Q: What is UME?
A: UME stands for Universal Media Engine and is the next generation media engine used in Media Composer.
Q: When was UME introduced?
A: UME was first introduced in Media Composer 2019.6 in order to support Op1a media natively. It was also implemented to support linking to OpenEXR. An update was released in 2019.12 for OpenEXR export. The most significant release of UME is in 2020.4 with our support of macOS Catalina. For more information on Media Composer on macOS Catalina, see the Media Composer on Catalina FAQ
Q: Why has it been introduced in Media Composer?
A: UME is replacing the existing AMA (Avid Media Access) functionality that has been used by Media Composer for linking to, importing, and exporting file-based media. The technology behind UME is more flexible and extensible, allowing Avid to support codecs and formats faster and with better performance than with AMA. In addition, recent operating system updates that eliminate 32-bit components requires us to we replace any technology that relies on 32-bit QuickTime libraries, and AMA relies heavily on those libraries. UME allows us to do that.
Q: When is it used?
A: UME is used for linking to, importing, and exporting many file-based media types. Not all file-based media uses UME – some still use AMA, some use native OS components – but in general UME is used for MOV and MP4 wrapped media as well as single image and image sequence formats.
Q: Can I still use QuickTime if it’s installed on my system?
A: Yes, if QuickTime is still installed on your system, Media Composer can still use it for working with file-based media. UME will be used for linking, importing and exporting by default for the formats and file types it supports, but you can choose to use QuickTime instead.
Q: Can I use media linked using UME back to versions of Media Composer that don’t use UME?
A: Media linked using UME will not be supported in older versions of Media Composer. If you link to media on a system using UME (i.e. it does not have QuickTime installed) and you intend to bring that project and/or media to a system with a prior version of Media Composer, we recommend that you first import the media before moving. Otherwise you will need to relink your media in the prior software version, and not all media may relink
Q: Are there formats or file types that AMA supports that UME does not?
A: The initial release of UME does not support all file types or codecs that AMA and the 32-bit QuickTime libraries support. For a complete list of which files types – as well as functions – are supported by each version of UME, please refer to Media Composer File Type Support on macOS Catalina
Q: What are the benefits of using UME?
A: UME not only replaces the need for QuickTime libraries, but it provides a number of improvements over AMA and QuickTime:
- Improved performance. UME was written in a way that maximizes the use of existing resources to ensure that working with file-based media is faster and more responsive. Export MOVs up to 3x faster, transcode DNx up to 25% faster, and deftly operate Trim and Scrub functions with speedier response times.
- Extended ProRes support. Native support of ProRes RAW is made possible through UME*, as is writing OP-Atom, MXF OP1a, and MOV files with ProRes on Windows clients.
- Support of asymmetrical QuickTimes. If you have a MOV or MP4 file where the audio and video are different lengths, UME allows you to link to and import those clips by either inserting black (when audio is longer than video) or inserting silence (when video is longer than audio.) This means you can use all of the video and audio media available to you rather than having it cut short during import.
- Image based sequence support. UME adds support of PNG, TIFF, JPEG and EXR image sequences to Media Composer
- Native OP1a media. UME isn’t just about QuickTime. We’ve leveraged our entirely new media engine to enable native support of OP1a media. Now you can access OP1a originals directly without having to transcode to OPAtom in order to get superior performance.
*ProRes RAW will be included in a future release
Q: What’s happening with DNxHD?
A: The DNxHD codec was updated to support the ADHRv2 standard, which requires changes to how DNxHD is written and interpreted when wrapped in MOV. When using UME, any existing MOV files containing DNxHD with Alpha that were generated with non-UME products will be converted to MXF OP1a upon linking. Additionally, DNxHD MOV files created using UME will require an updated QuickTime PE/LE codec package in order to be supported by previous versions of Media Composer and 3rd Party products. The long-term maintenance streams of Media Composer (2018.12.x, 2019.12.x) will be updated with these codecs, and a separate installer will also be available for use in 3rd Party applications
Q: How can I make sure that my DNxHD media wrapped in MOV will work with other applications or software versions?
A: If you create MOV wrapped DNxHD media using UME and you intend to use it in a 3rd party application, make certain that the QuickTime Codecs PE / LE have been updated for that 3rd party application. If you intend to use that media in a non-UME version of Media Composer, make sure you are using the either 2018.12.11 or higher or 2019.12.1 or higher.
Q: Why can I take OP1a MXF and EXR clips that were linked in 2020.4 and higher back to older versions of Media Composer, but not other file types?
A: Native OP1a MXF and support for EXR files were both added with Media Composer 2019.6 with the initial release of UME. Therefore you can link to either file type in 2020.3 and higher and then take that media back to a version that supports EXR and OP1a MXF (2019.6 and higher) since the link will always use UME.
Q: What does “This clip requires UME which is supported in Media Composer 20.4 and later” mean?
A: If you attempt to link to a file that was originally linked via UME on a Media Composer system that does not use UME, then you will receive this error message.