Avid ships their new Media Composer with new licensing options

PVC by Scott Simmons

While a few things are missing this is a new era for Media Composer

It was announced at NAB and now it’s shipping: the next version of Avid Media Composer which looks to be version 8. I had heard that Avid was going to move away from version numbers with the new subscription program but you might see the v8 designation which is this new version. The official name is now Media Composer | Software for that downloadable version most of us will use.

The best outline I’ve seen for What’s New comes via this Avid Blogs post that outlines what’s new. Obviously the biggest news is the different pricing options that includes both subscription (“rent it”), perpetual (“own it”) and floating (“lease it”) options in the mix. I didn’t come up with those terms, that’s in the What’s New blog post. Flexibility is good but what has to be noted is that with the perpetual “own it” license you have to buy an Avid Support plan at $299 per year in order to get any updates. From that PDF fine print we need to understand this about the perpetual “own it” license and the new yearly support requirement:

If you decide not to renew your plan, you can still continue using Media Composer (you own it) at the last version update received. However, should you decide to upgrade your software later on, you will need to purchase a new perpetual license ($1,299) again, or you can choose to start a subscription.
I don’t think that’s the end of the world but it has to be noted if you opt for an own it model, especially if you have multiple seats. My guess is Avid had to go this route so they could properly offer upgrades legally and promptly in the new subscription software world that Adobe has pioneered with the Creative Cloud. The days of having to wait for big, monumental feature releases seem to be over. But different from what Adobe has chosen to do Avid is offering options so that is a good thing.

Since I already own Avid Media Composer with the Symphony option I think I’m going to opt for the perpetual license which means I’ll have to pay $299/year for support. From what I understand from the Avid Media Composer License Comparison Guide pdf I’ll just have to keep buying that support year after year. I have until the end of 2014 to do so. Effectively that’s kind of like a $25 / month subscription for existing Media Composer owners. I’m guessing I get to keep the Symphony option for that but looks like we won’t get the NewBlue Titler Pro 2, Sorenson Squeeze Lite or Boris Continuum Complete Lite. This seems like it’s forcing support on some of us who never have used it but if you bought a $500 upgrade for MC every year then this new $299 support option will save you some money. read more...