Tag Archives: Brady Betzel

Review: HP ZBook Fury 16 G10 Mobile Workstation

February 29, 2024

By Brady Betzel

HP has been at the forefront of computer workstations that target M&E for multiple decades. To keep up with the high-pressure workloads, HP offers enterprise-level workstations with components that will run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. And if they don’t, HP will replace the parts and/or system fast — the 24/7/265 uptime is what makes “workstations” unique when compared to off-the-shelf, consumer-grade computer systems.

To ensure the smoothest experience while using apps, HP tests many of today’s pro applications from ISVs (independent software vendors) — from Autodesk to Avid — with its workstations. The HP ZBook Fury 16 G10 is a mobile workstation that combines power and portability without sacrificing either.

The HP ZBook Fury 16 G10 that I was sent to review includes the following specs:

CPU: Intel Core i9-13950HX (up to 5.5 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost technology, 36MB L3 cache, 24 cores, 32 threads)
Nvidia pro-grade graphics: RTX 5000 Ada GPU
Display: 16-inch DreamColor QHD (3840×2400), WUXGA (1920 x 1200), IPS, anti-glare, 400 nits, 100% sRGB
RAM: 64 GB RAM – two DIMMs at 5600MHz DDR5 (four total DIMM slots)
Storage: 1TB SSD

In the latest HP ZBook Fury 16 G10, there are quite a few updates. Besides speed/hardware improvements, the most interesting updates include the full-size RGB keyboard with 10 keys. I am a sucker for a 10-key. When I was trying to pay for my own car as a teenager, I worked at Best Buy fixing computers and eventually installing car stereos. One of the things I learned from that job was getting fast at using a 10-key number pad. You know how that helped me in editing? Timecode input. So I love that HP includes the 10-key pad even on a mobile workstation.

The next impressive feature is the RGB backlit keyboard. Sure, you can use it just to show off some fancy rainbow effects, but you can also tie the RGB lights to specific applications, like Adobe’s Premiere Pro and After Effects. To adjust the RGB colors, you need to open an inconveniently titled app called Z Light Space. I would have preferred for HP to have called the app “HP RGB Keyboard” or something easily searchable, but what can you do? The keyboard is fully customizable and comes preloaded with apps like Premiere and After Effects. The default Premiere layout has keys such as “j, k and l” labeled in a nice teal color.

Physically, the HP ZBook Fury 16 G10 is thick. The keyboard feels like it sits an inch above the desk. Even so, it isn’t uncomfortable. The dimensions are 14.29 inches by 9.87 inches by 1.13 inches, and it weighs just over 5lbs. The power supply is large and kind of cumbersome, although it delivers a hefty 230W. I really wish workstation laptops would come with streamlined power supplies… maybe one day. HP includes a one-year parts/labor warranty (not on-site unless you pay extra).

Around the outside of the workstation, there are a lot of useful ports:

Right side:
- one RJ-45
- one headphone/microphone combo
- one SuperSpeed USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate (charging)
- one SuperSpeed USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate

Left side:
- one power connector
- two Thunderbolt 4 with USB4 Type-C 40Gbps signaling rate (USB Power Delivery, DisplayPort 1.4, HP Sleep and Charge)
- one HDMI 2.1
- one Mini DisplayPort 1.4a

Now on to really what matters… Does the HP ZBook Fury 16 G10 really chew through media in Blackmagic Resolve and Premiere Pro? Yes, it does, and when it is running hard, the fans turn on. The Nvidia RTX A5000 laptop GPU is really impressive considering that it’s stuffed inside such a small form factor. Resolve continually embraces GPU acceleration more than Adobe, in my opinion, and the results of my testing bear that out.

Blackmagic Resolve
Up first is Resolve 18.6.4. Keep in mind that when comparing workstations or GPUs, increased speeds are not always tied to new hardware. Advancements in underlying software efficiency, drivers, firmware updates, etc. will also improve speeds. That said, based on a UHD, 3840×2160 timeline, I edited the following clips together and put a basic color grade on them:

ARRI RAW: 3840×2160 24fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
ARRI RAW: 4448×1856 24fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
BMD RAW: 6144×3456 24fps – 15 seconds
Red RAW: 6144×3072 23.976fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
Red RAW: 6144×3160 23.976fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
Sony a7siii: 3840×2160 23.976fps – 15 seconds

I then duplicated that timeline but added Blackmagic’s noise reduction. Then I duplicated the timeline again and added sharpening and grain. Finally, I replaced the built-in Resolve noise reduction with a third-party noise reduction plugin from Neat Video. From there, I exported multiple versions: DNxHR 444 10-bit OP1a MXF, DNxHR 444 10-bit MOV, H.264 MP4, H.265 MP4, AV1 MP4 (Nvidia GPUs only) and then an IMF package using the default settings.

Here are my results:

HP ZBook Fury 16 G10	DNxHR 444 10-bit MXF	DNxHR 444 10-bit MOV	H.264 MP4	H.265 MP4	AV1 MP4	IMF
Color Correction Only	00:53	00:48	00:31	00:30	00:33	01:19
CC + Resolve Noise Reduction	02:13	02:13	02:02	02:02	02:02	02:19
CC, Resolve NR, Sharpening, Grain	02:57	02:56	02:48	02:48	02:48	02:58
CC + Neat Video Noise Reduction	03:59	03:59	03:47	03:48	03:51	04:03

Adobe Premiere Pro
I ran similar tests inside Premiere Pro 2024 (24.1), exporting using Adobe Media Encoder. The video assets are the same as the ones I used in Resolve, but I used Adobe’s noise reduction, sharpening and grain filters instead of Resolve’s and Neat Video.

Here are the Premiere Pro Results:

HP ZBook Fury 16 G10 Adobe Premiere Pro 2024 (Individual Exports in Media Encoder)	DNxHR 444 10-bit MXF	DNxHR 444 10-bit MOV	H.264 MP4	H.265 MP4
Color Correction Only	01:27	01:26	00:45	00:48
CC + NR, Sharpening, Grain	25:47	57:17	46:46	59:21
HP ZBook Fury 16 G10 Premiere Pro 2024 (Simultaneous Exports in Media Encoder)
Color Correction Only	02:15	03:47	03:22	03:22
CC + NR, Sharpening, Grain	30:52	01:08:16	01:03:30	01:03:30

These results are definitely competitive with desktop-size workstations. What makes laptop-size components difficult to design? Heat dissipation and size. HP labels its heat dissipation technology as Vaporforce Thermals. That’s a fancy way of saying that HP takes pride in how it designs its fans and heat spreaders to keep the system as cool as possible, even when rendering hours of content in multimedia apps like Resolve.

HP does a great job at keeping the HP ZBook Fury 16 G10 cool to the touch, which isn’t always the case for workstations. Also, the tool-less design of the HP ZBook Fury 16 G10 is amazing. With one switch, you can remove the bottom panel and begin diagnosing, replacing or upgrading components with little technical know-how. The ease of disassembly is what keeps me loving HP’s workstations. The quickest way to put a bad taste in my mouth is not to allow, or make it extremely difficult to, self-repair or upgrade. It just feels wrong. But luckily HP makes it easy.

With such an impressively powerful mobile workstation comes a large price tag: the HP ZBook Fury 16 G10 I tested retails for just over $9,000 before taxes and shipping. Yikes. But for the power under the hood of the HP ZBook Fury 16 G10, you are essentially getting desktop power in a small form factor. The battery that comes with the Fury is great, I turned off any power saving settings to ensure I was running at full speed, and I was able to get about 2.5 hours of run time while running the PugetBench for Creators benchmark utility on a loop. That is essentially constant video editing and rendering.

While that runtime might seem short, it is actually pretty long when running at full speed. But obviously, staying plugged in is your best option when doing multimedia work. If security is important to you, and we know it is, then HP’s Wolf Security is loaded with protections. You can find out more here.

Summing Up
In the end, the HP ZBook Fury 16 G10 is a pricey but powerful mobile workstation that won’t leave you wishing for a desktop. Add a little docking setup with a couple monitors, and you’ll be flying through your color correction in Resolve, noise reduction with Neat Video or video editing in Premiere Pro.

Honestly, the backlit RGB keyboard seemed like a novelty at first, but I found that I really enjoyed it. Definitely check out the MIL-STD 810H-tested HP ZBook Fury 16 G10 if you are in the market for the highest of high-end mobile workstations, which can play RAW 4K media with little interruption:

Brady Betzel is an Emmy-nominated online editor at Margarita Mix in Hollywood, working on shows like Life Below Zero and Uninterrupted: The Shop. He is also a member of the Producers Guild of America. You can email Brady at bradybetzel@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @allbetzroff.

Holiday Gifts Guide for Media Creators

December 13, 2023

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By Brady Betzel

If you’re tasked with buying a gift for the hard-to-please professional editor, colorist or creative in your life, you may have a hard time finding something they will love. In this year’s Top 5 Holiday Gift list, you will find some odds and ends to help elevate their creations and even bring them to the next level. Whether they need professional mix level headphones, color charts for accurate color or a high-functioning port expander, you’re sure to see something in this list that they will love.

KRK Systems KNS8402 Pro Studio Headphones
Whether you are a video editor who loves to sound design or a mixer who needs the most discriminating sound isolation possible, KRK is widely known for its high-quality studio monitors. From the GoAux 4 portable nearfield monitors to the ROKIT 10-3 G4 10-inch tri-amp mid-field studio monitor, KRK delivers the impressive sound.

But sometimes you may just want to throw on a pair of headphones that will produce a consistent output much like KRK monitors. This is where the KNS8402 pro headphones come in. Not only are the KNS8402s light and comfortable enough to wear for hours on end, but they have amazing sound isolation produced from their closed-back circumaural (“around the ear”) design.

One of the most unanticipated (and greatly appreciated) features of the headphones is the up to 30dBA of isolation from outside sounds. This not only helps to limit any bleed when recording on a microphone nearby, but also helps to limit outside noise. That means if your 5-year-old is playing a crazy Roblox game at the top of the audio spectrum, the KNS8402 will help to eliminate that distraction, at least temporarily. This is a true story that happened during my testing! They really helped keep my focus on the editing at hand, while not being completely noise canceling. I could still hear my kids yell, asking for a snack.

When pushing the KNS8402s through a DAC, I could turn the gain all the way up without the audio falling apart. What was even crazier was when I was listening to songs on Spotify, when boosted I got the same SPL tickle in my ears like I had with some high-end subwoofers. This comes to us courtesy of the 124dB Max Peak SPL, 5Hz-23kHz response and 97dB SPL sensitivity. These headphones connect via ⅛-inch locking jacks and come with an in-cord volume control slider (which is removable), ¼-inch adapter, soft bag, antimicrobial cleaning cloth and user manual.

Any complaints, you ask? Sound quality-wise, no — definitely not. The wide dynamic range with little to no distortion set these studio quality headphones apart from gaming ones picked up at Best Buy. And while the ultra-light weight of them is nice (weighing in at .54lbs), I tend to like beefier headphones… something with some heft.

If you are like me, then the KNS8402 will take a little while to get used to. This personal preference has no bearing on the build quality. In fact, I may have dropped the KNS8402s a few times, including once when my French bulldog was carrying them around the house, and they still held up. If your dog chews the ear cushions, don’t worry (as long as it doesn’t hurt the dog), they are completely replaceable for $30.

You can pick up a pair of the KNS8402 headphones for $149 from the KRK website.

Sonnet Technologies Echo 20 Thunderbolt 4 SuperDock
Every year, new connections and storage needs increase. From Thunderbolt 3 (or 4) to HDMI 2.1 to easily replaceable M.2 NVMe SSDs, there are a lot of I/Os to remember. One of the most trusted names in professional-level docks and PCI-e I/O cards is Sonnet. The Echo 20 Thunderbolt 4 SuperDock has more connections than I have seen in other Thunderbolt docks at a low retail price of $299.99. If you’re like me and you move between remote and in-person work, you may use multiple computers throughout the day. KVM switches are ok, but most don’t offer the connection variations that pros require.

The Echo 20 is not only compatible with Mac, Windows, Chromebook and iPad Pro, but contains a combo audio jack (i.e. mic and headphone on one cable), four USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports; four USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C charging ports; fast UHS-II SD card slot (SD 4.0); HDMI 2.1; Thunderbolt 4 computer/100W charging port; two Thunderbolt 4 peripheral ports; 2.5Gb Ethernet port; audio line-out jacks (a.k.a. RCA); ⅛-inch microphone jack; and an M.2 SSD slot on the bottom.

The ability to quickly and easily install an M.2 SSD in the Echo 20 was what initially grabbed my attention. When working on different projects, I find myself wanting to isolate projects using different SSDs. With the Echo 20, I can finish up a project, remove the M.2 SSD and install a different SSD without having to reboot my computer. What makes it even better is if I have to switch machines but still need access to the projects on the SSD installed in the Echo 20. It’s quick and easy.

Sonnet claims an approximate 750MB/s read range when using an SSD through the Echo 20, and (all pun intended) I echo that sentiment. I was able to achieve 759MB/s read speeds and about 355MB/s write speeds. Not the fastest, but for backups and quick handoffs it works great.

You may be at the point where new HDMI version numbers don’t mean anything, and because of inconsistencies and lack of information, I don’t blame you. However, HDMI 2.1 is one to pay attention to. The Echo 20 has an HDMI 2.1 port allowing for up to 4K resolution video at 240Hz as well as up to 48Gb/s speeds. Compare this to HDMI 2.0, which allows for 4K at 60Hz and up to 18Gb/s speeds, and you can see what the big deal is. You can even connect up to two 6K displays at 60Hz or one 8K display a 60Hz.

And for those of us who need their phones or tablets charging while working (with emails flying nonstop), there are plenty of device ports. All of this can connect and charge your laptop (100W) from one passive Thunderbolt 4 cable. If you want to leave the charging cable in the dock without worrying if it disconnects, Sonnet includes a ThunderLok 4, which includes a container clip to avoid the cable slipping out.

Monoprice Power Bank with Wireless Charging
While a power bank isn’t necessarily a production-type product, there is always something that needs charging. Whether you need to run a GoPro for multiple hours, wirelessly charge your phone or make sure the iPad runs all day to keep the kids busy, it is a necessity to have a reliable power bank at all times.

Monoprice’s 20,000mAh five-port + wireless power bank has run for months with no problems. From keeping a GoPro running over multiple baseball games to keeping ALL of the family’s phones charged, I could probably not get by without it.

If you have a new-ish phone, the 15W wireless charging works amazingly well, but if you need to charge through a cable, the power bank’s QC3.0 and PD3.0 fast charging standards work through USB-A up to 22.5W and USB-C up to 20W. Micro-b USB cables are also supported. On paper, Monoprice touts four to six full phone charges per one charge of the power bank, up to five devices simultaneously, and even includes a USB-A to USB-C charging cable.

The only downside is charging the actual power bank. Monoprice says it takes about six hours to fully charge the power bank. This was more-or-less verified in my real-world experience. The LCD screen on the Monoprice Power Bank is infinitely useful. From the percentage of power left to whether or not the power bank is charging using Fast charging technology, the Monoprice Power Bank 44371 is one of the easiest, cheapest and longest lasting wireless power banks I have used. And at $24.99, the Monoprice 20,000 mAh power bank is a must have holiday gift for anyone who uses technology.

