home > products & services > editing & finishing
buy now
find a reseller

Avid Xpress Pro v5.8 Tech Specs

Platform support

  • Microsoft Windows XP SP2. Windows Vista not supported.
  • Mac OS X 10.4.10 Universal version for PowerPC and Intel-based systems
  • QuickTime 7.2. Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard not supported.
  • Complete system requirements as well as qualified workstation and notebook documentation can be found at Avid Xpress Pro System Requirements

What’s in the box

  • Software
    • Avid Xpress® Pro
      • Avid Marquee®
      • Digidesign® AudioSuite™
      • IllusionFX™
      • Avid Filmmaker’s Toolkit
  • Hardware and Documentation
    • Application key (dongle)
    • Avid Xpress Pro Users Guide, Basics Guide, and Effects Guide manuals

Project formats

  • NTSC
    • 23.976p NTSC
    • 24p NTSC
    • 30i NTSC
  • PAL
    • 24p PAL
    • 25p PAL
    • 25i PAL
  • 720
    • 720p/23.976
    • 720p/29.97 HDV
    • 720p/50
    • 720p/59.94
  • 1080
    • 1080p/23.976
    • 1080p/24
    • 1080p/25
    • 1080i/50
    • 1080i/50 HDV
    • 1080i/59.94
    • 1080i/59.94 HDV

    Back to top

Avid DNxHD

  • Avid Xpress Pro supports editing, rendering, and transcoding of project media to the following Avid DNxHD resolutions:
    • 8-bit Avid DNxHD 220
    • 8-bit Avid DNxHD 145
  • Avid Xpress Pro does not support:
    • 10-bit Avid DNxHD 220x
    • Avid DNxHD 36 resolution
  • For more info: Whitepaper – Avid DNxHD Technology [PDF, 347 KB]

Sony XDCAM format support

  • XDCAM SD video codec (DVCAM) bitrate: 25 Mb/s
  • XDCAM HD video codec (MPEG HD) selectable bitrates: 18, 25, 35 Mb/s
  • MPEG-4 (LongGOP) proxy media import for low data rate offline editing
  • Ingest via File Access Mode (FAM) over IEEE-1394
  • Ingest via FTP client over Ethernet
  • Write back to media over IEEE-1394
  • Please note: IMX high-resolution media is not supported in this release
  • For more info: Camera Fact Sheet – Sony XDCAM [PDF, 85 KB]

Panasonic DVCPRO format and P2 support

  • Native DVCPRO HD editing: 1080i/59.94, 1080i/50, 720p/60, 720p/24
  • Direct edit of P2 media from cards or hard drive
  • P2 store support
  • Write back to P2 media over IEEE-1394 (P2 write back on PC systems and PowerPC-based Macs only.)
    • This feature not supported with 23.976pN format projects
  • For more info: Camera Fact Sheet – Panasonic DVCPRO HD [PDF, 74 KB]
  • For more info: P2 workflow with Avid editors

HDV format support

  • Native HDV project resolutions: 1080i/59.94, 1080i/50, 720p/29.97
  • For more info: Camera Fact Sheet – Sony HDV Cameras [PDF, 100 KB]
  • For more info: Camera Fact Sheet – JVC HDV Cameras [PDF, 77 KB]
  • For more info: Camera Fact Sheet – Canon HDV Cameras [PDF, 74 KB]

Back to top

Additional formats and resolutions

  • 10-bit 1:1 SD video support
  • DV50 capture and output over IEEE-1394
  • MXF media support  
  • and more

