Avid / Pinnacle discussions from 2002

June 14th, 2002, 05:11 AM

I have reached the end of my first project with DVX 3. I have been using real time rendering and everything is working OK.

To render for final output I clicked on Green Render button to make it Blue, Marked an In point at the begining of my main sequence and an Out point at the end, Pressed Ctrl-A to select all tracks, right clicked on timeline and selected Render in-Out.

It then seemed to render OK but when I try to play through firewire the unrendered footage plays OK but the rendered stuff just gives me a blank screen.

Is there some seting I have wrong.

Any Ideas appresiated,
Ben

June 26th, 2002, 08:30 PM

Hi - noticed Bekky's q's on Avid. I use PD150 with Pinnacle Pro-One and looking to upg. to Avid. Reason for upg. is pursuit of quality at the "expense" of losing some of the fancy 3D effects I get with Hollywood FX Gold. However, I am not getting much joy in resolving some basic questions of Xpress DV vs Composer in relation to compression/quality. I would like to avoid the cost of Composer if poss. but don't want to end up with Xpres DV if it is not adequate quality for documentary work. Can anybody what I would lose if I went with Xpress DV, esp. in compression. Somebody on another web site said Xpress DV was limited to 5:1 compression and so would only be good for two renderings before starting to lose quality. But Avid says that DV is 5:1 anyway, while suggesting that Xpress DV can edit uncompressed. Go figure?! Thanks in anticipation ......

Gary Bettan · June 26th, 2002, 09:21 PM

Avid Announces Immediate Availability of Avid Xpress DV 3.5 Video Editing Software for Macintosh OS X and Windows XP
Only Digital Video Studio with Expert Color Correction Toolset, Revolutionary Real-time Architecture and Software for both Mac and Windows in the Same Box
Los Angeles, CA - June 26, 2002 - Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVID) today announced immediate availability of Avid Xpress® DV v3.5 for Mac OS X and Windows XP. Now on the Mac platform for the first time, this portable, affordable, professional DV studio brings the industry-standard Avid editing experience and toolset to everyone who wants to edit digital video. Also new to the Avid Xpress DV product is an expert color correction toolset, featuring patent-pending technology capable of automatically matching skin tones between scenes with a single click.

"Xpress DV 3.5 is an important release for Avid because it fulfills our commitment to bring the industry's most powerful DV editing studio to the Mac," said David Krall, Avid's president and CEO. "And, we have taken our commitment to Macintosh users a step further by ensuring that Xpress DV's real-time architecture is supported on all G4s - laptops, desktops and even the new iMac."

"Most of the world's video editing is done on Macs and Avid's new Xpress DV product will further cement this," said Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple. "Avid has a long history of serving the professional video editing community, and this new version of Xpress DV taps the power of Mac OS X and the G4 Velocity Engine to bring professional-level editing capabilities to even more Mac users."

Avid Xpress DV v3.5 Summary
Avid's real-time architecture - offers more than 100 infinitely customizable real-time effects, titling, compositing and color correction with multiple, simultaneous streams - all in software - all without rendering. Customers can create richly layered compositions such as a moving title with a dissolve, a color correction effect, and a picture-in-picture overlay simultaneously - all in real-time.
Real-time expert color correction tools (built on patented technology derived from Avid's professional Avid Symphony™ finishing system).
Customizable workspaces that allow customers to personalize every aspect of the industry-standard Avid editing interface.
Versions for both Macintosh OS X and Windows XP operating systems in the same box, so professionals can easily move back and forth between systems they use most often.
Support for all qualified Macintosh computers with Mac OS X v10.1.4 or later and 400 MHz G4 processor or higher. Avid's revolutionary real-time architecture even runs on the new iMac and all Apple PowerBook G4s.
Support for qualified systems running the Windows XP Professional operating system.
Affordably priced - USMSRP $1,699 for the standard configuration and $2,499 for the PowerPack.
New Color Correction Features
Patent-pending NaturalMatch™ technology, capable of true color-to-color matching without the use of grayscale values to approximate color tones.
A three-window view that includes previous, current and next frames, along with reference frames and split-screen mode, to let editors precisely correct colors between shots.
Customizable, advanced vectorscope, waveform monitors and histograms, including luminance and chrominance.
Three ChromaWheel™ HSL color offset wheels (shadows, midtones, highlights).
HSL master controls (hue, saturation, brightness, contrast, clip, invert).
ChromaCurve ™ interactive graphs with multi-point controls (red, blue, green, master).
Beta Customer Feedback
"With Avid Xpress DV on my Mac, I can now move projects from my PowerBook to a Media Composer® or Symphony™ with ease. I don't lose any of the project info, and we save lots of time by not having to convert EDL's," said Emmy®-award winning Editor Herbert Bennett of Video Arts in San Francisco. "Avid is already the industry standard for editing at the high-end of the market, but tools like this mean that every editor can affordably join the Avid family."

