Avid Launches Most Powerful Nonlinear Systems: The Avid DS Nitris Family; Ultimate Avid Finishing Systems Offer Real-Time, Multi-Stream Effects With 10-bit HD.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

NAB2003

Booth #SL300

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 6, 2003

Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVID) today announced its most robust family of finishing products to date - Avid(R) DS Nitris(TM) and Avid DS Nitris Editor. These new systems feature Nitris hardware - the most powerful in Avid's new family of purpose-built Digital Nonlinear Accelerators, or Avid DNA(TM) (announced today in a separate release). When paired with next-generation Avid|DS software, Nitris instantly increases the media processing power of the host-based processors available in today's leading personal computers. This enables Avid DS Nitris systems to deliver real-time effects for up to two streams of 10-bit high-definition media and eight streams of 10-bit uncompressed standard-definition media. The system also supports a wider range of high-quality formats, from DV25 to 2K, than any other nonlinear editing system on the market - and offers the industry's broadest range of professional input/output (I/O) connections.

"The Avid DS Nitris family is a revolutionary achievement because it enables customers to work in real time with the best-quality, highest-bandwidth digital media formats available," said Dana Ruzicka, director of product marketing for Avid. "More and more, professionals are finding HD and higher-resolution formats, such as 2K, to be more affordable and economical than working with film, especially for acquiring footage and creating archival masters of media projects. With Avid DS Nitris, customers will be armed with a standard- and high-definition finishing system capable of delivering unprecedented performance, quality and creative flexibility."

Real-time Performance

Avid DS Nitris systems utilize the revolutionary media processing power found in Avid's new Nitris hardware, the Avid DNA purposely engineered to deliver guaranteed real-time, multi-stream effects, including dissolves, SMPTE wipes, DVE's, Symphony(TM)-style color correction and titles. Avid DS Nitris also offers up to eight channels of 24-bit 96 kHz digital audio input and output. Capable of increasing host-based processors with more power than 30 of today's latest Pentium 4 processors, Nitris is also software programmable for future codecs, real-time effects and other functions - via the Web or CD.

All-in-one Familiar Interface

Avid DS Nitris systems offer Media Composer(R)-style nonlinear video and audio editing, as well as advanced compositing, paint, character generation, special effects, image treatment and project media management. This expansive range of capabilities within one interface allows editors to achieve significant time savings by eliminating the need to switch between multiple applications to accomplish important creative finishing tasks.

One of the key highlights of the Avid DS Nitris interface is the Symphony-style color correction, which allows customers to work in real time at resolutions up to 10-bit HD. The color correction capability includes global hue, saturation gain and brightness control, patent-pending NaturalMatch(TM) technology, as well as constant luminance controls for shadows, midtones and highlights. It also offers interactive color-curve manipulation and selective color correction based on image alpha channel.

Conform & Workflow Capabilities

Designed to work with both AAF and OMF formats, Avid DS Nitris systems offer advanced conform capabilities, allowing customers working with Media Composer Adrenaline(TM), Media Composer, Symphony(TM) and Avid Xpress(R) systems to seamlessly transfer offline editing projects to Avid DS Nitris systems for high-end finishing work with the most accuracy of any HD product in the industry. In addition, Avid DS Nitris systems are capable of sharing media with other Avid, Softimage(R) and Digidesign(R) systems in collaborative workflow environments using the Avid Unity(TM) MediaNetwork system.

High-quality Formats

Avid DS Nitris systems support 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 formats - including 720 60p and 1080 24p - are supported in eight bits, 10 bits, and new 145 MBit (8-bit 4:2:2) and 220 Mbit (8/10-bit 4:2:2) compressed resolutions. In addition, 2K scanned image data, such as DPX files and Cineon, can be handled in their native RGB colorspace and processed at up to 32-bit precision.

Pricing and Availability

Both the Avid DS Nitris and Avid DS Nitris Editor systems are expected to be available through Avid's worldwide reseller channel in Q3 2003. Pricing is expected to be $145,000 USMSRP for Avid DS Nitris systems and $78,995 USMSRP for Avid DS Nitris Editor systems. Customers who purchase Avid|DS HD systems priced at $145,000 USMSRP between April 1, 2003 and June 27, 2003 will be eligible for a free hardware and software upgrade to Avid DS Nitris. For existing Avid|DS HD customers, hardware upgrades to Avid DS Nitris are expected to start at $35,000 USMSRP.

About Avid Technology, Inc.

Avid Technology, Inc. delivers the solutions that Make, Manage and Move Media(TM). As a recognized digital standard for professionals who Make the world's media -- from video, audio and film to animation, special effects and streaming media -- Avid's products are used to make more television and news shows, commercials, music videos and CDs, corporate/industrial productions and major motion pictures combined than any other nonlinear editing manufacturer in the world. Building on its award-winning heritage, which includes several Emmy(R) awards as well as an Oscar(R) statuette representing the 1998 Scientific and Technical Award for the concept, design and engineering of the Avid Film Composer(R) system for motion picture editing, Avid is extending its reach by redefining how digital media is shared, stored and distributed. To Manage today's increasingly rich collection of dynamic media, Avid provides powerful servers, networks and media tools to help customers search files, share media and collaborate on new productions, both locally and globally. Avid's solutions also empower users to easily Move media, whether on air, over cable or satellite or through the Internet. Like no other media company today, Avid's end-to-end solutions span the continuum of media creation, management and distribution. The company's corporate headquarters are located in Tewksbury, MA. More information about the company is available at www.avid.com.

(C) 2003 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product specifications and availability are subject to change without notice. All prices are USMSRP for U.S. and Canada only and are subject to change without notice. Contact your local Avid reseller for pricing information outside the U.S. and Canada. Avid, Adrenaline, Avid DNA, Avid Unity, Avid Xpress, Film Composer, Media Composer, Meridien, NaturalMatch, Nitris, Symphony and Make, Manage and Move Media are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Oscar is a trademark and service mark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Emmy is a registered trademark of ATAS/NATAS. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Note: In the product name Avid|DS, there is a pipe symbol between Avid and DS. This symbol may not appear in some database systems.