Media Composer
Encyclopedia
Media Composer, frequently referred to as "Avid", is a type of computer software application known as a Non-linear editing system
(NLE). It is the flagship product of Avid Technology
. It was released in 1989 on the Macintosh II as an offline editing
system. Since that time, the application features have increased to allow for film editing, uncompressed standard definition (SD) video and high definition (HD) editing and finishing. Since the early 1990s, Media Composer has been the dominant non-linear editing system in the film and television industry, first on Mac and then also on Windows. The Avid Newscutter, aimed at newsrooms, Avid Symphony
, aimed at finishing, are all Avid products that were derived from Media Composer and share similar interfacing, as were Avid Xpress Pro
(discontinued in 2008) and its predecessor Avid Xpress DV, which were aimed at the lower end of the market.
Avid Designed Hardware:
Avid Mojo DX: a newer version of the Mojo with architecture offering faster processing and full 1920x1080 HD resolution in addition to standard definition video. This interface has SDI/HD-SDI inputs and outputs, HDMI outputs and stereo 1/4" TRS audio inputs and outputs.
Avid Nitris DX: a replacement of the Adrenaline hardware, a successor to the original Avid Nitris (used with Avid DS and Avid Symphony
), with architecture offering faster processing and full 1920x1080 HD resolution (without extra cards) in addition to standard definition video. This interface also has a hardware DNxHD codec. Video connections include SDI, HD-SDI, Composite, S-Video and Component (SD or HD) inputs and outputs, it also has a HDMI output. Audio connections include XLR, AES, optical S/PDIF and ADAT inputs and outputs. It also has RCA inputs and 1/4" TRS outputs, plus LTC
timecode I/O. Starting with Media Composer 5.5 an optional AVC-Intra codec module can be installed in the Nitris DX for native playback of this format.
3rd Party Supported Hardware:
Starting with Media Composer v6, Avid has introduced a new Open IO API to allow 3rd party companies to interface their hardware into Media Composer. AJA, Black Magic Design, Matrox, BlueFush and MOTU are supporting this API. Avid's own DX hardware is still natively interfaced into the application which currently allows some extra features that Open IO is limited in (LTC timecode support for example). It is expected that over time some of these missing API will be added. The majority of users will probably not be effected by these limations.
Matrox MXO2 Mini: Starting with Media Composer v5, Avid has added support for the Matrox MXO2 Mini interface, as a breakout box with no additional processing. While this interface does have input connections, only output is supported by Media Composer (you cannot capture with this interface). The connections on the unit support analog video/audio and HDMI in both SD and HD formats. The device is connected by a cable to either a PCIe card or ExpressCard/34 interface, so this unit can be used on a desktop or laptop system.
AJA IO Express: Starting with Media Composer v5.5, Avid has added support for the AJA IO Express interface. This interface will allow SD/HD input and output via SDI and HDMI. It also has analog video and audio outputs for monitoring. It connects to a desktop or laptop computer via PCIe or ExpressCard/34 interface.
Avid Mojo: includes Composite and S-Video with two channels of RCA audio. There is an optional component video cable that can be added to this interface. This interface only supports SD video formats.
Avid Mojo SDI: includes Composite, S-Video, Component and SDI video, with 4 channels RCA, 4 channels AES and 2 channels optical S/PDIF audio. This interface only supports SD video formats.
Avid Adrenaline: rack mountable interface which includes Composite, S-Video, Component and SDI video, 4 channels of XLR, 4 channels of AES, 2 channels of S/PDIF and 8 channels of ADAT audio. This interface also has an expansion slot for the DNxcel card which adds HD-SDI input and output as well as a DVI and HD component outputs. The DNxcel card uses Avid’s DNxHD compression which is available in 8-bit color formats up to 220mb as well as a 10-bit color format at 220mb. The DNxcel card also adds real-time SD down-convert and HD cross-convert.
Hardware history
Media Composer as standalone software (with optional hardware) has only been available since June, 2006 (version 2.5). Before that, Media Composer was only available as a combination of hardware and software, or as turnkey systems (including CPU and monitors).
