Avid|DS HD Nonlinear Production System

Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVID) today announced the worldwide availability of Avid|DS HD, the industry's first nonlinear production system for conforming and finishing projects at multiple uncompressed HDTV and standard definition formats. As with the Avid|DS system, Avid|DS HD provides a complete range of seamlessly integrated picture and audio editing, compositing, paint, animation, character generation and project management tools, all of which are instantly available at all times to digital artists and editors, thereby dramatically improving the creative finishing process.

The deep, broad creative toolset within the Avid|DS HD system makes it particularly well-suited for mastering TV commercials, station promos, high-end corporate and event videos, TV programs and theatrical releases in uncompressed HDTV formats. Formats supported by the Avid|DS HD system include: 720p, 1080i, 1080p, as well as PAL and NTSC standard definition formats at 24, 25, 29.97 and 30 fps. All resolutions and formats can exist on the system simultaneously, allowing operators to switch from 601 to high-definition without reformatting drives or removing any existing material. The Avid|DS HD system also supports operating in 1/2 and 1/4 HD resolution modes for high-performance HD offline operation and reduced storage requirements.

Avid|DS HD turnkey systems also ship with Avid|DS Remote Processing capability (Avid|DS RP). Avid|DS RP enhances creativity and the client experience by enabling editors and digital artists to continue experimenting while computationally intensive tasks are processed in the background. Edits, composits, graphics and more can be accessed and adjusted while other versions are being processed in the background, thus avoiding interruptions to the creative process. In addition to integrating with the Avid|DS system, Avid|DS HD can be used in conjunction with Symphony(TM), Media Composer(R), Avid Xpress(R), SOFTIMAGE(R)|XSI(TM), ProTools(R) and Avid Unity(TM) products as part of a networked post-production environment.

Avid Technology, One Park West, Avid Technology Park, Tewksbury, MA 01876. Tel: 978-640-3541; Fax: 978-640-0648.