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Long term viability of DS
I’m doing some work at a place that currently has many Avids and 3 DS Nitris systems. In my down time I’ve been going through the manuals and messing around on the DS to learn it. They say there are not that many skilled editors with the DS and I’m debating if it is worth my time/money to invest in some training on the DS as I’ve heard rumours and speculation that the DS line will not continue past v7.6. Do you think this is true?
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5 Replies
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Not at all. DS is Avid’s ultimate product. Yes, it has plenty of shortcomings, though I’m sure those will be worked out in continued releases.
The rumor of DS’ demise after 7.6 is regarding the lower-priced/less-featured DS Nitris Editor product, not the full-blown DS Nitris. Rumor has it Symphony Nitris will replace DS Nitris Editor. And you know what? It’s just rumor, and nothing more. Those I know at Avid (as in actually in Tewksbury) have confirmed that this is NOT true. That could be lip-service, too. Look at it this way: Avid has said nothing about DS going away, and until they do, the rumor is BS.
I’m expecting DS Nitris 8 to be announced at NAB. Guess we’ll see what’s up in a few months…
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The answer is – it depends. If DS sales continue strong, the product will live. This is Avid’s “DI” solution and compositing solution. I think the people who would have bought DS for HD conforms will move to Symphony and those sales will be lost; however, that still leaves the folks who need a Flame-style product – but from Avid.
Not to mention, it will be possible to get a dual-boot Symphony/DS Nitris system. If you are working in a market with existing DS systems, then you should improve your skillset, as you will continue to be in demand. Heck, if Avid didn’t kill off the Pinnacle Liquid line, then I hardly see them dumping DS within the next year. After that, of course, no one knows.
Sincerely,
OliverOliver Peters
Post-Production & Interactive Media
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
Thats very good to hear. The more I use it the more I like the DS. Do you think the 3 day classes in DS (I think the Moviola training center has one) are good? I’m in a good spot as I have free access to a DS on the off hours and can work on it as much as I want to learn it.
Scott Davis
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[Scott Davis] “Do you think the 3 day classes in DS (I think the Moviola training center has one) are good?”
If your employer pays for it, then yes. I don’t know about the classes, so I can’t speak for them, but you can learn most of the basics for editing and effects using the DS manual and tutorial. Avid also offers a free tutorial disc that is the full interface which will run on most PCs. You simply can’t use media (I think) or save projects. I believe any registered DS owner can get these from Avid and I’m pretty sure they are included with new systems.
Sincerely,
OliverOliver Peters
Post-Production & Interactive Media
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
[Oliver Peters] “I believe any registered DS owner can get these from Avid and I’m pretty sure they are included with new systems.”
You can actuaaly download it without being a registered user.
https://www3.softimage.com/
then go to Education -> Avid Training Edition.there’s also a very active mailing list. You can regiser on the https://www3.softimage.com/ page or search the archive directly on the we. Many times you are scratching your head about something that is not documented, you can find an answer in the list archive.
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