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[Click for larger image] Auto Storyboard: After you select your overlap of shots, all you need to do is click the shots in the bin in the order you'd like on your timeline, and they appear on the timeline with dissolves that you've specified. Or, sort the clips in the bin according to any parameter, and auto storyboard an entire bin with dissolves with one click. I could get used to this!

Archiving
The last step in United Media's "complete media management" goal is archiving footage. The software gives you a wide range of ways to archive project files and the media associated with them. The good news is, you never have to go to Windows file manager to delete clips - instead of going into the Windows recycle bin, deleted clips go into On-line Express's internal trash bin. It's nice to accomplish all your file management duties without ever having to go out of the program. And, it's set up in such a user-friendly way, there's virtually no way to get rid of media that you want to keep.

Finally, here are a few odds and ends I noticed in my testing: The on screen monitor is bigger than any I've seen in other editing software packages. Even though it's frame-based, it's still easier than constantly looking back and forth between your computer screen and NTSC monitor. And here's a new feature for the upcoming version 3.0 that I've often wished for: an easy way to narrate video while you're watching it. Hook up a microphone, and you're able to insert audio directly to the timeline while video is playing back. That's a nice innovation. And a final note - unlike lots of editing packages, On-line Express makes it easy to execute an L-cut. If you edit lots of documentaries, you'll agree that the audio-leading-the-video cut is commonplace, and lots of editing packages make it too inconvenient to make it happen. Here, all you need to do is hold down the Shift key and then you can drag the video track independently.

Last Word
This is a fine editing package. It's made even more useful by the mighty DigiSuite hardware lurking underneath. Too bad there are no real time 3D effects. But that problem will be solved quickly - Matrox is due to release its new real time Max 3D effects package by mid-April, and United Media promises it will be implemented in On-line Express soon thereafter. If you're a seasoned editor who's accustomed to working with a hands-on controller, or if you're often perplexed by too many modes, menus and on-screen widgets, this powerful editing system is certainly worth a close look.

Score (Out of a possible 10): 9.5

Test System:
United Media On-line Express Version 2.8 (version 3.0 available early February)
256 MB Ram
26 GB Medea Array
Full DigiSuite (not LE)
Dual 21" Monitors
Betacam PVW-2800
Windows NT, (currently the full DigiSuite doesn't support Win2K, but LX, LE and DTV do)
Minimum system: See Web site (unitedmediainc.com)
Price as tested (turnkey): $12,990. Would rather sell through a re-seller as a turnkey.
Software: $2,995.
Optional: Shuttle knob $1,000, no software upgrade needed.

Charlie White has been writing about new media and digital video since it was the laughingstock of the television industry. A technology journalist and columnist for the past eight years, White is also an Emmy-winning producer, video editor and shot-calling PBS TV director. Talk back -- Send Chazz a note at cwhite@digitalmedianet.com.

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