Sonic Unveils Powerful New Music CD/DVD Burning Engine

AuthorScript Advanced Music SDK Gives Online Audio Service Providers a Comprehensive Suite of Tools for Download and Burn of Music and Spoken Word Content

Marin County, California (July 26, 2005) — Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: SNIC), the leader in digital media software announced today, announced a powerful new addition to its industry-leading line of AuthorScript® download and burn solutions for the growing online music and audio content market. Provided as a software development kit (SDK), AuthorScript Advanced Music offers important enhanced capabilities in key areas such as digital rights management (DRM), royalty tracking, and audio quality - all of which are essential to creating the highest-quality end-to-end electronic sell-through solutions for consumers.

"AuthorScript Advanced Music builds on the solid foundation of the AuthorScript Music SDK, giving even the most demanding online music services the management and usability features they need to deliver the best possible customer experience," said Jim Taylor, general manager of Sonic's Advanced Technology Group. "AuthorScript Advanced Music not only offers consumers a richer, more satisfying purchase experience, but helps ensure that the rights of artists, producers, and publishers are fully respected."

The launch of AuthorScript Advanced Music highlights Sonic's leading role in enabling download-and-burn capabilities for online audio services, several of which have previously licensed AuthorScript and incorporated it into their sites. With the introduction of AuthorScript Advanced Music, music download services and other licensees will now be able to take advantage of the following key new features:

• Stream Audio Directly to Disc - Allows for faster, more secure, burning of audio without caching any audio data to the client's hard disk.


• DRM Support for WMDRM-Encoded WMA files - Enables consumers as well as music services to manage and burn tracks from most music services securely while respecting the designated use rights.


• Audio Track Normalization - Increases or decreases the amplitude (volume) of a digital audio recording so that the tracks in a collection are close to the same level, without distortion.



• ISRC Support - Keeps the International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) intact so that businesses can follow music tracks for proper usage and royalty reporting.


• MCN / UPC Support - The Media Catalog Number (MCN) allows music labels to track albums like the ISRC allows for the following of individual tracks.


• Synchronous Low-Pass Linear Resampling - Allows audio files of any sample rate to be burned at the maximum possible quality to an Audio CD.

The AuthorScript Advanced Music SDK is immediately available to music services or software developers looking to add CD and DVD burning functionality to their applications. For additional information, developers can e-mail authorscript@sonic.com or call 415-893-7083.

About Sonic AuthorScript
Sonic AuthorScript is the world's leading engine for the creation and burning of DVDs and CDs on PCs and CE devices. Available as a software development kit (SDK) with extensive APIs, AuthorScript makes it easy for application developers to add a broad range of CD and DVD technologies into their applications and to support the widest array of CD and DVD burners. A flexible solution, AuthorScript contains modules for converting video and audio data into DVD- and VCD-compliant streams, formatting and burning DVD-Video and VCD projects, data recording on CDs and DVDs, music CD ripping and burning, DVR recording and timeshifting, DVD-Video and VCD playback, and more. AuthorScript also includes comprehensive support for recording and editing in the DVD-VR and DVD+RW (+VR) formats.

AuthorScript has been licensed by industry-leading companies including Adobe, Avid, Broadcom, IBM, Microsoft, Scientific-Atlanta, Sony, and Time Warner. It is the underlying engine in Sonic's DVD applications including MyDVD®, DVDit®, and RecordNowT, which are bundled by major OEMs such as Adaptec, Compaq, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, IBM, Iomega, Lite-On, NEC, Panasonic, Pioneer, Sony, Toshiba, ViewSonic, and others. AuthorScript Music and AuthorScript Advanced Music allows online music services and audio application developers to quickly add CD and DVD burning capabilities, DRM support, and other advanced audio-centric features to their programs.

About Sonic Solutions
Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: SNIC; http://www.sonic.com) is the leader in digital media software, providing a broad range of interoperable, platform-independent software tools and applications for creative professionals, business and home users, and technology partners. Sonic's products range from advanced DVD authoring systems and interactive content delivery technologies used to produce the majority of Hollywood DVD film releases, to the award-winning Roxio® and Sonic-branded CD and DVD creation, playback and backup solutions that have become the premier choice for consumers, prosumers and business users worldwide.

Sonic products are globally available from major retailers, online at Sonic.com and Roxio.com, and are bundled with PCs, after-market drives and consumer electronic devices. Sonic's digital media creation engine is the de facto standard and has been licensed by major software and hardware manufacturers, including Adobe, Microsoft, Scientific-Atlanta, Sony, and many others. Sonic Solutions is headquartered in Marin County, California.

Sonic, the Sonic logo, Sonic Solutions, Roxio, AuthorScript, DVDit, MyDVD, and RecordNow are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sonic Solutions or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. All other company or product names are trademarks of their respective owners and, in some cases, are used by Sonic Solutions under license.