Archive translation. Specifications, services and availability reflect the original publication date in 2001. Verify current compatibility before production use.
FAST Multimedia AG, later part of Pinnacle Systems, and AMD reported performance gains from combining their products. Digital Production’s AMD archive contains further coverage of the processor company.
The companies first demonstrated the combination at the launch of the AMD Athlon MP processor in Munich in early June 2001. FAST said multiprocessor AMD systems provided a strong platform for professional editing with FASTstudio.DV.
FAST product manager Brad Swenson described a comparison between single-processor and dual-processor AMD MP systems running FASTstudio. He said the performance difference was substantial, particularly in processing speed.
High-end editing on two processors
FASTstudio.DV was designed to take advantage of increasingly powerful PC hardware. Built for multiprocessor systems from the outset, the editing software supported genuine multitasking and multithreading. Continuous background processing was intended to keep the workflow moving, while InstantSave protected work throughout an editing session.
Swenson said dual-processor AMD systems supplied the speed, performance and reliability needed by FASTstudio. Ulrich Knechtel, Workstation and Server Product Manager at AMD Europe, added that professional video tools were among the most demanding applications. He argued that Athlon processors could shorten production time and therefore reduce costs for professional users.
