Avid Transforms the Media Production Workflow with Interplay Central

BURLINGTON, Mass. --(Business Wire)--

Avid^® (NASDAQ: AVID) today announced the availability of Interplay^® Central 1.3, the only user interface on the market that extends the media production environment through Web-based and mobile devices. Created to simplify media production, installation and maintenance, the latest version of Interplay Central delivers dramatically improved accessibility for media professionals to create, edit, distribute, and manage media.

Whether creating news packages, logging reality TV footage, or editing and sending video for review and approval, users save several steps with a single browser-based view. Depending on an organization's system size and upgrade intervals, Interplay Central can provide significant reduction in both implementation time and cost.

Interplay Central 1.3 is suitable for many users within media organizations, including:

Producers: Search and browse media, create shot lists and notes, review and annotate edits.
Ingest operators and loggers: Rapidly select and tag (News - Alert) media by creating markers and subclips for easy searching and speedier editing.
News directors and producers: Use an iPad to browse rundowns, edit scripts, and review video.
Journalists: Create complete packages on their laptop with video, audio, and scripts; break stories from the field with iPad, iPhone and BlackBerry (News - Alert); and, replace printed scripts with iPad Presenter mode.
Management and operations: Reduce costs with a single, lightweight low-maintenance user interface that works across for multiple applications, streamlines workflows, and increases productivity.

"We need access to tools that let us maintain a competitive advantage by quickly producing and publishing complete, high-quality stories," said Dany Harrison, General Manager, Production, French Services for CBC/Radio-Canada. "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 suppors the Interplay Production asset management systems and new tools for a broad range of television entertainment and sports production tasks. It also has important incremental capabilities for news journalists and iNEWS-connected newsroom staff. Interplay Central can be used with Interplay Production and iNEWS^®, together or separately. Specific features include:

New sequence pane with a horizontal editing timeline to create shotlists or basic sequences.
Expanded collaboration tools for searching, browsing, and transferring media between multiple workgroups and sharing links to provide direct access to media.
Create, view, export, and delete text markers and subclip video or live feeds, allowing easy search and retrieval of relevant content.
DNxHD 85/100 format support for sports workflows.
Single search across iNEWS stories and Interplay media, including date and time search criteria.
Enhanced field journalist capabilities with native apps for iOS devices that let reporters create, browse, and edit iNEWS stories and review Interplay video sequences from wherever they are working.

"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 Segment and Product Marketing, Avid. "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."

Interplay Central 1.3 is delivered and supported by seasoned teams of Avid Customer Success and Professional Services specialists who provide a complete range of consultative design, implementation, training services, and responsive support options.

Pricing & Availability

Interplay Central 1.3 is available immediately. Pricing starts at $2,000 (USD) for a Base Client and $25,000 for an Advance Client 5-pack. For more information including a detailed list of features and functionality, go to http://www.avid.com/US/products/Avid-Interplay-Central.

About Avid

Avid creates the digital audio and video technology used to make the most listened to, most watched and most loved media in the world - from the most prestigious and award-winning feature films, music recordings, television shows, to live concert tours and news broadcasts. Some of Avid's most influential and pioneering solutions include Media Composer®, Pro Tools®, Interplay®, ISIS®, VENUE, Sibelius®, and System 5. For more information about Avid solutions and services, visit www.avid.com, connect with Avid on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google+; or subscribe to Avid Buzz.

© 2012 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product features, specifications, system requirements and availability are subject to change without notice. All prices are USMSRP for the U.S. and Canada only and are subject to change without notice. Contact your local Avid office or reseller for prices outside the U.S. and Canada. Avid, the Avid logo, Media Composer, Pro Tools, ISIS, Sibelius, Interplay, and iNEWS are trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. The Interplay name is used with the permission of the Interplay Entertainment Corp. which bears no responsibility for Avid products. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.