Pandora International#MegaDEF

Pandora International was an Emmy award winning, English maker of hardware and software for telecine control and colour correction in post production film editing.

History

Pandora International began trading in 1988 led by Steve Brett and Martin Greenwood,{{cite web |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01952227/filing-history/MTUwMjg5OTk3YWRpcXprY3g/document?format=pdf&download=0 |title=Pandora Limited accounts for the period ending 31 March 1989 |website=Companies House |access-date=27 January 2025 |date=16 October 1990}} initially in Northfleet.

Pandora's twin Motorola 68020 Pogle could control telecine machines such as the Spirit DataCine FDL 60, FDL 90 and Quadra,{{cite web|url=http://www.thameside.tv/product_PDFs/spirit.pdf |title=Spirit DataCine| website=Thamesside |access-date=1 Jan 2014}} and four video tape decks, for field accurate editing including three-two sequence control. Later versions used Silicon Graphics SGI Indy and SGI O2 computers.

Pandora's DCP external colour corrector implemented Rec 601{{cite web| url=https://www.angelfire.com/fl3/FDL60/history.htm#cc |title=Pogle history |website=Angelfire |access-date=1 Jan 2018}} and was one of the first able to directly accept digital input from film or video tape, with support for NTSC and PAL.{{cite web|url=http://www.patentgenius.com/patent/5450500.html |website=Patent Genius |title=DCP patent |access-date=1 Jan 2010}}

The PiXi colour corrector was launched in 1995, to replace the DCP and supported video resolutions up to 1920x1080 at 30 frames per second. A version of PiXi was incorporated into Picasso from Post Impressions and used by Industrial Light & Magic for "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones".{{cite web| url=http://www.creativeplanetnetwork.com/dcp/news/piccaso-color-correction-system-makes-big-budget-debut-8220star-wars-episode-ii8221/39031 |title=Picasso Colour Correction System |website=Creative Planet |access-date=1 Jan 2008}}

In 1997, Pandora introduced the MegaDEF comprising two PiXi with an additional multiplexer. It was the first commercially available system capable of 2048x1556 resolution in real time. The MegaDEF could be used with both Spirit DataCines and from 1999, the Philips Specter VDC-2000 virtual telecine and was controlled by a Pogle Platinum controller. 1998 movie Pleasantville included scenes where a MegaDEF removed selected colours.{{Cite web |url=http://motion.kodak.com/motion/uploadedFiles/sailsUp.pdf |website=Kodak |title=Restoration of an impeccably preserved old negative |access-date=17 Jan 2012 |archive-date=10 Dec 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210234900/http://motion.kodak.com/motion/uploadedFiles/sailsUp.pdf |url-status=live }}{{cite web| url=http://www.theasc.com/magazine/april03/sub/index.html |website=ASC |title=DI |first=Debra |last=Kaufman |access-date=25 Jan 2025}}{{cite web |url=http://www.efilm.com/publish/2004/09/03/Am.+Cinematographer+04.2003.pdf |website=American Cinematographer |title=A flex Finish |access-date=31 Dec 2003 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

2000 movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? was scanned by Kodak with a Spirit Datacine and colour-corrected using a Pandora Pogle controlled MegaDEF at its Cinesite facility in Hollywood. The tree and grass backgrounds were changed from greens to a yellow/brown Dust Bowl effect.

Pandora was awarded an Emmy in 2001, in recognition of its pioneering work developing the concept of digital intermediates.{{cite web| url=http://www.creativeplanetnetwork.com/dcp/news/engineering-emmys/43290 |title=2001 Emmy Awards |website=Creative Planet |access-date= 31 Dec 2021}}

In 2001, Pandora International moved to nearby Greenhithe. It purchased Ingress Abbey as its headquarters but after a dispute with developer Crest Nicholson, sold it in 2012.{{cite web |url=http://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/ingressabbey.html |title=Ingress Abbey VAD Hospital |website=My Zen |access-date=26 Jan 2025 |archive-date=28 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128211654/http://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/ingressabbey.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent-business/county-news/firms-locked-in-legal-row-over-a-a8588/ |date=19 May 2003 |title=Firms locked in legal row over Abbey |website=Kent Online |access-date=26 Jan 2025 |archive-date=27 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250127012920/https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent-business/county-news/firms-locked-in-legal-row-over-a-a8588/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/magazines/kent/22591673.meet-owners-ingress-abbey-greenhithe |title=Meet the owners of Ingress Abbey in Greenhithe |website=Kent Life |access-date=26 Jan 2025 |archive-date=27 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250127014608/https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/magazines/kent/22591673.meet-owners-ingress-abbey-greenhithe/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://thesteepletimes.com/characters/sam-malin-and-irene-major-aka-lord-and-lady-hailes/ |title=Sam Malin and Irène Major |publisher=The Steeple Times |date=16 April 2015 |access-date=23 Jan 2019 |archive-date=10 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310111843/http://thesteepletimes.com/characters/sam-malin-and-irene-major-aka-lord-and-lady-hailes/ |url-status=live }}

MegaDEF could be interfaced to the Quantel iQ using a proprietary optical fiber connection and systems were sold to Peter Jackson during his filming of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.{{Cite web |url=http://dmnnewswire.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=16793-0 |title=Pandora Powers Digital Film for Peter Jackson's Film Unit in New Zealand |access-date=4 April 2014 |archive-date=7 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407073221/http://dmnnewswire.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=16793-0 |url-status=live }}

The company's final products included Evolution, an updated Pogle colour suite telecine controller{{cite web|url=https://pandoratek.global/products/pogle-product-page/ |website=Pandora International |title=Pogle |access-date=26 Jan 2025}} and Revolution, a non linear colour corrector capable of 4096x3072 resolution in real time.{{cite web| url=https://pandoratek.global/products/revolution-product-page/ |title=Revolution |website=Pandora International |access-date=26 Jan 2025}}

Following a 2013 application by the Official Receiver, Pandora International was dissolved in 2016.{{cite web |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01952227/insolvency |website=Companies House |access-date=26 Jan 2025 |title=Pandora International Ltd }}