Avid Names Gary Greenfield CEO

Scott Gentry | 12/20- 04:18 PM

Press Release:

TEWKSBURY, MA - Avid Technology has named Gary Greenfield chairman of the board and chief executive officer, succeeding Nancy Hawthorne, who has served as interim CEO since August 1st.
(12/20/2007)

Greenfield has been CEO of GXS since 2003, a worldwide provider of business-to-business integration, synchronization and collaboration solutions. Since December 2003, he has also been an operating partner with Francisco Partners, a technology-focused private equity firm.

Previously, he served as CEO of Peregrine Systems, where he managed the restructuring of their business. His career also includes serving as president and CEO of Merant.

Greenfield has experience growing businesses both organically and through acquisition. He has also managed development, marketing and operations, and served diverse customers from small businesses to the Fortune 500.

Disc Makers Introduces Revamped Reflex Duplicator Line

Scott Gentry | 12/19- 12:03 PM

Disc Makers, the nation’s leading manufacturer of CD and DVD duplication hardware, today introduces the latest refresh of its Reflex tower manual duplicator line highlighted by the new 15-drive Reflex15, the industry�s largest single tower duplicator.

The new Reflex towers feature the latest 20x DVD�R / 48x CD-R / 8x DVD�R DL drives, and new load and copy feature that greatly speeds up the duplication process, plus beefy 250GB hard drives with Dynamic Smart Partitioning (DSP) to optimize the space used on the hard drive. The new towers also have been redesigned with a sleek black and silver look, and include strategic air vents to maintain optimized temperatures while duplication is in progress.

The newly enhanced Reflex line includes towers with one, two, four, seven, ten, and now fifteen drives. The new Reflex15 tower, the largest on the market today, duplicates an astounding 225 CDs or 120 DVDs per hour. Prices for Disc Makers’ Reflex line start at just $249 and go up to $1,399 for the Reflex15.

“Our Reflex towers are the finest disc duplicators on the market, and the updates we have made to the line only raise the bar for all other duplicator manufacturers,” said Tony van Veen, President of Disc Makers. “We build the Reflex towers in our Pennsauken, New Jersey factory and control every detail of manufacturing and quality control. With Disc Makers, our customers can be confident they are getting the widest range of choices and that they�re buying the best duplicator on the market, at the best price possible.”

In addition to the industry-leading features and award-winning design, Disc Makers’ Reflex duplicators are backed up by a one-year, bumper-to-bumper warranty, a Perfect Fit Guarantee, and the new Best Price Guarantee. The Perfect Fit Guarantee ensures that the system you buy is the one that fits your needs best. If it�s not, then the tower can be sent back for full credit towards another duplicator that better fits your needs.

Dismakers.com

Leopard Update Fixes Frozen Keyboard Problems in MacBook, MacBook Pro

Scott Gentry | 12/18- 09:08 PM

If you haven’t already done so, and you’re one of the folks experiencing issues with your MacBook or MacBook Pro keyboard, this software update is for you.

Apple

Vegas Adds Support For AVCHD Camcorders

Scott Gentry | 12/18- 08:52 PM

Sony Creative Software has updated its low-cost Vegas Movie Studio Platinum Edition software, making it compatible with AVCHD camcorders from Sony, Panasonic or Canon.

When employed in conjunction with these manufacturers� camcorders Vegas Movie Studio Platinum Edition 8.0c offers users a comprehensive, end-to-end high definition workflow. The package offers tools for compositing, color correction and 5.1 surround sound mixing. Integrated DVD authoring and multiple export options allow content to be prepared for online distribution and portable devices. Also included are “Show Me How” tutorials that make it easy to learn features.

The 8.0c update is free for existing Vegas Movie Studio Platinum Edition software users and can be downloaded from the Sony Creative Software Website (http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com). MSRP for the Vegas Movie Studio Platinum software is $119.95.

The Pixel Farm Release PFTrack 4.1 Personal Learning Edition

Scott Gentry | 12/18- 08:43 PM

The Pixel Farm Ltd., a leading developer of advanced image processing tools, announced today the immediate availability of PFTrack 4.1 Personal Learning Edition (PLE).

The free learning edition of The Pixel Farm’s industry-leading tracking and matchmoving application allows students, digital artists and facilities to evaluate, learn and master PFTrack 4.1 without the need for a permanent or temporary software license. The complete toolset of PFTrack 4.1, including geometry tracking, image-based modeling, z-depth extraction and multiple-motion solves, is included in PFTrack 4.1 PLE.

“As we close out a year of unprecedented growth, the release of PFTrack 4.1 PLE demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the production community, giving non-commercial access to PFTrack free of charge, to learn at your own pace. Digital artists who are new to PFTrack will become more marketable, making a new generation of professional matchmovers available to our rapidly growing list of facility partners, equipped with the best tools in the industry.” - Daryl Shail, Sales Director - North America, The Pixel Farm Ltd.

The only limitations in PFTrack 4.1 PLE are the ability to export camera and image data. Projects created in PFTrack 4.1 cannot be opened in the retail version, limiting PFTrack 4.1 PLE to non-commercial use.

Availability
PFTrack 4.1 PLE is free to download from The Pixel Farm�s website at the following link: http://www.thepixelfarm.co.uk/products/evaluate.aspx?PROD=3. For additional information, or to arrange for a temporary commercial license of PFTrack 4.1, please contact our Sales team.

