We would like to inform you about an important change in our product range strategy. Following the recently supplied information about the "S-range" of machines, we have received a substantial amount of feedback. Based on this, coupled with our own concepts and visions, we have decided to abort the release of this range of machines at this stage.
 
The really good news is that we have decided to totally redesign and update the product range. Instead of "just" producing a slightly more powerful range of new machines, based on the current unit architecture, we have opted to add features that will bring Casablanca up to a technological level on a par, if not beyond, even the most sophisticated editors. Keeping in mind the origins of the Cassie, with user-friendly Smart Edit workflow and "works out of the box" concept, the core new features of the new machine range will be:
- HDMI support for high-resolution images and video
- Support for optional Bluray drive to burn HDV quality projects
- AVCHD support for the new wave of USB equipped cameras
- HDV display in real-time, resulting in direct HDV workflow, i.e. playback, trimming, editing, effects etc. (no more batch work as introduced with SE5)
- multiple DV ports for simultaneous DV recording (from several cameras at the same time)
- SATA controller support
 
The development has already been switched to this redesign. We do hope that you are looking forward to this leap in Casablanca specifications as we do.

 

15.08.2007
Next generation Casablanca: Some more information

We have decided it is time for an all-new generation of Casablanca editing systems. This is the second time we have changed the heart of the Casablanca – the hardware video engine. Therefore, Casablanca is in its third generation now – a little over 10 years after the first unit was sold.

A small history

The original Casablanca (aka “the Classic”, “Cassie”, “Casa 1”) used a Zoran MJPEG real time hardware codec. We have introduced it in 1996.

The second generation Casablanca units with analogue input used a real time DV codec made by Ccube. This began with the first Avio sold in 2000 and continued for almost seven years with the additions of the Kron, Prestige, Solitaire and Renommee and their Plus versions.
During this same period the Claro, Gymnos and Liberty models were sold without analogue input or the DVDicon feature and used a software codec.

Now it is time for the third generation of hardware video engine. The challenge is clear: The new systems need to be able to handle HD and SD video in their native resolution. Therefore, the new models must have High Def outputs, so that editors can view the video while editing, in full resolution and on a High Def monitor (for example LCD or Plasma HDTV sets). The new machines must also have means to put a full length HD video production on a disk (Blu-Ray or HD-DVD).

For our other main product line (Europe only), we have already made this HD switch. The Enterprise entertainment center, now on the market for about 18 months, has DVI/HDMI output in 720 or 1080 resolution and - in its latest incarnation, the Enterprise MAX - can handle H.264 coded HD material in real time, plus it can burn HD to Blu-Ray.

We have decided that we will use the very same video engine in the new Casablanca generation. We employ the Philips Nexperia™ chip as the main semiconductor, plus several other ICs. The Nexperia will handle the DVI/HDMI output and also applies the required real time video preparation for High Def (scaling, de-interlacing). For the encoding and decoding of compressed video, we have decided to employ software codecs, running on the main CPU of the system. This so-called “host-based codec strategy” is very flexible and seems more future proof then the utilization of specialized hardware codecs.
 
We do realize that such a severe step will raise many questions. Here are some we believe will come up first, with the related answers.

Questions & Answers

Q: So there will be a new hardware platform. Does this mean that our trusted units are now obsolete and no new software and hardware will come out for them? 
A: No. We are changing the video engine only, not the OS. And the new video engine will be available as an upgrade card for all of the Solitaire and Renommee units.

Q: So how will the process of editing work for High Def, in case the new hardware is installed? 
A: You input the video through FireWire (HDV) or USB 2 (AVCHD). This material gets converted into editable “I-Frame only” data, but the resolution (1440x1080 or 1920x1080) will remain unchanged. Then you just edit away, in HD, the same way as you do now in SD. You will be able to use single or dual monitor mode, but the video monitor is now a HDTV set or HDTV monitor, hooked up via HDMI. Finally, you can output to tape, disk (DVD or Blu-Ray) or file (Ethernet, USB stick or hard drive).

Q: How does that differ to the HD editing on the old hardware platform? 
A: The video got converted into SD (DV format), but the original HDV footage was stored on the drive too. The editing happened in SD. Only when outputting the final video, the original HDV material was accessed and used for compiling the final HDV production.