Datacolor Spyder Checkr Video
Datacolor gets two spots on this year’s holiday list. First, is the Datacolor Spyder Checkr Video. Whether you’re a proud enthusiast who wants the most accurate color and contrast in your video creations or a professional who needs a quick way to get accurate color in your shots, Datacolor has what you need. A color reference chart is a great gift because it’s something that creators forget often to use.

The Datacolor Spyder Checkr Video is a pocket-sized Rec.709 color and exposure reference chart enclosed in a durable and lanyard-capable case. Whether you are shooting an interview and want to quickly dial in your color and exposure settings, or are color correcting footage shot with the Datacolor Spyder Checkr Video, you will be able to get a lot closer to the true color of the scene. The Spyder Checkr Video measures 3.84-inch-x-4.81-inch-x-0.53-inch and weighs .22lbs. It ships with five replaceable/interchangeable cards: patent-pending color pattern card (Rec.709), conventional color patch card (Rec.709), greyscale card (white, 50% grey and black), 22-step grey scale), solid/neutral grey (for white balance), and Focus Star.

Don’t worry if you aren’t a professional colorist, color charts are a standard used in film production. Nonlinear editors like Blackmagic Resolve and Adobe Premiere Pro all work with color charts. Essentially, as long as you record one frame of a chart, you can view the Datacolor Spyder Checkr Video chart inside of your NLE, go into color correction mode while enabling your vectorscope, and align each color in the scope to the proper box. So red to red or magenta to magenta.

If you’re using Datacolor’s patent-pending color pattern card, you will see a circular pattern connecting the points in both the 100% saturation and 75% saturation zones. Once they are lined up on the vectorscope, your color hues will be generally accurate. For the greyscale card, you will see a ladder-style stepping on the waveform scope, aligning each step and the three large bars to the waveform will generally mean you are properly exposed.

The Datacolor Spyder Checkr Video costs $129.99 — and look for a more in-depth review coming soon.

Datacolor Spyder Cube
Last, but not least, is one of the more interesting products I’ve seen in a while: the Spyder Cube. The Spyder Cube is small, around 1-inch square with a reflective ball on top — it would make a great Christmas tree ornament, actually. Joking aside, the Spyder Cube retails for $54 and produces the essential information for on-set exposure using a three-dimensional object allowing for primary and secondary light sources.

Chrome ball for catchlight and reflected images, white faces to adjust highlights, neutral grey for white balance, black sides to adjust shadow and mid-tone exposure with my favorite feature in the middle a black hole that acts as a light trap to set a true black point on an image.

The Spyder Cube is constructed of ABS Cycoloy (a hybrid resin) that is touted as fade-proof, shock proof, water resistant and spectrally neutral. While this is specifically advertised to be used with RAW image editing software, when combined with the Spyder Checkr Video color chart above will give the ultimate in exposure and hue accuracy in two small products.

Look for a more in-depth review to come soon.

Other Ideas
If you’re still stuck searching for a unique gift for the media creator in your life and live in the Southern California area, grab your car keys and head to FilmTools.com’s retail store in Burbank where I’m sure some bolo-ties or clamps will fit the bill.

Or try a screen printing and vinyl store like McLogan.com. This is where I go to grab my wife’s supplies for her business, but always end up looking at all the machines and even the tape aisle… it’s more interesting than it sounds. Really!

Review: AMD Radeon Pro W7800 and W7900 GPUs

October 5, 2023

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By Brady Betzel

The main players in the discrete GPU game, AMD and Nvidia, have released a barrage of new GPUs this past year. From the Nvidia 4090 Founder’s Edition I reviewed last October to the latest AMD W7800 and W7900, technology and energy efficiency have improved dramatically.

With AI on the forefront of everyone’s mind — whether it is because of the questionable deep fake videos or the amazing ability to take hours of work down to minutes when using Magic Mask in Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve — one of the most important pieces of hardware you can have is a powerful GPU.

AMD has always been in the race with Nvidia, but once Apple decided to work internally and create its own GPU, AMD struggled to find its footing… until now. The AMD Radeon Pro W7800 and W7900 GPUs are the latest in professional GPUs from the company, and they are powerful. The AMD Radeon Pro W7800 is a 32GB GPU that retails for $2,499 (from online retailer B&H Photo), while the AMD Radeon Pro W7900 48GB GPU retails for $3,999 (also from B&H). Yes, the prices give you a bit of a sticker shock if you are pricing consumer-level cards like the Nvidia 4090, but for those in need of an enterprise-level, professional workstation-compatible GPU, the $3,999 is actually pretty reasonable for the best. For comparison, the Nvidia RTX 6000 ADA retails for just under $7,000. But AMD isn’t trying to beat Nvidia at the moment. They are providing a much more reasonably priced alternative that may quench your GPU thirst without breaking the bank.

A Closer Look
First up is a basic comparison between the AMD Radeon Pro W7800 and W7900 in advertised specs:

	AMD Radeon Pro W7800	AMD Radeon Pro W7900
GPU architecture	AMD RDNA 3
Hardware Raytracing	Yes
Lithography	TSMC 5nm GCD 6nm MCD
Stream Processors	4480	6144
Compute Units	70	96
Peak Half Precision (FP16) Performance	90.5 TFLOPS	122.64 TFLOPS
Peak Single Precision Matrix (FP32) Performance	40.5 TFLOPS	61.3 TFLOPS
Transistor Count	57.7B	57.7B
OS Support	Windows 11 – 64-Bit Edition Windows 10 – 64-Bit Edition Linux x86_64
External Power Connectors	2×8-Pin Power Connectors
Total Board Power (TBP)	260W Peak
PSU Recommendation	650W
Dedicated Memory	32GB GDDR6	48GB GDDR6
AMD Infinity Cache Technology	64MB	96MB
Memory Interface	256-bit	384-bit
Peak Memory Bandwidth	Up to 576GB/s	Up to 864GB/s
Form Factor	PCIe 4.0×16 (3.0 Backwards Compatible) – Active Cooling
DisplayPort	3x DisplayPort 2.1 and 1x Enhanced Mini DisplayPort™ 2.1
Display Configurations	4x 4096 x 2160 (4K DCI) @ 120Hz with DSC 2x 6144 x 3456 (6K) 12-bit HDR @ 60Hz Uncompressed 1x 7680 x 4320 (8K) 12-bit HDR @ 60Hz Uncompressed 1x 12288 x 6912 (12K) @ 120Hz with DSC
DIsplay Support	HDR Support 8K Support 10K Support 12K Support
Dimensions	Full Height 11-inch (280mm) Length Double Slot	Full Height 11-inch (280mm) Length Triple Slot
Additional Features	Supported Rendering Formats 1x Encode & Decode (AV1) 2x Decode (H265/HEVC, 4K H264) 2x Encode (H265/HEVC, 4K H264) Supported Technologies AMD Viewport Boost AMD Remote Workstation AMD Radeon Media Engine AMD Software: Pro Edition AMD Radeon VR Ready Creator AMD Radeon ProRender 10-bit Display Color Output 12-bit Display Color Output 3D Stereo Support	Supported Rendering Formats 1x Encode & Decode (AV1) 2x Decode (H265/HEVC, 4K H264) 2x Encode (+AVI Encode and Decode) Supported Technologies AMD Viewport Boost AMD Remote Workstation AMD Radeon Media Engine AMD Software: Pro Edition AMD Radeon VR Ready Creator AMD Radeon ProRender 10-bit Display Color Output 12-bit Display Color Output 3D Stereo Support

What sets the W7900 apart from the W7800 are the increased dedicated memory of 48GB, increased AMD Infinity Cache technology to 96MB, memory interface boosted to 384-bit, increased peak memory bandwidth up to 864GB/s, triple-slot size and addition of AVI encode and decode.

AMD Radeon Pro W7800
Up first in benchmarking tests is the AMD Radeon Pro W7800 inside of DaVinci Resolve 18.1.2 and Adobe Premiere 2023 as well as a few other apps and plugins. For testing inside of Resolve and Premiere, I used the same UHD (3840×2160) sequences and effects that I have used in previous reviews. The clips include:

ARRI RAW: 3840×2160 24fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
ARRI RAW: 4448×1856 24fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
BMD RAW: 6144×3456 24fps – 15 seconds
Red RAW: 6144×3072 23.976fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
Red RAW: 6144×3160 23.976fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
Sony a7siii: 3840×2160 23.976fps – 15 seconds

I then duplicated the sequence and added Blackmagic’s noise reduction, sharpening and grain. Finally, I replaced the noise reduction with Neat Video’s noise reduction

From there, I exported multiple versions: DNxHR 444 10-bit OP1a MXF file, DNxHR 444 10-bit MOV, H.264 MP4, H.265 MP4, AV1 MP4 and then an IMF package using the default settings.

AMD Radeon Pro W7800 Resolve 18 Exports	DNxHR 444 10-bit MXF	DNxHR 444 10-bit MOV	H.264 MP4	H.265 MP4	AV1 MP4		IMF
Color Correction Only	00:24	0:22	00:20	00:18	00:27	00:38
CC + Resolve Noise Reduction	02:21	02:21	02:21	02:22	02:22	02:23
CC, Resolve NR, Sharpening, Grain	03:04	03:04	03:03	03:03	03:03	03:05
CC + Neat Video Noise Reduction	02:59	03:00	03:03	03:01	03:02	03:00

For comparison’s sake, here are the results from the Nvidia RTX 4090:

Nvidia RTX 4090 Resolve 18 Exports	DNxHR 444 10-bit MXF	DNxHR 444 10-bit MOV	H.264 .mp4	H.265 .mp4	AV1 MP4	IMF
Color Correction Only	00:27	00:27	00:22	00:22	00:23	00:49
CC + Resolve Noise Reduction	00:57	00:56	00:55	00:55	00:55	01:04
CC, Resolve NR, Sharpening, Grain	01:14	01:14	01:12	01:12	01:12	01:19
CC + Neat Video Noise Reduction	02:38	02:38	02:34	02:34	02:34	02:41

AMD Radeon Pro W7800 Adobe Premiere Pro 2023 (Individual Exports in Media Encoder)	DNxHR 444 10-bit MXF	DNxHR 444 10-bit MOC	H.264 MP4	H.265 MP4
Color Correction Only	02:17	01:51	01:18	01:19
CC + NR, Sharpening, Grain	13:38	34:21	33:54	33:07
AMD Radeon Pro W7800 Adobe Premiere Pro 2023 (Simultaneous Exports in Media Encoder)
Color Correction Only	03:27	03:32	03:32	03:51
CC + NR, Sharpening, Grain	15:15	37:12	15:14	15:14

Again, here are the results from the Nvidia RTX 4090:

Nvidia RTX 4090 Adobe Premiere Pro 2023 (Individual Exports in Media Encoder)	DNxHR 444 10-bit MXF	DNxHR 444 10-bit MOV	H.264 MP4	H.265 MP4
Color Correction Only	01:28	01:46	01:08	01:07
CC + NR, Sharpening, Grain	13:07	34:52	34:12	33:54
Nvidia RTX 4090 Adobe Premiere Pro 2023 (Simultaneous Exports in Media Encoder)
Color Correction Only	02:17	01:44	01:08	01:11
CC + NR, Sharpening, Grain	13:47	34:13	15:54	15:54

Benchmarks
Blender Benchmark CPU samples per minute:

Monster: 179.475890
Junkshop: 124.988030
Classroom: 86.279909

Blender Benchmark GPU samples per minute:

Monster: 1306.493713
Junkshop: 688.435718
Classroom: 630.02515

Blackmagic Proxy Generator (H.265 10-bit, 4:2:0, 1080p):

RedR3D: 2 files – 50fps
Sony a7iii .mp4: 46 files – 267fps

Neat Video HD: GPU-only 69.5 frames/sec

Neat Video UHD: GPU-only 16.4 frames/sec

PugetBench for After Effects 0.95.7, After Effects 23.4×53:

Overall Score: 1018
Multi-Core Score: 202.6
GPU Score: 76.8
RAM Preview Score: 101.4
Render Score: 106.4
Tracking Score: 93.6

PugetBench for Premiere Pro 0.98.0, Premiere Pro 23.4.0:

Extended Overall Score: 532
Standard Overall Score: 828
LongGOP Score (Extended): 79.8
Intraframe Score (Extended): 80.9
RAW Score (Extended): 26
GPU Effects Score (Extended): 47.7
LongGOP Score (Standard): 112.9
Intraframe Score (Standard): 95.5
RAW Score (Standard): 75.6
GPU Effects Score (Standard): 57.8

PugetBench for Resolve 0.93.1, DaVinci Resolve Studio 18.5

Standard Overall Score: 2537
4K Media Score: 175
GPU Effects Score: 123
Fusion Score: 463

Those are a ton of numbers and comparisons. The important thing to note is this: The W7800 is a little pricier than the 4090 but requires almost 200W less power and includes DisplayPort 2.1 technology if your display is compatible. Finally, keep in mind that the AMD Radeon Pro W7800 is an enterprise-level card that is made to run flawlessly 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. For similar guarantees, you would need to jump to something like the Nvidia RTX A5000, which currently retails from B&H for $1,899.99 but has less memory and some other differences.

AMD Radeon Pro W7900
Up next, we’ve performed similar benchmarks for the AMD Radeon Pro W7900:

AMD Radeon Pro W7900 Resolve 18 Exports	DNxHR 444 10-bit .mxf	DNxHR 444 10-bit .mov	H.264 MP4	H.265 MP4	AV1 MP4	IMF
Color Correction Only	00:30	00:28	00:23	00:21	00:31	00:50
CC + Resolve Noise Reduction	01:45	01:41	01:44	01:44	01:45	01:47
CC, Resolve NR, Sharpening, Grain	02:17	02:09	02:18	02:18	02:18	02:19
CC + Neat Video Noise Reduction	03:03	03:00	03:04	03:04	03:05	03:04

AMD Radeon Pro W7900 Adobe Premiere Pro 2023 (Individual Exports in Media Encoder)	DNxHR 444 10-bit MXF	DNxHR 444 10-bit MOV	H.264 MP4	H.265 MP4
Color Correction Only	02:11	01:42	01:05	01:06
CC + NR, Sharpening, Grain	14:12	34:27	33:48	33:54
AMD Radeon Pro W7900 Adobe Premiere Pro 2023 (Simultaneous Exports in Media Encoder)
Color Correction Only	03:20	03:24	02:41	02:42
CC + NR, Sharpening, Grain	15:21	37:32	15:21	15:22

Benchmarks

Blender Benchmark CPU samples per minute:

Monster: 181.802109
Junkshop: 125.356688
Classroom: 86.608965

Blender Benchmark GPU samples per minute:

Monster: 1095.478227
Junkshop: 969.553103
Classroom: 865.631865

Blackmagic Proxy Generator (H.265 10-bit, 4:2:0, 1080p):

Red R3D: 2 files – 27fps
Sony a7iii .mp4: 46 files – 266fps

Neat Video HD: GPU Only 89 frames/sec

Neat Video UHD: GPU Only 24.4 frames/sec

PugetBench for After Effects 0.95.7, After Effects 23.4×53:

Overall Score: 1038
Multi-Core Score: 203.9
GPU Score: 82.3
RAM Preview Score: 103.4
Render Score: 109.4
Tracking Score: 93.4

PugetBench for Premiere Pro 0.98.0, Premiere Pro 23.4.0:

Extended Overall Score: 567
Standard Overall Score: 891
LongGOP Score (Extended): 80.3
Intraframe Score (Extended): 82.5
RAW Score (Extended): 26.6
GPU Effects Score (Extended): 58.7
LongGOP Score (Standard): 114.9
Intraframe Score (Standard): 97.7
RAW Score (Standard): 78.3
GPU Effects Score (Standard): 71.6

PugetBench for Resolve 0.93.1, DaVinci Resolve Studio 18.5

Standard Overall Score: 2847
4K Media Score: 179
GPU Effects Score: 173
Fusion Score: 502

These benchmarks are heavily favored toward video editors, content creators and even colorists, so some of the benefits — like the 48GB of memory on the W7900 — may not be useful and could be a reason to stick with the W7800. Between the AMD Radeon Pro W7800 and the W7900, a lot of the performance increases will be seen in large designs and renders — heavy Blender scenes or even Unreal creations.

