Apple unveils new video editing tools

LAS VEGAS–Apple Computer on Sunday unveiled five new software packages for broadcasters and digital video editors, including new visual effects and editing tools for high definition video.

At the annual National Association of Broadcasters conference here, Apple introduced the latest version of its editing software Final Cut Pro to support broadcast-quality HD video. It also unveiled new special effects software called Motion (a new product for Apple), which at a comparatively low cost to rival technology could change the market for video editing that is dominated by the likes of Adobe.

“If we’re not careful, HD could get stuck in the high end,” said Rob Schoeben, Apple’s vice president of applications marketing, referring to typically costly hardware and editing software required to produce HD programming.

“We want to change the creative and production process so that anyone can create professional quality results in the video and editing world,” he said.

Final Cut Pro, which Apple says is used by about 250,000 editors, can be upgraded free to those people with version 4. Otherwise, it costs $999. Motion, available this summer, will cost $299.

In another turn for the computer maker, it entered the enterprise market for media management with Xsan, a storage area network (SAN) file system. The software, which is in beta form now and will be fully available in the fall, is a solution for storing and filing media so that it can be accessible among different working groups in the office on systems using Windows, Linux or Unix.

At a price of $999 per computer, Xsan costs about a third of that of rival SAN technology, Schoeben said.

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