In case anybody missed it, AVID has started selling Symphony, their product for UNCOMPRESSED images. Apparently the old products worked only for compressed images that raised quality concerns about the finished product that kept some production houses from using non film-based editing. Shipments due to start in November.
biz.yahoo.com
Tuesday September 29, 2:29 pm Eastern Time
Avid Takes First U.S. Order For
Symphony
Post Modern Editorial First To Order Avid's New
Uncompressed Digital Nonlinear Finishing System--
TEWKSBURY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 29, 1998-- Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVID - news)
announced today that Atlanta-based Post Modern Editorial is the first facility in the U.S. to place an order for the new
Symphony system to expand its business opportunities. Avid Symphony is a brand new product, designed for digital
nonlinear finishing of high-end television programming such as sitcoms, episodics and movies of the week which
traditionally have been finished on linear tape-based equipment. Post Modern Editorial placed its order on September
11, the day Avid began taking orders for the new system. Avid currently plans to ship Symphony in early November.
''We saw Avid Symphony at NAB and knew, that's it! It's uncompressed, and it offers total conform of Media
Composer(R) projects. That's exactly what we needed to expand our business,'' said Post Modern owner Matthew
Gore. ''More and more clients have come to see the benefits of digital online - the flexibility to make changes up to the
last minute, the cost and time savings - but there are some who will not accept compressed images. Until now, we had
to let those clients walk out the door and into a linear suite. Avid Symphony is a 'no excuses' system. There's no longer
any excuse not to finish digitally. We're pleased to be the first aboard with Avid Symphony.''
Post Modern Editorial handles for-broadcast work of all types, including the ''Monstervision'' series, produced by
David Yarnell Productions, which airs weekly on Turner Network Television and is finished digitally on Media
Composer, and digitally-finished documentaries which air on cable networks, regional and local commercial spots, and
corporate work. The facility anticipates taking on more television work as a result of its ability to offer uncompressed
digital finishing with Avid Symphony. Avid reseller Digital Solutions plans to implement the Avid Symphony system at
Post Modern in early November.
When asked if the facility anticipated any issues bringing the Windows NT-based Avid Symphony into its all-Macintosh
environment, Post Modern senior editor, Andrew Satinoff, said, ''When you're talking about going from Media
Composer to Symphony, you're not talking about Mac to NT. You're talking about going from Avid to Avid. This
system fits right into our collaborative environment.''
About Avid Symphony
Avid Symphony is a new high-end uncompressed nonlinear system optimized for finishing prime-time television
projects. The system features multiple uncompressed real-time streams and an advanced feature set. It offers Total
Conform, the fastest, most complete conform of Media Composer projects, a highly collaborative environment through
strong links to Avid's family of dedicated audio and effects products and to third-party applications. Because it
incorporates the familiar Avid interface, optimized for finishing, Symphony also offers the shortest learning curve and
largest trained talent pool in the industry. USMSRP pricing for Avid Symphony is $150,000, including software, the
Avid Meridien(tm) video subsystem, CPU and monitors. Avid currently plans to ship Symphony in early November. |
