Avid Technology
Encyclopedia
Avid Technology, Inc. is an American
company specializing in video and audio production technology; specifically, digital non-linear editing
(NLE) systems, management and distribution services. It was created in 1987 and became a publicly traded company in 1993. Avid is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts
.
Avid products are now used in the television and video industry to create television shows, feature films
, and commercials. Media Composer
, a professional software-based non-linear editing system is Avid
's flagship product.
(EDL) is then output from the editing software, which is used to produce cuts and dissolves in the actual film using automated equipment.
(NAB) convention in April 1988. The Avid/1 was based around an Apple Macintosh II computer, with special hardware and software of Avid's own design installed.
At the NAB show in April 1989, the Avid/1 was publicly introduced. It was "the biggest shake-up in editing since Melies
played around with time and sequences in the early 1900's". By the early 1990s, Avid products began to replace such tools as the Moviola
, Steenbeck, and KEM flatbed editors, allowing editors to handle their film
creations with greater ease. The first feature film edited using the Avid was "Let's Kill All the Lawyers" in 1992, directed by Ron Senkowski. By 1994 only three feature films used the new digital editing system. By 1995 dozens had switched to Avid, and it signaled the beginning of the end of cutting celluloid. In 1996 Walter Murch
accepted the Academy Award
for editing The English Patient
(which also won best picture), which he cut on the Avid. This was the first Editing Oscar awarded to a digitally-edited film (although the final print was still created with traditional negative cutting
).
In 1994 Avid introduced Open Media Framework
(OMF) as an open standard file format for sharing media and related metadata. In recent years the company has extended its business expertise through several acquisitions and internal investments towards the full palette of multimedia generation products including those to store and manage media files. In 2006 Avid launched new products such as Avid Interplay and Unity Isis. Avid used to be considered just a "Video Editing" company, but now has consolidated a well-rounded multimedia generation technology company.
In the past, Avid has released home versions of their professional line of editors, such as Xpress DV and lower cost professional versions (primarily to compete with software such as Final Cut Pro
and Adobe Premiere) such as Xpress Pro
. Additionally, Avid Free DV
was available as a free download, providing an introduction to the Media Composer
interface, but in a limited version. All of these have now been discontinued as the core Media Composer product has been lowered in price and is now heavily discounted for academic/student use.
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Discontinued products
CamCutter
Cinema
Elastic Reality
Media Suite Pro
Film Composer
Free DV
Liquid
Avid Matador
MCXpress
Avid Media Illusion
Videoshop
Xpress
Xpress DV
Xpress Pro
Xpress Pro Studio HD
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Divested products
Softimage (now owned by Autodesk)
Pinnacle PCTV (now owned by Hauppauge Digital)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
company specializing in video and audio production technology; specifically, digital non-linear editing
Non-linear editing system
In video, a non-linear editing system is a video editing or audio editing digital audio workstation system which can perform random access non-destructive editing on the source material...
(NLE) systems, management and distribution services. It was created in 1987 and became a publicly traded company in 1993. Avid is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts
Burlington, Massachusetts
Burlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,498 at the 2010 census.- History :It is believed that Burlington takes its name from the English town of Bridlington, however this has never been confirmed....
.
Avid products are now used in the television and video industry to create television shows, feature films
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, and commercials. Media Composer
Media Composer
Media Composer, frequently referred to as "Avid", is a type of computer software application known as a Non-linear editing system . It is the flagship product of Avid Technology. It was released in 1989 on the Macintosh II as an offline editing system...
, a professional software-based non-linear editing system is Avid
AVID
AVID stands for:* Advancement Via Individual Determination, a college-readiness system designed to increase the number of students who enroll in four-year colleges in the U.S....
's flagship product.
