MC400 Study Guide - Avid · CERTIFIED Avid Education Certification Exam Study Guide Avid Certified Support Representative Media Composer Exam Media!Composer!400! Exam Code MC400!

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Avid Education Certification Exam Study Guide Avid Certified Support Representative Media Composer Exam Media Composer 400 Exam Code MC400 Type of Exam Multiple choice Certification Level Avid Certified Support Representative (ACSR) Duration 60 minutes No. Of Questions 50 questions Passing Score 80% Exam Language English Target Audience Technical support staff, technical managers, installers, advanced administrators and others who need to install, maintain, or support Media Composer systems. Exam Preparation Successful candidates will have extensive experience on Media Composer. Although course attendance is not required to take the certification exam, Avid highly recommends candidates attend the course(s): • MC101: Media Composer Editing Essentials • MC400: Media Composer 400 Media Composer 400 is available in two formats. As a blended class, candidates complete the equivalent of 2 days of content online through self-study sessions, followed by 3 days of hands-on training in the classroom. Alternatively, candidates may choose to attend the entire course in a classroom setting over 5 days. In the classroom participants will setup, install and configure the components of the Media Composer systems and test typical troubleshooting workflows. Course topics correlate with the skills and tasks required of an ACSR to install, configure and troubleshoot a Media Composer system.

1 Avid Educat ion Cert if icat ion St udy Guide

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Certification Path Avid Certified Support Representative | Media Composer

The certification path provides a defined process by which individuals can prepare for the certification exam and, by extension, the role of ACSR | Media Composer. It is designed to ensure that candidates have sufficient knowledge of and experience with the Media Composer client. Candidates are recommended to complete the following:

• MC101: Media Composer Editing Essentials, or posses equivalent interface and product knowledge

• MC400: Media Composer 400 Completing the recommended course(s), coupled with hands-on experience will help you build the skills and competencies need to pass the exam. Course attendance is not required, however. If you feel you have considerable, real-world experience implementing, installing, administering and troubleshooting Media Composer systems, then you may register and take the exam at any time. Next Steps: Once you achieve ACSR Editor certification, consider taking the UN422 course for certification as an ACSR Unity ISIS. This is the next step toward the ACSR Elite certification.


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Certification Exam Topics The following topics are included in the certification exam. You should be well versed in the technical and operational details of each:

1. Avid Networking

2. Video Theory a. Chroma Subsampling b. Raster Dimensions c. Compression Basics d. Understanding Vector Scopes and Waveform monitors

3. Introduction to Avid Editing Systems

a. Media Composer, Symphony and NewsCutter options b. What Key Features Belong to What Releases c. What Systems Support What Products

4. System Hardware and Concepts

a. Preventing Electrostatic Discharge b. Using Anti-Static Wrist Strap c. Workstation Setup d. Understanding Motherboard Components e. Understanding Physical Memory f. Ram Technologies g. Understanding the Central Processing Unit (CPU and chipsets) h. Understanding System Buses i. System Communication

5. Supported PC and Mac System

a. Understanding Avid Supported PC and Macintosh Platforms and Their Technical Specifications for Support With Avid Editing Systems. These Systems Include:

i. HP XW8600 ii. HPZ400 Workstation: Gen 1, Gen 2, and Gen 3 iii. HP Z420 Single Six-Core CPU Workstation iv. HP Z800 Dual Quad-Core CPU workstation v. HP Z820 Dual Six-Core / Dual Eight-Core CPU Workstation vi. HP Z840 Dual / Eight-Core CPU WorkStation

b. Avid supported Macintosh-Based Platforms i. The Macintosh IVY Bridge 6,1 ii. The Macintosh Pro (Westmere) 5,1 iii. The Macintosh Pro (Nehalem) 4,1 iv. The Macintosh Pro (Harpertown) 3,1


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6. Technical Review of Windows Operating System a. Supported Operating Systems b. Service Packs and Hot Fixes c. Understanding Preemptive Multi-tasking d. New Technology File System e. File Extensions f. Registry Classes g. The Windows Boot Process h. The BIOS i. The Windows Load Sequence j. Drivers k. System Properties l. Control Panels m. Administrative Tools n. Computer Management o. System Summary p. Device Manager q. Services r. The Task Manager

7. Technical Review of Macintosh Operating System

a. Understanding Darwin b. Understanding BSD Mach c. Macintosh OS X Core Features d. Preemptive Multitasking e. Protected Memory f. Symmetric Multiprocessing g. Virtual Memory h. Application Environments

8. Understanding Avid Media File Types a. Comparing Audio and Video File Formats b. Media Directories and Databases c. Avid-specific Folders


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Certification Exam Topics (cont.)

