Archive notice: This article was originally published on January 8, 2010. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The new Avid iNEWS 3.0 newsroom computer system (NRCS), Avid iNEWS Command 2.5 broadcast-control system, Avid Unity™ ISIS 2.1 real-time media network and Avid AirSpeed Multi Stream 1.3 video server enable workflows to be extended beyond the boundaries of individual production facilities to outside-broadcast teams. This can increase the efficiency of the entire production operation. All products feature an open system architecture and also offer the option of integrating various third-party newsroom products and applications.
New features in iNEWS 3.0 and iNEWS Command 2.5
iNEWS 3.0 and iNEWS Command 2.5 feature an open architecture with integration options for various system extensions that significantly simplify news production. This enables broadcasters and journalists to meet newsroom demands even more effectively. Key features at a glance:
• iNEWS Web Services API: Simplifies newsroom workflows by enabling third-party products, such as groupware or automation systems, to be integrated into the iNEWS environment, thereby providing access to and editing of news content.
• Enhanced iNEWS software interface: Accelerates workflows through simplified navigation within the iNEWS system. Customers can preview videos linked to sequences from the Interplay asset-management system directly from the iNEWS workstation. They can also add hyperlinks to iNEWS reports and standardise the entry of story data using dropdown lists and checkboxes.
• iNEWS Command control for third-party graphics systems: Gives customers more choice and flexibility when working with graphics than using Avid Deko graphics systems alone, thanks to support for external on-air graphics systems such as Chyron. A graphics SDK/API also enables providers of character generators, logo inserters, tickers and branding applications to develop additional plug-ins for specialised tasks.
“The new iNEWS Command features greatly accelerate the production of compelling, broadcast-ready news stories,” explains Dennis Moran, Chyron Graphics Manager at WISC-TV in Madison, Wisconsin, who participated as a beta tester in the development of iNEWS Command 2.5 software. “We can produce more animated news programmes controlled through the Chyron system, and we also have the option of changing graphics during the iNEWS rundown—a useful, time-saving option when broadcasting breaking-news stories.”
New features in Unity ISIS 2.1 and AirSpeed Multi Stream 1.3
The latest versions of the Avid Unity ISIS central-storage system and AirSpeed Multi Stream ingest and playout server are characterised in particular by more efficient workflows, reduced costs and accelerated networked production processes.
Key features at a glance:
• Avid Unity ISIS media storage with RAID 6: Provides broadcasters with a cost-effective, secure central-storage solution. Avid Unity ISIS with RAID 6 is an exceptionally reliable system solution for media-data storage, with 50% greater capacity than mirrored RAID systems—ideal for managing less bandwidth-intensive media.
• Avid Unity ISIS File Gateway: Enables everyone involved to store and access content such as graphics, still images, text or lower-resolution video material on Avid Unity ISIS. This can be done from any Windows, Mac or Linux computer using standard NAS (“Network Attached Storage”) protocols.
• Mac OS X Snow Leopard client support for Unity ISIS: Also supports the latest versions of the Mac OS X operating system.
• AirSpeed Multi Stream Avid DNxHD support: Fast, high-quality ingest and playout with support for a complete HD workflow through a single system. The new AirSpeed Multi Stream server now also supports ingest and playout of Avid DNxHD 185 and 220 10-bit HD video material, as well as twice the number of Avid DNxHD 120 and 145 8-bit HD video streams compared with previous AirSpeed Multi Stream servers.
• AirSpeed Multi Stream IsoSync: Saves time and effort in live multi-camera production by providing frame-accurate, simultaneous capture of multiple camera signals via AirSpeed and AirSpeed Multi Stream servers directly into Avid Unity central-storage systems, allowing immediate editing. Through synchronised record, start and stop functionality for any AirSpeed server, AirSpeed Multi Stream IsoSync ensures that all video signals operate at the same time and at the same frame rate, thereby enabling optimum multi-camera workflows.
“We have now been using the Unity ISIS system for several years and were able to consolidate our video library, previously distributed across several systems, into one central-storage system. This solution has proved exceptionally stable and reliable,” says Mitch Pierce, ACSR, ACI and Avid Technician in the Information and Media Technology Department at Full Sail University, a leading, innovative educational institution for people seeking careers in the media industry. “Following the ISIS 2.1 beta-test phase, we are now looking forward to new features such as the File Gateway server and the option of involving other departments in the central storage of assets, such as sound-effects, music and graphics libraries, and in our workflows. This will give our students access to even more image and audio material and make collaborative projects even easier.”
Availability
iNEWS 3.0, iNEWS Command 2.5, Unity ISIS 2.1 and AirSpeed Multi Stream 1.3 are available now.
