IRIDAS, a leader in digital cinema workflow
integration technologies, has announced MetaRender, a new application for
automating complex transcoding tasks in production pipelines and post
facilities. MetaRender works across platforms and greatly simplifies the
task of managing file conversions, including burning-in grading or LUTs and
adding file information for viewing with digital dailies. Visitors to IBC
can see MetaRender at booth 7.H20, where IRIDAS is co-exhibiting with
Cine-tal.
MetaRender works in two ways. It can be controlled from SpeedGrade to
off-load rendering to one or more separate machines. It also operates as a
stand-alone render management system to batch process transcoding tasks
across whole render farms. Timelines can be rendered out as one complete
file, or as individual clips, each with their own reel ID and time-code
information.

“This is perfect for working with editing applications, such as Final Cut
Pro,” explained Michael Gallo, head of software development at IRIDAS. “It
provides a complete round-trip solution: proxies with file names and time
codes are generated for off-line editing with MetaRender. Then the EDL is
sent back to SpeedGrade DI for finishing work on the original
full-resolution content.”

MetaRender reads and writes all industry standard file formats, including
AVI, QuickTime, OpenEXR, DPX files and many others. MetaRender incorporates
IRIDAS’ exclusive RealTime RAW 2.0 technology, supporting digital cinema RAW
formats, including ARRI D21, DALSA 4K, Phantom, Silicon Imaging, Cineform
and Weisscam, at resolutions of 2K, 3K, and 4K. Through the RED SDK
MetaRender supports transcoding of R3D files for Mac and Windows.

“It is great to be able to take virtually any file format off the timeline
and send it so quickly and easily right to the render queue,” said Juergen
Firsching, managing director at DVE, IRIDAS’ reseller in Germany. “By
automating so many steps in such a simple way, this tool will save
facilities a tremendous amount of time and money.”

MetaRender is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, and is fully
scalable. Users can add nodes as required. A single license for MetaRender,
including a render node for a second machine, costs USD 1499. Additional
nodes are available for USD 499, with volume discounts for larger orders.

“There is currently no equivalent to the telecine process to provide media
for offline editing, like we have in the 35mm film world,” said Lin Kayser,
CEO of IRIDAS. “With IRIDAS MetaRender that has now changed. The ability to
distribute transcoding to a cluster of computers speeds up the process,
providing a scaleable solution to fit any schedule or budget.”

See MetaRender at the IRIDAS booth (7.H20) during IBC, September 12 through
16, 2008, at the RAI Congress Centre in Amsterdam. For more information, or
to schedule a demo, please contact IRIDAS at +49 89 330 35 142 or visit
www.iridas.com.