Avid Unveils New System Architecture to Power Fifth-Generation Avid Unity MediaNetwork

Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVID) today announced the Avid Unity™ MediaNetwork 5.0 system powered by the Avid® Media Engine™ – a streamlined, next-generation system architecture that sets a new standard in price-performance for real-time shared storage. By consolidating several hardware components into a single, integrated file management system and storage server, the Avid Unity MediaNetwork 5.0 system delivers twice the performance of previous generation Avid Unity systems while maintaining robust data resiliency – all at a new, lower price point designed to appeal to post production facilities of any size. The Avid Unity MediaNetwork 5.0 system is available in scalable SD and HD configurations, both of which offer Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) connectivity and 4 Gigabit (Gb) Fibre Channel connectivity, PC and Mac compatibility – including support for Intel-based Mac clients – as well as storage capacity that can scale from 4 to 40 terabytes (TB).

“The new architecture of our Avid Unity system delivers greater performance and an attractive price point to a wider range of customers – from independent boutiques to large production facilities,” said Lesley Glorioso, senior product marketing manager for Advanced Film and Television at Avid. “A small production facility can start with a SD base configuration of 4 TB and GigE connectivity, and easily grow the system to 40 TB of capacity. Expanding the system with Fibre Channel capabilities – for higher-res HD and 2K workflows – can be accomplished in minutes by simply adding a Fibre switch and a Fibre Channel card. And with our Open Storage Initiative, which allows customers to connect a range of third-party PC and Mac products to Avid shared storage, our Unity MediaNetwork 5.0 system is ideal for virtually any kind of production environment.”

Flexible Configurations for Today’s Diverse Shared-Storage Needs
The Avid Unity MediaNetwork 5.0 system is designed to make it easy for post production facilities of any size to select a shared-storage system that meets their unique needs – and expand the system’s capabilities with a range of plug-and-play components as production demands grow over time. The base configurations include:

The Avid Media Engine – designed for SD workflows, offering Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, 4 TB or 8 TB of initial storage, UnityRAID™ data protection, and eight client licenses. The base 16-drive configuration supports up to four dual streams of 2:1 SD content or up to 20 lower resolution clients in real time. The Avid Media Engine system can also be augmented with Fibre Channel components to scale to support a total of 46 simultaneous clients (combined GigE and Fibre Channel) and deliver uncompressed HD or 2K resolutions.
The Avid Media Engine FC – designed for HD workflows, offering support for larger bandwidth HD and 2K files via 4-Gb Fibre Channel connectivity, 4 TB or 8 TB of initial storage, UnityRAID data protection, and eight client licenses. The base Avid Media Engine FC supports up to seven dual streams of Avid DNxHD® 145 media or up to 15 Fibre Channel clients working with a mix of resolutions. The system can be augmented with an additional Fibre Channel switch to support up to 26 Fibre Channel-attached clients; GigE connectivity can be added for a total of 46 simultaneous clients (combined GigE and Fibre Channel). A maximum configuration will support up to five dual streams of 8-bit uncompressed HD material and at least two single streams of 10-bit uncompressed HD media – twice the performance available with previous Avid Unity MediaNetwork systems.
Customers can increase the storage capacity of either Avid Media Engine configuration by adding Avid MEDIArray™ XT storage modules in 4 or 8 TB increments. Avid also offers additional client licenses and Fibre Channel and Gigabit Ethernet Kits that allow users to expand the networking capabilities of their respective SD or HD base configurations.

Pricing & Availability
The Avid Media Engine and the Avid Media Engine FC base configurations for version 5.0 of the Avid MediaNetwork shared-storage system start at $24,995 USMSRP, and are expected to be available in Q2 2007 through Avid’s worldwide reseller network. For more information about Avid shared-storage systems, please visit www.avid.com/storage.