Avid Technologies has brought a pair of new options to the Canadian post market and to the sgi platform with the introduction of the Media Illusion, which has begun shipping, and the Media Fusion.

The Media Illusion is a resolution-independent digital paint, effects and compositing system incorporating the capabilities of Avid’s special effects software, including the Matador paint and 2D animation tool Advance, and Elastic Reality morphing and warping software.

The Illusion runs on the entire range of sgi workstations, including the Indigo2 impact series, which allows facilities flexibility in terms of price and performance of the system. The software’s resolution independence allows film and video effects work in multiple resolutions and mixing of resolutions within the same shot. It also features an advanced keyer providing multiple matte-generating options.

Media Fusion offers non-compressed CCIR-601 editing on the SGI Onyx or impact workstations. The Fusion is based on Avid’s Media Composer editing model, and projects offlined on Media Composers can be imported into Fusion for batch digitizing and auto conform at non-compressed resolution.

The Illusion is priced at about $65,000. The Fusion, which will begin shipping this fall, can be had for around $150,000.

Avid account manager Jeff Simpson says Illusion is a tool for expanding the options of post facilities, including those that don’t already have effects capabilities. Simpson says the system is an affordable means for shops to keep revenue in-house that previously might have gone to a high-end effects suite. TI