Avid Media Composer 2026.8: What EditShare Customers Need to Know

Avid has announced an upcoming security and workflow-integrity change in Media Composer 2026.8 that affects users of third-party storage solutions providing NEXIS-style functionality.

For customers using EditShare shared storage, this change may have implications for Media Composer workflows involving bin sharing and bin locking.

Our Technical Director, Darren Dunbar, explains what the change means for EditShare customers and what they should consider before upgrading.

What is changing?

From Media Composer 2026.8, Avid is changing how Media Composer handles third-party storage that provides NEXIS-style functionality.

EditShare provides an AvidStyle media space specifically to support Media Composer workflows, including bin sharing and bin locking.

Avid's 2026.8 change means that this functionality will no longer be available with Media Composer Ultimate when used with third-party storage providing NEXIS-style functionality.

This does not mean that EditShare shared storage is no longer supported as a general storage platform. The change specifically affects the Media Composer bin-sharing and bin-locking workflow when using third-party NEXIS-style storage.

What does this mean for EditShare users?

If your facility uses:

• Media Composer Ultimate
• EditShare shared storage
• EditShare AvidStyle media spaces
• Bin sharing and/or bin locking

we currently recommend that you do not upgrade Media Composer beyond 2025.12.

Media Composer 2025.12 remains the appropriate version for this workflow at present. It is also an Avid Long-Term Maintenance (LTM) release, providing a supported platform for customers who need to remain on this version while the implications of the Media Composer 2026.8 change are assessed.

There is therefore no requirement to undertake an immediate upgrade simply because Media Composer 2026.8 has been released.

What if you need to move to Media Composer 2026.8 or later?

If you need to move to Media Composer 2026.8 or later while retaining bin sharing and bin locking with EditShare AvidStyle media spaces, the current route is to use Media Composer Enterprise rather than Media Composer Ultimate.

This is a licensing change rather than a requirement to replace your EditShare storage.

The commercial implications are important, however, and Avid has not yet published a formal migration programme from Ultimate to Enterprise for customers affected by this change.

We therefore recommend that you speak to your account manager before budgeting for or committing to a Media Composer 2026.8 or later upgrade.

Our team can review your current Media Composer licensing, EditShare environment and upgrade requirements with you and discuss the options available.

Our recommendation

For customers currently running a combination of:

• Media Composer Ultimate
• EditShare shared storage
• EditShare AvidStyle media spaces
• Bin sharing and/or bin locking

our current recommendation is:

Stay on Media Composer 2025.12 and do not upgrade to Media Composer 2026.8 or later until further guidance is available.

If you have a specific requirement to move to Media Composer 2026.8 or later, please contact your account manager so that we can discuss the Media Composer Enterprise option and the associated licensing implications.

We are continuing to engage with Avid and will provide further information as formal guidance on the Ultimate-to-Enterprise migration path and associated commercial arrangements becomes available.

If you have any questions about how this change may affect your particular EditShare and Media Composer configuration, please get in touch with the Altered Images team and we will be happy to advise.