Summing Up
After using the AMD Radeon Pro W7800 and W7900 for a couple of months in and out of DaVinci Resolve (versions 18-18.5) and Premiere 2023, I felt very comfortable in keeping the W7800 as the daily driver. I didn’t experience any GPU-related crashes or errors. I was actually a little surprised at how comfortable I was with the W7800 and W7900 after using the Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti and 4090 for so long.

Keep in mind that the AMD Radeon Pro series of GPUs is certified with certain software application versions to run without error. You can search for specific applications here.

Brady Betzel is an Emmy-nominated online editor at Margarita Mix in Hollywood, working on shows like Life Below Zero and Uninterrupted: The Shop . He is also a member of the Producers Guild of America. You can email Brady at bradybetzel@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @allbetzroff.

GoPro’s New Hero 12 Black: HDR Video, GP-Log, More

September 6, 2023

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By Brady Betzel

Besides the kids going back to school and wishfully thinking that Southern California will be 70 degrees from here on out, it’s starts to look like a gift giving season in the production and post world. GoPro has announced the release of the Hero 12 Black — the same waterproof, pocket-sized camera you have come to love… well, at least I have. I am getting to work on reviewing the new camera, but before that, I wanted to touch on some of the updates that directly affect professional production and post users.

The GoPro Hero 12 Black inherits the same form factor, camera sensor and battery size as its predecessor the Hero 11 Black. What’s improved is mostly under the hood, except for the addition of a 1/4-20 mount thread between the traditional GoPro “finger” mounts. This is a welcome addition to anyone in the field looking to securely mount the camera to a rig.

Important Updates for Pros:

HDR video (5.3K/4K resolutions)
GP-Log with downloadable .cube LUTs
Timecode sync across unlimited Hero 12 Black cameras
Wireless mic support from Bluetooth devices like AirPods
Improved HyperSmooth 6.0 stabilization
Vertical capture mode when mounted horizontally
2x longer run times

Upcoming Review
The hot topics for my future review will be HDR video and GP-Log with the available Cube LUTs. I am hopeful this is what will really set GoPros apart from competitors and phone-captured footage. Previously, to get a GoPro to look as unsharpened as possible, I would recommend users set sharpening to none or low. Now in addition to lowering the sharpening, increasing the bit rate and shooting in a high resolution, HDR and log-based recording options will hopefully elevate footage to a truly professional level.

In addition to the upgraded Hero 12 Black camera, GoPro is also releasing a highly anticipated follow up to the Max Lens Mod with the Max Lens Mod 2.0. With an increased field of view of 177° usable in 4k, 60fps format, shooting action sports for television and social media will give the viewer the most immersive perspective possible. The GoPro mobile app Quik is being ported over to Windows and MacOS based PCs with MacOS being launched in the fall of 2023 and Windows in 2024.

I can’t wait to test out the HDR and Log capabilities of the GoPro Hero 12 Black to really stretch the dynamic range of this already incredible waterproof camera. Find out more on the GoPro site, and sign up for the subscription service, which not only offers unlimited online storage space, auto-highlight and auto-upload on charging capabilities but also streaming options and easily created shareable links. I use them all the time for my middle son’s baseball games — and if while we are on sports, if you use GameChanger to record your kids’ games, the GoPro Hero 12 Black would be a great way to stream them.

Look for my hands-on review soon!

Review: Five Cool Tools for the Summer

July 11, 2023

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By Brady Betzel

With the slower pace of summer upon us, it’s time to take an inventory of what gear you can upgrade to take your setup to the next level. From cleaner audio separation to precise video signal measurements, I am always looking at the latest and greatest production and post gear. While new plugins and software updates are great, peripherals, like a great stand-up desk or a high-quality/low-cost microphone, can make your workday a bit better.

If you’re hoping to travel this summer while continuing to work, we have a few suggestions that will support your mobile workstation:

Dark Matter Sentry Streaming Microphone by Monoprice
Whether you are on Zoom meetings for five hours a day or just want a quick and easy way to record a voiceover directly inside of Adobe Premiere Pro without complicated software installations, a high-quality microphone is the easiest way to impress.

Over the last few years, like you, I’ve found myself on Zoom meetings more than I would like. One constant is poor video and audio quality. Occasionally, you get someone crazy who has a spare Red camera around and has an incredible video essence to their Zoom, but more often than not, people use their laptop’s built-in hardware, which, to be fair, isn’t always terrible.

Apple includes very compelling cameras and microphones in their products, but for all the editors who don’t have a Yeti mic lying around, the Dark Matter Sentry Streaming Microphone by Monoprice rides the line between quality and cost. The Dark Matter Sentry retails for $99.99 but is currently selling for $74.98.

The Dark Matter Sentry is a hefty, well-designed, low-maintenance microphone that’s perfect for temp voiceover recordings or live Twitch streams. It offers four pickup/polar patterns: cardioid (directly in front of the mic), stereo (left/right side of the mic), bidirectional (front/back of the mic) and omnidirectional (360 recording). It even has a headphone jack below the mic gain and headphone volume knobs.

Installing the Dark Matter Sentry is as easy as plugging the USB-C to USB-A cable into your computer and choosing one of the five LED colors by pushing the button on the bottom of the mic. The spider-style mic stand included with the Dark Matter Sentry is surprisingly sturdy. You can also attach the mic to a mic boom via the ⅝-inch threaded mount point.

When comparing the Dark Matter Sentry against other popular streaming-style mics, the current $74.98 price tag is over half of similar but competing models, like the Shure MV7, which retails for $249.99. Check out the Dark Matter Sentry site because the price seems to change every day.

AJA Io|X3
With live streaming and small, home-studio-based multicam workflows gaining popularity, having reliable I/O hardware is a must. AJA has been around and producing top-quality I/O gear for a long time. The AJA Io X3 is a Thunderbolt 3-based, multi-channel 2K/HD/SD input/output hardware solution. Whether you are looking to switch/record four HD streams at once in OBS or simply stream your timeline to clients viewing remotely using the AJA Helo Plus, the Io X3 is a solid workhorse retailing for $1,759.

In addition to analog connections like four 3G bidirectional SDI ports with 16-channel embedded audio, the AJA Io X3 has HDMI I/O with eight-channel embedded audio, including HDR transfer characteristic recognition. The device supports and automatically detects PQ, HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.

The AJA Io X3 is a great solution for most editing or color-grading software, except Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve. For Resolve you will want to grab something from the UltraStudio hardware line. But for apps like Adobe Premiere or Avid Media Composer, AJA hardware works well. With machine control for tape-based laybacks, Apple M1 chip support and even the ability to power the battery via the XLR 12V.

The Io X3 is very flexible unless you use Resolve.

Nobe OmniScope
One of the most under-used tools I see in the streamer and content-creator world is scopes. The ability to read and view luminance, saturation and color spaces in a technically accurate way is vital. Scope information is one of those skills that separates the hobbyists from the professionals.

Regardless of whether you work on streaming videos, wedding videos or the Super Bowl, you are a professional in my eyes. Nobe OmniScope has brought us professional-level scopes at consumer-level prices. The Video version of Nobe OmniScope retails for $235, while the Pro version retails for $399. Both give you one year of updates unless you renew at $70 per year for the Video version and $99 per year for the Pro version.

The Pro version has features like multiple input sources, 4:4:4 RGB 12-bit support through DeckLink and UltraStudio, Syphon and Spout (direct GPU memory-sharing), 3D Color Cube, min-max readings, error logger, multiple quality control features, OpenColorIO 2, native Stream Deck support, NDI source/scope output, HDR support, ACES color science, PQ ST 2084/HLG scales and two simultaneous licenses for one price.

You can run Nobe OmniScope with whatever software you are using or on a separate system with signal inputs. In the past, I’ve always been a fan of separate systems for running apps like this. However, these days it is not necessary. Newer systems with high-end GPUs can run Nobe OmniScope and Resolve concurrently with few slowdowns. But if you do have a spare Mac Mini or older Windows-based PC lying around, you might want to think about using it just for input/output of the Nobe OmniScope.

There is a great series of six instructional videos by Kevin P. McAuliffe that covers most of the Nobe OmniScope features. My favorite is blanking detection in the quality control features, which are part of the Pro version of Nobe OmniScope. In online editing, blanking is one of the trickiest errors to find.

Even using a professional output monitor, some blanking will get missed. But with Nobe OmniScope Pro, when QC tools are enabled, Nobe OmniScope will highlight any specified blanking areas in bright red if it thinks it’s an error. In the future, I hope Nobe OmniScope will add automated QC tools that will essentially export a preliminary QC report, including basic errors like blanking, illegal color values, black frames, etc. It would be an amazing feature to add to this extensive toolset that every colorist and online editor should own. Find out more at the Time in Pixels website.

KRK’s GoAux 4 Portable Monitors
I’m a sucker for great speakers and headphones. As a teenager, I worked at Best Buy (pre-Geek Squad) as a computer repair technician and eventually a car stereo installer. That is when I realized I love great-quality speakers and components. Once I began working at a mix house as an online editor, it reaffirmed my love for ultrahigh-quality sound setups, even if that wasn’t my primary job responsibility.

So besides having amazing headphones like the Audeze MM-500, which I recently reviewed, how do you get studio-quality sound setups from portable speaker systems? KRK Systems has you covered with the GoAux 4 monitor kit, which offers some of the smallest, most portable, tunable, powered-nearfield monitors. The GoAux 4 monitors retail for $419 with free two-day shipping.

The GoAux 4 monitors ship in an awesome and protective nylon carrying bag that holds both monitors, stands, auto ARC microphone and room for cables. The carrying bag is one of my favorite parts — it’s compact and efficient.

The KRK Systems GoAux 4s are the upgrade from the GoAux 3s. The GoAux 4s carry 100W of RMS power (total system power) with a 4-inch woofer and a 1-inch tweeter. Realistically, each woofer will max out at 33W RMS and each tweeter at 17W RMS. The SPL (sound pressure level, aka how powerful the bass notes are) peak at 102dB and can sustain 98.5dBs. The subwoofer frequency response is between 55Hz and 22kHz. Compare that to the GoAux 3s, which have 60W RMS power and a 3-inch woofer and stop at 60Hz on the low end. The larger the woofer, the lower the notes the woofer can play.

The speakers themselves only need to be connected to one power source because they share power. They feature built-in low and high frequency EQ adjustments, USB, ⅛-inch aux, RCA and ¼-inch TRS balanced stereo inputs and a Bluetooth connection. You can even connect headphones to the ⅛-inch stereo headphone output on the front of the GoAux 4s, which will automatically mute the monitors.

Physically, the monitors are small for the power they produce. They measure 8.07 inches by 5.35 inched by 5.51 inches and weigh just under 10lbs, including both speakers, stands, carrying bag and included accessories. But what really got my attention was the Auto ARC microphone that is included with the GoAux 4s. The Auto ARC is an automatic room correction feature. Simply, it allows you to move the GoAux 4s to different physical mixing environments while keeping similar audio qualities. Think of traveling between a studio and a hotel room to mix audio. Of course, the rooms will have much different acoustic setups. The GoAux 4s Auto ARC mic will help to correct for these differences, leading to similar mixing environments. It won’t be perfect or a replacement for a true studio setup, but equalizing the environment is one step closer to being able to mix anywhere.

To run the Auto ARC, you need to attach the included Auto ARC mic to the front left speaker Auto ARC mic input, hold/place the mic at ear level where the user will be sitting, and hold the Auto ARC button on the rear left speaker. It will produce 25 tones and then repeat. This will go on for a couple of minutes, during which time the mic must remain still. Once it’s complete, a low-frequency tone sounds. I tested this between multiple locations, including a bedroom, a bathroom and a studio. While it isn’t perfect, the Auto ARC setup brought the many different sound environments closer together.

Grab a set for $419, including free two-day shipping.

FlexiSpot E5 Standing Desk
By Guest Reviewer Randi Altman, Editor-in-Chief postPerspective

Having worked at a computer my entire adult life, developing achy wrists, a stiff neck and hunchback (not Notre Dame-level, but my posture is not great), I have always wanted to try a stand-up desk. And thanks to FlexiSpot Dual Motor Standing Desk, I finally got my chance.

The desk arrived in different boxes over the course of a few days, so it was exciting to see what was coming next. Each box was clearly labeled, letting me know exactly what was in each before opening. I wonder if they break up the shipping on purpose so no one has all the parts of the desk at one time. (Yes, my New York Spidey senses are always on high alert.)

For the record, I don’t build stuff. I’ll spackle and paint whatever you need me to, but reading directions and putting stuff together is not my strength. Therefore, I recruited my husband, who started his furniture-building career on something called Skorük Mörk, our first bedroom set from IKEA. As I watched him from the couch while scrolling through my phone, he seemed to move along nicely… he describes it as “slow but steady,” and “easier than I thought it would be.” All told, his very casual build was probably just under an hour. Not too bad!

When complete, we were both sort of giddy. He with pride for a job well done, and me with the excitement of testing it out. I was immediately impressed with the quality hardware on the desk — from the moveable stand to the bamboo work surface that the company says can hold up to 287 pounds, the two-level workspace, and the ability to raise and lower it with a push of a button, depending on if I am feeling stand-y or sit-y.

The keypad panel has three height presets, and they are very easy to use. I stand at a towering 5 feet 3 inches tall, while my nephew who has been visiting is 6 feet 4 inches — genetics are weird. Both of us were able to find a comfortable height for working, whether sitting or standing. Oh, there is also a sit-stand reminder, that allows you to set a timer reminding you to switch working postures from time to time.

While working, most of my day is spent in Word and Photoshop with a little Resolve thrown in, and it has all been a breeze, standing or sitting. I also use an external keyboard and a pen/tablet, and there is plenty of room for all.

I have also come to really enjoy doing video calls while standing. I just feel healthier being able to move around a little bit from side to side, shifting my weight while chatting, especially after lunch. It’s my new normal.

The only negative I have relates to all the plugs/wires that hang under the desk while sitting – but I have to look deeper at this, because it could very well be user error.

For a more detailed review of the company’s similar but next-level E7 desk, give Cory Choy’s review a read.

Pricing can be found here.

Review: Lenovo’s P360 Ultra Workstation

June 12, 2023

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By Brady Betzel

In a world where pros are embracing ultrasmall and ultraportable workstations, Lenovo has met that need with the P360 Ultra — at under 10 pounds, it’s a RAID-0/1-capable, Nvidia-backed workstation with high-level performance.

