Coming Soon to an Avid Near You: Media Pros’ Most-Wanted New Features

Background save, uninterrupted playback from the timeline, and a new background rendering service are among the fresh features arriving this year in Avid Media Composer, driven by feedback from Avid’s user base.

For the second year in a row, Avid has polled the Avid Customer Association (ACA), asking members to vote on their most critical needs in video editing, TV and film production, music creation, and more. The Second Annual ACA Vote took place in two rounds, spanning a period from December 4, 2017, to March 19, 2018, and Avid said the final results represented more than 4,800 voters representing more than 3,500 organizations in 117 different countries. Voters were asked to vote on Avid’s product and solution roadmaps, using the success of their own businesses as a yardstick for the importance of different features. They were also queried on emerging trends and technologies.

For overall TV and film production workflow — which includes Media Composer and Pro Tools, as well as Avid’s MediaCentral Production Suite and MediaCentral Platform, Nexis Media Storage, and various control surfaces — the single most wanted feature is Folder Tracks, a way of organizing and working with different tracks on the timeline that greatly simplifies workflow on the audio side, where a project can easily require dozens of audio tracks.

Here are the top five critical needs for TV and film production, along with each feature’s current status at Avid.

TV & Film Production

1. New Post Workflows: Folder Tracks. Status: Under Investigation
2. Render Engine Distributed Platform Service: Create background rendering service that can also be used for mixdown and export. Status: Under Investigation
3. Enhanced Avid Video Engine workflows: Support of new codecs, enhancements to existing video interoperability inside Pro Tools. Status: Under Investigation
4. Enhanced Color Correction: Shape-based color correction, integrated color management, performance and usability enhancements, higher precision processing. Status: Planned 2018 release
5. High-End Imaging Integration: Expand support for third parties (such as After Effects, Baselight and Nuke) so that conforming effects/grades between products is easy and nothing is lost. Status: Under Investigation

Avid Customer Association Vote Results 2017-2018
Source: Avid Customer Association

The most requested third-party integration is Adobe After Effects, Avid said.

The results look quite different when broken out to include only the needs of Media Composer editors, who are mainly interested in a background save feature that would eliminate the need for them to save their work as well as uninterrupted timeline playback while other actions are being performed. Avid said all of the top five critical needs for Media Composer are slated for 2018 release.

TV & Film Production: Media Composer

1. Background Save: Ability to work uninterrupted while the app is constantly saving. Status: Planned 2018 release
2. Live Timeline: Uninterrupted playback while performing other actions. Status: Planned 2018 release
3. Render Engine Distributed Platform Service: Create background rendering service that can also be used for mixdown and export. Status: Under Investigation
4. Enhanced User Interface: Enhance UI, including “live” UI and dockable UI panels. Status: Planned 2018 release
5. Enhanced Color Correction: Shape-based color correction, integrated color management, performance and usability enhancements, higher precision processing. Status: Planned 2018 release

Avid Customer Association Vote Results 2017-2018
Source: Avid Customer Association

Also scheduled for 2018 release in Media Composer are full-frame stereoscopic support in hardware I/O, independent alpha-channel support, enhancements to multicam editing including support for non-native rates and rasters in groups, the ability to split layouts, and support for stereo audio in grouped clips. New transfer/blending modes and an overhaul of the export functions, including a background queue and burn-in options, are in line for 2019.

In addition to the previously mentioned Folder Tracks feature, Pro Tools users are looking for a price break on audio I/O, virtual instrument upgrades, and a larger voice count for Pro Tools HD Native.

TV & Film Production: Pro Tools

1. New Post Workflows: Folder Tracks. Status: Planned 2018 release
2. Lower Cost Audio I/O. Status: Under Investigation
3. Enhanced Avid Video Engine workflows: Support of new codecs, enhancements to existing video interoperability inside Pro Tools. Status: Planned 2018 Release
4. Virtual Instrument Upgrades: New VI tools inside Pro Tools and better integration with third-party VIs. Status: Planned 2018 release
5. Enhanced Voice Capability for Pro Tools Native HD Systems: Larger voice count for Pro Tools HD Native. Status: Planned 2018 release

Avid Customer Association Vote Results 2017-2018
Source: Avid Customer Association

The special needs of Avid’s audio customer base become even more clear in the context of the 2018 ACA Emerging Technologies Trend Index, which aims to rank the commercial importance of different emerging technologies over the next two to three years. 4K/UHD was the most important for all workflows except audio; when you add the audio segment to the equation, multiplatform content delivery is ranked number one, followed by remote production.

2018 ACA Emerging Technologies Trend Index

Avid Customer Association Vote Results 2017-2018
Source: Avid Customer Association

The full results of the vote have been published by Avid at the ACA website, which is accessible to all members of the ACA. Membership is free, and you have to join to read the full report.

Avid Customer Association: avidcustomerassociation.com