BURBANK, CA — Roundabout has purchased a Quantel Rio 4K online editing, color and finishing tool from SAM. The studio will use the new Rio 4K for editorial and restoration work on film projects.
Roundabout specializes in audio, syndication, closed captioning, restoration, and feature film DI. SAM’s Quantel Rio is a complete color editing and finishing tool for HD, UHD, 4K and 8K projects. Its integrated toolset keeps the whole job in the suite and fully integrates with today’s file-based workflows.
Craig Price is the senior DI editor at the studio and says the decision to purchase Rio was influenced by Roundabout’s recent involvement with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and his own experience with Quantel products. “I’ve been doing a lot of 4K work for AMPAS, which now handles a lot of restoration of old features in 4K,” says Price. “Moreover, I’ve been a Quantel user for 20 years and have seen their technology evolve over time. With Rio, we get really sophisticated features that make our jobs a lot easier. For example, Rio’s toolset has an intuitive layout so you don’t have to think about it, which saves us a lot of time.”
Roundabout has already put its new Rio to use on several 4K projects, one of which is the indie film Feed. The studio created titles for the film that appear hand drawn.
“Our commitment to feature film work continues to grow,” notes Roundabout’s CEO, Craig Clark. “We’ve just added two new large DI theaters and three additional color bays for a total of eight. We also have a fifth sound stage currently under construction at our Burbank facility.”