Overview
Compare
Specs
Q&A

Questions & Answers

Reviews about this item

Review Summary

Avid media composer 8 Specifications

  • Native Codec Support 1

    Avid DNxHD 444:
    All DNxHD 444 Formats
    Avid DNxHD:
    All DNxHD formats
    Avid Compressed SD Resolutions:
    AVR (playback only)
    15:1s, 4:1s, 2:1s
    20:1, 10:1, 3:1, 2:1
    35:1p, 28:1p, 14:1p, 3:1p, 2:1p
    4:1m, 10:1m, 3:1m(p), 8:1m(p)
    Avid Proxy Formats:
    Interplay MPEG-2 proxy, MPEG-4 proxy, 720p H.264 proxy (transcode service only)
    Canon XF:
    50 Mb/s, 4:2:2
    DV:
    DV25 / DVCAM (25 Mb/s): 4:1:1 NTSC, 4:1:1 PAL, 4:2:0 PAL, 24p
    DV50 (50 Mb/s)

  • Native Codec Support 2

    HDV:
    JVC HDV (19 Mb/s) 720p
    Sony HDV (25 Mb/s) 1080 at 24p/25/50i/59.94i
    Canon HDV 1080 at 24p/50i/59.94i
    Native project formats: 1080i/59.94, 1080i/50, 720p/23.976 (with support for 24p material), 720p/25, 720p/29.97, 720p/50, 720/59.94
    Capture over IEEE-1394, edit, playback, export to file without timecode
    Ikegami GFCAM:
    GFCAM 50 Mb/s
    GFCAM 100 Mb/s
    JVC ProHD:
    Microsoft VC-1: VC-1 (edit/playback on Intel Macs only)
    Panasonic AVC-Intra

  • Native Codec Support 3

    Panasonic DVCPRO (SD):
    DVCPRO 25 Mb/s
    DVCPRO50 50 Mb/s
    Panasonic DVCPRO HD:
    DVCPRO HD 100 Mb/s
    AVC-Intra (baseband capture over HD-SDI requires AVC-Intra encoding module with Avid Nitris DX-sold separately)
    Native project formats: 1080i/59.94, 1080i/50, 720p/59.94, 720p/50, 720p/25, 720p/23.976
    ProRes:
    ProRes encode (Mac only) and decode
    Full metadata support

  • Native Codec Support 4

    Sony XDCAM (SD):
    DV 25 Mb/s
    IMX30 30 Mb/s
    IMX40 40 Mb/s
    IMX50 50 Mb/s
    Full ancillary data support through AMA
    Sony XDCAM EX:
    MPEG 25 Mb/s CBR
    MPEG 35 Mb/s VBR
    Full ancillary data support through AMA
    Sony XDCAM HD:
    MPEG 18 Mb/s VBR
    MPEG 25 Mb/s VBR
    MPEG 25 Mb/s CBR
    MPEG 35 Mb/s VBR
    MPEG 50 Mb/s CBR
    MPEG-4 Proxies
    Full ancillary data support through AMA

  • Supported A/V Plug-In Formats

    Audio:
    RTAS (Real-Time AudioSuite)
    AudioSuite
    Video:
    AMA (Avid Media Access)
    AVX 2 (Avid Video Extension)

  • Uncompressed SD and HD Video

    SD:
    1:1 interlaced 8/10-bit
    1:1 progressive 8/10-bit
    HD:
    1:1 8/10-bit
    YUV 4:2:2
    RGB 4:4:4 (via dual link HDSDI)

  • File-Based Support 1

    ARRI ALEXA MXF:
    AVCHD:
    Full native direct access to AVCHD media and metadata
    Native editing of all listed formats
    Canon XF:
    Full native direct access to Canon XF media and metadata
    Native editing of all listed formats (see "Native Codec Support")

  • File-Based Support 2

    Ikegami GFCAM:
    Supports MXFand OP-Atom Wrapper
    Full native direct access to GFCAM material and metadata
    Native GFCAM editing of all listed formats (see "Native Codec Support")
    Direct edit of GFCAM media from GFPAK cards or disk drive

  • File-Based Support 3

    JVC ProHD:
    MXF:
    Full native direct access to MXF media and metadata
    Native editing of all formats
    Panasonic P2:
    Supports MXF and OP-Atom Wrapper Full native direct access to P2 media and metadata
    Native DVCPRO HD and AVC-Intra editing of all listed HD formats
    Direct edit of P2 media from cards or disk drive
    Support for P2 Store
    Write-back of finished program to P2 media (Windows only)

