AVID DEMONSTRATES INTEROPERABILITY WITH MXF NATIVE PRODUCTS

IBC, Amsterdam – 12th September 2003 – Avid Technology Europe Ltd., a subsidiary of Avid Technology, Inc., announced today that it is showing its first editing product able to store media in the MXF container format at IBC 2003. The presence of Avid NewsCutter XP with Avid Mojo, appearing on the Sony stand and in the Pro-MPEG interoperability forum, confirms Avid’s commitment to delivering solutions that integrate seamlessly into the broadcast and post-production environments.

“Avid was the first manufacturer of broadcast post-production products to publicly announce its support for MXF, and we are particularly pleased to be able to showcase this support in our leading news editing solution for the first time here in Europe,” said Michael Tancock, Broadcast Product Marketing Manager, Avid Technology Europe Ltd. “Increasingly, customers are looking towards IP based solutions to form the basis of their broadcast infrastructure. Integrating Avid systems with products like Sony e-VTR and XDCAM are key steps towards meeting our customers’ needs. Our demonstrations at IBC 2003 are in response to the growing emphasis that many European broadcasters are placing on the near-transparent interchange of the MPEG-IMX media format.”
“The e-VTR is part of our growing line-up of MXF products,” said Peter Sykes, Product Manager, Sony Business Europe. “The transfer of MXF files between the e-VTR and Avid NewsCutter demonstrates the open standards-based approach that customers demand.”

“While e-VTR offers the bridge to integrate tapes more efficiently into an IT infrastructure, XDCAM has been designed to bring another layer of workflow opportunities thanks to its non-linear nature and innovative characteristics. Using the MXF format will ensure a perfect integration with Avid products,” said Olivier Bovis, Marketing Manager for XDCAM, Sony Business Europe.

MXF is a wrapper or container format able to encapsulate media and rich production metadata into a single file, which is equally appropriate for media storage and exchange. An important feature of MXF is its ability to support streaming solutions, thus allowing material to be accessed without having to wait for a transfer to complete. MXF development is guided by the Pro-MPEG Forum and is currently undergoing SMPTE standardisation. It is an open technology that can be implemented by any manufacturer.

The latest progress on these developments will be featured throughout Phase Two of the Experience Avid DNA Tour currently taking place across Europe. For details and dates of the Tour please visit www.avid.com/dnatour.

About Avid Technology, Inc.
Avid Technology, Inc. is the world leader in digital nonlinear media creation, management and distribution solutions, enabling film, video, audio, animation, games, and broadcast news professionals to work more efficiently, productively and creatively. For more information about the company’s Oscar®, Grammy®, and Emmy® award-winning products and services, please visit: www.avid.com.

© 2003 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product specifications and availability are subject to change without notice. Avid, Film Composer, NewsCutter, Avid Mojo, and Avid DNA are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Avid received an Oscar statuette representing the 1998 Scientific and Technical Award for the concept, design and engineering of the Avid Film Composer® system for motion picture editing. Oscar is a trademark and service mark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Emmy is a registered trademark of ATAS/NATAS. Grammy is a trademark of The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Inc. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.