New Sonic Designer PS Version 2.1 Speeds Menu Creation for High-Definition Disc Formats

New Sonic Designer PS Version 2.1 Speeds Menu Creation for High-Definition Disc Formats

Plug-in for Photoshop CS3 Offers Efficiency and Automation for Output of Spec-Compliant Menu Graphics for BD and HD DVD

NOVATO, Calif., July 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sonic Solutions(R) (NASDAQ:SNIC) today introduced Scenarist(R) Designer PS Software Version 2.1, a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop that brings increased power, flexibility, and automation to the HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc menu design process. Offering seamless integration with the title-creation workflow in Sonic's industry-leading Scenarist Workgroup authoring applications, Designer PS enables simultaneous format-compliant output of color-optimized menu graphics for both Blu-ray Disc (HDMV and BD-J) and HD DVD (HDi). New in version 2.1 is support for non-Scenarist-based authoring systems, which broadens the application's reach and effectiveness for graphics professionals joining the high-definition format evolution. Scenarist Designer PS 2 is available immediately through Sonic's resale channels worldwide.

"Sonic's Designer PS is a very important solution for us because it allows our graphic designers to create in the environment they know best -- Photoshop -- while ensuring single-click work output at the highest possible quality," said Jeff Huang, VP, DVD/New Media at Elektrofilm in Burbank, California. "The presets provide optimized, color-reduced results that look great and, if required, can be tweaked to perfection with Designer's very detailed, hands-on controls. Our customers really notice the difference in Designer's quality and we appreciate the time we save by simultaneously outputting all menus for multi-format releases that are verified for compliance with the specs of the target formats."

Available for both Macintosh and Windows platforms, Scenarist Designer PS 2.1 handles graphics for the advanced content modes of both high-definition formats (BD-J and HDi), and is the only tool available as a Photoshop plug-in that handles menu design for standard content Blu-ray Disc (HDMV). With Designer PS, the HD menu design process leverages familiar techniques such as grouping button-state elements with Photoshop layer sets, allowing designers to focus on visuals without worrying about format conversion details. The export of finished menu designs to one or more formats is fully automated, saving hours of authoring work for each project and yielding all the components required to reconstruct a menu in a Scenarist authoring workstation. Flexible controls, including custom dithering options for HDMV RGBA palettes, ensure the highest-quality images.

"There's really nothing else that offers designers the same combination of familiarity, flexibility, efficiency, and quality for high definition menu graphics," said Rolf Hartley, senior vice president and general manager of Sonic's Professional Products Group. "And now, with version 2.1, we're giving a broader range of designers the opportunity to take advantage of Designer PS's capabilities. While some will experience the full synergy of using Designer PS in a Scenarist-based workflow, others will simply appreciate the ease, speed, and reliability with which Designer is able to generate great-looking, worry-free menu graphics."

About Sonic's Professional Products Group

Sonic's Professional Products Group (PPG) develops authoring and encoding systems used in the release of a wide variety of video entertainment including major motion pictures on DVD-Video, DVD-ROM, HD DVD and Blu-ray disc. Sonic's world-renowned Scenarist(R) authoring and CineVision(TM) video and audio encoding systems are intended for highly skilled professional content creation facilities including high-end authoring and design houses, major motion picture studios, and disc replicators. Sonic's Professional Products Group is actively involved in the development and implementation of new entertainment standards and formats.

About Sonic Solutions

Sonic Solutions (Nasdaq: SNIC; http://www.sonic.com/) enables the creation, management, and enjoyment of digital media content from Hollywood to home. Sonic's products range from the advanced authoring systems used to produce Hollywood DVD, HD DVD, and Blu-ray Disc film releases to the award-winning Roxio(R)-branded photo, video, music, and digital-media management applications. Sonic's patented technologies and AuthorScript(R) media engine are relied upon by leading technology firms to define rich media experiences on a wide array of consumer electronics, mobile devices, set-top players, retail kiosks, and PCs. Always an innovator, Sonic has taken a leading role in helping professional and consumer markets make the successful transition to the new high-definition media formats and, through the DVD On Demand(TM) and Qflix platforms, Sonic is defining new models for the digital distribution of premium Hollywood entertainment. Sonic Solutions is headquartered in Marin County, California.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations, including the launch, distribution, and market acceptance of Scenarist Designer PS 2.1. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties, including those discussed in the Company's annual and quarterly reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This press release should be read in conjunction with the Company's most recent annual report on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and other reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which contain a more detailed discussion of the Company's business including risks and uncertainties that may affect future results. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements.

Sonic, the Sonic logo, Sonic Solutions, Scenarist, Scenarist Designer, and Roxio 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.

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Source: Sonic Solutions

CONTACT: Chris Taylor of Sonic Solutions, +1-408-367-5231,
chris_taylor@sonic.com

Web site: http://www.sonic.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment