Media 100 i/DV offers dual stream content design system

Media 100, a developer of advanced media systems, has added two new solutions to its family of dual stream content design systems: Media 100 i/DV and iFinish DV. The former is Mac only and the latter Windows only, so we’ll just concentrate on the first.

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Media 100 i/DV, priced at US$1,995, is designed as an entry-level, professional dual stream content design system. It’s designed for artists, editors, designers (especially After Effects artists) who “design” content from a DV source, and don’t just edit content

Media 100 i/DV is the only dual stream content design system on the market that enables a “seamless, powerful” extension to Adobe After Effects and to provide a streamlined workflow that “enhances the creative process for content designers and creative professional,” according to Mike Savello, vice president of Dual Stream Systems for Media 100.

“Our new DV-only offerings are highly differentiated in the market as they are the only professional caliber dual stream systems that provide a software/hardware integration solution that, not only yields higher performance and the highest picture quality in the industry, but also facilitates a seamless upgrade path to even more powerful, professional capabilities, including upgrades to uncompressed quality video, SDI and component I/O,” he told MacCentral. “We’re providing a simple, cost effective growth path for our customers. No other DV-only editing solution on the market gives customers this level of investment protection, quality, value and performance.”

The marketplace is seeing a rising tide of software-only non-linear editing tools, such as Final Cut Pro 3 and Avid Xpress DV. The result is falling ASPs and eroding growth and revenue from the editing market, Savello said. The mid-range market is feeling pressure from the low-end, but there’s still room for a professional tool set, he added. And that’s where Media 100 i/DV comes in.

Media 100 is moving up-market, while also supporting mid- to entry-level for content design, Savello said. And the company’s dual stream business remains healthy, even in the tough economy. The business showed an increase in the second financial quarter over the first in certain geographies, Savello said.

Media 100 i/DV is designed to serve up a robust DV solution that enables up-sampling native-DV color information to preserve image quality during the application of high-quality compositing and effects, he added. Its composite and S-video out features provide an easy and accurate preview on a broadcast monitor, as well as allowing mixing and matching of source formats, which makes it ideal for professionals working with multiple sources, Savello said.

Media100 i/DV sports “share-the-board” functionality, supporting video output to a broadcast monitor (both NTSC and PAL) from third party applications, such as After Effects. A hardware codec allows third party applications, such as After Effects, to read from, and render in real-time, to the Media 100 file format for compatibility with a Media 100 content design workflow. It also offers the “most robust array of professional upgrade possibilities,” including SDI I/O, on-line dual-stream effects, uncompressed-quality compression, and MPEG-2 file, Savello said.

As an integrated hardware-software solution, the Media 100 i/DV is upgradeable. Its upgrade path can lead to: SDI I/O; online dual stream effects; uncompressed quality video and MPEG-2 file I/O (with third party solutions from Wired).

The software for the Media 100 i/DV runs on Mac OS 9.2. But when version 8 of Media 100 i ships later this summer, it will be Mac OS X compatible. And those who buy Media 100 i/DV now will get Media 100i v8 free. Media 100i V8 is a Mac OS X-native dual stream content design system for professional content creators, broadcast designers and digital media artists.