Non-linear editing, that novel technology that reduces post-production work to a computer that can well be managed from the desktop, has several advantages. First of all is their speed of response. It is possible to program the edition and reach the desired shot immediately without having – as it happens in conventional non-linear editing – to return or advance a tape to find the sound and images that need to be worked. In addition, it is a system that does not require complicated handling and is very versatile to manipulate the audio. If one takes into account that until very recently the world of computers was completely separate from the world of television post-production, its recent merger, together with the enormous advance of the capacity of computers, has been carried out with relative success.
However, despite its qualities, and for which this system has gained numerous followers, it is necessary to point out some points against: Setting up a non-linear editing room is expensive – cost-for-minimum memory ratio.
Considering that working with video requires a large amount of memory, which the disc lacks, editing, for example a series, would imply a very high investment. Hence, compression is used, although when compressing the images their quality is sacrificed. Important research is currently underway in search of methods that allow compression without damaging the quality, which is the most outstanding advantage of the digital system.
Likewise, as this is a technology in development, the lack of standardization within the market is evident and there is no procedure that allows production on disc, which results in the imperative need to record in another format and subsequently convert some pre-edited images to the disc.
In the case of Latin America, non-linear editing systems are very expensive considering their real benefits. A trend of the continent's television producers is to be dazzled by innovations without giving time for such systems to develop. In this sense, if linear editing is compared with current post-production systems, it is very difficult to know where it really points in terms of format standardization, since each company has implemented its own system. Of course, new types of services and operations such as pay TV and multichannel distribution require the disk to meet their objectives.
As discussed in the special report of our first issue, linear editing still has many adherents and advocates in the field of television and video production, thanks to its storage capacity. But to achieve competitive advantages, industry professionals must also use non-linear editing and the disc format, with which they can achieverandomial access.
Despite the drawbacks, this revolutionary technology has filled an important gap in the field of advertising post-production. Thus, commercial filmmakers have become the main proponents of the non-linear system, as they need to work quickly without requiring a high memory capacity (a digital editing room for commercials can work perfectly with a hard drive capable of storing 12 minutes). Another important niche for these systems is the post-production of newscasts, which demand a great speed to process signals for the production of their notes. The latter are often reissued within a very short time limit.
If nonlinear editing could be defined with one word, it would be immediacy. With this system there is no beginning or end. All files are instantly available.