From 1991 until 1998, Media Composer 1000, 4000 and 8000 systems were Macintosh
-only, and based on the NuVista videoboard by Truevision
. The first-release Avids (US) supported 640x480 30i video, at resolutions and compression identified by the prefix "AVR". Single-field resolutions were AVR 1 through 12; interlaced (finishing) resolutions were initially AVR 21-23, with the later improvements of AVR 24 through 27. Additionally, Avid marketed the Media Composer 800 as an offline-only editor. These systems exclusively used external fast SCSI
drives (interfaced through a SCSI accelerator board) for media storage. Avid media was digitized as OMFI (Open Media Framework Interchange) format.
In the mid-nineties, versions 6 and 7 of Media Composer 1000 and 8000 were based on the Avid Broadcast Video Board (ABVB), supporting video resolutions up to AVR77. The video image was also improved to 720x480. 3D add-on boards (most notably the Pinnacle Alladin) and 16bit 48K 4-channel and 8-channel audio I/O (Avid/DigiDesign 442 and Avid/DigiDesign 888) were optional.
The 1998 introduction of the Avid Symphony
marked the transition from ABVB to the Meridien hardware, allowing for uncompressed SD editing. This introduction was also the first version of Media Composer software available for both Mac
and Windows operating systems. Media Composer 9000 versions 8 through 12.0.5 were built around Meridien hardware. Compression options were expressed in ratios for the first time in the evolution of the product. Even though the video board had changed, the audio I/O was still handled by the Avid/DigiDesign 888 (16bit 48K) hardware. At this time, 16x9 aspect ratios began to be supported. Avid Media Composer Meridien was released through November, 2003.
In 2003, Avid Mojo and Avid Adrenaline formed the new DNA (Digital Non-linear Accelerator) hardware line. The launch of Avid Media Composer Adrenaline brought along a software version renumbering, as it was labeled Avid Media Composer Adrenaline 1.0. At this time, Avid began using MXF
(Material Exchange Format) formatting for media files. Avid products maintain compatibility with OMFI files.
Adrenaline was the first Media Composer system to support 24bit audio. It also meant the end of Film Composer and Media Composer Offline, since the Avid Media Composer Adrenaline featured most of the film options and online resolutions and features. From this point onward, Avid systems have supported media storage using SCSI
, PCI-e, SATA
, IEEE 1394a & b
, Ethernet
and fiberoptic interfaces.
In 2006, Media Composer 2.5 was the first version to be offered 'software-only', giving the user the option of purchasing and using the software without the additional cost of the external accelerators. Software-only Avids use third-party breakout boxes, usually interfaced via Firewire, to acquire video from SDI
and analog sources.
In 2008, the Mojo DX and Nitris DX were introduced, replacing the Adrenaline. Both are capable of handling uncompressed HD video, with the Nitris DX offering greater processing speed and input/output flexibility.
Media Composer differentiates itself from Avid Symphony
because it is missing Advanced/Secondary Color Correction and Universal Mastering.
The software used to be protected by a USB dongle that will operate on either Mac or Windows. As of version 3.5 the dongle is optional, and existing users may choose to use software activation or keep using their dongles, while new systems are being sold exclusively with software activation. The software ships with installers for both Mac and Windows, and can physically be installed on several computers, allowing the user to move the software license (or the dongle) between systems and/or platforms.
The installer includes installers for
Also included with the boxed version of Media Composer is the following 3rd party software:
Software are full versions with online manuals.
, one of the company's founders, most prototypes of "the Avid" were built on Apollo
workstations. At some point, Avid demo'd one of their products at Siggraph
.
Says Peters: "Some Apple people saw that demo at the show and said, "Nice demo. Wrong platform!" It turned out they were evangelists for the then new Mac II (with *six* slots!). When we got back to our office (actually a converted machine shop) after the show, there was a pile of Fedex packages on our doorstep. They were from Apple, and they contained two of their prototype Mac II machines (so early they didn't even have cases, just open chassis). Also there were four large multisync monitors. Each computer was loaded with full memory (probably 4 megs at the time), and a full complement of Apple software (pre-Claris
). That afternoon, a consultant knocked on our door saying, "Hi. I'm being paid by Apple to come here and port your applications from Apollo to Macintosh." He worked for us for several weeks, and actually taught us how to program the Macs." At the time, Macs were not considered to be fast enough for video purposes. The Avid engineering team, however, managed to get 1,200 kBytes per second, which allowed them to do offline video on the Macs.
