Avid Unveils Dynamic New Graphics Platform — Avid Motion Graphics

Next-generation solution lets media enterprises create stunning imagery, increase speed-to-air, and extend ease of use 

IBC (Hall 7 Booth #J20), Amsterdam, 9 September 2011—Avid® (NASDAQ: AVID) today unveiled Avid Motion Graphics™ —the company’s next-generation graphics platform. With a revolutionary new real-time 2D/3D graphics rendering engine, Avid Motion Graphics lets media enterprises—including broadcasters, sports teams, and post production companies—create thrilling graphics and arresting imagery while journalists and others integrate those graphics into their stories. Incorporating a bridge to the Deko product family, Avid Motion Graphics makes it easy for existing users to migrate their assets to the new platform and transition at their own pace.

“In today’s highly competitive, image-dominated media industry, producers need to create stunning visual imagery that cuts through the clutter, get content quickly to air, and build strong brand recognition,” said Chris Gahagan, senior vice president of Products for Avid. “At the same time, our customers have told us they need to streamline their workflow with a solution that’s easy to use and lets them reduce costs. With Avid Motion Graphics, Avid is meeting those needs, and investing significant resources and creativity to develop one of the industry’s most advanced graphics toolsets.”

Avid Integrated Workflows

Avid Motion Graphics integration will enhance and streamline performance with Avid end-to-end workflow solutions, other high-demand Avid and third party tools, industry standards, and plug-ins. The platform was designed to help graphics artists and journalists work more collaboratively and easily in a wide array of market segments, including:

• News
• Sports
• Live events
• Post production
• Channel branding

Key Features

From character generation to full 3D animations, customers can create stunning imagery with a complete next-generation creative toolset, featuring an advanced real-time 2D/3D rendering engine using technology from Brainstorm Multimedia and accelerated by the latest GPU and I/O technology.

Additional features include:

·         Live-to-air playout: Includes a dedicated controller and user-programmable keyboard for playout of sequenced graphics.

·         Templated workflows: Lets journalists, editors, operators, and other staff members easily access and populate templates built by graphics designers for multiple purposes. Building on the proven speed and economy of previous versions, templated workflows speed content delivery, heighten graphic impact, and improve brand consistency across a broadcast facility.

·         Automated playout: Integrates with automated graphics playout control systems to streamline playout process.

·         Data-driven graphics: Dynamically updates graphics such as financial charts, sports scores, and election results via integration with third-party data sources and applications.

·         Post production extension: Extends graphics creation capabilities into the post-production environment where graphics can be keyed in and laid to tape, or created in an editor.

·         Multi-channel distribution: Provides the ability to distribute graphics through multiple channels, significantly raising the ROI of assets across the enterprise.

·         Interfaces with graphics tools and formats: Allows customers to work with most industry-standard products such as Photoshop, After Effects, Maya, 3D Studio Max, XSI and more.

·        Distributed architecture: Graphics created in a single location can be transferred to a device for playout from either a manual interface or remote automation.

Flexible Configurations

Leveraging the latest GPU and I/O technology, Avid Motion Graphics meets a wide range of workflow needs by delivering extraordinarily high processing power with flexible configuration options. Key components include:

• Single and dual channel turnkey configurations, providing maximum flexibility.
• Avid Motion Graphics, providing access to a full set of character generation and 3D tools.
• Avid Motion Graphics Production, offering streamlined feature set for graphics creation and basic effects.
• Avid Motion Graphics Journalist, offering an NRCS plug-in to integrate graphics capabilities into the newsroom.
• Avid Motion Graphics News Control, offering full control of any graphics parameter up to air-time.
• Avid Motion Graphics News, offers two newsroom integration tools in one package.

“We have relied on on-air graphics solutions like Deko for years to effectively tell a story using spectacular graphics,” said Pete Ludviksen, director of Operations at WWTV. “We are looking forward to seeing what Avid Motion Graphics can do, and believe it has the potential to enhance the way we tell our stories.”

Availability and Pricing

The Avid Motion Graphics platform is expected to be available in Q2 2012. For current Deko users the new hardware platform and rendering engine is expected to be available in Q4 2011, using existing Deko software. Avid Motion Graphics will start at $50,000 USD. Avid Motion Graphics Production will start at $35,000 USD. Avid Motion Graphics News will start at $17,000 USD. For more information, please go to www.avid.com.

Louise Wells, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, louisew@rlyl.com, 44 (0) 207 403 8878

About Avid

Avid creates the digital audio and video technology used to make the most listened to, most watched and most loved media in the world – from the most prestigious and award-winning feature films, music recordings, television shows, live concert tours and news broadcasts, to music and movies made at home.  Some of Avid’s most influential and pioneering solutions include Media Composer®, Pro Tools®, Interplay®, ISIS®, VENUE, Oxygen 8, Sibelius®, System 5,  and Pinnacle Studio™.    For more information about Avid solutions and services, visit www.avid.com, del.icio.us, Flickr, Twitter and YouTube; connect with Avid on Facebook; or subscribe to Avid Industry Buzz.

© 2011 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product features, specifications, system requirements and availability are subject to change without notice.   Avid, the Avid logo, Avid DNxHD, EUCON, Media Composer, Pro Tools, Interplay, ISIS, Sibelius and Pinnacle Studio are trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. The Interplay name is used with the permission of the Interplay Entertainment Corp. which bears no responsibility for Avid products.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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