a few question
- Thread starter hmfilmer
- Start date
Xpress Pro is the entry level editing system in the Avid line of products. From there it goes to Media Composer, Symphony Nitris and DS Nitris. Xpress Pro and Media Composer both run on Mac and Windows XP. The MacIntel version of Xpress Pro and Media Composer should be out mid March. Check www.avid.com for production line up, feature set, and platform specifications.
Michael
Michael
I find the Avid site terribly thin on the ground for basic information. I'm sure if you search far and wide there, you'll find most of what you need. But it's not always easy to get the simpler answers to simpler questions like this. They do have a great forum though (under the Support link), where some very smart folks show up to answer questions quickly. Here's my answer to your question.
The only Avid systems that will run on your higher end home computer are:
Avid Xpress Pro which is their "basic, entry level" Avid system--a great NLE with almost all of the features of the top-of-the-line Avid system, at least when you're dealing with DV or HDV footage. It's certainly the same look/feel/commands as the highest end Avid suites, which means understanding how to cut in Xpress Pro prepares you to jump onto the bigger, meaner systems if you ever get the chance.
(There's also Avid Xpress DV which is just a more minimal, free version of Avid Xpress Pro. It's great too, but you'll find the limit in some of the features will bite your behind come the end of your project...and the kicker is you can't move Avid Xpress DV files over to an Avid Xpress Pro. So unless you're just curious how the thing works, go with Avid Xpress Pro.)
And now Avid has a new software-only version of Avid Media Composer. This version of Avid used to require heavy duty (expensive) hardware. Now you can run it on a good home computer! So that's cool. It's not all that easy to determine what Avid Media Composer offers you over Xpress Pro, however. Certainly printing off the system information from Avid's website didn't answer my questions. I came to DVXUser to get that clarified. Basically you get a couple of the compositing effects like ani-matte and spectra-matte in Avid Media Composer. But if you are any good with AFter Effects and don't mind switching between programs, I just don't know that Media Composer is worth it. Similarly, it sounds to me like Boris FX provides all those compositing options and more, and it's cheaper to add on Boris to Xpress Pro than to go with Media Composer.
Just keep in mind that no Avid software runs on a computer without the right hardware. Search the Avid site for more info about the correct hardware. Unlike Final Cut Pro which seems to run pretty much on any new Mac, Avid is really really fussy. That's not a good thing.
The only Avid systems that will run on your higher end home computer are:
Avid Xpress Pro which is their "basic, entry level" Avid system--a great NLE with almost all of the features of the top-of-the-line Avid system, at least when you're dealing with DV or HDV footage. It's certainly the same look/feel/commands as the highest end Avid suites, which means understanding how to cut in Xpress Pro prepares you to jump onto the bigger, meaner systems if you ever get the chance.
(There's also Avid Xpress DV which is just a more minimal, free version of Avid Xpress Pro. It's great too, but you'll find the limit in some of the features will bite your behind come the end of your project...and the kicker is you can't move Avid Xpress DV files over to an Avid Xpress Pro. So unless you're just curious how the thing works, go with Avid Xpress Pro.)
And now Avid has a new software-only version of Avid Media Composer. This version of Avid used to require heavy duty (expensive) hardware. Now you can run it on a good home computer! So that's cool. It's not all that easy to determine what Avid Media Composer offers you over Xpress Pro, however. Certainly printing off the system information from Avid's website didn't answer my questions. I came to DVXUser to get that clarified. Basically you get a couple of the compositing effects like ani-matte and spectra-matte in Avid Media Composer. But if you are any good with AFter Effects and don't mind switching between programs, I just don't know that Media Composer is worth it. Similarly, it sounds to me like Boris FX provides all those compositing options and more, and it's cheaper to add on Boris to Xpress Pro than to go with Media Composer.
Just keep in mind that no Avid software runs on a computer without the right hardware. Search the Avid site for more info about the correct hardware. Unlike Final Cut Pro which seems to run pretty much on any new Mac, Avid is really really fussy. That's not a good thing.
DC
Cinematographiliac
sean90291 said:
I believe you are confusing two different products.
"Avid Free DV" is free and very limited in features. But it is a good intro to the Avid interface.
"Avid Xpress DV" is the next step up (although it may no longer be available for purchase). More features than the free version but less features than Xpress Pro.
ian hunter
Well-known member
hmfilmer said:
Express = yes
Newscutter and above = No
i think:undecided
ian hunter
Well-known member
hmfilmer said:
basically YES
