NOVEMBER 12, 2002
Discreet Cleaner 6
Video encoding and interactive authoring suite for Macintosh
 by David Nagel
Page 4 of 4

So what else is new?
Performance and workflow enhancements alone in Cleaner 6 make this new version worth at least the upgrade price. But I don't want to give the impression that this is all Cleaner 6 has to offer. Far from it. [an error occurred while processing this directive] First of all, unlike Cleaner 5, the new version includes two-pass VBR MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 encoding. This was a feature previously available through the purchase of the MPEG Charger add-on software, which brought the total price up to $1,000. Now this feature is built into Cleaner.

Of course, being a fully QuickTime-aware application, it also gains support for QuickTime 6 and MPEG-4 video with AAC audio, with several customizable options. And it supports any codec supported by QuickTime, including third-party codecs.

And while we're on the topic of new formats, it also includes an integrated Kinoma encoding engine for outputting files for PalmOS-based PDAs, including Palm, Handspring, Sony and Kyocera.


Kinoma encoding options for PalmOS in Cleaner 6.

And it also offers improved filtering, with an engine that works in native YUV for fewer color conversions leading to higher quality and faster encoding. It supports:

  • Cropping and scaling
  • Deinterlacing
  • Filed shifts
  • Telecine
  • Blur
  • Static mask
  • Watermark
  • Gamma, brightness, hue, saturation and contrast adjustments
  • Black restore
  • White restore
  • QuickTiime effects
  • Audio adjustments to volume, noise removal, noise gate, notch, reverb, high pass, low pass and dynamic range

It also offers features found in other encoding applications (HTML generation, header compression, etc.), along with some extended metadata support.



Disappointments
I can find few flaws with Cleaner 6. Under Mac OS X 10.2.1, I was experiencing some crashing at the application level. But after updating to the newly released Mac OS X 10.2.2 and reinstalling the software, I have not experienced a crash yet.

One thing that might affect some of you (but not me) is the fact that RealSystem content has to be encoded under Mac OS 9, rather than Mac OS X, as the appropriate developer APIs for Real for OS X have not been available. For me, this is hardly a disappointment because, frankly, I've never been a fan of Real, particularly since their clients on the Mac are sloppy at best. I, for one, wouldn't burden a large portion of my audience with Real content at all. QuickTime, AVI, MPEG and Windows Media will cover it for any audience who might want to view or listen to your work.

The bottom line
Cleaner 6 is a fantastic update for anybody who uses Cleaner 5 and wants zippier performance and a ton of new features. At an upgrade price of $179, it's well worth it, especially if you want the added benefits of VBR MPEG encoding without the major expense of the old MPEG Charger software, which, incidentally, no longer exists. (The upgrade price is available for owners of valid Cleaner 5 and Media Cleaner Pro 4 serial numbers.) By itself, the full version of Cleaner 6 runs $599, which is in line with previous releases and wholly worth it for those who need fast, full-featured and quality encoding. And, again, in the bundle with Combustion 2 for $1,497, it's a Must Buy.

Discreet Cleaner 6 requires Mac OS 9.1 or higher or Mac OS X 10.1 or higher running on a G3 processor or better. For Real encoding, it requires Mac OS 9. A Windows version is expected to be released next year. For more information, visit http://www.discreet.com.

Contact the author: Dave Nagel is the producer of Creative Mac and Digital Media Designer; host of several World Wide User Groups, including Synthetik Studio Artist, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe LiveMotion, Creative Mac and Digital Media Designer; and executive producer of the Digital Media Net family of publications. You can reach him at dnagel@digitalmedianet.com.

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