Sonic Solutions® (NASDAQ: SNIC), the leader in digital media software, today debuted Scenarist® BD Studio Workgroup, a new cost-effective title production suite based on Sonic's ultra high-end professional Blu-ray Disc (BD) creation solutions. Scenarist BD Studio Workgroup features two new programs, Scenarist BD Studio for authoring and CineVision® Studio for encoding, which have been expressly configured and priced to meet the needs of professionals in the video post, independent film, and corporate video production industries. Designed to help expand the overall BD title production market, Scenarist BD Studio Workgroup makes high quality HD title creation available to a broader range of post facilities and specialized content owners. In addition to being available as part of the Scenarist BD Studio Workgroup, Scenarist BD Studio and CineVision Studio will also be available for purchase separately.

"The Scenarist BD Studio Workgroup is another example of Sonic's commitment to advancing the market for professional content creation. The Studio Workgroup is the right product, at the right price, and is being delivered at the right time in the development of the BD format," said Paul Stellingwerff, vice president at Transtec in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. "Blu-ray represents a large opportunity for post facilities to expand their production services using Scenarist BD Studio to deliver great high-definition content on disc. We are already seeing a surge in adoption at such facilities."

Scenarist BD Studio and CineVision Studio are each based on the same engines as Sonic's other industry-leading products, which are installed in more facilities worldwide than any other high-end authoring and encoding solutions. Offering streamlined power tailored to the demands of independent facilities, Scenarist BD Studio breaks the price barrier while also providing a comprehensive, professional BD title production solution that includes detailed control of advanced interactivity and field-proven playback compatibility. CineVision Studio provides complete support for BD encoding modes (AVC, VC-1, and MPEG-2), includes Digital Vision's DVO Brickwall low-pass filtering plug-in as a standard feature, and offers the optional ability to incorporate additional DVO plug-ins. Owners of either component of the Scenarist BD Studio Workgroup can also select Sonic's renowned SonicCare® training and support services, designed to ensure that customers have everything they need for on-schedule delivery of top-quality titles.

"Thanks to the variety of encoding and authoring solutions offered by Scenarist BD Studio Workgroup, a broader range of professional content creators can now take advantage of the storage density, quality and unprecedented interactivity offered by the Blu-ray Disc format," said Rolf Hartley, senior vice president and general manager of Sonic's Professional Products Group. "BD is an ideal medium to showcase HD content for post facilities, independent and specialized film content, event videography, and high-impact corporate communications. Our Scenarist BD Studio Workgroup is perfectly featured and priced for creative professionals and entrepreneurs who have the talent and vision to apply BD to these rapidly expanding market segments."

Sonic will be demonstrating Scenarist Studio Workgroup at the IBC convention, Hall 7, Stand 7.D11, September 12 to 16, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

www.sonic.com