Apple Final Cut Server to Complement Studio

Apple this week unveiled a new server intended to complement the company's Final Cut Studio video editing product.

The latest offering, dubbed Final Cut Server, is set for a summer release. It automatically catalogs large files to allow for video content browsing from the office or over the Internet, according to Apple. Final Cut Server is intended to streamline the communication process between producers, editors and artists during the production process, the company said.

As content is catalogued, Server generates thumbnails and low resolution clip proxies. Users can search using basic keywords or more complex combinations or IPTC, XMP or XML metadata, Apple said. They can also track the progress of a particular product or send out alerts to editors during the production process and e-mails to producers when a video is ready for review. There is also the option for client review, according to Apple.

Final Cut Server will debut this summer for $999 for one server and 10 concurrent client licenses or $1,999 for one server and unlimited client licenses.

Its components "simplify managing the thousands of assets that make up a typical edit," said Rob Schoeben, Apple's vice president of applications product marketing, in a statement.

Jeffrey Birch, vice president of engineering for CBS Television Studios, touted Server's ease of use. "Most importantly, it works right out of the box," he said.

Copyright 2007 by Ziff Davis Media, Distributed by United Press International