Warner Digital Studios selects Discreet Logic for new facility's core visual effects systems; six INFERNOs and two FLINTs to fuel workflow and creativity in fully integrated environment.

NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 6, 1996--Discreet Logic Inc., (NASDAQ:DSLGF) based in Montreal, Tuesday announced that Warner Digital Studios has installed two INFERNO and six FLINT visual effects systems from the company.

These systems, complemented by Discreet Logic's STONE storage technology, will provide the visual effects foundation for Warner Digital Studios' new facility.

The recently launched Warner Digital Studios is a full service visual effects house. Warner Bros. felt the timing was right to invest in an in-house, high end visual effects facility because the demand for effects work is growing at a rapid pace, and the effects work itself has become increasingly complex.

The result is Warner Digital Studios, a full visual effects company featuring computer graphics as well as ancillary departments supporting one of the largest software development teams in the industry. The studio is devoted to digital effects and filmic effects, and includes a model shop and a physical integration department to oversee the development of state-of-the-art visual effects stage equipment.

The studio will focus on feature film work, commercials and special projects. Warner Digital Studios has attracted well-known talent to lead its introduction. The team includes Michael Fink, vice president and senior visual effects supervisor, known for his work on "Batman Returns."

Ellen Somers is leading the development and execution of the studio's business plan along with George Joblove, director of technology, and Ariel Shaw, director of digital production. The studio is in the process of acquiring technology and systems that offer the most advanced technology and tools available, as well as the ability to integrate systems for optimal workflow and throughput.

"Discreet Logic's products are an integral part of our vision to develop state of the art effects now and for the future," said Somers, vice president of production. "Discreet's effects products and integrated facility approach are heads above the rest. The key driver behind the decision was the ability to have a close development relationship with Discreet's engineering teams. This relationship will help us to integrate the INFERNOs and FLINTs into the fabric of the studio, networking them and leveraging their capabilities to fuel workflow throughout the studio rather than limiting the systems in isolated and dedicated suites."

"Warner Digital Studios' selection of our technology demonstrates that integrated systems, offering flexible workflow and high throughput, are prerequisites for today's post production environments," said Graham Sharp, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Discreet Logic. "We focus on the artists, we aim to design the tools they need and we rely on their feedback, which helps us to push the boundaries of the technology and product design."

INFERNO and FLINT are Discreet Logic's premier and desktop visual effects production systems offering on-line, non-linear, resolution-independent, non-compressed effects generation tools. The two systems offer similar core feature-sets, accessible through an integrated, intuitive gestural interface.

Features include a state-of-the-art Keyer, Warper, Action module, SoftClips, Stabilizer, Tracker, Paint, Rotoscoping, On-Line 3D and digital audio capabilities.

INFERNO is Discreet Logic's premier visual effects system. It can work at higher bit depth per color channel (up to 12 bits) and higher spatial image resolution than standard video resolution. The system also features a complete set of film-specific tools including grain/noise management, monitor calibration and enhanced I/O routines.

INFERNO provides seamless support for high-resolution data handling with standard film formats fully integrated. It also has the option to read and write high-resolution images to D1, enabling third-party users to take advantage of the speed of D1 for high-resolution data transfer and archiving.

FLINT is the company's complete on-line production solution running on the desktop Indigo2 IMPACT from Silicon Graphics Inc. FLINT offers real-time input and output of non compressed D1 imagery and integrates easily into tape-based or non-linear, on-line or off-line suites. FLINT can also be used in conjunction with FLAME and INFERNO for offloading tasks such as color correction, keying, and complex effects creation.

About Discreet Logic

Discreet Logic, based in Montreal, develops and supports non-linear, on-line, digital systems for creating, editing and compositing imagery and special effects for film, video, audio and broadcast. The company's systems are used by creative professionals for a variety of applications: feature films, television programs, commercials, music videos, interactive game production and live broadcasting.

Through direct contact with digital artists, editors, audio engineers, production and broadcasting specialists, Discreet Logic offers technology designed to meet the present and future needs of content creators.

For more information contact Discreet Logic Corporate Headquarters, 5505 boul St-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2T 1S6. Telephone: [phone]. Fax: [phone]. E-mail: [e-mail]. Web: www.discreet.com.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Discreet Logic, INFERNO, FLINT, FLAME, SoftClips and STONE are trademarks of Discreet Logic Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Discreet Logic, Montreal

Leigh Pesqueira, 514/948-7061

fax, 514/272-8735

e-mail, [e-mail]