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Affinity from Accom is deja vu all over again, only better BY JIM GRANT
The Affinity nonlinear editing system from Accom has something for everyone: a new look, new hardware, and new ways to edit. This system places Accom's stamp on the assets it purchased from Scitex Digital Video in 1999, and most nonlinear editors will like what they see.
Those familiar with Scitex's Spheres will recognize the interface, but just barely. A host of changes and new features truly make this a significant redesign. It is still a clean, clear interface that is easy to work with, but now there are many more choices of how you can accomplish your work.
The system I reviewed consisted of the Affinity tower, a Mac G4 with 256MB RAM and a 9GB internal hard drive, a 15-inch Apple Studio display, a Medea LVD 194GB RAID array for storage, and a dedicated Control Panel. The model I tested had analog I/Os, but Accom also produces a system with serial digital I/Os. New to these models is the ability to I/O a key signal. The Affinity tower is free standing, or it will mount in a standard 19-inch rack and connects to the Mac via a single PCI card slot. The tower has two Ultra2, low-voltage SCSI ports. Accom officials are promising a Windows NT model some time during 2000. The software the system runs is called Dimension.8 and I worked with version 8.0.4.
Accom's new interface organizes work in Dimension.8 as projects. Starting a new project opens a window where you load, organize, and prepare your assets for editing. The left side of the window shows project file folders, and the right side shows the contents of the folder currently highlighted. Media assets can be displayed in a list view, in a single poster view, or in a heads and tails poster view. With poster views you can assemble storyboards from your clips easily and quickly.
I was initially concerned about trying to work with a single monitor since I am used to editing on a dual-monitor system. The 15-inch Apple flat-panel display was so much brighter and sharper than conventional CRTs that I had no problem getting...