ACBJ news story:
http://tinyurl.com/5uemx

I would like to link to the original release, but you need to be a member of Businesswire. I could post it in its entirety here, but I don't know if that's okay.

We can't allow posting of another site's content, but the link is very much appreciated. And as big as Pinnacle is, this is pretty significant news! Thanks Marco,

http://www.avid.com/company/releases/2005/050321_pinnacle.html

Great -- thanks! So it looks like Pinnacle's consumer division resources will form the basis for a new consumer products branch within Avid. Very interesting!

Maybe with Avid buying Pinacle we will finally see products that stick around in the market for longer than two years before the company chucks it out the window.

Pinnacle has never been a favorite of mine for just that reason. They would introduce a product and within three years the company would discontinue it with no updates or update path. What a waste of money for someone who dumped money into an editing application or graphics card only to find out that it is no longer supported by the company.

Cheers
Stephen Schleicher
www.mindspring.com/~schleicher

Sooner or later everything will be AVID ;-)

Has Avid dealt much with hardware before this? Haven't they been strictly software?

In addition to acquiring Pinnacle's hardware, I'm sure they're getting Pinnacle's people as well, so I don't think there will be much to worry about in that regard.

As many here know, we carry both Pinnacle and Avid.

Actually Avid for many years used Pinnacle/Truevision hardware in their solutions.

Pinnacles Studio user base is 10 million. Even if the figure is only half that, that's still a huge group of potential Avid editors.

I'm not sure where Edition fits in all of this, but clearly there is technology their that Avid can use across their prodcut line -

Integrated DVD authoring
Native HDV & MPEG2 editing
Background Rendering
Deko Titling
3D tools including HFX
Moviebox external converters and thenew LE6 pro break out box.

It's going to be very exciting and iteresting to see how this all comes together.

Gary
Videoguys,com

Chris,

I don't think anyone should worry except their competitors.

I think I may be wrong though, isn't MOJO an Avid product. If so, they're combining the talents of two good hardware teams.

C'mon Sony Media, we want you to acquire some hardware folks to build for Vegas!

Just imagine - an external box that had all of the I/O of the Pinnacle LE6 break-our box. plus the real-time acceleration of MOJO!! That would be VERY cool!

I know that's one I'll be asking for.

Gary

Lets hope that everything won't be AVID.

AVID has had complex hardware for their high end systems since the beginning. At one time this was the only way to edit video on a computer. Computer based editing needs to come out of the dark ages. Use of the higher powered hardware that is now available in computers. An a shift in edit interfaces needs to happen.
A few have started on the hardware front, with leverging the power of the graphics cards for FX. But except for a couple of companies the editing interfaces are all the same. Jaleo is back (after being on the edge for a couple of years) www.jaleousa.com
So is Lightworks (www.lwks.com)

However these systems are out of the reach of mere mortals. Editing interfaces however are unique and different.
I have trained editors on the Lightworks in 1 to 2 hours. The interface is unique, fast and extremely easy to use. It also is possibly the only true non-linear editing system.
Before aiming both barrels at me take a look at the demo videos and forget about the current editing model. We can only hope that they are working on a software only version for the rest of us.

As a Liquid user since 4.5, I do not share Gary's enthusiasm about this merger. Avid has already stated in the announcement that the 'consumer' products a good step to real editing. Considering that Avid upgrades are the price of the full Liquid Edition 6, my pocketbook just flinched as well.

Hey, the good news is that my next editor will have its own forum section here. ;)

Avid has always had hardware assist to their software. MOJO and Adreneline utilize FPGA's (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) To accomplish some amazing stuff, so the addition of Pinnacle will be a sweet thing.

As to user interfaces 'needing to change'. I think it's kind of 'survival of the fittest' in that sense. The AVID interface has changed a bit over the years, and changes a little bit each time new technology is incorporated. But re-inventing the wheel is a hard row to hoe. Especially as a practical business model. Vegas has a real 'ouside the box' attitude about their GUI. But I noticed that their high end products, XPRI, which goes head to head with high end Avid in production houses... looks just like Avid. Their marketing materials even includes the line "...and an industry standard user interface just like the one you're probably using now." I would even be willing to bet that the next 'pro' version of Vegas, includes an 'avid like' interface option.

Unfortunatly Richard you are correct. But "Survival of the Fittest" looks more like getting "BetaMaxed".
The current "Timeline" based "Industry standard" interface is OK for most people, most of the time. But I just don't believe that it is the best editing interface.
I have worked on AVID, Vegas, Premiere & Pinnacle based systems. They require alot work work to manovere around, they are rigid, structured interfaces and require many days of playing with and learning to get the simplest edit done. Is this the best use of time for editing?
There are times when more complex does not translate into more efficient.

