NBC Relies on Avid Solutions for Torino Olympic Winter Games
Investment in Avid systems includes Avid Unity ISIS, HD editing and finishing, Avid DNxHD workflow, audio solutions, and broadcast graphics
Tewksbury, MA – January 25, 2006 – Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVID) today announced that NBC has invested in Avid® video and Digidesign® audio workflow solutions in preparation for the network’s broadcast of the XX Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. The solutions enable NBC to construct a comprehensive, state-of-the-art digital SD and HD production pipeline that greatly expands the video and audio workflow it implemented for the 2004 Summer Olympics. The deal also represents an unprecedented move in television history, as NBC will be the first U.S. network to broadcast the Olympic Winter Games in HD during primetime.
“This is the fourth consecutive Olympic Games where we’re using Avid solutions, and the third for graphics products that were formerly from Pinnacle but are now part of Avid. Each time we have adopted a bigger and more powerful workflow while also maintaining tremendous efficiency and reliability,” said David Mazza, Senior Vice President, Engineering, NBC Olympics. “For the 2006 Olympic Games, we will be deploying our largest shared-storage solution to date, and it will serve as the heart of our editing and graphics workflow that includes HD production and broadcasting for the first time on our main network feeds. It’s always a challenge to bring together a multitude of systems from several manufacturers, but Avid helps make the configuration seamless and cohesive. More importantly, with extremely time-sensitive production cycles for Olympics broadcasts, it’s imperative that we have the full functionality and support that Avid is able to deliver in this highly charged environment.”
NBC’s Torino production facility will comprise six Avid Unity ISIS™ systems and three Avid Unity™ LANshare shared-storage systems, totaling more than 100 terabytes (TB) of storage; 36 Media Composer® Adrenaline™ systems – 29 of which are equipped with the Avid DNxcel™ board for HD capture, real-time editing, and output for high-end editorial finishing; a Digidesign ICON integrated console environment featuring a D-Control™ console and a Pro Tools|HD® 7 Accel system for recording, producing and mixing audio in 5.1-channel surround sound; five Deko® 3000 HD character generators and five Thunder® HD production servers to deliver all the on-air graphics; and Avid Professional Services for on-site training and support.
Additionally, NBC will use the revolutionary Avid DNxHD™ format to facilitate HD production at 1080i/50 resolutions within an Avid shared-storage environment. Because Avid DNxHD files support full raster 8- and 10-bit media, they deliver the pristine quality of 10-bit uncompressed HD images – but with the bandwidth of SD files. When fully operational, NBC will be equipped to handle more than 100 TB of HD media in a shared-storage environment – or 800 hours of HD footage.
The Digidesign ICON environment is at the heart of the NBC Olympics audio postproduction suite in Torino, and will be used around the clock in the weeks before the Olympics and throughout the games. For this deadline-critical environment, NBC chose ICON for its tight integration with Avid systems to produce the audio for promos, athlete profiles, and other segments. ICON’s tactile control and rich visual feedback help engineers get work done quickly while maintaining the highest audio standards.
About NBC Olympics
NBC, “America's Olympic Network,” owns the exclusive U.S. media rights to the Olympic Games, television’s most powerful property, through 2012, which includes Torino, Italy in 2006, Beijing in 2008, Vancouver in 2010 and London in 2012. This February, NBC Universal will present the 2006 Olympic Winter Games from Torino, Italy (February 10-26, 2006). In August 2004, 203 million viewers watched as the networks of NBC Universal—NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Bravo, Telemundo, and NBC’s HD affiliates—offered a record 1,210 hours of Olympic coverage from Athens. In February 2002, 187 million watched the Salt Lake Olympic Games on NBC, MSNBC and CNBC. For additional information, log onto NBCOlympics.com, the Internet's preeminent source for Olympic results, video, photos, news and athlete profiles through the Torino Games. NBCOlympics.com will be the only site in the United States featuring competition video of complete runs and routines, real-time results and medal counts for every event, an interactive television viewing guide and comprehensive, multimedia profiles on every U.S. Olympian.
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 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.
© 2006 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, Deko, Digidesign, D-Control, Film Composer, Pro Tools, Pro Tools|HD, Media Composer, Thunder, Adrenaline, Avid DNxcel, Avid DNxHD, Avid Unity ISIS, and Avid Unity are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. or its subsidiariesin 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. Digidesign, Avid’s audio division, received an Oscar statuette representing the 2003 Scientific and Technical Award for the design, development, and implementation of its Pro Tools® digital audio workstation. 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.