LAS VEGAS—April 23, 2006—Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVID)
today announced version 5.5 of Avid Xpress(R) Pro software and
unveiled Avid Mojo(R) SDI, the newest member in Avid's line of
Digital Nonlinear Accelerator(TM) products. Avid Xpress Pro v.5.5
software now delivers HD capabilities for both Mac and
Windows-based systems. The new Avid Mojo SDI works seamlessly with
Avid Xpress Pro, providing high-quality, advanced analog and digital
SDI (Serial Digital Interface) I/O connections for professional video
and audio projects.
"The Avid Xpress Pro family is all about empowering digital
content creators with tools that meet their needs for creating
professional-quality film and video productions on a modest budget,"
said Tim Wilson, senior product marketing manager for Avid. "Mac
customers have been waiting for a product with robust multi-format HD
editing and media management features. Both Mac and PC customers have
been requesting new I/O that offers the highest-quality audio and
video connections. We're delivering on both of those requests at NAB,
and as a result, we know that we'll continue to see many high-profile
projects created on Avid Xpress Pro."
Avid Xpress Pro v 5.5
Avid Xpress Pro v 5.5 software combines professional video, audio,
film, effects, encoding tools, and 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; 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, reducing the time it takes to complete
projects that incorporate media from multiple sources. Other
enhancements in version 5.5 include:
HD and improved format support for Mac OS X systems —
supports new 10-bit uncompressed SD and native DV50 formats as
well as HDV, DVCPRO HD, and Avid DNxHD;
Real-time multicam support for Mac OS X systems — allows
simultaneous playback of any DV, SD, or HD multicam views, for
on-the-fly editing in real-time;
Tapeless workflow for Mac OS X systems — includes streamlined
support for Panasonic P2 and Sony XDCAM, so users can
efficiently transfer tapeless media without digitizing,
transcoding, or shuttling through tapes to find a shot;
Direct ingest of XDCAM HD over FireWire — allows Avid Xpress
Pro editors to capitalize on the opportunities of HD
file-based production with the new Sony XDCAM HD format;
New film and pulldown support for Mac OS X systems — enables
editors to capture 24p footage to disk transparently over
FireWire, via normal and advanced pulldown, without the need
for third-party applications or transcoding. It also includes
mixed film gauges and 3-perf tracking for expanded film
support;
AVX(TM)2 plug-in support for deep colorspace and advanced
keyframing for Mac OS X systems — offers full control over
custom parameter curves and 16-bit rendering for preserving
the full color space of effects for both native Avid and
third-party effects. The animation control saves time and
offers the highest-quality processing;
Full-screen SD and HD monitoring using the host graphics card
for both Mac and PC — enables users to monitor SD and HD
projects without the need for expensive I/O and broadcast
monitors by using the on-board Mac or PC graphics card and LCD
or Plasma displays. Users can either monitor over the UI on a
single-monitor solution such as a laptop, or use a two-head
display for dedicated output;
Enhanced performance with HDV splicing for Mac and PC systems
delivers ability for long GOP material to only be
re-rendered at edit points, providing much faster preparation
for output than creating an entirely new stream;
Varicam support for both Mac and PC systems — Allows for the
capture of material from Panasonic's popular Varicam cameras.
In addition, Avid plans to offer Universal Binary support in
future versions of Avid Xpress Pro, for forthcoming Intel-based Macs.
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 Macs and
PCs 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. Available for both the
Avid Xpress Pro family and the new Avid Media Composer family of
products (announced today under separate release:
www.avid.com/company/releases/2006/060423_mediacomposer_avid.html),
the Avid Mojo SDI Digital Nonlinear Accelerator offers:
SDI video I/O — supplies improved quality and flexibility via
uncompressed SD digital video I/O in addition to component,
S-video, and composite I/O, and FireWire. This provides the
highest-quality monitoring as well as full capture and digital
cut support to mastering-quality SD decks;
Flexible digital and analog audio — delivers up to eight
channels of embedded audio over SDI, four channels over
AES/EBU, four channels over line RCA, and two channels over
optical S/PDIF — enabling full compatibility with
professional audio devices;
Simultaneous output of video and effects to client monitor and
tape — offers the ability to see video in its proper color
space on output with support for both waveform/vectorscope and
split-screen in color-correction mode; and
Audio punch-in — enables users to punch-in up to four
channels of audio for applications such as recording
voice-overs, enabled by Avid Mojo SDI's bi-directional signal
flow that allows monitoring during capture.
Pricing and Availability
Pricing for the Avid Xpress Pro software and Avid Mojo SDI is as
follows:
Avid Xpress Pro software is priced at $1,695 USMSRP.
Avid Mojo SDI is priced at $2,495 USMSRP.
Avid Xpress Pro v 5.5 and Avid Mojo SDI are expected to begin
shipping in June 2006. Upgrades are expected to be available for
existing Avid Xpress Pro and Avid Xpress Pro HD customers.