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Preference Manager
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Maintain, optimize and troubleshoot your NLE
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Professional cloud workflow platform
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Simplified media management
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Avid Media Composer and Symphony ship with a wide range of old and modern codecs. They can also be downloaded free of charge for systems without Avid products installed.
SD codecs
Avid DV - SD codec used when exporting DV material
Avid MPEG2 50 - SD codec for MPEG 30, 40 or 50 material
Avid Meridien Compressed - SD codec for compressed material
Avid Meridien Uncompressed - SD codec used for 1:1 OMF outputs
Meridien Compressed has various compression ratios ranging from 2:1 (36 Mbps) to 35:1 (12 Mbps).
SD / HD codecs
Avid 1:1x * - 8-bit lossless 4:2:2 codec that produces very large file sizes
Avid Packed - Essentially the same as 1:1x except it supports 10-bit media
Avid RGBPacked - RGB version of the Packed codec
Avid DV100 - HD codec used for exporting DV100 media
* x normally refers to 10-bit codecs but in the case of Avid 1:1x it was used to designate MXF during the transition away from OMF
DNxHD Codecs
DNxHD is the most likely codec to be used in Media Composer. Each variant is named according to bitrate and bit depth, so for example DNxHD 120 means it's a 120 Mb/s 8-bit codec and DNxHD 185x means it's a 185 Mb/s 10-bit codec (the x indicates 10-bit).
Offline Codecs
DNxHD 36
DNxHD 60
DNxHD 80
DNxHD 90
Medium Quality Codecs
DNxHD 100
DNxHD 115
DNxHD 120
Mastering Codecs
DNxHD 145
DNxHD 175
DNxHD 185
DNxHD 185x
DNxHD 220
DNxHD 220x
DNxHD 440
DNxHD 440x
Similar Bitrate Codecs
Try to choose a codec that matches the bitrate of your acquisition format. All codec bitrates are calculated at 23.98 fps.
DNxHD 36 - DV, IMX40, XDCAM EX, XDCAM HD
DNxHD 60 - DV50, IMX50, Apple Intermediate @ 1080, XDCAM HD422
DNxHD 100 - AVC Intra 100, Cineform 444 @ 720, Digibeta
DNxHD 115 - Cineform 422 @ 1080
DNxHD 120 - DVCPRO HD, Motion JPEG @ 1080
DNxHD 145 - HDCAM
DNxHD 220 - Sony SR Lite
DNxHD 440 - Uncompressed 422 10-bit @ 720, Sony SR SQ, HDCAM SR
Approximate ProRes equivalents
All codec bitrates are calculated at 1080p 23.98 fps.
ProRes Proxy - DNxHD 36
ProRes LT - DNxHD 80
ProRes 422 - DNxHD 115
ProRes HQ - DNxHD 175x
ProRes 4444 - DNxHD 440x (444) (although ProRes 444 is actually closer in bandwidth to DNxHD 220)
Other variants
Avid Media Composer 6 and higher can also wrap ProRes in an MXF wrapper. This is only available on the Mac version of Media Composer.
Calculating storage space
Our online calculator will calculate storage space for some of these but our Mac and iOS calculators have more options and codecs.
We've just released a new beta of Post Haste 2.5 for Mac, alongside a minor update to the stable version that adds Adobe Premiere Pro CC project templates.
Post Haste is a free project management tool that allows you to create new projects from templates. Version 2.5 adds Kollaborate integration, allowing you to create cloud projects and upload folder structures.
Beta 2 has been updated to be compatible with the latest Kollaborate API and now works with Kollaborate Server. All of our Kollaborate apps share the same settings so you don't need to login or configure anything if you're already using Kollaborate Transfer or Preference Manager.
By popular demand, this version also allows you to choose whether to create a project locally, in the cloud or both.
Post Haste 2.5 Beta 2 is a free download available here.
We've just launched Pro Maintenance Tools 2.0.15, a minor update to our suite of tools for maintaining, optimizing and troubleshooting your editing system.
Pro Maintenance Tools is now fully compatible with Adobe Premiere Pro CC. Plugin Manager will now display Creative Cloud plugins and Project Repair will repair the new Premiere Pro CC project file format.
