iQ, what is it, what is it for?

The essence of this development represents the search for adequate answers to questions that post-production companies around the world have been asking themselves and that, in short, are reduced to the desire to find:

1. A method that allows maximum use of the rooms and systems in which they have invested, regardless of who the manufacturer of that equipment is;
2. A system capable of working in any format and at any resolution, avoiding "bottlenecks" and insufferables - both for customers and operators - waiting times in renders and similar operations.

That is why iQ is much more than a new machine launched on the market of high technology in manipulation and image processing. Even though it is, as it is, an extremely sophisticated and powerful tool, it is necessary to separate two aspects in iQ: the architecture (the concept) and the platform (the multi-resolution editing suite ).

iQ is, in itself, a powerful image processing platform capable of manipulating any combination of resolutions and producing results interactively in real time thanks to Quantel's hardware and disk technology. On the other hand, working over a Clipnet gigabit Ethernet network ensures connectivity between systems.

iQ also integrates a standard PC computer with Windows 2000 operating system, which transforms it into a fully open platform, capable of recognizing and managing third-party applications and plug-ins, which can exploit the potential of Quantel hardware to offer very high processing speeds. iQ thus combines the performance and quality of dedicated hardware , with the flexibility offered by the richness of PC software .

Although it can function as a central manager of all the resources of a post-producer, as a standalone unit iQ is a non-linear HD online video editing suite that incorporates the classic tools of a traditional room.

Each iQ system includes "Qedit", a timeline editing application for long format and multi-resolution, which allows you to edit received materials in any TV standard, bit depth, color space or sweep method, including High Definition (HD). By keeping all the material on disc in its original format and uncompressed, the highest output quality is guaranteed at all times, without any degradation. This is what Quantel calls Coexisting Resolution.

The set of cutting-edge technology applied to sophisticated post-production equipment would be greatly reduced if its practical applications did not represent tangible advantages in today's specific post-production world. That is what iQ offers: a concrete and proven solution in solving today's problems, while paying attention to the needs of the future.

With iQ, post-production companies can accept any work that would otherwise be limited by issues arising from conflicts of resolution, format, standard of origin or output of the material, etc. The four hours of real random access disk storage for HD material that naturally increases proportionally when we talk about materials of various original resolutions, will always make any job, small or large, possible.

Any modern editing suite should possess titling and character generation capabilities, retouching, etc. In iQ these tools are offered through "Qscribe", and "Qpaint", which fully exploit the co-existing resolution capacity of iQ. Inscriber Corporation's real-time character generator is built directly into the system, while Qpaint offers a version of Quantel's Paintbox with the graphic effects of Alias' Paint Efffects software | Waverfront.

If we add to all the above the unsurpassed speed of iQ, the result is the first truly viable long-form non-linear HD editing system, capable of manipulating totally uncompressed material, producing extraordinary results in a fraction of the time required by any other HD solution, both those based on tape, such as non-linear ones. This ability to operate with uncompressed HD also means that the results can be produced directly for release in cinemas.

iQ not only supports third-party applications that run directly on the platform, but allows any connected system, from Editbox to 3D stations, to share its material database and efficiently manipulate all the input/output conversions that currently slow down standard computer-based systems. With Quantel's iQ, the post-producer is able to combine all the right tools and creative talent necessary for every aspect of each job, with an obvious increase in quality, speed and productivity.

iQ works with the same convenience connected to other Quantel systems. For example, with a networked Editbox FX, iQ offers new versions and workflow capability for any output format, while Editbox FX brings to the network its powerful SD editing capability and effects, thus increasing workflow and results again.

Without a doubt, iQ is the fastest, most powerful and versatile video processing system on the planet. It also provides the backbone for the networked integrated workflow models that the post-production industry is increasingly moving towards.

As the number of channels multiplies, from terrestrial and satellite TV, HD or DVD, to broadband internet and digital cinema, the keys to success for a post-production company will be quality, processing capacity and the possibility of making different versions and for different purposes. iQ is placed at the heart of this new and difficult world.

Digital technology is unifying everything and new multimedia methods, both transmission and acquisition, demand greater flexibility from everyone: producers, post-producers, directors, etc. It is clear that in this situation, those companies that offer the customer a wider range of work possibilities, speed, efficiency and quality, will win the race of the competition.

When it functions as an administrative center for the management of equipment and systems of a post-producer, iQ can perform, manage, or control multiple tasks that, added to those of the HD edition that it performs in real time, and at maximum resolution, allow to identify sufficient production levels so that iQ is not only the engine of the modern post-producers, but a cost-effective solution of rapid amortization.

Another important element in terms of the profitability of the team is the fact that the iQ platform will never be obsolete, since it has an architecture open to updates, both of the proprietary elements of Quantel and of the applications of third parties. That's why users can benefit from future advances in iQ technology, applications, and even operating systems.

The enthusiasm with which iQ has been received by the most important developers in the industry also ensures that its use and the range of possibilities in terms of applications and implementations will be as wide as the imagination of users. A broad group of leaders in software development are already working on applications and plug-ins for iQ, with products ranging from effects plug-ins to retouching, character generators and keying technology. Those companies include Alias| Wavefront, Boris FX, Inscriber, Panasonic, Philips, Photron, Sony, Ultimatte, Unique ID, and 5D.

iQ serves, basically, for everything that a modern post-production company may need, from the management and control of its networked systems and tools, through its use as an autonomous HD editing unit or even as an element of a production line: as a unit of assembly, acceleration of 3D graphic elements, animation, rendering of effects, as an extension of the rest of the installed rooms.

There is no single answer to that initial question, because Quantel has designed a technology and a machine open to the imagination. Therefore, the most appropriate answer to the question "what is iQ for?" is simply: "for whatever you need it".