Users of the new versions of Avid NewsCutter, Media Composer and Symphony editing systems now have direct access to—and compatibility with—HD video footage and metadata created using Ikegami’s GFCam HDS-V10 tapeless Flash memory camcorder.

The capability was announced by Avid today as a feature of the company’s AMA (Avid Media Access) plug-in architecture. Avid created (and continually updates) the AMA plug-in architecture to support codecs from major camera manufacturers to provide end-users with the best possible production workflow efficiencies.

“Ikegami and Avid share a long history of cooperation in pioneering tapeless video acquisition,” says Fumio Yamaguchi, president and chief executive officer of Ikegami Electronics U.S.A. Inc. “Today Ikegami’s GFCam HDS-V10 tapeless Flash RAM HD camcorder and GFSeries tapeless HD Flash memory production solution represent the industry’s most advanced broadcast-grade nonlinear HD video acquisition solution. Avid’s support for GFCam, as a result of its new AMA plug-in architecture, is the latest chapter in its long relationship with Ikegami. Together the two companies are providing television news professionals and the broadcast and production industries with leading-edge tapeless, nonlinear workflow advantages that deliver superior HD quality and speed-to-air with the powerful features and user benefits of many of Avid’s world-renown broadcast and postproduction solutions.”

Avid AMA provides support for both Ikegami’s 50Mb/s and 100Mb/s GFCam formats. As a result, users can easily connect Ikegami GFCam removable Flash RAM GFPak media to an Avid editing system via GFPak’s built-in USB 2.0 port or high-speed S-ATA interface, and begin viewing and cutting footage immediately with no need to import, transcode, copy, and/or move media or use other software to view or extract clips.

Media management for Ikegami’s GFCam is also enhanced, in that Avid’s new AMA Plug-In Architecture supports and displays all metadata associated with Ikegami GFCam video clips. Among the newest GFCam advances announced by Ikegami is software that enables shooters with a laptop or PDA to see thumbnails of clips captured with the GFCam via a Bluetooth wireless connection. Users can use and/or attach metadata and other production notes to these clips with this function.

Ikegami GFCam and GFSeries
Part of Ikegami’s GFSeries tapeless Flash RAM HD production solution, the GFCam HDS-V10 is a rugged, broadcast-grade ENG camcorder that employs three advanced 2/3-inch CCDs and is available in native 1080i or native 720p versions. The GFCam records MPEG-2 Long GOP/I-frame media to GFPak Flash RAM media, which supports tens of thousands of rewrite cycles. GFPaks are available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities. A 64GB GFPak can hold two hours of full-resolution 50Mb/s 1920x1080/4:2.2 HD video the MPEG-2 MXF file format. In addition to a built-in USB 2.0 port and high-speed S-ATA interface referenced above, GFPaks also feature a remaining-capacity indicator. GFCam also features such Ikegami Intelligent Recording innovations as Retro Loop (so videographers never miss a shot) and a time-lapse function.

Other components of Ikegami’s GFSeries tapeless Flash RAM HD production solution include:

• GFStation Flash RAM studio deck/IP-networked server
• GF Station Portable player/recorder
• GF Player low-cost desktop playback machine
• GFAdapter for direct media interface to tower PCs
• Multi-slot Studio GFAdapter
• Ikegami’s Media Manager software for efficient GFSeries integration with large server-based production environments