Videoguys by Gary Bettan

Avid Media Composer 5.5 is now availble for download purchase from the Avid website ($149 for MC5 owners). The download is for the Avid MC 5.5 application only, it does not include the 3rd party software Avid calls the Production Suite. Boxed units with Production Suite will begin shipping March 18th.  The only software in the Production Suite that has been updated is the Boris Continuum AVX, which goes from ver 6 to 7. All the other 3rd party software remains the same.

Media Composer 5 owners can purchase the boxed upgrade for $395, those with MC4 or older, Avid Xpress Pro or DV can upgrade to the new MC5.5 for $895. We are taking pre-orders now and we have re-configured all our Avid bundles to include the new MC5.5 software, including bundles with the Artist Series control surfaces.

The new PhraseFind plug-in is $495 (requires MC5.5). With PhraseFind you can find the right clips fast, with highly accurate results. PhraseFind’s powerful search engine automatically analyzes clips and indexes all dialog in your project’s media phonetically, so you can quickly find clips by simply typing a word or phrase—right from within your software.

We've posted a good amount of inormation already about What's New in MC55, but we we've found some great FAQs in Avid's knowledge base that will help answer some additional questions you may have, especially regarding the new 3rd party hardware support for AJA IO Express, Avid Artist Series (formerly Euphonix) control surfaces and new added features for the Matrox MXO 2 Mini.

To wet your appetitie I've include one Q&A from each FAQ.

Media Composer 5.5.x, NewsCutter 9.5.x, and Symphony 5.5.x FAQ

Q- What if I just purchased a Media Composer system? Is there a grace period to obtain version 5.5.1?
A-  New purchases of v5 or v9 or upgrades to v5 or v9 made between February 8, 2011 and March 8, 2011 are entitled to a grace period upgrade. Customers must register their v5 or v9 editing software and then upgrade their system(s) to the new v5.5.1 or v9.5.1 software by no later than March 31 via a software download. Please visit www.avid.com/protect for more information. This protection upgrade will not be available after March 31, 2011..

AJA Io Express FAQ

Q- What Avid products support the AJA Io Express?
A-  The AJA Io Express is supported for use with Media Composer 5.5.1 and NewsCutter 9.5.1 and higher. For PC systems, Windows 7 is the only supported OS. For more information on supported CPUs and configurations, pleasee the System Specifcations documents for you OS Mac OSX or Windows.

Matrox MX02 Mini FAQ

Q- What new features does Media Composer release 5.5 provide for Matrox MXO2 Mini?
A-  Media Composer 5.5.1 now support Matrox MXO2 Mini and Mini MAX resolutions and frame rates including 720p 23.98, 1080p 23.98, 1080p 24, 1080p 25, 1080p 29.97, and 1080p 30. There is now also the ability to select PsF or true P output in 1080p modes. The version of Matrox MXO2 Mini that includes the Matrox MAX H.264 encoding accelerator has been qualified.

Avid has also put together  a chart that details the differences between a Nitris DX, a Mojo DX, a Matrox MX02 Mini, and the AJA Io Express.  Avid Video Editing I/O Hardware Comparison

Avid is running a Meet Media Composer 5.5 Webinar

Media Composer is now more open and interactive than ever, giving you more choices to accelerate and enhance your workflow. Join host Matt Feury and special guests from Avid—Matt Fitzgerald (product manager), J.C. Haydon (principal product manager), Doug Hansel (senior product designer), and Imanol Zubizarreta (application specialist)— on March 15, 2011 at 11am PT/2pm ET/6pm GMT for a first-hand look at everything new in Media Composer 5.5, and see what more you could be doing. You'll have an opportunity to get your questions answered.  Follow this link to register.