Avid to form new consumer division, to buy Pinnacle

Richard Alvarez · March 21st, 2005, 12:57 PM

"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."

Ray Sigmond · March 21st, 2005, 01:04 PM

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.

Devlyn Hukowich · March 21st, 2005, 01:24 PM

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.

Richard Alvarez · March 21st, 2005, 02:21 PM

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.

Greg Boston · March 21st, 2005, 05:49 PM

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 is the link..

regards,

-gb-

Ray Sigmond · March 22nd, 2005, 08:07 AM

Charlie White responds to the Pinnacle acquisition

http://www.digitalvideoediting.com/a...e.jsp?id=31409

Chris Hurd · March 22nd, 2005, 08:28 AM

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..."

Richard Alvarez · March 22nd, 2005, 08:31 AM

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.

Jos Svendsen · March 22nd, 2005, 01:55 PM

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!

March 21st, 2005, 01:24 PM	#18
Devlyn Hukowich Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Toronto, ON Canada Posts: 40	Ridig and Structured 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. __________________ Devlyn Hukowich TwoBit Digital Inc. Video and Computer Geek P4 3.06GHz, 2GB RAM, Matrox RT.x100, dual head display

March 22nd, 2005, 08:28 AM	#22
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	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..." __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

March 21st, 2005, 12:57 PM	#16
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	"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."

March 21st, 2005, 01:04 PM	#17
Ray Sigmond Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Edison, NJ Posts: 119	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.

March 21st, 2005, 02:21 PM	#19
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	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.

March 21st, 2005, 05:49 PM	#20
Greg Boston Wrangler Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: DFW area, TX Posts: 6,117 Images: 1	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 is the link.. regards, -gb-

March 22nd, 2005, 08:07 AM	#21
Ray Sigmond Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Edison, NJ Posts: 119	Charlie White responds to the Pinnacle acquisition http://www.digitalvideoediting.com/a...e.jsp?id=31409

March 22nd, 2005, 08:31 AM	#23
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	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.

March 22nd, 2005, 01:55 PM	#24
Jos Svendsen Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Copenhagen, Denmark Posts: 221	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!