DVD Authoring Blog

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2006-09-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

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Toast 7.1 Universal is Here

2006-07-28T17:03:00.000-07:00

The news you've been waiting for! The Universal update of Toast 7 is now available for full native compatibility with both PowerPC and Intel Macs. It includes a Universal update for CD Spin Doctor and some fixes for Motion Pictures HD as well.

Get the Toast 7.1 Update Now!

If you haven't already upgraded to Toast 7, this is also the perfect time to do so. Save $30 instantly with our special offer below -- exclusively for newsletter readers!
Tip of the Month: Have more data to back up than can fit on a single CD or DVD? Choose "Mac Only" as your data format and Toast will automatically span your data across multiple discs! Only Toast can span data, so if you're still burning with the basic built-in capabilities of the Mac OS - you're missing out.

Roxio Labs is Launched

2006-06-27T15:18:00.000-07:00

New Initiative Gives Consumers Early Access to Cutting-Edge Digital Media Applications and Technologies

Sonic, the leader in digital media software, today launched Roxio Labs, a customer and technology-driven initiative to rapidly bring innovative digital media technologies and services to Roxio’s digital media-savvy customer base. Through the Roxio Labs Web site, consumers will have the opportunity to try a wide variety of emerging technologies - developed both in-house as well as by 3rd parties - and provide valuable feedback that will help shape a new generation of compelling, web-connected, digital media software applications.

"Innovation is innate to the Sonic culture and has been a key component of our long-term strategy and successful track record of industry firsts," said Mark Ely, Sonic’s executive vice president of strategy. "With Roxio Labs, we’re building on this culture of innovation by enabling our global teams of digital media experts to rapidly develop exciting new products and services and deploy them directly over the web. In addition to providing applications that integrate into and complement our flagship Easy Media Creator and Toast platforms, Roxio Labs will launch a broad range of tools and technologies essential to today’s digital media lifestyle."

The Roxio Labs Web site will host a variety of application types including early public-betas of new Roxio applications, imaginative utilities, useful product components that were previously only available as part of a complete suite, and a unique mix of innovative third-party applications. Based on direct consumer feedback, Roxio Labs will further develop and refine these products, ultimately selecting the best for broad distribution through Sonic’s extensive retail, OEM and direct channels.

Included in the first batch of products available on Roxio Labs is MyTVtoGo, which enables consumers to quickly and efficiently transfer TiVoToGo™ files or TV shows recorded on a Windows® Media Center to a portable device including an iPod®, PSP™, or a smartphone. Another innovative product is Roxio MediaTicker™, a desktop widget that introduces a whole new way to enjoy your digital photos throughout the day, without running applications that take over your desktop. Also available is Sightspeed, a premium video conferencing and video mail application.

"We are extremely pleased to become one of the first third-party applications chosen for inclusion on Roxio Labs," said Peter Csathy, chief executive officer at SightSpeed. "Our relationship with Sonic will greatly extend SightSpeed’s reach and awareness by introducing a large enthusiastic base of digital media consumers to the power of our award-winning solution."

Sonic Solutions Launches Roxio Labs

2006-06-15T14:26:00.000-07:00

New Initiative Gives Consumers Early Access to Cutting-Edge Digital Media Applications and Technologies

Novato, California (June 15th, 2006)Sonic Solutions, the leader in digital media software, today launched Roxio Labs a customer and technology-driven initiative to rapidly bring innovative digital media technologies and services to Roxio’s digital media-savvy customer base. Through the Roxio Labs Web site (http://labs.roxio.com), consumers will have the opportunity to try a wide variety of emerging technologies - developed both in-house as well as by 3rd parties - and provide valuable feedback that will help shape a new generation of compelling, web-connected, digital media software applications.
"Innovation is innate to the Sonic culture and has been a key component of our long-term strategy and successful track record of industry firsts," said Mark Ely, Sonic’s executive vice president of strategy. "With Roxio Labs, we’re building on this culture of innovation by enabling our global teams of digital media experts to rapidly develop exciting new products and services and deploy them directly over the web. In addition to providing applications that integrate into and complement our flagship Easy Media Creator and Toast platforms, Roxio Labs will launch a broad range of tools and technologies essential to today’s digital media lifestyle."
The Roxio Labs Web site will host a variety of application types including early public-betas of new Roxio applications, imaginative utilities, useful product components that were previously only available as part of a complete suite, and a unique mix of innovative third-party applications. Based on direct consumer feedback, Roxio Labs will further develop and refine these products, ultimately selecting the best for broad distribution through Sonic’s extensive retail, OEM and direct channels.
Included in the first batch of products available on Roxio Labs is MyTVtoGo, which enables consumers to quickly and efficiently transfer TiVoToGo™ files or TV shows recorded on a Windows® Media Center to a portable device including an iPod®, PSP™, or a smartphone. Another innovative product is Roxio MediaTicker™, a desktop widget that introduces a whole new way to enjoy your digital photos throughout the day, without running applications that take over your desktop. Also available is Sightspeed, a premium video conferencing and video mail application.
"We are extremely pleased to become one of the first third-party applications chosen for inclusion on Roxio Labs," said Peter Csathy, chief executive officer at SightSpeed. "Our relationship with Sonic will greatly extend SightSpeed’s reach and awareness by introducing a large enthusiastic base of digital media consumers to the power of our award-winning solution."