Non-Linear Editing
Non-Linear Editing is a technique used in digital systems where a digital source (such as digitized film, video or audio) is used to create an edited version, not by rearranging the source file, but by creating a detailed list of edit points (ins, outs, fades, etc.). The editing software reads the edit list and creates a new version (the edit) by applying the list parameters to the playback of the source. This type of non-destructive editing is one of the advantages digital editing has over cutting film or magnetic tape. Films are generally edited by making a digital transfer from and using this process during editing. An edit decision listEdit decision list
An edit decision list or EDL used in the post-production process of film editing and video editing. The list contains an ordered list of reel and timecode data representing where each video clip can be obtained in order to conform the final cut....
(EDL) is then output from the editing software, which is used to produce cuts and dissolves in the actual film using automated equipment.
History
Founded by a marketing manager from Apollo Computer, Inc., Bill Warner, a prototype of their first digital nonlinear editing system (the Avid/1) was shown in a private suite at the National Association of BroadcastersNational Association of Broadcasters
The National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association, workers union, and lobby group representing the interests of for-profit, over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States...
(NAB) convention in April 1988. The Avid/1 was based around an Apple Macintosh II computer, with special hardware and software of Avid's own design installed.
At the NAB show in April 1989, the Avid/1 was publicly introduced. It was "the biggest shake-up in editing since Melies
Georges Méliès
Georges Méliès , full name Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès, was a French filmmaker famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest cinema. He was very innovative in the use of special effects...
played around with time and sequences in the early 1900's". By the early 1990s, Avid products began to replace such tools as the Moviola
Moviola
A Moviola is a device that allows a film editor to view film while editing. It was the first machine for motion picture editing when it was invented by Iwan Serrurier in 1924.-History:...
, Steenbeck, and KEM flatbed editors, allowing editors to handle their film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
creations with greater ease. The first feature film edited using the Avid was "Let's Kill All the Lawyers" in 1992, directed by Ron Senkowski. By 1994 only three feature films used the new digital editing system. By 1995 dozens had switched to Avid, and it signaled the beginning of the end of cutting celluloid. In 1996 Walter Murch
Walter Murch
Walter Scott Murch is an American film editor and sound designer.-Early life:Murch was born in New York City, New York, the son of Katharine and Canadian-born Walter Tandy Murch , a painter. He went to The Collegiate School, a private preparatory school in Manhattan, from 1949 to 1961...
accepted the Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for editing The English Patient
The English Patient (film)
The English Patient is a 1996 romantic drama film based on the novel of the same name by Sri Lankan-Canadian writer Michael Ondaatje. The film, written for the screen and directed by Anthony Minghella, won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture...
(which also won best picture), which he cut on the Avid. This was the first Editing Oscar awarded to a digitally-edited film (although the final print was still created with traditional negative cutting
Negative cutting
Negative Cutting is the process of cutting motion picture negative to match precisely the final edit as specified by the film editor. Original camera negative is cut with scissors and joined using a film splicer and film cement...
).
In 1994 Avid introduced Open Media Framework
Open Media Framework Interchange
Open Media Framework or Open Media Framework Interchange is a platform-independent file format intended for transfer of digital media between different software applications....
(OMF) as an open standard file format for sharing media and related metadata. In recent years the company has extended its business expertise through several acquisitions and internal investments towards the full palette of multimedia generation products including those to store and manage media files. In 2006 Avid launched new products such as Avid Interplay and Unity Isis. Avid used to be considered just a "Video Editing" company, but now has consolidated a well-rounded multimedia generation technology company.
In the past, Avid has released home versions of their professional line of editors, such as Xpress DV and lower cost professional versions (primarily to compete with software such as Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro is a non-linear video editing software developed by Macromedia Inc. and then Apple Inc. The most recent version, Final Cut Pro X, runs on Mac personal computers powered by Mac OS X version 10.6.7 or later and using Intel processors...
and Adobe Premiere) such as Xpress Pro
Xpress Pro
Avid Xpress Pro was a non-linear video editing software aimed at professionals in the TV and movie industry. It was available for Microsoft Windows PCs and Apple Macintosh computers....
