Ricoh
Selects Sonic MyDVD For New DVD+RW Drive
Bundle With Ricoh MP5120A Super Combination Drive Brings Home
DVD Publishing To Next Level
Marin County, California (October 1, 2001) - Sonic
Solutions [NASDAQ: SNIC]
announced today that Ricoh Company, Ltd., a leading supplier
of office automation equipment and data processing systems,
is bundling Sonic MyDVD Version 3 with its new MP5120A Super
Combination Drive. With the addition of MyDVD, Ricoh's new
DVD+RW drive provides a complete DVD solution that allows
users to select personal video clips, add interactive menus,
preview a DVD project and then record it directly to DVD.
The new drive is now shipping and combines DVD+RW and CD-RW
recording with DVD-ROM and CD-ROM playback in a single device.
"We are extremely pleased to offer Sonic MyDVD with our
new MP5120A Super Combination Drive," said Mamoru Ishida,
DVD+RW Product Manager at Ricoh. "As a leading provider
of DVD and CD recording technology, Ricoh is committed to
working with the world's leading software partners. With its
strong record in providing the most innovative and compatible
DVD solutions, Sonic is the clear choice and we look forward
to working together as we take home DVD publishing to the
next level."
The Ricoh/Sonic bundle takes advantage of the advanced capabilities
of DVD+RW, enabling home PC users and video enthusiasts to
quickly and easily record and edit DVD-video as well as add
menus and additional content to DVD+RW discs. The resulting
DVDs can be viewed on set-top DVD players or DVD-equipped
PCs.
"For many workplace communications, video content is
replacing paper," added Ishida. "Ricoh is at the
forefront of this transition and we are pleased to now offer
DVD+RW technology in addition to conventional CD-R/RW storage
devices, providing an easy and low-cost means of sharing content."
Sonic MyDVD makes it easy to capture video and audio directly
from computer-attached camcorders or VHS decks, automatically
create menus, buttons and navigation based on a user-selected
style, and record everything to DVD+RW discs that can be played
on home set-top players or DVD-equipped PCs.
"We are excited about Ricoh's choice of Sonic to provide
a complete DVD publishing solution for home users," said
Koki Terui, Senior Vice-President of Pacific Rim Operations
at Sonic Solutions. "The combination of MyDVD and the
MP5120A rewritable DVD drive in a single, integrated solution
offers the ease-of-use and attractive price point that makes
DVD publishing accessible to a much broader market."
About MyDVD
MyDVD Video is built on Sonic's Hollywood-standard DVD formatting
engine - the same technology used to produce tens of millions
of consumer DVD-Video titles. Building on this standard ensures
that DVDs produced with the application are playable on the
widest range of consumer DVD players. MyDVD provides three
ways for consumers to create their own professional-looking
DVD titles:
Direct-to-DVD
The first solution for recording directly to the DVD, MyDVD
allows video from a camcorder or VCR to be written to DVD-recordable
discs in a single step. In this mode, the user connects a
camcorder or VCR to the PC and the application automatically
converts the video and audio into DVD-compatible formats,
creates menus and buttons for each video clip, and burns to
the DVD-recorder.
DVD Authoring
In authoring mode, interactive DVDs can be created by dragging
and dropping different types of multimedia elements into a
DVD project - video from camcorders, video files on hard disk
in AVI, MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 formats, audio and graphics data.
MyDVD includes a built-in, faster-than-real-time1
transcoder that automatically converts all incoming video
formats into those compatible with DVD players, freeing the
user from the headaches of determining DVD file compatibility.
MyDVD includes a wide range of professionally designed styles
- menu backgrounds, buttons and other features that add polish
to projects. Chapter points can be added to any video, automatically
or manually on-the-fly as video is being recorded. This means
that DVD titles created with MyDVD include all of the navigation,
buttons and menus automatically, yielding professional quality
results for the home user.
DVD Editing
Sonic MyDVD is the first application that not only records
DVDs in real-time, but also creates DVDs that can be re-edited
right on disc. DVD Editing is an exciting new technology innovated
by Sonic which allows discs to be changed after they are initially
created, enabling an entirely new generation of DVD applications,
such as video diaries, up-to-the-minute, customized sales
presentations, compilations of family events, and more.
About DVD+RW
Jointly promoted by Philips Electronics, HP, MCC/Verbatim,
Sony Corporation, Ricoh Company Ltd., Thomson Multimedia,
Dell Computer, and Yamaha Corporation, the DVD+RW format provides
a universally compatible, rewritable DVD format that enables
true convergence between personal computing and consumer electronics
products. DVD+RW discs written on a DVD+RW recorder can be
read and played on the majority of existing and future DVD-Video
players and DVD-ROM drives.
About Ricoh Company Ltd.
Ricoh Company, Ltd., is one of the world's leading suppliers
of office automation equipment, including copiers, facsimile
machines, data processing systems, and related supplies.
The Company is also renowned for its state-of-the-art electronic
devices and photographic equipment.
About Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: SNIC)
Based in Marin County, California, Sonic (http://www.sonic.com)
is the leading manufacturer of solutions for DVD publishing.
Sonic MyDVD (http://www.mydvd3.com)
is the first DVD authoring application for consumers, making
it easy to capture "your life on DVD." Sonic DVDit!®
(http://www.dvdit.com)
is the first application for DVD authoring targeted at videographers
and corporate video producers, and is bundled with major video
editing, capture, encoding and media production systems. Sonic
DVD Creator®, Sonic Scenarist®, Sonic ReelDVD
and Sonic 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 is the first for creating content for the new DVD-Audio
format.
1. Based on performance tests conducted at Sonic Solutions
on a single-processor Pentium 4 system running at 1.5GHz,
on a 1 minute, full-frame, 30fps NTSC video file in AVI format.
© 2001 Sonic, Sonic Solutions, the Sonic logo, cDVD,
DVD Editing, MyDVD, ReelDVD and DVDit! are trademarks of Sonic
Solutions. AuthorScript, DVD Creator, DVD Fusion , Scenarist
and SonicStudio are registered trademarks of Sonic Solutions.
All other company or product names are trademarks of their
respective owners. Specifications, pricing and delivery schedules
are subject to change without notice.
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