Preference Manager 4 is now included with Pro Maintenance Tools, offering cloud backups via Kollaborate, support for Adobe Creative Cloud, Pro Tools support and many more features.
As well as the usual updated crash definitions and error messages, we've made significant tweaks to the crash log analysis function which has resulted in more detailed analysis of Adobe Premiere Pro crash logs (for both CC and prior versions).
View the entire list of changes in this version here.
Pro Maintenance Tools is an essential toolkit for fixing problems and ensuring you make your deadline. It is used worldwide by studios and freelancers alike. To find out more, view the feature list, watch the overview video, read the user manual or download the free 15-day trial.
We're pleased to announce the launch of Preference Manager 4.0. This is a major new update to our free app for managing preferences for your editing system.
Preference Manager is now integrated with Kollaborate to store backups in the cloud. This provides redundancy and allows preferences to be easily transferred to another computer.
When creating a backup you'll now be asked if you want to create a local backup, a cloud backup or both. Cloud backups will be uploaded to Kollaborate and you'll be able to access the backup on any other computer by logging into your Kollaborate account in the Preferences window. It even supports Kollaborate Server for companies that need complete control over their data.
As well as adding support for Adobe Creative Cloud, applications are now organized into suites where appropriate. Unlike previous versions of Preference Manager, multiple copies of Adobe Creative Suite will now appear as individual options for trashing, backing up or restoring. This allows you to trash preferences for the version of Premiere you are using without having to trash them for every copy of Premiere on your computer.
We're also now supporting Adobe Audition, Encore, Media Encoder and Prelude.
Preference Manager now supports Pro Tools 9.0 and higher.
The project handling feature designates Preference Manager as the default application for launching project files from the Finder. This allows you to link a backup to a project so that it is restored before the project is loaded.
This was previously limited to Final Cut Studio only but we have now expanded it to Adobe projects and Pro Tools sessions.
This is just an overview of the changes - you can see the full list here.
Preference Manager is a popular and essential tool for troubleshooting and managing your user settings. Download it free today.
We've just released Pro Versioner 2.0.10, a minor update to our project backup tool.
The changes in this version are as follows:
Pro Versioner is an essential tool for data security and peace of mind. It will work with any type of file including Avid projects and bins, Adobe CC projects, Final Cut Pro 7 projects and FCPX projects and events.
To find out more check out the overview video, read the user manual or download the free trial.
We're pleased to announce the launch of Kollaborate Server, a version of our Kollaborate cloud workflow system that businesses can run in-house on their own servers and storage.
This allows businesses to store large quantities of data without being subject to storage limitations and be in charge of the security of their data.
Kollaborate Server has all of the features of the cloud version and will even work with our Kollaborate-optimized apps such as Kollaborate Transfer, Cut Notes and CinePlay. You can get these apps to work with Kollaborate Server by pointing them to the URL of the server in their preferences dialog / settings bundles.
We have three packages available, designed for various-sized businesses, or you can opt for the Unlimited edition which has no user limitations. To purchase you'll need a free Kollaborate account which you can sign up for here.
We've tried to make the installation process as painless as possible with installation scripts and detailed instructions, but we still recommend it is installed and hardened by someone experienced with web server administration. Kollaborate Server is designed for businesses so users with lower storage and user requirements should opt for the cloud version.
We've also streamlined our package offerings for cloud users. We are no longer offering cloud packages for large businesses and recommend Kollaborate Server instead for those users. This has freed us up to double storage space for freelancers and small businesses on the cloud version and lower the price of storage add-ons.
We're excited to reach this much-requested milestone for Kollaborate and we have lots of great features coming soon. To find out more about Kollaborate, both as a cloud service and local server, visit kollaborate.tv.
Avid Media Composer 7 ships - here's 25 new features
Scott Simmons gives a summary of several new features in MC7.
MC 7 is out! What Avid won't tell you about Spanned Markers
There are still some kinks in the new Spanned Markers feature. (Btw, we're glad Avid introduced them because we can now do some great stuff with Kollaborate.)
