Avid Xpress 3.5 vs. Canopus DVStorm2

Bogdan Vaglarov · September 4th, 2003, 07:50 AM

The new series Matrox RT-X100 and even the smaller RT-X10 Xtreme are similar to the Canopus RT systems.

Matrox were a bit late but they are up now with the scalable technology (hence you upgrade the PC to get more video streams and effects in real time)

What I've heard is that Matrox is a bit more picky for the hosting computer than the Canopus which usually work on the fly with wilde range of systems.

Alex Dunn · September 4th, 2003, 07:56 AM

David,

You can still use Premier with a Canopus card. It gives it wings (or so I hear).

Jeff Chandler · September 4th, 2003, 08:16 AM

The Matrox cards have limited scalability. They have hardware limitations that the Storm does not have.

Mike Rehmus · September 4th, 2003, 12:40 PM

I selected Canopus on the basis of hardware reliability after fighting with FAST, Matrox and Pinnacle Systems products. The only other contender was one of the appliance editing systems but the lack of PC connectivity killed it for me.

I had been using Ulead's Studio Pro for editing. When I purchased the Canopus product, it also came with Ulead as well as RexEdit. Note that I do not have the Storm, I have its predecessor.

Once I tried RexEdit, Ulead became a very distant second choice.

Most video is comprised of cuts and dissolves. Very little else. So I went for speed in handling large numbers of clips, quality of the results, and simplicity of use, and a fast and good titler. Not in any particular order.

I have very little use for tons of 3D transitions. All I need is good clip handling, and (now) RT color correction, audio and video filters, etc. Also, their slow motion is second to none—something that is useful in Wedding Videos. What I needed (and have) is an industrial-strength editor with no mysterious crashes.

When I need more than RexEdit (or now Edius) it is because I need serious compositing or Rotoscoping.

All the complaints over the years about Premiere crashing and doing strange things kept me from trying it although I do now own a copy. Just too lazy to learn it.

Alex Dunn · September 4th, 2003, 12:55 PM

Mike,
Please descride your system (processor, ram, video card, etc.)

"What I needed (and have) is an industrial-strength editor with no mysterious crashes."

We're all looking for this!!

Mike Rehmus · September 4th, 2003, 03:31 PM

I have two systems that are constructed with Canopus-approved bits.

Oldest system is SuperMicro P6DGE motherboard with twin PIII 850's and 1 gig of memory. Canopus xPlode display card. 900 gigs of EIDE and SCSI disk space.

Newest system is Asus P4T-E with P4 1.5 gig, 512 memory, Matrox G450 display card. 400 gigs of EIDE disk memory.

As soon as I get done with the current batch of editing projects, I'll replace the older system with an ASUS P4C800-E DELUXE motherboard, P4 2.4 gig Hyperthreading processor, 1 gig of registered RAM, and another dual-monitor display card that has not yet been selected. I don't want to pay $600 for a gamer card, but I want one that will accelerate After Effects rendering which is my big bottleneck now.

Can you tell that I don't ever use leading edge products? Those are the ones that launch arrows at their owners.

Note that these are components that are known good for Canopus products. Not necessarily for editing products from other companies.

Also note that other applications do crash on these computers. But the Canopus products don't. The worst behaviour I can get is on the older computer when I have RexEditRT, After Effects, Photoshop and Sound Forge all loaded at the same time. Once in a while the overlay disply will get funny and I will have to shut all the software down and restart it. I suspect the Adobe products to be the culprits in that instance.

One other thing, I test every piece of software I put on the older, main, editing system, on the P4 system first. And the older system is never connected to the Internet.

BTW, I spent 3 months trolling through all the system distributors in Silicon Valley before I selected the Canopus products. I saw Avids and Media 100, Pinnacle and larger FAST systems all crash several times during the demos. Only the Canopus and the appliance editing system did not crash.

At the time, the Canopus DVRex was also $5K less expensive than the 'industrial' editing products from the other companies.

