What is the Avid DNA Family?
The Avid DNA family is a progressively powerful series of purpose-built Digital
Nonlinear Accelerators-hardware designed to dramatically increase the media processing
power available in today's leading personal computers.
What's a Digital Nonlinear Accelerator?
Digital Nonlinear Accelerators are hardware subsystems designed to operate in
conjunction with Avid editing software to multiply host processing performance
by leaps and bounds, deliver true real-time functionality, enable advanced input
and output capabilities, and provide tight interoperability with the Avid Unity
family of shared-storage and media asset management solutions
How is Avid Mojo different from Adrenaline? How is Adrenaline different from Nitris?
The Avid Mojo DNA provides basic real-time analog and DV video and audio input
and output capabilities and is designed to handle offline compressed media, DV
and uncompressed 8-bit 601 resolutions.
The Avid Adrenaline DNA adds a more extensive array of professional grade digital
and analog video and audio input and output connections plus scalability from
DV to uncompressed 10-bit SD all the way to compressed HD (with the HD Option)
plus a broad selection of compressed resolutions (DV25, DV50, MPEG IMX, ABVB,
and Meridien JFIF), and an incredible selection of real-time multistream effects.
The Avid Nitris DNA is the most powerful accelerator in the DNA Family with the
broadest range of professional digital and analog video and audio input and output
connections; scalability from DV to uncompressed 10-bit SD all the way to uncompressed
10-bit HD and even 2K scanned image files; programmable real-time codec hardware;
and programmable real-time effects hardware which delivers guaranteed multi-stream
effects on top of all the processing capability the host can deliver.
How do these products differ from the Meridien boardset?
Meridien set the standard for nonlinear performance at its initial introduction
nearly 5 years ago and is still largely unequalled by any competitor today. The
Avid DNA family sets a whole new standard for performance, scalability, and versatility
by combining the processing power of the host CPU with an accelerator tuned to
get maximum real-time results for media professionals.
Is there any signal loss caused by the FireWire connection?
No. Avid's unique implementation of moving uncompressed video and multi-track
audio over FireWire has been developed with exacting standards for video and audio
signal fidelity.
Do the DNAs support FireWire 2 (aka FireWire 800)?
The Avid Mojo and Avid Adrenaline DNAs can both operate on FireWire 2 but do not
require these faster bus speeds.
Which products work with which DNAs?
Avid Mojo is designed to work with Avid Xpress Pro and Avid NewsCutter XP software.
Avid Adrenaline is the DNA found in the Media Composer Adrenaline and Avid NewsCutter
Adrenaline FX systems. Avid Nitris is the DNA found in the Avid DS Nitris and
Avid DS Nitris systems.
What about all of my old media? Will it work with the new hardware?
Avid Mojo supports playback capture and processing of DV25, Meridien uncompressed
and 15:1s resolutions.
Adrenaline and Nitris-based systems support playback, capture and processing for
Meridien uncompressed and compressed media (JFIF).
Adrenaline and Nitris-based systems support playback and processing (not capture)
of ABVB media (AVRs), DV25, DV50, MPEG IMX.
Can I use a DNA with my existing Avid system?
All Avid systems, including the new DNA-based systems can share project media
and metadata with few exceptions. However, Digital Nonlinear Accelerators are
designed to directly operate only in conjunction with the latest Avid editing
software.
Are there any trade-in programs I can take advantage of to move up to a DNA
system?
Avid has many programs and promotions to encourage customers to adopt our newest
products. Please contact your local Avid reseller.
When will the DNAs be available?
Avid Xpress Pro and Avid Media Composer Adrenaline are expected to ship in Q2
2003, Avid DS Nitris and Avid Mojo systems are expected to be available for shipment
in Q3 2003.
Why did Avid make this hardware change?
The new family of DNAs is a clear demonstration of Avid's continuing commitment
to advance the state of the art in the marketplace for media professionals.
What determines when an effect is processed on the host and when a DNA assists
in the processing?
The Avid editing software designed to operate with each of these new DNAs determines
which functions are processed on the host and which are processed within the accelerator
to maximize the overall performance achieved by the entire system.