Seamless Multiformat Delivery.
When your projects are ready for delivery, let Final Cut Server do the work for you. Final Cut Server automates Compressor to simultaneously execute a variety of encoding, resizing, and retiming tasks — all at pristine quality.
Pristine encoding and frame conversions
Compressor, Apple’s encoding application, is included with Final Cut Server. It uses optical flow technology to analyze media on a frame-by-frame basis and algorithmically produce conversions at astonishing quality. Choose from a wide range of encoding and transformation options in Compressor and then access those settings through Final Cut Server. You can use Final Cut Server to automate format conversions; retiming; scaling, cropping, and padding; video filters, including animated overlays; and metadata integration.
Broad format support
Final Cut Server uses the Compressor engine to encode MPEG-2 and H.264 files, as well as various QuickTime formats — including Apple ProRes 422 and formats for iPod and Apple TV. For even more options, you can add the Episode Pro plug-in from Telestream to encode to VC-1, WMV, GXF, and FLV formats, as well as High Profile H.264 and a number of third-party proprietary broadcast server formats.
Batch processing
The automation tools in Final Cut Server allow you to simultaneously encode multiple formats from the same source file or even from multiple source files. For example, when a project’s status is changed to “Publish,” Final Cut Server can launch encoding for web delivery and broadcast formats at the same time.
Time-saving templates
You can use Compressor to configure sequences of encoding and conversion steps, then save the sequences as Final Cut Server templates with easy-to-understand names such as “Web Delivery.” By representing complicated format conversions as a single menu item, templates make it easier to offload operational work to nontechnical users.
Distributed encoding
The Qmaster distributed encoding application included in Compressor 3 allows you to use multiple computers and even multiple processors in each computer to optimize the use of computing resources during encoding. Use the Auto Cluster feature in Qmaster to quickly define clusters, then use Final Cut Server to direct specific jobs to the cluster or clusters you select. You can also schedule processing-intensive work to occur during off-hours and even direct jobs to processors in individual workstations on an opt-in basis.
Delivery to external systems
Use scripted responses in Final Cut Server to automate delivery to external systems, such as web servers, broadcast servers, or archive systems. You can easily export metadata to meet the requirements of special-purpose workflows such as broadcast traffic systems.
