Here is the FAQ for ScriptSync AI and PhraseFind AI which has been released on August 31, 2023:
https://avid.secure.force.com/pkb/articles/en_US/Knowledge/PhraseFind-AI-and-ScriptSync-AI-Preview-FAQ
Media Composer 2023.8 – August 2023
PhraseFind AI and ScriptSync AI Preview FAQ
Q: Why is Avid making this change?
A: We have all witnessed recent significant advances in AI/ML technology, including transcription. Avid is excited to bring this updated technology to our award-winning Media Composer | ScriptSync and PhraseFind Options. With our latest transcription enhancements, we will be able to deliver support for more languages, faster search with increased accuracy, and the ability to view actual transcripts for a clip. Most importantly, we are utilizing new technology to ensure your productions are secure and do not require an Internet connection. This foundational change will allow us to offer you more improved transcription services in the future. Please try this new functionality in the previews delivered in Media Composer 2023.8. We are excited to hear what you think and how you believe we can provide increased value.
Q: Why are these features previews?
A: We are very excited about this advanced technology and want to get it into the hands of our users as soon as possible. We are providing a brand-new transcription engine and encouraging the wider user base to share their feedback via a new Community Forum. This new forum has been created specifically to gather feedback on the new AI-powered tools. We intend to release the non-preview version in a subsequent update.
Q: Will I be able to use the existing PhraseFind and ScriptSync in Media Composer 2023.8?
A: You can opt to delay upgrading if you’re currently working with these tools. We can’t include the existing and preview versions in the same release. The new PhraseFind AI and ScriptSync AI provide new capabilities that are not included in the existing versions. Also, there are many other compelling new features in Media Composer 2023.8 including many user experience enhancements such as a new workspace option that shortens the ramp-up time for editors transitioning from older versions of Media Composer, audio punch-in support via 3rd party USB devices, and more.
Plus, with the new Panel SDK (Software Development Kit), Media Composer is now more open than ever to 3rd party integration via a set of APIs (application program interfaces). Customers and technology partners can use the Panel SDK to enable tighter workflows with direct access to third-party applications and services, enabling greater workflow speed and efficiency.
Q: What new capabilities are included with PhraseFind AI and ScriptSync AI?
A: Experience a new level of speed and precision with a preview of our new AI-powered PhraseFind AI and ScriptSync AI. Effortlessly navigate through your footage and enjoy precise results. Unleash the potential of modern transcription technology, offering you seamless editing with full- text search results and multi-language support.
PhraseFind AI is a powerful new version of the acclaimed dialog indexing and searching option for Media Composer that enables you to quickly find all relevant clips by simply typing a word or phrase. PhraseFind AI automatically analyzes all clips in your project and indexes all audible dialog, so you can spend less time searching for the right media and more time focusing on what matters most—your story. Leveraging robust and powerful AI, PhraseFind AI can index volumes of dialog driven media and deliver search results quickly. When results are found, the whole sentence which includes the search terms is displayed. It also includes automatic transcript creation, a new transcription management tool, and automatic multi-lingual language detection.
Say goodbye to endless scrolling through footage! ScriptSync AI is a powerful dialog search and sync option for Media Composer that eliminates time-consuming manual media searches and enables you to quickly find the best take or perfect clip fast. It indexes all text and audible dialog in your project automatically and then syncs each line of dialog from the script or transcription to each source clip. Once synced, you can quickly locate all relevant clips in seconds based on a word or phrase search to easily compare performances in the context of your story and with the click of the mouse, build your scene or assemble your interview. Leveraging robust and powerful AI technology, you can now create scripts from clips and automatically align your media with text in the script window. It also includes automatic transcript creation, a new transcription management tool, and automatic multi-lingual language detection.
Q: Will the new AI-based tools support all the same languages that are supported in the existing tools?
A: Yes, not only will it support current languages, but PhraseFind AI and ScriptSync AI can potentially support even more in the future. Please note that the additional languages are still being tested, but we encourage you to test the preview and provide us with notes on your experience with additional languages in the new Community Forum.
Q: If I paid for the PhraseFind and ScriptSync add-on subscriptions with Media Composer, how will this impact me?