Steven Cohen was the first editor to use Film Composer for a major motion picture on Lost in Yonkers
.
The system has been used by other top editors such as Walter Murch
on The English Patient
(the first digitally-edited film to receive a Best Editing Oscar).
Avid received an Oscar statuette representing the 1998 Scientific and Technical Award for the concept, design, and engineering of the Avid Film Composer system for motion picture editing.
Film Composer is no longer sold as a separate product, since - over time - all of its specific film editing features were implemented into the "regular" Media Composer and/or the Avid Symphony
.
Catering to the mid and high end of the non-linear editing market, Avid is still used in a lot of major film productions, though it's facing increasing competition from Apple's Final Cut Studio
.
In July 2009 American Cinema Editors
(ACE) announced that the ACE Board of Directors had recognized Avid Media Composer software with the Board’s first-ever “ACE Technical Excellence Award” - recognizing it as the preferred choice of the industry’s most acclaimed editors.
Several Films Cut with Avid:
User groups
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). It is the flagship product of Avid Technology
Avid Technology
Avid Technology, Inc. is an American company specializing in video and audio production technology; specifically, digital non-linear editing systems, management and distribution services. It was created in 1987 and became a publicly traded company in 1993...
. It was released in 1989 on the Macintosh II as an offline editing
Offline editing
Offline editing is part of the post-production process of filmmaking and television production in which raw footage is copied and edited, without affecting the camera original film stock or video tape...
system. Since that time, the application features have increased to allow for film editing, uncompressed standard definition (SD) video and high definition (HD) editing and finishing. Since the early 1990s, Media Composer has been the dominant non-linear editing system in the film and television industry, first on Mac and then also on Windows. The Avid Newscutter, aimed at newsrooms, Avid Symphony
Avid Symphony
Avid Symphony is non-linear editing software aimed at professionals in the TV and movie industry. It is available for Microsoft Windows PCs and Apple Macintosh platforms....
, aimed at finishing, are all Avid products that were derived from Media Composer and share similar interfacing, as were Avid 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....
(discontinued in 2008) and its predecessor Avid Xpress DV, which were aimed at the lower end of the market.
Current version
There is one version of Media Composer, which can be used as standalone software, or to which the user can add specific external Avid accelerators. These devices provide additional processing as well as input/output interfaces.Avid Designed Hardware:
Avid Mojo DX: a newer version of the Mojo with architecture offering faster processing and full 1920x1080 HD resolution in addition to standard definition video. This interface has SDI/HD-SDI inputs and outputs, HDMI outputs and stereo 1/4" TRS audio inputs and outputs.
Avid Nitris DX: a replacement of the Adrenaline hardware, a successor to the original Avid Nitris (used with Avid DS and Avid Symphony
Avid Symphony
Avid Symphony is non-linear editing software aimed at professionals in the TV and movie industry. It is available for Microsoft Windows PCs and Apple Macintosh platforms....
), with architecture offering faster processing and full 1920x1080 HD resolution (without extra cards) in addition to standard definition video. This interface also has a hardware DNxHD codec. Video connections include SDI, HD-SDI, Composite, S-Video and Component (SD or HD) inputs and outputs, it also has a HDMI output. Audio connections include XLR, AES, optical S/PDIF and ADAT inputs and outputs. It also has RCA inputs and 1/4" TRS outputs, plus LTC
Linear timecode
Linear Timecode is an encoding of SMPTE timecode data in an audio signal, as defined in SMPTE 12M specification. The audio signal is commonly recorded on a VTR track or other storage media. The bits are encoded using the biphase mark code, also known as "FM": a zero bit has a single transition...
timecode I/O. Starting with Media Composer 5.5 an optional AVC-Intra codec module can be installed in the Nitris DX for native playback of this format.
