empowering_creativity

Spring 2007 Update

Freshly back from trips to Japan and NAB, we have much to share with you!

Final Cut Studio 2

We're excited about the new features (not to mention an entirely new program - Color!) within Final Cut Studio 2, and we know that many of you have pre-ordered or are planning to order it very soon. For most of you, all you’ll have to purchase is the upgrade from Final Cut Studio for $499.

To help you transition to the new software we are offering two plans:

• For our clients who have proactive service agreements, hold on to your new software until we come for our next maintenance visit.  We will upgrade your software, plus all applicable capture device drivers, and will test all systems to make sure the new software is functioning perfectly, as part of your visit.

• For those who can’t wait or who don’t have one of our proactive service agreements, we are offering a 25% discount on our reactive service rates for the installation of FCS2.  This is on top of any current discounts you may receive as a proactive service agreement customer. UPDATE: FCS2 is now shipping, so we are now booking reactive visits to install software.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Final Cut Server

Some of you are already aware of our intimate involvement with this remarkable new product from Apple. So for the rest of you, we’re outing ourselves!  We’re very honored to announce that Matt has been tapped to write the Final Cut Server Quick Reference Guide, and to provide the courseware and instruction for Final Cut Server for integrators, resellers and Apple staff worldwide.  He’s hacking away as we speak.

More importantly, we want to make sure you are prepared for Final Cut Server's arrival later this summer. We don't think there is one facility in our client base that won't benefit from Final Cut Server, so next time we're in touch, we'd be happy to take the time to discuss how it could help you, the infrastructure changes and costs involved, and any other questions you may have.

New Support Packages

Many potential clients outside of our current bases in Chicago, LA and New York have asked for a proactive service package similar to our Launch package, with quarterly maintenance visits and our comprehensive offsite support of telephone, email and VPN.

Introducing Coverage, which combines these features of the Launch package with all travel expenses included. This allows clients anywhere to benefit from our world-renowned support. Coverage is available today!

We had a runaway hit when we introduced Xsan Technician Support (XTS), which allows an in-house admin to tap our rich knowledge base for Xsan and receive assistance for anything on the SAN, from periodic maintenance to emergency troubleshooting.

But we're received requests for a package that helps the in-house admin with any enterprise-level endeavor, from Golden Triangle Directory implementations to re-sharing workflows.

Introducing Comprehensive Technician Support (CTS). This new package extends support to any Apple-based hardware or software component of the facility, including assistance with end-user issues. CTS is available now!

HD Expo Chicago

Lastly, for our customers in the Midwest, please plan on visiting our stand at HD Expo Chicago, Thursday, June 7th, at Navy Pier. We will once again be exhibiting with our strategic partner Silverado systems.

Come visit us at HDExpo LA!

Meta Media™ Creative Technologies will be exhibiting at HD Expo Los Angeles, on Thursday, March 8th, 2007 from 1:00pm to 8:00pm. HD Expo will be held at the Beverly Hilton, 9876 Wilshire Boulevard, in Beverly Hills, California. We will be partnering with Silverado Systems to display the latest in HD Post Production technology.

Our booth will contain a Final Cut Studio online system with 20TB of storage capacity, and also a mobile editing solution example with MacBook Pro and Matrox MXO. We invite the L.A. post and broadcast community to come out and see what we and our preferred vendor, Silverado Systems, have to offer the creative facility.

We're excited to be exhibiting in Los Angeles again, at a much upgraded HD Expo. This time, we'll have current clients on hand to talk about the experience of a relationship with us, and how we offer world-class consulting and support to this diverse industry.

Swag alert!

Meta Media and Silverado Systems will have goodies for the first 100 visitors who come by the booth, along with $500 discounts on RAID storage systems. And for those who are ready to take the Xsan shared storage solution "plunge" they will be discounting their integration rates by $1000 for a commitment to go Xsan. Come by the booth for details.

Winter 2007 Update

While the weather outside is frightening, we wanted to take this opportunity to warm you up with some exciting announcements!

30 Retainer Clients
We've reached a very important milestone: over 30 clients subscribed to one of our proactive service plans! Our client base now spans from New York in the East to Los Angeles out West, Racine, WI in the North to Knoxville down South.

We know that we offer a support product that is unique in this industry, and the demand for it has been simply astounding. Our clients have peace of mind knowing that the combination of periodic on site visits, coupled with phone and email support, gives them a comprehensive system to handle any technological hurdle their facility encounters. More and more of our clients are opting to enhance their support plans with VPN access, which allows us to rapidly tackle system issues and downtime.

If you're not taking advantage of one of our support products, contact us today and let us tailor a plan perfectly suited for your facility.

Our New, Free Self-Service Portal
Speaking of retainer clients, they've just received another enhancement to their support plans this week! Our new self-service portal allows our clients to log into our support database and create, view and comment on current support issues. They can also see summaries of maintenance visits.