"Rigid and structured" Interesting words. Considering the interface is pretty much customizable. Don't like "source and record monitors? Uses a single monitor. Don't like the keyboard to trim? Use the mouse. Like your timeline on top, monitors on the left and bins on the right? Move them anywhere you want. Don't like the colors of timeline tracks? Change them. Program shortcuts and macros anywhere on your keyboard. Save your preferences, and take them with you when you go into a finishing suite. Put them in the preference folder, and the great symphony will operate just like your desktop. Need to work on a mac as well as a PC... it ships with copies of both. I think it sounds flexible compared to some of the other NLE's.


I worked with a partner who cut on Final Cut Pro. When he upgradedto HD last year, he started bitching and complaining about the interface. I looked over his shoulder and smiled. "It looks and works more like Avid" I said. Sure enought the reviews in the magazines mentioned how it had become more "avid friendly".

Avid does listen to it's users and incorporates suggestions for improvements. It's a bit like turning a battle ship sometimes, but it gets done. Features that other NLE's have, have been incorporated into Avid. They aren't too rigid to incorporate popular features... or even BUY entire corporations.

What can I say, except

"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated."

Glad I switched from Pinnacle Liquid Edition 6 to Vegas 5 + DVD! Being a Nuendo user, I am also glad that Yamaha bought Steinberg!

Sadly, it does appear to be bad news for LE users.

I am not complaning about the flexability of the interface per say, my main issue is with the editing model. I can click to trim or use the keyboard. Change colours of things, move them, etc...
What I mean by flexable is the ability to treat shots, clips or edits as similar objects. I should be able to have all the shots and edits for a section of project available, be able to click on anything and have it play as a tile (its difficult to explain a unique graphical interface in words) or monitor. Quickly duplicate an edit and change it in seconds. Cut a section of an edit into another edit.
I realize that AVID can do this, but it tends to be clunky (technical term) and required many mouse clicks or keyboard customization.
Many times I have heard editors exclaim "I wish I had my Lightworks so I could get some work done", I have never heard this about any other editing platform.
Getting back on topic here.

Avid buying Pinnacle might be good for some, but the long term result will be more of the same and less innovation.

I realize that AVID can do this, but it tends to be clunky (technical term) and required many mouse clicks or keyboard customization.


Yup, in frame views in the bins, you click on the tile, and hit play. That's pretty clunky I guess. Too each his own however. I've heard many editors say "I'm so glad I learned Avid, I'll never go back to xyz again."

I think the market really does drive innovation. Avid was MUCH slower to migrate high-end features down to the dv line. Then FCP started kicking Avid's butt, and they started 'unlocking' features that were only available in the high end finishing suites. That's the advantage a company with no high-end has. They don't have to protect their higher profit margin. You see the same thing with cameras.

The acquisition of Pinnacle shows that Avid is taking a new look at it's consumer division. How this will play out... I'm not sure. NAB may hold the answers.

I'm kind of late to the party but here is a link that doesn't require subscription and lays out the details of the deal. I finally got frustrated with LE 5.5 and its 'bugs' and did a 180 and went Apple w/ Production Suite. Much, much smoother workflow.

Here (http://edgar.brand.edgar-online.com/fetchFilingFrameset.aspx?FilingID=3552690&Type=HTML)is the link..

regards,

-gb-

Charlie White responds to the Pinnacle acquisition

http://www.digitalvideoediting.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=31409

Thanks Ray...

Here's what I'm wondering. Currently the NAB2005 show floor layout indicates a 95' x 106' space for the Avid booth in South Hall Lower, plus a 70' x 70' space for the Pinnacle booth in South Hall Upper. Unless that changes, it would seem to me that they're planning on presenting Avid and Pinnacle as separate but co-owned entities... or maybe the Pinnacle booth will be re-branded as Avid, but still show only the Pinnacle line? It would be kinda funny for that space to just be sitting empty on April 18th, so I'll bet they'll do something with it. Just wondering if it'll be an Avid-branded presence or Pinnacle-branded. It's awfully close to the show dates to be changing booth graphics, banners, signage etc.

"Oh, you'll want to visit our upstairs booth for that product, sir. Or wait... maybe it's in our downstairs booth..."

Chris,

The deal is not 'done' till sometime in July, as I read the reports. So they are still seperate companies.

The buzz around the boards seems to be that Avid will 'incorporate' some of the highe end broadcast elements and hardware, but leave the 'consumer' brands as is.

Time will tell.

Experience tells that in any merger it take one to two years before the merged compagny gets up to speed. It happened when HP bought Compaq, it happened when Warner merged with AOL.

The have to sort out management, products, marketing etc etc. And this takes time. In the mean time products get delayed and the competetion has a field day.

I am sure that Apple is having a party right now, and the guys at Adobe is smiling, as it is FUD-time.

I know for sure that nobody in IBM sales got any food for a week, when HP merged with Compaq, as they couldn't get their arms down.

The best

PS: And I have just finished a book: Pinnacle Studio 9+, and gotten the contract for a Pinnacle Studio 10 revision. Moan!