We&qout;ll define “”flagship”” as having all of the following:

* can handle DV, MPEG and uncompressed editing with equal ease
* provide all kinds of inputs and outputs, from legacy analog component and SDI, to DV and SDTI
* output to streaming and DVD formats
* allow collaborative (network) editing, seamless media management and archiving
* Provide a path to HD editing and I/O
* All for less money than an entry level Lexus, or at least, the nearest competitor
* all with an elegant and easy to use editing interface.

The funny part is that such a thing does not yet exist, even if we exclude the HDTV capability for now. There is no single solution out there that can handle DV, MPEG2 and uncompressed video natively, along with professional editing features such as powerful color correction, background rendering and collaborative editing.

The hardware does in fact already exist – Targa 3000, having most of the necessary “”flagship”” capabilities, except maybe realtime 3D and HD editing. The key thing that&qout;s been missing, is a decent editing software to make the hardware sing.

Enter Pinnacle Chrome – the new member Pinnacle Liquid family, that is poised to marry Targa 3000&qout;s unique and powerful hardware capabilities with the sleek interface and professional features of Liquid editing software.

The result is a stunningly powerful turnkey editing system for $25K (just add storage). Pinnacle will be showing Chrome at NAB &qout;03, and plans to start shipping it in the summer of this year.

Existing T3K owners who wish to upgrade to Chrome, can purchase this upgrade for $5K, and it will include Chrome software and K2, a 3D DVE module that snaps into T3K&qout;s back.

Initial limitations. InTime rendering accelerators are not yet available for Chrome. DV/FireWire I/O will not work in the initial release of Chrome software either.

Something to wish for. One – HDTV editing capability, of course. Two – let integrators configure their own Chrome systems, i.e. make Chrome “”open””. Historically, “”open”” systems always had a larger market penetration, DigiSuite LE being a perfect example. Making Chrome “”closed””, i.e. only available as a “”fixed”” pre-configured turnkey (based on HP XW8000 workstation) may ease technical support headaches, yet is bound to severely limit the number of prospective buyers.

In summary, Chrome is a very exciting product of great hardware marrying great software. We will continue updating this page as we learn more about Chrome, and of course the best source of up-to-date information is the Chrome Forum (see link above).