News

Newly Upgraded Fairlight Audio Video Network Solutions Streamline HD Workflow in Broadcast and Post Environments (17/5/2006)

Fairlight MediaLink enables networking of multiple Fairlight audio/video technologies and non-Fairlight hardware and software, including AVID(r) Unity environments and AutoDesk(r) finishing tools.

In a move to further enhance workflow efficiency in the broadcast and post environments, especially with HD content, Fairlight today showcased the new MediaLink network with greater integration of Fairlight audio and video technologies. Additionally, MediaLink enables networking of third-party hardware and software providers including AVID(r) Unity environments and AutoDesk(r) finishing tools.

"Our goal is to supercharge productivity at the individual and workgroup level," says Fairlight Marketing Director Stuart DeMarais, "As a result our mixing consoles, DAWs and other audio and video products can exist independently or as part of a wider MediaLink network with third-party hardware and software!"

Now more than ever before, Fairlight's award-winning MediaLink fast audio networking solution provides broadcast and post-production studios with the most advanced, yet seamless level of integration. MediaLink enables real-time playback of numerous multi-track projects from a central server across a network link and allows multiple workstations to handle major projects with short deadlines. With Fairlight MediaLink, multiple engineers have immediate, simultaneous and direct access to a central sound effects library and to any projects that exist on the network.

MediaLink eliminates platform and format incompatibilities and duplications of source material, with seamless system integration and compatibility with OMF, Wiretap and other common workstation formats. MediaLink AV is Fairlight's optimized video networking and streaming solution. Using Fairlight's sustained bandwidth network streaming technology, a MediaLink AV configured server can sustain quantifiably more real-time audio and DV25 or JPEG video streams from a single central media volume than standard Windows/Linux servers. With MediaLink AV, all media is located on a single, easy-to-find central volume and not distributed over multiple volumes or limited by bandwidth bottlenecks.

Fairlight MediaLink networks feature the company's unique Virtual Studio Runner, a powerful traffic and ingest solution from Fairlight that maximizes productivity, cuts costs and prevents errors with electronic trafficking, automated ingest and offline archiving capability. Using Fairlight's MediaLink server technology as a host, Virtual Studio Runner can convert and send files via e-mail or FTP directly to clients or to an internal mailbox for Quality Assurance, all directly from the DREAM control surface. Virtual Studio Runner automatically ingests incoming AIFF, WAV, B'WAV, MP3, OMF 1+2, AAF, PT5.0 or AES-31 files.

With AudioBase3, Fairlight's comprehensive high-speed sound library, multiple DREAM users can share and search sound libraries, music libraries and other sound files on the network. And because AudioBase3 is searchable by standard browsers there is not a requirement to tie up a workstation to audition clips.

Beyond system functionality, Fairlight has also led the effort to evolve file exchange between platform providers. Its AVTransfer file conversion utility was developed, with cooperation from multiple manufacturers and enables audio professionals to open, play and export audio files and projects in today's leading professional formats. AVTransfer enables the addition of extraction of components to or from AES 31, OMF version 1 and 2, AIFF, AAF, WAV, BWAV, Pro Tools 4 & 5, Open TL, Fairlight ML4, Fairlight .MT, AutoDesk / Discreet Wiretap and DSP Media AV transfer imports and exports between the industry's most popular professional workstations including Fairlight, Lightworks, Avid, Pro Tools, AMS Neve Audiofile, Final Cut Pro, Sadie, Wave Frame, Tascam, Nuendo, Akai, DAR, Discreet Edit and many others.

Finally, the Fairlight SX-48 Signal Exchange unit provides flexible I/O management of both analog and digital audio inputs and outputs and a packing density of up to 48 channels in a single 2U frame. Each standard SX-48 frame ships with a MADI I/O card to provide a multiplexed bi-directional signal flow for each 48-channel unit. Digital signals can be referenced to external AES, World Clock or Video at any standard frame rate including tri-level references when used in a Hi Definition production environment. SX-48 is designed to accommodate all standard sampling frequencies from 44.1Khz to 192 Khz.

www.fairlightau.com

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