Avid to Abandon the Mac OS by Todd Busch Avid Technology announced at NAB that future versions of its Avid Film Composer will leave the Macintosh platform and move to Windows NT, following in the footsteps of the company's new Symphony finishing products and Avid Xpress NT. Version 8.0 is available now for the Media Composer on both Mac and NT, but there is no 24p support. Media Composer Version 9.0 will be an NT-only release with 24p support, and is scheduled for release late this summer. Although sources blame a rocky relationship between Avid and Apple for the change, a representative from Avid Technology in Tewksbury said that the NT move was a calculated decision based on Avid's need for an operating system with more power and versatility than the Macintosh. He cited NT's networking capabilities, pre-emptive multi-tasking, multi-processor support and easier protocols for integration between third-party programs and other Avid NT products as keys to the decision. First appearing in the commercial and television markets in the early '90s, the Avid Film Composer has become the industry standard for nonlinear editing of television shows and feature films. The announcement at NAB sparked concern and, in some cases, anger throughout the Hollywood community because Avid owners and vendors will now be faced with costly upgrades, not to mention ramp-up time on support and the usual de-bugging woes that will invariably ensue. Many long-time users are also unhappy because they will have to deal with re-educating themselves on the new operating system. Assistant editors, many of whom are responsible for maintaining and troubleshooting Film Composers, will be especially affected by the switch to a new platform. Avid's decision has once again touched off a debate on whether or not the company cares about the Hollywood community's needs and concerns. Although it's been known for years that Avid was working on an NT version of Media Composer, company representatives denied that there were ever plans to abandon the Mac OS. Asked about the future of the Avid on Macintosh, corporate representatives have all echoed the words of Avid CEO Bill Miller, who recently said, "I expect we will be enriching the Mac Media Composer as long as there is a substantial body of users who want to continue to work in that environment." Despite the rhetoric, Avid code will not be written for the Macintosh beyond the current release of 8.0, and all efforts now appear to be focused on NT. The company's newest products and releases are indeed NT-focused. Symphony Version 2.0 was recently introduced to the Hollywood community via independent demonstrations sponsored by 3 Point Digital and Moviola Digital, respectively. The new uncompressed finishing system features real-time 3-D titling effects, fast rendering times, and an advanced dual-channel color-correction engine. The interface is virually unchanged from the Macintosh version. Avid's expectation is that Media Composer and Film Composer will work in tandem with Symphony. While Symphony's feature sets are impressive, they also lead to concern among some editors and assistants. If the television industry is already asking some editors to finish shows on the current version of Media Composer, the power of Symphony could have editors being asked to do color correction, complicated titling and visual effects, and, with the advent of HDTV, pan and scan as well. Avid will be involving local editors in the development of the new NT products by beginning a local beta test program for the Film Composer, however. Hollywood-area Avid support technician Alan Stewart confirmed this, but doesn't know if individuals or particular support vendors will be asked to use and evaluate the beta software. Stewart did acknowledge that there has been a great deal of interest in the program, something that has not been available to this community for years. For more on these recent developments, contact the local Avid office, or go to the Guild's web site for links to related topics and discussion groups.   Todd Busch is an assistant editor representative on the Board of Directors.   Reprinted from The Motion Picture Editors Guild Newsletter Vol. 20, No. 3 - May/June1999   Guild Home | Newsletter Home | Top of Page   Copyright © 1999, All Rights Reserved by The Motion Picture Editors Guild, IATSE Local 700