The Media Composer Advantage

Acquisition

File-based Formats like Sony’s XDCAM and Panasonic P2 are taking off in production due to their benefits in cost, quality and immediacy. Media Composer has distinct advanced functionality advantages beyond that of Avid Xpress Pro for customers with a need to work with these formats.

Sony XDCAM

• MPEG-4 Proxy Support
• IMX 30, 40 and 50

Sony XDCAM HD

• 18 and 35Mb Data Rates (Avid Xpress Pro will support XDCAM HD at 25Mb as it is - basically HDV)

Panasonic P2 Support

• Connect P2 card directly to systems for immediate editing or high-speed file transfer
• Edit directly from P2 cards
• Quick and efficient capture of media into edit system
• No need to shuttle through tape looking for a shot

Effects

Edit faster with higher quality results. No other application offers the features and functionality of the Media Composer software toolset.

Blend Effects

• Real-time 3D warp with 23 customizable parameters
• Blur effect for deep defocus of images and keys with alphas

Image Effects

• Intraframe painting featuring cloning, blurring and mosaic modes
• Scratch Removal – remove unwanted imperfections in your footage

Title & Graphics

• Boris Continuum complete AVX – A powerful add-on package with more than 160 filters, including: Lens Flare, Glint, Match Grain, DeInterlace, Optical Flow, Motion Blur, Wire Remover, and Witness Protection effects.

Motion Effects

• Fully customizable TimeWarp effects
• FluidFilm™ and FluidMotion™ - Create incredibly smooth slow-motion effects and “fit-to-fill” video using patented FluidMotion pixel morphing technology while you control speed and position using intuitive curve-based keyframing. Apply the look of 24 fps progressive frame rates to 30 fps interlaced sources with the exclusive FluidFilm feature which offers more creative adjustments than Avid Xpress Pro

Motion Tracking and Stabilization

• 8-point tracker system for advanced tracking operations including offset tracks, applicable to most real-time and non-real-time effect operators
• Patented SteadyGlide™ technology to remove image shakiness while preserving desirable camera motion like pans and tilts. Results in big savings in time and money by saving seemingly unusable footage by not having to do re-shoots and tedious compositing work

Keying [video]

• Real-time 16-bit SpectraMatte™ keying featuring SpectraGraph™ viewer Chroma keying is a fundamental element in compositing and everybody needs it. Media Composer comes integrated with a 16-bit chroma key toolset that not only delivers crisp keys, but does it with an efficiency that can only be found in Avid SpectraGraph technology – a visual display of image color map superimposed over the foreground elements being keyed out. This helps users understand the changes they are making and eliminates guesswork by showing them how those changes will help them achieve the perfect key
• AniMatte™ toolset for fast matte key creation within the editor

Editorial and Architecture

Handle film and video sources with confidence [video]
The industry's most powerful and precise 24p technology lets you handle film and video projects with equal ease and efficiency.

Multiple streams of uncompressed SD
(Avid Xpress Pro limited to 1)

10-bit SD and HD [video]
(Avid Xpress Pro limited to 8-bit)

More resolution support than Avid Xpress Pro
Supports all legacy and current Avid resolutions and formats including ABVB and Meridien projects, bins, sequences, and media.

• Play and render Avid Meridien JFIF, ABVB AVR (play/render only), DV25, DV50, IMX 30/40/50

Film and Digital Intermediate Workflows

• 24, 25 and 30fps timecode tracking
• Multiple metadata display in the timecode window for all sources
• DI data tracking for DPX file names, UNC paths and LUT’s
• LTC output of sequence timecodes

Archive to Tape
Allows a user to store the source media associated with sequences, master clips, sub clips, and group clips to video tape. Users can use this to dramatically reduce the amount of tapes necessary to restore a project as well as transfer to a more robust format that is less susceptible to dropout.

Capture to Timeline
Write media directly to a predetermined segment of the timeline. Rather than go through the process of logging, capturing, marking and editing, the editor can replace the necessary material in the timeline with a single keystroke

Multicamera Editing [video]

• 9 Streams SD (Avid Xpress Pro limited to 4)
• Multigroup capability for grouping multiple “banks” of camera angles allows for more efficient editing selections
• Multicam is available at any Avid resolution from single field to uncompressed

Collaboration and Interop

With direct integration into Avid Interplay™ and support for Avid’s independent workgroup services (MediaManager, TransferManager), Media Composer is the ideal editorial solution for collaborative environments

Workgroup Services

• Direct connect to Avid Interplay from within the editor (currently PC only)
• Support for Avid’s legacy workgroup services (MediaManager, TransferManager, ProLog Player)
• Compatibility with Avid Unity Productivity tools
  • Avid MediaManager
  • Avid MediaManager Select
  • Avid TransferManager
  • Avid DMS
  • Avid Nearchive™
  • Avid Media Browse™
  • Avid Interplay
• Frame Chase™ Editing provides editors in workgroup environments that incorporate TransferManager the ability to begin editing material seconds after it starts being ingested into the network. This reduces the overall amount of time to complete a project by allowing creative work to begin before capture process is completed