Maxon, the developers of professional software solutions for motion designers and visual effects artists, today announced updates to nearly every application within the company’s Maxon One product offering. Cinema 4D R25 and Trapcode Suite 17 unveil significant new functionality, the VFX Suite 2 features the addition of the recently acquired Bang muzzle flare generator, the introduction of Redshift RT and multiple products have received essential compatibility updates.

AJA Video Systems today released IPR-1G-HDMI, a new Mini-Converter designed to convert JPEG 2000 IP video and audio streams to HDMI.

IPR-1G-HDMI converts VSF TR-01 and other JPEG 2000 over MPEG2-TS formats for output on a full-size HDMI 1.4 interface. The rugged, fanless Mini-Converter supports a range of HD and SD formats, and is designed for several point-of-use applications including source monitoring, digital signage and video walls.

AJA Video Systems today released HELO, its portable new H.264 streaming and recording device. Combining 3G-SDI and HDMI I/O into one standalone appliance, HELO allows users to stream video signals directly to Web Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) while simultaneously encoding and recording H.264 files to an SD card, USB drive or network-based storage with the push of a button.

AJA Video Systems ROI-SDI scan converter began shipping today. Wrapping intuitive Region-of-Interest (ROI) controls for professional SDI sources into a portable Mini-Converter form factor, it boasts a 3G-SDI input and simultaneous 3G-SDI and HDMI outputs, and facilitates incredible quality image scaling, in addition to region-of-interest and image rotation at a range of resolutions and frame rates.

Hot off two 'Best in Show' Awards at the 2013 National Association of Broadcasters Convention (NAB) in Las Vegas last month, Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK) announced Autodesk Smoke 2013 Extension 1 professional video editing software is expected to be available beginning May 29, 2013. As part of the product roadmap and influenced by extensive feedback from editors, the release will feature numerous enhancements to help improve functionality, add flexibility and increase speed.

Vicon, developer of award-winning motion capture (mocap) products for the entertainment, life science and engineering industries, is pleased to announce the official release of Blade 2, powered by Axiom. This follows a highly successful alpha program, with studios around the globe enthusiastic about the results seen with Blade 2.

Thinkbox Software, developer of Deadline, Krakatoa, Frost, Genome, and other creative solutions for VFX artists, announces Ember, a volumetric data manipulation toolkit that enables powerful workflows around the creation and post-processing of simulations from various sources. Ember is currently being developed as a plug-in for Autodesk 3ds Max, and is planned as a standalone tool in the future. An early version of Ember will be demonstrated at the SIGGRAPH Conference, August 5-9 in Los Angeles at booth #937.

Facilis Technology, a leader in advanced shared storage solutions for post-production and content creation, today announced the release of TerraBlock version 5.6 with support for 3TB drives. The new version also includes enhanced Ethernet client performance for the DPX workflow and new administration features that make it easier for post production professionals and content creators to streamline and manage the flow of data. For a limited time, Facilis is offering sales promotions tied to the release. 

Autodesk, Inc. announced that Autodesk Smoke 2013 video editing software, a completely redesigned and repackaged pre-release version of the all-in-one video editing and visual effects tool for the Mac, is now available as a free trial download http://www.autodesk.com/smoke-trial.