Quote Originally Posted by samsc
alpha channels are total performance hog.

They have to be uncompressed to work properly.

You need to play around with the animation codec.
When we did the RMA's i rendered the RMA - on screen logo using the animation codec.

Live to air scares me....
This is a good point Richard, performance must be able to keep up with things like uncompressed alpha channels. This is why I am trying to find the fastest method of storage available for uncompressed.

In the TV world, all of the video servers have this capability and it is very difficult to compete with them or even coexist with them if you don't have this ability with Catalyst. Catalyst is heaps more flexible than most of them but this one feature would give those who program Catalyst in the everyday TV world to be able to matte a logo or lower 3rd layer on another piece the proper way. Trans black or White has been a godsend but with pieces that have black or white in them...

What ends up happening is that the producers have to pay the editors or AE people to deal with this problem and the costs associated with it make it less appealing.

This is just one of those things that is a hinderance in the TV world because directors and producers would like to have the flexibility to matte things like sponsor logos and band names on whatever content one happens to be playing at the time. Does anyone else ever get this request or just me? I can see that this wouldn't be an issue in the touring or theater world as there is slightly more time to put together a premultiplied or already matted piece against a planned layer.

Christian