Yesterday we released CinePlay 1.1 for Mac, a major update to our professional media player.

Audio playback

CinePlay will now play back WAV, MP3, M4A and AIFF audio files.

Playhead ganging

Link multiple videos together and play them back at the same time. This is really useful for comparing two versions of a shot side-by-side.

Playlists

Create and play back M3U playlists.

Kollaborate Synced Sessions

Allow colleagues to remotely control playback so that you can both watch a video at the same time.

Customizable safe areas

We've had a lot of requests for it - safe areas are now customizable. This is useful because broadcasters sometimes have different safe area specs.

Kollaborate changes

Many changes to Kollaborate cloud functionality, including cmd-clicking to open a revision in a new window (this works really well with the new ganging feature), an overhaul of the Kollaborate file browser to allow sorting by date and file size, and switching to a revision now keeps the playhead in the same place instead of going back to the beginning.

Other changes

• Previous playback position is remembered (this can be switched off in prefs)
• Play around frame and play in to out options added
• Playback loop option
• Added an option to only play audio from frontmost window
• Kollaborate file browser shows which files are unviewed
• Press Cmd+Opt+E to export the current frame to the desktop without stopping playback
• Prevented the screen from dimming during playback
• Mouse cursor hides in full screen
• Marker editing dialog is multi-line
• Overhauled the timecode dialog
• Added a Trim menu option
• Fixed an issue where it may be difficult to add a marker in full screen
• Fixed an issue where it may not be possible to select all text in the marker popup
• Fixed an issue where export progress may be inaccurate
• Fixed a crash that could occur when closing a movie
• Various other bug fixes, tweaks and optimizations

CinePlay is an invaluable tool for video professionals. To find out more, see the feature list, watch the overview video, read the user manual or download the free 15-day trial. All cloud functionality is free for Kollaborate users.

Last week we released CinePlay 1.4 for iOS, a major update for our professional iOS media player.

Audio playback

CinePlay can now play back audio files in addition to video. It can play back audio files located at a URL, stored on Kollaborate, stored on Dropbox or added via the File Sharing dialog in iTunes.

Audio playback has the same features as video playback, including draggable timecode overlays and marker support on the iPad.

Improved cloud integration

We've made many improvements to CinePlay's integration with our cloud workflow platform, Kollaborate, including adding blue dots next to each file to show if it is unviewed and improving the reliability of downloads.

CinePlay for iOS is an invaluable screening tool for video professionals, offering professional features like timecode, safe areas and markers. To find out more, view the feature list, watch the overview video, read the user manual or buy CinePlay on iTunes.

If you're looking to test CinePlay before buying, sign up for the Kollaborate trial (no credit card needed) and download the free Kollaborate edition of CinePlay.

We've just released Cut Notes 2.3, a major new version of our iPad note-taking app for media professionals.

Autosave Vault

Up to 10 copies of a cut are now backed up automatically and can be restored from the Cut Browser. The number of notes is shown to help you determine which backup is correct in the case of accidental note deletion.

Hold improvements

We've changed the hold behavior to be similar to version 1.x of Cut Notes. You can now tap the timecode display to hold (turning it blue), then tap a range of notes to have them appended to the held timecode position. To unhold, tap the timecode display again.

Improved Kollaborate integration

You can now take notes on audio files stored on Kollaborate. Cut Notes also indicates which Kollaborate files have not been viewed.

Several other changes were made and the full list can be viewed here.

Cut Notes is an essential companion app for media professionals. To find out more, visit the Cut Notes site, read the user manual, watch the overview video or download from the App Store.

Last week we released Pro Maintenance Tools 2.0.23, a minor update to our flagship suite of maintenance and optimization tools for your NLE.

Improved host app support

This version adds support for the new changes in Adobe Creative Cloud 2014 and FCPX 10.1.2.

Autosave Manager FCPX support

Autosave Manager now allows you to view, manage and restore the automatic project backups FCPX creates.

Please note that for technical reasons the "Send to Application" button works differently in FCPX as it backs up the old project and restores the backup, as opposed to other applications where the backup can be viewed without restoring it.

Preference Manager 4.2

Pro Maintenance Tools includes Preference Manager 4.2, with new features including Adobe CC 2014 and Lightworks support.

ColorSync cache support in System Toolkit

System Toolkit can now automatically trash the ColorSync cache which is known to fix certain display issues in FCPX and Adobe Premiere.

This is a subset of the changes in this version and the full list of changes can be viewed here.

Pro Maintenance Tools is an essential toolkit for media professionals that is used by freelancers and major studios alike. To find out more, view the feature list, read the user manual, watch the overview video or download the free 15-day trial.

We earlier released Preference Manager 4.2, a major update to our free NLE preference management tool.

In this version we've added support for the new Adobe Creative Cloud 2014 update and also tentative support for the Lightworks beta for Mac.

We've also made several other changes and bug fixes, the full list of which is available here.

Preference Manager is an essential free tool for video professionals. To find out more read the user manual, watch the overview video or download it free.

Last week we released Kollaborate Server 1.1.1 which brings all of the changes in Kollaborate 1.1.1 plus many other server-specific changes.

Link Expiration

Shared links can now be set to automatically expire after a certain time period, allowing you to limit access to a file to prevent abuse. This feature is optional and you can still create permanent links as before if you wish.

Notification overhaul

Site navigation has been streamlined and the Dashboard page is gone. In its place we are now showing alerts on a per-page basis. In the Files section we also provide a list of which files are new or have changes, making it much more intuitive to get up to speed on what's new within a project.

