Video News

Reprinted from a Visario/CFG Media/Columbia Financial Group press release:

(San Carlos, CA)-PR Newswire News Feature-November 6, 2001-The big
millennium devastation of dotcoms did not kill the Internet, but it did
change the way it will grow.

“From here on out you will see the growth, literally, in the form of
digital video, everywhere,” says Jim Newcomb, President and CEO of Vizarioä,
a development stage tech company in Silicon Valley.
Newcomb’s company has a clear focus on that image. Vizario is now
offering
a video condenser (V V C) that extends Windows XP’s already potent digital
video capabilities.

Vizario’s patented technology empowers knowledge
workers in all kinds of businesses to use digital video more intensively
right from their desktops, without hiring developers or programmers.
Newcomb believes on-line interactive videos will become as commonplace as
Powerpoint for business presentations.

“We designed our video software specifically for Windows XP, and
consequently Microsoft is featuring V V C in their on-line software catalog,
at www.microsoft.com,” Newcomb continues. “Sure, there are other players in
the Internet digital media space, but we believe Microsoft’s format will
emerge as the de-facto standard.”

V V C reduces the size and bandwidth of Windows media digital video files,
automatically creating previews. Viewers can browse these highly condensed
video “thumbnails”, without waiting to download entire files. V V C
mini-movies are easy to share over the Internet, even with 56k modems.
Vizario’s technology will also make it easier for hand-held wireless devices
to get a glimpse of the future as well. “Wireless network system operators
will find our condenser an effective way to reduce the load placed on their
systems by digital video browsing, because V V C reduces both the file size
and bandwidth of video clips. As a result, video-intensive Internet access
can be better achieved on hand-helds,” says Newcomb.

Reprinted from a Cyberlink press release:

Taipei, Taiwan—-November 14, 2001—-CyberLink Corp., a leading software developer of digital video and streaming multimedia applications, is proud to announce continued support for the latest microprocessor technology from Intel. Further illustrating its dedication to enabling computer users to apply the latest technologies to increase digital video enjoyment, CyberLink is excited to unveil new products that are optimized for the Intel® Pentium 4® processor. The Intel Pentium 4 processor provides the world’s fastest CPU technology and allows many of today’s best software applications to further expand the benefits of today’s PC systems. In conjunction with the world’s best digital video software applications from CyberLink, the Intel Pentium 4 processor dramatically reduces the time it takes to work with multimedia rich information and handles multi-tasking with ease.

At this year’s COMDEX, Intel will work with the industry to exhibit software applications optimized for the Pentium 4 processor at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). CyberLink PowerDirector Pro, the complete solution for making movies on CDs and DVDs, shall be demonstrated to show how the new Pentium 4 processor allows for fast, real time transcoding of video in DV format to high bit rate MPEG-2 format. Additionally, CyberLink PowerDVD, PowerVCR II and StreamAuthor take full advantage of the powerful Pentium 4 processor to perform video capture and high-quality encoding into various digital formats and rich-media presentations. With the Pentium 4 processor, featuring clock speeds up to 2 GHz, CyberLink software applications allow digital video production to be fast and enjoyable.

by Alan Sheckter, Videomaker news editor

Hewlett-Packard, Philips and Sony each showed off their first DVD+RW computer drives in Las Vegas this week, at COMDEX 2001. These “combination” drives, which also write CD-R and CD-RW discs, all reportedly list for under $700, and have all been released. Each DVD+RW drive comes bundled with Sonic Solutions’ MyDVD DVD-authoring software.

Philips demonstrated its DVDRW208 drive, HP exhibited its DVD100i, and Sony displayed its new DRU110A/C1 drive at the expo.

Ricoh also offers a DVD+RW combination drive, the MP5120A. Interestingly, a Philips representative told Videomaker that Ricoh is currently manufacturing Philips’ DVDRW208 drive, but the company plans to soon produce its own. Reportedly, Ricoh also manufactures HP’s DVD100i.

HP also announced the Pavilion 9995 PC, slated for a Nov. 18 release. The system, which comes with a $1,999 MSRP, is said to boast a P4 2GHz processor, 512MB RAM and an 80GB hard drive.

Reprinted from a Sonic Solutions press release:

Las Vegas, Nevada ­ (November
13, 2001) ­ Sonic Solutions, the world
leader in DVD production systems, announced today at
the Comdex Convention significant enhancements to the
world’s most popular application for authoring DVD titles,
Sonic DVDit!.

