Baobab: Production Software

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Content Manager

DV Converter

LineupNX

Production Package

Budgeting

Tape Logging

Travel Expense

We have developed several products to aid television/video producers. Our latest product is Content Manager 1.01 a nifty utility designed for users of Adobe Premiere 6 or 6.5 non-linear editing software. DV Converter 2.3 is a powerful utility for producers using the DV Digital format. Our flagship package is called LineupNX - a newsroom or production management program that is in daily use in North America. In addition, we have a set of production productivity tools for documentary producers. The bundle consists of three powerful spreadsheet templates. Each of our products is described below. You can see our client list here.

Content Manager 1.01

Introducing a brand new tool for users of Adobe Premiere v5-6.5. Content Manager is a utility that helps you manage Premiere project and media files on your on-line hard drives and archives. It lets you make optimum use of both by letting you rename, move or delete unused material from Premiere projects. It will also help you restore project media files from off-line or archival storage locations so you can reconstruct older projects when a clients asks for an update. This program will save you time and grief and hard drive space. If you regularly backup projects to CD-ROM or DVD then this program is for you.

You can download a 20 day trial version from our web-site. After 20 days, registration that includes free upgrades and technical support, is just $39.95.

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PURCHASE NOW (But please download the trial version first)

DV Converter v2.3

This Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP utility is designed to make any Type 2 DV-AVI file readable on any PC with any DV capture card. Before DV Converter, a file captured with a Canopus DV Rex or Storm could not be viewed on a system that used the Pinnacle DV300 and so on. DV Converter can even make a DV-Rex file readable by QuickTime-based systems like those from Digital Origin (EditDV etc.).

With DV Converter you can:

Set up mixed capture solutions in the same shop, even have a DV edit station with no DV Capture card at all (You do need a software DV codec and there are some available on the Internet. See: The Silver List - Open System DV & IEEE-1394 Non-Linear Editing Solutions for PCs.)

Open and play any DV-.avi file that is sent to you over the Internet, regardless of the system used to capture it.

Prepare your DV-.avi files for use in a shop that does not have DV Converter.

Even set up distributed projects globally among DV producers, no matter what Windows-based system they are using.

Convert an entire directory of files in a single batch operation (registered version only)

Create Premiere readable timecode stamps in DV .avi files from any system and create low resolution, timecode-stamped copies for off-line work.

Correct timecode errors in DV .avi files that can be made by DV capture cards.

Create cross-platform raw DV files from captured Type 1 or Type 2 avi's

Switch many Sony VAIO and Matrox RT systems between PAL and NTSC operating modes.

For a complete list of features please visit our DV Converter Features page:
To see how your system can take advangate of DV Converter see our Info Page:

DV Converter v2.3 is fast and reliable. It does not touch the video or audio data itself in anyway. DV Converter is available now for download in a 30 day free trial version. If you like it, you can register it for just $US 50. You may pay by credit card via our secure server

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PURCHASE NOW(But please download the trial version first)

Documentary Production Package

This is a set of three spreadsheet templates which we provide as a package on CD-ROM. On the CD you get spread-sheet templates in Quattro Pro and Excel formats (Windows PC only) as well as a user guide to each template in Adobe Acrobat format. The price for the package is $398 US and that includes shipping via Federal Express to your location. You can order the set from our order/registration site.

a) Production Budget Template

This is a powerful project development tool. It uses the Telefilm Canadabudget categories and format, computes markups, overheads and contingenciesautomatically. Currently available in Quattro-Pro 6/7/8 format. Production Budget summary screen

Features:

Push button interface gives access to individual sub-account sheets.

The master budget summary page shows current status of each of 80 different budget categories. Keeps data about what you've budgeted, what you will charge your client, what you've spent.

Set overheads, markups and contingencies as desired. Simple dialogue boxes with "push button" access.

Travel planner lets you forecast trip expenses for up to 10 locations per project.

