X-BobDiaz
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Jun 4, 2001, 6:05 PM
Post #1 of 1
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AVIO/Sequel/ScreenPlay Comparison, Part 1, Introduction
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AVIO / Sequel / ScreenPlay Comparison, Part 1, Introduction
I've lost count of the number of times I've read postings where the user asks, "Which NLE (Non Linear Editor) Appliance should I buy? AVIO, Sequel, or ScreenPlay?" It's easy to understand the tough time the buyer is having trying to decide which to purchase, because a detailed third party comparison of the units is hard to find.
I consider myself very lucky to be able to borrow both an AVIO and a ScreenPlay for the summer in order to compare the 2 units. I'm a teacher at El Camino Jr. College, so I have the summer free to take a close look at both units and publish my findings.
Unlike others which will say, "Buy this or that unit...", I do NOT believe that only 1 of the 2 holds all the advantages; nor do I believe that 1 solution is correct for everyone. Rather, I will be focusing on what options and choices you have between each unit. So, what may be important to one person, may be unimportant to another. Thus, because the needs, feelings, and budgets of each buyer is different, 2 different readers may come to 2 different conclusions as to which unit is best for them.
In order to be as accurate and fair as possible, I'm in regular contact with both Applied Magic and Draco (now MacroSystem USA). My thanks to both companies for helping me verify technical information on their units.
While I do not have a Sequel for this comparison, the hardware between the Sequel and the ScreenPlay is almost the same. So what holds true for a ScreenPlay, is likely to hold true for a Sequel. When there are exceptions to this, I will list them.
PRICES AND OPTIONS:
What follows is a brief summery of my comments for each unit. Just remember that my comments are the first things that come to my mind and there's a lot more that I didn't cover in this summary.
MACROSYSTEM, BASIC AVIO, $1,295: You might think that the cheapest unit can't be any good. However the Basic AVIO is the exception to the rule. As long as the source video quality is good, the image quality coming out of the AVIO is good too. The user interface is simple, easy to learn and still provides the user with very powerful editing tools. The Basic AVIO can be upgraded to the AVIO DV for about $500.
MACROSYSTEM, AVIO DV, $1,795: For about $500 more than the price of the Basic AVIO, you get the DV option installed. This allows the user to input their DV direct in the digital format without any Analog to Digital and Digital to Analog conversion losses. One interesting option that the user has, is that they can have the video stored as MPEG-II (the standard internal format for the AVIO) or as Native DV. The Sequel and the ScreenPlay can support DV input, but not Native DV recording. I'll be talking more about this later on in the weeks to come. The AVIO DV can be upgraded to the AVIO Pro for about $500.
APPLIED MAGIC, SEQUEL, $1,995: While the Basic Sequel does not have the direct DV input, it does have 2 things that the AVIO does not have: A CD ROM Drive and a SCSI Port. The CD ROM Drive (read only) allows you to import audio direct from a music CD, read images (like GIF & BMP), and even true type fonts. The SCSI port allows you to add external SCSI hard drives and increase your storage capacity for video. The Sequel is easy to work with and offers very powerful editing capabilities. As for image quality, it's very good. In a few weeks, I plan on doing very detailed tests to see which NLE gives the best images. The Sequel can be upgraded to accept DV-1394 Input/Output for $795 and can also be upgraded to the ScreenPlay for another $795. These are 2 different upgrades and the user may upgrade with just either one or both.
MACROSYSTEM, AVIO PRO, $2,295: The AVIO Pro is the AVIO DV with the following added: Scrub audio, 10 projects (DV & Basic allow 3 projects), 6 stereo audio tracks (DV & Basic have 3 stereo audio tracks), Auto split with DV input, Clipboard for sharing scenes within projects (the DV & Basic AVIO can't share clips), Adjustable record time, and a Scene button for multi-layering. While the AVIO PRO is currently not being sold yet, expect it to come out sometime in the Summer. None of the AVIOs can be upgraded to a KRON.
APPLIED MAGIC, SCREENPLAY, $3,995: The ScreenPlay has everything the Basic Sequel has and more: Larger hard drive (60 GB), DV input, Merge capabilities for multi-layering of both audio and video, Envelope Controls (for manipulation of Transitions, Audio, & Titles), Additional Special Effects, Additional Transitions, and Additional Color Effects. In addition, the ScreenPlay allows for 2 additional higher quality video capture settings when recording video. Like the Sequel, the ScreenPlay is easy to use and very powerful.
MACROSYSTEM, KRON, $5,495: I do not have a KRON to work with, so it would be very unfair to everyone for me to pretend that I really know this unit very well. The KRON will work in MPEG-II and Native DV (user selects), it has a faster processor than the AVIO, and with the optional DVD burner (about $1,000) can burn DVDs.
This is the first part of a multi-part series. Next week, I'll post my test results on Rendering/Merge times for both units. If all goes well (and my ISP doesn't crash again...), I plan on posting my findings every Sunday Night.
Sincerely,
Bob Diaz
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