Post your EDIUS v4.5 questions here...

[GrassValley_KH]

If you have any questions regarding the upcoming v4.5 update for EDIUS software, please post them here. We will do our best to answer them.

Please Note: Asking questions of the form "Is 'xyz' bug fixed?" is a tricky issue, since the software update is still a couple of months from being finished, and has yet to enter a closed beta testing phase. We can answer only based on our latest build, and if we say "no" as an answer, that does not mean that it won't be fixed at all. Be warned.

Information recap:

What's in it: See here

Price: Nothing - it's absolutely free. The AVC-Intra plug-in module will, however, attract a separate fee when it becomes available later this year (v4.5 is ready to edit with the AVC-Intra plug-in)

When: End of July at this stage. Nothing in software development is ever 100% iron-clad, but this is certainly our desired target.

How to get it: Still to be determined. The update itself is approx. 1.5GB at this stage. More information will be available when it is close to completion.

The interface change: It looks different, but it does not work differently. No need to worry about learning things all over again.

AC-3 export: It's built in, as part of a new separate MPEG exporter (ie. not within ProCoder Express for EDIUS).

[STORMDAVE]

About the MPEG2 Exporter with AC3 (2.0), will it have the same settings as ProCoder Express? Going upto "Highest Quality"? Or is it similar to Speed Encoder and it's fixed and non-changeable settings?

[Martin_Gleeson]

AC-3 export: It's built in, as part of a new separate MPEG exporter (ie. not within ProCoder Express for EDIUS).

This is linked to Dave's question:

How will this link to Procoder 3? I presume we can still export by selecting Procoder plugin and from there select AC3 audio and all MPEG2 settings are before?

That is: I can select bit rates, quality, GOP settings, etc along with AC3?

[smartyarts]

1. Will there be an OMF Export option?
2. will it be possible to undo modifications (e.g. renaming) in the BIN window?
3. Will it be possible to give each captured tape a custom name when inserted and captured from?
4. Will batchlist creation be possible without attaching a deck/capture device?
5. Can one add markers to clips and comment them?
6. Will it be possible to resize the thumbnails of the clips in the Bin window like for instance adding a scaling thumbnail slider or a shortcut comman like STRG + "+" and "-" for resizing?
7. Will Edius 4.5 finally install more VST plugins than it currently does / more compatible to common VST plugins from Steinberg?
8. Will the unpredictable jumping of the timeline when dragging a clip to it be gone?

That are the questions that would interest me a lot...

[mike0130]

Thanks. lots of questions...
1. Alpha. The real one! like in Adobe?
2. 3DPIP improvements?
3. Replacement for Xplode Pro or improvement of Explode for Edius with effects/transitions? Also- VERY IMPORTANT: working with nVidia PCI-E cards for Xplode for Edius!!!
4. Any new plugins?
5. Working with ParticleIllusion, BluffTitler, Aftereffects etc.? (plugins such as Vitscene?)
6. Any easy way to resize, rotate and opacty changes as in premiere?
7. Fix the quicktime import bug?
Those are the most important for me, but there are lots more...
Oh, sorry, almost forgot one: TRAINING!!! Videotraining- not how to start and exit software, but something in depth about advanced editing- like Total Training do for Adobe products!!!
Such a shame- I saw some very simple questions asked on Canopus forum by professional guys... And- knoledge must be free!
BTW, tomorrow I am getting my new Edius PCI Express cards. I am giving you my money- you help me to become a PRO!
Deal?
Thanks
Mike

[GrassValley_BH]

Note: Any questions not addressed mean I don't know.

1. Will there be an OMF Export option?

No, but AAF Export is scheduled to be added. The last time I talked to Avid folks, they were ditching OMF in favor of AAF.

[GrassValley_BH]

Note: Any questions not addressed mean I don't know.

1. Alpha. The real one! like in Adobe?

"Real" is a relative term... I haven't looked deeply, but at least at first glance, no.

4. Any new plugins?

Audio Pitch Shift filter. Does that count?

Remember folks, this is a free-of-charge, dot-release, not a major version upgrade. There's only so much we can add.

[GrassValley_KH]

About the MPEG2 Exporter with AC3 (2.0), will it have the same settings as ProCoder Express? Going upto "Highest Quality"? Or is it similar to Speed Encoder and it's fixed and non-changeable settings?

You have a choice of channel+bitrate pairings. Which of these pairings you can choose, depends on the number of audio channels allowable with the Project Preset. Most Project Presets in software-only, DVStorm, NX and SP systems have just the two (which means mono or 2.0 channel AC3 options only). There's a couple of 4 channel settings you can use too.

