Avid Media Composer 6.0 is a completely rebuilt version of the software program that came to define nonlinear editing. The professional video editing software now has a speedier, more powerful 64-bit open architecture that allows the program to address more system RAM. The architecture also opens up easy integration with I/O hardware – not just from Avid but also from several third-party manufacturers, such as AJA, Blackmagic Design, and Matrox. Version 6.0 features a revamped (but still familiarly Avid) user interface, tools for 5.1 and 7.1 surround-sound editing, and comprehensive tools & workflows for editing stereoscopic 3D footage – no plug-ins required.
Media Composer 6.0 is fast, and as a 64-bit application it handles complex projects with aplomb, performing faster keyframing and effects processing. With a new full RGB 4:4:4 DNxHD codec (DNxHD 444), the software allows you to work with high-definition video at the highest levels of quality at reasonable bandwidths. Revamped Avid Media Access (AMA) architecture makes it possible to work natively with AVCHD and RED footage. On the Mac side, you can now decode and encode all the Apple ProRes codecs, for easier integration with workflows that involve Final Cut Pro.
The changes to the well-loved interface are subtle, but ones that professional editors will wholeheartedly appreciate, such as tabbed bins and dockable tabs. Version 6.0 software also includes a few modules that give you the tools you need to perform those crucial tasks that are ancillary to the craft of editing: create special effects, perform encoding tasks, and author DVDs by using Boris RED (Avid FX), Sorenson Squeeze, and Avid DVD, respectively. With support for the Artist Color interface, you can perform color correction & color grading with specialist-level ergonomic control.
| Supported Formats |
Supported Formats See this PDF document for details. Project Formats NTSC: 23.976p, 24p, 30i PAL: 24p, 25i, 25p HD: 720p23.976, 720p25, 720p29.97, 720p50, 720p59.94, 1080p23.976, 1080p24, 1080p25, 1080p29.97, 1080i59.94, 1080i50 Native Codec Support AVCHD: All frame rates supported by Media Composer Avid DNxHD 444: All DNxHD 444 formats Avid DNxHD: All DNxHD formats Avid compressed SD resolutions: AVR (playback only), 15:1s, 4:1s, 2:1s, 20:1, 10:1, 3:1, 2:1, 35:1p, 28:1p, 14:1p, 3:1p, 2:1p, 4:1m, 10:1m, 3:1m(p), 8:1m(p) Avid proxy formats: Interplay MPEG-2 proxy, MPEG-4 proxy, 720p H.264 proxy (transcode service only) Panasonic DVCPRO: DVCPRO (25 Mb/s), DVCPRO 50 (50 Mb/s) Panasonic DVCPRO HD: DVCPRO HD (100 Mb/s), AVC Intra (no encode from baseband over HD-DI), native project formats: 1080i59.94, 1080i50, 720p59.94, 720p50, 720p25, 720p23.976 QuickTime: ProRes encode (Mac only) and decode; most QuickTime-compatible movies (playback performance dependent on codec, frame size, and hardware configuration); full metadata support RED: R3D (frame sizes scaled to HD), RED EPIC, RLX support File-Based Support Canon XF: Full native direct access to Canon XF media and metadata; native editing of all listed formats (see "Native Codec Support") Ikegami GFCAM: Full native direct access to GFCAM material and metadata; native GFCAM editing of all listed formats (see "Native Codec Support"); direct edit of GFCAM media from GFPAK cards or disk drive MXF: Full native direct access to MXF media and metadata; native editing of all formats Panasonic P2: Full native direct access to P2 media and metadata; native DVCPRO HD and AVC Intra editing of all listed HD formats (see "Native Codec Support"); direct edit of P2 media from cards or disk drive; support for P2 Store; write-back of finished program to P2 media (Windows only) QuickTime: Full native direct access to QuickTime media and metadata (including Canon 5D and 7D media); full native ProRes encode (Mac only) and decode support; native editing of all listed formats (see "Native Codec Support"); direct edit of QuickTime movie files RED: Full native direct access to RED (.R3D) media and metadata (frame size scaled to HD); full native direct access to RED EPIC (5K/4.5K/3K2K RAW, 1080p RGB, and 720p RGB) material; native editing of all listed formats (see "Native Codec Support"); direct edit of RED (.R3D) files from a RED-FLASH card or RED-DRIVE Sony HDCAM SR Lite: Full native direct access to HDCAM SR Lite media and metadata; native editing of all listed HD data rates (see "Native Codec Support") Sony XDCAM / XDCAM EX / XDCAM HD: Full native direct access to XDCAM media and metadata; native editing of all listed SD and HD data rates (see "Native Codec Support"); full ancillary data support; import via File Access Mode (FAM) over IEEE 1394; ingest via FTP client over Ethernet; ingest, playout and write-back of finished program to XDCAM media Uncompressed HD and SD Video SD: 1:1 interlaced 8-bit, 1:1 interlaced 10-bit, 1:1 progressive 8-bit, 1:1 progressive 10-bit HD: 1:1 8-bit, 1:1 10-bit, YUV 4:2:2, RGB 4:4:4 (via dual-link HD-SDI) Supported Audio and Video Plug-In Formats Audio: RTAS* (Real-Time AudioSuite), AudioSuite Video: AMA (Avid Media Access), AVX 2 (Avid Video eXtension) *An iLok USB Smart Key is required to use any additional RTAS/AudioSuite plug-in(s) beyond those that come with Media Composer |
| Minimum System Requirements |
For details on Avid-qualified Mac & PC systems, please visit this link. Windows Computer: Avid-qualified Windows-based computer1 or laptop OS: Windows 7 Professional SP1 (64-bit) Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.33 GHz processor or faster Memory: 4 GB of RAM (6+ GB of RAM recommended for Windows 7 and Windows Vista) Graphics Card: NVIDIA Quadro FX family2 (FX 560 or higher) Internal Hard Drive: Minimum 80 GB 7200 rpm hard disk Mac Computer: Avid-qualified Mac-based computer or laptop1 OS: Mac OS X Lion (64-bit) Processor: Intel Dual or Intel Dual Core 2.66 GHz Xeon processor or faster, or Intel Core 2 Duo 2.33 GHz processor or faster (laptops) Memory: 4 GB of RAM (6+ GB of RAM recommended) Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce family2 or ATI Radeon family (as supported by Apple) Internal Hard Drive: Minimum 80 GB 7200 rpm hard disk 1Uncompressed video on laptops is limited to one stream of uncompressed SD video, except for Windows-based Intel Core i7 laptops (Quad Core with Hyper-Threading) with eSata external storage, which can play multiple streams of 1:1 uncompressed SD. 2NVIDIA cards are recommended; full-screen playback requires a minimum of 128 MB of graphics memory. Additional QuickTime: Avid has tested and qualified Apple QuickTime X for Mac users and QuickTime 7.6.9 for Windows users Windows Media Player: Microsoft Windows Media Player 11 is required to export certain formats and to work with VC-1 material |