Avid MetaFuze – Description & Role

MetaFuze’s primary, if not only purpose is to prep files for Media Composer use – an “outboard importer”.  Though bundled with Media Composer, it is also available free, from www.avid.com/metafuze (which redirects to http://www.avid.com/US/industries/workflow/MetaFuze).  That means for example that preprocessing work (e.g. generation of burnt-timecode proxies and online files) can be generated (e.g. in DNxHD from an arbitrary source) by anyone whether or not they have an Avid system (apart from this app, and the free Avid codecs.  Potentially then a great option for breaking up work into collaborative / parallel workflows.

 Research:

  • http://www.strongmocha.com/2009/07/01/avid-to-support-cineform-media/
    • { Data-flow diagram, showing transcodes from various Cineform sources (here useful as an example format) to Avid format }
  • http://community.avid.com/forums/t/76627.aspx
    • Igor Ridanovic (October 2009)
      • MetaFuze saves MXF files only (-) because it’s primary, if not only purpose is to prep files for Media Composer use.
      • You can think of it as an outboard import facility for Media Composer.
  • http://www.avid.com/US/industries/workflow/MetaFuze
    • Provides the ability to work with a wide variety of raw files in editing and finishing projects. MetaFuze is a free file conversion tool that automatically converts formats—such as TIFF sequences, DPX, RED (R3D), QuickTime, HDR (High Dynamic Range), ARRIRAW, and stereoscopic 3D sequences—to Avid DNxHD or  AVID DS media for HD offline editing and 10-bit HD finishing.
    • Free up more time for your revenue-driven creative work by offloading the file conversion to other CPUs. With MetaFuze, you can batch convert your files with full metadata preservation and correction in one simple step.
  • http://community.avid.com/blogs/training/archive/2008/12/11/expand-your-workflow-with-avid-metafuze-part-2.aspx
    • (This is a really good video presentation!)
    • Metadata (e.g. from imported MXF files) can be augmented.
    • Also allows editing and even creation of timecode.
    • Metadata can be “burnt-in” to the image as an overlay.
    • Metadata can be exported as an ALE, that e.g. Media Composer can subsequently merge/associate such metadata with clips via its ALE Import
    • Allows colour management (e.g. grading/looks) via LUTs.
    • Aspect ratio can be defined.
    • Can define batch jobs e.g. to transcode a given media to more than one target, for example an offline/proxy file with burnt-in timecode and also an online/big/unadulterated file for finishing.

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