IBC: Avid Offers New Production Tools

Is demoing Avid Interplay Sphere cloud tools for distributed newsroom production

By George Winslow -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/7/2012 10:00:00 AM

Complete Coverage: IBC 2012

With broadcasters looking to expand their multiplatform delivery and automate more of their production workflows, Avid is demonstrating a number of new tools designed to streamline newsroom and production workflows at IBC. These include the IBC launch of the Avid Interplay Sphere cloud production tools that make it easier for journalists put together and upload stories from the field.

Other key improvements to its solutions for advanced asset-based workflows include Interplay MAM (Media Asset Management) Active Archive, which provides customers with a complete media asset management and archiving solution and Interplay Production 2.7, which now supports Interplay Sphere, ISIS 2000, Avid DNxHD 85/100, and Media Composer 6.5/NewsCutter 10.5.

The company is also demoing InGame 1.5 which now supports Avid DNxHD 85/100; AirSpeed 5000 2.1, which has improved capabilities for automating the ingest and playback for both Avid and third-party editors; and iNEWS 4.0, which now has the capacity to handle 130% more stories and offers more flexible news workflows.

On the news side, these enhancements coupled with the Avid Interplay Sphere offering broadcasters a number of tools for both expanding their content production and reducing costs.

With Interplay Sphere connectivity, NewsCutter or Media Composer software, and a laptop, Avid executives argue that journalists can work from the field for a fraction of the cost of the traditional remote news truck.

"Interplay Sphere opens a new frontier in universal connectivity for news, sports, and video production, letting you craft better stories from where they're actually happening with a full range of media access and collaborative capabilities," said Dana Ruzicka, vice president of segment and product marketing at Avid.

Pricing for Interplay Sphere is $50,000 for a software license that including five seats; additional seats are $1,500 each (GRP).