Avid Brings New Features and Its Next-Generation Meridien Video Subsystem to Avid Xpress for the Macintosh.NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 21, 1999-- -- Company Offers the Latest In Affordable, Real-time, High-quality Professional Video Editing See nonlinear video editing and video editor. To the Apple Macintosh Apple Macintosh - Macintosh Community -- At MACWORLD Expo (Booth 841), Avid(R) Technology, Inc (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :AVID) announced today that it is introducing a new generation of its popular Avid Xpress(TM) product for the Macintosh platform, the affordable, real-time, professional video editing solution for business, education and government users. Scheduled for availability in September 1999, Version 2.5 of Avid's low-cost digital non-linear editing solution will incorporate the company's new Meridien(TM) video subsystem, providing Apple Macintosh-based video and multimedia professionals with the highest quality video and audio. The new release will also offer a host of software enhancements that deliver productivity benefits unmatched at this price point and extend interoperability with other Avid products and third-party solutions. Avid also unveiled its release roadmap for Avid Xpress for the Macintosh which includes plans for a Version 3.0 later in 1999 with new software features and an optional uncompressed video capability, plus a major release with new platform and feature support, code named the Millennium Edition, due by mid-2000. "Today's sophisticated consumers and competitive media markets require the absolute best quality and shortest turn-around time from post-production video and multimedia professionals. With the release of Version 2.5, we are continuing our commitment to bring enhanced quality, performance, and features to users of the Macintosh platform," said Paul Henderson
Paul Henderson (born January 28, 1943 in Lucknow, Ontario, Canada) is a retired Canadian hockey left winger who played 13 , vice president and general manager of Avid's Macintosh Products Group. "The Meridien subsystem offers great new features, and with our recent price reductions, Avid Xpress remains the fastest, most powerful digital nonlinear editing See nonlinear video editing. solution available in its class. Version 3.0, planned for later in the year, and a Millennium Edition for 2000 will keep our Macintosh users equipped with top capabilities and the same familiar interface and upward compatible See forward compatible. platforms as their current installations." Avid Xpress Version 2.5 Highlights Avid Xpress 2.5 for Macintosh is based on the advanced Avid Meridien video subsystem, which offers the highest, broadcast-quality video and audio in its class. The Meridien video subsystem consists of an Avid-designed video/audio boardset accessed via multiple I/O (Input/Output) The transfer of data between the CPU and a peripheral device. Every transfer is an output from one device and an input to another. See PC input/output. I/O - Input/Output connectors for major professional video formats, including analog component, composite, s-video, and optional SDI (1) (Serial Digital Interface) A physical interface widely used for transmitting digital video in various formats. For electrical transmission, it uses a high grade of coaxial cable and a single BNC connector with Teflon insulation. plus 2 channels of audio, housed in an external I/O box for superior signal isolation. The Meridien hardware supports dual-stream video playback, real-time 3D digital video effects Visual effects created in the computer that provide interesting transitions from one scene to another rather than just switching frames. They include fading or dissolving the frame, wiping one frame over another and flipping the frame. See wipe, morphing and digital effects. , and PAL and NTSC (National TV Standards Committee) The committee that developed the television standards for the U.S, which are also used in Canada, Japan, South Korea and several Central and South American countries. Both the committee and the standard are called "NTSC. formats for worldwide use. Version 2.5 maintains the key attributes of the Avid Xpress product family, including Avid's One-Step technology, which enables users to accomplish the most common editing and creative tasks in the fewest possible steps - often through a single mouse click. The new version also includes significant enhancement to graphics and titling, audio, effects, and overall editing. The Meridien hardware brings additional advantages over other Macintosh-based systems including: Analog component, composite, and s-video I/O; two channels of analog and digital audio; dual stream video playback; ability to drive multiple monitors simultaneously. Enhanced Features --Variety of Configurations. Avid Xpress for the Macintosh is packaged in three convenient bundles. Plus includes a full set of built-in editing, effects, titling, graphics, audio, compositing and interoperability features; Deluxe boosts performance with real-time and broadcast-quality images; Elite enhances productivity with real-time 3D effects. --16 X 9. Allows 16:9 wide-screen capture, editing and DTV (Digital TeleVision) Transmitting TV using digital signals. The major DTV standards are ATSC (North America), DVB (Europe) and ISDB (Japan). All three use MPEG-2 video compression and Dolby Digital audio compression. DVB and ISDB also include MPEG audio compression. support. --Support for flying faders with JL Cooper external mixer. Audio rubberbanding is more useful because the faders on the external box show relative volume levels when using on the fly. --Batch re-import of graphics. Brings the benefit of batch digitizing/draft mode editing to graphics in addition to video. Users can edit with