3rd Party Supported Hardware:
Starting with Media Composer v6, Avid has introduced a new Open IO API to allow 3rd party companies to interface their hardware into Media Composer. AJA, Black Magic Design, Matrox, BlueFush and MOTU are supporting this API. Avid's own DX hardware is still natively interfaced into the application which currently allows some extra features that Open IO is limited in (LTC timecode support for example). It is expected that over time some of these missing API will be added. The majority of users will probably not be effected by these limations.
Matrox MXO2 Mini: Starting with Media Composer v5, Avid has added support for the Matrox MXO2 Mini interface, as a breakout box with no additional processing. While this interface does have input connections, only output is supported by Media Composer (you cannot capture with this interface). The connections on the unit support analog video/audio and HDMI in both SD and HD formats. The device is connected by a cable to either a PCIe card or ExpressCard/34 interface, so this unit can be used on a desktop or laptop system.
AJA IO Express: Starting with Media Composer v5.5, Avid has added support for the AJA IO Express interface. This interface will allow SD/HD input and output via SDI and HDMI. It also has analog video and audio outputs for monitoring. It connects to a desktop or laptop computer via PCIe or ExpressCard/34 interface.
Discontinued hardware
Recently discontinuedAvid Mojo: includes Composite and S-Video with two channels of RCA audio. There is an optional component video cable that can be added to this interface. This interface only supports SD video formats.
Avid Mojo SDI: includes Composite, S-Video, Component and SDI video, with 4 channels RCA, 4 channels AES and 2 channels optical S/PDIF audio. This interface only supports SD video formats.
Avid Adrenaline: rack mountable interface which includes Composite, S-Video, Component and SDI video, 4 channels of XLR, 4 channels of AES, 2 channels of S/PDIF and 8 channels of ADAT audio. This interface also has an expansion slot for the DNxcel card which adds HD-SDI input and output as well as a DVI and HD component outputs. The DNxcel card uses Avid’s DNxHD compression which is available in 8-bit color formats up to 220mb as well as a 10-bit color format at 220mb. The DNxcel card also adds real-time SD down-convert and HD cross-convert.
Hardware history
Media Composer as standalone software (with optional hardware) has only been available since June, 2006 (version 2.5). Before that, Media Composer was only available as a combination of hardware and software, or as turnkey systems (including CPU and monitors).
From 1991 until 1998, Media Composer 1000, 4000 and 8000 systems were Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
-only, and based on the NuVista videoboard by Truevision
Truevision
Truevision, Inc. was a maker of digital video processing add-on boards for PC computers. It was founded by Cathleen Asch, Carl Calabria, Joseph Haaf, Bryan Hunt, Brad Pillow, Joe Shepard and Jeff Walters and others when AT&T split off their Electronic Photography and Imaging Center in 1987...
. The first-release Avids (US) supported 640x480 30i video, at resolutions and compression identified by the prefix "AVR". Single-field resolutions were AVR 1 through 12; interlaced (finishing) resolutions were initially AVR 21-23, with the later improvements of AVR 24 through 27. Additionally, Avid marketed the Media Composer 800 as an offline-only editor. These systems exclusively used external fast SCSI
SCSI
Small Computer System Interface is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it...
drives (interfaced through a SCSI accelerator board) for media storage. Avid media was digitized as OMFI (Open Media Framework Interchange) format.
In the mid-nineties, versions 6 and 7 of Media Composer 1000 and 8000 were based on the Avid Broadcast Video Board (ABVB), supporting video resolutions up to AVR77. The video image was also improved to 720x480. 3D add-on boards (most notably the Pinnacle Alladin) and 16bit 48K 4-channel and 8-channel audio I/O (Avid/DigiDesign 442 and Avid/DigiDesign 888) were optional.
The 1998 introduction of the Avid Symphony
Avid Symphony
Avid Symphony is non-linear editing software aimed at professionals in the TV and movie industry. It is available for Microsoft Windows PCs and Apple Macintosh platforms....
marked the transition from ABVB to the Meridien hardware, allowing for uncompressed SD editing. This introduction was also the first version of Media Composer software available for both Mac
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
and Windows operating systems. Media Composer 9000 versions 8 through 12.0.5 were built around Meridien hardware. Compression options were expressed in ratios for the first time in the evolution of the product. Even though the video board had changed, the audio I/O was still handled by the Avid/DigiDesign 888 (16bit 48K) hardware. At this time, 16x9 aspect ratios began to be supported. Avid Media Composer Meridien was released through November, 2003.
