The Government Video Update : Media Composer

Government HD Technologies Seminar in Jacksonville, NC

ejose — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:11:00 GMT

The Avid Government Solutions team is hosting a 2-hour seminar in Jacksonville, NC, in the Downey Room at the Jacksonville Country Club. The seminar is scheduled for Thursday, September 18th, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

The seminar will focus on new HD technologies for government video professionals.

The latest HD and file-based video formats offer more than just better images. They enable powerful workflows that allow you to work faster than ever before - on a laptop in the field, or in robust media production networks.

High-definition Blu-ray and HD podcasting are also changing the way media is distributed. Join us for a 2-hour seminar and explore these new technologies:

- HDV: Low-cost high-definition acquisition and editing

- Sony XDCAM: File-based media acquisition on optical disks

- Sony XDCAM EX and Panasonic P2: File-based media acquisition on memory cards

- Blu-ray authoring- HD encoding for Web delivery- Real-time HD editing technologies

- Media production networks and asset management

You'll also have the opportunity to see Media Composer Nitris DX.

Government video professionals can register for this New Video Technologies Seminar online. Space is limited, so sign up soon. We look forward to seeing you in Jacksonville!

Government HD Technologies Seminar in Norfolk

ejose — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:38:00 GMT

The Avid Government Solutions team is hosting a 2-hour seminar in Norfolk, Virginia, at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel on Tuesday, September 16th, 2008, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

The seminar will focus on new HD technologies for government video professionals.

The latest HD and file-based video formats offer more than just better images. They enable powerful workflows that allow you to work faster than ever before - on a laptop in the field, or in robust media production networks.

High-definition Blu-ray and HD podcasting are also changing the way media is distributed. Join us for a 2-hour seminar and explore these new technologies:

- HDV: Low-cost high-definition acquisition and editing

- Sony XDCAM: File-based media acquisition on optical disks

- Sony XDCAM EX and Panasonic P2: File-based media acquisition on memory cards

- Blu-ray authoring- HD encoding for Web delivery- Real-time HD editing technologies

- Media production networks and asset management

You'll also have the opportunity to see Media Composer Nitris DX.

Government video professionals can register for this New Video Technologies Seminar online. Space is limited, so sign up soon. We look forward to seeing you in Norfolk!

UPDATE: Sorry, I guess it would help if I include the link! You can register here.

Government HD Technologies Seminar in San Diego

ejose — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:08:00 GMT

The Avid Government Solutions team is hosting a 2-hour seminar in San Diego at the US Grant Hotel on Tuesday, September 9th, 2008, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

The seminar will focus on new HD technologies for government video professionals.

The latest HD and file-based video formats offer more than just better images. They enable powerful workflows that allow you to work faster than ever before – on a laptop in the field, or in robust media production networks.

High-definition Blu-ray and HD podcasting are also changing the way media is distributed. Join us for a 2-hour seminar and explore these new technologies:

- HDV: Low-cost high-definition acquisition and editing

- Sony XDCAM: File-based media acquisition on optical disks

- Sony XDCAM EX and Panasonic P2: File-based media acquisition on memory cards

- Blu-ray authoring- HD encoding for Web delivery- Real-time HD editing technologies

- Media production networks and asset management

You'll also have the opportunity to see Media Composer Nitris DX.

Government video professionals can register for this New Video Technologies Seminar online. Space is limited, so sign up soon. We look forward to seeing you in San Diego!

Government Video Doesn't Always Have To Be Serious

ejose — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:37:00 GMT

A team of Avid customers at the Idaho State Police have been working with Avid systems since the mid 1990s. They have the ability to take the most mundane subjects (vehicle inspections and the handling of hazardous materials) and turn them into very entertaining videos. They spoof Jerry Springer, home shopping channels, red carpet interviews and more. You can see a highlight reel from the Idaho State Police Multimedia Group on their website. Today, the Idaho State Police work on 2 Macintosh-based Media Composers with a Unity MediaNetwork providing the shared storage.

Join us at Avid's DC Roadshow

ejose — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:02:00 GMT

Avid is hosting its New Thinking Road Show in Washington, DC on Wednesday, June 4th from 6:30pm to 9:30pm. This is a great chance to get an up-close look at Avid's new Media Composer 3.0 software and the new Mojo DX and Nitris DX hardware. The Avid Government Solutions team will be there and we look forward to meeting you.

When:
Wednesday, June 4th
6:30pm to 9:30pm

Where:
The Ronald Reagan Building Rotunda Room
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC.

You can reserve your seat for Avid's DC Roadshow by clicking here.

Hope to see you there!