About Sonic Solutions
Sonic 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®-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, Roxio, MyTVToGO, MediaTicker, and Sonic Solutions, 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.

Digital Photography Tips

2006-06-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

This was an interesting article from the MyRoxio Community Site:

Digital Photography Tips - By Becky Waring

Whether you're making the transition from a 35mm camera to digital for the first time, are already a digital photo pro, or even just thinking about getting a digital camera, this set of tips is for you. Digital photography is inherently different than film in many respects, and those pesky manuals usually only tell you how to press the buttons, not when and where to use them intelligently. Take these tips to heart, and we guarantee you better pics!

1) Prepare Your EquipmentThe old boy scout motto is triply important when using a digital camera. With a film camera, all you really have to worry about is if you have enough film on hand. And more is usually available at the nearest 7-11, even on Christmas day. The same is not true of digital, for several reasons.
First, since digital cameras use electricity-hogging LCD screens and memory cards, battery life is likely to be measured in minutes, rather than years, and most digicams use special rechargeable batteries, rather than AAA throwaways. Treat your digicam like a cell phone. Always have a spare battery on hand, and charge up at every possible opportunity. Missing shots because the battery is dead is painful. Keep an eye on the battery-life indicator also. If your battery is getting low, turn off that LCD and resist the temptation to preview your pics. Use the viewfinder instead, just like a regular camera.
Second, get as large a memory card (or cards) as you can afford. Digital pics are space gobblers, and the typical 8MB card that ships with your camera will only hold about eight 3-megapixel images. Get at least a 64MB card for a typical outing's worth of shots. Get a 512MB or even 1GB card if you will be going on vacation without a way to download your pics from the camera.
Finally, get a good camera bag to hold extra battery, charger, cards, filters, extra lenses (if your camera accepts them) and flash attachment (if you have one). It's easy to lose all the bits and pieces, and difficult to replace them. See "Roxio's Complete Guide to Buying a Digital Camera" for more on equipment choices.
2) Prepare Your CameraAfter a dead battery, probably the most frustrating thing about a digital camera is having to wade your way through baffling LCD screen menus while the shot you want is rapidly disappearing. Read the manual and learn your camera's functions BEFORE you start to shoot seriously. Set it up the way you want it. Set the time/date function, resolution and compression (we recommend the highest resolution and lowest compression, other than uncompressed-you never know when you might have taken the best picture of your life!), white balance (more on this below), flash mode, and any other fixed settings.
White balance is crucial to getting correct colors under different lighting conditions, such as daylight, tungsten, and flourescent. Most digicams have an "auto" mode that senses lighting and sets white balance accordingly, but many also have a manual mode that lets you set the white balance by putting a piece of white paper in front of the camera, and setting that as "white." If your pictures have color casts, it's likely that an incorrect white balance is at fault.
3) Zoom InMost digicams use a combination of "optical" and "digital" zoom. Simply put, optical zoom is the same as what you are used to on a 35mm camera, where the lens changes focal length. Digital zoom is really smoke and mirrors-the camera blows up a portion of a larger image by guesstimating pixels. Only optical zoom maintains sharpness and image quality. Since digital zoom turns on automatically as you go past the limits of the optical zoom in most cameras, I recommend simply turning this feature off. If you want to blow up part of an image, you can do that later in any good photo-editing software, such as Roxio's PhotoSuite.
Whether you use digital zoom or not, as you increase the focal length of your shot, camera movement becomes magnified during exposure, and can cause blurry images. This problem is exacerbated by the longer exposures usually required when zooming, unless you have a very fast lens. And digital camera lenses are typically not as fast as 35mm cameras. Some high-end cameras include image-stabilization, which can help with this problem, but it's best to fix the problem at the source, and learn to stabilize your images with a tripod, or simply by leaning against a fixed object. Small and light table-top tripods are available for less than $20, and easily fit in your camera bag.
4) Take the PictureOkay, you've prepared your best by following the tips above. Now it's time to take the picture. You're not done yet! Here are a few more tips to cure common problems:
Use the right picture settings, if your camera has them. Settings like landscape, portrait, close-up (macro mode), cloudy day and night shots will help you get much better pictures than the generic auto mode. Use them. Avoid red-eye. While you can correct red-eye after the fact with PhotoSuite, it's better to avoid it in the first place. Use the red-eye flash setting on your digicam when shooting people, and try not to have them look directly into the lens. If your camera has a flash shoe, get a separate bounce flash attachment, which not only increases flash power dramatically, it bounces it off the ceiling, eliminating red-eye entirely. Use a polarizing filter outside on sunny days. Polarizing is what sunglasses do, reducing glare and reflections, and yielding more pleasing tones. Skies will look bluer, and subjects will be more saturated. If your camera does not accept filters, just put your sunglasses in front of the lens, taking care to keep the rims out of the picture!
5) Make the Most of Your PicturesNow that you've taken the best possible pictures with your digicam, it's time to download them and share them with others. Here's where the Roxio best-selling PhotoSuite software comes in. You can retouch, crop, and composite pictures; create albums, slideshows and Web pages; email your pics to others; create perfect prints, including greeting cards and calendars; and much more. Check out our Insider's Guide to PhotoSuite 5 Platinum for the complete scoop.

