The fact that Avid are able to play and edit this media natively, without converting it to their own format, represents a significant move by Avid away from their previous, relatively 'closed' system. The media on a P2 card, for example, is MXF format, but compressed using one of Panasonic's codecs (either DVCPro, DVCProHD or AVC Intra), while the media on a Sony SxS card is stored as MPEG4 video. In practice, this refers to Media Composer's ability to directly link to and edit the media from a file‑based camera without having to import it to the editing system, or convert it into Avid MXF media first. Avid are fond of their TLA's (Three‑Letter Acronyms!), and AMA stands for Avid Media Access. Things have been changing in this regard for a while, though, and Media Composer 3.5 introduced a new way of working with media from P2 and XDCAM cameras called AMA. Historically, Avid have tended to be slower than their rivals to offer support for new camera formats, and their insistence on sticking with only editing media created in first OMF and now MXF media formats - essentially proprietary - has left them open to criticism from users who need to edit media in the plethora of modern formats. Many users would like to see this hardware support extended to other popular capture hardware such as AJA and Decklink products, but as yet such support does not exist. ![]() Given the preponderance of file‑based camera formats now, the lack of HDSDI capture (a connection found on high‑end cameras) may not be a problem for many users, and the MXO Mini will appeal to those on a restricted budget. The MXO Mini is 'half a BOB': it provides HDSDI and HDMI outputs for feeding VTRs (Video Tape Recorders) and monitors, but it has no input-processing capabilities. In addition, for Media Composer v5, Avid has taken what is, for them, a radical step, announcing support for a third‑party BOB, the Matrox MXO Mini. The current range of Avid hardware - the Mojo DX and Nitris DX - will soon be the only Avid hardware supported. Media Composer 5 still supports the use of the first generation DNA hardware - Mojo and Adrenaline - but Avid have announced that v5 is the last version that will do so. By comparison, not only did Media Composer require a BOB in order to run, it would only work with Avid's own hardware, the 'DNA' range of either Mojo or Adrenaline hardware. Although FCP and Premiere could use a variety of third‑party hardware breakout boxes (BOBs) for video input and output, they didn't have to, and could run as software‑only. Until this point, hardware requirements had been a key difference between Media Composer and its competition. The logic of that renaming and version‑number reset became apparent when, with the arrival of v2.5, Avid announced that Media Composer would be able to run as a software‑only application, not dependent on any additional hardware processing, as had previously been the case. So you could effectively say we're at v16 now! This replaced the then‑current Meridian hardware, and the rebranding to Media Composer Adrenaline v1 was the equivalent of Meridian v12. In fact, Avid decided to reset the counter when their 'DNA' video‑hardware line was introduced in 2003. By comparison, FCP 7 was seen as a pretty minor update to FCP 6, and we are led to conclude that Avid are seeking to regain the initiative from their biggest rival.įor a product that's 20‑odd years old, v5 may seem relatively late to arrive. Avid have been very busy, and have clearly been stepping up the pace of development. ![]() Avid normally go through a large number of intermediate minor releases and updates between major version changes, but v4 only made it to 4.0.5 before being swept aside by v5. It comes hot on the heels of v4, which was released less than a year ago. The new features list is massive, and there are a great number of smaller but no less significant enhancements to existing functions. There's no questioning that Media Composer 5 is a huge release. ![]() They need to show the world that Avid is still a force to be reckoned with. It's against this background that Avid have developed Media Composer 5. On the other hand, its detractors see it as old‑fashioned software with a clunky interface, less agile in use than its newer opponents. Media Composer is seen by its fans as the king of NLEs the most complete, professional and reliable product available. In recent times, that position has been challenged, first by Apple's Final Cut Pro (FCP), and now by the resurgence of another long‑standing rival, Adobe's Premiere Pro. Avid are looking to stay on top of the NLE game as they add a whole host of new features and brand-new editing tools to the latest version of their flagship editing software.Īvid are one of the pioneers of computer‑based non‑linear editing, and have held a dominant position in the market for much of the 20 years that Media Composer has been available.
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