Sonic Unveils PrimeTime™ for Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition

Enables Home Users to Record TV Shows to DVD from the Comfort of a Sofa

Las Vegas, Nevada (January 9, 2003) — Sonic Solutions debuted today at the International CES convention Sonic PrimeTime, the first PC software application that works seamlessly with Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) to burn TV shows and other video content to DVD. Like Windows XP Media Center, Sonic PrimeTime employs a ‘ten foot’ user interface with large menus. The application takes advantage of the Media Center PC’s remote control so that a user can browse and select their favorite shows and record them to DVDs that can be played back on standard set-top DVD players and PCs. DVDs recorded by Sonic PrimeTime also include Sonic’s OpenDVD^® technology so that they can easily be re-edited at a later time.

“Sonic PrimeTime makes great use of the design innovations and user-friendliness of Windows XP Media Center Edition," said Kevin Eagan, General Manager for the Windows eHome Division, Microsoft. “Sonic’s software solution will enable consumers with a Media Center PC equipped with a DVD burner to store personal content onto DVDs with just one click of the Media Center remote control.”

Sonic PrimeTime can be launched using the Media Center-compatible remote control by simply clicking a button on the Media Center start menu. Incorporating the same user interface design as Windows XP Media Center Edition, Sonic PrimeTime’s large on-screen menus make it easy to record TV shows, including program information from the Media Center electronic program guide, as well as browse through videos and slideshows.

Discs recorded with Sonic PrimeTime are compatible with set-top and PC-based DVD players whose installed base has grown to over 250 million units worldwide. Sonic PrimeTime incorporates OpenDVD technology, so that DVDs created in PrimeTime can be opened, edited and re-burned using MyDVD® or other OpenDVD-compliant applications. With the ability to update and further customize their DVDs, Sonic PrimeTime users can continually add to their collections of recorded programs, for example, putting new episodes on their DVDs each week. Sonic PrimeTime also includes a built-in Bit Budget™, which makes it easy to see how much space is available on each recorded DVD. Once PrimeTime starts burning a DVD, the user can return to watching TV or listening to music on the Media Center PC.

“Sonic PrimeTime is the first application designed for Media Center PC users, and revolutionizes the way people will create DVDs at home,” said Mark Ely, Vice President and General Manager at Sonic. “Building on the enthusiastic support Media Center PCs have quickly received, Sonic PrimeTime makes it possible to move seamlessly from enjoying a TV show, a wedding video or a vacation slideshow, to burning this program content to DVD. Anyone that can record to VHS tape can now make a DVD at home.”

Sonic PrimeTime is featured in the Microsoft booth (6820) at CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 9 through 12, 2003, and will be available for purchase at a suggested U.S. list price of $59.99 from the Sonic e-store (estore.sonic.com) in March 2003.

About Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: SNIC)
Based in Marin County, California, Sonic (http://www.sonic.com) is the world’s leading supplier of DVD and CD creation software. Sonic’s professional DVD authoring software is used to produce the majority of major film releases on DVD. Sonic’s desktop DVD creation software powers most of the world’s DVD burners, and Sonic’s CD and DVD mastering software is the top rated OEM solution for transferring and backing up data to CD and DVD media. Sonic's core strengths include in-depth knowledge of the DVD and CD digital media formats and the video and audio data types they require, and the design of friendly, yet powerful, authoring and editing applications for the consumer, desktop and professional CD and DVD markets.

Sonic, the Sonic logo, CinePlayer, Edit-on-DVD, OpenDVD, and PrimeTime are trademarks of Sonic Solutions. AuthorScript, Sonic DVD Creator, MyDVD, DVDit!, ReelDVD and Scenarist are registered trademarks of Sonic Solutions. All other company or product names are trademarks of their respective owners and, in some cases, are used by Sonic under license. Specifications, pricing and delivery schedules are subject to change without notice.