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Avid’s Future
It’s impossible to tell if any company will go out of business or change direction – just look at Apple introducing FCPX – but would anyone here care to speculate Avid’s future in the market?
I like Avid. Been using it for the past 5 years, but I’ve been primarily a Final Cut editor. With the introduction of FCPX, FCP Studio is now null and void. Thus, cutting off most of it’s professional user base. Of course I know it’s best to learn as many programs as possible, but I’m thinking of moving to Avid as my main editing tool, thus investing in their products. Overall, it’s best to be really good at one thing then pretty good at alot of things.
I like that Avid develops and produces professional post-production products including Pro Tools, rather than computers, phones and apps. This sells their future to me. But please tell me if you think they can maintain and will continue to maintain their strive for the top of the market. I know their service department has been pretty bad. I hope they listen to their users to stay at the very top. Hopefully they learned some good things from Apple.
Thanks.
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11 Replies
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It’s a tough business they’re in. Who knows. Right now they’re back to being the undisputed champion for broadcast and feature film work, but that’s a relatively narrow market with very heavy support demands. Apple’s trend toward servicing the consumers is undoubtedly going to be more profitable. Can Avid maintain themselves as a going concern in this narrow market segment? Who knows?
But I’d learn it if you hope to be gainfully employed in the broadcast or feature market.
Chris
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Avid is headed back in the right direction. They do need to keep listening to editors, particularly those who have always been with Avid as they pursue other users with different experiences. Avid will be around and will go “out of business”.
Ricky
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Out of any time in history, now is the time to actually “believe” in Avid, rather than not.
For 8 years (or something to that tune) they’ve posted financial losses every quarter. This last quarter they saw a profit. So… I guess the proof is in the numbers.
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The very top level of management at AVID changed 2 years ago and they started listening to the users and getting feedback. The open I/O initiative introduced with Media Composer 6 and related products is a direct result of this change. I personally think they have good hands on the tiller. 3rd party hardware support will only get better as time goes on.
IMHO…Ben Wilson
Engineering Project Manager
SCETV -
I do agree that AVID need to keep listening to the editors but if they focus more on the ‘older’ editors, this is where they will come undone. The world of Post is changing. Avid was and still is a fantastic editing tool, but now, editors are being required to do so much more. FX, colour grading etc. If there is a better and easier way to do something then Avid need to be changing the product. Why just stick with something because ‘thats the way it’s always been done’? If I can add an effect, for example lets say a film flash, using 1 click instead of a series of click where it has to be built, isn’t that a better choice?
Definitely don’t do a FCP but Avid can’t be afraid of changing or they’ll be left behind.Peter Brewer
http://www.indimax.com.au -
This is an interesting topic and I think recent developments on the FCP side have caused some people to think of the bigger picture.
Unless you hope and intend to make your money in a very short window or oppertunity in Post production (and I think there’s little hope of that) then you need to be woring on a long term plan.
That requires investment in kit and skills and doing that with the wrong product is a massive waste of effort and time.
For me Avid was and still is a company that exists by making editing tools. Not phones or TV’s just tools for editing. And they have to get it right to survive. They’ve lost touch before and seen the result and had to adapt to recover. That’s not the same for Apple and the like. they can and will mkae more from trading one small client base for a much bigger wealthier one.
And to a lesser extend I’d worry about the Adobe route. Adobe could decide that the FCPX route is the smart route to go and CS7 could be a tablet application with very different features. Who knows?
So I invest my time in working with Avid on their software in testing and teaching and using it and it’s great to be using a tool I actually have a real input into how it develops.Pat Horridge
Technical Director, Trainer, Avid Certified Instructor
VET
Production Editing Digital Media Design DVD
T +44 (0)20 7505 4701 | F +44 (0)20 7505 4800 | E pat@vet.co.uk |
http://www.vet.co.uk | Lux Building 2-4 Hoxton Square London N1 6US -
[Pat Horridge] “then you need to be woring on a long term plan”
Pat, is that “working” or “whoring” on a long term plan? I couldn’t decide. LOL.
ChriS
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Well the way post production is going I suspect it’s a little of both!
Pat Horridge
Technical Director, Trainer, Avid Certified Instructor
VET
Production Editing Digital Media Design DVD
T +44 (0)20 7505 4701 | F +44 (0)20 7505 4800 | E pat@vet.co.uk |
http://www.vet.co.uk | Lux Building 2-4 Hoxton Square London N1 6US -
Good points Peter, BUT
“If there is a better and easier way to do something then Avid need to be changing the product. Why just stick with something because ‘thats the way it’s always been done’? If I can add an effect, for example lets say a film flash, using 1 click instead of a series of click where it has to be built, isn’t that a better choice?”
As you say here, they have now made the process of panning audio 3 steps instead of one – I can no longer CTL click to center, I must click on the window, hit “0” then hit “enter” and ganging does not include the ganged channel in this so I must do it all again for the second channel – thus they need to listen to “experienced” editors still as opposed to “older”.Ricky
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Totally agree with you Rick. Experienced editors need to be listened to. My main point was that a lot of editors don’t want to learn new things which is crazy. If there’s a better way to do something, I want to learn it! Avid need to make sure that they don’t feel like they can’t improve something because of fear of more ‘senior editors’ complaining. If thats the case, they’ll loose the upcoming editing generation who embrace change. I WANT AVID TO LEAD!! 🙂 🙂
Peter Brewer
http://www.indimax.com.au
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