Mark individual budget lines to exclude markup or to be included as internal expenses

Cash flow page let's you forecast cash positions during the life of the project

There is a ledger page for each expense category. Ledger results are posted on the main budget summary page which keeps automatic percentages and budget positions. This allows instant comparisons between budgeted amounts and actual expenses

Computes sales taxes (both federal and provincial/state) where applicable, and tracks actual tax expenditures

For Canadian productions comes with template pages for computing talent fees under ACTRA agreements and includes templates for remittance statements. The template automatically handles fringe-benefit calculations, dues check-offs, cheques due to talent and cheques due to the union.

We can also provide a separate rate card spreadsheet which you can use to keep information about production service costs in your location. You can link cells in the rates sheet to cells in the budget. That way, if a supplier costs changes, all references to it will change in the budget automatically.

b) Tape Logging Template

Whether in the field or back at the production office, this is the most easy-handling tape logging tool you'll find. It doesn't bother with machine control or thumbnail images, but it does work wonders. Enter the starting time of each shot, the length of all shots is automatically computed. If you use Hi-8, you can log a tape in the field using the camcorder's time counter -- no need to re-log if and when you have dubs with proper timecode. You just enter a "timecode offset" and all the times in your log will adjust.

Logging template

c) Travel Expense Template

This spreadsheet template can be used on-location on a laptop, or ported to a PDA such as a Wizard, Zaurus, or Psion or into the spreadsheet in pocket computers using the new Windows CE operating system. It tracks location and trip expenses in a simple, easy-to-follow format and even contains a section for foreign currency conversion. The template uses standard expense categories and account numbers to match our Production Budget template (These are the Telefilm Canada categories and numbers). Travel expense template

Order the Production Package now for just $398 US

LineupNX v 1.5 for Windows NT/2000/XP

Now LineupNX has its own web-site -- Baobab.net/LineupNX/ If you are looking for a software package for your newsroom, production company, journalism classroom, or community cable setup, and can't afford the hundreds of thousands of dollars some companies charge, then LineupNX could be the solution for you. This easy-to-use program does just about every newsroom management job. It will run on a network or as a stand-alone program just for the Lineup Editor/Producer. You can define levels of access and our auto-update feature keeps a current lineup on the screens of all logged-in work stations--no matter what changes the Lineup Desk may make. The program has a teleprompter function and full intro and script editors.

And now there is more: LineupNX 1.5 has a built-in RSS news reader, the ability to use MS Word or Corel Word Perfect as a main text editor and much more.

LineupNX main data screen

Some key features:

Different desk views and access levels for the Desk, reporters, production, technical and administrative staff.

Keep more than two hundred items in every lineup

Eight data fields and four fields for supers and super times

Customizable field headings

Five status indicators give the Desk a continuous picture of the completion status of each item in the rundown

Control room timer counts down items, gives live light/heavy status during the show

Live-to-tape feature for pre-recorded shows

Sound and on-screen reminders ahead of key/super times and end of item

Large countdown clocks for running item and time to next event in the item

Integrated teleprompter accommodates rundown changes while the show is on the air. Rehearsal mode lets on-camera staff practice or pre-record individual scripts

Keeps outlook and future files for the Assignment Desk, clear workflow. In addition to day of week bins, keeps separate bins for baggers and outlooks.

All story notes and scripts stay the item, even if it is moved from one edition to another

Templates let you define formats for multiple newscasts

Status "lights" let the Lineup/Production desks monitor the completion state of every story in the show

Intuitive interface

Seven non-volatile clipboards (one for each day of the week) hold items dropped from the lineup. Stories can be easily moved from newscast to newscast. A feature story dropped from today's show can be retrieved into tomorrow's.

Merge feature lets you tag stories from one newscast that are to be repeated in a later one. Slugs, scripts and times all move with just a few key-strokes. For example, local stories from the supper-hour news can be moved with a couple of keystrokes to the late edition.

Integrated 2-column script-writing

Print the show scripts in order or by block or page number

Front and back-times are calculated instantly and are updated whenever the lineup is edited

Light/heavy status of the show is recalculated and displayed every time you change the lineup

Prints rundowns in several formats