Expanded drive support, accelerated
performance, and Windows XP compatibility are among the
new features in this release. Suggested list prices for
DVDit! have been lowered by 40%, to $299 U.S. for DVDit!
SE and to $599 U.S. for DVDit! PE.

Version 2.5 of DVDit! includes a new compression engine ­
incorporating GoMotion technology from Ligos ­ for
converting AVI and QuickTime files to MPEG in faster than
real-time, and adds support for many new CD and DVD
recorders, including the new generation of DVD+RW drives,
such as the HP DVD100i DVD-writer. Sonic has also
announced compatibility with Microsoft Windows XP,
ensuring a smooth transition for users wishing to move to
Microsoft’s latest PC platform.

DVDit! is used by videographers, multimedia professionals
and video enthusiasts worldwide to create high-quality
personal and professional DVD titles with ease. With
DVDit!, users are able to simply drag-and-drop video and
audio into the application, design interactive menus and
record the final content to DVD+RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD-RAM
or CD-R/RW. And with over a million units shipped, DVDit!
has become the world standard software for DVD
authoring.

by Alan Sheckter, Videomaker news editor

In addition to the recently released VideoWave 5, MGI’s new version of its popular video editing software, the company is also demonstrating Cinematic at the COMDEX expo in Las Vegas. Admittedly an entry-level video editing software package, Cinematic’s selling point is its ability to automate the video production process, thus allowing users with limited creative ability or inclination to spice up their movies.

The software is designed to accept video from analog and DV sources, and users, MGI said, have the ability to output movies to computer, back to tape, the Web, Video CDs or DVDs.

Cinematic offers three different editing modes. CineMagic, for the complete novice, automatically creates a fully edited movie from the users’ raw video footage and music of choice.
For those who want a little more hands-on involvement with their productions, Cinematic’s StoryBuilder mode contains step-by-step wizard guides (with templates such as Birthday, Wedding and Christmas) to help facilitate production.

Finally, more advanced users, with a library of transitions and effects, can create their own productions from scratch or tweak the video that the software automatically produced.

Cinematic comes with a $89.99 MSRP; VideoWave 5 is priced at $129.99.

by Alan Sheckter, Videomaker news editor

Billed as “the world’s only smart automatic video editing software,” muvee autoProducer is getting a lot of attention

Targeted at the casual video-production market, muvee autoProducer is designed to quickly analyze a video for shot boundaries, poor quality material, object motion, face detection and camera motion. In addition, music selections are analyzed for beat and tempo. This analysis, the company said, is used to make automatic edit decisions regarding appropriate selection of footage, cutting points transitions and special effects.

Muvee Technologies is marketing the product for those casual camcorder owners who don’t have the time or patience to edit video productions with traditional editing software.

muvee autoProducer is available for download at $59.95 at www.muvee.com.
A simplified version, muvee autoProducer Lite, is now available for free download.

by Alan Sheckter, Videomaker news editor

Among the video-friendly software solutions shown at COMDEX this week is InstantCD/DVD 6, a high-end recording application from Germany-based VOB Information Systems. A practical combination of applications usually requiring two or three different software packages, InstantCD/DVD 6 allows users to burn audio CDs, CD-ROM, videoCD and DVD-video.

InstantCD/DVD 6 features include MPEG1 compression, support for direct video capture from an installed video card and a “de-noise” tool to clean up audio tracks. And, using VOB’s InstantBackup, which features compression and encryption, users can back up large files to CD and DVD drives.

InstantCD/DVD 6 has a suggested retail price of $79.99

Reprinted from a PlayStream/Business Wire press release:

–Nov. 13, 2001–For companies seeking more value from streaming media service providers, PlayStream now enables virtually every
media type to be delivered over the Web from a single account.

This includes delivery of streaming media, progressive downloads, Java, animation and digital images.

Customers seeking to improve their Web site’s performance with regard to delivery times of media content, such as static images and animation, will find PlayStream
to be an affordable alternative for improving Web site performance. Now, through PlayStream Director, customers may upload, manage, deploy and track content over
two systems: PlayStream’s core streaming service and/or PlayStream’s new Web delivery service. Benefits of this two-in-one service include increased return on
investment, improved Web site performance, ease of media deployment, lower infrastructure entry-cost, and improved end-user satisfaction.

