Latest Version of Grass Valley EDIUS Offers New Tools For Improved HD Editing Efficiency

EDIUS 5.1, the latest version of the Grass Valley EDIUS multi-format/multi-resolution nonlinear editing
software package, now includes tighter integration with the Grass Valley Aurora
digital production workflow, as well as a variety of new features that help
users improve productivity and get the most from their investment, whether
working in standard-definition (SD) or high-definition (HD).

Professional
editors using the Aurora
platform can now take advantage of the editing toolset found in EDIUS as well,
thanks to a new optional upgrade. This new functionality gives Aurora users the
ability to utilize a MediaFrame database workflow, import Aurora Edit EDLs into
an EDIUS workstation, edit or read MPEG Long-GOP VMF content, export completed
programs into multiple servers for playout, view NRCS scripts, and create an
Aurora “Smart Bin” directly from the EDIUS user interface.

The new
version of EDIUS also allows craft editors to output a completed timeline to an
HD Blu-ray disc using software encoding or the optional Grass Valley FIRECODER
Blu H.264/MPEG-2 hardware transcoder board. This means HD project distribution
is quickly and easily accomplished, as well as very cost-effective to perform.
In addition, EDIUS 5.1 can download partial digital clips captured with P2
solid-state or XDCAM optical disc media. This saves time and allows editors
working in a file-based environment to begin working immediately, without
having to ingest the content.

“The Grass
Valley EDIUS editing package has been very popular with customers due to its
cost-effective toolset that provides users with the ability to create long-form
projects with ease,” says Jeff Rosica, senior vice president of Grass Valley.
“These new features extend this ease of use into broader environments that make
use of an expanded list of file types. We’re also making the new features of
EDIUS 5.1 available to fast-paced news editing environments through our Aurora
Edit system.”

Other new
features delivered in EDIUS 5.1 allow users to gain more control over audio
levels with an audio normalize tool, the ability to capture reel names, output
finished edits to multiple discs, leverage multi-cam mode clip reel names, and
take advantage of clip markers in the EDIUS marker palette.

EDIUS 5.1
is available for the list price of $799, and is a free update for existing
EDIUS 5 users. Aurora
6.5 users pay a small upgrade fee for Aurora-EDIUS-SYS package. For users with Aurora versions below
6.5, the Aurora-EDIUS-SYS 5.1 option is available for $5,200. Both
Aurora-EDIUS-SYS packages will be available in May 2009. The Grass Valley
FIRECODER Blu H.264/MPEG-2 hardware transcoder board is available for $599 and
is currently available.