Other changes

• Project history - Shows last project access date and allows you to sort by it
• Users can leave a project they were invited to
• Projects can be archived
• Added unsubscription links to automatically-generated emails
• Apps now contribute to file view counts and trigger viewing receipts
• More secure passwords are now enforced for new users and users who change their password
• Password resets now send a confirmation email instead of resetting immediately
• Simpified the comment box UI
• Auto-pause is now on by default
• Comment replies show who the author of each comment is when combining into a marker list
• Private projects no longer show user counts on the Projects page
• When "Do not display contact information" is set for a project, it will still show your own information to you
• All Shares now shows recipients
• Fixed an issue where emails could have newlines inserted at random
• Fixed an issue where emails sent by apps may not be subject to filtering prefs
• Fixed an issue where switching off comments in a link may not switch them off
• Various UI tweaks
• Various installer improvements

Kollaborate Transfer 1.1.2

Kollaborate Server is a version of the Kollaborate cloud workflow platform that you can run in-house on your own servers and storage, with improved customization. To find out more about Kollaborate, view the feature list, read the Kollaborate Server documentation or sign up for the free 15-day cloud trial.

Today we launched Kollaborate 1.1.1 onto the cloud, featuring many tweaks and improvements to the site.

Link expiration

Shared links can now be set to automatically expire after a certain time period, allowing you to limit access to a file to prevent abuse. This feature is optional and you can still create permanent links as before if you wish.

Notification overhaul

Site navigation has been streamlined and the Dashboard page is gone. In its place we are now showing alerts on a per-page basis. In the Files section we also provide a list of which files are new or have changes, making it much more intuitive to get up to speed on what's new within a project.

Additionally, we have added unsubscription links to the automatic emails sent out by the site, making it easy for less technical users to limit the notifications they receive without needing to login to their profile.

Project changes

We've made many small changes to the Projects section of the site. Projects are now either Active or Archived and a project that is completed can still be listed as active if you wish.

Managing lots of projects is simpler because the last time you accessed the project is now logged, pushing the most recent projects to the top of the list by default to make them easier to find.

Additionally, it is now possible for a user invited by someone else to a project to leave that project.

App improvements

We're working to make our helper tools more consistent with the features of the web interface and apps like CinePlay now contribute to view counts and trigger viewing receipts.

Other changes

• Combining comments by timecode is more intelligent about attributing replies to their original author
• Secure passwords are now enforced for new users and existing ones who change their password
• Overhaul the password reset feature
• Private projects no longer show users counts on the Projects page
• When "Do not display contact information" is set for a project, it will still show your own information to you
• Fixed an issue where emails sent by apps may not be subject to email filtering preferences
• Simpified the comment box
• Auto-pause is now on by default
• Many many UI tweaks

Kollaborate Transfer 1.1

We also launched Kollaborate Transfer 1.1, a major new update to our free encoding and uploading tool. This features significantly faster encoding speeds for H.264 and ProRes source media, along with the option to embed a watermark image in the file.

Kollaborate is a cloud workflow platform that brings Digital Rebellion apps together to help you work better with your team. To find out more read the feature list or sign up for the free 15-day trial (no credit card needed).

We're pleased to launch Marker Import for Windows, a free application for importing your Cut Notes and Kollaborate notes into Adobe Premiere Pro for PC.

Much like the current Mac version, it can remove existing markers from the sequence and even offset markers if the timecode is incorrect.

Both the Mac and PC versions of Marker Import are free downloads from the sidebar on the Cut Notes site or Kollaborate Resources page. A user manual with a usage tutorial is available here.

Earlier this week we released Pro Maintenance Tools 2.0.22, a minor update to our suite of troubleshooting and repair tools for your NLE.

Fix for Compressor 4.1 "Unable to submit to queue" error

Compressor Repair can now fix instances of the common "Unable to submit to queue" error in Compressor 4.1. This is a better solution than Apple's official advice because you do not lose custom settings and destinations.

Fix for QuickTime Player X unresponsive UI

Housekeeper can fix an issue occurring for some users who upgraded from OS X 10.6 to a later version of OS X and can no longer use the playback controls in QuickTime Player X.

Media Salvage UI simplification

We've also simplified the Media Salvage user interface. The Output Format dropdown now only shows codecs and frame size and frame rate settings are now set in the columns to the right.

The full list of changes in Pro Maintenance Tools 2.0.22 is here.

Pro Maintenance Tools is an essential toolkit for maintaining, optimizing and troubleshooting your editing system. To find out more see the feature list, read the user manual, watch the overview video or download the free 15-day trial.

Yesterday we released Pro Media Tools 1.2.1, a minor update to our suite of media management tools.

Video Check flash frame overhaul

We've overhauled flash frame detection in Video Check, which not only offers more reliable detection but also allows you to manually specify the maximum length of a flash frame to search for. Also, when showing a flash frame in the results view, the length of the flash is now specified.

QT Edit batch timecode import

QT Edit can now import timecode from a range of files in a batch. Go to File > New Batch and import a range of files that you want to apply timecode to. Then select the "Create timecode track from QuickTime movie" Quick Task and browse for a folder containing movie files with identical filenames to those in the batch.

This functionality is very useful for situations where you've processed dailies with another application that has stripped the timecode out of the files and need to restore the timecode back again.

There were a few other minor changes in this version which you can read about here.

Pro Media Tools is an invaluable toolkit to help editors and post production professionals enhance their media management workflows. To find out more view the feature list, read the user manual, watch the overview video or download the free 15-day trial.