low resolution or proxy graphics; when the final graphic is complete, Avid Xpress will automatically find it by name and replace it in the composition. --Drag & drop import/export. Import and export will occur by dragging graphics or animation files and dropping them in a bin or on the desktop, saving time on the import/export process. --Soft drop shadows on titles. Provides higher quality, more refined looking titles. --Real-time dissolve & wipes, uncompressed titles, and audio tracks. Many common effects, uncompressed titles and graphics now available in real-time on all Avid Xpress configurations, including the Plus Bundle. Additional four real-time audio tracks decrease the time it takes to create more complex audio mixes. --FilmScribe(TM) option. This new advanced option is for working with film projects on Avid Xpress. Interoperability and Compatibility Avid Xpress for Macintosh Version 2.5 is compatible with other Avid systems including Avid Xpress for Windows NT (Windows New Technology) A 32-bit operating system from Microsoft for Intel x86 CPUs. NT is the core technology in Windows 2000 and Windows XP (see Windows). Available in separate client and server versions, it includes built-in networking and preemptive multitasking. , Avid Media Composer(R) and Avid Symphony(TM), enabling users to transfer projects from one system to another with no conversion required. In addition, the actual media files are compatible with other Avid systems that use the Meridien video subsystem. Version 2.5 also includes compatibility enhancements with third-party solutions, including: --32-bit QuickTime Support. Users can bring in QuickTime files with alpha channels An 8-bit layer in a graphics file format that is used for expressing translucency (transparency). The extra eight bits per pixel serves as a mask and represents 256 levels of translucency. For example, TIFF and PNG are graphics formats that support the 8-bit alpha channel. directly from applications like Adobe After Effects. --Support for Avid Unity(TM) MediaNet. Avid Xpress for Mac 2.5 supports Avid Unity MediaNet, Avid's new state-of-the-art shared storage solution. This enables users to easily collaborate on projects and reduce overall storage requirements. --Support for Avid Visual Xtension (AVX AVX Adult Video XXX AVX Avid Visual Extensions AVX anti Virus Expert ) Plug-Ins. Avid Xpress for Macintosh 2.5 supports Avid's AVX(TM) plug-in architecture. Avid's TransJammer(R) plug-in and third parties such as Synergy International's Hollywood FX, Ultimatte Corporation's Ultimatte, and Artel Artel (Russian: арте́ль) is a general term for various cooperative associations in Russia, historical and modern. Software's Boris FX plug-ins will be available for Avid Xpress 2.5. Avid Xpress Roadmap Unveiled Including Version 3.0 and Millennium Edition Avid also unveiled plans for follow-on releases for Avid Xpress for the Macintosh platform. Avid Xpress for Macintosh Version 3.0 is planned to be available in Q4 1999. This new release is scheduled to offer an uncompressed ITU-R ITU-R ITU Radiocommunication Sector 601 standard video option, plus enhancements including 8 video tracks, an 8 channel audio I/O option, audio punch-in, slip-and-slide editing, VTR (VideoTape Recorder) A videotape recording and playback machine. VTR may refer to consumer MiniDV and DV recorders or to professional machines such as Betacam, DVCPRO and DVCAM. play emulation, and more. Avid also plans a major release, code named the Millennium Edition for Avid Xpress for the Macintosh, targeted to support a number of new capabilities, as well as Apple's upcoming G4 platform, by mid-2000. Pricing and Availability Version 2.5 of Avid's Xpress for the Macintosh with the Meridien video subsystem is scheduled for availability through Avid's worldwide reseller network in September 1999. Avid Xpress 2.5 for the Macintosh G3 is priced as integrated software Separate software components or applications that have been combined into one package. See integrated software package. application and hardware kits (G3 CPU CPU in full central processing unit Principal component of a digital computer, composed of a control unit, an instruction-decoding unit, and an arithmetic-logic unit. available separately). USMSRP for kit prices are as follows: Plus bundle $12,999; Deluxe bundle $19,999; Elite bundle $29,999. Avid is also planning an upgrade program to Version 2.5 with Meridien for current Macintosh-based Avid Xpress users; details will be announced at a later date. Customers purchasing Avid Xpress for Macintosh Version 2.5 this year will be eligible to received Version 3.0 software at no charge when it becomes available. Avid Technology "Avid" redirects here. For the "Advancement Via Individual Determination" educational program, see AVID. Avid Technology, Inc NASDAQ: AVID is an American company specializing in video and audio production technology; specifically, digital non-linear media editing (NLE) is an international, industry-leading provider of digital audio and video tools for creating content for information and entertainment applications. Avid's products are used by customers ranging from communications professionals to film, television and interactive content producers to broadcast news organizations. For more information, visit Avid's World Wide Web site at www.avid.com (c) 1999 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product specifications subject to change without notice. Avid, TransJammer and Media Composer are registered trademarks and Avid Xpress, Avid Unity, AVX, Meridien, FilmScribe and Symphony are trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc., or its subsidiaries or divisions. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. |
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