Sonic
Solutions and InterActual Technologies Team to Combine DVD and the
Internet
Partnership to
Provide Integrated eDVD(tm) Publishing Solutions for DVD and Web
Developers
Marin County, California (April 4, 2000) - Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: SNIC) today announced a technology
partnership with InterActual Technologies, Inc., makers of the
PCFriendly(tm) software, the world's leading solution for
web-enabled DVDs. Under the agreement, Sonic will directly integrate
InterActual's Web-connected DVD client technology into Sonic's DVD
authoring applications, enabling users of Sonic DVD Creator, DVD
Fusion and DVDit! to create web-connected titles that play on
virtually all Internet-enabled DVD players. This is the first
totally compatible web-based DVD solution of its kind including
support for eDVD playback on Windows 95, 98, 2000 and Macintosh
platforms as well as web-connected set-top DVD
players.
"Sonic
has been a driving force in expanding the power of DVD with new
technologies like eDVD and Streaming DVD(tm)," said Todd Collart,
President and CEO of InterActual Technologies. "By combining our
web-connected DVD technology with Sonic's authoring expertise, we
are enabling corporate AV departments, Fortune 1000 companies and
independent video producers to create engaging and exciting
web-integrated DVD content."
InterActual's web-connected DVD technology has been used on
hundreds of DVD titles released by major Hollywood Studios including
"The Matrix" from Warner Home Video, "Ronin" from MGM Home Video,
Universal Home Video's "The Mummy," "Austin Powers: The Spy Who
Shagged Me" from New Line Home Video and Columbia Tristar's
"Ghostbusters." InterActual's technology enables DVD title
developers to combine the best of DVD with the versatility of the
Internet. The millions of users who have already installed
InterActual's PCFriendly application on their PCs can today expand
their DVD experience with web-based games, cross-marketing
promotions, e-commerce opportunities, chat rooms and more. The
partnership between InterActual and Sonic will further apply this to
the corporate, industrial and consumer uses of DVD and the
web.
"InterActual has proven to be a major innovator in combining
the power of DVD with the immediacy of the web," said Bob Doris,
President of Sonic. "Sonic users in Hollywood will benefit from the
integration of Interactual's PCFriendly technology with DVD Creator
and DVD Fusion. Even more significant is the ability for corporate
and industrial users to create content that spans both DVD and the
Internet."
Sonic
eDVD combines high-quality DVD-Video content with up-to-the-second
HTML, Macromedia Flash and Java content that can be served over the
Web. During DVD authoring, users add URLs directly to menu buttons
or on top of motion video. When the DVD is formatted, InterActual's
player application is automatically generated, and installers for
all major PC and set-top platforms are written to the DVD-ROM
portion of the DVD disc.
"Our
clients are pounding down our door for DVD titles that can interact
directly with their corporate web sites," said Knox McCormac,
Director of Engineering at Opt1mus, a leading post facility located
in Chicago. "After careful evaluation, it was clear that Sonic's
eDVD authoring combined with the InterActual player was the only
solution that could deliver the power and compatibility our clients
demand."
The
InterActual player will be included free of charge with all Sonic
DVD authoring applications. It is targeted to ship in July of 2000.
About
Interactual Technologies, Inc.
InterActual Technologies, Inc., (http://interactual.com/) is the
leading provider of solutions and services that promote home
theater-quality video on personal computers. InterActual brings a
TV-like experience to the computer while simultaneously leveraging
the primary advantages computers offer over TV: interactivity and
Internet-connectivity. InterActual provides comprehensive DVD
technologies and services to both the entertainment industry and
corporate market for integrating high-quality video with direct
links to Internet web sites, E-commerce, interactive games, and
online community building. InterActual is the developer of industry
standard PCFriendly software that combines the best features of
DVD-Video with the best features of DVD-ROM to create a superior
viewing and interactive experience.
About
Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: SNIC)
Based in
Marin County, California, Sonic (http://www.sonic.com/) is the
leading manufacturer of solutions for DVD publishing and
interactive, streaming video on the Internet. Sonic DVDit! (http://www.dvdit.com/) is the first
application for DVD authoring targeted at consumers and corporate
video producers, and is bundled with major video editing, capture,
encoding and media production systems. Streaming DVD is the first
interactive technology based on DVD for content distribution over
the Internet. Sonic DVD Creator and DVD Fusion are the most
widely-used systems for professional DVD publishing, and are
installed worldwide at major studios, post production facilities and
in corporate marketing departments. SonicStudio HD is the leading
digital workstation for preparing audio for release on CD and the
first for creating content for the new DVD-Audio format. Sonic is
also a full voting member of the DVD Forum, the standards-setting
body for the DVD format.
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