Much like the Apple with the Mac Studio or HP with the Z2 Mini G9, Lenovo has seen the need for a small form-factor workstation with the power of a full-size tower. The Lenovo P360 Ultra has modern exterior styling and is small enough to travel with you between home and the office, but it’s packed with power close to that of a full-size desktop workstation.

Here are the specs and costs of the Lenovo P360 Ultra I received for review:

Base system: $1,969
Processor: 12th Gen Intel Core i9-12900 vPro (E-cores up to 3.8GHz, P-cores up to 5GHz) (+$859)
Memory: 32GB DDR5-4000MHz (+$230)
GPU: Nvidia RTX A5000 mobile 16GB GDDR6 (+$4,349)
2 SSD: 1TB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 (+$70)
Ethernet: Intel i350-T2 Dual Port (+$89)
Wi-Fi Adapter: Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 2×2 AC vPro (+$25)
Power Adapter: 300W (+$59)
Warranty: 3-year parts and labor. Repairs are done at your location.
Total price: $7,650 with about 90-day lead time for delivery.

Putting It to Use
So how is the P360 Ultra in a modern editing or color correction environment? It holds its own. On the surface, I was able to edit and color-correct 4K, 6K and 8K footage coming from multiple codecs in Adobe Premiere Pro 23.2 and Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve 18.1.4.

Was the P360 Ultra always able to play in real time? No, but it did hold its own and was in the realm of acceptable. However, if you use proxies in either app, you will be working fluidly. The Lenovo P360 Ultra is a great assistant editor or assistant colorist workstation that takes up minimal real estate, is somewhat portable, can connect to up to eight monitors and would line up well with the Lenovo P620 Gen 2.

Lenovo (and other companies, for that matter) are able to fit so much power and performance in such a small form factor by using laptop-style components, such as the Nvidia RTX A5000 mobile GPU and SODIMM memory. This doesn’t mean they are “bad,” per se, but they are thermally throttled, so when it gets too hot in the chassis, the speed and power decrease. Heat is the enemy of power and speed, and with such a compact form factor, Lenovo is leveraging the best of both worlds.

Intel’s E- and P-cores are another advancement that helps fit so much power into a small form factor. E-cores, aka efficiency cores, focus on background tasks that run constantly but with low energy usage. P-cores, aka performance cores, focus on heavier tasks, like multimedia rendering in apps like Resolve.

Testing
Up first are the tests I run in typical Windows-based nonlinear editing applications: Premiere Pro 23.2 and DaVinci Resolve 18.1.4. Using the same clips I always use for my reviews, I apply a basic color correction in a 3840×2160 timeline. The clips include:

ARRI RAW: 3840×2160 24fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
ARRI RAW: 4448×1856 24fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
BMD RAW: 6144×3456 24fps – 15 seconds
Red RAW: 6144×3072 23.976fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
Red RAW: 6144×3160 23.976fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
Sony a7siii: 3840×2160 23.976fps – 15 seconds

\I then add Blackmagic’s noise reduction, sharpening and grain. Finally, I replace the built-in noise reduction with Neat Video’s noise reduction to really ride the system hard. From there I export multiple versions: DNxHR 444 10-bit OP1a MXF, a DNxHR 444 10-bit Mov, H.264 MP4, H.265 MP4, and an IMF package using the default settings.

Resolve 18 Exports	DNxHR 444 10-bit .mxf	DNxHR 444 10-bit .mov	H.264 .mp4	H.265 .mp4	IMF
Color Correction Only	00:54	01:04	00:42	00:41	01:41
CC + Resolve Noise Reduction	01:47	01:48	01:44	01:43	02:00
CC, Resolve NR, Sharpening, Grain	02:01	02:02	01:57	01:57	02:14
CC + Neat Video Noise Reduction	04:32	04:36	04:25	04:23	04:43

In comparison to the Lenovo P620 Gen 2, straight exports with only color-correcting take about double the amount of export time with the P360 Ultra. Adding in Resolve-based noise reduction and then sharpening and grain is surprisingly faster, for the most part. Finally, adding Neat Video noise reduction is about one minute slower.

I ran a similar test inside of Premiere 23.2, except for Neat Video noise reduction. In this version of Premiere Pro and Media Encoder, I was able to get much more accurate export times than I have in the past, so these numbers are reliable:

Adobe Premiere Pro 2023 (Simultaneous Exports)	DNxHR 444 10-bit .mxf	DNxHR 444 10-bit .mov	H.264 .mp4	H.265 .mp4
Color Correction Only	1:58	03:42	01:37	01:37
CC + NR, Sharpening, Grain	17:48	36:04	14:03	14:03

Adobe Premiere Pro 2023 (Individual Exports)	DNxHR 444 10-bit .mxf	DNxHR 444 10-bit .mov	H.264 .mp4	H.265 .mp4
Color Correction Only	00:54	02:26	00:50	00:52
CC + NR, Sharpening, Grain	10:07	28:15	08:04	07:56

Benchmarks

Blackmagic RAW Speed Test:
- 8K CPU – 52fps
- 8K CUDA – 75fps
Blender – Gooseberry: 08:24.46
Cinebench R23:
- CPU (multi-core) – 20840pts
- CPU (single-core) – 1975pts
- MP Ratio – 10.55x
Corona 1.3 Benchmark:
- Render Time: 00:01:17
- Rays/sec: 6,258,630
Neat Video – Neat Bench:
- Best combination: GPU-only 11.2fps
OctaneBench 2020.1.5:
- Score: 386.52
PugetBench:
- PugetBench for After Effects (0.95.7 – After Effects: 23.2.1×3)
  - Overall score: 864
  - Multi-score: 144.5
  - GPU score: 62
  - RAM preview score: 87.3
  - Render score: 79
  - Tracking score: 99.4
- PugetBench for Premiere Pro (0.95.7 – Premiere Pro 23.2.0)
  - Extended overall score: 732
  - Standard overall score: 840
  - Extended export score: 73.5
  - Extended live playback score: 81
  - Standard export score: 77.1
  - Standard live playback score: 109.9
  - Effects score: 65
  - GPU score: 70.5
- PugetBench for DaVinci Resolve (0.93.1 – Resolve Studio 18.1.4)
  - Extended overall score: 1598
  - Standard overall score: 1803
  - 4K media score: 118
  - 8K media score: 98
  - GPU effects score: 93
  - Fusion score: 330
- RealBench 2.56:
  - Image editing: 119,995
    - Time: 44.4018
  - Encoding: 278,760
    - Time: 19.1132
  - OpenCL: 276,627
    - KSamples/sec: 50916
  - Heavy multitasking: 154,708
    - Time: 49.3316
  - System score: 207,522
- V-Ray:
  - V-Ray vsamples: 13539
  - V-Ray GPU CUDA vpaths: 1257
  - V-Ray GPU RTX vrays: 1657

These benchmarks all have different purposes and mean much more if you head over to their result postings. Puget Systems has a great benchmark and results page where you can compare systems like the Lenovo P360 Ultra.

For the last test, I ran media through the Blackmagic Proxy Generator:

Sony a7iii UHD (3840×2160) MP4 master files

Proxies: H.265/10-bit 1080p – 46 files
- 125fps

Red RAW – various resolutions

Proxies: H.265/10-bit 1080p – 2 files
- 17fps

These speeds are pretty good considering how compact the Lenovo P360 Ultra workstation is. For comparison, a desktop system using an Nvidia RTX 4070ti was processing the Sony files at 166fps and the Red RAW files at 28fps

Improvements?
What would I like to see improved? Once I get going in Resolve with transcoding, rendering or even just playing back effects, the fans start to hum. If you like to keep your workstation close by, you will definitely notice the fans kick into high gear. Not a deal-breaker, but it is something to be aware of.

One way to get around a bulky internal power supply is to use a laptop-style power brick. The P360 Ultra has a rather large power brick — it measures 9.3 inches by 5.6 inches by 2.1 inches and weighs about 1.3lbs. I would love to see that shrink down to a more manageable size somehow.

Summing Up
In the end, the Lenovo P360 Ultra is a compact-size powerhouse. With the Nvidia RTX A5000 mobile GPU, which supports up to eight independent displays to the 12th Gen Intel i9-12900 vPro processor, the Lenovo P360 Ultra has the power to handle most midlevel requests from a video editor or colorist. It makes a great assistant editor station that can double as a backup in case your main system goes down.

And I mention this in all my workstation reviews: The term “workstation” is not just an adjective to describe a highly powered system. Lenovo-powered workstations are military-grade-tested (MIL-STD-810H) computer systems, with each component tested against industry-leading software like Adobe’s Premiere Pro and After Effects and Avid’s Media Composer to ensure rock-solid driver compatibility.

In addition, Lenovo’s included Commercial Vantage software helps keep your workstation’s drivers and hardware up to date with the latest versions that ensure little downtime.

And you can check out my other recent Lenovo review here: Previously, I have reviewed their monster workstations, the Lenovo P620 Gen 2.

Review: Apple’s Mac Mini With M2 Pro

June 7, 2023

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By Brady Betzel

The Mac Mini with M2 Pro continues Apple’s tradition of ultrasharp design, top-end components and nearly silent cooling for a cost of $2,299. If you’re looking for a powerful computer for multimedia content creation, then the Mac Mini with M2 Pro is worthy of consideration.

The Mac Mini with M2 Pro computer I received for review contains the highest level components available for the Mac Mini line of systems, except for the internal 1TB SSD drive. You can upgrade the internal SSD up to 8TB for an extra $2,200.

Here are the rest of the Mac Mini components for this system:

CPU	Apple M2 Pro with 12‑core CPU, 19-core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine
Memory	32GB unified memory
GPU	Apple M2 Pro – 12 Cores
Neural Engine	16-core
Network	Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) 10 Gigabit Ethernet
Storage	1TB SSD
I/O	Four Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, two USB‑A ports, headphone jack
OS	macOS Ventura 13.3.1

The Mac Mini measures just 7.75 inches by 7.75 inches by 1.41 inches and weighs just 2.8lbs. The Mac Mini truly lives up to its name with its compact form factor, making it a truly mobile desktop solution. The Mac Mini will not be replacing any Mac Pros or Mac Studios at the moment, but it is a great compromise of cost versus utility.

The Mac Mini with M2 Pro works great in Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects thanks to the added Media Engine processing. Whether you want to work with interframe video codecs like H.264 or intraframe codecs like ProRes or DNxHR, the Mac Mini seems to be able to work fluidly between either type. In the past, I would always tell video editors to transcode to an intraframe codec like DNxHR because of how much less power these codec types require when compared to interframe codecs. The new M2-based Mac systems are starting to lessen the need for intraframe files, which saves time in transcoding, which translates to money savings.

Similar to the MacBook Pro testing, I used DaVinci Resolve 18.1.4 and Premiere Pro 23.2 to measure the Mac Mini’s real-world performance. I used a one-minute-long UHD (3840×2160) sequence in multiple versions — one with just color correction, one with color correction and any built-in noise reduction plugins, and one using the third-party Neat Video noise reduction plugin to really push the GPU’s power. For comparison to a Window-based PC, I have done the same tests on workstations, new GPUs and more, like the Lenovo P360 Ultra.

The clips include:

ARRI RAW: 3840×2160 24fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
ARRI RAW: 4448×1856 24fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
BMD RAW: 6144×3456 24fps – 15 seconds
Red RAW: 6144×3072 23.976fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
Red RAW: 6144×3160 23.976fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
Sony a7siii: 3840×2160 23.976fps – 15 seconds

Resolve 18 Exports	DNxHR 444 10-bit .mxf	DNxHR 444 10-bit .mov	H.264 .mp4	H.265 .mp4	IMF
Color Correction Only	01:03	01:03	00:52	00:47	01:50
CC + Resolve Noise Reduction	05:14	05:15	05:23	05:23	05:15
CC, Resolve NR, Sharpening, Grain	07:18	07:17	07:24	07:24	07:17
CC + Neat Video Noise Reduction	05:01	05:00	04:59	04:58	05:20

In comparison to the MacBook Pro with M2 Max, the Mac Mini with M2 Pro churns out the same exports at almost double the time. The price of the MacBook Pro is about double the Mac Mini, so double the time to export makes sense. The times in the Resolve tests reflect exports from camera-native media, like R3D and ARRI RAW. I then did a similar test in Premiere Pro:

Premiere Pro 2023 (Simultaneous Exports)	DNxHR 444 10-bit .mxf	DNxHR 444 10-bit .mov	H.264 .mp4	H.265 .mp4
Color Correction Only	02:49	03:39	03:42	03:46
CC + NR, Sharpening, Grain	01:07:57	01:51:17	01:51:20	02:08:38

Premiere Pro 2023 (Individual Exports)	DNxHR 444 10-bit .mxf	DNxHR 444 10-bit .mov	H.264 .mp4	H.265 .mp4
Color Correction Only	01:30	01:15	1:01	01:26
CC + NR, Sharpening, Grain	47:10	1:12:16	1:12:13	1:13:00

Premiere Pro runs decently on the Mac Mini with M2 Pro. It’s not a powerhouse, but it also didn’t take a dive when I loaded it with noise reduction and sharpening. This is also why you will want at least 32GB of unified memory if you can afford it. Oddly enough, some of the Adobe Premiere Pro exports that ran one export at a time (as opposed to four exports simultaneously) exported at similar speeds as the MacBook Pro with M2 Ultra, while some did not. I also ran the Mac Mini with M2 Pro through various benchmarks:

Benchmarks
PugetBench Premiere Pro 0.95.7, Premiere Pro 23.2.0

Extended Overall Score: 768
Standard Overall Score: 876
Extended Export Score: 74.6
Extended Live Playback Score: 79.2
Standard Export Score: 93
Standard Live Playback Score: 93,3
Effects Score: 76.5
GPU Score: 39.7

PugetBench After Effects 0.95.7, After Effects 23.3×53

Overall Score: 1147
Multi-Core Score: 115.3
GPU Score: 65.2
RAM Preview Score: 108.6
Render Score: 107.3
Tracking Score: 141.8

Blackmagic Design Disk Speed Test: Write – 4350.7MB/s, Read – 5039.5MB/s

Blackmagic Design RAW Speed Test: 8K CPU 43fps, 8K METAL 167fps

Blender:

Gooseberry Benchmark: 13:01.44
Blender Benchmark CPU:
- Monster: 125.169231
- Junkshop: 75.574606
- Classroom: 54.487366
Blender Benchmark GPU:
- Monster: 488.154435
- Junkshop: 257.997748
- Classroom: 236.379018

Cinebench R23: CPU (Multicore) – 14591 pts, CPU (Single-Core) – 1649 pts, MP Ratio 8.85x

Corona 1.3: Render Time – 0:01:56, Rays/sec – 4,176,920

Neat Video Neat Bench:

HD (1920×1080) Best Combination: GPU only – 35.6 frames/sec
UHD (3840×2160) Best Combination: CPU (12 cores) and GPU – 8.86 frames/sec

V-Ray 5.0.2 Benchmark:

V-RAY: 9632 vsamples
V-RAY GPU CUDA: 286 vpaths

For the last test, I ran media through the Blackmagic Proxy Generator:

Sony a7iii UHD (3840×2160) .mp4 Master Files

Proxies: H.265/10-bit 1080p – 46 files
- 182fps

Red RAW – various resolutions

Proxies: H.265/10-bit 1080p – two files
- 12fps

Summing Up
At $2,299, the Mac Mini with M2 Pro is a great middle of-the-road multimedia creation station. You can still work smoothly with camera-native video codecs in major nonlinear editing apps like Resolve and Premiere. And if you are concerned about good product design and sharp, modern aesthetics, the Mac Mini is a great piece to leave on your desk.

