Avid® (NASDAQ: AVID) announced a number of new solutions designed to help broadcasters reduce costs and increase productivity associated with the news production process. The newly unveiled Avid iNEWS® (3.0) newsroom computer system (NCRS), Avid iNEWS Command (2.5) device automation system, Avid Unity™ ISIS® (2.1) real-time media network and Avid AirSpeed® Multi Stream (1.3) video server all deliver an open architecture that integrates with a variety of third-party newsroom systems and applications to extend workflows into the field and allow broadcasters to achieve greater operational efficiency across their organizations.

What’s New in iNEWS 3.0 and iNEWS Command 2.5

iNEWS 3.0 and iNEWS Command 2.5 offer new levels of openness and integration that streamline newsroom workflows and provide broadcasters and journalists with a greater advantage in meeting the demands of news production. New features include :

* iNEWS Web Services API – Simplifies news production workflows by offering broadcasters the ability to integrate third-party systems such as groupware or automation with the iNEWS system to access and modify news content.
* Enhanced iNEWS User Interface – Accelerates customer workflows by simplifying navigation within the iNEWS system. Customers can preview a video associated with an Interplay® production asset management sequence directly in the iNEWS workstation, create hyperlinks within iNEWS stories and standardize the entry of story data using drop down lists and checkbox fields.
* iNEWS Command Control of Third-Party Graphic Systems – Gives customers more choice and flexibility for graphics control with support for select third-party graphics systems like Chyron, in addition to Avid Deko® graphics systems. Additionally, a graphics SDK/API allows any vendor of character generators, logo inserters, tickers and branding applications to build plug-ins that leverage their device’s capabilities.

“The new features in iNEWS Command make it easier to get high-impact news stories to air quickly,” said Dennis Moran, Chyron graphics manager at WISC-TV in Madison, WI, who has beta tested iNEWS Command 2.5. “We’re able to deliver more animated newscasts with control of the Chyron graphics system, and the ability to change graphics on the fly from the iNEWS run down is a valuable, time-saving resource for airing breaking news.”

What’s New in Unity ISIS 2.1 and AirSpeed Multi Stream 1.3

The newest versions of Avid’s networked shared storage solution, Avid Unity ISIS, and the AirSpeed Multi Stream ingest and playout server are designed to optimize workflow efficiency and help customers reduce costs, as well as accelerate collaborative productions. New features include :

* Avid Unity ISIS with RAID 6 media protection – Provides customers with a lower-cost storage option to support broadcast production. Avid Unity ISIS with RAID 6 provides highly-reliable media protection with 50 percent more capacity than mirroring technology, which is ideal for the handling of less bandwidth-intensive media.
* Avid Unity ISIS File Gateway – Allows any contributor to store and access content such as graphics, still imagery, text or lower-resolution video in Avid Unity ISIS. Customers may do this from any Windows, MAC or Linux workstation, via standard network attached (NAS) protocols.
* Mac OS X Snow Leopard client support on Unity ISIS – Offers customers support for the latest version of the Mac OS X operating system.
* AirSpeed Multi Stream Avid DNxHD® support – Equips customers with speedy and high-quality ingest and playout support for an end-to-end HD workflow in a single chassis. The new AirSpeed Multi Stream server now supports the ingest and playback of Avid DNxHD 185 and 220 10-bit HD video, and twice the number of Avid DNxHD 120 and 145 8-bit HD video streams compared to earlier generations of AirSpeed Multi Stream.
* AirSpeed Multi Stream IsoSync® – Saves customers production time and effort in live, multi-camera television by enabling frame-accurate, simultaneous video capture from multiple cameras directly into Avid Unity storage systems through AirSpeed and AirSpeed Multi Stream servers for immediate editing. The record, start and stop of any AirSpeed server can now be synchronized-optimizing multi-camera workflows by ensuring all feeds are on the same frame at the same time.

“We implemented our Unity ISIS system a few years ago so that we could centralize our library of video assets from multiple systems into a single networked storage solution. It has proven to be an extremely stable and reliable system for us,” said Mitch Pierce, ACSR, ACI and Avid Technician in the Information and Media Technology Department at Full Sail University, an innovative educational leader for those pursuing careers in the entertainment industry. “After beta testing ISIS 2.1, we are looking forward to new features like the File Gateway server and to opening up our workflow to other departments to centralize additional assets–sound effects, music and graphics libraries-into the system. This will make more assets available to our students which will make it easier for them to collaborate on projects.”

Availability

iNEWS v3.0, iNEWS Command v2.5 and AirSpeed Multi Stream v1.3 are available now. Unity ISIS v2.1 will be available later this month. For more information visit: www.avid.com.