[Themis]

I can’t say I’ve noticed what you say. No nasty sharp lines, no diversion from the original. Just sharp colours, pretty much the same as the original and a clear picture. Are you shure you’re using the right settings? Bitrate control and mastering quality combined, when set accordingly, play a big part in the outcome…

Themis

[Themis]

[Tim Kolb] “However, while Avid was orignally developed as a professional editing tool for television/film, it has never had the graphic and file format flexibility that PPro has had..”

That was the main reason for which I gave up on Avid Xpress Pro a few years back, Tim. Even then, meeting the needs of a more complex workflow was a problem for Avid. As soon as I started being more and more enthusiasted with its environment, I came across a “weakness” that didn’t allow me to move one step further. It wasn’t long before I went back to my familiar editing environment, convinced that Avid’s software was just too hard for me to understand…

As the years passed and I got more and more experienced, I realized I at least had to give Avid one more shot, simply because it owns such a big part of the market. Staying out of the game (I think we agree on the fact that the “game” is in Avid’s hands, considering most Hollywood cuts are done with MC) just because some of us (including me) gave up easily on an interface that seemed unfamiliar, is “cutting points”… in some cases, money, too, if – apart from free-lancing – we can’t work in a big bunch of studios, right?

On the other hand, I agree on the fact that Avid has to make its software meet the complex demands of today. Let’s hope it will…

Themis

[Themis]

[bouke vahl] “Procoder sucks in Pal for MpegII”

Well, from my experience I’d say quite the opposite! I can emphatically say that Procoder does by far the best MPEG-2 encoding I’ve seen. A couple of weeks ago I worked on a project on a Grass Valley Edius workstation and I was amazed by the outcome. With settings adjusted for mastering quality, we all agreed the final video was superb. Bright colours, crystal clear picture and a certain “warmth” that made the difference more visible compared to other encoders. Of course, I haven’t looked at the newest versions of TmpegEnc or Cinemacraft, but I’m pretty sure you’re missing something in Procoder, Bouke… 🙂

Themis

[Themis]

[MHancock] “Do you plan on using a Mojo or Adrenaline box?”

Well, Michael, considering I already have a Matrox RT.x 2 workstation with Adobe PPro, I wouldn’t even think about spending money (and you know we’re talking about a lot of money) on a Mojo or Adrenaline box. My thought was for a software-only system with Media Composer, that would capture both HD and SD material via firewire. I thought it would be worth a try, since the new system’s main job would be to get me to know Avid rather than host my main editing work. For that, I already have a system that works just fine. I’ve just seen on the web that there are laptops who work fine with MC and I guessed a good desktop PC (or a Mac Pro) would serve well. But if you say otherwise, you certainly know better.

Any way thanks for your quick response and all your info. I’ll check the HP and Dell sites, too and let you know what I came up with.

Themis

[Themis]

OK, here’s the deal: Recently, I came across the professional catalogue from a big computers chainstore in my country. Among its products was a server that they called “Video edit”. Its main features are listed below and its price, with a second processor, is around 2,300 euros (that is approximately $ 2,900 US). Is it worth buying to install and work with Media Composer? Any known issues with any of the following hardware?

Case: Supermicro SC743T-650
Power: 650 W Redundant
CPU: Intel Xeon Dual Core 5130 2GHz (support for 2nd processor)
Motherboard: Supermicro Server Board X7DA3
RAM: 2x 1GB 533Mhz DDR2 FB ECC CL4
Hard disks: 2x 500GB SATA II – 16 MB Cache (supported up to 8 SAS / 6 SATA II)
Graphics card: Matrox Parhellia APVe 128MB
Other features: Host RAID 0, 1, & 10 support

Any reply would be greatly appreciated

Thanks a lot in advance

Themis

[Themis]

I’m amazed to find out that things have changed so much not only in my country but also all around the world. I must say I felt quite stupid every time I said I am using Premiere to edit. Many colleagues consider it a non-professional software and I found it hard to understand why. It’s good to know there’s nothing wrong with my platform… 🙂

Themis

[Themis]

[Tim Kolb] ” Of course we are paid the same or less than we were paid 10 years ago, but those are the expectations. “

I laughed really hard on this one… 🙂 Tim sure knows what he is talking about….

In general, I strongly agree with Tim. That’s why I also suggested the Adobe Creative Suite, because I also think that the role of thee standard editor, especially the freelancer, has changed dramatically in the last years.

Themis

[Themis]

[Joe Womble] “The video card does seem to be critical for compatability,”

So. what’s an approved card for an Avid system?

[Joe Womble] “why would you spend your time trying to build a system instead of buying an approved one?”

Simply because the price difference is tremendous. A Dual Core or a Quad Core PC may cost about 1,500 euros (at least in Greece) when a an approved HP workstation may reach up to 4.000 euros. Isn’t that a reason to at least try builting your own?

[Joe Womble] “Wouldn’t you make up the savings on a couple of projects, not have to tinker under the hood too often and have the benefit of Avid support for your machine?”

Well, in Greece I am sorry to say Avid support sucks. I know many colleagues and even enterprises that pray to God their system doesn’t malfunction. There’s practically only one company that sets and supports Avid systems and it’s reputation is not so good…

[Joe Womble] “Most of the editors on this list don’t seem to have time to do this research.
“

I can’t say I do have the time, either, but at some point it’s worth a try, don’t you think? 🙂

Thanks to all for your replies

Themis

[Themis]

[Joe Womble] “The video card does seem to be critical for compatability,”

So. what’s an approved card for an Avid system?

[Joe Womble] “why would you spend your time trying to build a system instead of buying an approved one?”

Simply because the price difference is tremendous. A Dual Core or a Quad Core PC may cost about 1,500 euros (at least in Greece) when a an approved HP workstation may reach up to 4.000 euros. Isn’t that a reason to at least try builting your own?

[Joe Womble] “Wouldn’t you make up the savings on a couple of projects, not have to tinker under the hood too often and have the benefit of Avid support for your machine?”

Well, in Greece I am sorry to say Avid support sucks. I know many colleagues and even enterprises that pray to God their system doesn’t malfunction. There’s practically only one company that sets and supports Avid systems and it’s reputation is not so good…

[Joe Womble] “Most of the editors on this list don’t seem to have time to do this research.
“

I can’t say I do have the time, either, but at some point it’s worth a try, don’t you think? 🙂

Thanks to all for your replies

Themis

[Themis]

Nothing at all? Wow! So what do you do when you want to export straight from the timeline? I’ve seen some export options from inside MC but none for, say, MPEG-2. How do you export if you want to convert to DVD?Don?t tell me as a Quicktime reference… Doesn?t that have a cost on video quality?

Themis