AVoption|XL Requirements — Pro Tools 5.3.3 for Windows XP

AVoption|XL Requirements — Pro Tools|HD Systems

With Pro Tools 5.3.3 for Windows XP

Please Note: AVoption|XL has unique compatibility requirements. If the information on this page appears to contradict information listed elsewhere in these Compatibility Documents, please adhere to the information listed on this page when configuring a system which includes AVoption|XL.

Important Information: For updated slot order information with the latest qualified configurations, refer to the AVoption|XL Guide in the Technical Document Library of the Support/Tech Support section of the website. For further compatibility information when used with Expanded Systems, see Supported Optional Expansion Chassis for Pro Tools|HD for Windows XP systems in the Compatibility Documents.

Digidesign PCI Card and Hardware Supplied with System

  • Meridien Digital Media Board

  • Break Out Box with Analog Video I/O board installed

Digidesign Software Supplied with System

Required Hardware Components (not supplied)

  • Pro Tools|HD system
  • SYNC I/O (firmware version 1.0.2 required)
  • For Video Storage: Only one SCSI card (described above) is required for both audio and video storage when 3:1 is the highest desired video quality, although Digidesign recommends a second SCSI card for optimum performance. When 2:1 or 1:1 (uncompressed) video resolutions are required, a second SCSI interface dedicated to video storage is required — namely, the ATTO ExpressPCI Ultra-3 LVD SCSI HBA card (EPCI-UL3D).

Optional Hardware

  • Serial Digital Interface - Optional interface that installs onto the Video I/O board installed in the Break Out Box. This interface gives AVoption|XL Serial Digital (SDI) input and output capabilities.

Optional Software

  • FilmFrame™ — Combined with AVoption|XL and Pro Tools 5.3.3 for Windows, FilmFrame now supports import, editing and playback of 24P video clips created on Avid workstations. Please see your Digidesign dealer for more information about this great new feature.
    More information on FilmFrame for Windows systems

Supported CPUs — Pro Tools|HD Systems

The HP Workstation xw8000 is not compatible with Pro Tools|HD or MIX systems due to a PCI card seating problem.

RAM Requirement:

  • Total System RAM: Minimum 512 MB or higher required

Expansion Chassis (Optional)

  • AVoption|XL does NOT require an expansion chassis. Digidesign guarantees full performance with up to 2 Pro Tools|HD cards in AVoptionXL configurations without an expansion chassis.
  • Important Information: For updated slot order information with the latest qualified configurations, refer to the AVoption|XL Guide in the Technical Document Library of the Support/Tech Support section of the website. For further compatibility information when used with Expanded Systems, see Supported Optional Expansion Chassis for Pro Tools|HD for Windows XP systems in the Compatibility Documents.
  • Only SBS (Bit3) 13-Sot chassis is supported with AVoption|XL
  • AVoption|XL and Avid Unity MediaNetwork — Pro Tools|HD Systems for Windows XP Requirements for Avid Unity MediaNetwork
  • On Avid Unity MediaNetwork systems, 1:1 Video is not supported with an expansion chassis on Windows XP

Drive Compatibility

  • Audio Drives: AVoption|XL can be configured with any audio drives qualified for use with Pro Tools|HD which can also pass an internal DMA test. in general. Generally, when video drives and the Meridien Digital Media Board are on the same PCI bus it can pass an internal DMA test. Refer to the Pro Tools|HD Hard Drive Minimum Requirements page for details on drives qualified for use with Pro Tools|HD.
  • Video Drives: Avid rS drives, iS Pro drives, iS Plus drives or SCSI LVD DigiDrives are fully qualified.
  • About Avid MediaDock: At this time, the Avid MediaDock is not officially qualified for use with AVoption|XL. Additionally, LVD (Low Voltage Differential) drives are required on AVoption|XL systems where compression levels of 2:1 or 1:1 (uncompressed) are desired. Many of the models listed above are available as LVD drives.
  • About Firewire Drives: The DigiDrive FireWire 80 (as well as other firewire drives) are not officially qualified for use with AVoption|XL.

Maximum Performance Guidelines

Compatible Dual-Channel SCSI HBA card (see above)

Total System RAM: Minimum 512 MB or higher

Use one SCSI Channel for Pro Tools audio storage and the second SCSI channel for video storage. If Compression levels of 2:1 or 1:1 (uncompressed) is desired then a 2nd Compatible Dual-Channel LVD SCSI HBA card is required and video storage should be connected to this controller.

Note: AVoption|XL supports "plug and play" compatibility with many Avid systems. When "inheriting" a drive containing audio and video data from an Avid system, we recommend you connect this drive to the SCSI channel dedicated to video storage. There is no need to copy the audio data from such a drive to your dedicated audio drives, however we recommend that you not record any additional audio tracks onto this drive.

Virtually all the testing for AVoption|XL was done with a baseline of 48 tracks of 24- bit/48k audio and one stream of uncompressed video data (record and/or playback). These test configurations generally included one drive for every 16 tracks of audio. One way to achieve higher track counts is to dedicate more drives to the audio tracks.

On a supported configuration, you should be able to easily achieve this performance baseline, even with a high degree of edit density on each track. The higher the edit density, the more heavily taxed will be the storage subsystem.

You may find much better results than this baseline, since Digidesign's performance tests are designed to stress the storage subsystem more heavily than the average "real world" usage. In several cases, our test group was able to continuously record or playback higher audio tracks and uncompressed picture simultaneously.

There are other possible steps that can be taken to maximize the performance of a Pro Tools system with AVoption|XL. For more information, refer to the AVoption|XL Guide in the Technical Document Library of the Support/Tech Support section of the website.