More About Avid Xpress DV v3.5
More information about Avid Xpress DV v3.5, including complete pricing, upgrades, list of features, the new color correction toolset, and system requirements, can be found at www.avid.com/xpressdv.

Jeff Donald · June 27th, 2002, 07:58 PM

The very nature of DV is that it is a compressed format. If you are acquiring on DV, Avid Xpress Dv is and ideal match. Avid Composer and Symphony are probably overkill unless you have an unlimited budget. Composer has features not found on Express, but they are not worth the price difference. Express also has an easier learning curve.

Jeff

Adrian Douglas · June 27th, 2002, 08:54 PM

Another option to look at, and this is one I'm interested in, is going with Pinnacles new Edition software. This NLE app was recently purchased from Fast and appears to be quite good and a definate improvement over Premiere.

Jeff is dead right when saying Composer is overkill for DV as the image is commpressed 5:1 by the camera. If you already have the Pro-one then Edition will work with that and you won't lose your Hollywood FX or the Breakout box. It's also half the price of DV Express at $699.

Jason Wood · July 29th, 2002, 07:06 PM

Xpress should be fine for what you want to do.

Many people use XDV strictly for offline work and then finish on a MC. It's a great method if you need uncompressed video because the files transfer seamlessly between XDV, MC and Symphony (though, most of those people are using Beta SP and not mini DV). In my opinion XDV is perfectly suited for mini DV online work.

August 15th, 2002, 08:25 AM

I just got Avid Xpress DV 3.0, and am very happy with it for a variety of reasons. Chief among these is the fact that, unlike the last version, Avid will now capture from my Canon ZR20. I bought the ZR20 solely for the purpose of using it as a "deck" in my editing system, in order to save wear and tear on my XL1.

The problem is this: the ZR20 is not accepting picture info back out of the computer over the firewire. I can't view anything on my NTSC monitor, which is connected to the ZR20's AV IN/OUT jack. I can't even see anything on the ZR20's own LCD.

Does anyone have any idea what may be going wrong here?

Thanks

Chris

Jason Wood · August 15th, 2002, 12:33 PM

Do you have real time mode off? Thats the only way it will work.

If this isn't your problem try posting this at...

http://www.wwug.com/forums/avid_xpress-dv/index.htm

or...

http://www.avid.com/cgi/forumscgi/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=Avid+Xpress+DV&number=28&DaysPrune=20&LastLogin=

August 15th, 2002, 12:40 PM

Thanks for the reply. I think the "realtime mode" might be the problem. How do I turn this on/off?

chris

Marc Betz · August 15th, 2002, 01:20 PM

Right next to the AVID logo on your timeline will be a green or blue dot. Green is realtime on blue is reltime off. Just click the dot.

August 17th, 2002, 01:20 PM

Thank you both! It is now working perfectly.

August 23rd, 2002, 11:16 PM

HI,

I hope you can help me.

I'm looking for a Xl1s to use it with the avid xpress dv 3.5 but it seems that this camera don't work well with the software. Is that true? What are your experiences? Can you tell me where can I buy it in Los Angeles or in a good website?. In your opinion which is the best analog and Dv (under $500) card and software? transcoder?

The thing is that I'm from Mexico City and I'm going to be in Los Angeles the next week.

Ryan Wachter · October 8th, 2002, 07:48 PM

What do you guys know about them? Are they worth it?
Thanks
Ryan

Becky McMillen · October 19th, 2002, 08:55 AM

My brand new preconfigured system won't playback or do digital cuts. I've tried both my JVC VS30U (not supported) and my Canon XL1s (supported). I can't use client monitor at all, blue screen. When I try to do a digital cut I have long periods of blue screen interspersed with brief flashes of video and audio. I've tried legacy mode and realtime and nothing. This is straight audio/video with no effects. I've also tried just doing text (of course rendering first) and am getting nothing. Am I doing something wrong. HELP!

Richard Alvarez · October 20th, 2002, 10:04 AM

Becky,

Hard to say from you post. It might be as simple as configuring the deck selesction correctly. Or it might be as simple as turning on your Camera AFTER you open XDV. For the best forum help with XDV try posting on avid.com they have a forum with faqus on sililar problems.

The XL1s does not get along real well with the AVID. You have to nurse it a bit.

