Avid Upgrades Interplay Central

Adds web-based and mobile interface to streamline production process

By George Winslow -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/4/2012 7:56:56 PM

Avid has released a new version of its Interplay Central production system that includes a number of improvements designed to streamline the production process by allowing users to work from Web-based and mobile devices.

The company is billing the new 1.3 version as the only "user interface on the market that extends the media production environment through Web-based and mobile devices."

The single-browser based view allows users to save several steps and reduce costs in creating news packages, logging reality TV footage, or editing and sending video for review and approval, the company notes. 

In a statement accompanying the announcement that Avid has released Interplay Central 1.3, Dany Harrison, general manager, production, French Services for CBC/Radio-Canada noted: "We need access to tools that let us maintain a competitive advantage by quickly producing and publishing complete, high-quality stories. With Interplay Central 1.3, journalists working from multiple offices can now access and view material simultaneously. In addition, we no longer need to deploy a dedicated client because Interplay Central 1.3 uses a standard browser, reducing the risk of conflicts with other software installed on the journalist's PC."

Additionally, Interplay Central 1.3 now supports the Interplay Production asset management systems and new tools for a variety of television entertainment and sports production tasks.

It also offers a number of new features for news journalists and can be used with Avid's Interplay Production and iNEWS, together or separately.

"Media creation and consumption are becoming increasingly mobile, and our broadcast customers need to have easy access to content and finish stories faster, wherever they may be," said Dana Ruzicka, VP of segment and product marketing at Avid in a statement. "Interplay Central 1.3 sets a new standard for productivity, with a fresh set of tools designed for the way broadcasters want to work. This type of open, collaborative, and mobile workflow helps improve their productivity, agility, and operational efficiency."