Key contacts at each of our retainer clients will soon receive login information via email so they can begin to take advantage of this new feature immediately!

A Fully Certified Staff
Kudos to Adam Burg, who recently became a Level 1, Final Cut Pro Certified Pro, which he adds to his Certified Technician credits: Xsan for Pro Video and Level 1, Final Cut Pro. This makes Meta Media one of the only concerns on the planet with three full-time Xsan certified technicians on staff!

Regional Office Plans
We are starting to plan the creation of regional offices and dedicated support staff in both New York and Los Angeles, in order to handle the increased demand for our services on each US coastline. Stay tuned for more announcements on this exciting development!

As you can tell, we're busier than ever. We know that all of it would not be possible without the relationships we have formed with our clients and partners in this industry. We take this moment to express our gratitude for your continued belief and support of us!

Staff Changes at Meta Media!

Some of you have already met him, but for those that haven't, we'd like to take a moment to introduce the latest addition to our rapidly growing company, Adam Burg!

Adam is Meta Media's new Midwest Regional Support Specialist. He will be managing our Midwest Proactive Service Agreement clients, providing periodic maintenance visits as well as reactive maintenance for those who need it.

We figured we'd let Adam introduce himself!

My Name is Adam Burg. Clinton, IA is where I come from, and I must say it is the best place on earth.

I grew up as the middle kid amongst two brothers, one 15 months older and the other 4 years younger.  Let's just say we learned a lot from each other. My parents are my inspiration and somehow they were able to keep my brothers and I close. Family is #1 for me.

My post high school life consists of going to my first college to play soccer with no idea of what I wanted to do with myself. The college was close to home and wasn't going to cost me much.  I played three seasons without getting much figured out before transferring to Columbia College in Chicago. This is where I pursued my interest in filmmaking and my love for Apple products.

I continued on after college working for Apple Retail, spending my checks on Apple equipment and doing my fair share of freelance and creative video design.

I have also spent a lot of time coaching soccer with youth throughout the Chicago area.  Soccer is something that I could not function without.  I have developed a passion for the sport from the time I started to run and kick.  I am a coach by trade, a player by nature and a fan because I can't not be.  I love to incorporate my love for the game and my ability to play with my knowledge of video production to create something... anything.  Soccer is a beautiful game.

So here we are today.  I have finally landed a spot that will allow me to continue to further my knowledge of Apple products and video equipment as well as work in a fun environment doing the things I love.  I look forward to working with Matt and Scott and the entire Meta Media team.  I will just have to resort to playing and watching soccer as much as I can to get my other fix.

Adam has already earned his Certification in Xsan for Pro Video and will attending a Final Cut Pro Optimizing class in December.  He will be making the rounds to all our Midwest clients, first with either Matt or Scott in tow, and eventually solo, beginning with December appointments.

Lastly, we are saying goodbye to Brendan Farrell at the end of this month, as he leaves Chicago to go back to the west coast to pursue other interests.  We are proud of the service he has provided our clients over these past eight months, and we are sad to see him go.

So during this Holiday Season, please take a moment to say farewell to Brendan and to welcome Adam into the fold.

MXF: The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

From the mid-nineties until about a month ago, there was really only one truly ubiquitous file format, allowing creatives using disparate applications on different operating systems to share media.  It was called QuickTime.  Remember?
Even though you were on an Avid, and I was on Final Cut, and she was on After Effects on a PC running Windows 3.1, we could get the file over to the other person by exporting a QuickTime.  And yes, it was a pain, and yes, we had to render, but it got the job done.  I could install QuickTime, and the required specialized codecs I needed quite easily, and once I did, the world was my oyster.  Well, at least it was in a moving image digital file type of way.
At this year's NAB, something very pivotal happened, and it was so quiet! Enough major acquistion device manufacturers, post-production tool manufacturers, and even some storage manufacturers got on the bandwagon to give QuickTime a run, and the Material eXchange Format (MXF) was their shining weapon.
What is MXF?  Not a lot really. It's a file format, which is a derivative from the much maligned Advanced Authoring Format (AAF) specification, originally spearheaded by Microsoft, Apple and Avid, among others.  Yes, Apple was part of the AAF committee, until they left it when they realized that QuickTime was not going to be AAF and vice-versa.
MXF compartmentalizes its data into two categories: essence, or data that carries something of importance, like a video or audio stream, or motion vectors, or timecode, and metadata, or the data describing the essence data.  Either kind of data is described with three specific parameters: key, length and value. As such it is quite ubiquitous, and completely open source  (very much like its counterpart, XML), and rather easy to implement it into your device that records, edits or manipulates the data within the file.  There's good online documentation about it.  There's a bubbling online community of developers that lovingly share their information to each other.  It has everything that it needs to unseat QuickTime from its throne.
The final stroke, of course, was adoption, and this year, MXF got that as well.  Do the names Sony, Panasonic, Avid, Grass Valley, and the BBC ring a bell?  They've all signed on and are actually already using MXF as an integral part of their product lines.
So where's Apple in all this?  Well, they are patiently explaining to folks why QuickTime is still the way to go, and here, try this workflow solution that extracts the essence out of MXF files and places it in QuickTime file wrappers.
Want your clips off of a Panasonic P2 card?  Use FCP's Import from P2 option in the file menu.  Want clips off of a XDCAM disc? Here's a utility we wrote with Sony to extract the essence and place in a QuickTime.
But when attendees came up to me at the Panasonic booth at NAB, asking whether FCP could write files back onto P2 cards in MXF format, I had to say "umm, no," and then explain why staying in a ubiquitous file format like QuickTime was the way to go.
Then I stopped myself.
Why couldn't I use MXF as the means by which to transport files from place to place?
As the answers to the above question get fewer and fewer, it's my hope that Apple realizes that MXF is the Zulu army coming over the hill.  This little file format could be the way that they are bunked from their lofty position as the makers of the file that people use to share media.  Methinks that Apple might have this figured out, and hopefully we'll soon see full MXF compatibility in a program like Compressor.

