Novato, Calif., Feb. 01, 2001 -- Sonic Solutions has introduced Sonic DVD Fusion for Windows, an integrated and complete DVD production system for the Microsoft Windows platform designed for studio, post production and corporate video professionals. Combining cutting-edge authoring functionality with Sonic's advanced DVD formatting technology, DVD Fusion for Windows brings a new level of DVD authoring power and ease-of-use to the increasing number of video professionals who use Windows-based systems.

"DVD Fusion for Windows represents the state of the art in DVD authoring," said Giles Baker, Product Manager for DVD Fusion at Sonic Solutions. "It is an entirely new approach to professional DVD production that combines drag-and-drop authoring, integrated image compositing, real-time video and audio encoding, and direct-to-DVD writing in a single, easy-to-use application. DVD Fusion addresses a growing demand for flexible DVD production on Windows, and as the market leader in DVD authoring applications, it is only natural that we address this segment."

Building on the same award-winning technology used in Sonic's DVD Creator(TM) high-end authoring system and inspired by the feedback from thousands of Macintosh-based DVD Creator and DVD Fusion users worldwide, DVD Fusion for Windows sets new standards in ease of use and productivity for professional DVD production systems. Video editors will find the timeline-based user interface very familiar, and appreciate the precise control over audio, video and subtitles it provides. Drag-and-drop authoring of navigation and menu layout makes title design an intuitive and efficient process.

DVD Fusion is available both as a standalone authoring application and as a complete system that includes Sonic's studio-quality video encoder. The complete DVD Fusion system takes advantage of the multi-tasking capability of Windows 2000, allowing users to encode, author and format multiple DVD titles simultaneously.

"DVD Fusion for Windows is exactly what we have been waiting for," said Sam Wagner, President of Video I-D Teleproductions, Inc. "Our customers are looking for fast turnaround of high-quality video content with elaborate interactivity to make their projects really stand out. DVD Fusion for Windows allows us to move video easily from any source onto DVD with exceptional quality in record time. It gives us the extra edge we need to turn out Hollywood-quality DVDs for our demanding clients."

About Sonic DVD Fusion
Sonic DVD Fusion combines unique productivity features with advanced DVD authoring functions, including:

Timeline interface -- With an integrated timeline instantly familiar to professional video editors, DVD Fusion provides the advanced tools needed to sequence video, audio, subtitles and still-image clips.

Integrated Menu Compositing -- Sonic's built-in compositing technology enables users to assemble multi-layer menus and buttons directly from within the application or to import and manipulate multi-layer Photoshop(R) files with ease.

Text Generator -- DVD Fusion is the only professional DVD authoring application to include integrated text generation, with full control over style, size, color and the ability to add graphic effects like drop shadows.

Multiple Audio and Video Streams -- DVD Fusion supports eight audio streams and thirty-two subtitles for the most complex commercial, corporate or educational titles.

Integrated Sonic Encoder -- DVD Fusion provides integrated control of Sonic's studio-quality MPEG-2 real-time video encoder, allowing a single workstation to encode, author and burn DVDs simultaneously.

Unparalleled Ease-of-Use -- DVD Fusion's advanced authoring architecture allows even the most complex interactive titles to be designed with drag-and-drop simplicity.

Real-time Proofing -- Projects can be previewed at any time during assembly, with full control over interactivity through a DVD remote control.

Integrated Transcoding -- DV, QuickTime and AVI files are automatically converted to MPEG-2 and MPEG-1, allowing import of the widest range of streams.

WriteDirect -- Sonic's exclusive WriteDirect technology writes directly to DVD-R or DLT without writing any intermediate data to the computer hard disk, saving up to 30 minutes and 8.5GB of hard disk space per title.

eDVD Output for Web-Connected Titles -- With Sonic eDVD, any button or video timeline event can jump the end-user to a web page. Using InterActual's Player 2.0 technology, eDVD titles will play on any DVD-equipped Macintosh or PC.

cDVD Output -- Sonic DVD Fusion will write DVD-standard video data to CD-ROM for CD-ROM playback on virtually any PC.


Sonic is currently running a 35-city seminar series entitled "The Essentials of DVD". Designed to help creative professionals learn about the latest developments in DVD technology, the seminar series will showcase DVD Fusion for Windows, as well as other products in Sonic's range of DVD solutions. To learn more about the seminar series, visit Sonic on the Web at www.sonic.com.

Availability
Sonic DVD Fusion for Windows (available for Windows 98, ME, NT and 2000) will begin shipping in February. Complete systems which include Sonic's Hollywood-caliber MPEG-2 VBR encoder hardware (available for Windows 2000) will ship in March.


Source: Sonic Solutions
Web: www.sonic.com