Regardless of what you think about the soon-to-be-released Final Cut Pro X, if you’re a Final Cut user, there are still some things you’d like to do faster or better with your current setup. Need to share project files across a mixed Mac and PC facility? Want more support for editing native formats, like RED RAW and Sony HDCAM SR Lite, without proxies? Need a more robust and stable bin structure and EDL manager? When Avid opened up Media Composer last year to include native editing support through AMA for QuickTime and other formats and introduced support for non-Avid capture and monitoring devices like the Matrox MXO2, it suddenly made business and workflow sense to include both FCP and MC in one suite. Now that MC 5.5 works with AJA’s popular Io Express (above) and includes new search and timeline features that could shave hours if not days off your edit, it makes even more sense.

Unfortunately, MC 5.5’s street price of just under $2,500 puts it out of reach for many editors, particularly those in small or one-person shops. But what if you could add a seat of Media Composer for less than half that price? All Avid resellers have a special promotion on right now that lets FCP users purchase a full Media Composer 5.5 package for only $995, a pretty sweet deal when you consider what you get. Some dealers, like Glen Cove’s Videoguys and the New York- and LA-based CET Universe, are also offering bundles of the discounted MC 5.5 with a Matrox MXO2 Mini or AJA Io Express. You can pre-order a Thunderbolt adapter from CET Universe for the Mini for another $199. If you’re already an Avid user, Videoguys has a number of appealing MC 5.5 upgrade bundles with, among other things, a Pioneer Blu-ray burner, G-Tech’s G-RAID and the new Avid Artist control consoles.

Most of these offers are good through June 17 (though CET Universe’s deal ends this Saturday). The only other catch? You must prove you are a regular FCP user with a legit serial number to get the discount pricing. Go to this Videoguys link, the CET Universe home page or Avid’s reseller finder for more information.