redBOXX II - what's it good for?

By now, most people "in the know" have heard of the RED ONE 4K Digital Cinema camera system. It is revolutionizing and "democratizing" the technology of digital filmmaking and delivering ultra-high resolution (4K) cinematography capabilities into the hands of anybody with about $40K and a dream...

For the uninitiated, deciphering the available options for RED ONE post workflows can be mind-numbingly complicated and confusing.

Well, here is some good news :

It's official - redBOXX II is officially released!



Anybody who's been working in the RED post universe for the past year or so probably has heard of redBOXX at one point or another. Those only now joining the frey may be hearing about this new platform for the first time.

So what's the buzz about redBOXX II ? And how exactly can it be used to improve the efficiency and production quality for RED-based workflows ?

Well, in simple terms, redBOXX II is a technology platform for viewing, processing and finishing RED ONE camera clips (r3d files). redBOXX II comes pre-configured with Scratch Cine (or Scratch "finishing") software - the undisputed "killer app" for processing, color grading and finishing RED footage.

redBOXX II (running the Scratch software) can provide realtime "decode and playout" of 4K RED ONE camera clips via HD-SDI @ 10bit RGB 4:4:4 image quality. It can do so for almost all 4K camera modes at "1/2-high" quality settings at up to and including 30fps (29.97fps).

For dailies and critical viewing, the redBOXX II can play back 4K camera footage to a calibrated grading monitor or digital projection system at up to 2K resolution. This allows DPs and Directors to make sure they got their shots -complete with a primary or "best light" color correction pass.

The redBOXX can take an EDL or XML "cut list" from popular editing applications such as Final Cut Pro and Avid Media Composer and provide frame-accurate, realtime layoff to all popular VTR formats including 10-bit formats such as HDCAM SR and D5 via dual-link HD-SDI .
This is ideal for quick turn-around of tape-based deliverables such as dailies, cutting copies or even high-quality masters and archival copies.

In addition to realtime HD-SDI output, the redBOXX II provides the worlds fastest transcoding performance that allows RED camewra data (3rd files) to be converted into other more post-friendly standard file formats such as DPX, TIFF or Quicktime. Included in these options are popular CODECs such as Avid's DNxHD and Panasonic's DVC Pro HD.

8channel AES-EBU audio outputs are standard equipment on the redBOXX II. This provides a capability to decode and playback the high-quality audio streams sometimes embedded into r3d camera footage. This audio is "sync-locked" to the SDI output and provides realtime, mutli-channel digital audio playout capabilities out of the box.

Other standard features such as eSATA, Firewire 800 and 8Gbps Fibre Channel (optional) allow redBOXX to be integrated into virtually any post or editorial environment. Additionally, there are planety of cross-platform workflows that have been developed to optimize the efficiency of MAC-Windows hybrid pipelines making use of redBOXX and Scratch Cine software capabilities.

In short, if you have a requirement to provide your client with quickest turnaround on RED-based projects while ensuring your maxiumum production (image) quality and flexibility - there is NO SUBSTITUTE for redBOXX II.

The economy stinks. so work smarter.

In these challenging times, many digital design studio managers are asking themselves (and their artists) "how can we be more efficient & competitive ?"

This is "The Big Question" being pondered as companies of all sizes are feeling the pinch caused by the global economic downturn.

BOXXlabs is often asked to advise our customers in the area of workflow and resource optimization -and we have some tried and true suggestions for "best practices" that can extend your company's capabilities and help make the most of what you've got:

• Use the right tools for the job. Investing in quality software with the specific features you need for the type of work you do most often is a great way to allow talent to shine and to get more work through the pipeline.
  

• Learn and make use of efficient scene construction. There are almost always more than one way to get the aesthetic effect you are going for in your software apps. But it's easy to get "sloppy" (even without realizing it) and to construct your 3D scenes or 2D comps in ways that are perhaps quicker to setup - but which are going to take longer to render -or otherwise bog down the system unnecessarily. This is especially common for artists who taught themselves the application(s) they use. My advice is to get yourself a well-reviewed book for your chosen app- or at least go over the manufacturer's tutorials again and make sure you are using the recommended workfows and design approaches. And if you are managing a team of artists -insist on having your people pay attention to this.
  

• Learn the tricks, shortcuts and "cheats" in your applications and use them like the "power-users" do. Reading books & online forums -and taking some inexpensive online courses are great ways to learn about these.

• For 3D artists - LEARN TO USE A COMPOSOSITING APPLICATION. I can't count the number of accomplished 3D artists who have told me they will NEVER go back to rendering out everything in a single pass. Indeed, rendering out your 3D scene elements in multiple "passes" or "layers" and then compositing them together in tools such as After Effects, fusion or combustion is one of the very best ways to bring speed and flexibility to your work.

• Finally, there's nothing like screaming-fast hardware for speeding up your work and allowing you to deliver new, higher levels of quality to your clients. If believe there is value in using proven, professional tools for your chosen trade, then making an investment in new workstations or dedicated rendernodes is a no-brainer!

We're all going to make it through this economic "crisis". It may not be easy -and some of us will likely receive some "batttle scars". Just remember, some of these things none of us can change.
But there are also many things that each of us have some control over.

Now go forth and make art!