Briefs

Avid Technology's Avid DS Nitris and DS Nitris Editor take advantage of the company's Nitris Digital Nonlinear Accelerators (or Avid DNA) to deliver real-time effects for up to two streams of 10-bit HD content. The difference between DS Nitris and DS Nitris Editor is that the former includes 3-D compositing and titling capabilities. Both products handle HDTV formats, including 720p/60fps and 1080p/24fps in 8-bit, 10-bit, and 145-Mbit and 220-Mbit compressed resolution. On the audio side, each supports up to eight channels of 24-bit 96-kHz digital audio input and output. Other features include Avid Symphony-style color correction, including global hue, saturation gain and brightness control. Pricing for the Avid DS Nitris is $145,000 and $78,995 for DS Nitris Editor.

Discreet's Inferno 5, Flame 8 and Flint 8 visual effects and compositing systems are the latest versions of the company's high-end post-production systems. New this year are mixed-resolution support (including 2K and 6K resolution support), extended editing capabilities, and advanced workflow in batch. Users can also directly import and manipulate 3-D models generated in Discreet's 3ds Max system as well as from other popular 3-D applications, including Maya, Softimage XSI, Softimage 3D and Lightwave.

Ikegami's 12-bit HDK-79EX HD camera system uses 2/3-inch, 2.2 million-pixel Frame Interline Transfer (FIT) CCD sensors to deliver a horizontal resolution of more than 1,000 lines and a signal/noise ratio of 56 dB. The new optics are possible because of a new application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) with 12-bit A/D conversion and up to 38-bit internal digital processing. A new detail-correction system is in the camera head as well, giving noise-free HD pictures. It can also be switchable from 1080i/720p to 480i/480p for standard-definition work. And, when coupled with the CCU-790 camera control unit, it can provide simultaneous HD and SD signals.

Panasonic's latest HD VTR is the AJ-HD1700 DVCPRO HD studio model. The 4RU VTR can record up to 126 minutes of 1080i or 720p material on a single XL-size DVCPRO HD cassette and also is selectable among 60, 59.94 and 50 Hz. It has eight channels of uncompressed digital audio and can accommodate 5.1 surround-sound recording plus a stereo sound mix, SAP or multi-language programming. It also can act as a low-cost source deck in a 1080p/24-f/s editing bay because it has direct output of an HD 1080p/24-f/s output signal from DVCPRO HD format tapes recorded at 720p/24 f/s by a Panasonic VariCam camera. It also has a built-in up/downconverter and can also change the aspect ratio of the recorded video between 16:9 and 4:3. It's available next month for $65,000.

Pinnacle's HD Deko500 is an on-air HDTV character generator with real-time effects including rolls, crawls, wipes and dissolves. It also permits live compositing of CG pages directly onto an HDTV output and provides such features as automation, type on a curve, texture on character faces, and unlimited font details with shadows and blurs.

Sony's HDC-910 studio camera can capture 1080i images at 60, 59.94, and 50 f/s but can also be switched to standard-definition with the use of the 50/60 HD camera head coupled with an optional downconverter plug-in board in the camera's control unit. It also has a power HAD image sensor using Interline Transfer (IT) CCDs that give it low-light sensitivity and low vertical smear of -125 dB. Other features include 12-bit A/D and DSP. It's expected to be available next month for $80,000.

Thomson Grass Valley's LDK 6000 mk II's three 9.2 million-pixel HD DPM+ CCDs allow it to capture native progressive HD images in multiple formats and frame rates. The CCDs are based on Frame-Transfer, removing lag and smear, according to the manufacturer. The camera is available in two versions: The standard version supports HD and SD, and the Worldcam version supports digital cinema formats as well and also provides built-in frame-rate conversion.