CineSoft Ltd. launches a new version of the most popular Cerebro plugin – Mirada player.

A new version of Mirada, named Mirada Pro offers four advanced features:

• Stereoscopic 3D support,
• Online reviewing sessions,
• Color grading,
• Reviews saved as standalone files in a user defined folder.

1. Stereoscopic 3D Support

Cerebro professional users get a unique tool for watching images and videos in stereoscopic 3D format and what is more noticeable – this tool allows to draw stereoscopic comments as well, i.e., they are parallax adjustable!

Mirada Pro supports 5 stereoscopic modes:

–  OpenGL Quad Buffering Mode based on NVIDIA 3DVision Pro hardware technology.

This mode requires an  NVIDIA Quadro series graphic controller as well as shutter eyeglasses and an emitter (NVIDIA 3DVision Kit).

– Anaglyph Mode. You’ll need special eyeglasses with red and cyan color filters.

Alongside with the described above modes Mirada Pro offers a special mode for preview theaters (review rooms) – Dual Screen Output. This mode allows to project two separate videostreams via paired projectors and filter the streams by polarized eyeglasses. A dual video output graphic controller is required to run this mode.

If a user’s graphic controller doesn’t support any of the above modes Mirada Pro offers two monoscopic modes – Source and One Side Only. The first one displays the picture “as is”, the second one displays a half of it, either “left eye” or “right eye” depending on user’s choice.

2. Online Reviewing Sessions

Mirada Pro offers a special tool named Online Reviewing Session. This tool allows several remoted users to establish an Internet connection, share the session link and watch simultaneously not only the content played back by Mirada Pro but each other’s actions as well (mouse cursor movements, timeline shifts, picture zoom and pan).

This mode is based on more progressive technologies than trendy screen sharing, and they makes it possible to share and review high quality images or videofiles on pretty slow Internet connections.

3. Color grading

Tools -> Color Grading menu adjusts Gamma and Exposure and switches on/off Linear to Logarithmic mode:

OpenGL library makes it possible for Mirada Pro to use Color Grading even with RAW formats (or other formats with more than 8 bits per color channel).

4. Reviews Saved as Standalone Files

This option lets a user save a review as a separate file to a defined folder if for some reason he (she) doesn’t want to publish it immediately in a Cerebro forum thread.

More information

• Mirada Versions Comparison Mirada и Mirada Pro
• Full documentation about Mirada Pro

How Do I Get Mirada Pro?

Starting with build 5794 by June 17, 2011 Mirada Pro is included in standard Cerebro installation packages for Windows, MacOS and Linux. Pro functions unlock after a special product key activation. Mirada Pro is available for all Cerebro pricing plans, including Free Demo.

A product key can be purchased by either of two possible ways:

1) Via Cerebro Web Interface (Main Menu -> Account -> Buy Mirada Pro);

2) Contacting CineSoft directly.

Product keys can be issued for 1, 3, 6, 12 months of validity or for an unlimited time.

Please note that Mirada Pro product keys are “node-locked”, i.e., bound to a particular workstation – this policy is opposite to Cerebro traditional “floating licenses”. We must take into account that unlike Cerebro, Mirada Pro is a highly specialized toolkit required by a comparatively small part of a whole facility. So, this licensing approach seems to be more economically effective in terms of company’s software assets and investments. Besides, Pro functions have rather specific hardware requirements and therefore it doesn’t make much sense in installing Mirada Pro on every PC in the house.

April 4-7 Central House of Artists (Moscow) hosts Design I Reklama 2011, the 17th Exhibition of Advertising Industry.

Our participation in the event will be our first step to focus on advertising market where we’ll offer Cerebro as a project management solution for full-cycle campaigns, from planning and creative ideas through production and media.

At our booth you’ll meet Cerebro developers and CineSoft management and will have a chance to ask questions and “push all those buttons”.

Looking forward to meeting you there!

Venue: Booth No.9-17, Central House of Artists, 10, Krymsky val, Moscow.

Additional info about the exhibition is here.

We’ve started Cerebro for iOS beta testing. This version is built for Apple Inc. mobile devices – iPad и iPhone.

A month ago we invited iPad users only to test new fetures of this version and today we gladly welcome all iPhone users as well!

If you wish to join our testing team please submit your request to: khar@cinesoft.ru !

