Avid offers sneak peek at future Media Composer offerings
By Randi Altman
July 14, 2011

Avid offers sneak peek at future Media Composer offerings

BURBANK — Avid hosted some of the biggest names in post last night at a packed event in a theater on the Warner Bros. lot. They were there to show some previews of what users can expect from Avid and its Media Composer product in the future.

The timing cannot be a coincidence either. With the recent backlash against the new FCPX and its lack of professional features, Avid’s Gary Greenfield and Kirk Arnold emphasized that they listen to their customers and that the pro market is more than just a sidebar to their main business — it is their main business.

Some highlights provided by Avid’s Paul Foeckler, VP, Creative Professionals, Products and Solutions, included a DNxHD codec for working in 444 RGB workflows; 64-bit support; the ability to work in larger than HD frame sizes, such as 2K, 4K and beyond; and more third-party support from companies like AJA, Blackmagic, Bluefish 4:4:4 and others for I/O solutions. 

 

A new GUI was previewed as well. One that Post contributor Barry Goch called “slick.” [Editor's note: the shown image is that of a prototype.]

Goch reported a huge buzz during the event. “There was anticipation to see what Avid would pull out of their hat and to see how they can take advantage of the lackluster response to the introduction of the new Final Cut Pro. And Avid delivered by previewing important new features and a redesigned GUI for an upcoming release of Media Composer.”

AlphaDogs' Terry Curren was also at the event: "I think Avid did a great job of communicating the major points of concern for potential FCP to Avid switchers. First, they showed that they are no longer the arrogant Avid of five years ago. This is important as the folks who left Avid to go to FCP may not know that the new management actually listens to its customer base," he said. "Second, they hinted at support for third-party hardware and even had AJA, Blackmagic, Matrox, MOTU and Bluefish 444 representatives there to back that up. Now folks who already have investments in third-party hardware have hope that they may still be able to get use out of them with a future release of Media Composer. And third, Kirk Arnold made a point that post production tools are responsible for the majority of Avid's revenue. In other words, they won't be abandoning the post market anytime soon. For the pros who just got dumped by Apple, this is an important message."

For further insight to the event, check out Post contributor Brady Betzel's BLOG.