Avid DS

I don't normally cover Avid because I don't know much about them [when does that stop you from writing about other things? - Ed] and they tend to be used more in the film and big Pro field, but reader and VFX Supervisor Dermot Shane is quoted in the press release for Avid DS 10.5, so that's enough of a connection to justify reporting on the announcement of Avid DS 10.5.

Avid DS 10.5 was announced at IBC, and is Avid's high end finishing system, aimed at 2K, 4K, DI & GFX / VFX heavy HD.

“Software-only DS means I can say ‘yes’ to clients and projects that were previously off limits,” said Dermot Shane, owner of mZungu Post Production. “As a smaller shop, we can now scale our finishing operations at a fraction of the cost and fill in any holes we may have previously had in the post workflow, like adding in a seat to handle effects and digital make-up process between conform, color grading and mastering. DS 10.5 offers a one-stop shop for finishing projects, wrapped in the convenience of a software package.”

Avid DS 10.5 software will be available beginning October 21, 2010. Pricing begins at $6995 USD for educational institutions and $9995 USD for professional licenses and each comes standard with a copy of Media Composer® 5 software.

MacVideo: IBC 2010: Avid Introduces Software-Only Version of Avid DS