From the course: Media Composer 2020 Essential Training: 101 Fundamentals 1

Intro to MC 2020: Part 2 introducing Avid UME - Media Composer Tutorial

From the course: Media Composer 2020 Essential Training: 101 Fundamentals 1

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Intro to MC 2020: Part 2 introducing Avid UME

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- [Instructor] If you are using Media Composer 2020 rather than 2019, then you'll be using the new Avid Universal Media Engine. This is often abbreviated to UME. This new playback engine replaces dependency on Apple QuickTime in several ways, importantly, by allowing support for codecs that would traditionally be made available using QuickTime. So, for example, you can now export to ProRes even on Windows. This is a fantastic feature because it's a popular codec when you're working, particularly, in the professional broadcast industry. There are also some changes to the naming conventions used when creating media using the Avid DNxHD codec. We'll be getting into working with codecs and media later, of course, but I wanted to draw your attention right away to these changes because when you watch the videos in this course, you may see references to the old names. This is a massive grid full of information, and it's pretty dull I must admit. You'll notice that on the left, we've got a whole series of project frame rates and frame sizes. In the middle we've got the old name, which you'll see in the videos in this course, and on the right you'll see the new names for these ways to compress your media, that's ways to store the media information. I'm showing you right now the contents of the What's New document for Media Composer version 2020.4. And it's easy to find that document on the Avid website and download it. One thing that you might find a little strange to look at here, if you are already familiar with media formats, for example, you probably know that 1920 by 1080 is HD, but something that might be new is these HQ and HQX and SQ references over on the right. LB, here's an example right here, means low bandwidth. SQ is standard quality, HQ is high quality. That's 8-bit video, if you know what that means. We'll get into bit depth a bit later on. HQX is high quality in 10-bit, if you're working with the DNxHD codec, that's what we're talking about right here, or 12-bit if you're working with the DNxHR codec, which is, let's say the next generation version of this codec that supports very high resolution images. Whenever you're working with media, it's critical that you know what you're going to be delivering. And that's something that you just have to research with your client or check on a standards document delivered by whoever it is that you're providing the content to. Broadcasters, for example, have downloadable specification documents and you can check the way that you should be delivering media. And of course you won't have control over the way you receive your media. That's decided on location or in pre-production. Don't worry too much about these naming conventions because when it comes to it and you're choosing, for example, a delivery format and codec, you're going to have plenty of time to research the options. And you'll simply be choosing one of these in a menu that's available inside of Media Composer. Still, I want to draw your attention to the new names because when you do see these pop up in the videos in this course, you'll see the old naming convention and not the new one.

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