NAB Update: Turnkey Workstations Optimized for 2K and 4K Assimilate Scratch & Dailies

Versatile Distribution Services Delivers Turnkey Systems Optimized for 4K and 2K ASSIMILATE SCRATCH DI and Dailies Workflows

New Turnkeys to be Offered in North America Exclusively by CineSys-Oceana 



Las Vegas, NV – April 8, 2013 – Versatile Distribution Services (VDS), a distributor specializing in integrated solutions for the media and entertainment industry, today announced the immediate availability of integrated 4K and 2K turnkey workstations featuring ASSIMILATE’s SCRATCH® Digital Intermediate software. SCRATCH enables digital cinema and broadcast artists to generate dailies, conform, color-correct, and finish within a real-time, integrated, user-friendly solution. The turnkey systems will be available exclusively in North America through CineSys-Oceana, one of the largest media and entertainment industry resellers. 

VDS has leveraged the collective experience of industry leaders in 4K such as ASSIMILATE®, Inc. and Bluefish444, and built systems that remove much of the trial and error when configuring the appropriate CPU, RAM, graphics and storage for popular 4K projectors, displays and output.

These new turnkey systems will be showcased at NAB 2013 in the ASSIMILATE booth# SL12705 and at the CineSys-Oceana suite in the penthouse at the Renaissance Hotel adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center. 



“At Digital Arts , we recently launched New York City’s first true 4K grading theater”, said Axel Ericson, Founder of Digital Arts. “We designed it with the best technologies in order to define new standards in film post production. The theater includes world-class brands and products, such as the Christie 4K 4220 projector and Meyer Sound 7.1 Acheron speakers. As leaders in the 4K landscape, we chose ASSIMILATE SCRATCH and Bluefish444 for 4K DI because of its real-time 4K workflow capabilities without the cost of traditional big-iron systems. We’re really excited to learn about the new turnkeys from VDS and ASSIMILATE, because they take a lot of the trial and error out of configuring 4K workflows. This is what the market needs in order to widen the 4K user base.”

Z820 SCRATCH by ASSIMILATE and Versatile Distribution Services 

• Fast, Powerful, and Expandable Workstations. HP Z820 Workstations – the foundation of the new ASSIMILATE|VDS turnkey systems – set a new standard for performance and expandability. Featuring the latest Intel Xeon processors, massively scalable RAM, and five third-gen PCI Express slots, the Z820 is ideal for creative professionals at the top of their game.

4K and 2K Configurations. The SCRATCH Z820 turnkey systems are available in 2K and 4K configurations jam-packed with RAM, top-of-the-line AMD or NVIDIA graphics and storage options from HP, Fusion-IO and Facilis. 

• 4K HD-SDI and 12-bit HD-SDI Preview. Bluefish444’s Epoch|4K SuperNova video card allows artists to preview images in the highest possible bit depth.

Optimized Integration. Versatile Distribution Services’ integration experts have experience optimizing the graphics and storage in SCRATCH systems for a range of high-performance DI and finishing environments including Christie and Sony 4K projectors and Eizo, Christie and Sharp 4K monitors. VDS tests each 4K and 2K turnkey system in a simulated film and broadcast environment before it ships. 

Complete Your Suite. High-performance storage, color critical displays, and other qualified peripherals can be added to complete any turnkey configuration. 


“CineSys-Oceana has always specialized in workflows as opposed to just products”, said Michael Flanigan, Co-CEO, CineSys-Oceana. “We’re excited to be the exclusive North American reseller for these new turnkeys from VDS because they’re focused on designing and optimizing around the entire workflow, and providing systems that have proven experience in 4K environments. Our customers have always been at the leading edge of the media and entertainment industry, and we believe that the market is ready for 4K now. These turnkey systems are the ideal products to help our customers facilitate the transition to 4K.”

“SCRATCH and SCRATCH Lab have gained rapid momentum throughout the world because they deliver unparalleled price-performance to on-set professionals and post-production artists”, said Steve Bannerman, vice-president of marketing, ASSIMILATE. “SCRATCH has been at the epicenter of 4K since 2007, and we’re excited to take the lead in driving the broad adoption of high-resolution workflows. Versatile Distribution Services’ optimized integration of 4K and 2K solutions combined with CineSys-Oceana’s deep understanding of high-end systems and workflows provides SCRATCH customers with the best possible experience and service – before and after the sale.”


Availability 
The Z820 4K and 2K SCRATCH turnkey systems from ASSIMILATE and Versatile Distribution Services are available exclusively through CineSys-Oceana. For more information, please visit the CineSys-Oceana website.

About Versatile Distribution Services 
Based in Marlboro, MA, Versatile Distribution Services, a division of Versatile Communications, Inc., is a channel partner, solutions provider, and distributor specializing in the media and entertainment industries. Versatile Distribution Services supplies reseller channel partners with HP workstations optimized for Avid, Adobe, ASSIMILATE, and Grass Valley as well as other broadcast and post solutions, including HP DreamColor Displays and high-performance storage. 

About CineSys-Oceana 
With offices in New York, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Toronto, and Vancouver, CineSys-Oceana provides exceptional sales and support services to the media and entertainment industry in most major production centers across North America. 



SCRATCH Digital Workflow Tools
 
ASSIMILATE’s SCRATCH end-to-end data workflow tools – from dailies, to conform, color-grading, compositing, and through to finishing – and SCRATCH Lab, a robust dailies or VFX review digital pipeline, deliver the industry’s most comprehensive toolset for data-centric digital cinema and episodic television productions for 2D and 3D stereo projects. Both products support multiple formats, including ARRI RAW, Sony F65 and F55, Phantom, and Canon 5D, as well as enhanced support for RED ONE, RED ONE MX, SCARLET, and EPIC at all resolutions.

Source: Press Release

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