what do we think?

[Andrew Mehta]

Well, I voted “No” to a name change on your site’s poll John, despite the dodgy Google and Ebay searches. 😉

Oh, and I have sent linkage to my FCP friends.
Is time they knew their Media100 history. ;-).

[Andrew Mehta]

Heh-heh….

Rename to Media1000.
Like Media100, but with the power of 10 Tigers…Defenders of the Earth! =P

Oh dear, lame “Phantom” joke over.
Anyway, Tiger’s being replaced by Leopard. 😉

Although you could pretend it started off as Media100, had a misforay as Media844, and then rounded the figures up to Media1000…lol…or Media2006….we could do the whole EA Fifa thing, with yearly iterations.
It’s all confusing, and not entirely necessarily, but I’m just joking about. (Don’t really want a name change).

More seriously, I think the big issue is more about what everyone has. FCP is dominant, because of the need to share files and systems, and collaborate on projects. Like how Quark became industry standard, and I know I went for a job interview once where I had done an incredible layout, and the employer was really blown away and then I let it slip I had used some lesser known software to accomplish that, and he just dismissed me with a wave of a hand: “It’s gotta be industry standard software you know, or don’t even bother me”…it may be slightly different with video editing as a lot of the programmes share similar traits, and most people I know can sit down and get going with Media100 whatever their editing background is. But I did find things difficult when trying to get freelancers to help out. I think the codec independance of V11, and the ability to have FCP on dual boot with the AJA board are steps in the right direction. I still fear FCP is something you need to work with, but just like Apple is tempting over Windows users with Boot Camp, and dual boot OSX/Windows, M100 has a chance to get FCP users – although the main problem is, if they already have FCP, and that’s the dominant market leader, why switch? It’s probably all they need, and what they feel most comfortable with. Is probably best to do as someone else suggested and donate edit suites to production schools. I got into Media100, because it was what we were taught to use at University.

I agree Media100 is easy to use. I do hope however, that they continue to improve it, adding extra ease of use features, to enhance the experience. I don’t want to comment too much on this, as I’m still on version 7.5 and any suggestions for improvements I have may not be applicable on newer versions which have likely already improved upon things. But will be interesting when I upgrade next year, if any of my wish list for improvements to 7.5 have made it into version 11.5
Am also glad there’s finally a software only version, for the fact it brings down the entry level price, and with firewire i/o it’s finally practical to use, and an equivalent product to the FCP software most people purchase.

But I’m just waffling, ‘cos I’m procrastinating some net research I have to do. Had better get back to work. Ciao.

P.S. I think the main reason people don’t want a rename, is because they would rather see the existing brand that’s already on all their equipment become fashionable again / restored to glory, as oppose to seeing “Media100” die, and a new brand take centre stage, meaning even if it was really successful, colleagues would still go: “Huh?” when you tell ’em you edit on M100…hence lengthy explanations as someone pointed out.

Having said all that, rebranding doesn’t require a new name.
Ubisoft, and Konami both got new logos a couple of years ago when they rejuvenated themselves. It felt like a rebranding exercise, it gave the feeling of fresh energy behind both companies, and a renewed approach to the market and the games industry, it felt fresh, but they were still called Ubisoft and Konami respectively.

Again though, I echo what everyone has been saying – the brand doesn’t matter as much as the product, the usefulness and relevance of that product. Boris have helped rejuvenate it, but they’ve still got a way to go – Universal Binary, Mac Pro optimisation, etc…

[John Delmont]

Great read. I love the early history of PCs and I think non-linear editing has the same potential. This is a great start, but there are some gaps that can be filled in (Digital F/X for example was a Mac based system that controlled decks and had the seed of non-linear disked based editing). Plus there are some great quotes from the early days. As a dealer I was in a meeting where, after showing the prototype for several years, a frustrated Fred Molinari told John, “I just want to sell one.” There were also things like Media 100’s portable system, the dotcom boom of $58 dollars a share, the eventual dotcom bust, and the fact that they were ahead of the curve on video on the internet thing, but that it worked against them. And yes, it’s not just a rumor…. John Molinari hated Apple towards the end. He had several run-ins with Steve Jobs and at dealer training for 844x back in Marlboro John shocked his audience when, in the middle of one of his speech he said, “F___ Apple. We don’t need them anymore. With 844x we are going PC and we are going to put 90% of our wood behind that arrow.” That was a fun day… I recall being very underwhelmed with the 844x back then. Remember when Media 100 claimed sales of around 200 units, 64 of them were dealer demo units. Any way the product was overpriced, had software and hardware issues, and then the economy tanked after 9/11. In the end, if I recall correctly, Media 100 lost a big lawsuit to the owner of Comet CG. That seemed to be the nail in the coffin. If you need any help with images (I think I may have some old lit and an original board) or quotes… I’ve got some fond memories. Once again, I loved what you’ve started. Keep up the good work.

[Kieran Matthew]

Hi John,

Do you have any more info on the portable media 100 system? I remember seeing a photo of it back in the day (cardbus expansion chassis and laptop?) but haven’t been able to find any info about it!

K