  • File-Based Support 4

    QuickTime
    Full native direct access to QuickTime media and metadata (including Canon 5D and 7D media)
    Full native ProRes encode (Mac only) and decode support
    Native editing of all listed formats (see "Native Codec Support")
    Direct edit of QuickTime movie files

  • File-Based Support 5

    RED:
    Full native direct access to RED (.R3D) media and metadata (frame size scaled to HD)
    Full native direct access to RED ONE, EPIC, SCARLET-X (5K/4.5K/3K2K RAW, 1080p RGB and 720p RGB) material
    Native editing of all listed formats
    Direct edit of RED (.R3D) files from a RED-FLASH card or RED-DRIVE

  • File-Based Support 6

    Sony HDCAM SR / HDCAM SR Lite / HDCAM SR-SQ:
    Full native direct access to HDCAM SR Lite media and metadata
    Native editing of all listed HD data rates (see "Native Codec Support")

  • File-Based Support 7

    Sony XDCAM / XDCAM EX / XDCAM HD / HD420:
    Supports MXF and OP-1A Wrappers for all but XDCAM EX; XDCAM EX supports MP4 wrapper
    Full native direct access to XDCAM media and metadata
    Support for optical media and SxS cards
    Native editing of all listed SD and HD data rates (see "Native Codec Support")
    Full ancillary data support
    Import via File Access Mode (FAM) over IEEE-1394
    Ingest via FTP client over Ethernet
    Play-out and Write-back of finished program to XDCAM media

  • Software

    Requires that you supply 50 client licenses to retire when purchasing

  • Computer

    Avid Floating License Server system

  • Operating System

    Windows 7 Professional SP1 (64-bit), Windows 8 Professional or Enterprise (64-bit)
    Mac OS X Lion and Mountain Lion (64-bit).

  • Processor

    Intel Quad Core i7 or Quad Core Xeon processor

  • Memory

    4 GB RAM minimum (6+ GB recommended)
    8 GB RAM minimum required to support Interplay Sphere, background transcoding and Dynamic Media Folders
    16+ GB RAM recommended to support full-frame stereoscopic 3D, simultaneous background transcoding, Dynamic Media Folders, FrameFlex 4 K workflows, Raw format AMA plug-ins, Long GOP media editing and other high-performance workflows

  • Graphics Card

    Mac:
    NVIDIA GeForce family (recommended), Intel HD4000, or ATI Radeon family (as supported by Apple)
    Windows:
    NVIDIA Quadro FX family3 (Q600 or higher recommended), Intel HD400

  • Internal Hard Drive

    Minimum 250 GB, 7,200 rpm SATA drive or 128 GB SSD

  • Compatibility

    QuickTime: Avid has tested and qualified Apple QuickTime X for Mac users and QuickTime 7.6.9 for Windows users
    Windows Media Player: Microsoft Windows Media Player 11 is required to export certain formats and to work with VC-1 material

About Avid media composer 8

The Avid Media Composer 8 Floating License is a pack of 50 for use with an Avid Floating License Server. If you are purchasing additional licenses for a pre-existing Floating License Server, you must provide the System ID of current Floating License Server. A Floating License Server can be essentially any Windows computer on you network that distributes licenses on an as-needed basis to client users in your post facility. With a 50 pack as many as 50 editors on the common network can be using Media Composer at the same time. Once a user quits Media Composer the license goes back into the pool. Although the license server is Windows-based, both Mac and Windows computers can be used on the network to run Media Composer.

Media Composer 8 allows you to work - without transcoding - with most file formats and resolutions, including SD, HD, stereoscopic (3D), 4K and beyond. It also features built-in effects, transitions and titling tools. With Media Composer 8, you can mix and match different formats, frame rates and resolutions in the same timeline without rendering. Media Composer 8 features Full 4:4:4 HD RGB support, color correction tools and ProRes encoding (Mac version only.)

Featuring built-in support for stereoscopic/3D footage, it is a full-fledged stereoscopic editing system. It is also compatible with a wide range of effects plug-ins. It features a multicam editing mode for cutting between 9 cameras simultaneously, with added support in version 8 for multicam in 3D. For audio support, Media Composer 8 features built-in 7.1 surround sound support and audio mixing of up to 64 audio voices. It also features improved audio keyframing on the timeline and supports Pro Tools RTAS plug-ins. It supports available Avid and non-Avid hardware I/O cards and devices and comes bundled with NewBlue Titler Pro v1, Sorenson Squeeze, EDL Manager and FilmScribe. Plus, you will be entitled to one-year of standard Avid Support, which features complimentary software updates and can be renewable annually.