June 14th, 2002, 05:11 AM	#16
benredwards Posts: n/a	AVID DVX 3 Final Render for firewire output problem I have reached the end of my first project with DVX 3. I have been using real time rendering and everything is working OK. To render for final output I clicked on Green Render button to make it Blue, Marked an In point at the begining of my main sequence and an Out point at the end, Pressed Ctrl-A to select all tracks, right clicked on timeline and selected Render in-Out. It then seemed to render OK but when I try to play through firewire the unrendered footage plays OK but the rendered stuff just gives me a blank screen. Is there some seting I have wrong. Any Ideas appresiated, Ben

June 26th, 2002, 08:30 PM	#17
ozzie777 Posts: n/a	Avid Xpress DV vs Composer Hi - noticed Bekky's q's on Avid. I use PD150 with Pinnacle Pro-One and looking to upg. to Avid. Reason for upg. is pursuit of quality at the "expense" of losing some of the fancy 3D effects I get with Hollywood FX Gold. However, I am not getting much joy in resolving some basic questions of Xpress DV vs Composer in relation to compression/quality. I would like to avoid the cost of Composer if poss. but don't want to end up with Xpres DV if it is not adequate quality for documentary work. Can anybody what I would lose if I went with Xpress DV, esp. in compression. Somebody on another web site said Xpress DV was limited to 5:1 compression and so would only be good for two renderings before starting to lose quality. But Avid says that DV is 5:1 anyway, while suggesting that Xpress DV can edit uncompressed. Go figure?! Thanks in anticipation ......

June 26th, 2002, 09:21 PM	#18
Gary Bettan Sponsor: Electronic Mailbox Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Glen Cove, NY Posts: 758	Xpress DV 3.5 Avid Announces Immediate Availability of Avid Xpress DV 3.5 Video Editing Software for Macintosh OS X and Windows XP Only Digital Video Studio with Expert Color Correction Toolset, Revolutionary Real-time Architecture and Software for both Mac and Windows in the Same Box Los Angeles, CA - June 26, 2002 - Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVID) today announced immediate availability of Avid Xpress® DV v3.5 for Mac OS X and Windows XP. Now on the Mac platform for the first time, this portable, affordable, professional DV studio brings the industry-standard Avid editing experience and toolset to everyone who wants to edit digital video. Also new to the Avid Xpress DV product is an expert color correction toolset, featuring patent-pending technology capable of automatically matching skin tones between scenes with a single click. "Xpress DV 3.5 is an important release for Avid because it fulfills our commitment to bring the industry's most powerful DV editing studio to the Mac," said David Krall, Avid's president and CEO. "And, we have taken our commitment to Macintosh users a step further by ensuring that Xpress DV's real-time architecture is supported on all G4s - laptops, desktops and even the new iMac." "Most of the world's video editing is done on Macs and Avid's new Xpress DV product will further cement this," said Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple. "Avid has a long history of serving the professional video editing community, and this new version of Xpress DV taps the power of Mac OS X and the G4 Velocity Engine to bring professional-level editing capabilities to even more Mac users." Avid Xpress DV v3.5 Summary Avid's real-time architecture - offers more than 100 infinitely customizable real-time effects, titling, compositing and color correction with multiple, simultaneous streams - all in software - all without rendering. Customers can create richly layered compositions such as a moving title with a dissolve, a color correction effect, and a picture-in-picture overlay simultaneously - all in real-time. Real-time expert color correction tools (built on patented technology derived from Avid's professional Avid Symphony™ finishing system). Customizable workspaces that allow customers to personalize every aspect of the industry-standard Avid editing interface. Versions for both Macintosh OS X and Windows XP operating systems in the same box, so professionals can easily move back and forth between systems they use most often. Support for all qualified Macintosh computers with Mac OS X v10.1.4 or later and 400 MHz G4 processor or higher. Avid's revolutionary real-time architecture even runs on the new iMac and all Apple PowerBook G4s. Support for qualified systems running the Windows XP Professional operating system. Affordably priced - USMSRP $1,699 for the standard configuration and $2,499 for the PowerPack. New Color Correction Features Patent-pending NaturalMatch™ technology, capable of true color-to-color matching without the use of grayscale values to approximate color tones. A three-window view that includes previous, current and next frames, along with reference frames and split-screen mode, to let editors precisely correct colors between shots. Customizable, advanced vectorscope, waveform monitors and histograms, including luminance and chrominance. Three ChromaWheel™ HSL color offset wheels (shadows, midtones, highlights). HSL master controls (hue, saturation, brightness, contrast, clip, invert). ChromaCurve ™ interactive graphs with multi-point controls (red, blue, green, master). Beta Customer Feedback "With Avid Xpress DV on my Mac, I can now move projects from my PowerBook to a Media Composer® or Symphony™ with ease. I don't lose any of the project info, and we save lots of time by not having to convert EDL's," said Emmy®-award winning Editor Herbert Bennett of Video Arts in San Francisco. "Avid is already the industry standard for editing at the high-end of the market, but tools like this mean that every editor can affordably join the Avid family." More About Avid Xpress DV v3.5 More information about Avid Xpress DV v3.5, including complete pricing, upgrades, list of features, the new color correction toolset, and system requirements, can be found at www.avid.com/xpressdv. __________________ Check out http://www.videoguys.com 800 323-2325 We are the video editing and live video production experts! DV InfoNet members save 5%! Use Coupon Code DVINFO5OFF

