This is the first in a series of post-nab reports.

*Avid unveils Unity at NAB

At NAB 99 in Las Vegas, Tewksbury, Mass-based Avid Technology unveiled Avid Unity, a line of networking and storage solutions; a new version of its Symphony finishing system with 24f/P capability; new Media Composers nt; as well as a low-cost dv editing system for nt, the Avid ShowBiz Producer.

Avid Unity is the base of Avid’s digital nonlinear environment, a combo of media networking and shared central computing enabling connectivity between workstations across multiple formats and platforms.

At the heart of Unity is Avid Unity MediaNet, which includes advanced media transfer utilities and server-assisted shared storage technology, which means support for Mac, nt and irix platforms in addition to networking technologies like atm, Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel. Unity MediaNet also supports any standard file system application.

Unity is touted for allowing group digital content creation and work flow improvements by connecting editors, sound people and effects artists to the same network.

Avid Unity MediaNet will ship in the second quarter of 1999 and costs $11,815 per seat plus storage.

Avid attention was paid also to the Symphony nonlinear editorial finishing system shown in a Version 2.0 incarnation which addresses the future multiformat concerns of users. It includes new finishing features and will intro the 24f/P Universal Mastering capability, allowing producers to work in native 24f/P and deliver it in a choice of formats. With the 2.0 release, the system will be offered as Symphony and Symphony Universal, which incorporated the multiformat features.

Symphony Version 2.0 ships in the third quarter of ’99, with Version 2.1 (advanced color correction engine included) available in Q4. Symphony 2.0 is priced at $199,370 and Symphony Universal at $236,280.

On the Media Composer front, Avid introduced an xl line of products, expanding into nt with the 8.0 version offered on Mac and nt and the 9.0 on nt. With the nt-based ShowBiz Producer, Avid and ibm have struck an agreement to offer the product as part of a turnkey system including Avid editing software, a 1394 DV capture card, ibm IntelliStation workstation, monitor and storage for under $14,770.

*The new Discreet

Discreet Logic debuted its new identity at the show with not only the new post-Autodesk-buyout handle Discreet, but a strong complement of gear which addresses a number of macro issues for the company, including a stronger push toward long-form editing, interoperability between its systems and resolution-independent solutions.

Discreet showcased upgraded Advanced Systems products including Fire and Inferno, with capability for realtime online nonlinear editing, effects and playback for the 1080 24f/P format, again allowing mastering in that format and then conversion of a number of other dtv formats as well as film.

The object, says Discreet’s Sandra Buckingham, is to allow facilities to employ the existing 601 infrastructure while clearing a path for future expansion into hd as it happens.

In keeping with the plan, Discreet announced a new alliance with Sony to provide a link from Fire and Inferno to the Sony hd-cam for realtime hd i/o using existing 601 gear. The companies worked in tandem to create a means to transport compressed hd-cam video into Fire or Inferno through a video input card on sgi Onyx2 and then decoding images into full resolution via software codec, allowing work on full-resolution images and subsequent output through the 601 interface in realtime.

Discrete also announced support for the new sgi hd i/o board which debuted at the show this year.

The company also unveiled enhancements to integration between Fire and Inferno and the Philips Spirit Datacine transfer system. The new versions of Flame (6.1) and Inferno (3.1) also pack speed improvements for import and export of dpx files from the Philips Phantom Transfer Engine, facilitating background transfer of large files.

With the new versions of editing systems Smoke and Fire, the company says it has addressed the long-form editing market in a significant new way, by increasing the ability to manage large amounts of material with improvements in timeline and desktop interactivity.

Discreet unwrapped Version 5.0 of its edit nt-based editing system. The upgrades address a broad range of finishing and editorial requirements in long- and short-form projects, such as an integrated audio and video finishing toolset which can support a range of uncompressed and compressed resolutions, realtime audio eq, multicam support for creative editorial as well as increased integration with Discreet’s paint and effects software. edit is priced between $7,995 and $11, 995 and bows in June.

*Post Impressions

Making its nab debut with the Spiddr productivity enhancement tool was u.k.- and u.s.-based Post Impressions. The company was founded a year ago in Newbury, Eng. by ex-Discreet Logic gm John Miller (working with Stephane Blondin, another Discreet alum) and incorporated in the u.s. earlier this year.

Spiddr is a disc-based, format- and resolution-independent storage, i/o and networking system for a range of applications.

Post Impressions says the product addresses a number of areas of the post process including at the telecine, machine room and graphics stages as well as acting as a loading station for Discreet/Quantel Avid-type nonlinear systems. In telecine, the Spiddr records RGB 4:4:4 material for replay to an edit suite later, sidestepping the need for a high-end editing system permanently connected to the telecine as well as providing integration to daVinci and Pandora color correctors.

The base unit, the Spiddr 100, starts at about $88,500 for 75 minutes worth of storage.