I don’t know how I missed this press release on the Creative Cow, but I did.

So you have a project that started on Avid but you now, for whatever reason, need to finish this on FCP. Before now, you’d be able to use Automatick Duck Pro Import to get the sequence onto your system, but then you wouldn’t be able to use the media that was already captured. You’d have to recapture all of it from the tapes. Time consuming.

But now, with MXF4QT 1.5 you can now access all that Avid media. Typically I use this software for direct access of P2 original MXF files in FCP, but it has more uses than that, obviously. This is great news for Avid and FCP editor alike.

Here is the body of the announcement:

(Hamburg, Germany–December 22, 2008) For the first time native media files from Avid systems are directly accessible by QuickTime in Mac OS X. The new release of MXF4QT Import provides extensive support for various Avid OP-Atom formats including all DNxHD variations.

Version 1.5 supports the following compression types:

* Avid OP-Atom IMX30/40/50
* Avid OP-Atom DV25, DVCPRO25/50 and DVCPRO HD formats
* Avid OP1a and OP-Atom DNxHD formats
* Avid OP-Atom 1:1 HD 8 bit formats

For the first time Final Cut Studio applications and Avid can work with the same media files on the same storage system. Standard compression types such as Avid IMX30/40/50, DV, DVCPRO25/50, DVCPRO HD and even 1:1 HD 8-bit are being interpreted with Final Cut Pro’s standard QuickTime codecs to provide full Final Cut Studio compatibility including timeline editing with realtime effects and video playout. QuickTime aware applications in Mac OS X such as Motion, LiveType, Shake or After Effects can now import and edit the native Avid MXF files including DNxHD. Free media exchange between different systems finally becomes true thanks to the open and manufacturer independent MXF standard.

General features of MXF4QT Import:

* MXF OP1a GC and OP-Atom import in QuickTime and compatible applications
* Support for 525/60 (NTSC), 625/50 PAL and HD 720p, 1080i video format types
* IEC DV25
* DVCPRO25 and 50
* IMX 30, 40 and 50
* SMPTE 384M uncompressed 4:2:2 SD 625/50 PAL
* SMPTE 384M uncompressed 4:2:2 HD 720p, 1080i, 50 and 60 Hz
* DVCPRO HD
* AVC-Intra
* DNxHD
* PCM audio 48 kHz, 24/20/16 bit (1 channel per track and multichannel tracks)
* BWF audio 48 kHz, 16 bit (1 channel per track)
* AES audio 48 kHz, 16 bit (1 channel per track)
* AES3 audio 48 kHz, 16/24 bit (2/4/8 channels per track)
* Timecode
* Access of streaming MXF media (edit while transfer and edit while record)
* Universal Binary

For more information, visit http://mxf4mac.com