In 2003, Avid Mojo and Avid Adrenaline formed the new DNA (Digital Non-linear Accelerator) hardware line. The launch of Avid Media Composer Adrenaline brought along a software version renumbering, as it was labeled Avid Media Composer Adrenaline 1.0. At this time, Avid began using MXF
MXF
Material eXchange Format is a container format for professional digital video and audio media defined by a set of SMPTE standards.- A brief summary of MXF :...
(Material Exchange Format) formatting for media files. Avid products maintain compatibility with OMFI files.
Adrenaline was the first Media Composer system to support 24bit audio. It also meant the end of Film Composer and Media Composer Offline, since the Avid Media Composer Adrenaline featured most of the film options and online resolutions and features. From this point onward, Avid systems have supported media storage using SCSI
SCSI
Small Computer System Interface is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it...
, PCI-e, SATA
Sata
Sata is a traditional dish from the Malaysian state of Terengganu, consisting of spiced fish meat wrapped in banana leaves and cooked on a grill.It is a type of Malaysian fish cake, or otak-otak...
, IEEE 1394a & b
IEEE 1394 interface
The IEEE 1394 interface is a serial bus interface standard for high-speed communications and isochronous real-time data transfer, frequently used by personal computers, as well as in digital audio, digital video, automotive, and aeronautics applications. The interface is also known by the brand...
, Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
and fiberoptic interfaces.
In 2006, Media Composer 2.5 was the first version to be offered 'software-only', giving the user the option of purchasing and using the software without the additional cost of the external accelerators. Software-only Avids use third-party breakout boxes, usually interfaced via Firewire, to acquire video from SDI
Serial Digital Interface
Serial digital interface is a family of video interfaces standardized by SMPTE. For example, ITU-R BT.656 and SMPTE 259M define digital video interfaces used for broadcast-grade video...
and analog sources.
In 2008, the Mojo DX and Nitris DX were introduced, replacing the Adrenaline. Both are capable of handling uncompressed HD video, with the Nitris DX offering greater processing speed and input/output flexibility.
Features
The Current version of Media Composer (MCSoft) has the following features- Animatte
- 3D Warp
- Paint
- Live Matte Key
- Tracker / Stabiliser
- Timewarps with motion estimation (FluidMotion)
- SpectraMatte (high quality chroma keyer)
- Color Correction toolset (with Natural Match)
- ScriptSync (with Nexidia speech recognition)
- Stereoscopic editing abilities
- AMA - Avid Media Access, the ability to edit with P2, XDCAM, RED and Quicktime native material directly without capture or transcoding.
- Mix and Match - put clips of any frame rate, compression, scan mode or video format on the same timeline
- SmartTools - drag and drop style editing on timeline, can be selectively adjusted to the types of actions that the user wants to use when clicking on timeline.
- RTAS - (RealTime AudioSuite), support for realtime audio plug-ins on the timeline.
- PhraseFind - analyzes clips and indexes all dialog phonetically allowing text search of spoken words.
Media Composer differentiates itself from Avid Symphony
Avid Symphony
Avid Symphony is non-linear editing software aimed at professionals in the TV and movie industry. It is available for Microsoft Windows PCs and Apple Macintosh platforms....
because it is missing Advanced/Secondary Color Correction and Universal Mastering.
The software used to be protected by a USB dongle that will operate on either Mac or Windows. As of version 3.5 the dongle is optional, and existing users may choose to use software activation or keep using their dongles, while new systems are being sold exclusively with software activation. The software ships with installers for both Mac and Windows, and can physically be installed on several computers, allowing the user to move the software license (or the dongle) between systems and/or platforms.
The installer includes installers for
- EDL Manager
- Avid Log Exchange
- FilmScribe
- MediaLog
- Interplay Transfer
- MetaSync Manager
- MetaFuze (Windows only), a standalone application to convert files (R3DREDCODEREDCODE RAW is a proprietary multimedia audio/video file format owned by Red Digital Cinema Camera Company and featuring lossy compression for video contents and lossless for audio contents...