September 4th, 2003, 08:16 AM	#18
Jeff Chandler Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Mesa, Az. Posts: 167	The Matrox cards have limited scalability. They have hardware limitations that the Storm does not have. __________________ Jeff Chandler

September 4th, 2003, 12:40 PM	#19
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	I selected Canopus on the basis of hardware reliability after fighting with FAST, Matrox and Pinnacle Systems products. The only other contender was one of the appliance editing systems but the lack of PC connectivity killed it for me. I had been using Ulead's Studio Pro for editing. When I purchased the Canopus product, it also came with Ulead as well as RexEdit. Note that I do not have the Storm, I have its predecessor. Once I tried RexEdit, Ulead became a very distant second choice. Most video is comprised of cuts and dissolves. Very little else. So I went for speed in handling large numbers of clips, quality of the results, and simplicity of use, and a fast and good titler. Not in any particular order. I have very little use for tons of 3D transitions. All I need is good clip handling, and (now) RT color correction, audio and video filters, etc. Also, their slow motion is second to none—something that is useful in Wedding Videos. What I needed (and have) is an industrial-strength editor with no mysterious crashes. When I need more than RexEdit (or now Edius) it is because I need serious compositing or Rotoscoping. All the complaints over the years about Premiere crashing and doing strange things kept me from trying it although I do now own a copy. Just too lazy to learn it. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

September 4th, 2003, 03:31 PM	#21
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	I have two systems that are constructed with Canopus-approved bits. Oldest system is SuperMicro P6DGE motherboard with twin PIII 850's and 1 gig of memory. Canopus xPlode display card. 900 gigs of EIDE and SCSI disk space. Newest system is Asus P4T-E with P4 1.5 gig, 512 memory, Matrox G450 display card. 400 gigs of EIDE disk memory. As soon as I get done with the current batch of editing projects, I'll replace the older system with an ASUS P4C800-E DELUXE motherboard, P4 2.4 gig Hyperthreading processor, 1 gig of registered RAM, and another dual-monitor display card that has not yet been selected. I don't want to pay $600 for a gamer card, but I want one that will accelerate After Effects rendering which is my big bottleneck now. Can you tell that I don't ever use leading edge products? Those are the ones that launch arrows at their owners. Note that these are components that are known good for Canopus products. Not necessarily for editing products from other companies. Also note that other applications do crash on these computers. But the Canopus products don't. The worst behaviour I can get is on the older computer when I have RexEditRT, After Effects, Photoshop and Sound Forge all loaded at the same time. Once in a while the overlay disply will get funny and I will have to shut all the software down and restart it. I suspect the Adobe products to be the culprits in that instance. One other thing, I test every piece of software I put on the older, main, editing system, on the P4 system first. And the older system is never connected to the Internet. BTW, I spent 3 months trolling through all the system distributors in Silicon Valley before I selected the Canopus products. I saw Avids and Media 100, Pinnacle and larger FAST systems all crash several times during the demos. Only the Canopus and the appliance editing system did not crash. At the time, the Canopus DVRex was also $5K less expensive than the 'industrial' editing products from the other companies. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

September 4th, 2003, 07:50 AM	#16
Bogdan Vaglarov Major Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Yokohama, Japan Posts: 366	The new series Matrox RT-X100 and even the smaller RT-X10 Xtreme are similar to the Canopus RT systems. Matrox were a bit late but they are up now with the scalable technology (hence you upgrade the PC to get more video streams and effects in real time) What I've heard is that Matrox is a bit more picky for the hosting computer than the Canopus which usually work on the fly with wilde range of systems.

September 4th, 2003, 07:56 AM	#17
Alex Dunn Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 202	David, You can still use Premier with a Canopus card. It gives it wings (or so I hear).

September 4th, 2003, 12:55 PM	#20
Alex Dunn Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 202	Mike, Please descride your system (processor, ram, video card, etc.) "What I needed (and have) is an industrial-strength editor with no mysterious crashes." We're all looking for this!!