CineForm Extends Professional Caliber ‘Camera to Delivery’ Compression Workflow Technology to Consumers, Enthusiasts with AVCHD Video Cameras

CineForm, Inc. , creators of high-fidelity compression-based workflow solutions for the post production marketplace, today announced Neo Scene for Mac, the industry’s first professional caliber camera-to-delivery compression workflow solution for consumers, prosumers and video enthusiasts, for cameras supporting the AVCHD and HDV high definition standard. With this announcement, CineForm is extending its professional compression workflow technology to a new consumer application for the Mac platform, effectively allowing users to easily edit video with extremely high performance and with stunning image quality. Neo Scene is the industry’s only Mac solution with file-based support for AVCHD source media which is increasingly becoming the defacto standard for consumer-level camcorders and digital SLR cameras.

“The explosion of affordable AVCHD video cameras, and new video modes in digital SLR cameras, is fueling growing demand for consumer and prosumer video editing. But until now, consumers have been stymied to find out that once they’ve shot their AVCHD video, they can’t easily edit it. That’s why we created Neo Scene,” said David Taylor, CEO and co-founder of CineForm. “We’re putting the same CineForm compression technology used by Hollywood studios and professional editors into a solution that’s not only accessible and affordable to everyone, it effectively releases the shackles of AVCHD editing and gives users incredibly high performance and cinematic image quality results. We’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished with Neo Scene!”

Neo Scene for Mac; How It Works

Neo Scene for Mac is a new software product for users of AVCHD and HDV camcorders, plus Canon’s 5D Mark II, that offers accelerated editing performance and higher visual quality than editing native camera sources. Neo Scene improves a user’s editing experience by converting highly-compressed video sources into easy-to-edit and higher quality CineForm QuickTime (MOV) files. CineForm MOV files are compatible with most QuickTime applications, including Final Cut Pro, iMovie, Motion, Premiere Pro and After Effects, to name a few.

During file conversion, Neo Scene can optionally convert source material into 24p (NTSC) or 25p (PAL) CineForm MOV files for projects that desire a cinematic look. This capability is significant – while most cameras can record in 24p, users cannot edit in 24p because of the way the data is organized in the native compressed file. Neo Scene provides users with the only tool for effectively editing 24p content and enabling them to capture the cinematic quality for which they strive.

New Features Optimize Image Quality, Performance and Integration

• ProRes Export: To give users ultimate choice, Neo Scene for Mac allows users to export content to either ProRes or to CineForm file formats;
• Canon 5D Mark II Support: Content shot with the Canon’s 5D Mark II is sluggish to edit in its native form. Neo Scene for Mac converts 5D Mark II content into CineForm MOV files for immediate, high quality editing – a first in the industry and a significant win for consumers looking to edit content shot on digital SLR cameras;
• 10 Bit Image Quality: Converted CineForm MOV files are always 10 bits in depth (instead of the usual 8 bits) to offer higher visual fidelity throughout the editing process;
• Color Correction: Neo Scene doubles the lower-resolution chroma (color) format from the AVCHD or HDV source by interpolating chroma from its 4:2:0 format recorded by the camera into a professional 4:2:2 format. Chroma upsampling improves color fidelity for projects requiring color correction or keying.