NewTek Upgrades to SpeedEdit 1.2

July 6, 2007 – NewTek, the Texas-based manufacturer of the Video Toaster and other broadcast products, yesterday released a major update to its first generation NLE, SpeedEdit. Version 1.2 includes new features for DVCPro HD file reading, WMV HD and VC-1 file writing, and additional HD rendering presets. NewTek has also stated that a number of issues found on the previous version have been resolved. SpeedEdit retails for $495. The upgrade is free to existing owners.

 

Purported to be the “world’s fastest editor,” SpeedEdit was originally released in January of this year. The interface is resolution and frame-rate independent, allowing for HD and SD file formats to coexist in the same timeline. From the first release, SpeedEdit offered editing in native file formats, realtime full-res HD previews, realtime up- and down-conversion, and realtime 3D animation.

 

The SpeedEdit 1.2 upgrade includes VST audio filter plug-in support, realtime output to NewTek video cards, timecode burn-in, more DVD writing options, and improved performance and stability. A new “force I-frame at Project Marker” feature automatically compels the DVD chapter cuts to be set only on I-frames.  NewTek has stated that problems like lock-up during MPEG playback, memory leaks during DV scrubbing, and overly memory-intensive TARGA sequencing have been addressed in the upgrade.

 

SpeedEdit retails for $495 and can be downloaded, along with the upgrade, from NewTek’s product page.