From Avid xpres Pro to Media Composer.

[David Braswell]

Pluses for MC… animatte, paint, editable motion effects, top and tail, 2-line info display in source/record windows, movable TC bar, more supported formats… sure I missed something.

Minuses… you will need more computer, period.

It’s still a no-brainer to me. Unfortunately I own the educational version of Xpress Pro and there’s still a considerable gap to upgrade.

[Michael Hancock]

I have good news for both of you.

Gabriel–definitely upgrade if you can afford to. Also, if you’re running an Avid approved system for Xpress Pro, there’s about a 99% chance it’ll run Media Composer without a problem. The system specs are identical, except that Media Composer suggests more horsepower/RAM. I think it’s because there’s no artifical limitation to uncompressed realtime streams of SD media.

David–you have the Academic license for Xpress Pro, right? For $495 you can upgrade your Xpress Pro (Academic) to Media Composer (Commercial license). The catch? You won’t get the third party software bundle (Boris Effects, Avid DVD, Sorenson, etc…), but you’ll have a full commercial license of Media Composer, and you can buy the third party stuff when the budget allows. I say go for it.

Michael.

[Gabriel Teran]

Thanks David.
About the FX I don’t care because I use Combustion for titles, compositing, keying, etc.

About power… how much do I need? I have a laptop with Intel Core 2 CPU T7600 @ 2.33GHz with a 512MB NVIDIA Quadro FX 3500M graphics card. Do you think it can handle it?

Thanks

Gabriel

[Gabriel Teran]

I have a Dell Precision M90 with Intel Core 2 CPU T7600 @ 2.33GHz with a 512MB NVIDIA Quadro FX 3500M graphics card and 2 gigs of ram. Works fine for Combustion and Avid xpress pro.

Gabriel

[David Braswell]

Michael, Thanks! That’s the awesomest news I’ve had all day. Like many others I’ve had fun speculating about Avid’s next move. I’m encouraged that it looks like they’re not exactly abandoning the small-time users like me.

[David Braswell]

Gabriel, my comments about more horsepower were based on conversations with my dealer and my own observations after upgrading at work. Here’s Avid’s own requirements for notebooks in PDF form… offhand, sounds like you may be in luck.

Qualified Avid Notebooks

[Gabriel Teran]

David, thanks very much.

I’m looking forward to try it in my computer.

Thanks

Gabriel

http://www.gabrielteran.com

[Harcharan Singh]

“For $495 you can upgrade your Xpress Pro (Academic) to Media Composer (Commercial license).”

I think this is not true.Only Avid Xpress Pro Commercial owners can upgrade to Avid Composer Commercial for USD449.

I maybe wrong …If anyone can put light on it or any link to verify the above.

Thks
Harcharan

[Tana Umaga]

I think it’s 495 to upgrade from Xpress to Media Composer.

[Michael Hancock]

I apologize, I did give bad information.

For the last fews days on the Avid forums there have been mixed answers, but it looks like–right now–you cannot upgrade your Academic Xpress Pro to a commercial license of MC. However, if you still have Academic status, you can buy MC for $295.

That said, here’s the FAQ about the EOL of XPress and MC pricing and upgrade pricing.

COPIED AND PASTED FROM COMMUNITY.AVID.COM/FORUMS

Upgrade price from any version of a commercial license of Xpress Pro to Media Composer with 3rd party software bundle: $495 (US)

Upgrade Academic Xpress Pro (any version) to a Commercial version of Media Composer (Including 3rd party Add-ons) is not an upgradable product at this time. Please contact your reseller for a price.

Upgrade pricing is available for Xpress ‘Pro academic to Media Composer Academic. Again, contact your reseller.

Purchase Media Composer Academic: $295 (US) (Anyone holding a valid State Educational Institution ID)

Purchase Media Composer Software: $2495 (US)

European prices are 500 Euros and 310 GBP.

Xpress Pro will continue to be sold through Q2 of 2008.

Avid will support Xpress Pro through March 13, 2013, but the program will not be updated beyond the current version (5.8).

Regular Mojo and Mojo-SDI will work with Media Composer.

If you’re running an Avid certified machine with the newest version of Xpress Pro, your computer will most likely run Media Composer sofware. Check the Media Composer specs to see where you system might be lacking. Media Composer System Requirements

Purchasing Assurance Contracts: Changes (if any) are not determined at this point, to be announced at a later date if changes will be made.

When will the Xpress Pro to Media Composer upgrade price expire? This is currently considered a set price for the upgrade from Xpress Pro to Media Composer with no expiration date set.

I need 720p/25 support, which is slated for a future release. Will it be added to Xpress Pro? No. Xpress Pro will not be further updated. You will need to update to the Media Composer version when 720p/25 is supported.

Will Xpress Pro run on Leopard or Vista? Not in a supported configuration. Again, Xpress Pro will no longer be developed, so Leopard and Vista will not be supported for Xpress Pro. Upgrade to Media Composer when the software supports these operating systems.

Is there any price cut on hardware? There have been no hardware announcements to date.

Can I update Xpress DV to Media Composer? Yes, but not all in one install. First, buy the upgrade to Xpress Pro for $495 and update your dongle. Then buy the Xpress Pro to Media Composer upgrade for $495 and update your dongle for Media Composer.

Do I get third party programs with the upgrade? Yes. Upgrading a commercial license of Xpress Pro to Media Composer will include the third party software bundle, including Boris CC effects. Currently, BCC is not a part of the software download purchase from the Avid store. Avid online is currently working to get those plugs bundled with the download but no word on how long that will take

Sorry again for the misinformation.

Michael.