Professional hardware quality - assurance components , like waveform monitor and vectorscopes , normally cost quite a bit of coin — from $ 10,000 to $ 25,000 , depend on the brand and choice — so the idea of replacing these hardware tool using a Mac and comparably inexpensive software is very intriguing ( a video seizure card is also need with ScopeBox in some cases , such as when you ’re monitoring uncompressed standard- or high - definition picture ) .
Who would be interested in a product like ScopeBox ? “ First and foremost , we ’re aim field acquisition with this mathematical product , ” said Mike Woodworth , chief operating officer and take developer for Divergent Media .
By field acquisition he have in mind when professionals scoot telecasting for commercial , documentaries , and TV shows — scenario where capturing program - effectual television is essential . A distinctive frame-up might be a MacBook Pro running ScopeBox attached to an AJA IO box to supervise uncompressed stock - definition television . For high - definition shoots , a distinctive setup might use seizure card from vendors like BlackMagic and AJA with Power Macintoshes or Mac Pros ( Divergent Media says that support for the HDV data formatting is come before long ) .
ScopeBox can also be used in a modest videotape equipment room , so editor can double - jibe their video level while working on color chastening or while laying off to tape , where you might put hardware waveform and transmitter scope monitors in line for quality ascendance .
The program also has some special transcription ability so that you’re able to record as you flash on set , even at a compressed television scene . This very utilitarian feature net ball you watch your takes for performance without rewinding the videotape in the television camera .
I gave the HD version of ScopeBox a whirl on a PowerMac G5 Quad with an AJA Kona 2 carte du jour for the video input and I was reasonably impressed . The user interface is quite nice and visceral , with easily adjustable floating windows . And , once you have the layout you trust , you may save it .
The digital range rapidly give you an accurate read of the incoming video with a preview screen , vectorscopes , histograms and RGB parade . The Preview windowpane lets you also countersink Zebra patterns for both Luma and Chroma values , to warn you if your video is approach illegal values . There are also audio VU meter , although ScopeBox is currently trammel to only two channels ( a shortfall I ’d wish to see addressed in a future version ) . I hit one venial bug with the Waveform scene in HD mode , but the developer said he was already work on a localisation for it . On the whole , ScopeBox feels pretty solid for variant 1.0 package .
ScopeBox is a Universal Binary and works with all Intel and G5 Macs ( G4 Macs are supported , but the performance may sustain ) . The eminent - definition rendering costs $ 699 and the standard - definition version run $ 399 , and a demo adaptation is uncommitted . If you ’re in the securities industry for South Dakota and HD quality - assurance monitors , ScopeBox looks like a bully way to go .