Additionally, Apple continues to deliver the most silent computer systems on the market without losing power and without sacrificing connections. Check out the new Mac Mini at www.apple.com.

Review: Apple’s MacBook Pro M2 Max

May 4, 2023

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By Brady Betzel

The 2023 Apple MacBook Pro M2 Max is another step up in Apple’s goal to dominate the content creation market. At this point most multimedia applications are compatible with the new M2 processing chips, and if they aren’t, they probably aren’t being used on Macs anyway.

The latest 16.2-inch MacBook Pro is a beautifully constructed, albeit non-upgradable, mobile powerhouse of a computer. Does upgradability matter to most users? Probably not. I harp on it a lot in my reviews, but to be honest, the MacBook Pros of the last couple years are undeniably in the top three of mobile computers for professional power users. Whether you color correct in Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve, edit in Apple’s own FCPX, or roundtrip between Adobe After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro, the MacBook Pro M2 Max is one of the fastest mobile multimedia systems you can purchase.

Now that I’ve bloviated to the max, here are the specs of the MacBook Pro M2 Max I was sent for testing:

CPU	Apple M2 Max – 12 Cores (8 performance, 4 efficiency)
Memory	64 GB – LPDDR5
GPU	Apple M2 Max – 38 cores
Neural Engine	16-core
Network	Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Display	16.2” Liquid Retina XDR 3456×2234 ● 1,000,000 x1 contrast ratio ● XDR brightness: 1000 nits sustained full-screen, 1600-nits peak (HDR content only) ● SDR brightness: 500 nits
Storage	2TB SSD
I/O	3-Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, headphone jack, MagSafe 3 port
OS	macOS Ventura 13.2
Battery	100-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery
Charging	140W USB-C power adapter – fast charging

At the time of this review, this configuration retails for $4,299 and ships within 10 days. While the specs of the MacBook Pro are workstation-level, technically it is not a workstation, which can be a problem for enterprise purchasers. To be labeled an actual capital-W “Workstation,” manufacturers must test their hardware configurations against professional software apps like Avid Media Composer, Resolve, After Effects and more. Companies like Lenovo and HP certify their hardware and software to work with minimal interruptions when working 24/7/365 through a system called “ISV,” aka independent software vendors.

If you are a die-hard Windows-based PC user, the MacBook Pro is an easy transition, except for the “command” button being in a different position than the “control” key. Once you get past that, you probably will never look back. But let us get to the testing results.

Up first is some real-world export testing inside Resolve 18.1.4 and Premiere Pro 23.2. In both Adobe Premiere Pro and Resolve, I use multiple timelines to test the systems. In Premiere Pro I use two timelines. One is for basic color correction, and the other is for the same basic color correction as the first sequence plus Premiere Pro’s noise reduction, sharpening and grain.

In Resolve I use four timelines: 1) basic color correction; 2) the same basic color correction as the first sequence as well as Resolve’s built-in noise reduction; 3) basic color correction plus Resolve’s built-in noise reduction, sharpening and grain; 4) basic color correction and Neat Video noise reduction. All timelines are one minute long and UHD (3840×2160) resolution.

For comparison, I have done the same tests on workstations, and new GPUs. Here is an example: my Lenovo P620 Ultra review.

The clips include:

ARRIRAW: 3840×2160 24fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
ARRIRAW: 4448×1856 24fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
BMD RAW: 6144×3456 24fps – 15 seconds
Red RAW: 6144×3072 23.976fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
Red RAW: 6144×3160 23.976fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
Sony a7siii: 3840×2160 23.976fps – 15 seconds

Resolve 18 Exports	DNxHR 444 10-bit .mxf	DNxHR 444 10-bit .mov	H.264 .mp4	H.265 .mp4	IMF
Color correction only	01:02	01:02	00:44	00:41	01:49
CC + Resolve noise reduction	02:46	02:47	02:46	02:45	02:52
CC, Resolve noise reduction, sharpening, grain	03:40	03:39	03:41	03:41	03:43
CC + Neat Video noise reduction	03:50	03:47	03:48	03:49	04:05

In comparison to the Lenovo P620 Gen 2 Desktop Workstation with Nvidia RTX A6000, the export times are not that far off — which is pretty crazy considering the Lenovo workstation retails for over $16,000. Obviously, improved efficiency in software updates is something to keep in mind when comparing numbers, but still — very similar times.

Adobe Premiere Pro 2023 (Simultaneous Exports)	DNxHR 444 10-bit .mxf	DNxHR 444 10-bit .mov	H.264 .mp4	H.265 .mp4
Color Correction Only	03:51	04:23	05:30	05;15
CC + noise reduction, sharpening, grain	31:19	01:20:34	31:32	31:32

Adobe Premiere Pro 2023 (individual exports)	DNxHR 444 10-bit .mxf	DNxHR 444 10-bit .mov	H.264 .mp4	H.265 .mp4
Color correction only	01:42	01:38	1:35	02:14
CC + noise reduction, sharpening, grain	26:00	1:12:31	1:12:32	1:18:47

Premiere Pro seems to have a much harder time rendering out files with anything but standard color correction. Funnily enough, the Lenovo P620 Gen 2 wouldn’t even finish the exports, so I think Adobe is slowly improving its export process. I wouldn’t really judge the speed of the MacBook Pro by the Premiere Pro testing unless you use Premiere Pro exclusively for exports with lots of plugins. But for some more accurate benchmarks, I ran the MacBook Pro through its paces:

Benchmarks:

PugetBench Premiere Pro 0.95.7, Premiere Pro 23.2.0

Extended overall score: 1064
Standard overall score: 1236
Extended export score: 102.1
Extended live playback score: 123.3
Standard export score: 118.2
Standard live playback score: 158.7
Effects score: 93.9
GPU score: 66.8

PugetBench After Effects 0.95.7, After Effects 23.3×53

Overall score: 1324
Multi-core score: 125
GPU score: 117.5
RAM preview score: 132.4
Render score: 125.9
Tracking score: 145.2

Blackmagic’s Disk Speed Test: Write: 6550MB/s – Read: 5301.1 MB/s

Blackmagic RAW Speed Test: 8K CPU 44fps, 8K Metal 223fps

Blender:

Gooseberry Benchmark: 12:52.03
Blender Benchmark CPU:
- Monster: 126.285481
- Junkshop: 73.637424
- Classroom: 54.662429
Blender Benchmark GPU:
- Monster: 954.130445
- Junkshop: 508.410669
- Classroom: 461.035816

Cinebench R23: CPU (multi-core): 14809 pts, CPU (single core): 1646 pts, MP ratio 8.99x

Corona 1.3: Render Time: 0:01:57, Rays/sec: 4,142,990

Neat Video Neat Bench:

HD (1920×1080) best combination: GPU-only 41.1 frames/sec
UHD (3840×2160) Best combination: CPU (11 cores) and GPU – 12 frames/sec

V-Ray 5.0.2 Benchmark:

V-Ray: 9477 vsamples
V-Ray GPU CUDA: 287 vpaths

For the last test, I ran media through the Blackmagic Proxy Generator:

Sony a7s iiiUHD (3840×2160) .mp4 master files

Proxies: H.265/10-bit 1080p – 46 files
- 165fps

Red RAW – various resolutions

Proxies: H.265/10-bit 1080p – two files
- 11fps

Summing Up

In the end, the updated MacBook Pro with M2 Max is a sleek and powerful mobile content creation system. I ran about 80% of my tests on just the battery in High Power Mode with mixed results, but on average I was getting three to four hours of heavy work on a single charge. A full charge took about 1.5 hours, which is really fast.

If you’re looking for an upgrade to your current MacBook Pro or are thinking about switching from a Windows-based laptop, you will quickly realize what a great system this is. The only feature that bugs me every time I look at it — and I know I’m nitpicking here — is the black notch where the cameras are. Other than that, the keyboard is great, the trackpad is accurate and the MacBook itself is easy to carry. Having access to three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port, an SD card reader and a headphone/microphone jack without an adapter is a big relief if you are coming from previous MacBook Pro models that required dongles.

Review: Huion’s Inspiroy Giano Pen Tablet

April 25, 2023

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By Brady Betzel

From alleviating wrist pain to increasing accuracy in digital multimedia work, pen tablets are an integral part of a multimedia creator’s toolbox. I have reviewed Huion products before — the Kamvas 16 Pen Display and the Inspiroy Keydial KD200 Pen Tablet — and there is a common thread: unmatched value.

The Huion Inspiroy Giano Pen Tablet measures 16.8 inches by 10.3 inches by 0.35 inches with a 13.6-inch by 8.5-inch working area. It weighs just 40 ounces and currently retails for $199.99. The Inspiroy Giano can connect to macOS and Windows 10 (and up) computers via Bluetooth 5.0 as well as a USB-C connection. It also connects to Windows 7/8/10 and ChromeOS via USB-C only and even to your Android-based phone via Bluetooth 5.0.

The Inspiroy Giano comes with a battery-free PenTech 3.0 electromagnetic resonance pen with 5,080 lines per inch of resolution and 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity. The Giano supports pen tilt, 10mm sensing height and greater than 300pps report rate and has six programmable keys. In addition, the Giano sports a smart LCD screen, which will display battery and connection status, sleep mode and sedentary reminder. Included with the Giano is a glove to help work smoothly, extra nibs, a pen holder, a pen, tablet and cables.

Practically speaking, the Huion Inspiroy Giano Pen Tablet is large. If you are currently working with a smaller-sized pen tablet, you will have to get used to the increased real estate, but it will eventually win you over. The Huion app is simple and easy to use. You can even program the six programmable keys on a per-app basis, meaning you can make your Photoshop shortcuts different from your Resolve shortcuts. The only thing missing in the Huion app is the ability to increase the cursor speed over distance. You can do this in Windows by accessing the pointer speed setting in the control panel, but it would be really helpful to have the option in the Huion app.

I really love using pen tablets. They have a very natural feel when traversing the screen. And the matte/paperlike texture eases the transition from writing on traditional paper to writing on a digital surface. The Huion Giano embraces Bluetooth technology to wirelessly connect to computers and even phones. This gives you the freedom to use the Giano without carrying a bunch of wires and power adapters with you. Battery life seems to last a typical workday and a half for me, but to be honest, I like to keep my external hardware connected via hardwire if possible, so battery life isn’t as much of a concern.

Physically, not only does any wrist pain I feel start to diminish after a couple of days of work, but my efficiency picks up as well. In Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects, masking becomes much more intuitive and accurate. In Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve, moving around the edit timeline or turning color wheels works faster. And doodling on the screen during an Evercast video review is much more accurate. Color correcting without a hardware panel feels sluggish to me, but with a pen tablet, it feels much more natural and accurate. Using the Huion Inspiroy Giano with plugins like BorisFX Mocha Pro and Continuum, masking in Resolve and more improves not only the accuracy but also general movement.

While I am not a proper artist, pen tablets really jumpstart those creative juices. Sometimes it sets off an entirely new creative thought process that you would have never found without using a pen tablet. It sounds a little outlandish, but it is true. About 13 years ago, I was an assistant editor and noticed my wrist hurting after working all day in Avid Media Composer, grouping footage, labeling b-roll. and other typical assistant editor tasks. That’s when I decided to try a pen tablet. The first two weeks were tough… almost impossible.

I work fast, so when I picked up a pen and found I wasn’t working as fast, I was worried. Luckily, someone had told me it would get better after a couple weeks. And thankfully it did! After about two weeks, I was back to my same work speed as when using a traditional mouse. Eventually, I was working even faster than I was with a mouse. When I started learning masking and compositing inside of Continuum or After Effects, I really started to see where pen tablets were useful. Bezier curves and masking points quickly became easier to work with.

Summing Up
So whether you’re a seasoned video editor, a versatile content creator or another type of multimedia artist, the Huion Inspiroy Giano is definitely worth a try. This unique pen tablet boasts similar features and durability to its pricier competitors, such as the Wacom Intuos Pro Medium, but at a fraction of the cost. With the Giano, you can enjoy the same benefits of a high-end tablet without breaking the bank. And if you’re looking for even more options, Huion.com offers a wide range of tablet solutions, including the Inspiroy Keydial and pen displays for direct drawing. Your wrists will thank you.

Adobe CC 2023 Updates Include Text-Based Editing in Premiere

April 13, 2023

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By Brady Betzel

Adobe has revealed the latest batch of updates for its Creative Cloud video apps to be shown at NAB 2023. During a recent online press conference, the company was touting workflows available from Frame.io as well as generative AI functions — what they are calling Firefly.

Those updates are great, but what editors really have been asking for from Adobe is to solidify Premiere Pro’s foundation — to make it more stable. For their part, Adobe says they have created “the fastest and most stable version of Premiere Pro ever.” Time and testing will tell.

Adobe reports that it’s transitioning its AI-powered, text-based editing out of beta and into the official Premiere Pro release in May. If you’ve used Avid’s ScriptSync, then you are already halfway through learning text-based editing. Premiere Pro’s automated transcription and subtitle workflow is probably the best on the pro market. Adding text-based editing really ties up one of Premiere’s loose ends in the professional editing world. Highlighting sequences in a transcription/script and editing them into the timeline is a great workflow to quickly build rough cuts based solely on what is said.

In addition, Adobe is continuing to advance Premiere’s automatic tone-mapping feature, which was released in February. Simply, Premiere will read the metadata of the video clip and apply any LUTs necessary to match your working color space. Some more important updates include background auto-save, system reset options, Effect Manager for plugins and additional GPU acceleration. Adobe has even updated how GPUs work with certain camera codecs, including ARRIRAW (ARRI Alexa 35) and R3D (Red V-Raptor XL). They have also expanded support for Sony Venice 2 cameras with v2 firmware.

Other Premiere improvements include upgrading captions to graphics, batch graphic adjustments, alignment tools for titles and graphics, AAF support on Apple Silicon and more. If you are a fan of Premiere Pro’s collaborative multi-user editing workflows, then you’ll appreciate that Adobe has added progressive project loading, sequence locking, presence indicators, publish and update buttons, and a work offline feature.

After Effects
After Effects is also getting some useful updates, including a Properties Panel. This gives creators access to their most important settings — essentially improving efficiency with less timeline twirling. ACES and OpenColorIO color space workflows improve professional color-correcting workflows and keep consistent color between collaborators.

Frame.io
Frame.io has added the ability to sync still-frame photography just like video. Cameras like the Fujifilm X-H2S and X-H2 have been certified to upload directly to Frame.io if they are connected to the internet via Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or smartphone tether. Frame.io has been integrated into Capture One software so photos can go from camera to Frame.io to Capture One.

Look out for some of these updates now and some in the next few months.

Holiday Gift Ideas for Post Pros

November 22, 2022

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By Brady Betzel

Editors and post pros are notoriously hard to shop for. Some don’t have the patience to wait, so they buy everything they want themselves. Others are so introverted that it’s hard to get ideas out of them. I fit firmly into the latter group, but thanks to the reviews I do for postPerspective, products that help improve workflow and efficiency pass my desk all the time. So now it’s a little easier for me to come up with a wish list than it used to be.

