Avid Xpress Pro 5.5 brings HD to Macs

Avid today announced the worldwide availability of Avid Xpress Pro software v5.5 as well as the newest member in Avid's line of Digital Nonlinear Accelerator products, Avid Mojo SDI. Avid Xpress Pro v5.5 delivers HD capabilities for both Mac and Windows-based systems, while Avid Mojo SDI works seamlessly with Avid Xpress Pro and Media Composer software to provide high-quality, advanced analog and digital SDI (Serial Digital Interface) I/O connections for professional video and audio projects. Both the Avid Xpress Pro and Avid Mojo SDI systems, including upgrades for existing customers, are available now. Avid Xpress Pro software 5.5 is priced at $1,700 and Avid Mojo SDI is priced at $2,500. Existing Avid Xpress Pro v4 or v5 customers can upgrade to Avid Xpress Pro v5.5 for $50.

The Avid Xpress Pro 5.5 software offers professional video, audio, film, effects, and encoding tools - plus custom music creation software. It supports native HDV and DVCPRO HD for acquisition, editing, and output; real-time effects and 2:3 pulldown insertion over FireWire; and Avid DNxHD encoding to create effects, transitions, and titles with uncompromised image quality.

The company says that its unique Open Timeline enables users to mix HDV, DVCPRO HD, and Avid DNxHD formats with SD and DV media in the same timeline in real-time, eliminating the time-consuming process of incorporating media from multiple sources into a single project.

Avid Mojo SDI

Avid Mojo SDI is a portable, advanced analog and digital SDI I/O device with high-quality professional video and audio connections supporting most professional decks and cameras. Connecting to any Mac or PC via FireWire, the Avid Mojo SDI Digital Nonlinear Accelerator offers the same analog connectivity of Avid Mojo, but adds SDI I/O and AES/EBU digital audio I/O to expand Avid Xpress Pro solutions to work with mastering-quality SD cameras and decks. It is available for both Avid Xpress Pro and Media Composer software.

"Independent video and film professionals now have more features than ever with this release of Avid Xpress Pro and Avid Mojo SDI," said Patrick McLean, senior product manager for Avid. "No other vendor is able to offer such powerful content creation tools and connectivity options on both the Mac and PC platform, all backed up by Avid's industry leading media management. Whether it's support for various HD formats, multi-cam support with simultaneous playback for real-time editing, or support for new tapeless workflows and formats, our customers can now do it all on the platform of their choice - or even both if they choose."

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