News

Avid Unveils Symphony Nitris and Sets New Standard in HD Finishing (13/5/2005)

Company extends Avid DNA line by fusing unmatched HD performance of Nitris hardware with industry-leading Avid Symphony finishing toolset

Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVID) today unveiled the Avid(r) Symphony(tm) Nitris(r) system - the only nonlinear SD and HD finishing system to offer guaranteed real-time editing and effects for multi-stream 10-bit HD and SD media, as well as HD Total Conform with the industry-standard Avid Media Composer(r) product family. Building upon the most recognized online finishing systems used by today's video and film postproduction professionals, the Avid Symphony Nitris system brings together the unmatched real-time performance of the Nitris Digital Nonlinear Accelerator(tm) (Avid DNA(tm)) hardware with the creative and corrective tools, and multi-format mastering and versioning capabilities, of the Avid Symphony software.

"Professionals who live and breathe the world of finishing for television programming, commercial spots, and high-quality SD video production have come to rely on the expansive features and rock-solid stability of Avid Symphony. The system has become a trusted online workhorse, enabling editors, producers, and production managers to offer a unique set of creative services and build profitable businesses. With Avid Symphony Nitris, we're catapulting this toolset into the HD realm with the unbeatable performance of our Nitris hardware," said Dana Ruzicka, vice president of Post Solutions for Avid. "Every day, tens of thousands of professionals sit down in front of our Avid Xpress(r) and Media Composer products to begin the storytelling process. Now, they can take comfort knowing that every nuance they create will be automatically re-created in Symphony Nitris, and that finishing artists can invest their time where it counts most - delivering completed projects in breathtaking HD."

The Avid Symphony Nitris system offers a user interface that is instantly familiar to legions of trained Avid editors, and extends that interface across the entire workflow of any film or video production using Avid systems - from concept to completion. Specific system highlights include:

* HD Total Conform. The Avid Symphony Nitris system recreates every detail of an offline edit from other Avid systems in full HD resolution. This offline to finishing conform is critical to professionals working in the most demanding and time-sensitive postproduction environments, and enables content creators to complete HD projects in less time with greater accuracy.

* Guaranteed real-time performance with the Nitris hardware. The Avid Symphony Nitris system delivers powerful real-time editing, effects, and compositing performance. Users can work with up to two streams of 10-bit high-definition media or eight streams of 10-bit uncompressed standard-definition media - each stream with primary and secondary color correction, DVE, a key, and a title - all in real time.

* Expansive video and audio I/O for high-quality formats. The Avid Symphony Nitris system supports digital and analog video and audio capture, SDI and HD-SDI digital video I/O, and eight-channel digital audio I/O at 24-bit 96 kHz. Video format support includes DV25, DV50, MPEG IMX, Meridien(tm) JFIF and ABVB resolutions, plus uncompressed 601 in both eight and 10 bits. More than 10 high-definition resolutions - including 720p/59.94 and 1080p/24 - are supported in eight and 10 bits, as either uncompressed HD or Avid DNxHD(tm) files.

* Industry-leading, corrective finishing toolset. The Avid Symphony software offers advanced real-time primary and secondary color correction (including patented NaturalMatch(tm) technology), motion tracking, image stabilization, scratch removal, real-time 10-bit titling, and hardware-accelerated real-time 16-bit SpectraMatte(tm) chroma keying.

* Unparalleled Universal Mastering capabilities. After completing HD projects, users can easily generate multiple customized versions and deliver in any major format - including NTSC (4:3 and 16:9), PAL (4:3 and 16:9), Web, film, and DVD - with point-and-click ease.

* Project collaboration through the Avid Unity(r) MediaNetwork. Users can take advantage of real-time, simultaneous DV, SD, and Avid DNxHD file sharing with all other Avid nonlinear editing systems connected to Avid Unity.

Pricing & Availability

The Avid Symphony Nitris system - which comprises the Avid Symphony software and the Avid Nitris hardware - is qualified for HP xw8200 workstations and is priced at $89,995 USMSRP. The system is expected to ship in Q3 of this year, and will be available through Avid's worldwide reseller channel.

www.avid.com