With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of products I have been using this year that really improved my efficiency and health while working a hybrid of 80% at home and 20% in an office. They might not seem like the sexiest of products, but they are integral to professional workflows. If you’re like me and have a hard time knowing what gifts to ask for, then pass this list on.

Upgraded HDMI Cables

If you’ve been working from home as some sort of multimedia creator, you might be working with old HDMI cables. And while things might be going “fine,” you might not be hearing or seeing the best output. There are multiple versions of HDMI cables, from standard HDMI, which will transmit 1080i/720p effectively, to the latest Ultra High Speed HDMI, which transmits up to 8K at 60Hz with bandwidth support of up to 48Gbps.

If you aren’t planning on going up to 8K signal transmission, most certified Premium or higher cables support all signals, including Dolby Vision. So go ahead and upgrade the HDMI cables for the editor or post pro in your life!

Monoprice is one of the most economical sources to find pro-level equipment and accessories, including certified HDMI cables. The Monoprice 8K Certified Ultra High Speed HDMI cable, measuring 10 feet with a bandwidth of up to 48Gbps, retails for just $12.99 but is on sale now for $10.99.

There are many other options, including active HDMI cables starting at $23.99. Active HDMI cables are typically used for cable runs of longer than 10 feet, when signals can degrade. Active HDMI cables amplify the signal using an internal processor that is powered by the HDMI source, while passive HDMI cables typically work well under 10 feet and do not amplify signal.

USB-C Multiport Adapters (aka USB-C-Powered Hubs)

Monoprice not only sells affordable cables, but they also sell affordable USB-C multi-port adapters — a fancy way of saying a USB-C-powered dock (no external power). With USB-C finally feeling like a standard that will be around for years, it’s a solid assumption that a USB-C multi-port adapter is a great gift. And if you’re not sure you need the speed increase from USB-A to USB-C, consider this: USB-A can transfer at around 480Mbps if USB 2.0 and 600MBps if USB 3.0. USB-C can not only carry 100W of power but also transfer at a rate up to 10Gbps. The main difference between multi-port adapters is the inclusion of memory card readers. (I will talk about an externally powered dock next that adds charging capabilities and multiple-monitor support.)

If you just want expanded USB-A selections with a single HDMI port that supports up to 4K/UHD at 60Hz, then you can purchase a multi-port adapter for $24.99. Or if you want an upgraded six-in-one USB-C multiport adapter with a MicroSD and a standard SD card reader, you can purchase this one for $29.99 (on sale now for $23.99). Funnily enough, the six-in-one is currently cheaper, so it might be a worthwhile upgrade. You never know when someone will run in the room with an SD card full of footage to copy.

IOGear Dock Pro Universal 4K Quad Docking Station

If a bus-powered USB-C multiport adapter doesn’t have enough juice, then an externally powered docking station will do the trick. IOGear sells the Dock Pro Universal 4K Quad Docking Station with plenty of ports and multiple power options for $399.99. The style of the Dock Pro is very reminiscent of the older cheese grater style of the Mac Pro, but miniaturized. It has tons of ports:

Four dual HDMI/DisplayPort outputs
One USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps)
Three USB-A 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps)
One USB-A smart charging port (QC 3.0)
One Gigabit Ethernet port
One 3.5mm combo audio port
One SD/MicroSD slot

Power Options:

DisplayLink chip allows for Windows and macOS compatibility
Power button
Fast role swap of PD3.0
Dynamic power distribution
Dual power options include DC jack — max 120W (60-100W for host) — or Type-C PD charging — max 100W (20V/5A)

The Dock Pro has a solid construction with a space-gray, solid aluminum exterior. The power brick is large, almost as large as the Dock Pro itself, which is kind of ridiculous. One of a couple of amazing features on the IOGear Dock Pro is the ability to power the dock with either the DC jack or a USB-C high-powered cable. Unfortunately, charging with Type-C PD only slows the charges (at least on the laptop I was using), but it still works as a great dock.

Another interesting feature is the ability to take the display signal from the computer plugged into the Dock Pro via USB-C and expand the output to four 4K at 60Hz displays via HDMI and/or full-sized DisplayPort connections. The DisplayLink uses the built-in CPU/GPU to compress the signal to transfer over USB and is compatible with Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, Android and Linux.

IOGear KVM Switches

Since I’ve been working from home, I’ve come to realize that a KVM switch is a necessity when moving between multiple computers many times a day. Trying to push and pull mice and keyboard cables can get old and potentially leave room for damaged connections. To fix this, a KVM switch will allow the user to plug in one monitor, one mouse and one keyboard and use them on two computer systems. You can switch between the two connected systems with either a keyboard shortcut (i.e., hitting the control button twice) or an external button.

IOGear offers multiple KVM solutions from 1920×1200 HD resolution to 4096×2160 DCI 4K resolution, depending on the monitor you have. The two-port, full-HD KVM switch with HDMI and USB connections retails for $59.95. The two-port 4K KVM switch with HDMI, USB and audio connections costs $99.95. Both models run at their respective resolutions at 60Hz.

The HD KVM switch from IOGear is a very basic model; it will allow you to run one keyboard, one mouse and one HD monitor between two USB-A connected systems with HDMI video outputs. It is PC- and Mac-compatible.

The 4K KVM Switch from IOGear has a little more to it than its HD sibling. In addition to using one keyboard, one mouse, and up to 4K DCI (4096×2160) at 60Hz, you can also use USB devices like a Dock Pro or multi-port adapter through the USB-A ports to expand your peripherals. It is Windows-, Mac- and Linux-compatible. It is powered through a USB connection, but you can also power it via a USB Micro-B cable if you need a little more power (or you can add a multi-port adapter). There is also a 2.1-compatible audio port as well as a mic input that can be shared between computers.

In my opinion, you should probably go with the 4K version regardless of the resolution you are using. Both versions come with a three-year warranty.

FluidStance Level Balance Board

One of the most interesting items I found this year for is the FluidStance Level Balance Board. I work from home about 80% of the time and use an electric standing desk. Once I began alternating between standing and sitting, I could immediately feel my legs and hips adjusting to standing more. Supporting muscles started to strengthen, and the overall soreness, joint aches and muscle soreness started to diminish. Then I found FluidStance, a Santa Barbara-based manufacturer of balance boards made for people who enjoy stand-up desks.

Over the last four months, I have been using the Level balance board when I am stand-up editing. The FluidStance Level retails for $249 and comes in multiple color/wood variations. I am using the light natural finish, but there is a limited-edition black that looks really classy.

The Level is 26.5 inches long by 12.2 inches wide by 2.5 inches tall. It weighs 7lbs, 12oz and has a lifetime warranty. There are a few different models, but the Level seems to hit the sweet spot for me. After just the first day of use, I could tell my muscles were working differently. After a month, I was definitely stronger, and my hips began to ache less. Now the lower half of my body feels much stronger.

It’s actually remarkable how after working for over 15 years at a sitting desk my hips and knees had definitely weakened… this after being a baseball catcher for 16 years. Now I feel much stronger when walking or exercising. FluidStance backs its claims with research, including from the Mayo Clinic. The FluidStance Level is not cheap, but if you are looking for a great gift for the stand-up editor, this is it.

FluidStance makes a few other products that are very helpful including the Slope, which is a whiteboard that also holds your phone and has room to put your keyboard under it so as not to take up too much desk space. It retails for $69. I’m a Post-it guy, so I had my wife use the Slope and she loved it. At first, we thought it would take up too much desk space but being able to store the keyboard (or even a Wacom tablet) underneath makes the Slope really useful.

In addition to offering great and unique products, FluidStance prides itself on sourcing local materials, being carbon-neutral and planting 10 trees per day through its partners. The company also donates 1% of its profits to the charity First Descents, which “provides life-changing outdoor adventures for young adults (ages 18-39) impacted by cancer and other serious health conditions,” according to the website. It’s an amazing-looking organization.

Bonus Suggestion
If those ideas weren’t enough, and you have $1,699 burning a hole in your pocket, make sure to check out my recent review of the Audeze MM-500 professional headphones. They are expensive but whenever I put them on, I want to spread the word about them. That’s how much I love them.

Combine those with a Tidal subscription that streams MQA (Master Quality Audio), and you will be the hit of the holidays!

Review: Audeze MM500 Studio Headphones

November 17, 2022

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By Brady Betzel

In the HBO limited series Sharp Objects, character Alan Crellin escapes daily life by retreating to his HiFi audio cave. Alan’s escapism is a fundamental theme that runs throughout the series. While I watched each episode, I noticed I held my breath when Alan placed his headphones over his ears and was transported to another dimension. I had a similar experience when putting on the Audeze MM-500 headphones for the first time — I was immediately transported to another musical dimension, much like Alan was.

The Audeze MM-500 professional-level studio headphones, designed in combination with 11-time Grammy Award-winning mixer Manny Marroquin, are some of the cleanest and truly most natural-sounding headphones I have ever used.

If you’ve been in a professional recording studio, you will never forget how good it can sound. As an editor, I’ve been lucky enough to edit in a few that had high-end audio monitoring. There is truly nothing like it — from the clarity to the power to the timbre and dynamics of engaging audio. In the past, I’ve really enjoyed Beyerdynamic headphones when editing, specifically for the unimpeded, natural sound. That is until I received the Audeze MM-500 headphones.

Digging In

The Audeze MM-500 headphones retail for $1,699: https://www.audeze.com/products/mm-500. They are shipped in a durable and lockable travel case with a braided, 95-inch-long cable with a mini-XLR to ¼-inch jack. You also get a carrying bag, a signed certificate of authenticity and a warranty card.

The MM-500 headphones themselves are open-backed and sleek. They are a modern, professional studio-style headphone with a brushed aluminum structure that feels secure yet is light enough to wear comfortably for hours of work. The gunmetal color combined with a not-too-cumbersome heft really classes up the place.

They stay in place thanks to a clamp with a single leather band on the top. They are easily adjustable and fit comfortably around my ears with the leather earpads. The first time I used them I was able to go an hour without taking them off, but with continued use the MM-500 headphones are very comfortable and can be worn for long stretches of time.

Specifications are:
Transducer type – Planar Magnetic
Magnetic structure – Fluxor magnet array
Phase management – Fazor
Magnet type – Neodymium N50
Diaphragm type – Ultra-Thin Uniforce
Transducer size – 90 mm
Maximum SPL – >130dB
Frequency response – 5Hz – 50kHz
THD – <0.1% @ 100 dB SPL, 1kHz
Sensitivity – 100 dB/1mW (at drum reference point)
Impedance – 18 ohms
Max power handling – 5W RMS
Min recommended power – >100mW
Recommended power level – >250mW
Weight – 495g

The specs punch way above their weight class. Audeze has a few high-level headphones that retail from under $2,000 all the way up to $4,500, and some of the MM-500 specs are the same as elite-level headphones. One of the more interesting specs is the low impedance measuring at 18 ohms while still maintaining a relatively high sensitivity of 100dB. This essentially means the MM-500s will work with relatively low power pushing the signal, like a cell phone.

As a matter of fact, I used a USB-C digital audio converter (aka DAC) to connect the Audeze MM-500 headphones, and what do you know? They work. Mathematically speaking, it makes sense, but in the real world you never know, so this was a welcome surprise. This hammers home the point that Audeze really wanted to make a versatile professional headphone solution with the MM-500s; they are compatible with low-power devices as well as powerful amplifiers. However, if you really want to push professional headphones to work as they should, running through a nice DAC/pre-amp stack is the way to go.

Audeze’s Planar Magnetic technology is the company’s not-so-secret sauce, and they have a great article for all us nerds wanting to learn more It goes into detail on how Audeze’s large planar drivers help with stereo imaging and sound localization. They go deep, but it’s a really interesting read.

Real-World Use
Using the Audeze MM-500 headphones in an edit suite is a luxury. Most editors would attest that unless you bring your own headphones, you get whatever the rental facility left. Sometimes you will get lucky and run into a set of Beyerdynamics or maybe some Seinnheisers, but nothing that feels as good as the MM-500s.

The Audeze MM-500 headphones have bested any other headphones I have used, and they sounded great immediately with little burn-in needed. What’s even more impressive is what I was hearing in production audio while editing — things I would have never heard using lower-quality headphones or monitor speakers. Little separations, like a shoe coming out of the mud while the character is talking, are much more present and up front.

In my opinion, the MM-500 headphones shine with vocals, dialogue and un-muddying midtones (if that even makes sense). That’s not to say the highs and lows are deficient; they are just as clear, but headphones often don’t have the ability to produce clear midtones while still harnessing the low range.

As mentioned earlier, being present in a professional studio with elite-level equipment can change your life. For me, it’s live-concert energy versus listening to a song from your phone’s speaker. There is no comparison. The Audeze MM-500 professional headphones give me that same excitement when editing audio, specifically music. One of the most amazing parts of being a video editor is the ability to use the highest quality sources available, and sometimes that means using audio stems that are from songs you hear every day on the radio.

Editing with the Audeze MM-500 allows you to hear a song in the highest quality available, so your “flow state” can be at its highest. That flow state is not an easy thing to achieve, but when using headphones like the MM-500, in addition to studio monitors and television speakers, you know you are starting at a high level, so the audience will experience the best listening experience they can.

I have to be honest; I am nowhere near a professional audio mixer. I just work in a facility with them. But just like editors, colorists, visual effects creators, producers and everyone else, true professionals are magicians. However, I am acutely aware of how great audio advances a story, and that is why all editors should have a pair of high-quality headphones to listen to their mixes.

Listening on a TV and/or studio monitors is fine in a general sense, but editors should always listen to their mix on headphones to catch the nuance. I like to close my eyes and “transport” to another dimension while listening to my mixes. This allows me to see how well they would tell the story if the video happened to drop out. The Audeze MM-500 headphones are the right headphones for this.

I know the $1,699 price tag is a little much to ask offline/online editors to pay but think of it this way: You could buy a new pair of pseudo-expensive headphones every few years or invest in a single pair of headphones that will accurately reproduce the mix you are editing and most likely last for many years. Plus, they look great.

So after playing around in my professional editing applications like Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve with Fairlight, I had to indulge myself. I signed up for the music streaming service Tidal, specifically to listen to the Master Quality Audio (MQA) tracks. After reading up on Tidal’s MQA tracks, I’m not sure whether it is truly as the artist intended or if it’s shaped by the compression, but regardless it sounds great in the Audeze MM-500 headphones.

Technically, MQA audio has a bit rate between 2304 and 9216Kbps — very high when compared to 128Kbps, which is kind of the standard bit rate for streaming audio. I first started listening to some more modern metal tracks from Lamb of God, Chimaira, Silent Planet, Meshuggah and Metallica. They all sounded very good and clear but not as impressive as I had hoped.

I then went to my softer side and played some Tool — their latest album sounded immaculate. I then started going down the A Perfect Circle and Puscifer rabbit hole. Unfortunately there isn’t a whole lot of MQA on those two, but it still sounded great.

Finally, I gave in and listened to some pop hits, and “Stay” by Justin Bieber played. That was the trick, as much as I don’t want to admit it. Justin Bieber sounded excellent. It really showed off the intimate nature of the Audeze MM-500 headphones. It felt like an intimate and personal concert in a perfectly tuned space as opposed to a more arena-style sound. Afterward, I cleansed my palate with Emerson, Lake and Palmer’s “Lucky Man” and “Soundtracking: Atlanta,” an incredible playlist based off the FX show Atlanta. This is where I got lost in the music and could have kept listening for hours; it gave me that buzz that I remember feeling at concerts or listening inside of a professional mix room.