The Heat is On!

After a weekend of record setting heat here in Chicago we decided it was time for a public service announcement from your friends at empoweringcreativity.com.

Keep your gear cool!

The optimal operating temperature range for most computer gear is between 65° and 75°.  We recommend a nice 68° number.

Why is this so important?  Well, electronics, somewhat like people, don't work as well in extreme temperatures.  What does this mean to you the creative?  If your gear gets to hot - it fails - when it fails it costs a lot to fix, and sometimes, you will lose data.  Now I know that most of you back up your data at least once a day so the data loss issue isn't even on your radar - but the money sure should be.

The cost to replace a hard drive in an Xserve RAID is about $650.  This cost, in many cases, is about the same amount you will pay to keep your gear cool - but - if you have more than one drive failure (I've seen it happen) it will easily exceed your cooling costs.

So the moral of the story is - keep your gear cool - your clients and wallet will thank you.

Meta Media™ Announces Its Latest Support Product: Xsan® Technician Support

The new product provides focused and relevant support for the active Xsan integrator or administrator, allowing them access to Meta Media’s rich knowledge base of Xsan integration and troubleshooting expertise. Intended as an initial compliment to AppleCare® support, and purchased as a yearly package, Xsan Technician Support provides unlimited email and 2 hours of telephone support per month to a single individual. A flat price covers any size Xsan with all its components.

Scott Murphy, co-founder of Meta Media, stated, “With over two dozen Xsan integrations under our belt since the software’s release last year, we have gathered together the very best integration and troubleshooting practices, and are now providing them as a single-priced and packaged product. We find that the essential support need for Xsan revolves around the system as a whole, especially during the initial integration process not covered by AppleCare, and this product addresses that need.”
“We’re anticipating great demand for this product,” adds Matt Geller, co-founder of Meta Media and co-author of the popular Xsan Quick Reference Guide, “so we’re increasing our staff to make sure responses are speedy and relevant.”

A site to call our own!

It's here! Our fully fleshed-out site! We hope you like it.

It was designed by our good friend and colleague Mason Dixon, of DFX.

Go and explore all the nooks and crannies and tell us what you think.

There will also be a client login working soon, that will allow our clients to log in, schedule appointments, etc. Look for that feature

metamediatech.com

Meta Media™ Proudly Announces Availability of the Xsan Quick Reference Guide, Second Edition

Meta Media Creative Technologies is proud to announce the immediate availability of Xsan Quick Reference Guide, Second Edition published by Peachpit Press. The book is available for purchase from retail outlets in the U.S., with European outlets soon to follow.

The new edition is fully updated to cover the latest improvements in Xsan 1.2 as it integrates into Mac OS X Tiger Client and Server, and has expanded sections on storage and switch configuration. The book also now boasts a comprehensive table of contents, index and glossary. Matt Geller, co-founder of Meta Media and co-author of the book, said, “This guide gives integrators and administrators alike the kind of in-depth knowledge that the current Xsan documentation lacks. Over the last few months, the XQRG, as it is known in the trenches, has quickly become the go-to resource for Xsan implementation, especially in the film and video post-production industry. This new edition should continue that trend.”

Meta Media will be using the new book to promote its Xsan integration services at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas, which runs April 24th through the 27th of this year. The company is currently taking appointment requests from facilities interested in deploying Xsan. A free copy of the book will be given out at each appointment. Anyone interested in scheduling an appointment can email Meta Media at nab@metamediatech.com.

CMGF 2006 Online Event

Just wanted to remind everyone about tonight's CMGF Online Event.  It should be really interesting.  It's going to include video chat and a broadcast.  For more information check out CMGF 2006  Online Event.