June 27th, 2002, 08:54 PM	#20
Adrian Douglas Trustee Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Chigasaki, Japan. Posts: 1,660	Another option to look at, and this is one I'm interested in, is going with Pinnacles new Edition software. This NLE app was recently purchased from Fast and appears to be quite good and a definate improvement over Premiere. Jeff is dead right when saying Composer is overkill for DV as the image is commpressed 5:1 by the camera. If you already have the Pro-one then Edition will work with that and you won't lose your Hollywood FX or the Breakout box. It's also half the price of DV Express at $699. __________________ Adrian DVInfo.net Search for quick answers Where to buy? From the best in the business...DVInfo.net sponsors

August 15th, 2002, 08:25 AM	#22
funkengine@hotmail.com Posts: n/a	Avid Xpress 3.0 & Canon ZR20 I just got Avid Xpress DV 3.0, and am very happy with it for a variety of reasons. Chief among these is the fact that, unlike the last version, Avid will now capture from my Canon ZR20. I bought the ZR20 solely for the purpose of using it as a "deck" in my editing system, in order to save wear and tear on my XL1. The problem is this: the ZR20 is not accepting picture info back out of the computer over the firewire. I can't view anything on my NTSC monitor, which is connected to the ZR20's AV IN/OUT jack. I can't even see anything on the ZR20's own LCD. Does anyone have any idea what may be going wrong here? Thanks Chris

June 27th, 2002, 07:58 PM	#19
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	The very nature of DV is that it is a compressed format. If you are acquiring on DV, Avid Xpress Dv is and ideal match. Avid Composer and Symphony are probably overkill unless you have an unlimited budget. Composer has features not found on Express, but they are not worth the price difference. Express also has an easier learning curve. Jeff

July 29th, 2002, 07:06 PM	#21
Jason Wood Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 87	Xpress should be fine for what you want to do. Many people use XDV strictly for offline work and then finish on a MC. It's a great method if you need uncompressed video because the files transfer seamlessly between XDV, MC and Symphony (though, most of those people are using Beta SP and not mini DV). In my opinion XDV is perfectly suited for mini DV online work.

August 15th, 2002, 12:33 PM	#23
Jason Wood Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 87	Do you have real time mode off? Thats the only way it will work. If this isn't your problem try posting this at... http://www.wwug.com/forums/avid_xpress-dv/index.htm or... http://www.avid.com/cgi/forumscgi/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=Avid+Xpress+DV&number=28&DaysPrune=20&LastLogin=

August 15th, 2002, 12:40 PM	#24
funkengine@hotmail.com Posts: n/a	Thanks for the reply. I think the "realtime mode" might be the problem. How do I turn this on/off? chris

August 15th, 2002, 01:20 PM	#25
Marc Betz Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: NH Posts: 95	Right next to the AVID logo on your timeline will be a green or blue dot. Green is realtime on blue is reltime off. Just click the dot. __________________ Marc Betz

August 17th, 2002, 01:20 PM	#26
funkengine@hotmail.com Posts: n/a	Thank you both! It is now working perfectly.

August 23rd, 2002, 11:16 PM	#27
aviddoom Posts: n/a	Need Advice with Xpress Dv and Xl1s HI, I hope you can help me. I'm looking for a Xl1s to use it with the avid xpress dv 3.5 but it seems that this camera don't work well with the software. Is that true? What are your experiences? Can you tell me where can I buy it in Los Angeles or in a good website?. In your opinion which is the best analog and Dv (under $500) card and software? transcoder? The thing is that I'm from Mexico City and I'm going to be in Los Angeles the next week.

October 8th, 2002, 07:48 PM	#28
Ryan Wachter Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 164	Avid DV editing stations What do you guys know about them? Are they worth it? Thanks Ryan

October 19th, 2002, 08:55 AM	#29
Becky McMillen Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Scottsbluff, NE USA Posts: 43	Avid XDV 3.5 problems with playback My brand new preconfigured system won't playback or do digital cuts. I've tried both my JVC VS30U (not supported) and my Canon XL1s (supported). I can't use client monitor at all, blue screen. When I try to do a digital cut I have long periods of blue screen interspersed with brief flashes of video and audio. I've tried legacy mode and realtime and nothing. This is straight audio/video with no effects. I've also tried just doing text (of course rendering first) and am getting nothing. Am I doing something wrong. HELP!

October 20th, 2002, 10:04 AM	#30
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	Becky, Hard to say from you post. It might be as simple as configuring the deck selesction correctly. Or it might be as simple as turning on your Camera AFTER you open XDV. For the best forum help with XDV try posting on avid.com they have a forum with faqus on sililar problems. The XL1s does not get along real well with the AVID. You have to nurse it a bit.