NLE Buyer's Guide 2003 Prev 1 2 3 4 5 Next
	Avid Products Avid has a lot going for it, not the least of which is a user interface that's been around so long it's emerged as the de facto industry standard. Powered by Avid's Meridien Video subsystem, another great benefit of Avid's vast stable of editing choices is the ease with which all Avid products work with all their brothers and sisters around a production facility. With an industry full of trained editors and freelancers who would not consider working on anything less, Avid has become what IBM was a decade or two ago: Nobody ever got fired for buying Avid. That is, unless you can't afford it.     Avid Symphony screen shot (Click image for enlargement)   Avid Symphony Avid Symphony version 4.7, Starts at $90K. Windows 2000 and now OS X. Capable of real time, multilayer, uncompressed editing and special effects, including color correction, keying, compositing, paint, character generation, 3D effects and audio editing and mixing. Symphony includes the full Media Composer feature set and adds the conforming, real-time finishing and multi-format mastering tools required for high-end film and television editorial work. New for version 4 is MetaSync, enabling editors to synchronize virtually any kind of metadata with traditional video and audio content. Also new are improved image and motion effects. [an error occurred while processing this directive]     Avid|DS timeline (Click image for enlargement)   Avid|DS 6 Windows 2000/XP-based Avid|DS's unique interface brings the tools to the (uncompressed) video rather than the other way around. Its deep, broad creative toolset makes it well-suited for TV commercials, music videos, station promos and TV programs which feature graphics and effects. And now it has even more in common with Avid Media Composer, making it so MC editors will feel more at home. DS features an uncompressed high definition version that is capable of conforming and finishing programs at multiple uncompressed HDTV and SDTV formats including 720P, 1080P, 1080I, PAL, and NTSC, and also supports 24p progressive scanning. DS is a mature, precise and immensely powerful piece of software. Avid|DS HD is a nonlinear production system (NLP) for real time conforming and finishing of projects at multiple uncompressed HDTV and SDTV formats. Editors and digital artists can cut loose with full access to lots of well-integrated picture and audio editing, compositing, paint, animation, character generation and media management tools at all times. Adding to the positive outlook is the rock-stable demeanor of this application. On the down side, we experienced failures of the disk drives Avid supplied for our test version of DS, so be wary of that. Anyway, if you don't want to spring for the HD version, you can still edit quarter-screen resolution HD in the SD version, and then import those edit decisions to an HD version. Pricing: HD is $161K, HD Editor is $85K, and SD is $115K.     Screen shot of Marquee, a new graphics feature included with Media Composer v.11 (Click image for enlargement)   Avid Media Composer 9000 XL v11.7 $68K. Media Composer 9000 XL delivers dual-stream compressed and uncompressed 601 images, real time 3D effects plus real time 9-stream hardware multicam and 24P Universal offline editing. Running on Windows 2000 and the Mac, it's the standard of the nonlinear editing industry with its classic 3-point editing. Now you get real time color effects, real time dual-channel color correction and lots more. Hey, there's a good reason why more broadcasts and major motion pictures are edited on Avid systems than all others combined. Avid Media Composer 1000 XL v11.7 $40K. Avid Media Composer 1000 XL is intended for offline and online video editors who don't want to pay for real time 3D effects, but still want to work with the Avid editorial interface. Even at this reduced level, MC 1000XL offers compressed and dual-stream uncompressed 601 images and the option for real-time 3D FX. Avid Film Composer XL v11.7 $53K. Avid Film Composer XL is the system of choice of editors of virtually every major motion picture today. Providing 23.976P, 24P and 25P Universal offline editing, real-time 3D-FX and precise matchback to every major film format; if you're editing film and not working with an Avid Film Composer, your clients will probably wonder why not. Avid Media Composer Offline XL v11.7 When you need an entry-level Media Composer system suitable for offline, Avid's menu-based ordering for offline systems allows you to choose just the options that you need-all at a low entry price of $12K.     Avid Xpress DV 3 screen shot (Click image for enlargement)   Avid Xpress DV 3.5 Windows XP and Mac OS X. Avid's latest entry into the DV derby consists of a unique approach to real time editing, where your hardware's power is used to its fullest, and its effectiveness is diagnosed at the same time. Whether you're editing on a workstation or a notebook, Xpress DV 3.5 can make the most of the equipment you have. At the same time, even more features of Avid's Media Composer trickle down into the realm of the mere mortal, and when you're done you can send your work all around an Avid facility where all your edit metadata remains intact. $1,699; or $2,499 including all the options like motion stabilization and tons of effects, many of which can be previewed in real time.     