Offers Upcoming Features at No Charge To Customers Who Purchase Before NAB

TEWKSBURY, MA. -- Avid Technology, Inc. announced new releases of its Media Composer and Symphony professional editing/finishing systems -- Media Composer Version 10.0 and Symphony Version 3.0. The new releases will be unveiled at NAB 2000.

Customers who purchase new Media Composer and Symphony systems after January 15 will receive standard features of the Symphony 3.0 and Media Composer 10.0 systems, currently planned to be previewed at NAB 2000, at no additional cost. This program is part of a larger effort intended to provide customers with more insight into technology changes and upcoming software releases from Avid, so they can more easily manage and grow their businesses.

The upcoming Avid Symphony Version 3.0 release will provide the next level of nonlinear finishing and mastering tools for high-end television projects, including an entirely new real-time keyer, for chroma keying that rivals linear online, and real-time moving mattes. Advancements in the area of multi-format, multi-version editing and mastering -- including the ability to output Web streaming formats directly from the Symphony system, will be part of the Symphony and Symphony Universal releases, augmenting current capabilities such as 24P Universal Mastering and Pan + Scan. Symphony Version 3.0 is planned for shipment in Q3 2000. Additional features will be announced at NAB 2000.

Avid Media Composer 10.0 is planned to be available for both the Macintosh and Windows NT platforms, and will offer full feature parity on both platforms. Features including 24P Universal Offline Editing and 24fps feature film editing which were previously announced for the Media Composer system?s Macintosh "Millennium" release, have been rolled into the Version 10.0 release. The company plans to ship a single software release -- Version 10.0, for both Macintosh and Windows NT platforms, in Q3 2000.

In addition to the film/offline editing features, Media Composer 10.0 will include an important online finishing feature -- real-time moving mattes -- as well as the ability to output streaming formats directly from the Media Composer system, a critical component for digital mastering to the Web. Additional features will be announced at NAB 2000.

In addition to NAB feature protection, which is effective on systems purchased after January 15, Avid is also offering an ongoing program that allows customers to incrementally adopt new technology with confidence. A platform trade-across program enables customers to buy a Media Composer system on Macintosh or Windows NT and trade across to the comparable release on the other platform for a nominal cost. Avid is also offering a number of promotional programs which add significant value to customers purchasing Media Composer and Symphony systems in January, February and March. For additional information, and terms and conditions, contact your local Avid Reseller.

About Avid Technology, Inc.
Avid Technology, Inc. is an international, industry-leading provider of digital audio and video tools for information and entertainment applications. The company?s products are used by a variety of customers worldwide including film, television and interactive content producers, TV news broadcasters, corporate communicators and consumers. For more information, visit Avid?s Web site at www.avid.com.

2000 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product specifications and promotions are subject to change without notice. Avid and Media Composer are registered trademarks, and Symphony is a trademark of Avid Technology, Inc. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.