Avid Unveils All-in-One Xpress Studio; Adds HDV Capabilities
April 19, 2004
Las Vegas, NV - Avid Technology introduced the Avid Xpress Studio system at NAB, calling it the industry’s first all-in-one content creation suite for DV professionals that includes highly integrated video editing, audio production, 3-D animation, compositing and titling, and DVD authoring software products combined with professional video and audio production hardware.
The five software applications included in the Avid Xpress Studio system, also available for individual purchase, are:
Avid Xpress Pro. Xpress Pro software provides professional film and video editing capabilities, including multicam support, OneStep Auto Correct color correction and real-time moving alpha channels. The software also offers image stabilization, real-time pan and zoom, 24p editing, script-based editing, and support for a wide range of export formats, including Windows Media 9 HD, MPEG 2, and Macromedia Flash.
Avid Pro Tools LE. Based on Academy Award-winning Pro Tools technology from Avid’s Digidesign division, Pro Tools LE offers flexibility, power, and simplicity for audio editing and effects. The system supports up to 32 tracks of sample-accurate, 24-bit/96-kHz audio and up to 256 MIDI tracks.
Avid 3D. Featuring the industry-leading 3-D animation and effects capabilities of SOFTIMAGE|XSI software, Avid 3D offers a powerful new 3-D creation and effects environment designed for the needs of video editors, including customizable 3-D models, texture maps, and animation scenes – all of which can be modified by users.
Avid FX. Based on the Boris Red titling and compositing package, Avid FX operates as an AVX plug-in for the Xpress Pro application and offers more than 1,500 customizable title, effects, and transition templates. Avid FX also delivers advanced compositing, DVE technology, native vector titling, motion tracking, vector paint, and rotoscoping.
Avid DVD by Sonic. Developed expressly for Avid by Sonic Solutions, Avid DVD by Sonic supports the OpenDVD standard, which allows DVDs to be edited without requiring re-authoring. Avid DVD by Sonic smoothly combines 4 x 3 and 16 x 9 media in a single project (when encoded by Sorenson Squeeze, included with Avid Xpress Pro), supports double-layer discs, and offers additional integration enhancements, including creation of chapter marks and thumbnails in the Xpress Pro timeline. A future release will support Windows HD DVD authoring.
The Avid Xpress Studio will be available in two versions – Xpress Studio Essentials and Xpress Studio Complete – that combine these five powerful software applications with different levels of professional hardware.
Xpress Studio Essentials – includes the Digidesign Mbox hardware, a two-channel USB audio peripheral that integrates audio and MIDI recording, editing, and real-time mixing.
Xpress Studio Complete – replaces Mbox hardware with the eight-fader Digi 002, which provides professional audio and MIDI I/O connections and touch-sensitive motorized faders for automation control designed to work with both the Xpress Pro and Pro Tools LE applications. Xpress Studio Complete also includes the Avid Mojo Digital Nonlinear Accelerator (Avid DNA), which offers simultaneous real-time output of multiple streams of video and 3-D effects to client monitor and tape, the ability to mix uncompressed graphics and animation with DV media in real time, and many more performance-enhancing capabilities.
The extensive list of interoperability options includes the ability to:
create DVD chapter marks and poster frames within the Xpress Pro timeline, and then easily export these elements for DVD encoding;
designate a section of the Xpress Pro timeline to be opened within Avid 3D using MetaSync;
have MXF-rendered footage from Avid 3D appear automatically in an Avid Xpress Pro bin;
use Avid FX motion tracking, rotoscoping, and advanced title and graphic animation with Avid Xpress Pro software, creating a robust compositing environment inside the editing application;
display an Avid 3D camera view and Avid FX composite window on an external broadcast monitor in real time using the Avid Mojo accelerator;
use the Avid Mojo accelerator for video connections and the Digidesign Mbox or Digi 002 for audio connections while maintaining sync;
use the Digi 002 control surface to adjust audio levels in both the Xpress Pro and Pro Tools LE applications.
Avid also announced plans to provide editing support for a broad range of HD media formats across its Avid Xpress Pro, NewsCutter XP, Media Composer Adrenaline, NewsCutter Adrenaline FX, and Avid DS Nitris systems. All five products will include Avid DNxHD – a revolutionary, 10-bit HD encoding technology that enables collaborative HD postproduction with the same storage bandwidth and capacity requirements as SD files. The source code for Avid DNxHD technology will also be licensable – free of charge through the Avid Web site – to any user who wants to compile it on any platform.
Avid will also offer additional HD format support, including optional uncompressed HD capabilities for Media Composer Adrenaline and NewsCutter Adrenaline FX systems, and native HDV and native Panasonic DVCPRO HD for Avid Xpress Pro, NewsCutter XP, Media Composer Adrenaline, and NewsCutter Adrenaline FX systems.
Pricing & Availability
Avid Xpress Studio Essentials is priced at $3,995 USMSRP, compared to a total retail value of more than $8,000 for purchasing the products individually.
Avid Xpress Studio Complete is priced at $6,995 USMSRP, compared to a total retail value of nearly $12,000 for purchasing the products individually.
Prices for the individual applications are:
Avid Xpress Pro: $1,695 (available for both Mac and Windows)
Pro Tools LE, including Digidesign DV Toolkit software and Mbox hardware: $1,490 (Mac and Windows)
Digi 002, including Avid Pro Tools LE and Digidesign DV Toolkit software: $3,490 (Mac and Windows)
Avid 3D: $1,495 (Windows only)
Avid FX: $1,595 (Mac and Windows)
Avid DVD by Sonic: $1,995 (Windows only)
Avid Mojo: $1,695 (Mac and Windows)
Pricing for the Avid HD expansion option is $9,995. Avid DNxHD playback and rendering capabilities will be included with Avid Xpress Pro and NewsCutter XP software releases in late 2004. Avid DNxHD technology will be included in Avid DS Nitris systems in Q2 2004. The source code for Avid DNxHD is scheduled to be licensable – free of charge through the Avid Web site – during the second half of 2004. HDV support is expected to be included in Avid Xpress Pro, NewsCutter XP, Media Composer Adrenaline, and NewsCutter Adrenaline FX systems in late 2004.
Avid Xpress Studio Essentials and Avid Xpress Studio Complete are expected to be available in Q2 2004 through Avid’s worldwide reseller channel and the Avid online store. Both versions are currently qualified to run on CPUs from HP – Avid’s preferred PC platform provider for Windows-based systems. Upgrade pricing for existing Avid Xpress DV, Avid Xpress Pro, and Avid Mojo customers is available online.
For more information, visit
www.avid.com
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