I have some musical experience on both the installation side as well as the performance side, but nothing like a true audiophile. So when describing the use of the Audeze MM-500 headphones to a colorist or an editor, it would be akin to going from color correcting 8-bit HD to 16-bit 4K/UHD HDR.

For many “civilians,” the standard Spotify bit rate is just as good as the MQA tracks off of Tidal, but when you are huge nerd like me, there are many levels of differences in the details. The shadows have many more nuances and details, the highlights contain intricacies and aren’t blown-out, and even the blue gradations in the sky are smooth and have no banding. This is how I would describe using the Audeze MM-500 professional headphones.

Summing Up
Audeze partnering up with Manny Marroquin was a smart move. The clarity, separation and comforting in the up-front staging of the Audeze MM-500 clearly show how Manny focused on the ability to go from million-dollar studio to mixing on a laptop in an airplane without losing sound quality.

These days, being mobile and adaptable is a key to staying successful. For anyone looking for mix-level quality headphones that will also take you to another musical dimension, the Audeze MM-500s are a great pick.

Main Image: Brady Betzel

Review: Nvidia’s Founder’s Edition RTX 4090 — An Editor’s Perspective

October 26, 2022

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By Brady Betzel

Nvidia has released its much-anticipated RTX 4090 GPU. It’s big and power-hungry, and I’ll provide more details on that later in this piece. When the product was released, I initially held off filing this review to see if Nvidia or Blackmagic (who showed a prerelease version of Resolve with AV1 encoding technology that only works with the new 4090 series) would release any Easter eggs, but so far it hasn’t happened.

Whether they do or not, I plan on doing a more-in-depth review once I’ve settled in and found the RTX 4090 sweet spots that will help editors and colorists. But for now, there are still some gems in the RTX 4090 that are worth checking out. (For a tech guru perspective, check out Mike McCarthy’s review.)

Founder’s Edition
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU comes in a few different flavors and iterations. I was sent the Founder’s Edition, which features the new Ada Lovelace architecture, two FP32 streaming processors, the DLSS 3 platform, 16,384 CUDA cores, 24GB GDDR6X memory, 2.23 base clock speed with up to 2.52 boost clock speeds, and much more. You can find more in-depth technical specs on the Nvidia site, where you can also compare previous versions of Nvidia GPUs.

In this review, I am focusing on features that directly relate to video editors and colorists. For the most part, the RTX 4090 performance is as expected, with a generational improvement over the RTX 3090. It’s faster and contains new updates, like DLSS 3 (an artificial intelligence-powered performance booster). Those features are typically gaming-focused and embrace technologies like optical flow to “create” higher resolutions and frames to increase frame rates. That doesn’t typically mean much for us post nerds, unless you also play games, but with artificial intelligence-adapted features becoming so prevalent, we are beginning to see speed increases in editing apps as well.

Resolve Prerelease
As editors, we need faster rendering, faster exporting and more efficient decoding of high-resolution media. We always hear about 8K or 4K, but you don’t always hear how much computing and GPU power you need to play these large resolutions back in real time, especially when you are editing with CPU/GPU-hogging codecs like Red R3D, H.264 and more.

Inside of DaVinci Resolve 18, I was able to playback all my standard testing files in real time without any effects on them. From UHD ProRes files to UHD Red R3D files, the RTX 4090 handled all of them. Even when I played back ProRes, 8K UHD (7680×4320) files I was pleasantly surprised at the smooth, real-time playback. All the files played back without using cache files, proxy files or pre-rendered media.

Magic Mask

Keep in mind I was using a prerelease version of Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve (mentioned earlier) to harness the power of AV1 encoding. And AV1 is the real gem in the updated Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU architecture. This is why I mentioned “prerelease” in the last sentence. I’ve heard through the grapevine that a newly updated Resolve will be released sometime this fall and will include some of the features I’m about to go into. But for now, I’m sorry. That’s all I’ve got in terms of a release date.

So what is AV1? Think of the old tried-and-true H.264 and H.265 codecs but with a 30% smaller file size for equivalent quality. Without getting too far into the weeds on AV1, the AV1 codec came about when a group of big companies like Intel, Nvidia, Google, etc. wanted to create a royalty-free video codec that had the same quality but was more efficient than HEVC-based codecs, such as H.264 and H.265. That is how the AV1 codec was born. AV1 is still on the ground floor, but with large companies like Nvidia adding new features such as AV1-compatible dual-encoders, and with nonlinear editing apps like Resolve including encoding abilities, it will soon hit the mainstream.

Face refinement

Nvidia really took the bull by the horns on AV1, and Blackmagic followed along. In the prerelease version of Resolve that I used, I encoded the included 4K (UHD) 30fps ProRes 422 HQ clip provided by Nvidia, which has a run time of about 2 minutes and 7 seconds, to the new AV1 codec in about 17 seconds. And since no other card can export AV1 files yet, there is really no benchmark for me to compare to. However, I did export the same sequence to an H.265 encoded file using an Nvidia Quadro A6000 GPU, and that took about 39 seconds. I was kind of surprised given that the A6000 contains double the memory and costs over double the price, but when I looked deeper into it, it made sense.

The RTX 4090 is a much newer card with much newer technology, including over 6,000 more CUDA cores. But for a pro who needs the extended memory range; a compact, two-slot design; and half the power consumption, the Quadro A6000 will fit better (literally). The RTX 4090 is physically large and takes up three slots.

Scene Detect

AI, Editing and Color
Remember a bit earlier when I mentioned AI technology and how it’s creeping its way into the tech that video editors and colorists use? And while RTX 4090 is more of a gamers card, there are a few very specific updates that video editors and colorists will like? One of them inside Resolve 18’s prerelease is Magic Mask. I’ve used it before, and it is very good, but it’s also time-consuming, especially if you don’t have a very fast CPU/GPU. Lucky for us, the RTX 4090 has dramatically improved Magic Mask processing speeds. Nvidia reports that the time difference in its testing was 29 seconds for the RTX 3090, 17 seconds using the RTX 4090 and 34 seconds using the Quadro A6000. Some other AI-improved features of Resolve 18 are Scene Detect, Super Scale and Optical Flow.

The Nvidia RTX 4090 has shown increased efficiency when compared to the Quadro A6000. Besides the increased memory size, Frame Lock and Genlock are the standout features of the A6000 that are going to matter to users looking to decide between the two GPUs. For media creators, the RTX 4090 is a phenomenal GPU that will dramatically decrease export times, media processing times, effects render times and much more, which directly correlates to the “time is money” adage.

Power Needs, Cost
The RTX 4090 is a power-hungry beast, straight up. It needs three PCI slots, three power inputs and a beefy power supply. The statistics say that the RTX 4090 requires 450W of power versus 320W for the RTX 3090. And in overall system power, the RTX 4090 requires at least 850W, while the 3090 requires 750W. If you aren’t familiar with the RTX 3090 style of PCIe cards, both the 3090 and the 4090 require either three PCIe eight-pin cables or one 450W or greater PCIe Gen 5 cable. So you should probably aim for a power supply capable of producing at least 1,000 watts, keeping in mind that any other IO cards you are supporting will also add to the power bill.

Retail pricing for the RTX 4090 starts at $1,599. It’s not cheap, so if you have an RTX 3090 and don’t care about the AV1 encoding feature (whether for Resolve or for streaming apps like OBS), then you might be able to hold off on purchasing one. But if you are like me and want the latest and greatest, the Nvidia RTX 4090 will be the GPU to get. And if you are thinking about getting into other avenues of media — say, Unreal Engine or 3D modeling in apps like Maxon Cinema 4D with Otoy’s OctaneRender — you’ll find the RTX 4090 embraces those apps and even adds special features, such as denoising optimizations.

Watch this space for an Nvidia RTX 4090 follow-up review.

A Quick Look at Wacom’s New Cintiq Pro 27

September 28, 2022

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By Brady Betzel

Wacom has released the latest update to its impressive line of digital pen displays: the Wacom Cintiq Pro 27. It’s a 27-inch version of the Cintiq line of pen-based drawing tablets used by animators, editors, colorists and more. The newest 27-inch Cintiq is the most utilitarian version of the pen-based tablet that I have seen. From the UHD (3840×2160) resolution to the 10-bit color and even the 120Hz refresh rate, Wacom has upped the performance of the Cintiq line — and I hope Wacom will add these updates to other versions at some point. The Cintiq Pro 27 retails for $3,499.95, with the stand sold separately for $499.95.

So here is the thing: According to Wacom, the Cintiq 27 will not work without a stand, so you have to buy theirs or someone else’s to make it work. For the price of $499.95, I assume the Wacom stand is of high quality, but I have not had a chance to use it. If you don’t want to purchase the Wacom stand, the Cintiq Pro 27 is compatible with a Vesa 100×100 mounting arm, so you can get a stand from a third party.

The Cintiq Pro 27 comes with the display, the newly updated Wacom Pro Pen 3 with extra grips and balance weights, a detachable pen holder, nibs and a bunch of cables. You must connect the Cintiq Pro 27 through either USB-C (DisplayPort Alternate Mode), USB-C, USB-A, HDMI or Mini DisplayPort. Graphics input must come through either USB-C (DisplayPort Alternate Mode), HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 1.4 and USB-A. In any scenario, you must have at least two connections.

The Wacom Cintiq line of pen displays has always been a staple for editors, colorists and motion-graphics designers. However, in recent years Wacom had fallen behind because of the lack of resolution and color display options. With the Cintiq Pro 27, Wacom has not only increased the tablet’s refresh rate to 120Hz for video game and Unreal Engine users, but it has also upped the resolution to UHD (3840×2160) to align with the video crowd.

In terms of physical updates, the Cintiq Pro 27 includes multi-touch customization and three buttons on the new Wacom Pro Pen 3. There is no more eraser on the Wacom pen. Some people might boo that, but I personally enjoy having three buttons on the pen instead of having to flip the pen over to erase. But I do understand that some might like the physical turning of the pen like a true-to-life drawing instrument.

One of the biggest updates to the Wacom Pro Pen 3 is the ability to shift the weight in the pen from the bottom to the top by reversing the included pen weight. I am really excited to try this. I love Wacom pens generally, but I never could understand the skinny pens because they were so light to me. I personally love a hefty pen, but to each his/her own. The eight ExpressKeys are located on the rear of the display, with rear-grip accessibility and a physical on-off switch.

In the end, the Cintiq Pro 27 pen display appears to be a worthwhile upgrade to the Cintiq line if 120Hz, UHD resolution and/or DCI-P3 color accuracy are up your alley. If you buy Wacom’s stand along with the Cintiq Pro 27 you are looking at a hefty price of almost $4,000. Not for those of us on a budget.

I am also surprised that Wacom promotes HDR PQ/HLG gamma support in its specs when the brightness can only reach 400 nits. While 400 nits is great, the real HDR support is way higher, more like 1,000 nits. Having 400 nits is still workable, but I would really like to see higher nits in an HDR-compatible pen display.

Finally, forcing the buyer to use a stand (whether Wacom or not) is a little crazy. It borders on Apple’s $999 Pro Stand for its monitors. It comes with a one-year warranty in Japan and Asia Pacific (excluding Australia, mainland China and Hong Kong S.A.R.), a two- year warranty in the US, Canada, Latin America, Mainland China and Hong Kong SAR. There’s a three-year warranty in Europe, Africa and Middle East, with on-site exchange in select regions.

Review: GoPro Hero 11 Black Action Camera

September 21, 2022

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By Brady Betzel

If the leaves on the trees are starting to turn, that usually signals a GoPro Hero update. And while that is true, this year is a bit different. In addition to GoPro upgrading the Hero 10 Black to the Hero 11 Black, it is also adding a mini GoPro: the GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini.

The GoPro Hero 11 Black is priced at $399.98 for GoPro subscribers and $499.99 without the GoPro subscription. For more detailed info on pricing, see the end of this review.

I’ve been using the GoPro Hero 11 Black for about two weeks, and I have to say, the release of the Hero 11 Black along with the GoPro subscription begins to close the production-to-post workflow loop on the action camera-to-cloud ecosystem. I’m always asked what cameras I would recommend. Usually it’s “My kid wants a camera, but I also want to shoot some professional-looking content. What should I get?” Over the past few years, I would say GoPro, but with the caveat that getting the footage offloaded and edited is tricky. But with the updated release of Quik, GoPro’s iOS and Android editing and organization app, as well as the relative ease of downloading proxy and/or original-resolution footage from GoPro.com, I can confidently say GoPro now has a very simple workflow for everyone, from beginner to professional.

I have even been found myself downloading footage from the cloud instead of connecting the GoPro to a computer. It sounds a little ridiculous (because it is), but being able to charge my GoPro Hero 11 Black and have it automatically upload my media to the GoPro.com subscription account lets me get dinner ready while my camera charges and uploads footage. The GoPro subscription service is $49.99 per year and is worth every cent. Along with online capabilities, soon GoPro will be adding cloud-based editing and the ability to change digital lenses on your footage after it has been recorded to the Quik app.

The Camera
The GoPro Hero 11 Black has major features that have been rumored for a while: larger sensor, 10-bit color and an easier on-screen menu system. And let’s not forget the new GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini. While I didn’t have a chance to test out the Hero 11 Black Mini, for the most part it has the same internal parts as the full-sized Hero 11 Black, so your image should be almost identical. What are the differences? The Hero 11 Black Mini doesn’t have a screen; its battery is slightly smaller; and it lacks the tools Hindsight, Scheduled Capture, Duration Capture, Webcam Mode. Oddly enough, it also lacks advanced metadata — including GPS info — so there is essentially no Photo Mode except for 24.7MP frame grabs from 5.3K, 8:7 video, mono audio (no stereo) and on-screen presets and adjustments. That’s because there is no screen. (You can access the specs from the app or get basic info from a rudimentary menu on the top of the mini.) One of the coolest features to me is the addition of a mounting point on the back of the camera in addition to the standard mount on the bottom. The GoPro Hero 11 Mini will be ready October 25 on GoPro.com.

GoPro has increased the GoPro Hero 11 Black’s filmable aspect ratios from 16×9 and 4×3 to 16×9, 4×3 and 8×7. That’s because the newest sensor measures 1/1.9 inches. Why is the new image sensor size so important? Because it can simultaneously record UHD horizontal (16×9), vertical (9×16) and 4×3 in one 10-bit 8×7, 5312×4648 resolution file, opening the door to easier formatting for different social media and television aspect ratios without losing a lot of detail from resolution loss.

There are a lot of numbers there, but simply, shooting with the 5.3K 8×7 settings allows you to keep a relatively high resolution no matter the social media format. For now, keep in mind that the 5.3K 8×7 aspect ratio can only shoot in a wide digital lens format, so there will be some fisheye effect. There is no linear option yet.

When shooting photos, the Hero 11 Black, along with its new 8×7 sensor, can shoot up to 27MP. This is an amazing feature that a lot of professionals forget about. When shooting content for YouTube thumbnails or thumbnail images to go on a streaming provider’s home page, GoPro’s image capture is very good in well-lit outdoor settings — something to keep in mind if the streaming network or television network requires still images that are not frame grabs.

