Avid Media Composer

Avid Company LogoAvid are a world leader in desktop NLE video editing technology. Their Media Composer® product line is an industry standard solution for anyone looking for professional-quality editing and creative tools in a PC based NLE system. It's fully compatible with Avid's high end systems including  Symphony and NewsCutter. Powerful video and audio editing toolsets, professional  titling and graphics, extensive import and export capabilities, more than 100 real-time effects and multiple simultaneous streams make Avid Media Composer® the performance choice in editing software for DV upwards.

Demo Available
of Xpress ProHD®
with MojoSDI

Plug-ins

Avid Mojo SDI - for Xpress Pro v5.5+ & Media Composer

The Avid Mojo SDI is an up-rated version of the original analogue Mojo DNA external hardware add-on for their Media Composer and Xpress Pro HD software.

As well as serial digital video, Avid Mojo SDI also provides I/O for IEEE-1394, and either component or composite and S-video. Mojo SDI supports up to 8 channels of embedded audio over SDI and 2 channels of optical S/PDIF audio, with additional connections for 4 channels of AES/EBU audio. And unlike some other add-on hardware, Mojo lets you capture audio or video while also providing output of the same source, so you can monitor what you're capturing, including watching video on a client monitor while recording voiceover. In addition, Avid Mojo and Avid Mojo SDI let you monitor and output HD timelines in SD with real-time down-convert.

see it in action in our demo suite
Avid Media Composer packages with Mojo SDI & 3.3GHz HP xw8600 dual quad-core Xeon workstation,
 £6,750 - see price list

XpressPro HD

Features added in v5.5

  • DVI monitoring. Take advantage of low cost LCD and Plasma displays for SD and HD monitoring using one of the DVI outputs of your built-in graphics card.

  • Toggle full screen display. Only one monitor? No problem - one keystroke fills the monitor with your HD or SD footage.

  • Optimised HDV output. New smart-splicing technology means no re-encoding of sections that don’t require it and much faster HDV output.

  • Capture from Varicam-ed frame rate during capture.

  • Safe colour limiter. Ensures that the output always conforms to broadcast safe colour standards.

  • Improved audio interop with Pro Tools

  • One-step DVD - now burn sequences straight to DVD without leaving the Avid Xpress Pro application (PC only)

  • XDCAM HD support (25 Mbps CBR) (Direct firewire connection to XDCAM available on PC only, Mac workflow is ftp only)

  • Support for Avid Mojo SDI. Highest-quality uncompressed SD I/O with 8 channels of embedded audio, AES/EBU, and more.

  • Optional Avid VideoRAID local storage. Maximum performance, maximum protection, for all the formats you need.
Resolutions and media management
  • Capture 15:1 single-field resolution via firewire
  • Capture 1:1 uncompressed video (with Mojo)
  • Play mixed resolutions in real-time: DVCAM, DVCPro, 15:1s, 1:1 (Mojo required for 1:1)
  • Fast Transcode command to convert resolutions
  • Re-link media for selected resolutions

 

 

 

 

 

Avid Xpress Pro HD not only supports HD, it also includes new features like true real-time multi-cam, Marquee 3D title tool, DVCPRO 50 and DVCPRO HD support, 10-bit SD and 8-bit HD playback, edit, and render support, new AVX 2 effects architecture and much more. Currently Windows-only - Mac version to follow.
Includes:- Sorenson Squeeze 4
SmartSound Sonicfire Pro 3.1.2
Sonic ReelDVD 3.1.3 LE
Click here to see a complete feature list for Avid Xpress Pro HD v5.x.

Editing Features
  • 24 video tracks
  • Source-Record switch for Timeline
  • Varispeed trimming and machine control with JKL keys
  • Extend Edit and Replace Edit commands
  • Multicam editing: clip grouping with quad split
  • Metasync
Effects and Graphics
  • 3D real-time DVE with advanced keyframe model
  • Titles with 3D real-time DVE
  • Uncompressed titles (with Mojo)
  • High-quality 16-bit DVE render mode
  • Auto Correct feature with colour correction
  • Rampable motion effects
  • Real-time full DV-quality output via Firewire (with Mojo)
Audio
  • 24 audio tracks with real-time playback of 8 tracks
  • Real-time audio dissolves over 8 tracks
  • 24-bit audio support
Input/output (with Mojo)
  • Capture/playback analogue video and audio
  • Composite, S-video and Component YUV*
  • SDI/embedded audio on SDI Mojo
  • Analogue stereo audio I/O
  • Genlock input for video reference signal

* via optional low-cost cable


Plug-ins for Xpress DV & Xpress Pro

BorisFX - see our page here

Sapphire  from GenArts Inc


ProTools 9 - What's new?