Panasonic Ships Popular AG-HVX200 With Free 16GB P2

Scott Gentry | 12/12- 12:04 PM

Press Release:

SECAUCUS, NJ (December 12, 2007) - Panasonic announced today that, starting this month, it will be shipping new AG-HVX200 P2 HD camcorders with a free 16GB P2 card (model AJ-P2C016RG).
Customers who buy a new HVX200 from an authorized U.S. Panasonic reseller* will receive one 16GB P2 card (a $900 value) and a copy of The HVX Book by Barry Green included inside the box at the time of purchase. 
On a single 16GB P2 card, professionals can record for 16 minutes in DVCPRO HD, 40 minutes in DVCPRO HD in native 720/24p, 32 minutes in DVCPRO50 and 64 minutes in DVCPRO. With the HVX200, which has two P2 card slots, users can double record times.

Autodesk Introduces Maya Muscle Functionality for Autodesk Maya 2008

Scott Gentry | 12/11- 10:36 PM

Press Release:

Autodesk, Inc. has launched Autodesk Maya 2008 Extension 1 software, which introduces Maya Muscle functionality into the 3D modeling, animation, visual effects and rendering solution. This comprehensive muscle and skin system, recently acquired from Comet Digital, LLC, allows artists to create life-like skin motion through features that let them precisely direct muscle and skin behavior. The toolset integrates extremely well with the Maya architecture and overall workflow, enabling it to be used in isolation, interconnected with other Maya features, or customized and scaled as needed.

Maya Muscle provides technical directors and animators with the tools they need to create detailed skin articulation and animation. These include advanced muscle and skin sculpting and deformation tools, as well as extensive jiggle and weighting options, like slide, sticky and wrinkle weights.

In addition, Maya Muscle can increase artists’ productivity by taking advantage of familiar user interface and workflow features included in Maya 2008, such as the software’s brush-based interface. At the same time, it delivers a number of tools, including automatic rigs, real-time jiggle tweaking, and file caching, designed specifically to make the process of achieving secondary character motion.

Pricing and Availability
Autodesk Maya 2008 Extension 1 is now available for download to Autodesk Maya 2008 Complete and Autodesk Maya 2008 Unlimited Subscription customers with Gold support. The Extension 1 is not sold separately.

Autodesk suggested retail pricing is US$1,999 for Maya 2008 Complete (Standalone) and US$6,999* for Maya 2008 Unlimited (Standalone). The upgrade suggested retail price (SRP) from Maya 8.5 Complete to Maya 2008 Complete is US$899, and the upgrade SRP from Maya 8.5 Unlimited to Maya 2008 Unlimited is US$1,249. Subscription with Gold support for Maya 2008 Complete (Standalone) is SRP $1,295, and Subscription with Gold support for Maya 2008 Unlimited is SRP $1,495.

*International pricing may vary.

For more information on Maya 2008 Extension 1, please visit http://www.autodesk.com/maya-extension1

Adobe Delivers Flash Player 9 with H.264 Video Support

Scott Gentry | 12/09- 01:39 PM

Adobe Delivers Flash Player 9 with H.264 Video Support
HD Quality Web Video and Audio Now Available With Adobe Flash Player Update

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Dec. 4, 2007 - Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the immediate availability of Adobe Flash Player 9 Update 3 software, previously code named Moviestar. Adobe Flash Player 9 now includes H.264 standard video support, the same standard deployed in Blu-Ray and HD-DVD high definition video players, and High Efficiency AAC (HE-AAC) audio capabilities. The latest update also features hardware accelerated, multi-core enhanced, full-screen video playback for high-resolution viewing across major operating systems and browsers. The combination of Adobe Flash Player 9 and Adobe Flash Media Server 3 (also announced today) enables the delivery of HD quality video to the broadest online audience. Adobe Flash Player 9 Update 3 is available immediately at http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer.

H.264 support is an encoding option in Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects software and is now integrated across the Adobe Flash family of products. Support extends to applications developed for Adobe AIR software, a cross-operating system application runtime that enables developers to use their existing skills to build and deploy rich Internet applications (RIAs) to the desktop. Expected to be available in early 2008, Adobe Media Player, the first application from Adobe built on Adobe AIR, will leverage both H.264 video and HE-AAC audio support. Adobe Media Player takes Flash streaming video experiences outside the Web browser delivering more viewing options, such as watching videos anytime, anywhere.

Flash Media Server 3 Product Line

Scott Gentry | 12/09- 01:29 PM

Press Release:

Adobe Debuts Flash Media Server 3 Product Line
Secure, HD Video Streaming Delivered to a Broader Audience

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Dec. 4, 2007 - Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the Adobe Flash Media Server 3 family of products, which offers streaming media and real-time communication capabilities to the broadest possible audience. With industry standard H.264 video capabilities and High Efficiency AAC (HE-AAC) audio support, Adobe Flash Media Server 3 provides content owners with increased protection for streaming high quality video and allows for the delivery of interactive media applications that work consistently across multiple browsers and operating systems.  Adobe Flash Media Server 3 provides a more efficient instant-on video experience virtually anytime, anywhere - to the Web, the desktop with Adobe Media Player and to mobile devices with Adobe Flash Lite 3. With new pricing options, customers have a wide array of choices for the broadcasting of high quality streaming media experiences.

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