April 8-10, 2011 Saint Petersburg hosts The First Annual Gaming and 3D Industry Conference – OGIC.

On April 9, during the Day of CGI & 3D, we’ll take the floor with our seminar – “Media Project Management Systems”.

Our CEO, Konstantin Kharitonov, will touch upon the following common issues:

• How to shorten production cycle?
• How to reduce iterations on comments and revisions?
• How to transfer information between people without loss or misunderstandings?
• How can one say / write things that can be hardly expressed by words?
• How vendors and freelancers can be managed and controlled?

Venue: Petrocongress Hall, 5, Lodeinopolskaya street, Saint Petersburg, Russia

See you there!

PS: if your company resides in Saint Petersburg we can arrange a separate presentation of Cerebro for your stuff one of these days. It will be absolutely free, at a convenient time for you, at your office. Send your applications to khar@cinesoft.ru.

March 15-17 , 2011 the 8-th specialized exhibition of services for TV and Cinema production, CPS / Cinema Production Service, will be hosted in Moscow Expocenter.

CPS/ Cinema Production Service is Russia’s only specialized exhibition of services for television and film in the format of b2b (business-to-business), focused on producers and all professionals directly involved in the process of filmmaking.

A new event – Cameraman’s Day will be held during the exhibition alongside with the traditional annual CPS Award «For achievements in filmmaking».
The prize will be awarded in the following categories:

• Best New Technology
• Best Visual Effects
• Best Production Company
• Special Nomination

The Cinesoft products will be presented at the booth of our reseller and longtime partner – JCSI Company. Alongside with Cinesoft principal product – Cerebro Project Management System – a brand new pre-released product will be introduced – Element Media Asset Management.

We will be glad to meet you there!

Venue: Moscow, Expocentre, pav. 7, Hall 6 (Krasnopresnenskaya embankment., 14) 

More information about the exhibition here

On March 09, 2011 we moved in a new fancy office near Electrozavodskaya Metro Station.

Now we bathe in the spring sun and admire Moscow sights outside our windows on the 7th floor! :).

Our new address: ul. Bolshaya Pochtovaya, 55/59.

And, by the way, our new phone number:  +7 (495) 980-03-76.

The rest contacts remain the same.

[mappress]

And one more thing – we have new Deputy Director (see pics below).

🙁 🙁 🙁

By the way HDR mode on iPhone4 totally works 🙂

Message type can be selected/changed in the Add or Edit dialog windows. 
Files can be dragged-and-dropped right onto a forum thread. 
And it calls an Add message dialog window with the dropped files attached to it.
Every forum message now has 2 new buttons, Edit and Reply.

Locked docks
All docks (Navigator, Forum, Gannt chart, etc.) are now locked by default, i.e. they can’t be detached and moved.
To unlock the docks you must uncheck the box View -> State docks-> Fixed docks.

Bugs Fixed
Incorrect connection via a proxy server.
A zero hash file upload error.
Crash caused by date/time adjustment in the New Task dialog window.
Crash caused by Navigator’s Panels style.
Invisible parent tasks for the Restricted Worker role.

More information here

User Profile Edit
Administrators are enabled to edit user profiles. If a user belongs to one and the only universe Administrator can edit any profile field, including user e-mail and password.
Users are enabled to edit their logins.

A Deleted Account Restoration
It has been made possible to restore a deleted user account by his/her e-mail address.

Pop-up Tooltips

Columns in task lists (Navigator, Interesting Tasks list) have pop-up tooltips now, e.g., pointing to one of the Planned costs/Actual costs/Balance columns causes a pop-up tooltip with detailed info on all 3 parameters.

Tags

Columns with tags now have headlines. These headlines are preserved while being exported to Excel.

User Statistics
A click on a task on the User Stats page makes Navigator switch to the same task.
Statistics re-calculates after pressing Calculate Statistics button.

More information here

You are 2 steps away from your gift! Make those steps:

1. Register in Cerebro demo version (if not registered yet),
2. Transfer the payment by any convenient  method.

Our managers will contact you, discuss the details and close the deal.

If your payment amount lets you get several gifts at the same time – just go ahead and choose!

More information here

Budgeting

• Costs planning and tracking function
• Payments record
• Costs statistics
• A new role – Producer – is added. It should be assigned to a project manager responsible for financial performance of a project. Producer has access to budgets and salaries.

