The fastest breaking news that is sure to rifle through IBC the quickest? Well, for starters, try this announcement from Blackmagic Design, who have acquired DaVinci Systems, the pioneering color system that for many years has been one of the dream systems in the marketplace. In the letter to employees below, Grant Petty discusses the acquisition with his team members.
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview 09/08/2009 Author:Ron Lindeboom
Re: Blackmagic Design Buys DaVinci: Part 1 by David Roth Weiss on Sep 9, 2009 at 3:13:18 am
[Arnie Schlissel]"So, does this mean that we'll soon be seeing a $1k da Vinci bundle with a BMD card? "
Jeeze, Apple included Color for free. They set the bar pretty high (or low depending on your point of view). It'll be interesting to see how BM can compete against that cost/benefit standard. On the other hand, it seems Color 1.5 still hasn't really fixed things, so I guess the reality is, you get what ya pay for.
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles
POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
A forum host of Creative COW's Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.
Re: Blackmagic Design Buys DaVinci: Part 1 by Arnie Schlissel on Sep 9, 2009 at 3:20:02 am
[David Roth Weiss]"Jeeze, Apple included Color for free. They set the bar pretty high (or low depending on your point of view)."
Yup, that was kind of my point.
BMD recently gave us the sub $1k HD capture card, and has now pushed HD scopes down to around $1500-$2k (including the computer to run it!), so why not take a $100k+ color corrector and drop the price to, say $5k? or would that be to high?
Perhaps they'll buy Quantel or Avid next?
Arnie
Post production is not an afterthought!
http://www.arniepix.com/
Re: Blackmagic Design Buys DaVinci: Part 1 by David Roth Weiss on Sep 9, 2009 at 3:27:30 am
Well, before anyone jumps on my message above as some sort of serious comparison between DaVinci and Apple Color, don't bother please, I was joking. I know DaVinci well and I know some of wonderful DaVinci colorists here in L.A. as well.
I congratulate both BM and DaVinci.
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles
POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
A forum host of Creative COW's Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.
Re: Blackmagic Design Buys DaVinci: Part 1 by Rafael Amador on Sep 9, 2009 at 4:53:39 am
IMHO there are three elements that made possible the "digital video revolution":
- MiniDV format.
- Affordable NLE systems.
- BlackMagic cards.
Today I have an AJA IOHD but I trust very much those guys of BM.
I don't think we will be working with a DaVinci for a few bucks, but sure this people will make these system much more affordable.
I deeply wish that BM gives another lesson to the "elite orientated" companies.
rafael
Re: Blackmagic Design Buys DaVinci: Part 1 by kim krause on Sep 9, 2009 at 10:35:05 am
why is this a good thing?....davinci has been in trouble for years and probably couldn't wait to find a buyer. they have stagnated while others have moved in. and don't think the BMD aquisition will mean a cheaper davinci. there are alot of really good color correction systems out there, each with it's own strength. my big criticism of davinci of late has been its horrible user interface. what they really needed was a complete overhaul of their panels and usablility. just look at pogle. they realized early on that a graphics tablet should be part of a grading suite. the reason other systems have become so popular is they listen to what clients want from a color correction system. davinci were always so smug. i'll stick to nucoda, pogle and even color over a davinci anyday...good luck black magic, i hope you know what you're doing buying that old dinosaur.
Re: Blackmagic Design Buys DaVinci: Part 1 by Tim Wilson on Sep 9, 2009 at 4:10:03 pm
Consider this the outline of an article. :-) But it's a start.
[kim krause]"davinci has been in trouble for years and probably couldn't wait to find a buyer"
The problem with da Vinci has largely not been da Vinci. It has been parent companies who bought it largely for the cash flow, hoping to help their own bottom lines. That's why parent companies are the ones who've come and gone, and gone bankrupt, and da Vinci remains.
[kim krause]"my big criticism of davinci of late has been its horrible user interface"
Grant specifically mentioned that in his email to Blackmagic employees, which we reprinted here after they sent it to us. Specifically: [Resolve] needs a new user interface and extra features.
I find it hard to follow threads when they wind too far off the post subject lines, so I've provided a long answer to kim's very good question of why I think this is such a good idea in a thread here.
