The software that was the basis of all NLEs, the Avid Media Composer, returns to the scene with the latest Media Composer 3.0. The newest version features improvements in speed, stability and more importantly, its price. The reviewer noted that the Media Composer now costs $2,495, as opposed to the $4,995 price for 2.0. Upholding the Avid Media Composer tradition, the 3.0 is remarkably stable even when under heavy use. Video playback and controls are fast, fluid and snappy. It also has an improved multi-threading support for multiple CPU machines. To further improve speed, HD videos are now handled in their native raster: no more internal scaling or transcoding to go through. This release supports more new HD codecs, such as Sony's XDCAM EX, Panasonic's AVCHD Intra codec and JVC's ProHD format. While the current trend is to sell software suites, the Media Composer is only an editor that comes with several bundled software. One example is the Boris Continuum Complete, a series of plug-ins and effects for Avid to refine your production. There is also the AvidFX 5.8, Sorenson Squeeze 5.0 and SmartSound's Sonicfire Pro. What’s missing is an audio editing program. On the other hand, there is still the inconveniences found on earlier releases, such as the draconian dongle-based copy-protection system. Nonetheless, the Avid Media Composer 3.0 is a solid release and with the 50% price drop, it just became a whole lot more accessible.