AmberFin Launches iCR Version 4.5
LONDON, /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
- Latest Upgrades to AmberFin's iCR Software Fuels the Transition to HD, Enables Enhanced
Interoperability and Delivers Greater Operational Efficiencies
- Native support for Avid DNxHD and Final Cut Pro
- Extended MXF capabilities
- Simultaneous ingest and transcoding
- Motion compensate SD frame rate conversion included as standard
- Enhanced pre-processing capabilities
In the latest upgrade to its flagship content mastering and transcoding software solutions, AmberFin
announces the immediate availability of iCR 4.5, which further enhances file-based workflow efficiency and
raises the bar on image quality, while reducing cost per deliverable.
AmberFin's iCR delivers superior image quality for HD/SD ingest, video conversion and transcoding
through its multiple Emmy-Award winning image processing techniques. AmberFin's leading integrated quality
control (QC), automation and asset management and tight integration with industry standard storage also
offers a unique path for content owners looking to reduce the costs associated with managing and distributing
media for multiple revenue-generating platforms.
The latest version of iCR introduces a wide range of enhancements, including:
- Native support for Avid DNxHD and Final Cut Pro, offering instant interoperability with Avid and Apple
editing systems, and strengthening the link between content creation and distribution to expedite editing and
versioning
- Extended industry-leading MXF support of native Panasonic P2, Sony XDCAM and Avid Op Atom MXF
further increases interoperability with a wide range of tapeless cameras, VTRs, editing and server systems on
the market
- Simultaneous ingest and transcoding allows conversions and transcoding to be pipelined with ingest
operations for greater throughput
- File-based standard definition motion compensated frame rate conversion now available as a standard
feature on all iCR systems
- Powerful new broadcast-quality sharpening and softening pre-processing filters to seamlessly integrate
SD and HD content and eliminate macroblocking artifacts at low bitrates without compromising quality
In order to help users reduce the time, costs and interoperability issues associated with transcoding and
importing files, AmberFin iCR 4.5 now supports native Avid DNxHD and the native QuickTime format for
Apple Final Cut Pro. iCR 4.5 also provides support for full range of P2 and XDCAM formats to enable true
tapeless workflows between content creation and distribution.
With iCR's latest architectural improvements, transcoding to multiple platforms can now begin within
seconds of the ingest process being started. This approach allows multiple, simultaneous transcode
processes, each with automated QC, to begin as soon as the master encode process is underway. As a
result, users are able to streamline and complete operations more quickly, thereby reducing time to market
and achieving significantly enhanced workflow throughput and efficiencies.
iCR 4.5 also provides a suite of powerful compression pre-processing algorithms, which optimize picture
quality during the transcoding stage to filter out out-of-range frequencies and eliminate most macroblocking
artifacts, while increasing the overall image quality, even at low bitrate. Furthermore, these techniques greatly
enhance HD Up/Down conversion performance and help content owners increasingly challenged by
mixing SD and HD content and creating HD programs from SD sources.
"AmberFin has a deep heritage in providing the best HD image quality on the market," says Bruce Devlin,
CTO of AmberFin. "As HD becomes increasingly prevalent, we are, more than ever, committed to ensuring
that AmberFin customers are not only getting the best looking pictures on the market, but that our tools and
processes enable them to be more profitable as distribution channels multiply and markets diversify."
AmberFin will be exhibiting on stand SU4323 at the NAB Show in Las Vegas from April 20-23, 2009 and
will be available to demonstrate iCR 4.5 and illustrate how it plays a key role in the digitization and
repurposing of content for market-leading companies including Sony, NBA, Turner Broadcasting, BT, Channel
4, RTM and Warner Brothers.
About AmberFin
AmberFin enables content owners to maximize the value of their TV, film and video content, from capture
through to distribution, while increasing revenues, reducing costs, saving time and eliminating incompatibility
issues. AmberFin iCR, with four-time Emmy-award winning technology, plays a key role in turning the content
that owners have into the content their customers want. As an open standard, future proof platform that
digitizes and transforms new and archived content, AmberFin iCR delivers the best quality pictures at smaller
file sizes across multiple delivery platforms, including the Internet, VoD, TV, mobile and other small screen
devices. AmberFin already has 100s of iCR systems in the field, and is trusted by some of the world's most
prestigious companies including Sony, NBA, Turner Broadcasting, BT, Channel 4, RTM and Warner Brothers,
managing the digitization and repurposing of content.
Privately held by Advent Venture Partners, AmberFin is part of the Snell & Wilcox Group, headquartered in
AmberFin and iCR are trademarks of AmberFin Limited. All other trademarks mentioned herein are
acknowledged as the property of their respective owners.
CONTACTS:
Jaime Tero (U.S.)
GBC for AmberFin
jaimet@gbc-usa.com
+1-415-989-9803
Kirstyn Langford (UK)
Hotwire for AmberFin
amberfin@hotwirepr.com
+44(0)207-608-2500
SOURCE: AmberFin
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