HD For Indies

Avid released Xpress Pro 5.5, Mojo SDI, and DS Nitris 8.0 today.

(and new Unity version, more on that later, gotta go, but here's MacNN's coverage of Xpress Pro 5.5 release.)

XPress Pro 5.5 adds XDCAM HD (I incorrectly stated Canon 24F yesterday) support and has HVX200 DVCPRO HD support (might have had that already, but certainly has it now). Supports Varicam footage, supports DVI monitoring and full screen previewing. XDCAM HD is FireWire on PC, FTP on Mac, 25 mbit CBR only.

Mojo SDI is a FireWire connected external box that gives standard def only (no HD) SDI, component, etc. connectors for standard def gear. Think of it as Avid's answer to the AJA Io, but with some acceleration benefits as well, such as DNxHD processing.

DS Nitris 8.0 offers RGB 4:4:4 support and is the big gun for finishing work. Big new features are dual link HD-SDI for RGB 4:4:4, 720p50 support for Euro work, and support for Unity ISIS (network SAN shared storage stuff).

In a hurry getting ready to leave for Dallas, so here's the press release:

Company meets demand for HD on the Mac, increased format support and
connectivity for independent professionals

TEWKSBURY, Mass.--June 28, 2006--Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:
AVID) today announced the worldwide availability of version 5.5 of its
Avid Xpress(R) Pro software as well as the newest member in Avid's
line of Digital Nonlinear Accelerator(TM) products, Avid Mojo(TM) SDI.
Avid Xpress Pro version 5.5 delivers HD capabilities for both Mac and
Windows-based systems. Avid Mojo SDI, which works seamlessly with Avid
Xpress Pro and Media Composer(R) software, provides high-quality,
advanced analog and digital SDI (Serial Digital Interface) I/O
connections for professional video and audio projects.
"I'm thrilled that Avid is delivering Avid Xpress Pro on the Mac,
especially all of the HD features. The company has really stepped
things up with this release," said Tim Bird of Blast Editorial
Services, LLC who specializes in documentary and high-end corporate
video work and who beta-tested Avid Xpress Pro v 5.5 and Avid Mojo
SDI. "We are an all-Mac shop and it's great to have the confidence
that our preferred OS will work seamlessly with our editing software
of choice. The performance and feature set of this version of Avid
Xpress Pro is remarkable and Avid Mojo SDI provides such robust
connectivity."

Avid Xpress Pro 5.5

The Avid Xpress Pro 5.5 software offers professional video, audio,
film, effects, and encoding tools - plus custom music creation
software - for both Mac and PC platforms in a single box. The software
supports native HDV and DVCPRO HD for acquisition, editing, and
output; real-time effects and 2:3 pulldown insertion over FireWire(R);
and Avid DNxHD(TM) encoding to create effects, transitions, and titles
with uncompromised image quality. Avid's unique Open Timeline enables
users to mix HDV, DVCPRO HD, and Avid DNxHD formats with SD and DV
media in the same timeline in real-time, eliminating the
time-consuming process of incorporating media from multiple sources
into a single project.

Avid Mojo SDI

Avid Mojo SDI is a portable, advanced analog and digital SDI I/O
device with high-quality professional video and audio connections
supporting most professional decks and cameras. Connecting to any Mac
or PC via FireWire, the Avid Mojo SDI Digital Nonlinear Accelerator
offers the same analog connectivity of Avid Mojo, but adds SDI I/O and
AES/EBU digital audio I/O to expand Avid Xpress Pro solutions to work
with mastering-quality SD cameras and decks. It is available for both
Avid Xpress Pro and Media Composer software.
"Independent video and film professionals now have more features
than ever with this release of Avid Xpress Pro and Avid Mojo SDI,"
said Patrick McLean, senior product manager for Avid. "No other vendor
is able to offer such powerful content creation tools and connectivity
options on both the Mac and PC platform, all backed up by Avid's
industry leading media management. Whether it's support for various HD
formats, multi-cam support with simultaneous playback for real-time
editing, or support for new tapeless workflows and formats, our
customers can now do it all on the platform of their choice - or even
both if they choose."