, DPXDPXDigital Picture Exchange is a common file format for digital intermediate and visual effects work and is an ANSI/SMPTE standard...
, TIFF) from film scanning, CGIComputer-generated imageryComputer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
systems or RED camera into MXFMXFMaterial eXchange Format is a container format for professional digital video and audio media defined by a set of SMPTE standards.- A brief summary of MXF :...
media files. Actually based on an import module that was taken from Avid DS.
Also included with the boxed version of Media Composer is the following 3rd party software:
- Avid FX - 2D & 3D compositing and titling software (aka Boris RED)
- Sorenson SqueezeSorenson SqueezeSorenson Squeeze is a compression suite for video. It encodes to multiple formats including QuickTime, Windows Media, Flash Video, Silverlight, WebM & WMV. It uses multiple codecs, including the Sorenson codecs SV3 Pro and Spark, H.264, H.263, VP6, VC1, MPEG2, and many others. Squeeze operates on...
6 - Compression software to create, Windows Media, Quicktime, MPEG 1/2, MPEG 4 or Flash video - SonicFire Pro 5 - music creation software (includes 2 CDs of music tracks)
- Avid DVD by Sonic - DVD and Blu-Ray authoring software (Windows only)
Software are full versions with online manuals.
History
According to Eric PetersEric Peters
Eric Peters was an amateur and professional rugby union player, usually playing at No8, who rose to captain the Scotland national rugby union team.-Early life:...
, one of the company's founders, most prototypes of "the Avid" were built on Apollo
Apollo Computer
Apollo Computer, Inc., founded 1980 in Chelmsford, Massachusetts by William Poduska and others, developed and produced Apollo/Domain workstations in the 1980s. Along with Symbolics and Sun Microsystems, Apollo was one of the first vendors of graphical workstations in the 1980s...
workstations. At some point, Avid demo'd one of their products at Siggraph
SIGGRAPH
SIGGRAPH is the name of the annual conference on computer graphics convened by the ACM SIGGRAPH organization. The first SIGGRAPH conference was in 1974. The conference is attended by tens of thousands of computer professionals...
.
Says Peters: "Some Apple people saw that demo at the show and said, "Nice demo. Wrong platform!" It turned out they were evangelists for the then new Mac II (with *six* slots!). When we got back to our office (actually a converted machine shop) after the show, there was a pile of Fedex packages on our doorstep. They were from Apple, and they contained two of their prototype Mac II machines (so early they didn't even have cases, just open chassis). Also there were four large multisync monitors. Each computer was loaded with full memory (probably 4 megs at the time), and a full complement of Apple software (pre-Claris
Claris
Claris was a computer software developer formed as a spin-off from Apple Computer in 1987. It was given the source code and copyrights to several programs that were owned by Apple, notably MacWrite and MacPaint, in order to separate Apple's application software activities from its hardware and...
). That afternoon, a consultant knocked on our door saying, "Hi. I'm being paid by Apple to come here and port your applications from Apollo to Macintosh." He worked for us for several weeks, and actually taught us how to program the Macs." At the time, Macs were not considered to be fast enough for video purposes. The Avid engineering team, however, managed to get 1,200 kBytes per second, which allowed them to do offline video on the Macs.
Steven Cohen was the first editor to use Film Composer for a major motion picture on Lost in Yonkers
Lost in Yonkers
Lost in Yonkers is a 1991 Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Neil Simon. After eleven previews, the Broadway production, produced by Emanuel Azenberg and directed by Gene Saks, opened on February 21, 1991 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, where it ran for 780 performances...
.
The system has been used by other top editors such as 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...
on 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...
(the first digitally-edited film to receive a Best Editing Oscar).
Avid received an Oscar statuette representing the 1998 Scientific and Technical Award for the concept, design, and engineering of the Avid Film Composer system for motion picture editing.
Film Composer is no longer sold as a separate product, since - over time - all of its specific film editing features were implemented into the "regular" Media Composer and/or the Avid Symphony
Avid Symphony
Avid Symphony is non-linear editing software aimed at professionals in the TV and movie industry. It is available for Microsoft Windows PCs and Apple Macintosh platforms....
