Final Cut Pro to gain IMX, P2 support

In an unorthodox move, Apple has reveald some of the new features planned for forthcoming versions of its professional video editing software.

Speaking at the popular European film and broadcast event, IBC, Apple Computer disclosed some of the new features planned for the next version of Final Cut Pro.

According to Digit, the future version of Apple's non-linear editing (NLE) software will gain support for MPEG-2 IMX, and Panasonic's P2 format. The addition of the extra formats is a result of new found partnerships between Apple and third parties, the publication says.

MPEG-2 IMX is a breed of the MPEG codec used in camcorders such as Sony's MSW900 and PDW530, which produce higher quality footage than conventional MPEG-2. Only high-end systems such Sony's XPRI and Pinnacle's Liquid Blue currently support the format.

Meanwhile, P2 is a camcorder media format designed to be more robust than tape media. The technology is based around 2GB and 4GB PCMCIA media cards that act as hard drives in Panasonic's AJ-SPX800 camera. The cards can also be inserted into a laptop's PCMCIA slot, though the driver support is currently limited to Windows 2000/XP PCs.

In April Apple announced Final Cut Pro HD, an upgrade to Final Cut Pro 4.0 that delivers real-time performance of high-quality native DVCPRO HD in addition to real-time support for DV and SD. The release also added the ability to capture, edit and output broadcast-quality high definition (HD) video over a single FireWire cable, without requiring any additional hardware.