Continuing to offer a more open architecture across its product line, Avid Technology has added native support for Sony’s XDCAM optical disc format in the latest version (3.5) of its Media Composer, Symphony and NewsCutter HD editing software packages.
This new architecture allows editors to take advantage of streamlined and efficient HD audio and video workflows, new offline editorial effects enhancements (like keyframeable color correction and a new Fluid Stabilizer), increased performance via CPU/GPU acceleration of visual effects, and improved interoperability with the Digidesign Pro Tools audio editing package.
Media Composer, Symphony and NewsCutter HD editing software now offer complete end-to-end native support for the XDCAM HD (18Mb/s and 35Mb/s) formats, at all bandwidths. Users can now playback and edit directly from the disc; render, mixdown, and export sequences and clips with eight audio tracks; and write back to the disc with sequence time code intact.
In addition, leveraging the Avid Media Access Architecture, users can automatically link clips captured with Panasonic P2 or Sony XDCAM HD/EX devices into an editing bin, without having to transcode or store the media on their system.
The company has also eliminated the need for a dongle key to activate new purchases and upgrades of Avid software. All new software sales and single seat upgrades will be licensed by a system activation key.