Task properties multi-edit

You can change task properties for several tasks simultaneously – just select the desired tasks in Navigator. Any task property can be changed this way except tags.

Unread Messages Button

A new button appeared on the navigation bar.
If you have unread messages, the bulb is on. A click on the button will get you to the first unread message.

Bugs fixed

• Calendar editing fixed
• Task transfer on the next day (in Calendar) fixed

In the next version:

• Resource usage reporting and statistic functions
• Tabs bar for tasks

More information here

Interface in Russian
Now in the desktop client you can switch the interface language to Russian.
IPhone and Web versions also have this option:
– For IPhone/IPad versions: just change the system regional settings
– For Web version: go to menu Language -> Русский

Interactive unread messages notifications

If you have unread messages in Cerebro:
– the icon in the system tray displays the number of unread messages
– an alert bubble with task title appears on the desktop, a click on the bubble redirects you to the message in Cerebro
– a click on the icon in the system tray redirects you to the first unread message in Cerebro
Also now after you click on Close Window button you have an option: hide Cerebro into system tray or close the application.

Saving windows configuration
You can save your current working area configuration as a preset in the menu View/ State Docks. Also there you can reset it to default settings if needed.

Bug Fixes
– Task creation/change date and time are displayed differently according to user’s local time zone settings
– Forum threads can be scrolled by touchpad in Mac OS X

Coming up in the next vesion
– Finance: task budgeting, equipment rental rates and usage reports
– A new access level – “Producer”
– Simultaneous settings change for a group of selected tasks
– National holidays and individual vacations, leaves and days-off influencing common Gantt diagram

More information here

You will not be able set task planned date and edit Gantt diagram in previous versions of Cerebro client. You should upgrade client in order to do it.

Cerebro

Task planed time is directly determine its duration in days.
You may define work schedules from Tools -> Work Schedules.

Work schedule affect only assigned users.
Note that all schedule and user assignment start work only from particular date and till another schedule will be accepted.

Repeat another time important points to work with task planning:
– You should create work schedule;
– You should assign users on the work schedule;
– You should pay attention to schedule/assignment start dates.

Calendar delivers another approach to plan work
Calendar works in conjunction with assignment tasks panel.
You may select time interval to view in calendar. They can be day, week or two weeks.

“Task properties” changes
The way of task date/time specification has been changed.

Mirada
Mirada shows on-screen painting in on-line sessions .

Coming
– Change properties for multiple task
– Work schedule exceptions: regular holidays, user vocation/ill/extra work days.

See more information

Cinesoft’s Director Konstantin Kharitonov is going to the SIGGRAPH exhibition in LA (from  July 27th to August 4th).

If you’d like to meet him, please send us an email at khar@cinesoft.ru.

We’ll be glad to see you there 🙂

Updated photo set from SIGGRAPH 2010. Soon will be more – Exhibition and R&H office…

New way of creating and editing tasks

• Now when you create a task you will be able to give a technical description of the task, and attach files to it in the special window that appears!
• Тask status can be edited by a manager or an administrator.

Statuses:

• event – for e.g. meeting
• (new) locked – message adding not allowed- is NOT inherited into subtasks
• (new) paused – temporarily unavailable – message adding is allowed – is inherited into subtasks
• (new) stopped – cancelled – message adding is allowed – is inherited into subtasks
• Deleted  – is not taken into account in statistics calculation (work hours)

In future versions we will add various filters for these statuses

Printing Gantt chart into PDF now available

Cerebro shows problematic tasks

• Special indicator in tasks that contain overdrafts in work hours: Overdraft – X (hours)
• In “View Expired tasks” mode tasks with an expired date are highlighted, plus the amount of hours that a task is overdue is shown

In future versions we will add new hints, for e.g. the task will become red 🙂

In the next version:

• The Gantt chart will take Saturdays, Sundays and standard work days into account. You will be able to switch this function on/off 🙂
• Special version under Mac Os Snow Leopard (64 bit)
• Planning nonmaterial resources (rooms + “cutting rooms” + cameras, etc. )
• Identification of time/resource overlaps during task assignment
• Automatic export into ICal network calendar readable in external calendars  (Google, ICal, Outlook)