| Page 7 of 7 |
Avid
When Avid said its highest-end compositor/editor DS|HD 6.0 would be more like Media Composer, they weren't kidding. I got a close-up look at the new version, and it has even more Media Composer features in store for Avid users. In fact, it's exactly like Media Composer when it comes to editing. It also adds dual transport screens, just like Media Composer, and has patching just like it, too. Tracks can now be quickly resized via dragging, unlike DS's previous choice of only three preset sizes, and now you're able to place the clips free-form wherever you want in the bins. It's also very Media Composer-like to be able to drop effects between shots in the timeline.
I'm wondering why it took Avid so long to figure out that it was a good idea to exactly duplicate Media Composer's editing interface in DS. Perhaps it was a bow to existing DS users who owned and learned the software before Avid bought it from Softimage, at least for a couple of years?
Also new for DS 6 is the way it handles metadata, using AAF (Advanced Authoring Format) for its conforming, where it used Avid's OMF (Open Media Framework) file format before, a would-be standard that never really caught on. Now, it looks like AAF is catching on with lots of nonlinear editing equipment makers, and Avid's using it to import more metadata, including titles and more keyframing info from other Avid applications. This has a much better chance of becoming a standard than OMF ever did, if the rate of adoption in evidence at this NAB is any indication.
But the best thing about the new version 6 of DS, I thought, is that according to Avid it has been sped up by 35% over version 5. I always like to see speed increases due to a software update.
Then we took a look at a Beta (build 140) of the Mac OS X version of Xpress DV 3, and found it to be almost an exact duplicate of the now-shipping PC version. That's a good thing, and about the only difference I saw was that it appeared to be faster than the PC version, a perception that rang true when I saw it demonstrated on a dual G4 in the gigantic Avid "booth." Even though it's set to ship in June, it was surprisingly stable, not crashing at all during the demo until I asked the demo artist if he'd seen it crash. To his credit, he showed me a way he had discovered to make it lock up -- when he tried to import a multi-layered Photoshop file. Cool, though, to see such forthright demo-jockeys at Avid, known for deploying at NAB and elsewhere the best software-drivers in the biz.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
Macrosystem
Next stop was at a ritzy whisper suite at the Mirage hotel where Macrosystem, Inc. was showing its Kron (rhymes with Tron) editor, a set-top editing system for $5500 that is so easy to use, my grandmother could even wail on it. It can import native DV files and lay down tons of effects in real time. Then, it'll make a spiffy DVD for you right on the spot. This is an entirely different approach to DV editing, and one that is refreshing to watch. What a contrast between this inviting interface -- that's about as easy as it can possibly be -- and some of the high-end interfaces on nonlinear editors where in order to master them, some people need to take an extra four years of college. This is the highest of the Macrosystems line, and is a fine example of the settop box genre. Competing with Macrosystem products Kron and Avio is Applied Magic, with its powerful ScreenPlay set-top editor, which introduced a 120-gig model at NAB this year. I like these things, and think they're the perfect editing systems for those who don't want to futz with computers or complicated software but don't need the high-end quality and control.
Charlie White has been writing about new media and digital video since it was the laughingstock of the television industry. A technology journalist and columnist for the past eight years, White is also an Emmy-winning producer, video editor and shot-calling PBS TV director with 27 years broadcast experience. Talk back -- Talk back -- Send Chazz a note at cwhite@digitalmedianet.com.Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Related sites: • Broadcast Newsroom • Creative Mac • Digital Producer • Digital Video Editing • DV Format • HDTV Buyer • IBC News
Related forums:
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