9. Working with Local Media Drives a. Understanding Media Drive Technologies

i. Basic Disks ii. Dynamic Disks iii. GPT Disks iv. Supported File Systems v. Basic RAID Configurations

b. Configuring Media Drives c. Understanding Storage Drive Adapters d. Disk Management

i. Partitioning Media Drives ii. Creating Simple and Extended Volumes iii. Creating Striped Volumes

10. Avid VideoRAID RTR Storage Chassis

a. Basic setup and Configuration b. VideoRAID RTR RAID configuration c. Modifying the VideoRAID Configuration File d. Programming the RAID Controller

11. Avid VideoRAID SR Storage Chassis

a. Device Topology: i. Front Panel ii. LCD Module iii. Rear Panel iv. Installing Disks v. Disk Drive LEDs

b. Upgrading the VideoRAID SR i. Importing the Avid Configuration File

c. Cabling the VideoRAID SR d. Using the Disk Management Utility to Create a Volume e. SAS Connectivity Relative to Host System Type f. The Avid VideoRAID SR configuration Tool

i. The Tool Header ii. The Tree View iii. The Management View iv. The Event Frame v. Managing Users vi. Setting Cable Signal Strength vii. Configuration of the Ethernet Port Setting viii. Configuration Tool Error Reporting

g. Troubleshooting


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Certification Exam Topics (cont.)

12. Avid VideoRAID ST Storage Chassis a. Device Topology:

i. Front Panel ii. Rear Panel

b. Installing the R380, and or R680 HBA Controller i. Installing The VideoRAID ST Drivers

c. VideoRAID ST Configuration i. Installing the VideoRAID ST Configuration Tool ii. Installing Disks iii. Cabling the VideoRAID ST iv. Creating Partitions Using Disk Management v. Configuring and rebuilding RAID groups

13. Media Composer Mojo DX and Nitris DX

a. Avid Mojo DX Front and Rear Panels b. Powering On/Off the DX Device c. Nitris DX Front and Rear Panels d. Configuring and Connecting the Avid Nitris DX e. What’s under the Cover in the Nitris DX

i. Cooling ii. Hardware Updates iii. Manually Checking and Forcing Firmware Updates to DX iv. DX Resizer (Super-Scaler) v. Video Capture Data Flow vi. Video Play Data Flow vii. Avid Nitris Codec Boards

f. Using the Customer Diagnostics Utility i. Self-Test Failure ii. The Video Tool iii. The Audio Tool


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Practice Questions The following questions are not part of the current MC400 exam but are similar to the questions likely to be asked.

1. Which statement describes how DX hardware is powered on / off? a. DX hardware has no power button; it is powered on only by

connecting it to a power socket. b. DX hardware has a power button located on the front panel used to

power on the device. c. DX hardware is powered by connecting it to a power socket, and

awakes from “stand-by” mode when the host system is powered on. d. DX hardware is powered through the USB connection to the host

computer and powers up when the host system is powered on. e. DX hardware is passive and does not require external power.

2. Which is the minimum RAM requirement for stereoscopic editing on a

Symphony Nitris system? a. 8 GBs b. 12 GBs c. 16 GBs d. 32 GBs e. None of the above

3. Which is a consideration when installing a PCI-e DX host card?

a. The card is ROHS compliant. b. The card is IEEE compliant. c. The card length matches the slot length. d. The PCI-e slot is configured to extend the system bus. e. The PCI-e slot is minimally rated at 4x.

4. With Mojo DX attached, how does the Avid Editor process DNxHD for

native capture? a. Using the hardware codec board in the DX device b. Using a software codec processed by the CPU c. Using a software codec processed by the GPU d. Using the shared resources of the hardware codec board and the

CPU e. Using the shared resources of the hardware codec board and GPU


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Practice Questions (cont.)

5. Does the Mojo DX support the native capture of 10-bit AVC-I? a. Yes, though a hardware codec board b. Yes, with a software codec that relies on the system CPU c. Yes, both through a hardware codec board and as a back up with a

software codec that relies on the system CPU d. No, the Mojo DX does not support 10-bit AVC-I Compression e. None of the above

6. Which generation(s) of the HP Z400 will NOT support stereoscopic

editing, and why? a. Gen 1, not enough RAM slots to meet minimum RAM requirement b. Gen 1, because the processor does not enough CPU cores c. Gen 2, because there are not enough RAM slots to meet the minimum

RAM requirement d. Gen 3, because there are not enough CPU cores e. All of the above

7. Which systems are shipped with NVidia G-Force graphics cards and will

these cards support real-time 10-bit 3D playback? a. Older Mac Pros and YES they support 10-bit 3D real-time playback b. Newer PCs and YES they support 10-bit 3D real-time playback c. Older Mac Pros and they DO NOT support 10-bit 3D real-time

playback d. Older PCs and they DO NOT support 10-bit 3D real-time playback e. The NVidia G-Force cards never shipped with Media Composer

systems

8. Which type of application is Media Composer 8.0 in the Macintosh OS X environment? a. Classic b. Carbon c. Java d. Cocoa e. A and B

9. How does Media Composer use the file named msmFMID.pmr?

a. To track the original location of imported files. b. To track the User Settings profile. c. To track the location of MXF media files. d. To track the metadata of MXF media files. e. To track file attributes of AMA-linked media.