.
Catering to the mid and high end of the non-linear editing market, Avid is still used in a lot of major film productions, though it's facing increasing competition from Apple's Final Cut Studio
Final Cut Studio
Final Cut Studio is a professional video and audio production suite for Mac OS X from Apple Inc., and a direct competitor to Avid Media Composer in the high-end movie production industry...
.
In July 2009 American Cinema Editors
American Cinema Editors
Founded in 1950, American Cinema Editors is an honorary society of film editors that are voted in based on the qualities of professional achievements, their education of others, and their dedication to editing itself. The society is not to be confused with an industry union, such as the I.A.T.S.E...
(ACE) announced that the ACE Board of Directors had recognized Avid Media Composer software with the Board’s first-ever “ACE Technical Excellence Award” - recognizing it as the preferred choice of the industry’s most acclaimed editors.
Several Films Cut with Avid:
- Die Another Day (2002)
- Collateral (2004)
- Just Like Heaven (2005)
- Transformers (2007)
- Iron Man (2008)
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
- Avatar (2009)
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
- Predators (2010)
- The Expendables (2010)
- Black Swan (2010)
- 127 Hours (2010)
- Inception (2010)
- Unstoppable (2010)
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
- Tron Legacy (2010)
- The Fallen 2 (2012)
| Year | Operating System | Version | Notes/Major Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Macintosh | Avid/1 | First Avid. Becomes Media Composer. Serial #001 ships to Alan Miller @ Rebo Studios in June on a Mac IIx. Jeff Bernstein becomes second editor on the Avid. |
| 1992 | Macintosh | Introduction of the Avid Film Composer. First true 24-frame capture, editing, and playback system. Open Media Framework (OMF) introduced (April) | |
| Jan 1993 | Macintosh | Models 210 (unbundled) and 220 (with Mac IIci) at $15.000 / $24.900 | |
| Dec 1994 | Macintosh | 5.2 | AVR27, multicamera editing, realtime chroma and luma keys, support for Avid Media Reader, support for 3rd party Photoshop plugins |
| Jul 1995 | Mac OS 7.5 | 5.5 | Last version to run on Macintosh 68K hardware. Film Cutter (simplified version of Film Composer). Hardware-independent QuickTime codec, 3D effects module. |
| Sep 1995 | Mac OS | 6.0 | First Media Composer to use the Avid Broadcast Video Board (ABVB) |
| Mar 1996 | Mac OS | 6.1 | First PCI-based system |
| Dec 1996 | Mac OS | 6.5 | Script-based editing, AVR77, AVR9s |
| Feb 1998 | Mac OS | 7.0 | Paint, Animatte, AVX plugins, spot color correction, image cloning, Intraframe Editing, AudioSuite plugins. Models like MC 1000 ($66.500) and MC 8000 ($94.625) |
| 1999 | Mac OS 7.6 to 8.6 | 7.2 | Last version on ABVB hardware. |
| 1999 | Mac OS 8.5.1 | 8.0 | First version based on Meridien hardware. Uncompressed SD video. "Media Composer XL" |
| 1999 | Windows NT | 9.0 | First Media Composer release on Windows NT 4.0 (Meridien) |
| 2000 | WinNT/Mac OS9 | 10.0 | SD 24p support for Meridien on Mac |
| 2001 | Win2K/Mac OS9 | 10.5 | Support for Windows 2000 |
| 2002 | Win2K/Mac OS9 | 11.0 | Marquee integrated (Windows only), DV support (option) |
| Feb 2003 | Mac OS X | 11.7 | First version to support Mac OS X. MetaSync. |
| May 2003 | WinXP/Mac OS X | 1.0 | First version of Media Composer Adrenaline |
| Nov 2003 | Win2K/Mac OS X | 12.0 | Last version of Media Composer on Meridien hardware |
| Sept 2004 | WinXP/Mac OS X | 1.5 | MXF support, Marquee on Mac |