If you want the full 5.1 audio setting output choices, you'll need to have the project set to a preset that allows 8 channels. Currently, this is only available with (EDIUS Broadcast Software) DVCPRO HD-based projects, and RX-E1 (EDIUS HD/HDLE) HD-based projects.

With a bit of cunning and tricky mapping, you'll be able to make full 5.1 AC3 files (so long as you have EDIUS Broadcast). I'll be putting together a 'How To' on this, around when v4.5 ships. For now, here's the current, total list of options:

1 channel - 64kbps
1 channel - 96kbps
1 channel - 128kbps
2 channel - 128kbps
2 channel - 196kbps
2 channel - 256kbps
2 channel - 384kbps
5 channel - 384kbps
5 channel - 448kbps
5 channel - 640kbps
5.1 channel - 384kbps
5.1 channel - 448kbps
5.1 channel - 640kbps

This AC-3 file can either be encoded separately with the standalone AC-3 exporter (think along the lines of the WAV exporter), or you can have it encoded when you choose the new MPEG exporter (either as a program stream or elementary stream). You will not find AC-3 options in ProCoder Express for EDIUS. (this might change)

The new DVD authoring exporter also supports AC-3, but I am not sure if it has the same degree of flexibility at present. This will probably change though...it's still very much a 'work in progress.'

This is linked to Dave's question:

How will this link to Procoder 3? I presume we can still export by selecting Procoder plugin and from there select AC3 audio and all MPEG2 settings are before?

Separate exporter, separate conditions. If you're using ProCoder 3, you'll use the ProCoder 3 AC3 encoder. The advantage with ProCoder 3 is that you can use the Channel Mixer filter to swap, copy, remove and duplicate the source audio channels to suit your output. Also, you can make 7.1 AC-3 files.

1. Will there be an OMF Export option?
2. will it be possible to undo modifications (e.g. renaming) in the BIN window?
3. Will it be possible to give each captured tape a custom name when inserted and captured from?
4. Will batchlist creation be possible without attaching a deck/capture device?
5. Can one add markers to clips and comment them?
6. Will it be possible to resize the thumbnails of the clips in the Bin window like for instance adding a scaling thumbnail slider or a shortcut comman like STRG + "+" and "-" for resizing?
7. Will Edius 4.5 finally install more VST plugins than it currently does / more compatible to common VST plugins from Steinberg?
8. Will the unpredictable jumping of the timeline when dragging a clip to it be gone?

1. No, AAF only. No plans to ever support OMF
2. Doesn't appear to be possible in the build I have
3. No differences to batch capture that I can spot
4. See above
5. No markers on clips planned for this release, that I know about
6. Still the same 5 view options as per 4.24
7. I need to get some more VST plug-ins to test this, but I don't know if the bridge will be change in this release (CtsVstPlugin.tpi is v2.0)
8. This bug has been identified by HQ. My build needs more testing to see if it has been squashed yet.

1. Alpha. The real one! like in Adobe?
2. 3DPIP improvements?
3. Replacement for Xplode Pro or improvement of Explode for Edius with effects/transitions? Also- VERY IMPORTANT: working with nVidia PCI-E cards for Xplode for Edius!!!
4. Any new plugins?
5. Working with ParticleIllusion, BluffTitler, Aftereffects etc.? (plugins such as Vitscene?)
6. Any easy way to resize, rotate and opacty changes as in premiere?
7. Fix the quicktime import bug?

1. I'm going to assume you mean something like - "will the timelines feature an alpha channel...so if I were to export a timeline, or even nest a sequence, alpha is preserved"

The answer is no. This sort of alpha-based workflow exceeds the capabilities of the EDIUS 4.x engine as we know it. The EDIUS FX plug-in, too, incorporates legacy technology that was conceived in an age where the idea of realtime alpha processing was still a computing pipedream. The intention is to revisit these limitations in a future version of EDIUS software.

2. Not in this release. We have plans...good plans. Plans that people will like. But not for 4.5.
3. Xplode is dead, long live Xplode. There are no plans to ever resurrect or rebuild it. Given that Xplode is one of the reasons we are not Vista compatible, you be the judge.
4. No. Unless you count things like the builtin AC-3 exporter, the DVD exporter, the DirectShow AVI importer.
5. Not in 4.5 - those are a bit beyond the scope of a 'dot5' release. I do know that the Vitascene people have talked to the powers that be in Japan though..
6. See #2
7. STORMDAVE has sent Japan some sure-fire footage that demonstrates the problem. I don't have this footage so I can't test it with the latest build.

Those are the most important for me, but there are lots more...
Oh, sorry, almost forgot one: TRAINING!!!

The only thing I know about at this stage is that we're endeavouring to get the Online Training site updated at around the same time as 4.5's release. It's a massive task, to be sure, but we'll push hard to get it done on time!