Pricing and Availability

Both the Avid Xpress Pro and Avid Mojo SDI systems, including
upgrades for existing customers, are available now through Avid's
worldwide reseller channel or online at www.avidstore.com. Avid Xpress
Pro software 5.5 is priced at $1,695 USMSRP and Avid Mojo SDI is
priced at $2,495 USMSRP. Existing Avid Xpress Pro v4 or v5 customers
can upgrade to Avid Xpress Pro v5.5 for just $49.95 by download at
www.avidstore.com.


And here's the DS Nitris press release:


New version offers 4:4:4 HD-RGB format support
for high-resolution workflows

TEWKSBURY, Mass.--June 28, 2006--Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:
AVID) today announced the worldwide availability of the Avid(R) DS
Nitris(TM) 8.0 system, which offers a native 64-bit software
architecture and dual-link I/O hardware to support high-resolution and
digital intermediate (DI) workflows. The new version also ships with
dual-boot capability, allowing editors to use either the DS or
Symphony(TM) toolset with the Avid Nitris hardware. Avid also
announced the availability of the Avid DS Assist Station(TM), a
software-only version of the Avid DS 8.0 toolset that customers can
deploy on lower-cost workstations to tackle specialized tasks such as
rotoscoping, compositing, and conform checks.
"The 4:4:4 HD-RGB log format is valuable for our work because it
provides better color accuracy than 4:2:2 HD linear when moving from
film negative to digital post production and back," said Matt
Schneider, director of technology at PostWorks New York. "We do a
significant amount of 2K digital intermediates, but with 4:4:4 HD-RGB
support and expanded memory in version 8.0 of Avid DS Nitris, we have
an attractive alternative to 2K that is a good fit for many projects.
We can now input HD-RGB directly to Avid DS Nitris from our film
scanner. PostWorks has always been a big fan of Avid DS Nitris and
this release takes the system to the next level. By the end of the
year, we plan to add three additional DI pipelines built around the
expanded capabilities of Avid DS Nitris."
Matt Feury, senior product marketing manager at Avid added, "Our
television and film finishing customers are an extremely dedicated
user base who swear by the Avid DS Nitris toolset and its ability to
help them work faster and more creatively on the hi-res,
bandwidth-intensive projects they face every day. More importantly,
they have been anticipating the arrival of advanced workflow features
in the system - and Avid DS Nitris 8.0 delivers. By adding HD-RGB
support, we've significantly advanced the system's capabilities to
support the unique finishing needs of an online community that
continues to blaze new paths in HD, 2K and even 4K post production
workflows. With a powerful feature set for demanding HD and DI
projects - we believe that Avid DS Nitris will have a huge impact
across the primetime television and digital film finishing markets we
serve."

New Features for Avid DS Nitris 8.0

With real-time, multi-stream, 10-bit HD performance, a deep
creative toolset, and expanded hardware, Avid DS Nitris 8.0 is the
ultimate editing and finishing system for SD, HD and 2K/4K DI work.
Highlights of the new system include:

-- Dual-link HD-SDI connectivity - offering new integrated I/O
hardware that provides the necessary bandwidth for capturing
and editing 4:4:4 HD-RGB formats, such as HDCAM SR.

-- Dual-boot capability - expanding the flexibility of HD
finishing options by allowing editors to run either Symphony
or Avid DS software on the same system.

-- Native 64-bit system and software support - leveraging the
advantages of workstations that feature 64-bit processors for
faster performance through access to greater physical memory,
a critical component when working with high-bandwidth, high
resolution files.

-- Support for 720p50 sequences - providing European customers
transitioning to HD with capture, conform, finishing, and
mastering tools in the 720p50 standard.

-- Support for Avid Unity ISIS(TM) - allowing the system to work
with Avid's newest shared-storage system to exchange and share
media assets with other connected systems.

Pricing and Availability

The Avid DS Nitris 8.0 system is available now through Avid's
worldwide reseller channel. Pricing for the Avid DS Nitris 8.0 system
is $147,995 USMSRP as a turnkey system, which includes a CPU
workstation, monitors, 2.5 TBs of RAID storage, and one license for
Avid DS RP (remote processing software for offloading computationally
intensive tasks). Existing Avid DS Nitris 7.6 customers with assurance
contracts can upgrade to version 8.0 with dual-boot capability for
$9,995 USMSRP, and can purchase the Avid dual-link HD-SDI card for
$9,995 USMSRP. The Avid DS Assist Station is available for $9,995
USMSRP.
For more information, please visit www.avid.com/dsnitris/.


-mike