| Dec 2004 | WinXP | 2.0 | HD support, 10-bit video, SpectraMatte keyer, AVX2 |
| March 2005 | WinXP | 2.1 | P2 support, XDCam support |
| Dec 2005 | WinXP | 2.2 | HDV support |
| 24 April 2006 | WinXP/Mac OS X | introduction of Mojo SDI (Mojo, but now with SD-SDI I/O) | |
| June 2006 | WinXP/Mac OS X | 2.5 | HD on Mac, Media Composer soft, Mojo and Mojo SDI support, XDCam HD, Tracker |
| Sept 2006 | WinXP/Mac OS X | 2.6 | Interplay, Safe Color Limiter effect |
| March 2007 | WinXP/Mac OS X | 2.6.4 | DNxHD36, low-bandwidth HD compression rate for offline editing |
| May 2007 | WinXP/Mac OS X | 2.7 | MacPro (Intel) support, ScriptSync, P2 / XDCam writeout |
| Dec 2007 | WinXP/Mac OS X | 2.8 | VC-1/MXF (SMPTE 421M) support |
| June 2008 | WinXP & Vista/ Mac OS X |
3.0 | 'DX' hardware support, new render engine (better multi-threading and GPU support), RT timecode generator, SubCap effect, AVC-I codec support |
| Sept 2008 | WinXP & Vista/ Mac OS X |
3.05 | XDCAM 50mb format, DNA hardware on MacOS 10.5.5, RED workflow support |
| Dec 2008 | WinXP & Vista/ Mac OS X |
3.1 | Video Satellite option for ProTools (Windows only) |
| March 2009 | WinXP & Vista/ Mac OS X |
3.5 | Avid Media Access (AMA) for better file based workflows, FluidStabilizer, Keyframeable Color Correction, Native XDCAM EX support, Timecode in Quicktime files, Stereoscopic support, Software Activation, 14-day Downloadable Trial |
| Sept 2009 | WinXP & Vista/ Mac OS X |
4.0 | Mix and Match frame rates on timeline, Expert Decompose, AVC-I writeout, Macintosh Video Satellite support, 1080p24 (not-PsF) output, HD Ancillary data support on DX hardware, GFCAM 50mb/100mb support, Stereoscopic enchantments, updated 3rd party software bundle |
| Nov 2009 | WinXP & Vista/ Mac OS X |
4.0.4 | Support for Mac OS X 10.6.3 Snow Leopard |
| June 2010 | WinXP, Vista, Win7/ Mac OS X |
5.0 | AMA support for RED, Quicktime and Canon cameras, Matrox MXO2 Mini output, SmartTools 'drag & drop' editing, HD-RGB support, AVCHD import, SMPTE 436M support, RTAS audio plug-in support, ScriptSync will become a paid option on future versions, Windows 7 support |
| March 2011 | WinXP, Vista, Win7/ Mac OS X |
5.5.1 | AJA Io Express hardware support, HDCAM SR Lite native editing, AVC-Intra codec module for Nitris DX, PhraseFind option, Support for EUCON hardware interfaces, SmartTool enhancements. |
| August 2011 | WinXP, Vista, Win7/ Mac OS X |
5.5.3 | Mac OSX 10.7 Lion support. |
| November 2011 | Windows 7 x64/ Mac OS X 10.7 |
6.0 | Native 64-bit application, Improved UI (more tabs & less modal), Redesigned stereoscopic toolset, Open I/O (Supports 3rd party video hardware), 5.1/7.1 audio mixing support with interoperability with ProTools, RED EPIC and AVCHD support for AMA, Support for EUCON Artist hardware interface in the Color Corrector, DNxHD 4:4:4 format, ProRes encoding on OSX, built in store to purchase stock footage and plug-ins. |
External links
- Media Composer trial version
- Avid Version Matrix (indicates supported versions of operating systemOperating systemAn operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s and QuickTimeQuickTimeQuickTime is an extensible proprietary multimedia framework developed by Apple Inc., capable of handling various formats of digital video, picture, sound, panoramic images, and interactivity. The classic version of QuickTime is available for Windows XP and later, as well as Mac OS X Leopard and...
for Avid editor application versions) - Avid QuickTime Codec download
- American Cinema Editors Equipment Survey 2008
- Avid's Decade of Film Composer
- Avid/1 promotion video
- Video production company UK
User groups