Sonic Announces Support for DVD-R Dual Layer Recording
Sonic Solutions? today announced that it will support the forthcoming DVD-R Dual Layer recording standard across its complete line of consumer and professional applications as well as in its industry-standard AuthorScript? engine.
Working closely with the leading drive manufacturers developing the DVD-R DL format, Sonic is leveraging its advanced dual layer recording technology, developed for Hollywood DVDs, to deliver the industry's first DVD-R DL applications when the drives ship in early Q1, 2005. DVD-R DL enables users to create DVDs that can hold up to eight hours of video or 8.5 billion bytes of data on a single recordable disc.
"Sonic has long been a partner of Pioneer's in helping to bring the latest advances in DVD recording technology to market," said Ryuichiro Yoshimura, general manager of the Business Planning Department, Components Business Company at Pioneer. "Sonic's commitment to Dual Layer DVD-R will clearly make this advanced recording technology available to a broad number of users. We are very pleased to be working closely with Sonic as this major advancement in recording technology is introduced to the market."
Sonic's support for DVD-R DL is based on its industry-leading HyperMux? DVD formatting technology which has been used by Hollywood to create the majority of the world's professional dual layer DVDs. By extending this technology to the DVD-R DL recording format, Sonic's applications and software development kits are able to take advantage of the same advanced title layout, buffer management, layer-break control, and frame selection technologies used by Hollywood.
"With the capacity to store almost twice the content of a standard DVD, dual layer DVDs have long been the format of choice for Hollywood studios looking to deliver maximum entertainment value to consumers. Now those same consumers are using recordable DVD to back up their personal data and share their home movies and photos," said Jim Taylor, general manager of Sonic's Advanced Technology Group. "Sonic?s comprehensive support for DVD-R Dual Layer across our product line enables consumers to fit much more video, photos, and other data onto a single disc. And now our professional customers can much more easily create and test dual layer titles before committing them to mass replication."
About Sonic HyperMux-DL
Sonic's HyperMux-DL formatting technology optimizes the DVD data stream to minimize buffer usage, ensuring better stream quality and integrity while enhancing title playback performance across the broadest range of consumer DVD players. HyperMux-DL has been specially tuned to deliver maximum writing speed and disc compatibility for DVD-R Dual Layer media while minimizing MPEG video frame stutter.
HyperMux-DL's proprietary Dual Layer features include:
- Sonic SmartBalance? ? automatically balances data and video content across both disc layers for the fastest-possible write times. SmartBalance algorithms automatically adjust the layer break point to minimize lead-out time, dramatically speeding disc-burning time, while ensuring maximum read-back compatibility.
- Sonic JumpSafe?? selects the ideal title set layout and layer break point with precisely filled error-correction blocks to ensure optimum video playback and to avoid the frame stutter and visual distortion that commonly occurs in DVDs authored on standard formatting systems when the MPEG data streams are interrupted during layer switch.
Sonic's MyDVD?, DVDit?, Backup MyPC? and RecordNow? consumer applications as well as Sonic's professional applications, Scenarist? and DVD Producer? will be the first applications to take advantage of this unique technology to create DVD-R Dual Layer discs that can hold eight hours of video or up to 8.5 billion bytes of data on a single disc. DVD-R Dual Layer versions of Sonic's consumer products are expected to ship in January and will be included in bundles from major drive and PC manufacturers starting in the first quarter of 2005. Sonic AuthorScript with Dual Layer support will be released to selected licensing partners in the PC and consumer electronics markets in the first quarter of 2005.
"Sonic has long been a partner of Pioneer's in helping to bring the latest advances in DVD recording technology to market," said Ryuichiro Yoshimura, general manager of the Business Planning Department, Components Business Company at Pioneer. "Sonic's commitment to Dual Layer DVD-R will clearly make this advanced recording technology available to a broad number of users. We are very pleased to be working closely with Sonic as this major advancement in recording technology is introduced to the market."
Sonic's support for DVD-R DL is based on its industry-leading HyperMux? DVD formatting technology which has been used by Hollywood to create the majority of the world's professional dual layer DVDs. By extending this technology to the DVD-R DL recording format, Sonic's applications and software development kits are able to take advantage of the same advanced title layout, buffer management, layer-break control, and frame selection technologies used by Hollywood.
"With the capacity to store almost twice the content of a standard DVD, dual layer DVDs have long been the format of choice for Hollywood studios looking to deliver maximum entertainment value to consumers. Now those same consumers are using recordable DVD to back up their personal data and share their home movies and photos," said Jim Taylor, general manager of Sonic's Advanced Technology Group. "Sonic?s comprehensive support for DVD-R Dual Layer across our product line enables consumers to fit much more video, photos, and other data onto a single disc. And now our professional customers can much more easily create and test dual layer titles before committing them to mass replication."
About Sonic HyperMux-DL
Sonic's HyperMux-DL formatting technology optimizes the DVD data stream to minimize buffer usage, ensuring better stream quality and integrity while enhancing title playback performance across the broadest range of consumer DVD players. HyperMux-DL has been specially tuned to deliver maximum writing speed and disc compatibility for DVD-R Dual Layer media while minimizing MPEG video frame stutter.
HyperMux-DL's proprietary Dual Layer features include:
- Sonic SmartBalance? ? automatically balances data and video content across both disc layers for the fastest-possible write times. SmartBalance algorithms automatically adjust the layer break point to minimize lead-out time, dramatically speeding disc-burning time, while ensuring maximum read-back compatibility.
- Sonic JumpSafe?? selects the ideal title set layout and layer break point with precisely filled error-correction blocks to ensure optimum video playback and to avoid the frame stutter and visual distortion that commonly occurs in DVDs authored on standard formatting systems when the MPEG data streams are interrupted during layer switch.
Sonic's MyDVD?, DVDit?, Backup MyPC? and RecordNow? consumer applications as well as Sonic's professional applications, Scenarist? and DVD Producer? will be the first applications to take advantage of this unique technology to create DVD-R Dual Layer discs that can hold eight hours of video or up to 8.5 billion bytes of data on a single disc. DVD-R Dual Layer versions of Sonic's consumer products are expected to ship in January and will be included in bundles from major drive and PC manufacturers starting in the first quarter of 2005. Sonic AuthorScript with Dual Layer support will be released to selected licensing partners in the PC and consumer electronics markets in the first quarter of 2005.
