PHYSICS

Early users of X-Factor by GridIron Software, a plug-in for Adobe After Effects, are seeing dramatic improvements to their digital media rendering and editing applications due to increased computing power provided by grid computing technology. The X-Factor plug in uses grid computing to increase the speed of the preview and rendering capabilities of Adobe After Effects Professional 6.5 by dividing and distributing the work ordinarily performed on a single computer among several computers joined together in a network. GridIron Software, a leading developer of grid computing solutions, is offering a special pre-release introduction of X-Factor for Adobe After Effects 6.5, which provides faster preview processing and rendering of motion graphics and effects for film, video, DVD and the Web. GridIron is demonstrating X-Factor this week in Las Vegas in the Adobe booth ((number sign)SL4730) at the National Association of Broadcasters convention, the world's largest electronic media show. Black Cherry Digital Media is a production company that uses Adobe After Effects extensively for creating corporate videos, broadcast segments and television commercials that can require several hours or even days to render. "The newly added grid capability is not just an evolution in the performance of After Effects, but a revolution in digital video production workflow," said John Seck, CEO of Black Cherry Digital Media. "X-Factor has not only improved my productivity, it lets me create extremely complex and high resolution compositions using After Effects that I would never even attempt before. This is a must have plug-in for any power After Effects user who wants to push the boundaries of their creativity." NAB attendees will see X-Factor by GridIron complete preview processing and rendering twice as fast on two computers than on one, three times as fast on three computers, and so on. Unlike a render farm, which uses multiple computers for the final rendering of frames at the end of a project, X-Factor speeds up processing while After Effects 6.5 is being used. Furthermore, preview processing and rendering take place in the background, allowing the full computing power of the After Effects workstation to be used for other tasks at the same time. X-Factor represents the first time grid computing technology has been offered with a commercial software product for consumers and small-to-medium businesses. The introduction of grid computing technology for use with digital content creation applications underscores the need for abundant, low-cost processing power, particularly as broadcast production migrates rapidly to high-definition standards. "With Adobe's pioneering implementation of GridIron technology, grid computing has found practical use outside of traditional high performance computing applications in academia and large enterprises," said Steve Forde, co-founder and president of GridIron. "This industry first underscores our mission to simplify the previously complex and difficult task of coding software applications to run faster in parallel on multiple computers for consumers and enterprises of all sizes." "X-Factor makes it easy and affordable for Adobe After Effects users to realize impressive gains in productivity," said Dave Trescot, senior director of Digital Video for Adobe. "X-Factor greatly extends the value of After Effects by reducing time and processing limitations. Adobe After Effects Professional users can now spend less time rendering and invest more time in their creative efforts." Dave Trescot will showcase X-Factor in his NAB SuperSession presentation, "The High-Def Desktop" on Monday at 10:45am in the Las Vegas Convention Center, room (number sign)S219. Pricing and Availability X-Factor will be available in the second calendar quarter, coinciding with the release of Adobe After Effects 6.5. The basic version of X-Factor, which allows use of X-Factor with Adobe After Effects Professional 6.5 on two additional computers to double the speed of preview processing and rendering, will be available at no charge. It can be accessed through the After Effects installation screen or at http://www.gridironxfactor.com/download. X-Factor Plus is available for $99 per CPU, which allows X-Factor to run on more than two computers and additional features to efficiently manage multiple remote computers, such as selecting which computers to use, checking for the availability of plug-ins and fonts, and distributing or deleting source footage. At $1,995, X-Factor Unlimited provides all the features of X- Factor Plus and allows X-Factor to use an unlimited number of additional computers. The X-Factor Plus and Unlimited license upgrades can be purchased at http://www.gridironxfactor.com. GridIron will accept advance purchases of X-Factor Unlimited during NAB at a special pre-release price of $1,495.