SAN FRANCISCO -- Discreet, a division of Autodesk, Inc., (Nasdaq: ADSK) announced that national broadcast postproduction facility Harvey’s Place is upgrading its postproduction facilities with edit* v5.0, the latest release of Discreet’s nonlinear Windows NT video-editing and -finishing system.  The Southfield, Michigan-based firm, an Avid customer since 1989, recently upgraded its nonlinear editing and finishing system to Discreet™ edit* reportedly because of its exceptional price- performance and rich feature set.  In a separate announcement today, Discreet announced the worldwide availability of edit* v5.0.

According to Harvey’s Place executives, edit* combines nonlinear and uncompressing real-time editing for a powerful all-in-one digital postproduction solution at price points that competing systems simply cannot match.  Harvey’s Place opted to purchase four Discreet edit* v5.0 systems instead of replacing its old Avid systems, allowing the firm to migrate to the more affordable Windows NT platform at half the investment cost of new systems to support an Avid upgrade.  Discreet’s Windows NT-based system is helping Harvey’s Place keep its equipment investment costs down while providing an affordable and flexible platform on which to produce national television spots for Ford, Chrysler, Jeep, Goodyear, Lowe’s Home Improvement and other clients.

“By adopting the edit* platform, Harvey’s Place is banking on Discreet’s esteemed reputation for delivering reliable, high-performance products,” said Warren Silverstein, vice president of Harvey’s Place.  “edit* v5.0 will help us differentiate our service with a more proficient and cost-effective approach to postproduction.  We expect this will be a key factor in producing standout work and winning client confidence.”

The Discreet editorial and finishing system also provides editors with a faster, more efficient way to work—with flexible editing tools, audio-finishing features, unlimited undo and a rich set of special effects and extended graphics capabilities.  Now with the ability to edit video with concurrent digital and motion effects in real-time—thus, eliminating the need to rerender modified images—Harvey’s Place has cut its finishing cycle time by about 25 percent.

“For offline or online production, edit* is the one,” said Brian Chidester, senior editor.  “It delivers incredible image quality and clean, smooth real-time playback without compromising video integrity.”

“Harvey’s Place is the quintessential edit* customer—a digital postproduction house with talent, vision and an understanding of the immense capabilities of Windows NT-based finishing environments,” said Jim Guerard, vice president of marketing and product management for Discreet.  “We are delighted that Harvey’s Place has decided to replace its existing finishing system with edit* v5.0.  We look forward to a long, collaborative relationship with this innovative facility.”

About edit* v5.0

Designed to address today’s rapidly changing production and editorial environments, edit* v5.0 software has a powerfully integrated audio- and video-finishing solution capable of supporting uncompressed image quality and a wide range of compressed reproducts.  edit* plus v5.0 builds on the feature set of edit* v5.0 to meet the demanding needs of facilities involved in sophisticated postproduction projects.

edit* v5.0 addresses a wide spectrum of editorial requirements, including creative offline and online editorial production and effects-centric video finishing for both short- and long-form programming.  Designed specifically for the Intel architecture and Window NT, edit* is the industry’s most mature and stable Windows NT editing solution.  edit* v5.0 is ideally suited to handle everything from simple conforms to complete editorial “storytelling."

Pinnacle and Matrox Video products

Pinnacle

edit* v5.0 software supports the Pinnacle TARGA 2000 DTX, RTX, and SDX.

edit* v5.0 plus software supports the TARGA 2000 RTX3D and SDX3D video products.

Matrox

edit* v5.0 software supports the Matrox DigiSuite LE.

edit* v5.0 plus software supports the DigiSuite LE and DigiSuite video products.

edit* Product Line Price and Availability

Discreet’s edit* product line has been simplified into two core products based on editorial and finishing features and compatibility with Matrox and Pinnacle video products.  Two options are available for each video solution:  edit* at a U.S. list price of $7,995, and edit* plus at a U.S. list price of $11,995.  Prices are for software only.  Users outside the United States and Canada should contact local Authorized Autodesk Resellers for new product and upgrade pricing.

edit* software is a major new release with significant additions to the video, audio and database management toolsets, enhanced graphics integration with paint* and effect*, QuickTime 3.0 support and workgroup support with Number One GM software.

edit* plus software expands upon edit* software’s core features and is designed for high-performance facilities that require a broader range of finishing.   edit* plus enhanced features include multicam support, real-time parametric EQ, compressor and modulation audio plug-ins, a VST plug-in structure, four-channel audio I/O with the Matrox video products, uncompressed image quality with the Matrox DigiSuite board set and real-time 3D digital effects using the Pinnacle TARGA 3D video hardware.

V5.0 software upgrades are available on both Matrox and Truevision. Please contact an Authorized Discreet Reseller for pricing and additional upgrade programs.

As part of Discreet’s objective to provide quality systems and support for its customers, it has launched a certified configurations program where customers will be able to purchase certified configurations from trained and certified resellers.   Contact an Authorized Discreet Reseller for more information.

About Discreet

Discreet, a division of Autodesk, Inc., develops systems and software for visual effects, 3D animation, editing and production used in the creation of digital moving pictures for video, HDTV, the Web, broadcast graphics, interactive games and feature films, including the last three years’ winners of the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.   Discreet products are used extensively in film and video postproduction, games and multimedia, broadcaster’s graphics, programming and on-air event coverage.  Software by Discreet is also popular with designers and architects for 3D visualization and conceptualization.  Discreet was recently recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with a Scientific and Engineering Award for flame* and inferno*.

Headquartered in Montreal, the Discreet division of Autodesk was established in 1999 when Autodesk acquired Discreet Logic and merged its operations with Kinetix®, the San Francisco-based multimedia business unit that Autodesk created in 1996.

About Autodesk

Autodesk is the world’s leading supplier of PC design software and digital content creation tools.  One of the largest software companies in the world, Autodesk has more than four million customers in over 150 countries.  For more information, contact any Authorized Autodesk Reseller, call Autodesk at 800-964-6432, or visit www.autodesk.com.   Discreet product information is available at 800-869-3504 or via the Web at www.discreet.com.   Autodesk shares are traded on the Nasdaq national market under the symbol ADSK.

SOURCE  Autodesk, Inc.