[Ron Shook]

Kenneally,

The AVC-Intra plug-in module will, however, attract a separate fee when it becomes available later this year (v4.5 is ready to edit with the AVC-Intra plug-in)

I'm a little confused by the description of 4.5 on the still Canopus website. It has asterics attached to several statements about MXF support of JPEG2000, XDCamHD, P2, and AVC-Intra stating that this is only available with Turnkey solutions. That can't be right, can it? It seems to be saying that essentially Edius Broadcast is only available with hardware turnkey solutions. How's this work?

Do you have any info, however tentative, at how well JPEG2k will edit natively. Scuttlebutt has it that AVC-Intra is extremely CPU intensive and will work in RT on only the fastest new systems. How does JPEG2k compare?

About MXF native editing with currently working XDCamHD and P2. Does the MXF metadata follow through the edit to the other side if you were to encode the finished edit back to MXF? My understanding is that it does not now do this in Edius and AFAIK only Axio is able to do this (a recent development.) Will 4.5 move forward in this respect?

Thanks for any light you can shed on these questions,

BTW, is there or will there be an Infinity forum, either here or elsewhere?

Ron Shook

[GrassValley_BH]

About MXF native editing with currently working XDCamHD and P2. Does the MXF metadata follow through the edit to the other side if you were to encode the finished edit back to MXF? My understanding is that it does not now do this in Edius and AFAIK only Axio is able to do this (a recent development.) Will 4.5 move forward in this respect?

As I understand things, in v4.x, if it comes in with metadata, it goes back out with the same metadata. Of course stuff that you add to the project that doesn't have metadata, then there's no metadata.

[GrassValley_KH]

Kenneally,

I'm a little confused by the description of 4.5 on the still Canopus website. It has asterics attached to several statements about MXF support of JPEG2000, XDCamHD, P2, and AVC-Intra stating that this is only available with Turnkey solutions. That can't be right, can it? It seems to be saying that essentially Edius Broadcast is only available with hardware turnkey solutions. How's this work?

Ugh...believe me, it's a crazy world sometimes. The full details of 'what goes where' have still yet to be finalised with respect to new features. What I've listed on the Web page in question, are the things that v4.5 (as a minimum) is capable of. As far as which options/modules come with what products, that's for the higher ups to determine.

While it isn't confirmed, we will still allow an existing EDIUS Broadcast owner (including EDIUS SP owners who have EDIUS Broadcast), to purchase the modules for AVC-Intra, JPEG2000, etc. but we aren't marketing it bigtime. (There's a reason for this, which will become clearer in the coming months)

Do you have any info, however tentative, at how well JPEG2k will edit natively. Scuttlebutt has it that AVC-Intra is extremely CPU intensive and will work in RT on only the fastest new systems. How does JPEG2k compare?

I have AVC-Intra footage, but I do not have Infinity footage alas...so testing this is rather hard at the moment. I can tell you now though that the AVC-Intra could play out small bursts of native footage in realtime on an HP xw8400 without trouble. Impressed a lot of people at NAB with this one..

Re: MXF - I believe this is possible already with EDIUS Broadcast, today (v4.24) ??

BTW, is there or will there be an Infinity forum, either here or elsewhere?

Probably not here. If and when there's a separate place for higher-end GV product lines, you might see a forum there. Not my call.

[Seth Berkowitz]

Xplode is dead, long live Xplode. There are no plans to ever resurrect or rebuild it. Given that Xplode is one of the reasons we are not Vista compatible, you be the judge.

I can understand that Xplode has major compatability issues and therefore will be discontinued, but what plans are there for transitions in newer versions? Some of us do have needs for various transitions from time to time. I'm beginning to think that all my transitions are going to have come from plug-ins.

By the way, I'm glad to be back on these forums.

[GrassValley_BH]

I can understand that Xplode has major compatability issues and therefore will be discontinued, but what plans are there for transitions in newer versions? Some of us do have needs for various transitions from time to time. I'm beginning to think that all my transitions are going to have come from plug-ins.

We understand that users have come to rely on Xplode-type effects. The relevant teams are actively investigating the future direction.

[Seth Berkowitz]

That's cool. As long as Grass Valley is thinking of some sort of replacement for Xplode, I feel confident that they'll eventually get there.

I've gotten my money's worth from Xplode, so although it's passing will be missed, yet understandable. I, for one, would be willing to pay for Xplode's replacement, if need be.

[Ron Shook]

Kenneally,

Thanks for telling what you know and can. Now I have 3 times as many questions. (g) But, I'll keep 'em to myself for the time being.

Appreciated,

Ron Shook