Apple

Well I don't think anyone saw FCPX coming in 2010, but after they hijacked the FCPUG Supermeet to give a 'sneak peak' of  FCPX, it was clear to many that Apple was abandoning professional post. That's not to say that pro's can't use FCPX, they can, and they will.  In 2012, Apple will be adding back some glaring omissions, but the damage has been done and many of our customers cannot trust Apple to support their workflows. I think that's a little harsh, but Apple brought it on themselves by killing FCP7. If they had introduced FCPX as iMovie Pro or Final Cut Xtreme or anything other then FCP ver 10, the backlash would not have been bad. But, then again, neither would the free publicity and buzz it created. Apple, as always, is laughing all the way to the bank!

This year, Apple and Intel introduced the new high-speed, multi-channel Thunderbolt connection. I love Thunderbolt and I think it will make major impact on video editing workstations in 2012. Unfortunately, Apple initially released Thunderbolt on the new iMacs and still has not released a new Mac Pro. The lack of a Mac Pro line refresh, combined with the backlash from FCPX, has caused many FCP editors to not only switch their NLE software to Avid or Adobe, but to also switch their workstations to other platforms, like HP. Incredible! I don't think Apple is going to abandon the Mac Pro market, but I do think they may change the way we configure and utilize high end hardware. Perhaps it's an iMac that allows you to attach several Mac Mini's to increase your computing power beyond just dual Xeons.

Getting back to FCPX, I'm not sure if we'll see this next wish in 2012, but I feel strongly that it's coming - Touchscreen. When I first saw FCPX at the Supermeet with the new interface and magnetic timeline I immediately thought that it would be even better if it had a touchscreen interface. In fact, I actually believe that this is ultimately what the designers had in mind and they are just walking us all down that path.  I'm not talking about an iPad App as much as being able to use a future iMac on your desk at a 30 degree angle, that you would actually touch to manipulate your timeline and video. Obviously there is a lot of other technology that would need to support this but it would truly revolutionize the way we work.

G-Tech

Storage companies like G-tech had a tough year with product shortages because of the disasters in Japan and Thailand. Now that these are behind us and production is starting to come back to pervious levels, it's time for them to unleash the full potential of Thunderbolt. G-Technology already announced G-RAID storage with Thunderbolt and I think that's great, but it's just the tip of the iceberg.

I would also like to see a "G-SPEED T." How great would it be if G-technology added Thunderbolt connectivity to a G-SPEED enclosure? There would be no need for an expensive RAID controller. Just plug the G-SPEED in via Thunderbolt and configure it for your preferred RAID level (we always recommend RAID5) and you would have super fast storage in an easy to install solution.

Grass Valley

Last year I asked for higher end HD converters to be added to the ADVC line and Grass Valley delivered the ADVC-G Series.

I also wished for a Grass Valley I/O device for EDIUS that would be similar to a Matrox MXO2 Mini with Avid or Adobe. EDIUS is very strong in the event video market, especially with companies that deliver Same Day Edits (SDE). Grass Valley gave us the Storm Mobile which had the potential to be that product, but with a cost of $1,500 including EDIUS 6 it is out of the price range of many Event Videographers.  So, my wish for 2012 is that Grass Valley finds a way to either bring down the cost of the STORM Mobile or open up EDIUS software to third party hardware support like the Matrox MXO2 Mini.

Matrox

Matrox did a great job launching and shipping Thunderbolt compatible devices and I love that anyone who owns an MXO2 can add an inexpensive Thunderbolt Adapter to support their new iMac or other Thunderbolt-equipped computer.

At the beginning of the year I wished Matrox would release stand-alone tools and while they did enhance their Vetura capture software, I'm still waiting for stand alone encoding and playback tools. For 2012 I'd like to see them figure out a way to have the Matrox MAX technology do more than just encoding.  How cool would it be if the MAX could also be used as a pre-process file conversion engine, to turn any video file into ProRes, DNxHD or H.264 faster than real-time, before you bring it into your timeline?  I'd also like to see even better Adobe integration. I wonder if Matrox can figure out a way for Adobe Premiere Pro to see MAX technology as another processor to use for the Mercury Playback Engine. Even better, how about adding back some of the RTX real-time filters and effects, for both PC and Mac users. If that was possible we could market the Mojito card as an RT.X3 for Adobe Premiere Pro!

I have one more thing on my wish list for Matrox. How about giving us a multiport Thunderbolt adapter that would allow you to attach 3 or 4 MXO2 Minis or MXO2 LEs to your iMac for streaming applications like Wirecast or BOINX TV? That would allow you to turn your iMac or Mac Book Pro into an HD production and streaming solution for a fraction of the cost of a Newtek Tricaster!

Pioneer

In 2010 Pioneer gave us the first triple and quad layer burner. Unfortunately we are still waiting for BD-XL media to become affordable and I just don't see it becoming a strong feature until those discs are less than $20 each.

I am also still waiting for Pioneer to deliver a sleek, sexy portable external blu-ray burner.  Something that's low cost enough for PC guys to want, and slick enough for Mac guys to put next to their iMac or MacBook Pro.