Barcud Derwen invests in Avid Symphony Nitris

Barcud Derwen, based in Caernarfon, is a television facilities company, which offers two studios, outside broadcast units and full post-production facilities.
These include offline and online editing suites, dubbing suites, graphics, DVD authoring, tape transfers and satellite down-link. Barcud Derwen has recently invested in an Avid Symphony Nitris system, to help with its increasing post-production workload, which is at an all-time high.
Tristan Lewis, senior editor at Barcud Derwen, said: “Our main studio facility in Caernarfon already houses two Avid Unity systems, three meridian-based Symphonies, three Media Composers, one Media Composer Adrenaline and a couple of Xpress Pro systems. The new Symphony Nitris system has slotted seamlessly into this environment and now enables us to work in HD. We have based our workflow around the Avid Unity system as this gave us the best flexibility and the greatest compatibility across the industry.
“We’re now totally tapeless wherever possible, apart from archiving; even our graphics systems are linked into the Unity.
“Our turn-around time is often very tight, so compatibility across all platforms reduces time and cost for the customer thus making us more competitive.”
Tristan continued: “We’re exceptionally busy at the moment so the new system is an addition, not a replacement for older systems. We had seen in-depth demos at the recent IBC show, on the Avid tour bus and onsite and we realised that the Symphony Nitris had a number of features that we’d find indispensable. Having now used the system for a while, I found the real-time primary and secondary colour correction extremely useful, while the ability to have multiple streams of audio and video with real-time effects is essential for drama. The Unity system allows us to load and conform on multiple workstations and enables mirroring for live playout and VTR emulation, which we couldn’t do with any other system. The type of work completed includes films, documentaries, drama, animations, concerts, music festivals and OB events; we often set up the Unity at the festival site too so we can take in live media straight from satellite feed or scanner.
“We’re always looking to expand Barcud Derwen further,” Tristan said, “and possibly target the feature work market.
“It would be nice to have a purpose-built truck with built-in Avid editing systems and Unity for the festivals too.
“Our new Symphony Nitris has already slotted well into our existing workflow and enables us to accomplish much more.”
(GB)