Montreal: Post-producer and transcoder Global Vision is expanding in a major way with the acquisition of a Philips FDL Quadra film-to-tape transfer unit.

The $1.2 million investment includes a Digital Vision scratch and dirt concealer (noise reducer) and a da Vinci Renaissance color corrector. It will be installed by early October, says Global president Pierre Corbeil.

Corbeil says the move into the high-end transfer business could lead to further expansion down the road.

‘The unit is at least as good as an ursa for 35mm and Super 35mm film and I’d say definitely superior for 16mm and Super 16mm, he says. The digital Quadra transfer unit has full bandwidth, 10-bit 4:4:4:4 processing.

Global intends to go after the tv series and commercial market in Montreal and elsewhere.

The acquisition is guaranteed to create stiff competition in Montreal’s overheated transfer market and for its top suppliers, Supersuite, Centre de Montage Electronique, AstralTech and Hybride Technologies.

The expanded transfer division is headed by experienced nfb staffers Mathieu Duncan and Maurice Paradis. Duncan formerly headed up the board’s transfer service.

Global is looking beyond the local market, says Corbeil. Global and Hollywood’s Laser Pacific have a transcoding agreement in place for u.s. tv series distributed internationally, and there may be more u.s.-originated work in the transfer area, he says.

‘We hope to have tv series shot in the east, whether it’s New York, Montreal or Toronto.’

Global already provides transcoding services to MTV Networks and Nickelodeon using a TK:3-2 system for ntsc-to-pal transfers on material originated on film and the Cyrus Prime all-digital converter for material shot on videotape.

In its post department, Global has a non-linear online editing suite housing a high-resolution Avid Media Composer 8000 for both pal and ntsc applications, and a Marconi transfer unit used mainly for dailies.

The company expanded in 1993 when it bought out transcoder Alpha Film & Video and currently has annual sales in the $4 million range.

Global employs 40 and is owned by Corbeil and partners Mathieu and Francois Lefevbre.