New Application Manager
Lets you see what Avid software, AMA plug-ins and related third-party applications you have installed on your system. Get notified when new updates, upgrades and renewals are available. Activate and download new software, updates and upgrades from the interface. And if you're interested in a new product or upgrade, you can even see if a software trial is available to try it out first. It will even alert you about special offers, upcoming webinars and events.

Workflow Acceleration with FrameFlex Tools
Allows you can immediately start working in HD directly from high-res sources, such as 4K and maintain full creative control of the image reframing and keyframing, from beginning to end. In addition, 1D/3D Look Up Tables (LUTs) and Color Decision Lists (CDLs) make it simpler to perform real-time RAW and LogC to Rec. 709 color space conversions.

Automated Media Management
Gain more time for creativity with new features that accelerate and simplify file-based workflows. With Dynamic Media Folders, non-creative media tasks such as transcoding, copying and consolidating can be automated in the background, without disrupting your editorial flow.

Edit and Collaborate Remotely in Real Time
Edit, share, tag, track and sync media and projects with everyone on your editing team. No matter where you are in the world, Media Composer enables you to connect to Interplay Production systems through Media Composer Cloud. What's more, you can edit just as efficiently as you would if you were all at the home facility, using the same familiar tools and workflows.

Master Audio Fader
You can insert RTAS plug-ins to tweak tones and optimize the overall program loudness, making broadcast regulation adherence quick and easy. You can also now make audio adjustments to any clip directly in the timeline-independently of any track-based automation with the Clip Gain control.

Improved Pro Tools Interoperability
Video Satellite is now included with Media Composer, enabling audio editors and mixers to play Avid HD and SD video sequences directly in sync with their Pro Tools session, while maintaining full system power.

Full 64-Bit Power
The 64-bit architecture of Media Composer provides more processing power, larger editing bins and a smoother editing experience with less waiting than with a 32-bit system.

Work With Virtually Any Media
File-based media, 2K, 4K and 5K footage, analog and digital tape, stereoscopic 3D material, film - Media Composer supports it all. With diverse editing tools and a wide range of features, workflows and options you can work with nearly everything, from old-school media to the latest camera technologies. Plus, you can work in HD from a high-res source without having to transcode or resize files.

No Transcoding with AMA
With AMA (Avid Media Access), you can instantly access and edit file-based media, including ARRI ALEXA MXF, RED (EPIC, SCARLET-x and ONE) files, AVCHD, ProRes, QuickTime (including footage from HDSLR cameras), XDCAM, P2, Canon XF and other formats.

Editor-Focused Tools
Trim and manipulate on the fly using the Smart Tool, or perform ultra-precise edits using traditional tools. Mix and match media formats, frame rates, resolutions and more in the same timeline without rendering. And edit HD material in real time using Avid DNxHD or DNxHD 444.

Edit 3D
Edit stereoscopic 3D material as quickly and easily as you do with standard 2D footage. Capture, edit and manage the complete 3D end-to-end workflow. In addition, you can mix and match 2D and stereoscopic 3D clips on the same track and it features full-fledged editing tools and video effects for stereoscopic post production.

Accelerate Performance with Avid Hardware
Pair Media Composer with a Nitris DX or Mojo DX video interface - both separately available - for the fastest possible workflow when ingesting and editing certain formats. You can even customize Nitris DX with up to two Avid DNxHD or AVC-Intra chips to fully support stereoscopic 3D and HD RGB 4:4:4 workflows.

Third-Party I/O Support
Media Composer also supports many third-party video capture and outputs cards, including those from AJA, Blackmagic Design, Bluefish444, Matrox and MOTU.

Avid Marketplace
Browse for stock footage, plug-ins, hardware and more - right from within Media Composer.

Transcode and Export
With Sorenson Squeeze Lite included, you can optimize media for the playback-online or on disc. Prepare and optimize content in a variety of formats, including HD, DVD, MPEG-2, MPEG-4/H.264, Flash and 3GPP.

Broadcast AS-02/AS-11 File-based Output
Support for AS-02/AS-11 MXF formats through AMA means you can manage multiple versions of the same sequence easily, as the AS-02/AS-11 container packs everything into a single bundle without duplicating assets, saving storage space. Seamlessly move content between Avid and other systems that support the formats. Use JPEG 2000, DNxHD, IMX, AVC-Intra and uncompressed media in your versioning/archive workflow. And because the formats are open industry standards, you'll eliminate time wasted on repackaging content.

FilmScribe
Helps manage the complex metadata associated with film and digital cinema workflows, beyond what a simple CMX EDL (edit decision list) can offer.

EDL Manager
Allows you to export timecode metadata for use in third party applications.

NewBlue Titler Pro v1
Allows you to create dynamic 2D and 3D titles to add visual value to your projects.