Review: Avid Media Composer 3.0

MacWorld by Gary Adcock

Avid Media Composer 3.0.5 is a must-have if you or anyone in your facility work with the emerging HD formats popularized by card-based camera systems.The release of Media Composer 3.0.5 marks a major metamorphosis for Avid Technology: With this version, the company has completely rebuilt its flagship video-editing software from the ground up for Apple’s OS X 10.5 (Leopard) operating system.

Adding capabilities for the ever-growing tapeless camera market that now includes the SxS format cards used in Sony’s EX series of cameras, expanded support for Panasonic’s P2 AVC-Intra codecs, and the addition of support for JVC’s 720p24 and 720p25 HDV formats, Avid has again stepped to the front of the line with the tapeless tools added in this release. Media Composer is the first software-editing tool Avid has shipped without the need for proprietary hardware, something that was a past signature of Avid’s professional product line. read more...