have limited set of restoration filters. Have to use a script to integrate filters of your choice. No biggie, easy to learn. Most of all it’s free. Great for command line programming if you like that approach, but can also be integrated into GUI type interfaces for more intuitive operation.
VirtualDub
Cgm viewer for mac. Another open source software with many plugins. This product also has a limited set of filters available. Again, you have to use a script to integrate them for use. It’s also free.
Cgm viewer for mac. Another open source software with many plugins. This product also has a limited set of filters available. Again, you have to use a script to integrate them for use. It’s also free.
MTI Correct DRS
From the web site, it looks like they have been around awhile. It appears they have a good number of robust filters available for restoration and accepts up to 4K image sizes. No indication that the software must be tied to some recommended hard ware platform. Of course claim to fame is they are the best. The web site is not very clear on the operating system(s) it supports either. Overall from an information point of view, the web site needs more detailed content to make an informed evaluation of the product. Cost was about $20K reduced to about $12K.
From the web site, it looks like they have been around awhile. It appears they have a good number of robust filters available for restoration and accepts up to 4K image sizes. No indication that the software must be tied to some recommended hard ware platform. Of course claim to fame is they are the best. The web site is not very clear on the operating system(s) it supports either. Overall from an information point of view, the web site needs more detailed content to make an informed evaluation of the product. Cost was about $20K reduced to about $12K.
MSU Modules
Moscow State University has developed and offers a great number of image processing modules. Many are compatible as plugins for AVISynth and VirtualDub. Require a licence agreement if commercial end use. Many filters are free for the individual experimenter. Some of the more fancy filters require MSU approval for use. Cost between Free and license $$
Moscow State University has developed and offers a great number of image processing modules. Many are compatible as plugins for AVISynth and VirtualDub. Require a licence agreement if commercial end use. Many filters are free for the individual experimenter. Some of the more fancy filters require MSU approval for use. Cost between Free and license $$
Stoik Imaging
This company has some powerful yet low cost image processing solutions. The product in question is the Stoik Video Converter Pro, a stand alone application for Windows. Buried within this tool are some useful and effective filters. Denoising, scratch removal and rudimentary dustbusting. I do have a beef with some annoying aspects to the user interface, but this tool offers a lot of functionality and is very reasonable in price, just $29, yes just $29 bucks. There is no HD support, other than an up-scaling feature.
This company has some powerful yet low cost image processing solutions. The product in question is the Stoik Video Converter Pro, a stand alone application for Windows. Buried within this tool are some useful and effective filters. Denoising, scratch removal and rudimentary dustbusting. I do have a beef with some annoying aspects to the user interface, but this tool offers a lot of functionality and is very reasonable in price, just $29, yes just $29 bucks. There is no HD support, other than an up-scaling feature.
Neat Video
From Neat Video. Not really a film restore product, more like video de-noiser, but does bang up job on noisy video. A Premiere Pro plugin, supporting versions 1.0 through CS5, 32bit or 64bit (ok, also supports Final Cut, Pinnacle, SONY Vegas, Virtualdub and OpenFx). Supports SD and HD size files. A very nice and effective denoising and smoothing tool for many formats of video. I tried it out with stunning results. You do need to tweek settings for best outcome to eliminate the effects of motion compensation. Just drop the filter on your video loaded timeline and go. To access the full filter set and its controls a little button is available (not overly obvious) and takes a little investigation to find out where it is. Read the Help notes dummy. Render times are about 1.5x to 3x normal. The product is very easy to use. Cost is just $49US.
From Neat Video. Not really a film restore product, more like video de-noiser, but does bang up job on noisy video. A Premiere Pro plugin, supporting versions 1.0 through CS5, 32bit or 64bit (ok, also supports Final Cut, Pinnacle, SONY Vegas, Virtualdub and OpenFx). Supports SD and HD size files. A very nice and effective denoising and smoothing tool for many formats of video. I tried it out with stunning results. You do need to tweek settings for best outcome to eliminate the effects of motion compensation. Just drop the filter on your video loaded timeline and go. To access the full filter set and its controls a little button is available (not overly obvious) and takes a little investigation to find out where it is. Read the Help notes dummy. Render times are about 1.5x to 3x normal. The product is very easy to use. Cost is just $49US.
Magic Bullet Denoiser
Another piece of software from Red Giant Software – they got some neat tools, you should check them out. The cleanup tool features lots of flexibility in dramatically reducing video noise particularly in the image shadows and mid-tones as per its claim to fame. The tool is a plug in for Adobe After Effects CS3 through CS5. For what you get, $99 is a great deal. Supports both Windows and MAC machines.
Another piece of software from Red Giant Software – they got some neat tools, you should check them out. The cleanup tool features lots of flexibility in dramatically reducing video noise particularly in the image shadows and mid-tones as per its claim to fame. The tool is a plug in for Adobe After Effects CS3 through CS5. For what you get, $99 is a great deal. Supports both Windows and MAC machines.
Red Giant Software Unveils Film Fix Restoration Tools For Mac Os
If there are more film and video filters out there not mentioned here please let me know, I’ll add them to the list , credit your name and post them with some comment if applicable.