Adobe Unveils New DVD Authoring Application

Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced Adobe Encore DVD, aprofessional DVD authoring application that extends the Adobe digitalvideo product line. Adobe Encore DVD software lets professionalvideographers, DVD authors, and independent producers createsophisticated, multi-language DVDs with stunning interactive menus,multiple audio tracks, and subtitles. Adobe's latest video applicationcombines an integrated authoring environment; a flexible, creativedesign interface; and unrivalled integration with Adobe Photoshop.

Adobe will debut the product during its keynote Super Session at theNational Association of Broadcasters (NAB) trade show on Monday, April7th in Las Vegas.

Adobe Encore DVD opens the door for video professionals to takeadvantage of powerful DVD features and deliver their video projects inthe format embraced by both consumers and professionals, said BryanLamkin, senior vice president of digital imaging and video products atAdobe Systems. "By integrating Adobe Encore DVD with applicationscritical to the authoring process -- Photoshop, Adobe Premiere andAfter Effects -- we have created a superior DVD authoring environmentthat will enable our customers to take their work to the nextlevel."

Interactive Menus and Design Tools
Adobe Encore DVD includes a comprehensive set of design tools and apowerful menu editor, adding a new level of creativity to the DVDauthoring process. The integration between Adobe Encore DVD andPhotoshop allows users to edit menus, without flattening orre-rendering Photoshop files that make up the menu backgrounds for themajority of professionally produced DVDs. Changes are instantaneous andeasily reversible, and save hours of production time. The sophisticatedmenu designer also provides access to Photoshop text design tools toedit, style, and align text within the project window.

Getting started with Adobe Encore DVD is straightforward andintuitive with pre-designed button and menu styles that incorporatemotion and still backgrounds. A simple interface within Adobe EncoreDVD provides full control over navigation, allowing authors to specifyplayback behavior for their DVDs. A customizable library palette letsusers save their favorite button and background designs for future use.In addition, Adobe Encore DVD automatically creates chapters fromrecognized marker points in Adobe Premiere and can import After EffectsAVI files to create motion menu loops.

Adobe says its research indicates that the DVD authoring market isexploding this year with a CAGR of 391%. Adobe's introduction of AdobeEncore DVD couldn't come at a better time, said Dr. Jon Peddie,president of Jon Peddie Research, a leading multimedia market researchfirm. By incorporating professional-level control with entry-levelfunctionality, Adobe is positioned to fill the needs of professionalvideographers at either end of the spectrum, allowing virtually anyoneto create and burn their own professional DVDs.

Flexible Production Environment
Using a familiar Adobe interface and project timeline, users cancombine video, audio, and subtitles with up to eight tracks of audioand 32 subtitle tracks. An efficient project management system keepseverything organized and allows users to track a project's structure,sort and find specific elements, and apply global changes to projects.Before burning a DVD, users can view their work in the integratedproject preview window to check the navigational design for broken andorphaned links.

Adobe Encore DVD offers a high degree of playback compatibility withsupport for all recordable DVD formats including DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW andDVD-RAM. It also provides integrated video and audio transcoding, whichautomatically converts video source files to MPEG-2 and audio sourcefiles to Dolby Digital and optimizes file compression. For morecontrol, professionals have the option to adjust the settings manuallyto their own specifications.

Pricing and Availability
Adobe Encore DVD for Windows XP is expected to ship in the UnitedStates in the third quarter of 2003. The estimated street price is US$549. Adobe Encore DVD will be available for purchase from Adobe.com,retail outlets, and Adobe certified resellers. Information regardinginternational pricing and support policies is available on the Adobewebsite at www.adobe.com.