Canopus DVRex-RT Professional (Click image for enlargement)   Canopus DVRex-RT Professional $4399 hardware and software package has extensive real time capabilities and advanced features. With component video I/O, balanced audio I/O and RS-422 analog deck control, DVRex RT Professional allows capture of professional-level analog material without compromising quality. The bundle includes Adobe Premiere 6.5, Canopus Rex Edit nonlinear editing software and an Adobe Premiere RT plug-in that brings Rex Edit's extensive collection of real time filters and transitions, including picture-in-picture, slow motion, movie look, color correction and chroma key and luma key to Premiere. DVRex RT Professional also includes MPEG encoding, DVD authoring, soundtrack creation and Internet streaming tools, along with a professional 19" rack-mount breakout box that makes it easy to integrate into existing pro edit suites.     Take a look at this monster stack of 18 layers of video on the DVStorm2 -- 19 if you count the fade up from black. This was the most I could get to play back in real time. Wow! (Click image for enlargement)   Canopus DVStorm2 WinXP Home/ XP Professional/2000. Priced at $1088, DVStorm2 combines stability, reliability, and affordability with an extensive high-performance feature set that delivers render-free, realtime native DV editing, realtime DV and analog capture and output (IEEE 1394, S-Video or composite), and up to five simultaneous, realtime video streams. DVStorm2 features a host of real time 3D transitions and effects, including 3D Picture-in-Picture transition, advanced color correction capabilities, single-pass scan and capture, as well as powerful MPEG encoding and editing tools for DVD production and Internet streaming. DVStorm2 gives professionals all the tools they need to make their productions come to life, including Storm Edit realtime editing software, two advanced 3D digital video effects collections — 3DRT-II and Xplode for DVStorm, Sonic Foundry ACID Style audio software to create compelling soundtracks and Ulead DVD Workshop SE authoring software. Canopus also offers a DVStorm2 Plus version priced at $1299 (MSRP) that also includes Adobe Premiere 6.5 and a Storm Bay breakout box.     Canopus DVRaptor-RT2 (Click image for enlargement)   Canopus DVRaptor RT2 Priced at $499, DVRaptor RT2 is the next generation in the DV Raptor series. It combines Canopus’s DV codec along with realtime DV and analog out in Adobe Premiere. Targeted at the video enthusiast market, DVRaptor RT2 is a cost-effective, professional-quality, DV capture, editing and DVD authoring package. DVRaptor RT2 is fully scalable ­ as CPU speed increases, so does editing performance. To provide real time functionality to DVRaptor series users, Canopus has developed the DVRaptor RT2 Power Tools, a collection including real time 3D Picture-in-Picture for use with Adobe Premiere 6.5. DVRaptor RT2 includes EzEdit, Canopus’s own nonlinear editing software, which combines ease-of-use features with a straightforward interface. Canopus’s DV capture tool provides single-pass scan and capture for up to three video streams at once. SoftMPG for quick creation of MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 video and the award-winning Ulead DVD Workshop SE authoring software are also bundled with DVRaptor RT2 to make DVD creation easier than ever.     CanopusADVC-1394   Canopus ADVC-1394 is an OHCI analog and DV capture card for Macintosh and Windows-based systems. With its plug-and-play design, ADVC-1394 lets consumers easily capture video from either analog or DV camcorders. ADVC-1394 uses Canopus’s DV codec technology to provide high picture quality, along with the company’s locked audio technology for perfect audio and video synchronization. ADVC-1394 reflects the strong engineering and product stability found in Canopus’s professional level video products, yet carries a suggested retail price of just $249. ADVC-1394 comes bundled with Sonic Foundry’s Vegas Video LE 3.0 Windows-compatible, audio and video editing software and InterVideo’s WinProducer 3 DVD creation software, giving Windows users a complete editing and DVD/Video CD authoring system. ADVC-1394 also supports a variety of popular editing tools, such as Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, iMovie and Xpress DV. ADVC-1394 provides easy connections for storage devices, CD-RW drives, scanners and digital still cameras. For Windows users, an ADVC-1394 with Adobe Premiere 6.5 bundle is available for a suggested retail price of $399. Heck, that's less than you'd pay for the software alone. Makes you think anyone who buys Premiere without a capture card is paying too much! If you want to go all-out, Canopus offers an ADVC-1394 Bay breakout box option that moves the DV and analog connections to the front of the PC for more convenient plug-and-play operation.     Dayang X-edit (Click image for enlargement)   Dayang X-edit X-edit is the core product of the X-series post-production system. It gives you the creative freedom you want and the image quality you need to deliver professional-grade video on a desktop or laptop environment. The system runs on Windows 2000 SP2, plus Pinnacle Targa3000 or Matrox DigiSuite DTV/ LX and DigiSuite MAX. X-edit supports multi-file formats, and multi-format editing. You will have transparent Clip Management, full Plug-in function. it provides you advanced keyframe effect curve adjustment, definable keyframe dynamic mask, realtime preview, powerful title & animation tool -- X-CG built-in. Also new-added Dayang Filters available, 1000 built-in preset effects, DVD authoring solution, DV1394 interface, excellent network compatibility with DayangNet, powerful network management, MPEG-4 software editing