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Lightning Speed, Indeed
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There are also some stylish-looking time-based effects you can do with 844/X, and now the improved version lets you save those effects for later, too. And, where earlier versions of 844/X used a separate tool for these hip 'n' trendy effects, now you can invoke the TimeFX filter with a right-click. There's a great routine for adjusting these effects, using a Bezier curve and keyframes, and you can change the speed of your clip in some crazy ways -- even speed the frame rate up by 240,000 times if you'd like. Again, these types of effects require rendering, but you'll only wait as long as it takes to play the clip you're processing, so it's pretty much a preview rather than sitting there watching a render thermometer for minutes (or hours) on end. Let me stress this once again -- this is what makes 844/X a client-friendly box. Few clients mind waiting for a preview, but all get antsy if you're just sitting there waiting for a render to complete itself. Another presage of things to come is the ability of 844/X to process 24p footage into 29.97fps, showing the intent of the system's designers to accommodate the burgeoning 24p market. Expect to see support for 24p media coming up in a subsequent release.
For titles, Media 100 has linked up Inscriber's TitleMotion SD, which is a serviceable character generator with the benefit of being well-known by many digital video editors. I'm just not that crazy about Inscriber TitleMotion, and to me it seems out of place in such a high-end system as 844/X. I mean, even the lowest of the low-end NLEs uses TitleMotion. That said, included in the package are a number of great-looking templates that can at least give you a starting point for some sharp-looking supers. TitleMotion is also capable of text animation, but you'll need to render any of those moves before you can use them in an 844/X timeline. I think it's better to avoid any rendering by creating text animations within 844/X.
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When you want to take your finished product back out to tape, 844/X makes that easier for you, too. You can automatically generate bars and tone, add a countdown, a slate can be designated anywhere on your hard drive or network (like a Photoshop file) -- and you can have it add whatever headers or trailers you'd like. Another advantage of 844/X is its rich heritage of media management, inherited from its Media 100 ancestors. There are scads of sophisticated ways to find any type of file, or unused file, classified in dozens of ways -- you're able to take advantage of file management techniques Media 100 has been refining for more than a decade.
My impression of Media 100's 844/X is one of awe and respect. Its brawny muscle is evident when you stack up multiple layers of video, each with a matte and color correction, and then start making changes and tweaking. Like magic, it all happens instantly. It's something that has to be experienced to appreciate. That's not to say that 844/X is perfect. In my approximately 16 hours of working with the machine, I saw more crashes than I'd like. There are a few features still missing, also, that would benefit greatly from the formidable power inside this beast, like motion tracking and HD support, both of which are on the way, according to Media 100. But overall, I think Media 100 is on a upswing, and its 844/X is offering high-end users power and performance that is a tremendous value. There is nothing else on the market that can do so much, so quickly, for $65,000. Best of all, I feel that the best is yet to come with this system. Its programmable silicon is ripe for refinement, and Media 100's enthusiastic and highly capable development team is proving itself to be up to the task. Media 100's 844/X is strongly recommended. I urge anyone who's in the market for high-end editing and compositing gear to take a close look at this system.
 Digital Media Net Executive Producer Charlie White has been writing about new media and digital video since it was the laughingstock of the television industry. A technology journalist and columnist since 1994, White is also an Emmy-winning producer, video editor, broadcast industry consultant and shot-calling television director who has worked in broadcasting since 1974. Talk back -- Send Chazz a note at cwhite@digitalmedianet.com.
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