Any AVID Xpress DV3 users here?

[Ozzie Alfonso]

You've got them both to varying degrees. There are several ways of getting a 16:9 ratio - either by placing a black horizontal wipe on the top and the bottom of the frame (which I think is what you are asking); or, if the image is imported as square pixels, XDV can translate them to the digital non-square pixel environment.

Color correction is limited, certainly not as much as can be achieved with Symphony or FCP3, but adequate. There are third party plug-ins that can do a very good job but not in real time. XDV's color correction can be compared favorably to Premiere. I'll be able to tell you more about color correction in a day or two since there's a scene that's blue, dark and lacking color. I'm trying to salvage that scene with XDV and FCP3. I'll let you know who delivers the goods.

[Rob Lohman]

As always you are here to deliver the goods, thanks Ozzie! I'll
have a look at XDV some day. Please do let me know how your
"problem" has been solved. Thanks again!

[Gary Bettan]

I'm jumping in late here and I'm gonnas try to answer as many as possible. I'll include a linka t the end for more info.

1) XDV will not run on an RT2500, Pro-One or Storm. You have to use a cheap OHCI FireWire card like the Pyro DV

2) XDV fully supports 16:9

3) The color correction tools are more then Premiere, but not as extensive as those found in the DV Storm

4) The interface of XDV3 is very similar to higher end Avids. If you have edited on a composer, you will pick up XDV instantly.

5) Athlons. They work. Avid is being over conservative here. Make sure you get one based on the newest via chipsets

6) Other system recommendations: 512 + megs memory, Matrox G550 or Radeon VE graphics card. Dedicated ATA100 drive for video

7) Avid did not rush XDV3 to market. It is rock solid. What Avid is guilty of is poor quality control on UPGRADES that initially shipped. These issues have since been addressed.

8) FCP vs XDV. I'm not going to go into this in detail, since much of it is subjective. What I will say is that every real-time effect in XDV stays real-time. You can use the controls to manipulate them and they stay real-time. Many FCP real-time features stop being real-time when you start messing around with them.

9) XP is not yet supported, but it is coming. My guess is that we'll have it in June.

That's it for now. I've got a more in depth review of XDV3 on our website loaded with screen grabs http://www.videoguys.com/XDV30.html

Gary

[Mike Butler]

Gary, that's a great reply, very organized. And the in-depth review is helpful. You may have noticed I mentioned your site in an above post, I have gotten a lot of my info about XDV (and others) from your website.

I love it:"you have to use a cheap OHCI FireWire card..." well, gosh, with requirements like that...:-) Actually I do have a couple of cheap OHCI cards laying around, just intuitively thought for sure I'd have to use something more sophisticated. Just proves that not everything is solved by spending more money, at least not on hardware.

You've seen my proposed hardware above, a P4 with 1-1/2 gigs of RAM. It is what my IT boys have come up with to replace my antique PC. If I can simply slam Avid XDV and a cheap OHCI card in that box and instantly turn it into a screamin' workstation, then that's what the Dr. ordered. As for FCP vs. XDV, that's like a Ford vs. Chevy thing. I use FCP all the time, and am comfortable with it, but I'm sure I'll get just as comfy with the Avid with repeated use. The one important thing is that it works right out of the box, first time every time. That to me is FCP's biggest claim to fame...I have had 100% productivity and 0% heartaches.

BTW, it certainly won't hurt to get more Avid hours under my belt, it will stand me in good stead in case I have to go to outside studios that may not have heard of FCP.

[Ozzie Alfonso]

Gary,

Since I was the one that said it, I feel the need to clarify my statement.

Here's what I said: "This is both a plus and a minus - AVID rushed XDV3 into the market without sufficient testing. They were spooked by FCP3's popularity. So who knows what bugs are hiding inside that version waiting to be unearthed?"

Here's my clarification -- Avid is traditionally VERY conservative with what hardware their systems will be allowed to work. In the case of XDV3 Avid has approved only a handful of systems. I presume this is due to not having had enough time to test the software with more system configurations. Why the rush? I can only guess competition had something to do with it. This is proving to be a backdoor blessing since it CAN run on many more systems than Avid has sanctioned. It even runs on my VAIO SR17. It runs on at least three systems I've tried it out on, none of which contain any of the specified hardware. I wish Avid had taken a little more time testing the software to give all us PC users more "approved" options.

So far, we have found no bugs in XDV3. It is a solid and stable system. And we bought it from you guys. Thanks.

[Gary Bettan]

Graphics Guy> Your proposed system looks great. Make sure they put in one of the graphics cards I suggested.

Ozzie> Actually you hit on a very big internal struggle within Avid. The design engineers know it works and it runs great on a very wide range of systems. I just spoke with the VP in charge of XDV. He just put it in an Athlon box he built in his basement!! The other VPs and suits are terrified at the thought of opening up the spec. Not becuase they aren't confident in the product, but because they aren't confident in the PC industry in general. They fear poor integration could tarnish the Avid name.

XDV rocks and it's rock solid. For those out their who are out growing Premiere, it's the way to go. If you plan on pursuing a career in editing, it's a no brainer. If your a student - check out the new $499 student pack!! If you are a beginner and you don't want to spend time configuring, but you are prepared to spend time learning and honing your editing skills, XDV is a great choice. It's also by far and away the most powerful and stable system for long format (over 90 minute) productions.

Gary

[Mike Butler]

Gary, Matrox G550 or Radeon VE card, right? If they give me a hard time (you know these IT guys and their not-invented-here syndrome) will the stock card on the IBM work? I don't even know what card it comes with. Actually, I just heard that they are now considering a higher model of IBM, so I guess we'll have to check what card that comes with, once we know the exact model of computer.

As for the Pyro DV & Avid combo, I'll try to get them to request a quote from you directly.

Wow, too bad we are not students! :-)