The GoPro Hero 11 Black also introduces full 360-degree horizon lock when filming linear in the digital lens settings. The horizon lock will work for most resolutions/frame rates except for 5.3K 60fps, 4K 120fps, 2.7K 240fps and 1080p 240fps, which will be able to use horizon leveling up to 27 degrees. The full 360-degree horizon lock is interesting, and I could see it being useful, but when I tested it, I noticed a touch of artifacting. It was almost like when you stabilize footage in a nonlinear editor, and it has some ghosting on the parts that were stabilized the most. Speaking of stabilization, GoPro has introduced HyperSmooth 5.0 with the Hero 11 Black. If you’ve never used the HyperSmooth stabilization built in to a GoPro camera, believe me when I say it’s incredible. It won’t solve everything, but I have never seen any camera (not on a gimbal) look as smooth as a GoPro using HyperSmooth. It really is a modern marvel.

Because the new 8×7 sensor allows for more information in an image capture, GoPro smartly (or maybe it was a happy accident?) decided to squeeze that image down into a 16×9 frame to allow for a gigantic field of view. GoPro prefaces this new HyperView with the idea that it looks best when the footage is shot from a person’s point of view — a very niche but intriguing concept.

GoPro has simplified the Hero 11 menu system even further than before by having two options: Easy and Pro controls, both of which can be toggled on or off in the settings. If you want to pick up your camera with minimal options to get your footage or photos looking great, leave it on Easy. But if you like or need to really dial in color settings, exposure, ISO, etc., then click on over to the Pro controls. This is a great addition, in my opinion.

GoPro has also included three Pro control-level presets: Light Painting, Star Trails and Vehicle Light Trails, all of which came out of GoPro’s internal event, GoPro Hackathon. All the presets are for nighttime time lapses. Light Painting lets you create bright-light visuals with slow shutter speeds, possibly to spell out words or paint with light. Star Trails uses the Earth’s rotation to create shots with long or short star trails. Vehicle Light Trails, as you might imagine, helps create shots with long light trails from moving vehicles. All of these presets are amazing and tons of fun to mess around with. And for those that think these are kitschy little presets, they aren’t. Previously, these types of shots took a lot of knowledge and multiple applications to create properly, but now you can hit it with one button and no post production.

Finally, for creators who use GoPros to record footage that will be played on large screens (at least larger than a phone), the GoPro Hero 11 Black has introduced 10-bit color and a 120mb/s data rate. I single out larger-than-phone-sized screens because, for the most part, anything above 1080p on a phone will look relatively good. The true test for footage is to play it on a large, color-calibrated screen to see where the noise floor lives and whether the sharpening causes moiré or other technical imperfections.

I am an online editor by day and am constantly scanning footage for imperfections — so much so that my wife can often be heard saying, “No one can see that.” And while GoPros still have some room to improve their low-light capture, introducing 10-bit and 120mb/s recording is a gigantic leap forward for them. The higher data rate is used in the 5.3K and 4K resolution video settings. But the 10-bit color setting is the real prize in this entire Hero 11 release.

Previously, GoPro Hero cameras used 8-bit color, which allows for 16,777,216 colors. The Hero 11 Black can now record in 10-bit color, which allows for about 1.07 billion colors. The easiest way to understand the differences between 8-bit color and 10-bit color is to think of a sky that transitions from light blue to dark blue. With 8-bit color there are fewer shades of blue available to create a smooth transition from light blue to dark blue than when recorded with 10-bit color. Sometimes this will create artifacts that will look like bands across the sky. This is very problematic in television, streaming and theatrical releases. In my day job, we typically run all shows through a quality control process that looks for and flags imperfections, including banding. QC will often find these imperfections and reject entire shows or movies until we correct issues like excessive noise and banding. And no, a simple blur on the issues, such as banding or noise, does not work. But with 10-bit color, there will be less banding present — a win all around.

There is another side to color fidelity that I need to point out: chroma subsampling. This is getting ultra-nerdy and into the weeds, but GoPro uses a chroma subsampling of 4:2:0 for both 8-bit and 10-bit color. I think of chroma subsampling as pseudo-color resolution. The higher the resolution, the clearer the image should become. With a higher chroma subsampling, the overall color fidelity will be a much higher quality and, in my opinion, is half of the equation when someone describes something as looking more “cinematic.” Typically, in television, 4:2:2 is the low to middle ground for chroma subsampling.

In my opinion, if GoPro decides to add 4:2:2 chroma subsampling, its images will be much easier to combine with footage from much higher-end cameras without the viewer really noticing. If you want to learn more about nerdy stiff like chroma subsampling, subsurface scattering and other topics that will lose you some friends after more than five minutes on the subject, color science is a very interesting topic, especially when applied to color correction and visual perception. But that is for another time.

Testing Color
When testing the GoPro Hero 11 Black, I wanted to use the new 8×7 sensor with 10-bit color to draw out as much detail and color as possible, but I also wanted to see how these new technical features would hold up with color correction. I color-corrected some Hero 11 Black 10-bit clips and really pushed the boundaries, essentially breaking the image. I also used some 8-bit clips from my GoPro Hero 11 Black for comparison. When working on the GoPro clips in Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve 18.0.2, I pushed the image pretty far to really show off the 8-bit artifacting (blocks and banding). And I was actually a little surprised… The 10-bit footage from the GoPro Hero 11 Black looked less blocky and had less banding overall. However, it felt a little noisier, and not your typical grainy noise, but more like GoPro’s built-in noise reduction had attempted to process the noise, leaving it a little blobby and less defined. So from a QC standpoint, the banding and overall blockiness was significantly lower in the GoPro Hero 11 10-bit clip. I would consider that a win for anyone looking to broadcast GoPro clips and has had QC trouble with artifacting. I am curious to see if upping the subsampling to 4:2:2 would improve the image even further.

Gumby!
One small addition that I absolutely love is the new Gumby mount that was included with my GoPro Hero 11 Black. It has long, rubber, twisty-tie-type things that can be used to secure your GoPro to objects that normal clamps and mounts might not work with. In fact, I used the Gumby mount to tie the Hero 11 Black to the bottom of a drone and fly it, and it worked! If you already own a GoPro, you probably have gone down the 3D-printed mount rabbit hole on Etsy.com, but if you haven’t run into something like the Gumby mount, I suggest you try it.

Summing Up
I know GoPro will continue to evolve its image science. At the moment, two major roadblocks for them in the broadcast space are poor low-light performance and low detail in shadows when shooting in high-contrast environments. (Think of the Alaskan tundra, with harsh shadows and super-bright white snow.) However, when I was playing with nighttime time lapses, I noticed the noise in the low lights was very minimal. It was actually very impressive. The GoPro Hero 11 Black is still a phenomenal camera in lots of different scenarios, including time lapses and well-lit outdoor activities. And it is continually improving.

In the end, GoPro has delivered again. The GoPro Hero 11 Black combined with the GoPro subscription is the actualization of what I really wanted GoPro to achieve from the first day I used one. GoPro has taken a lot of the troubleshooting and guesswork out of the GoPro post workflow and made it as simple as possible. Only $49.99 a year is an incredible price point for cloud-based editing and backup in the GoPro ecosystem. I’m even taking for granted the actual Hero 11 Black camera itself, which is a waterproof powerhouse of a camera that is constantly used in television shows and films. The introduction of 10-bit color combined with a 120mb/s data rate is improving the overall cinematic quality of GoPro images. If you’ve been holding out on a GoPro up to this point, you should go out and buy the GoPro Hero 11 black and the GoPro subscription service at GoPro.com.

In terms of pricing, here you go: GoPro Hero 11 Black is $399.98 for GoPro subscribers and $499.99 without the GoPro subscription. The Hero 11 Black Creator Edition, complete with Media Mods and Volta (Enduro battery-powered grip/tripod) is priced at $579.98 for GoPro subscribers and $699.99 without the subscription. The GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini costs $299.98 for GoPro subscribers and $399.99 without a subscription.

Review: Veikk Studio VK2200 Pro Pen Display

August 25, 2022

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By Brady Betzel

I think it’s safe to say that the pen display/digital tablet gold rush is here. In recent months, I’ve been asked to review a variety of styles of digital pen products — from tablets with wireless keypads to USB-C-connected pen displays (like the one I’m writing about in this review).

What’s the most common difference? Price. For example, Wacom Cintiq pen displays, which are traditionally the gold standard, start at $649 for a 16-inch version and go into the thousands of dollars for larger sizes. There is a definite, “You get what you pay for” thing with Wacom products, but other manufacturers of pen displays and tablets are upping their game.

The Veikk Studio V2200 Pro Pen Display has high-end functions with a low-end price tag, selling currently for just $399.99. For comparison, the Wacom Cintiq’s most comparable screen size is the Cintiq 22-inch and sells for $1,199.95. And to be clear, I’m not in any way denigrating Wacom — they have phenomenal products that are widely considered the must-have of tablets and pen displays. I just needed to point out that this is no longer a one-tablet town.

The Veikk Studio V2200 Pro Pen Display boasts 1920×1080 resolution and can be connected with one cable over USB-C or multiple cables via HDMI. Just for kicks, I plugged the USB-C cable from the VK2200 into my Samsung Galaxy phone, and it worked as an external monitor!

The Veikk Studio V2200 Pro Pen Display is a compatible, fully laminated display that reaches 92% NTSC color gamut, has eight shortcut keys and two dials, and can be connected via USB-C or HDMI. To connect the pen display, you either need to connect the power and USB-C or the power and the USB-A plus the HDMI cables. USB-C is the better option if your computer can handle it, but I tested both ways and, in my opinion, the tablet responded the same.

First Impressions
I intentionally didn’t do a ton of reading about the Veikk VK 2200Pro Pen Display before receiving it because I didn’t want to be influenced by anyone else’s thoughts. First, I opened the box and pulled out the solid but not-too-heavy display, cables and accessories. For a second I thought they were trying to butter me up by sending me two pens, a drawing glove, 20 extra nibs and other accessories, but then I realized this was the standard package. I love having an extra pen because somehow they seem to grow legs and walk away. Everyone loves to fiddle with digitizing pens for some reason, especially when working from home.

One item that wasn’t included in the package was a protective sleeve or carrying case — I love a decent sleeve for my pen tablets. Since the VK2200 can be somewhat mobile, a protective sleeve would be a really nice addition to the accessory package. Other than that, you get everything you need to get started.

The included stand is heavy-duty and allows for multiple viewing angles, ranging from almost flat at 15 degrees to almost vertical at 85 degrees. The eight keys and two dials are helpful in moving around apps without needing a keyboard. When using the dials, there are buttons in the middle to cycle through modes, such as brush sizes or canvas sizes. But when I was using the VK2200 as an extended display, I would click the middle button of the dial, and the mode indicator text would pop up on the other monitor. This made it hard to see exactly what mode I was using on the actual VK2200 display. If I was working in “Duplicate Display” mode, then it would not be an issue since the indicator text would pop up on both displays.

Digging In
Upon opening, I plugged the USB-C cable and power into the Veikk VK2200 as well as my Windows 10-based desktop tower, which I abuse for reviews. Unfortunately, I discovered my USB-C port wasn’t compatible — probably not enough power — so I used the HDMI, USB-A and power connection. It was immediately recognized, so then I downloaded the from the Veikk support site. After installation I was up and running. Veikk suggests uninstalling all other tablet drives.

The Veikk app is a little clunky. Assigning key functions is easy enough, but it would be great if it had a few button and dial key-binding presets for the main apps — such as Adobe Photoshop. In fact, with an NTSC color gamut, I assumed Veikk would have provided key-binding shortcuts for the buttons and dials to tie to video-editing apps. Unfortunately, they did not, so you’ll need to program them all to your liking by hand. This is not the end of the world, but it would be a nice touch to have a preset button and dial assignments.

Inside of the app, you can also adjust which monitors the tablet can control in the mapping tab. If you use this as an extended display instead of a duplicated display, you can switch the pen to use either monitor. Keep in mind that the VK2200 Pro Pen Display has a 1920×1080 resolution so if one monitor is set at a higher resolution it gets a little weird when dragging windows across. I suggest making all the displays match resolutions for the easiest experience. In the future, I hope Veikk offers higher 2K or 4K display resolutions.

Regardless of the above, my initial install experience was good — it works as it should. I can’t really speak to how long-term use would affect the VK2200, but nothing I saw would indicate anything substandard. The VK2200 comes with an 18-month warranty that covers the product from defects caused by the manufacturer. There is no coverage for consumable items like nibs. The customer is responsible for paying shipping costs of the item to Veikk, but not the return shipping costs.

Working Inside Video Apps
I was a little worried that video-based apps like Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects and Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve would struggle with the pen display, but they worked well. Inside of Resolve, I used the VK2200 as my GUI display, with the Resolve interface and my laptop display as the full-screen monitor feed. The Dell XPS 17 9710 laptop that I’ve been using a lot for high-end finishing work has a phenomenal UHD-/HDR-compatible display, so I can trust it to be color-accurate in terms of color gamut, other than NTSC and resolutions higher than 1920×1080. Using the Dell XPS 17 9710 with the Veikk VK2200 Pro Pen Display was a solid hardware setup and workflow for someone who wants to color-correct and edit on the go. Obviously, color-correcting on the go in a Starbucks with a large pen display is not considered ideal working conditions, but it’s an interesting idea. If nothing else, it allows you to move systems easily between offices.

The pens included with the VK2200 have two assignable buttons and are battery-free, making them good enough. The pen does not have an “eraser,” so if you are addicted to turning your pen over to erase, you will be missing out. But adjusting color curves in Resolve, drawing masks in Premiere Pro or After Effects, and even editing clips in the Resolve timeline are much quicker once you are comfortable with the pen display.

Personally, I love using tablets or pen displays — my wrists have way less stress and pain when compared to constant mouse use. I would prefer the pen to be a little heavier; I love a little weight to my pens. Maybe it makes me feel rich!

When inside apps like Resolve, the dials and buttons on the side of the VK2200 are assignable, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get all my shortcuts to work with the dials. I’ve had this problem with other tablets and external devices, so it isn’t just the Veikk VK2200’s issue — but this is one of the reasons it would be beneficial for Veikk to build preset key and dial bindings for multimedia apps like Premiere Pro and Resolve. It might not even be possible without contacting Adobe and Blackmagic, but it’s worth a shot.

I was trying to assign the zoom in/out of the timeline to the dial inside of the Veikk app, but when I added “control/-” and “control/+” the dials were unresponsive. I was able to get the display to zoom in and out, which is very helpful. On the Color page inside of Resolve, I found it helpful to assign things like adding different nodes to the buttons as shortcuts. I wasn’t quite able to ditch the keyboard, but you can get close. Premiere was similar, and there were some things I couldn’t get to work correctly with the dials, such as the timeline zoom.

Summing Up
In the end, the Veikk Studio VK2200 Pen Display is an amazing value. Even the stand that it comes attached to is solid and well-constructed. Having a fully laminated 21.5-inch display to draw directly on is a real game-changer for anyone looking to speed up their editing and color correcting game, not to mention relieve wrist pressure from using a mouse. And the added bonus of “SilentPress” keys on the side of the display are great when you are working with clients in the room and don’t want constant clickety-clacks ruining the environment.

As far as any improvements go, I would like to see a higher-than-1920×1080-resolution version, improved button preset compatibility, ability to rotate the tablet vertically with the stand, a heavier pen, and an included carrying case. These are just wish list items for me.

For $399.99, the Veikk Studio VK2200 Pro Pen Display is an affordable option for students, someone doing photo editing, or even someone starting out in video editing.

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