New Avid Studio and Pinnacle Studio version 15 allow consumers to create professional-quality HD movies with technology trusted by top Hollywood editors

BURLINGTON, Mass. -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Avid® (NASDAQ: AVID), today unveiled an expanded lineup of consumer video editing solutions with the introduction of an entirely new and powerful software offering, Avid Studio, as well as the latest release of its industry-leading Pinnacle Studio™ software family. The new Avid Studio consumer editing software features some of the same technology used to create major motion pictures, empowering hobby videographers and editing enthusiasts to make professional-quality movies at a fraction of the cost. The Pinnacle Studio version 15 family, which includes Pinnacle Studio HD, Pinnacle Studio HD Ultimate and Pinnacle Studio HD Ultimate Collection, makes it easy for users who are just starting out to create sophisticated HD videos at home. Together, Avid Studio and the Pinnacle Studio family comprise a complete consumer video-editing line that serves a broad range of customers.

Avid Studio: New Video Creation Software Empowers Consumers with Innovative Workflows and Technology Used by Top Hollywood Editors

Featuring some of the same technology used by top Hollywood editors, Avid Studio software is the newest addition to Avid’s consumer editing line up and enables hobby videographers and editing enthusiasts to transform their videos, photos and audio files into rich, multimedia experiences. This high-performance yet easy-to-use editing solution delivers powerful media editing features, stabilization technology, and interface functionality leveraged from Avid Media Composer®—the software used by the majority of Oscar® winning film editors in the past two decades. Key features in Avid Studio include:

• Integrated media library: Enables consumers to quickly find, organize and manage videos, photos and audio files with a single, easy-to-use, comprehensive user interface. A universal import tool also makes it easy to import photos, video and audio into the library from a wide range of consumer devices.

• Powerful media editor: Eliminates the need for consumers to use third-party applications to correct video, photo and audio files by allowing them to edit their assets once in Avid Studio and then use them in multiple projects.

• Feature-rich timeline editor: Offers professional-level timeline editing with markers for syncing audio and video, and keyframes for creating smooth transitions. Unlimited timeline tracks also enable powerful editing and compositing, including picture-in-picture or multi-layer effects.

• DVD and Blu-ray authoring tools and Blu-ray disc burning: Makes it easy to share productions with family, friends and the world with integrated disc authoring and a variety of export formats.

• Impressive collection of professional-grade plug-ins: Yields Hollywood-style results with over $2000 worth of add-ons and plug-ins, including a professional Red Giant plug-in package.

• Product training and SmartTools: Helps consumers get great results with included, in-depth training videos about Avid Studio workflows, as well as video editing basics. In addition, Avid Studio includes convenient SmartTools, which provide consumers with automatic, intelligent workflows that can help accelerate the creation of polished productions.

Pinnacle Studio version 15: Market-leading Software Allows Consumers to Easily Create Professional-looking HD Videos

Pinnacle Studio is the top choice in consumer video editing software* used by more than 12 million customers worldwide**. Designed for entry-level video editing customers, Pinnacle Studio version 15 allows users to easily create HD movies and share them directly on YouTube, DVD, the Web and more. New features in Pinnacle Studio version 15 include:

• Archive/Restore feature: Ensures customers’ creations are safe in the event of an unexpected computer malfunction by allowing them to conveniently back up all project data in a single location or transfer projects between multiple PCs.

• Intel Processor Optimization: Enhances the editing experience with improved playback speed and performance through optimization for the latest generations of Intel processors.

• Expanded format support: Provides customers with the ability to share movies on the platform of their choice with support for today’s most popular export formats, including DivX Plus HD, YouTube HD, QuickTime HD, and AVCHD Lite.

• More included content: Equips consumers with professional-quality content to create Hollywood-style productions. Each version of Pinnacle Studio includes more than 1800 built-in effects, titles, transitions and other content. Pinnacle Studio Ultimate and Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Collection also include professional-grade Red Giant plug-ins.

The Pinnacle Studio version 15 family of consumer video editing software is available in three unique packages:

• Pinnacle Studio HD: Includes over 1800 effects, titles, transitions and other content—almost double the amount of content as the previous version of Pinnacle Studio.

• Pinnacle Studio HD Ultimate: Includes all Studio HD features plus Dolby® Digital 5.1 encoding, Blu-ray authoring, keyframable effects and Motion Titler. Pinnacle Studio HD Ultimate includes more than 2000 effects, titles, transitions and other content, including two premium Red Giant plug-ins for Hollywood-style visual effects.

• Pinnacle Studio HD Ultimate Collection: Includes all Studio HD Ultimate features plus green screen for creating chroma-key effects. Pinnacle Studio HD Ultimate Collection includes more than 2200 effects, titles, transitions and other content, including six premium Red Giant plug-ins for Hollywood-style visual effects.

Pricing and Availability
Pinnacle Studio version 15 family pricing begins at $59 for Pinnacle Studio HD, $99 for Pinnacle Studio HD Ultimate and $129 for Pinnacle Studio HD Ultimate Collection. Pinnacle Studio version 15 is available worldwide today.

Avid Studio will be available worldwide via download on March 8, 2011 for $169. The boxed version of Avid Studio will be available during Q2. Existing Pinnacle Studio users will be able to upgrade to Avid Studio for $99.

All prices listed are USMSRP. For more information on pricing and features visit www.avid.com

* Source: the NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service/Consumer Video Editing (August 2009 through July 2010) – US
** Source: Global registered users of all versions of Pinnacle Studio

About Avid
Avid creates the digital audio and video technology used to make the most listened to, most watched and most loved media in the world – from the most prestigious and award-winning feature films, music recordings, television shows, live concert tours and news broadcasts, to music and movies made at home. Some of Avid’s most influential and pioneering solutions include Media Composer, Pro Tools, Interplay®, ISIS®, VENUE, Oxygen 8, Sibelius®, System 5, and Pinnacle Studio™. For more information about Avid solutions and services, visit www.avid.com, del.icio.us, Flickr, Twitter and YouTube; connect with Avid on Facebook; or subscribe to Avid Industry Buzz.

© 2011 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product features, specifications, system requirements and availability are subject to change without notice. All prices are USMSRP for the U.S. and Canada only and are subject to change without notice. Contact your local Avid office or reseller for prices outside the U.S. and Canada. Avid, the Avid logo, Media Composer, Pro Tools, Interplay, ISIS, Sibelius, and Pinnacle Studio are trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. The Interplay name is used with the permission of the Interplay Entertainment Corp. which bears no responsibility for Avid products. Oscar is a trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Dolby is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.