Sonic Solutions and InterActual Technologies
Team to Combine DVD and the Internet
Partnership to Provide Integrated eDVD 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 for Macintosh
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 for Macintosh.
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 for Macintosh 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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