A: If you upgrade to Media Composer 2023.8, you will have free access to the new AI-based preview which includes more capabilities than the existing versions, and you can provide feedback on your experience. Click on the following link to post your feedback or questions: Community Forum. We intend to release the non-preview version in a subsequent update.
Q: Can I still use or renew my Media Composer | Ultimate or Enterprise subscription if I’m using an older version than Media Composer 2023.8 and be able to access the existing PhraseFind and ScriptSync?
A: Yes, supported versions can still be used and renewed which will continue to give you access to the current versions of PhraseFind and ScriptSync. However, these versions will not be available on the Avid Download Center as of September 29, 2023.
Q: If I’m using a version of Media Composer prior to 2023.8, will I still be able to access PhraseFind and ScriptSync in the Avid Download Center?
A: Changing the technological foundation of these products to enhance their capabilities required us to remove the previous code for ScriptSync and PhraseFind from Media Composer. This will not impact your projects because the new versions are designed to not only replace but to add functionality.
However, please note that as of September 29, 2023, all Media Composer builds pre-dating 2023.8 will no longer be available for download. The only versions available from Avid will be 2023.8, and the most recent long-term maintenance releases of 2022.12.5 and 2021.12.10.
If you are running any other previous versions of Media Composer and believe you need to have access to an installer of your previous version, we advise you download and archive the version of that installer for later use. As of September 29th, they will no longer be available from Avid.
Q: I own a perpetual license to Media Composer with PhraseFind and ScriptSync as paid options. Will there be a cost difference?
A: No, for the new offerings of PhraseFind AI and ScriptSync AI, the licensing, the activation process in Avid Link, and the cost is the same as it was before. The only difference is in their operation within Media Composer itself.
Q: I am in the middle of a project using PhraseFind and ScriptSync, and I want to upgrade to 2023.8. If I do, will my current project be negatively affected by the new PhraseFind AI and ScriptSync AI previews?
A: No. There is no anticipated issue.
Q: We plan to run various versions of Media Composers on shared storage, including 2023.8 mixed with some older versions. Will we have any issues?
A: No. There is no anticipated issue in the operations of PhraseFind and ScriptSync if someone upgrades from a previous version to 2023.8, downgrades from 2023.8 to a previous version, or if several mismatched versions are running. Each Media Composer system indexes files and saves transcriptions locally. The index created by previous PhraseFind and ScriptSync will remain intact and will simply be dormant. 2023.8 uses a centralized database for its indexing and searching.
Q: What is the process for creating transcripts and then exporting them for others to see?
A: Currently the new feature of auto-creating transcripts does not support exporting; however, this capability may become available in a future release.
Q: If I’m running multiple 2023.8 seats on shared storage, and a transcript is created on one of them, will the rest of the Media Composer 2023.8 systems be able to see it if it is in the same shared project?
A: No, each system indexes media and saves results locally.
Q: If I do not want this upgrade, and continue to use an older version, will I ever be forced to upgrade?
A: Yes, that is possible. With this new AI technology, Avid will no longer be able to keep any of the previous versions of Media Composer (with the previous PhraseFind and ScriptSync in them) available for customers to download. That also means if something happens that requires you to re-install an older version of Media Composer, you will NOT be able to do so by downloading it fresh from the Avid Download Center. To re-install an older version, you will have to have the software and installer already downloaded locally for that older version.
Q: Sometimes I’m noticing that the new AI versions of PhraseFind & ScriptSync are slower than the previous versions. Am I doing something wrong?
A: With this being a newly engineered product built from different code, there are some operations that might behave differently than you are previously familiar with. Please note those instances in your feedback on the new Community Forum.
Q: Do these new features require a GPU?
A: No, a GPU is not required, but certain NVIDIA GPUs will improve performance.
Q: Do PhraseFind AI and ScriptSync AI require an Internet connection?
A: No, these are not cloud-based solutions. All processing is local to your system.
Q: Is my data secure?
A: Yes, Avid treats customer data security with the utmost sensitivity and would not deploy solutions that could potentially pose a security risk. The new AI technology is not using any customer data for improving the AI results.
Q: Are you required to download language packs as in previous versions of ScriptSync and PhraseFind?
A: No, this new technology does not require you to download any additional language packs to work. It will automatically identify the language from the media selected and create the appropriate transcription. In fact, the PhraseFind AI and ScriptSync AI engine supports multiple languages within the same clip.