Sonic Solutions to Power World’s First Commercially Available Blu-ray Disc Drive

2006-05-30T15:53:00.000-07:00

Pioneer Electronics Chooses Sonic Solutions to Power World’s First Commercially Available Blu-ray Disc Drive

Sonic’s Roxio Software Bundled with Pioneer BDR-101A Blu-ray Disc Writer

Sonic Solutions broke new ground today shipping its Roxio BD software with the first commercially available Blu-ray Disc drive from Pioneer Electronics. The release ushers in a new era in optical disc recording, making possible for the first time the backup of up to 25GB of data on a single layer BD-R (recordable) or BD-RE (rewritable) disc, as well as image-to-disc recording and the archive and playback of hours of high-definition video content. The software and hardware combination will enable a range of applications including professional pre-mastering, high-definition authoring and high-capacity storage.
"We are pleased to partner with Sonic as we continue our tradition of delivering breakthrough technologies in the optical disc market, from our introduction of LaserDisc products more than 25 years ago to today’s introduction of the first Blu-ray Disc Drive,” said Andy Parsons, senior vice president at Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. “Sonic’s software has helped establish and grow the market for CD and DVD creation and has made them the clear leader in their field. Given the depth and breadth of our joint experience, this effort by our two companies bodes well for the future success of this exciting next-generation optical format."
Initially targeted to professional users, the Pioneer BDR-101A will allow authoring facilities to perform testing and evaluation of commercial Blu-ray Disc releases in preparation for replication. Roxio digital media software for Blu-ray Disc will also enable image-to-disc recording, saving of BD disc images, and data transfer for file backup on BD. The drive may also be used by enthusiasts to store DV camcorder video and to record high-definition television shows on a properly equipped personal computer. The BDR-101A is also capable of BD-ROM movie and DVD playback and recording.
"Given Pioneer’s contributions to the development of optical media, their choice of Roxio is a gratifying validation of our high-definition authoring leadership,” said Stan Wong, general manager, Roxio division of Sonic Solutions. “Sonic is firmly committed to encouraging the success of the next-generation high- definition formats like BD at all levels, and enabling data and video recording for the world’s first shipping BD drive is a significant achievement for us and a major milestone in the launch of this powerful new format."
The release of BD-enabled Roxio software adds another first to Sonic’s 15-year history of delivering optical-format innovations, including the delivery of the first commercial CD mastering system in 1989, the first professional DVD production system in 1996, and the first consumer DVD authoring application in 1999. Sonic’s efforts on high-definition began over two years ago. Through its High Definition Authoring Alliance (HDAA), Sonic has been helping Hollywood and their authoring facility partners prepare for the successful launch of the next-generation optical format. Sonic’s technologies and guidance have been essential in the creation of the first replicated discs using advanced interactive modes of both BD and HD DVD. In addition, Sonic has also licensed BD technology to leading consumer electronics (CE) manufacturers, such as Broadcom, for incorporation into high-definition set-top players.