A Simple Way to Keep a Hard Drive Spinning with FCP
Ingeniously simple idea for stopping drives from spinning down in FCP 7 and presumably Adobe Premiere.
Avid respond to some plug-in feature omissions in Pro Tools
Candid explanation by an Avid developer about certain feature omissions in the AAX plugin spec.
Here's another installment of critical, useful or bizarre bugs in your NLE that you should know about.
Multicam edits switch angles when relaunching a project in Premiere CC (probably best to do multicam edits in CS6 for now)
Update 7-1-13: Adobe has posted a candid response to the multicam bugs.
Match frame may not match to the correct clip
New NVIDIA Quadro driver can improve Lumetri effects processing (Windows)
Keyboard Shortcut panel is blank
Audio dropouts, possibly due to image sequences
Pressing M twice in the source panel adds a second marker instead of editing the first
Visual corruption when playing XDCAM media
Several reports of Effects Panel lag
Premiere CC still losing render files
Timecode is not preserved when sending to SpeedGrade
Importing media files first and then importing an XML can prevent freezes for large XML files
Not all AMA plugins are compatible with MC7. Here's a list
You may need to start background services manually for them to work
You may need to refresh autosequenced clips that have LUTs on them for the LUTs to show
Cannot scroll timeline horizontally with mouse wheel / trackpad
Reports of trim lag continue in MC 7
Scaled audio meter shows incorrect values
Media Composer 7 doesn't apply proper pulldown when converting frame rates
Dynamic Media Folders do not work correctly with audio files
Matrox Mini / MXO2 aren't officially supported in MC7 yet but they appear to still work
MC7 still can't export native ProRes media to an AAF
RED AMA plugin installer lacks a .pkg extension
Mark In / Out keys go to in and out points instead of marking them
AME will pause encoding if Premiere starts playing
We're pleased to announce that Kollaborate is now out of beta.
Kollaborate is a cloud workflow platform for video professionals that offers file review and approval, task management and tight integration with Digital Rebellion products.
The response from our customers has been very positive and we're glad to reach this milestone. Here's a summary of some of the changes in version 1.0.
We've laid the foundations for cloud projects and preferences across our product range and will be updating our apps to take advantage of this soon.
We've overhauled Messages to be cleaner and easier to use. We've also overhauled the process of adding a new team member to the Team page so it's quicker and simpler.
We now have a new billing system that gives customers much greater control over their account, particularly when it comes to ramping up storage and users on a temporary basis. Customers on our existing billing system do not need to do anything - you can keep using it without interruption, but if you want to make changes to your account let us know and we'll transition you over to the new system.
Kollaborate Transfer is also out of beta today and allows you to quickly and easily upload files to Kollaborate.
New in this release is the ability to automatically retry a failed upload. It will also remember the last settings used when adding a new file to save time, as well as displaying Growl / Notification Center alerts when files successfully upload.
Very soon we will be releasing Kollaborate Server to let you run Kollaborate in-house on your own hardware, as well as adding Kollaborate integration to more of our apps. We've built a solid foundation that allows us to do a lot of exciting things and we can't wait to release what we've been working on.
To find out more about Kollaborate, check out the overview video on the homepage, view the feature list or sign up for the free trial.
Tandem GPUs = Faster Pro Rendering... Sometimes
Resolve really flies on a dual-GPU system, which bodes well for the new Mac Pro.
Eight Media Composer Settings You Must Change Today
Useful tips for setting suitable defaults to speed up common tasks.
Sadly, Adobe killed Encore in the latest version without prior notice, but it is still available as part of the CS6 cloud download.
OS X 10.9 Mavericks boost for post production
There is speculation that OS X 10.9 may introduce Thunderbolt as a networking protocol.
Audio for Video: 5 EQ Tips for Filmmakers
Useful tips for improving your audio.
Pro Tools 11 brings great new features for post sound
Summary of some of the post sound-related features in Pro Tools 11.
AAPLJ90,1 vs Mac Pro (Mid 2012)
Rumored comparison benchmark between 2012 Mac Pro and 2013 model.
Cut Notes
CinePlay
Aspect Ratio Matte Generator
Video Space Calculator