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10. What are the differences between MXF media generated on a Mac vs. a PC? a. Mac generated MXF media is incompatible with PC systems b. PC generated MXF media is compatible with Mac systems but only

through an Avid utility c. Mac generated MXF media is compatible with PC systems but only

through an Avid utility d. There are no differences between MXF media generated on a Mac vs.

a PC e. B and C

11. An editor lost a single drive in the VideoRAID SR. What is the

recommended course of action? a. Stop all work and wait for a replacement disk (sadly all the media will

be gone). b. Stop all work and wait for a replacement disk although the media can

be restored after a rebuild of the RAID set. c. Continue working but with Media OFFLINE in places in which the

failed drive contained the data. d. Continue working and when convenient, replace the bad disk with a

new one and media will be restored after a rebuild of the RAID set. e. B and D

12. What is the data rate of Avid DNxHD 145? a. 14.5 MB/sec b. 116 Mb/sec c. 145 MB/sec d. 145 Mb/sec e. 1160 Mb/sec

13. Of the audio formats native to a Windows-based Avid Editor, which are

MXF and which are OMF? a. MP3 for OMF and AIFF for MXF b. AAC for MXF and PCM for OMF c. WAV for MXF and AIFFC for OMF d. WAV and AIFF-C for OMF and PCM for MXF e. A and B


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14. In Media Composer v7.0 and above, AMA-linked media can be managed via the Media Tool. What made this possible? a. AMA-linked media are re-wrapped as MXF media b. AMA-linked media are automatically copied to the Avid MediaFiles

folder. c. AMA-linked media are now registered to media database files stored

on the local computer. d. A and B e. All of the above

15. Avid video effects that play “real-time” are? a. Using the original master clip media available online b. Manually rendered and therefore have an associated “pre-compute”

file c. Not needing a “pre-compute” file as long as the original master clip

media is available online d. A and C e. None of the above

16. In Media Composer v8.1 and above, AMA-linked media is associated with

the project in which it was linked. Which change to Avid’s media tracking made this possible? a. The database files stored in the Avid MediaFiles directories include

AMA linking info. b. The database files tracking AMA-linked media are segregated by

project. c. AMA links are now tracked through the project’s bin files. d. AMA links are now included in the project’s settings files. e. None of the above.

17. What must be done to convert a Media Composer v8.0 system to NewsCutter v8.0? a. Remove Media Composer in “Computer Management” on a PC then

load from the NewsCutter installer b. Update the license file from “Media Composer” to “NewsCutter” on a

PC only c. Remove Media Composer only by “reimaging” the Mac then load from

the NewsCutter installerA and C d. None of the above


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18. Which version marked the conversion of Media Composer to a 64-bit native application? a. v4 b. v5 c. v6 d. v7 e. v8

19. Which operating system(s) does a Media Composer v5.5 DX system support? a. Windows XP 32 SP3 b. Windows Vista 64 SP2 c. Windows 7 64 SP1 d. OSX 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard) e. All of the above

20. Which OS is required for NewsCutter v 11.0 running on the Macintosh Ivy Bridge 6,1? a. OSX 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard) b. OSX 10.7 (Lion) c. 10.8 (Mountain Lion) d. 10.9 (Mavericks) e. None of the above


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Answers to Practice Questions Use the answers below to check your knowledge on the practice questions. 1. C: Powering on the computer, powers on the DX hardware, awaking it from

“stand-by” mode which is normal operation 2. B: 12 GBs 3. E: A and C 4. B: Yes (with a software codec that relies on the system CPU) 5. D: The Mojo DX does not support 10-bit AVC-I Compression 6. A: Gen 1 (because there isn’t enough RAM slots to meet the minimum RAM

requirement) 7. C: Older Mac Pros and they DO NOT support 10-bit 3D real-time playback 8. D: Cocoa 9. C: Tracks the location of MXF media files 10. D: There are no differences between MXF media generated on a Mac vs. a PC 11. E: B and D 12. C: 145 Mb/sec 13. D: WAV and AIFF-C for OMF and PCM for MXF 14. C: AMA linked media are now registered to MDB & PMR database files stored

on the local computer. 15. D: A and C 16. A: The database files stored in the Avid MediaFiles directories include AMA

linking info 17. B: Update the license file from “Media Composer” to “NewsCutter” on a PC only 18. C: v6 19. E: All of the above 20. E: None of the above

MC400 Study Guide - Avid · CERTIFIED Avid Education Certification Exam Study Guide Avid Certified Support Representative Media Composer Exam Media!Composer!400! Exam Code MC400!

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