PlayStream provides media delivery services for over 1,200 businesses and consumers worldwide. PlayStream’s proprietary easy linking technology empowers
customers with advanced capabilities to play, manage and deploy audio, video, and multimedia content over the Internet. By integrating the Industry’s most popular
formats with PlayStream’s proprietary technology, PlayStream is able to provide customers with greater simplicity and richer features in managing and delivering
media over the Web.

Reprinted from a MedioStream press release:

November 5, 2001 – San Jose, CA – MedioStream, Inc., a leading provider of PC-based consumer software
for recording digital video on DVD and CD discs, will be showcasing its range of solutions at COMDEX from
Nov. 12-16 in Las Vegas, and demonstrating full compatibility with competing DVD formats, including
DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW.

MedioStream will be active in DVD-related industry activities at COMDEX, including participating in events
supporting both DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW formats. MedioStream also will provide product demonstrations
and give away free trial software for its neoDVD suite of solutions at booth number L6720 in the Las Vegas
Convention Center.

Introduced in July 2001, the first product from the suite, neoDVDstandard, is a complete DVD authoring solution that
takes out the hassles for consumers who just want to be able to easily edit, author and burn digital video onto a
DVD or CD disc. NeoDVDstandard is compatible with all commercially available DVD recordable drives, including
the Panasonic DVD-RAM/R combination DVDBurner, the Pioneer DVR-A03 DVD-R/RW drive, the Philips
DVD+RW200 series drive, and the Ricoh MP5120A DVD+RW drive.

The digital format is fast becoming the consumer preferred format for audio/video entertainment and data
storage, and Cahners In-Stat Group, a market research firm, forecasts worldwide shipments of DVD recordable
drives to reach 22 million by 2004. However, the problem facing the DVD industry is format compatibility: none of
the writeable formats are fully compatible with each other or even with existing drives and players. This has
caused problems for many consumers, as DVDs created on one format may not be able to be read by all DVD
set-top boxes.

Reprinted from a RDVDC/Business Wire press release:

LAS VEGAS, NV (November 12, 2001) – With personal video production projected to go mainstream, the Recordable DVD
Council (RDVDC) held a press conference today to announce the launch of a program to assist hardware and software vendors
in promoting consumer understanding of the three DVD Forum-approved recordable DVD formats and their supporting
products. Opening remarks by RDVDC Council chairman Bon-Guk Koo, senior corporate advisor and former executive vice
president of Samsung Electronics, were followed by a presentation from guest speaker Wolfgang Schlichting, research manager
for IDC’s Optical Removable Storage Program.

“DVD Forum-compliant combination DVD drives that provide both write-once, play-anywhere and rewritable capabilities are
available from multiple suppliers for $450 to $850 and are rapidly entering the mainstream consumer market,” said Koo.
“DVD-R media that plays on nearly every Forum standard player costs less than $5 and rewritable discs range in price from
$10-$12. We are delivering on the DVD Forum’s commitment to provide consumers with a cost-effective video communications
medium for personal and business applications.”

To emphasize the widespread hardware/software support for Forum-standard recordable DVD, Koo encouraged the press to
view the more than 50 standards-compliant products that were on display. He noted that these were just some of the hundreds
of applications for recordable DVD products such as DVD recorders, DVD drives and DVD cameras that are in use today.

Applications for industry standard Recordable DVD range from AV entertainment to computer data in markets spanning
consumers to businesses. Compliance with the DVD Forum’s recordable DVD formats has been a key factor in driving the
broad support of the user-proven DVD technology formats which are supported by Hollywood as well as leading computer and
software producers.

Following Koo’s statements, guest speaker Wolfgang Schlichting presented some of the highlights of IDC’s recently completed
storage market study. Based on these reports, IDC predicts that the growing consumer interest in personal video, combined with
the increasing availability of low-cost dual-technology DVD drives will help recordable DVD drives increase from 1.4 million units
this year to more than 30 million units in 2005.

IDC’s forecast also indicates that while there will only be a slight improvement in PC sales over the next two quarters, optical
storage – and more specifically combination recordable DVD devices – will fuel the growth of aftermarket sales and move
consumers to higher-performance video-enabled systems. Schlichting credits video applications such as recording and editing
home video, archiving broadcast TV content and downloading video content from the Internet for driving consumer interest in
recordable DVD devices.