Freehand named as new Discreet Systems Reseller

Discreet has appointed Freehand, the specialist graphics and video system supplier, as a new Discreet Systems Reseller for smoke and flint running on Linux OS.
Freehand will concentrate on the Linux OS products running on IBM Intellistations with a special focus on the growing marketplace outside Soho - including ad agencies, regional facilities and blue chip companies - making this a highly significant agreement for both companies.
The appointment was made following an eight-year relationship between Discreet and Freehand. During this time Freehand has become authorised as a Discreet Training Centre and Discreet Solutions Centre.
Patrick Jocelyn, Director EMEA, Discreet, said: “Freehand has a proven pedigree of success with our software products and a strong focus on niche markets, which is very appealing to Discreet.
“It’s important for us to work with a reseller that can introduce creative tools to new and alternative in-house users, and extend our focus beyond the facilities market. Freehand is superbly placed to do this because of its creative approach to selling to and supporting customers in a variety of markets.”
Phil Darkin, Business Development Director, Freehand, said: “Our new status as a Discreet Systems Reseller enables us to approach our database of existing Discreet customers with the possibility of upgrading to smoke. We are also interested in raising awareness for the smoke and flint products amongst users of competitive solutions, who would like to explore other high-end products offering better price/performance rather than merely upgrading their existing systems.”
Discreet’s smoke 6 is a non-linear editing tool that delivers unprecedented speed and workflow performance, real-time interactivity, and industry-leading visual effects tools. It allows users the flexibility of editing and finishing at any resolution and in any format at the highest quality possible. smoke 6 on Linux OS, currently supports real-time 8-bit 4:4:4 (RGB) media for uncompressed SD video I/O, while allowing resolution independent files to be brought in and edited on the timeline.
flint 9 is Discreet’s high performance visual effects system for broadcast and post production. flint delivers real-time video I/O capabilities, the ability to integrate high resolution imagery and a sophisticated palette of visual effects tools based on Discreet’s Academy Award-winning flame technology. Powerful and intuitive to use, flint provides artists with a responsive creative environment for paint, motion graphics animation and visual effects design.
(gmcg)