. Additionally, Avid Free DV
Avid Free DV
Avid Free DV is a non-linear editing video editing software application which was made by Avid Technology. Avid discontinued this product, stating: "Effective September 1, 2007, Avid is discontinuing the Avid Free DV application offer, and has no immediate plans to make an updated version...
was available as a free download, providing an introduction to the Media Composer
Media Composer
Media Composer, frequently referred to as "Avid", is a type of computer software application known as a Non-linear editing system . It is the flagship product of Avid Technology. It was released in 1989 on the Macintosh II as an offline editing system...
interface, but in a limited version. All of these have now been discontinued as the core Media Composer product has been lowered in price and is now heavily discounted for academic/student use.
Acquisitions
| Year | Company | more details / references |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Digidesign Digidesign Avid Audio is an American digital audio technology company. It was founded in 1984 by Peter Gotcher and Evan Brooks. The company began as a project to raise money for the founders' band, selling EPROM chips for drum machines. It is a subsidiary of Avid Technology, and during 2010 the Digidesign... |
makers of Pro Tools Pro Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation platform for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, developed and manufactured by Avid Technology. It is widely used by professionals throughout the audio industries for recording and editing in music production, film scoring, film, and television... and Venue Venue (sound system) Venue is a brand of live sound digital mixing consoles introduced by Digidesign in February 2005. The system now includes three different consoles and a number of ways they can be configured. They can all be connected to Pro Tools, the audio editing software also created by Avid/Digidesign, to... live mixing system |
| 1994 | Basys | ITN's newsrooms system sold to DEC then Avid. |
| 1995 | Elastic Reality, Inc. | makers of Elastic Reality Avid Elastic Reality Elastic Reality was a warping and morphing software application available on Windows, Macintosh and Silicon Graphics workstations, discontinued in 1999.-Features:... morphing software |
| 1995 | Parallax Software | makers of Matador Avid Matador Avid Matador was a paint application by Avid Technology targeted at the television and film markets. It ran on Silicon Graphics workstations. The main features were paint, mask creation/rotoscoping, animation and stabilization/tracking... , Illusion Avid Media Illusion Avid Media Illusion was a digital nonlinear compositing software by Avid Technology targeted at the film and television markets. It ran on Silicon Graphics workstations. The main features were paint, compositing, image manipulation and special effects.... and Jester (ink-and-paint software) |
| 1998 | Softimage Softimage Softimage, Co. was a company located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that produced 3D animation software. Their flagship products, Softimage 3D and Softimage XSI, are used in the creation of computer animation for films, television advertisement, and video games... |
from Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions... |
| 1998 | Tektronix Tektronix Tektronix, Inc. is an American company best known for its test and measurement equipment such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and video and mobile test protocol equipment. In November 2007, Tektronix became a subsidiary of Danaher Corporation.... |
strategic alliance with Tektronix Tektronix Tektronix, Inc. is an American company best known for its test and measurement equipment such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and video and mobile test protocol equipment. In November 2007, Tektronix became a subsidiary of Danaher Corporation.... - then owners of Lightworks |
| 2000 | The Motion Factory | ? |
| 2000 | Pluto Technology | DDR Direct to Disk Recording Direct-to-disk recording refers to methods by which analog signals and digital signals such as digital audio and digital video are digitally recorded to optical disc recording technologies such as DVDs, and CD optical discs... playback servers |
| 2001 | iNEWS | ? |
| 2002 | iKnowledge | makers of Active Content Manager |
| 2003 | Rocket Networks | ? |
| 2004 | NXN | Media Asset Management software components |
| 2004 | Bomb Factory Bomb Factory Bomb Factory is a recording studio and manufacturer of music plugins based in Los Angeles, California.-Music studio:Bomb Factory Studios features an extensive collection of vintage and historic equipment and musical instruments... |
