I see a lot of threads about what all the new software and hardware will be able to do.  And I also hear that Avid marketing is working on new materials to help explain all this to us.  I am posting this thread because it is my hope (and my communication to Avid) that this new material not be just a bunch of "marketing-speak" like it currently is.

 

I think it must be very difficult to market to customers like us, so I understand the job is tough.  Take the new promo videos.  They are awesome and slick, but I think a lot of us make videos like that for a living, so it's easy to see through the sound bites and glamour shots, and we are searching for the real information.

What I'm asking is that the new material be very factual, very technical, very specific, and very much in tune with letting the customers know what we are (or are not) buying.  For example, the fact the the Features page for MC-software and MojoDX have the exact same features is frustrating...

http://www.avid.com/products/media-composer/software/features.asp

http://www.avid.com/products/media-composer/mojo-dx/features.asp

So MojoDX gives me "Real-time multi-window timecode burn-in tool".. no wait, I get that in MC-software only. Well which is it?  What does MojoDX give me that MC-software doesn't?  While I can understand the argument that the MojoDX page is supposed to be marketing both Media Composer and the MojoDX as a single unit, the reality is that they are not, and marketing them this way is intentionally deceptive.

And also, I'm not looking for moderators to give me answers here.  While I do appreciate it very very much, I must take what I hear on these forums with a grain of salt.  Not saying it's bad... but it's just the way it is.

If anyone agrees, I'd love to hear it.  If anyone disagrees, I would also love to hear it.

Thanks all.

lmerino:

not be just a bunch of "marketing-speak" like it is

How would that be possible.  Red, Sony, Panasonic JVC canon would never sell another camera or deck. Macs would be piling up in warehouses etc The world would collapse.

A product does something by implication is the core of modern marketing.  And if it doesnt perform to its cost MAKE IT COOL and it will sell.

The art to reading market speak is to really see and understand everything that is NOT in the marketing. Then you will be close to knowing what you are getting.

 

It is pretty safe to say that many, if not most, are well aware of Avid's shortcoming in the marketing department. While Apple can sell you a bridge in Brooklyn, Avid couldn't sell water in a desert. Well they can, but you have to sign up for support contract (which may make sense, you are in a desert, but the way they do it...) and has only one spout (like you need 2 spouts!). Avid products make sense! They just need make things clearer.

 

BTW - with the moderators... I actually think they give the excellent information. A lot of them are actual everyday users who are buying the same gears as us and make a living with these gear - including CS3 and FCS.

I also think this gives them a unique perspective on things. That being said, it is always good to be skeptical about things you personally don't have experience or first hand knowledge on.

AndrewAction:

Red, Sony, Panasonic JVC canon would never sell another camera or deck. Macs would be piling up in warehouses etc The world would collapse.

Which is probably why I edit with Avid on a Windows box ;)

But seriously, there are companies out there thay do tell a bit more about there products than what we are hearing... but it's still early.  I'm hoping for the best.

And yes, the moderators here are awesome, and it's not that I don't believe them or trust them, but this is an open forum with an amazing amount of emotion from its users.

How about a nice 5 column list, extremely detailed, comparing the following.  I'd like to see not only features, but performance comparisons.  Hopefully, a customer would easily be able to see if they choose to pay a little extra they get x, pay a little more and they get y, etc ...

MC Soft

MC w/Mojo SDI

MC w/Mojo DX

MC w/Nitris DX

Symphony Nitris DX

Randall -  That makes way too much sense for it to actually happen.

Sad but true.  The marketing department would also like to "blur" the lines between products as well.  When you actually quantify the real differneces between some of them, the price can't be justified, e.g., Symphony Nitrs DX.  What exactly is worth $20k more?  Secondary CC?  Universal Mastering?  These should have been in MC long before now ...

If you want to see why good marketting can sell an inferior product over a superior one, find a copy of "From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor" by Jerry Della Femina.  It was published in the '70s, but it should still be possible to find it.  It gives a wonderfully clear explanation about the whole process of marketting the sizzle, not the steak.

For example, the car hire firm that was a long-term second in the market wanted to be market leader.  In this case there was no real difference in service offered between the front runner and the runner up, but their positions were turned around by highlighting the second-place status.  Does Avid car-hire's slogan "We try harder" ring any bells?

If Apple's marketting is better Avid should put their account out for bids.  That will arguably do more for them than changing the product line.

And for those who don't know, the title of the book comes from a joke pitch that Jerry did for a Japanese company's entry into the American market at a time when memories of WWII were still fresh.  It may have been a joke, but it probably would have worked!

OK, so far we have

1) A version matrix listing the following tools:
- MC Software
- MC with Mojo SDI
- MC with Mojo DX
- MC with Nitris DX
- Symphony Nitris DX

So that we can clearly see the advantages of one over the other.  It would be helpful if it included not only hardware differences (in/outs for audio and video,  etc) but also "acceleration" such as hardware DNxHD encode/decode and bit-depth processing.

 

 

Randall L Rike:

How about a nice 5 column list, extremely detailed....

 

I'd like to cast my vote for this, too.  It's a great idea.

adios,
Carl

they should see what other companies are offering as well. (NOT Apple)

But third party hardware, I just came from a decklink demo, one killer

card for the price. 

 

You can use the decklink card for Aftereffects, shake, and DVDSP for

output monitoring.

can't they come out with a better mojo box?

Mike

OK, the third party idea might be good.  While I wouldn't market 3rd party directly to us, they could add "advantages over the competition".  Considering price-point versus the competition is such an issue here, knowing adding a level to the matrix (or perhaps a new one) that is competitive advantage.

1) A version matrix listing the following tools:
- MC Software
- MC with Mojo SDI
- MC with Mojo DX
- MC with Nitris DX
- Symphony Nitris DX

 It would be helpful if it included not only hardware differences (in/outs for audio and video,  etc) but also "acceleration" such as hardware DNxHD encode/decode and bit-depth processing.

2) Competitive Advantage Matrix

 

MIkeFilm:

I just came from a decklink demo, one killer

card for the price. 

The art of a demo is to setup a series of actions that work and combine with a slight of eye to give the impression you are showing more than you actually are. I hate to think how many people buy after a great demo only to be sadly dissappointed for the length of the products "professional" shelf life.

AndrewAction:

MIkeFilm:

I just came from a decklink demo, one killer

card for the price. 

The art of a demo is to setup a series of actions that work and combine with a slight of eye to give the impression you are showing more than you actually are. I hate to think how many people buy after a great demo only to be sadly dissappointed for the length of the products "professional" shelf life.

I would think MIkeFilm would be savvy enough to work that out if that were the case himself.  Were you at the same demo AndrewAction?  You seem very sure of yourself so I guess you were.

Anyone with a fair mind cannot surely argue the MojoDX is anything special and warrants such a lofty price tag.  It is not a pint of Stella that can get away with being reassuringly expensive.  Many people are drinking at the bar of Decklink and AJA etc and liking what they are tasting.

Open up Avid software to 3rd party support and see if Avid ever release another Mojo grade box.

VGUK2:

Were you at the same demo AndrewAction?  You seem very sure of yourself so I guess you were.

Hi,

You've recently been warned about making posts personal.  Play nice.

good luck,
Carl