technology, clear production workflow, rich project experiences, and much more. [an error occurred while processing this directive]     Fire's dual timecode 24p interface (Click image for enlargement)   Discreet Fire 5 A Unix-based nonlinear editing, conforming and finishing system for digital cinema and HD production, Fire gives you the flexibility to capture full bandwidth 4:4:4 images, composite high resolution 3D sequences and output multiple masters to film rez (up to 12-bit 4Kx3K), HD and 601 video. More an editor than a compositor, Fire runs on the SGI Onyx 3000 workstation, and has the power to play back uncompressed 720p, 1080i and 1080p HD video, as well as input and output these formats in real time. It gives you an unlimited vertical timeline with the ability to nest containers, keeping multi-layered composites manageable. Fire also includes 3D compositing capabilities with the ability to manipulate camera controls and light sources. Avid production houses will like the ability to import OMFI compositions from Avid systems, removing what was once a stumbling block for Discreet systems in Avid environments. Now metadata from Avid systems like key data and dissolves can be imported into Fire without extra work. Pricing starts around $300,000 US, depending on configuration. Support is additional.     The motion tracking tool on Discreet Flame (Click image for enlargement)   Discreet Flame 8 Positioned as a compositor for smaller boutiques, independent post houses and network/cable broadcasters creating effects for commercials, music videos and promos, offers a slightly reduced feature set compared with Inferno. For example, it includes 2D motion tracking but not 3D motion tracking, an effect that might be crucial in motion picture compositing but not as crucial in music videos or commercial production. The modular keyer in Flame offers a new approach to keying based on 3D color space, and includes Tracer selective multi-keyer for precise edge-keying and rotoscoping. In addition to its strong integration with Discreet's 3ds max, Flame includes support for the new FBX format enabling integration with a myriad of 3D animation software packages, including Maya, Softimage|XSI and more, and includes full-resolution texture import. Its 3D Deformations enable animatable deformation of 3D models, and batch enhancements further enhance workflow. Pricing starts around $266,000 depending on configuration. Support is additional.     Here's the 3D tracking feature on Inferno. (Click image for enlargement)   Discreet Inferno 5 Most commonly used for high resolution commercials and sophisticated film compositing, this Unix-based software runs on SGI's Onyx 3000. Inferno offers 2D and 3D motion tracking, Motion Estimation TimeWarp, and lots more. For high end rotoscoping and matching effects to film, Inferno makes shots that were previously unthinkable now within a day's work. In addition to its tight integration with Discreet's 3ds max, Inferno includes support for the new FBX format enabling integration with a myriad of 3D animation software packages, including Maya, Softimage|XSI and more. This allows full-resolution texture import to accelerate working with logos, text and titles. And, if you're working in ultra-high resolution, Batch lets you build your sequences in low-rez and when you're satisfied, hit "process" and it automatically recreates the composites in high-resolution. Inferno features precision masking tools and chromakeyers, as well as the ability to use Discreet Sparks, plug-ins by third parties that encompass lots of pretty cool effects. Allows you to set up comps with unlimited layers, and the power of the SGI Onyx ensures that it'll be processed in the shortest amount of time. Pricing starts around $570,000 depending on configuration. Support is additional.     Discreet Smoke's timeline (Click image for enlargement)   Discreet Smoke 5 Fire's little brother, Smoke, runs on the SGI Octane2 platform, and works in 2K, HD or traditional standard definition formats on a single unified system. Smoke offers 24p 2K playback and an expanded 3D DVE module with real time interactivity at full RGB 4:4:4 resolution. Smoke gives editors the flexibility to work in real-time with a high-definition master, and then output in a variety of digital formats. And, as in Fire, a big plus is the OMFI support, allowing you to import Avid EDLs and sequences with greater ease. Extremely sophisticated color correction and uncanny tracking controls, along with lots of unique plug-ins make this a favorite of the high-end commercial production editing and compositing crowd. Pricing starts around $175,000 depending on configuration. Support is additional.     Discreet Combustion (Click image for enlargement)   Discreet Combustion 2.1 Discreet's desktop software for Windows and Macintosh delivers professional tools for visual effects creation, in a single unified environment for vector paint, particles, effects, animation and 3D compositing. Building upon the heritage of Discreet's visual effects technology, combustion 2.1 provides powerful of desktop visual effects tools at a new price-point -- get this -- this software cost $5000 not too long ago. It features optimized rending, OpenGL acceleration, multi-processor support, extensive caching and multiple viewports -- all with real-time looped playback. Combustion offers high performance, interactivity and tools for working on multi-resolution projects in any format, from Web design to uncompressed video (PAL/NTSC) to HDTV and beyond. Price is $995. Source: DMO Prev 1 2 3 4 5 Next