in January |
| 2004 | M-Audio M-Audio M-Audio is a business unit of Avid Technology that designs and markets digital audio and MIDI interfaces, keyboards and MIDI controllers, synthesizers, loudspeakers, studio monitors, digital DJ systems, microphones, and music software... |
in August |
| 2005 | Pinnacle Systems | in April |
| 2005 | Wizoo | in August |
| 2006 | Medéa Corporation. | in January, high-speed RAID storage |
| 2006 | Sundance Digital | in April |
| 2006 | Sibelius Software Sibelius Software Sibelius Software is a London-based software business and a part of Avid Technology that develops and sells music notation and music education software.... |
in August |
| 2009 | Maximum Throughput | in July |
| 2010 | Blue Order Solutions AG | in January |
| 2010 | Euphonix Euphonix Euphonix was a professional audio company located in Mountain View, California, United States. Euphonix produced the first successful line of large digitally controlled analog audio mixing consoles in the late 1980s and has since moved on to all-digital systems.... |
in April |
Products
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| Key Products | ||
| Alienbrain | ||
| DS Avid DS Nitris Avid DS is a high-end offline and finishing system comprising a non-linear editing system and visual effects software. It was developed by Softimage in Montreal... |
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| Avid Studio | ||
| DNxHD codec DNxHD codec Avid DNxHD, which stands for "Digital Nonlinear Extensible High Definition", is a lossy high-definition video post-production codec engineered for multi-generation compositing with reduced storage and bandwidth requirements. It is an implementation of SMPTE VC-3 standard... (VC-3) |
||
| ICON | ||
| iNEWS | ||
| Interplay | ||
| Media Composer Media Composer Media Composer, frequently referred to as "Avid", is a type of computer software application known as a Non-linear editing system . It is the flagship product of Avid Technology. It was released in 1989 on the Macintosh II as an offline editing system... |
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| NewsCutter | ||
| Pinnacle Studio Pinnacle Studio Pinnacle Studio is a non-linear video editing software application manufactured by Pinnacle Systems, a division of Avid Technology. It is the consumer-level counterpart to Pinnacle's former professional-level software, Liquid Edition . It also inherits from VOB Computersysteme's Instant CD/DVD... |
||
| M-Audio | ||
| Pro Tools Pro Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation platform for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, developed and manufactured by Avid Technology. It is widely used by professionals throughout the audio industries for recording and editing in music production, film scoring, film, and television... |
||
| Sibelius | ||
| Symphony | ||
| Unity ISIS Unity ISIS Avid Unity ISIS is a storage system for video files used by television broadcasters developed by Avid Technology. ISIS stands for "Infinitely Scalable Intelligent Storage."-Capabilities:... |
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| Unity MediaNetwork | ||
| Venue Venue (sound system) Venue is a brand of live sound digital mixing consoles introduced by Digidesign in February 2005. The system now includes three different consoles and a number of ways they can be configured. They can all be connected to Pro Tools, the audio editing software also created by Avid/Digidesign, to... |
||
CamCutter
CamCutter is a digital video camera technology developed by Ikegami and Avid Technology for recording broadcast quality video to hard disk, dubbed a Digital Disk Recorder. First revealed in 1995 at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas, it used a camera mechanism by...
Avid Matador
Avid Matador was a paint application by Avid Technology targeted at the television and film markets. It ran on Silicon Graphics workstations. The main features were paint, mask creation/rotoscoping, animation and stabilization/tracking...
Avid Media Illusion
Avid Media Illusion was a digital nonlinear compositing software by Avid Technology targeted at the film and television markets. It ran on Silicon Graphics workstations. The main features were paint, compositing, image manipulation and special effects....
Xpress Pro
Avid Xpress Pro was a non-linear video editing software aimed at professionals in the TV and movie industry. It was available for Microsoft Windows PCs and Apple Macintosh computers....