Q: What is the advantage of the new solution? 
A: You can see the HD material while editing, in full resolution. The old “WYSIWYG” (What You See Is What You Get) principle.

Q: So I do need an HDMI equipped HD monitor or HDTV set? 
A: Yes, but you only need an HDTV screen if you intend to edit and monitor HD quality in real-time. Of course, for editing normal SD footage, you can continue using a standard definition monitor or TV set.

Q: What about HDCP? 
A: This is not an issue as we do not deal with HDCP copy protection content. The material from camcorders, even HD models, are never HDCP encoded. So you may use a TV set that does not have HDCP. Of course, if the TV has HDCP, it will work just fine, too.

Q: So the video gets converted from HDV or AVCHD to a High Def I-Frame only material. Why not directly editing the original material?
A: Because both HDV and AVCHD are motion compressed. This means you can not easily access a single image as the images are organized in so-called GOPs (groups of pictures). For editing, it is desirable to get rid of such motion compression, as you need to edit in a frame precise fashion. This is even more important for AVCHD as this compression method uses far larger GOPs than HDV.

Q: So how long will the conversion take?
A: The new units will be very fast, so the conversion will happen on-the-fly (while inputting the HDV data via FireWire). Older units will take a while, depending on the speed of their CPU. Speed upgrades (faster main boards and CPUs) will be made available for Solitaires and Renommees, though.

Q: Is there a difference between the handling of HDV and AVCHD?
A: Yes. AVCHD is H.264+ (MPEG-4) compressed, it takes longer to handle it than HDV (which is MPEG-2). Plus, usually HDV is using FireWire, and AVCHD uses USB 2. Other than that, no, the handling is the same.

Q: So the new units can burn a Blu-ray disk in High Def. Will that play on standard Blu-ray players?
A: Good question. In theory, yes. We are writing formats that any Blu-ray player should support. However, many early Blu-ray players won’t accept a BD-R or BD-RW disk, they just read commercial Blu-ray media. Maybe future firmware updates for those players will solve the problem. This will be very similar to the beginning of DVD-R compatibility issues many of you experienced. But there are many players that will play the video just fine, and we are working with several other companies in order to maximize compatibility.

Q: Can I burn High Def on a standard DVD?
A: Yes, but this limits you to about 20 minutes on a standard DVD and 40 minutes on a dual layer DVD.

Q: So I can upgrade my Solitaire (Plus) or Renommee (Plus). What exactly does that mean?
A: We simply remove the old video board with the C-Cube and replace it with the new video board using the Nexperia™. The new board has an HDMI/DVI video output. All the other ins and outs remain unchanged. There is new software, of course. Plus, you can exchange the DVD writer with a Blu-Ray model, as long as you also buy a new, faster main board (that has a SATA.interface, as the Blu-ray burner is using SATA rather than PATA).

Q: So will a future version of SmartEdit work on both platforms?
A: Yes, the software will recognize what kind of video engine is employed and then switch to C-Cube or Nexperia™ mode.

Q: When is this all going to happen?
A: This year, in several steps. Remember we will bring out a new card for the Solitaires and Renommees, plus a whole new product line that has several other exciting features. Most likely, these two products won’t come out at the same time.

Q: Will there be a sneak preview to the new unit?
A: Yes, we will show a prototype at the world of consumer electronics show (IFA) in Berlin, starting August 31st.

Q: What about the multiple DV inputs that have been announced as well?
A: The idea is simple. Multi camera production is here to stay. This means there is a ton of raw material on tape that needs to be stored on the hard drive of the editing system. Four cameras, four hours each would take 16 hours of FireWire transfers, and you can’t do it overnight as you need to change the tape every hour. If you can hook up four sources and feed the video in simultaneously, that cuts down the transfer time to just four hours. A tremendous advantage for professional videographers – time is money.

Q: But how does that work – don’t I need a hardware board for that?
A: If you want four inputs, yes, we will gladly sell a card to you. If you are happy with two inputs, no, its just software (most units have one FireWire at the front and one at the back).