Talk:Offline editing
Add topicLatest comment: 1 month ago by Hawksquill in topic Etymology of "offline editing"
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Etymology of "offline editing"
[edit]re: @Hawksquill (revision)
Any further consensus on the etymology of offline editing? I originally had this as follows (revision):
The term offline originated in the computing and telecommunications industries, meaning "not under the direct control of another device" (i.e., not automated).
Which was derived from the explanation for online editing:
The term online originated in the telecommunication industry, meaning "Under the direct control of another device" (automation). Online editors such as the Sony BVE-9000 edit control unit used the RS-422 remote control 9-Pin Protocol to allow the computer-interface of edit controllers to control video tape recorders (VTR) via a series of commands. The protocol supports a variety of devices including one-inch reel-to-reel type C videotape as well as videocassette recorders (VCR) to Fast-Forward, Rewind and Play and Record based on SMPTE time-code. The controllers have the ability to interface with professional audio equipment like audio mixers with console automation.
The video quality first introduced with Avid's Media Composer in 1989 was incapable of producing broadcast quality images due to computer processing limitations. The video quality first introduced with Avid's Media Composer in 1989 was incapable of producing broadcast quality images due to computer processing limitations. The term 'Online' changed from its original meaning to where the pictures are re-assembled at full or 'online++' resolution. An edit decision list (EDL) or equivalent is used to carry over the cuts and dissolves created during the offline edit.
I do not actually know! Calling all film greybeards.
As I understand it, the modern terminology refers to using compressed proxy files (not so relevant with today's hardware encoding, lol!) before going online with the source footage, which in turn correlates with traditional editing on negative work prints before the final cut is made on the camera original. This is all helpful context to work into this page, although the page for online editing does seem to refer to a more specific origin in broadcast video. David Cako (talk) 01:14, 9 June 2026 (UTC)
- I'm certainly not an expert on the etymology! I came across this article because it had been tagged as unreferenced, so I did my best to find a reliable source and added the definition from there. Hawksquill (talk) 14:31, 9 June 2026 (UTC)