Archive notice: This article was originally published on March 13, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Avid Technology has developed a new end-to-end HD news solution that enables broadcasters to produce HD programming more economically. The solution lets broadcasters ingest, edit, network, manage, play and control Sony XDCAM HD Long-GOP MPEG-2 content. Its dedicated workflow provides significant savings in time, storage and bandwidth.
The HD News solution consists of the new AirSpeed Multi Stream production server 1.0, NewsCutter 7.5, Avid Interplay production asset management 1.6 and shared Avid Unity storage. Avid is also introducing iNEWS Instinct 2.0 for journalist audio/video editing and scripting, and iNEWS Command 2.0 for newsroom automation and control. Native XDCAM HD support across the newsroom products eliminates unnecessary transcoding while retaining a high-quality HD codec.
“Avid’s native support for XDCAM HD represents an important advance for broadcast and television production, bringing potential time and cost savings while enabling more powerful, flexible file-based workflows,” said John Studdert, Director of Sony Electronics’ Optical and Network Products Group.
Avid HD News: What is new?
Editorial: NewsCutter 7.5
· Native XDCAM EX support and enhanced XDCAM HD functions: support for all bandwidths of HD and SD XDCAM formats, direct editing from disk, write-back to disk with timecode, and XDCAM HD rendering. Media no longer needs conversion for ingest or output, saving time and storage.
Ingest and playout: AirSpeed Multi Stream production server 1.0
· Multichannel recording and playback: available in HD/SD and upgradeable SD versions, AirSpeed Multi Stream provides fast XDCAM HD newsroom workflows. The networked server supports direct ingest and playout plus third-party control, automation and logging. Formats include XDCAM HD at 18, 25, 35 and 50 Mbit/s, SD DV25/50 and IMX30/50, with four channels in any simultaneous record/playout combination.
· Compact, efficient design: a four-channel 1.5RU form factor provides up to ten times the channel density of Avid AirSpeed. Storage capacity increases by almost 60 percent while reducing cooling, power and rack-space costs.
Production asset management: Avid Interplay 1.6
Alongside usability improvements, Interplay 1.6 supports a complete Long-GOP workflow for XDCAM HD and XDCAM EX, including ingest and playback from XDCAM HD devices and supported third-party servers.
Audio/video editing and scripting for journalists: iNEWS Instinct 2.0
· New key-scene thumbnail viewer: journalists can view a two-dimensional grid of thumbnails generated every ten seconds during capture, quickly assess clips and select content for stories. This is also available in Interplay Assist.
· Editable-property value lists: administrators can import XML lists to create selection menus of defined values for custom properties, enabling more efficient and accurate media metadata entry. Also available in Interplay Assist.
· Further productivity improvements include searches in specific fields, type filters for folders and bins, additional keyboard mapping and a zoom-position bar. These are also available in Interplay Assist.
Newsroom automation and control: iNEWS Command 2.0
· AirSpeed Multi Stream support provides a seamless end-to-end workflow through full integration with Avid’s production server.
· VDCP control and a new SDK: qualification for third-party products such as 360 Systems Image Server enables video-server control via Video Disk Control Protocol. An SDK lets third parties build interfaces based on their internal protocols.
“As more broadcasters consider HD as a way to differentiate themselves and expand their audiences, we are working with customers to develop end-to-end solutions that make the newsroom-technology transition as seamless, economical and straightforward as possible,” said Mark Overington, Avid Vice President of Product Management. “Avid’s HD News solution was developed jointly with partners such as Sony to help customers maximise their technology investments, work in their format of choice and create efficient workflows.”