New Gear

Francine Gair
September 2001

MaxVision's MaxPac 7200NLE is a transportable workstation specifically designed for the post production professional on the go. It includes a 17-inch digital flat panel and dual-Pentium III processors with 4GB standard memory. For airplane travel, its all-aluminum case will fit comfortably under the seat or in the overhead compartment.

(800) 533-5805
www.maxvision.com
Suggested retail price range:
$9,950 to $15,000

See Stars

Pinnacle's Hollywood FX delivers 3D editing based on polygon-rendering technology, similar to animation programs. Entry-levels Copper and Bronze feature 100 3D transitions and effects, with user-friendly controls. Pro-level Silver has 200 transitions and effects plus FX Editor. Full-power Gold offers 300 3D transitions and effects plus compositing. Optional plug-ins offer more features and creative control.

(800) 982-7295
www.pinnaclesys.com
Suggested retail prices:
$100 Copper, $300 Bronze,
$700 Silver, $1,500 Gold

It Takes Two

Why choose between a DVD-ROM drive and a CD-RW? AEMDVRW8XUM, the USB version of Addonics' new mobile DVD/CD-RW drive, lets you plug a two-drive combo into your notebook or PC with Win98/SE/2000/Me operating systems. It includes MPEG-2 decoding and CD-mastering software. A FireWire cable is available for a separate purchase.

(510) 438-6530
www.addonics.com
Suggested retail price:
$389

Music Magix

MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab lets you restore the sound quality of old records, cassettes, CDs and MP3s. You can eliminate hisses and crackles, level out stereo volume and clean up damage. Sixteen professional effects like reverb and echo can be applied with the click of a mouse. CD-burning software is included.

(888) TO-MAGIX
www.magix.com
Suggested retail price:
$50

3001 Tripod Odyssey

There have been a few engineering changes to Bogen's Manfrotto 3001 series tripod legs. The three lightweight, portable models offer greater stability, lower shooting positions and an improved, multi-faceted center column that eliminates unwanted rotation. They're available in aluminum or black. Kits with heads are also available.

(201) 818-9500
www.bogenphoto.com
Suggested retail prices range from:
$117 (3001BN legs only) to
$237 (3001BD with a 3130 QR Micro Fluid Head)

Streaming MPEG-4

SoftStream by Media Excel is a live, real-time MPEG-4 encoding software package. It provides DVD-quality (full D1 resolution) MPEG-4 video encoding with Windows 98/NT/2000. SoftStream can encode a 16-second .avi to MPEG-4 in four seconds on a 1GHz PC. It is a cross-platform software that can run off Windows, Linux/Unix or Macintosh.

(512) 832-8700
www.mediaexcel.com
Suggested retail price:
$1,495

Spank Me

Spank, the "hard-hitting" new production elements package from Network Music, offers 381 "striking" sound tracks on four CDs. Vol. 1 offers unusual audio logos. Vol. 2 contains drum effects, loops and atmospheres. Vol. 3 has sweeps, guitars, winds and flybys. Vol. 4 includes glides, lasers, drones, synth effects and other "missileaneous sounds.

(800) 854-2075
www.networkmusic.com
Suggested retail price:
$500 for series, $150 for each CD

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