Tools for filmmakers

  • Avid Filmmaker’s Toolkit includes:
    • Avid FilmScribe™ with Matchback for comprehensive cutlist generation for editing film-originated projects and creating frame-accurate cutlists, change lists, optical pull lists, and other formats for final film and DI assembly
    • Avid Log Exchange (ALE) – file format purpose-built for importing a cut list into an Avid system, so that only the selected material is digitized
    • Film Effects - mimic optically-generated film effects such as dissolves, fades, and aspect ratios
    • Dupe Detection - prevent accidentally re-using the same material
    • AutoSync™ – quick and easy synchronization of picture and sound via common timecode, IN points or OUT points
    • Script-Based Editing - visually link multiple shots to corresponding sections of the script, and edit directly from the script
  • Widest range of pulldown support, including the industry’s only live capture of NORMAL pulldown (2:3:2:3) over 1394, and pulldown in all relationships (rather than just the “A” frame relationship that others are limited to)
  • Play back 23.976/24 sequences with pulldown out to NTSC over FireWire
  • Widest range of film formats, including many such as VistaFilm and 65mm 15-perf (IMAX) not found in other software
  • Mixed film gauges in the same timeline for maximum format flexibility
  • FluidFilm, to create the look of progressive media, including 2:3 pulldown, from interlaced sources
  • A variety of tools for double-system audio workflows, including native support for BWAV files with audio timecode, AutoSync, and quarter-frame slip to provide rock-solid sync aligned with perf boundaries (35mm projects)
  • Integrated film metadata – no need for a separate application to track feet and frames (Xpress Pro tracks up to 7 different time codes at once), KEYCODES, Ink Numbers and Aux Ink Numbers, and other critical information for maximum format flexibility

Hardware support

  • Avid Mojo SDI for highest-quality digital uncompressed SD I/O with 8 channels of embedded audio, as well as IEEE-1394, composite, S-video and component analog, plus AES/EBU audio
  • Avid Mojo for IEEE-1394 composite, S-video, and optional component analog I/O
  • Avid VideoRAID
  • Avid MediaDrive rS 320/LVD
  • Avid Unity – supported as an Ethernet or Fiber attached client on Avid Unity MediaNetwork, including Avid Unity LANshare and Avid Unity ISIS
  • Support for popular IEEE-1394 cards, cameras, and decks
  • Third-party technology solutions [Learn more]

Back to top

Encoding support

  • MPEG-4 (.mp4)
    • H.264
    • 3GPP
    • AVC
    • AVC HD
    • Sony PSP
  • Macromedia Flash Movie (.swf)
  • Macromedia Flash Video (.flv)
  • QuickTime (.mov)
  • Windows Media Video (.wmv)
    • WM Video V7
    • WM Video V8
    • WM Video V9
    • WM Screen V7
    • WM Screen V9
    • ISO MPEG-4 V1
    • WM Audio V9, Pro, Lossless, Voice
  • RealMedia (.rm)
    • RealVideo 8, 9, and 10
    • RealAudio Cook
  • MPEG-1/2 (.mpg)
    • DVD (program and elementary streams)
    • Blu-ray1
    • CD
    • HD DVD2
    • HD ATSC
    • SVCD
    • VCD
  • MP3 Audio (.mp3)
  • Sorenson
    • Sorenson AVC Pro
    • Sorenson MPEG4 Pro
    • Sorenson Spark Pro
  • Audio codecs
    • Uncompressed Audio
    • WAV
    • ACELP
    • AAC (MPEG-4 AAC audio encoding technology licensed by Fraunhofer IIS)
    • aacPlus
    • Qdesign Music Codec 2
    • Apple IMA 4:1
    • QUALCOMM PureVoice
    • ADPCM

1 Sorenson Squeeze Compression Suite or Avid Studio Toolkit required
2 Sorenson Squeeze Compression Suite required

Avid Xpress Pro bundled software

More than just an editor, every copy (excluding academic copies) of Avid Xpress Pro includes the following additional software valued at $997 USD:

  • SmartSound SonicFire Pro 4* – orchestrate sophisticated music tracks that would otherwise require a professional music editor or composer (PC and Mac Universal versions included)
  • Sorenson Squeeze 4.5 Compression Suite* – produce multimedia content straight from the editing timeline using preset or customized easy-to-use templates (PC and Mac Universal versions included)
  • Sonic DVDit for DVD production (PC only)

Also included:

*Not included in Academic versions. Additional software included subject to change. Check with your reseller before purchase.

Back to top