 

Work the way users want - Get the flexibility of using Pro Tools 9 with a favourite Avid audio interface or third-party Core Audio or ASIO-compatible interface - or use Pro Tools 9 completely standalone for easy on-the-go creation.

Avid ProTools 9 screenshotCreate bigger, better mixes - Develop larger, more complex projects, with up to 96 or 192* simultaneous audio tracks, 128 instrument tracks, 512 MIDI tracks, 256 internal busses, and 160 aux tracks.

Be more creative with coveted professional tools - Work efficiently and get the best sonic results with Automatic Delay Compensation, multi-track Beat Detective, full Import Session Data dialogue, DigiBase Pro, and other separately priced add-ons - now standard.

Collaborate with others more easily - Team up with other creators, editors and mixers easily, exchanging projects created in other audio and video software with Pro Tools and vice-versa with built-in OMF/AAF/MXF file interchange support.


Pro Tools 9 software redefines the world’s most popular, most advanced music and audio production platform with a completely re-architected, open version of Pro Tools software that delivers a host of new features, including the ability to run standalone, on third-party audio interfaces, or on Avid hardware.

Pro Tools 9 now includes an enhanced feature set including Automatic Delay Compensation, a higher track-count support, EUCON support, and other pro features included as standard. Users can even open their workflow to projects created in other audio and video software - and to the entire Avid Artist Series and Pro Series (formerly Euphonix) console/ controller line.



Other NLE software & systems from ZEN
Adobe CS5.5 - PremierePro/Matrox RTX  - AxioLE
 
Note - all prices quoted on this site are UK pounds - ex VAT & delivery -  2.5% surcharge on Credit & Company Debit Card payments
ITEM PRICE (ex VAT)
Avid Media Composer v5.5 (s/w licencing) 1,725.00
Avid Media Composer v5.5 with Dongle 1,875.00
Avid ProTools 9 audio editing software 395.00
Script Sync option for MC v5 690.00
3rd-party apps for MC v5.5 200.00
Upgrade Avid Media Composer v5 to v5.5 (inc docs & 3rd party apps) 295.00
Avid Media Composer v5.5 upgrade for Xpress DV/Pro HD & pre-v5 Media Composer 590.00
Avid Mojo SDI for MC & XpressPro (v5.5+), Digital Accelerator with SDI & digital audio 1,590.00
Avid-ready HP Z400 workstation, W3540 CPU, 6GB RAM, 320GB+1TB HD, DVD-RW, Quadro FX3800 graphics, Windows 7 Pro 64 bit O/S 1,735.00
DV1394 I/O Card (Avid approved 1394 card) & Firewire Cable 40.00
DataVideo Analogue video to DV bi-directional converter box from 170.00
Avid Keyboard - High quality coloured keyboard with Avid shortcuts - PC Version only (used keyboards) 90.00
Printed manuals for Avid Xpress - User's Guide & FX Guide (to special order) each - 17.00
Full range of eSATA/USB2 external drives available - ask for details Various
AVID ACADEMIC PRICING - for academic institutions (official orders)
Media Composer Academic 180.00
Media Composer EduPack 5 user licence pack 900.00
Avid Mojo SDI Academic 1290.00
Full systems available - please enquire for details Contact info

What we're about . . .      ZEN is not a traditional Audio-Visual dealer who started selling computers, nor is it a computer shop that also sells video editing systems. You won't get any salesmen giving you the "hard-sell" when you call, just straightforward advice and information - which for some callers is the knowledge that they don't need to buy whatever it is they thought they needed! Above all you'll be dealing with someone with a wide range of experience and knowledge of both PCs and video production. We're not the biggest, nor necessarily the cheapest, but we are one of the longest established computer/video specialists in the UK.

Company history . . .      ZEN was started in the 1980s by Martin Kay, then working for ITV at Granada's Manchester studios, who built his first 6502-based computer in 1979 from an Ohio Scientific kit, bought in the USA whilst working as a Sound Recordist on a film shoot for World In Action. With the advent of the Amiga, which could be gen-locked to a video source, Martin started writing a variety of video-related software. This included subtitling & tele-prompting, ident clocks, scoring software for sports & gameshows, and specialist software to mimic other computer displays for use in TV film dramas like Cracker, Prime Suspect and A Touch of Frost. Martin left Granada in 1993 to concentrate on his computer-video activities with ZEN, following a natural path into non-linear editing systems, now the main focus of the business, although he still maintains an active interest in video production.

ZEN - Home Page Phone 0161 736 5300 Copyright © 2011 Zen Computer Services.
All rights reserved. E&OE
Revised: 03 October, 2011