Avid Provides Next Generation Newsroom Solutions With Interplay Sphere

Avid has launched a range of newsroom offerings featuring Avid Interplay Sphere, a cost-effective solution to help journalists write, edit, and produce more and better stories from where they are happening.
With Interplay Sphere connectivity, NewsCutter or Media Composer software, and a laptop, operations can be conducted for a fraction of the cost of the traditional remote news truck. Avid Interplay Sphere, the industry’s first cloud-enabled centre of distributed news production, is now available for shipment.
Key Interplay Sphere features include:
• Easy, two-way access/connection — Enables editors or journalists in the field to securely edit complete stories from any location, collaborate with distributed teams across complex workflows, and easily deliver content to production facilities
• Simplified workflows — Automatically manages the transcode, upload and check-in to any connected Avid Interplay system and allows users to edit directly from any Interplay asset store; pre-defined output processes simplify editing and automatic check-in on the production asset system
• Intelligent media transfers — Speeds the crucial transfer of local media from the field by providing the ability to begin uploading media as a story is being edited, intelligently prioritize media transfer based upon working content, and deliver proxy files ahead of full resolution files
• Extends the newsroom to any location — Working with full featured NewsCutter and Media Composer editors and Interplay Production, Interplay Sphere enables the full spectrum of media creation, workflow management, collaboration and connectivity
"Interplay Sphere opens a new frontier in universal connectivity for news, sports, and video production, letting you craft better stories from where they’re actually happening with a full range of media access and collaborative capabilities," said Dana Ruzicka, vice president of segment and product marketing at Avid.
Avid is also announcing a comprehensive range of enhancements to its industry-leading news solutions. This includes:
• iNEWS® 4.0 — Building on its industry-leading newsroom management, news creation and playback control capabilities, iNEWS 4.0 introduces greater scalability with capacity to handle 130% more stories, and enhanced Media Object Server (MOS) support for increased flexibility in news workflows.
• Interplay Production 2.7 — Advancing the ability of production groups to create content more collaboratively and automate workflows, Interplay Production 2.7 now supports Interplay Sphere, ISIS® 2000, Avid DNxHD 85/100, and Media Composer 6.5/NewsCutter 10.5. Interplay Production 2.7 also features greater workflow flexibility and capacity with support for multiple ISIS shared storage installations.
• Media Composer/Symphony™ 6.5/NewsCutter 10.5 — Enabling editors to create higher quality content quicker, the industry’s platinum-standard toolset for professional editing now features remote editorial workflows with Interplay Sphere and new file support for AS-02, J2K and Avid DNxHD 100.
Pricing and Availability
Pricing for Interplay Sphere is $50,000 (GRP) for the software license including five seats; additional seats are $1,500 each (GRP). Interplay Sphere is now available.
www.avid.com/US/products/interplay-sphere