DV Magazine review of Media Composer 2.7
Penned by me, it’s now online.
The logical question is: how does Avid justify Media Composer 2.7, a $4,995 software-only NLE? (To add 3D from SoftImage, Avid FX compositing tools by Boris FX, and Avid DVD by Sonic is an additional $1,295.)
It’s a pleasure writing for DV. Where other publications consider 700 words enough for a review, DV gives the reviewer the opportunity to go long. This one was almost 2,000 words. I understand page counts are down these days (and may never go back up), but what’s the point of a 700-word review of something as complex as an NLE?
The real NLE innovator
Since Monday’s announcement of David Krall’s departure from Avid, a lot of advice from editors has been flung at Tewksbury. Most suggests Avid go head-to-head with Apple’s Final Cut Pro. That won’t happen because it can’t happen.
Avid cannot compete on price with Apple in the software-only NLE space. Avid’s cost structure is too high. Lowering the cost structure would fundamentally change the company. A great book on this is “Dealing with Darwin.” It explains the ways companies can and can’t evolve to meet challenges.
Avid’s built as an innovator. Apple’s ProApps division is a follower. It blasphemous in many circles to fail to cite Apple as an innovator, but in the NLE space it’s a follower.
Avid’s issue is that it appears to have dropped the ball on innovation, so it has less reason to justify a higher price to a niche market than it did a few years ago. Features like ScriptSync are true innovations, but too few Avid users are aware of or understand it well enough to justify the expense. The traditional NLE market is mature. The innovation curve is flattening, but look no further than Adobe to see that there is room for fresh thinking in the video post production space — and articulating that fresh thinking. Look at how Encore can now author a Flash video site. Look at Apollo, Flex, and the forthcoming Adobe Media Player. Avid has decided not to play in that space. Time will tell if that was a fatal decision.
Based on the fact that to this day Avid has a crappy title creation tool, it still doesn’t offer multiple transfer modes, etc. The market is reacting quite rationally to Avid’s stagnation.
Krall steps down at Avid
From Avid
Tewksbury, Mass – July 16, 2007 – The board of directors of Avid Technology, Inc.. (NASDAQ: AVID) today announced that David Krall will step down from his positions as President, Chief Executive Officer, and board member of the company, at the end of July. Nancy Hawthorne, current board member and former chairman, will serve as the company’s interim CEO as the board begins an immediate search for a new CEO. Krall will be available as a consultant to the company during the transition period.
This is long overdue. Krall did a wonderful job of bringing fiscal discipline to Avid after its initial growth spurt, but had trouble steering the ship in the more competitive environment of recent years. Avid leadership took too long to acknowledge Final Cut Pro as a viable competitor, and then failed to respond adequately to the threat.
Avid will never get down in the dirt in a price war with Apple and Adobe in the NLE market space. There’s still room for a niche player catering to the needs of broadcasters and filmmakers, but Avid always overplayed its advantages in this space. Features like ScriptSync and Animatte are worth a premium, but the $3,700 Avid was asking for Media Composer software over Apple and Adobe NLE suites just doesn’t pass the sniff test with many of this generations facility owners and managers.
First order of business for the new CEO should be to get real marketing department in place. Identify its customers needs, meet those needs, and just as importantly, articulate Avid’s value proposition.
Second order of business should be to kill Xpress Pro. Media Composer software should cost $1,695 – not some hobbled wannabe. Xpress Pro has a few advantages over Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro, but not enough to justify a price premium – especially considering that Apple and Adobe sell full suites of software for what Avid sells its stripped NLE for.
Maybe now someone at Avid will take my post-NAB advice seriously.
Top 10 (or so) editing lies
In the spirit of editing quotes earlier this week, Shane Ross collated the most common lies told to and by editors.
TOP TEN LIES EDITORS TELL PRODUCERS
10. It’s just a preview glitch.
9. It’s out of the safe area, you’ll never see that on the air.
8. It won’t really look like that.
7. I’ll fill out the paperwork tomorrow.
6. Why no, I don’t mind working on Saturday.
5. Oh, don’t go by that monitor.
4. It works better as a cut.
3. That glitch is on the source tape.
2. I’ll have all your changes done by the end of the day.
1. No, I agree. It’s much better that way.
TOP TEN LIES PRODUCERS TELL THEIR EDITORS
10. It’s pretty simple. It should only take an hour.
9. Budget? Don’t worry about it.
8. Feel free to be creative with this.
7. I only need a couple dubs.
6. The network will love it. They won’t make any changes.
5. I’m positive we’ve got that shot on another tape.
4. I’ve never had this problem anywhere else I have edited.
3. Could I see it just one more time?
2. I thought you’d be able to just paint it out.
1. How hard could it be?
TOP TEN LIES EDITORS TELL OTHER EDITORS (when they pick up the second half of a session)
10. It’ll only take about an hour to render.
9. I’ve pre-built all of the chyron.
8. It should only go a couple of more hours.
7. I’ll be at home. Call me if you have any questions.
6. The producer has been really organized so far.
5. All of the decks are working perfectly.
4. The list has been working great.
3. I’ve had no problems with this Avid.
2. Don’t worry, the credit roll is short.
1. I’ve already done the hardest parts.
TOP FIVE LIES EDITORS TELL THEIR ASSISTANT EDITORS
5. Kick me off if you need the station.
4. You don’t have to log everything.
3. We’ll finish early today.
2. I organized the files really well already.
1. An hour of footage a day, tops.
#1 LIE EDITORS TELL THEIR SIGNIFICANT OTHERS
1. “I’ll be home soon.”
Editing quote of the day
From Shady Hartshorne:
Some editors look at an empty sequence as a painter looks at a blank canvas, I prefer to view it as a plumber does a leaky toilet.
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