High Definition Authoring - Avid DVD by Sonic

2006-05-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

Avid Adds High-Definition DVD Authoring to Avid DVD by Sonic

Brings Ground Breaking High-Definition Digital Media Creation Tools to Video Professionals

Sonic Solutions the leader in digital media software, today introduced Avid DVD by Sonic® - BD Edition, the world’s first Blu-ray Disc (BD) authoring system for video professionals. The software will be included as a tightly-integrated component of Avid Technology, Inc.’s Studio Toolkit, which can be added to the Avid Xpress® Pro and Avid® Media Composer® family of products. Offering the perfect balance of speed, flexibility, and power, Avid DVD by Sonic - BD Edition will enable creative professionals working with high-definition content to author BD projects that feature stunning Widescreen (16:9) menus, rich playlists and sophisticated navigation systems.
“Our pioneering work with Avid highlights another important milestone in Sonic’s strategy to bring HD authoring technologies to the vast video-production market,” said Chris Neely, vice president of development for Sonic’s Professional Products Group. “Our knowledge and experience in BD and HD DVD will continue to drive a full range of Sonic-enabled solutions by our technology partners and industry-defining products that deliver dynamic high-definition creation and enjoyment experiences from Hollywood to home.”
The unveiling of next-generation authoring capabilities for the professional video market is the latest in a long series of high-definition initiatives by Sonic Solutions, which began its pioneering work on next-generation formats over two years ago. Sonic has taken a leading role in helping the industry make a smooth transition to the new high-definition optical formats, spearheading the High Definition Authoring Alliance (HDAA) in 2005 to prepare Hollywood and their authoring facility partners for the rollout of BD and HD DVD titles. More recently, Sonic announced an extension to the Alliance with the formation of an Advisory Group (HDAA AG). Comprised of top-tier computer and consumer electronics companies, the HDAA AG will collaborate with the HDAA to ensure high-definition formats deliver reliable, consistent and dynamic viewing experiences across platforms. In addition, Sonic recently released the world’s first professional high-definition authoring and encoding systems, Scenarist® 4 and CineVision™.
“We are pleased to extend our successful, long-standing relationship with Sonic Solutions,” said Patrick McLean, senior product manager for Avid. “Our winning formula of seamlessly combining Sonic’s advanced authoring technologies with Avid’s tools for editing, finishing, and mastering film and video projects, will enable content creators to expose the full power and potential of high definition from capture all the way to final distribution.”

For more information on Sonic’s comprehensive high-definition initiatives visit:

http://www.sonic.com/HD

Welcome to the DVD Authoring Blog

2006-05-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the DVD Authoring Blog. This Blog will discuss the latest advancements in DVD Authoring technology. Whether you are hobbyist, or a professional, the advice here should prove interesting.

DVD Authoring has come a long way. Initially, only Hollywood studios had enough money to create high end DVDs. Now your average person can create DVDs that rival anything you see in Hollywood. Technology is no longer the holdup when it comes to creating innovative DVD menus. Now, your only limitation is your own imagination.

Easter Eggs - I am a huge fan of hidden content in DVDs. Why not put a few items in hard to find places so that only the most dedicated fans can find them. This personalizes the DVD for the die hard fans, and the less involved fans will never know the difference.

Motion Menus - In my opinion, all DVD menus should contain movement. There is nothing more disappointing then getting to the main menu of a movie and seeing a still picture as the background. It doesn't take much to add motion, so I think it should be a standard (except when lack of space on disk dictates otherwise).

Blue Ray Disk and HD DVD - No more excuses Hollywood. These new formats give us more disk space and higher quality video. Bring on the extra content. Where are those outtake reels we all love?

Conclusion - I hope you all enjoy reading this Blog as much as I will enjoy writing it.