New SSDs and NLEs feature in this week's news roundup

Here's another roundup of some of the stories from the last week that you might have missed, including new calibration tools for Apple's Pro Display XDR and a new NLE.

Apple Introduces Calibration Tool for Pro Display XDR

The 32-inch 6K Pro Display XDR from Apple is a top-notch professional monitor that pairs perfectly with their late 2019 Mac Pro systems, and really any of their Macs. A new firmware update (display firmware Ver. 4.2.30) adds the new Calibration App to fine-tune the color accuracy of the display.

The display costs $6,000 USD, which can be considered affordable when compared to pro-level monitors major productions use, sometimes costing $20,00 to 30,000. Calibrating the Pro Display XDR may also require special tools that can cost as much as Apple's display, but the importance of color accuracy in different scenarios is important.

To update, ensure your computer's macOS is at 10.15.6 or later, and click the Apple icon at the top, About this Computer, Systems Report, and Graphics/Displays. You'll see the display firmware, and will be able to update. To learn more about the Pro Display XDR, visit Apple's site.

Sony Updates Catalyst Browse and Catalyst Prepare

Sony's Catalyst Prepare.

If you're filming and editing in Sony's XAVC S and XAVC H codecs, the Catalyst Brows and Catalyst Prepare apps are very useful tools. Both have been updated to version 2020.1.

Catalyst Browse is free for macOS and Windows, and allows you to go through clips directly on the card, add LUTs or global color correction to the footage, stabilize footage, and even make changes to metadata. From there, you add the clips to a drive for editing in your preferred NLE. The update adds support for  XAVC S (AVC) / XAVC HS (HEVC), previewing with 48 kHz, 4-channel, 24-bit audio, bug fixes, and much more.

Catalyst Prepare (2020.1) is a subscription-based app and is essentially a pro-level version of Browse. In addition to the updates seen in Catalyst Browse, they've included Adjust SR Live and Use SR Live metadata features, plus displaying SR Live metadata in the Inspector pane (under the File tab).

The cost of Catalyst Prepare is $14.95/month, although there are some savings with an annual subscription at $149.95. Learn more about Catalyst Browse here and Catalyst Prepare here, and download both 2020.1 updates (note: Catalyst Prepare is a free update for subscribers). 

Mushkin Unveils ALPHA 4 TB and 8 TB NVMe SSD

If you're looking for new storage options, Mushkin has announced their ALPHA NVMe SSD in 4 TB and 8 TB capacities. As more and more cameras and NLEs support HDR and higher resolutions up to 12K, the need for fast and abundant storage is crucial.

Among the ALPHA SSDs key features, they can read up to 3300 MB/s and write up to 3000 MB/s. The 4 TB model costs $649.99 and the 8 TB option is $1605.99. Learn more about these new SSDs at Mushkin's site.

Affordable, Entry-Level PowerDirector 365 Video Editor now Available for Mac 

The company behind PowerDirector 365, CyberLink, has announced a macOS version of their affordable video editing software. Previously only available for Windows, the software starts at $3.75 USD a month for a subscription. It's available for iOS and Android mobile devices.

PowerDirector 365's UI could be considered entry-level, but they do have some interesting features, including a large number of tools for editing, masks, keyframes, effects, 4K support, and more. It's an app that would be ideal for those getting started with video editing, and then moving up to an NLE like DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro X, Avid Media Composer, and Premiere Pro. Learn more and purchase a license here.