Avid DNxcel type card for Xpress Pro HD…?

[Oakmozart]

Not that I know of, and I’m somewhat skeptical as to whether you’ll ever see it. Avid is ferociously protective of its hardware and makes its own hardware for its products. Always has and always will. This is why you don’t see support for Blackmagic Decklink cards with XPro. Remember that Avid is primarily a hardware company, that makes software to run on its hardware.

With that said, I’ll say this: there are companies working with Avid, like Ikegami, that are working on building cameras to capture footage directly into the DNxHD format, as opposed to an HDCAM signal, etc. Avid is proud of its new format and it is open-source (you can download the source codec for development on Avid’s website). Avid, I believe, DOES want this to become an industry-standard–for all companies (if I’m not mistaken), so who knows? Maybe I’m wrong and some day your hopes in the above posting will come true. Time will tell. I wouldn’t expect to see 3rd-party companies building hardware compatible with Avid software, though. IF there is any hardware like this in the process, nothing has been mentioned that I know of. I wouldn’t expect to hear much until NAB 2006 at soonest.

It was explained to me by an ACSR that Nitris doesn’t have a firewire port on it because “people who can afford a Nitris-based system likely aren’t capturing from firewire-based sources or using formats that would come from cameras with firewire connections.” In other words, if you can afford $90-$160K for a Symphony Nitris or DS Nitris, then you’re probably not going to be using DVCAM cameras as your primary source, you’re going to be using higher-end cameras/decks, like DigiBETA and HDCAM. AND, in the event that you ARE using a source such as DVCAM, DVCPRO, etc, you’re probably working with uber-expensive professional decks and will be capturing via component, SDI, etc., which offer much higher capture quality with far less loss than firewire. In the event that you DO need to capture firewire and you’re using a Nitris-based system, chances are you’ve got an Adrenaline or a Mojo laying around in your facility that’s there to do just that. 🙂

Must be nice to have money, huh?

[Fred Williams]

https://www.bluefish444.com/downloads/workflows/Bluefish444_avid%20Workflow.pdf

[Oakmozart]

Okay, I was wrong! Thanks for the enlightenment, Fred.

[Nick]

Thanks, I’m hoping something along these lines takes shape for the low end as well.

i.e. a hardware card that can take HD-input from these high end decks, and dump DNxHD format media onto disk. Then, I can use AVID Xpress Pro HD to work with this material, and stay in this mastering format.

This would obviate the need for me to ever consider Avid Adrenaline HD, atleast in terms being able to ingest HD material from these decks. Correct?

I really hope someone is thinking along these lines, it’d make Avid Xpress Pro HD so much more compelling and really make it equivalent to Final Cut Pro HD on the low end.

Thanks,
Nikhil