LONDON, February 9 /PRNewswire/ --

- 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 Basingstoke, UK. More information is available at: http://www.amberfin.com

AmberFin and iCR are trademarks of AmberFin Limited. All other trademarks mentioned herein are acknowledged as the property of their respective owners.

Editorial 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

Editorial 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