Death of the Little Weight Lifter Guy (And Other Media Composer Interface Changes)

ejose — Thu, 15 May 2008 11:46:00 GMT

When Media Composer 3.0 ships next month, you'll notice a few changes to the interface. They're minor changes, designed to make it easier for new Avid editors to quickly identify the intended purpose of particular icons. For veteran Avid editors, there's one change in particular that will be met with a bit of sadness: the death of the iconic "lift" icon. The weight lifter icon is going away.

Greg Staten has written a great post on the Media Composer 3.0 interface changes. The last line to his post is the best: "My apologies to those of you out there who will miss the little guy. He's on his way to the place where the purple triangle lives." (For new Avid customers... the purple triangle refers to the old Avid logo that joined the iconic graveyard in the late 90's.)

Update your Avid software even if your system isn't connected to the Internet

ejose — Thu, 15 May 2008 00:39:00 GMT

We were visiting a customer last week who had not updated their Media Composer software for quite some time, since their Media Composers were not connected to the Internet. The good news is you don't have to have your Media Composer online to get the latest software. If you have a valid Support Contract and have registered with the Avid Download Center, you can download your software on any Internet-connected computer. Just save the software to a thumb drive, pop it into your edit system and install the updates.

If you're a Government customer and you don't have a thumb drive, I can help with that too! I have shiny new 1GB Avid thumb drives for the first 40 next 22 government customers who send me a message including their name, government email address and government mailing address.

SubCap Tool Makes Open Captions Easy

ejose — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 21:07:00 GMT

We've been on the road for the past couple of weeks. First it was Las Vegas, where we unveiled the new Media Composer 3.0 software, which Avid will be shipping in June. Then we spent a week at the 2008 Department of Defense Visual Information Conference in Baltimore. At both shows, one of the features Avid Government customers were most excited about was the SubCap Tool, which will be shipping with Media Composer 3.0 in June.

The SubCap Tool lets you easily create on-screen subtitles for Section 508 compliance, or for visual translations of foreign dialog. You drop the SubCap tool on your top-most video track and then point it to an EBU-N19 formatted subtitle log file (.STL). You can set the font size, color and placement. Hit play and you have real-time open captions. You can also use the SubCap Tool to create subtitles from scratch, if you don't already have a log file. When you're done, you can export a subtitle file (.STL) for quick creation of subtitles in DVD authoring applications.

Click here for a quick demo of the new SubCap Tool.

The SubCap Tool will be included with Media Composer 3.0, which will be available for download in June for current Media Composer customers with Support contracts. Avid Xpress Pro customers can upgrade and download Media Composer 3.0 for $318 on Avid's GSA Schedule, or purchase a box with documentation and third-party applications for $399. Upgrades are also available from Avid Xpress DV and Avid Liquid. For more information, contact the Avid Government Solutions Team at 800-497-2843.

Learn More for Less: One Year of Media Composer Training

ejose — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 06:33:00 GMT

A full year of online Media Composer training is now more affordable than ever. The GSA price for 12-months of online Media Composer training has been cut in half, from $997 to $499. Those classes are delivered through the Avid Learning Excellerator, or Alex. The Avid Media Composer Complete Level-2 Subscription includes the following courses:

Fundamentals of Television
Editing with Avid Media Composer
Introduction to Media Composer Effects
Setting Up Mojo-Based Systems
Setting Up Adrenaline-Based Systems
Troubleshooting Avid Editing Systems
Creating Graphics and Mattes for Avid Editing Systems
Introduction to Color Correction
Introduction to Avid Marquee
Input and Output Essentials
Creating with Avid 3D
Creating with Avid FX
Creating with Pro Tools LE
Creating with Avid DVD by Sonic

You can find more information on ALEX, and can even take a free Avid training course by visiting http://learn.avid.com.

The Avid Media Composer Complete Level-2 Subscription is available on Avid's GSA Schedule GS-35F-0638J for $499. Please call the Avid Government Solutions team at 800-497-2843 or 202-756-2251 for a GSA price quote or to place your order.

Avid Xpress Pro Being Discontinued. Media Composer Now More Affordable Than Ever.

ejose — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 10:00:00 GMT

The government video community was buzzing last week about the announced merger of Xpress Pro and Media Composer software. On June 30th of this year, Avid Xpress Pro will no longer be available. Media Composer software is now available for ~~$2995~~ $2495, less than half the previous price. Avid Xpress Pro customers can upgrade to Media Composer software for only $495. For federal government customers purchasing from Avid's GSA Schedule, the savings are even greater – $419 for the upgrade and $2111 for a new copy of Media Composer. Discounts are also available for customers purchasing multiple copies.

There are some great reasons to upgrade, not the least of which is that Media Composer includes Boris Continuum Complete, $1995 worth of powerful effects software.

Federal government customers who want to purchase the upgrade or a new copy of Media Composer software, should call 1-800-497-AVID or email government@avid.com.