Reprinted from a Roxio press release:
Roxio®, a division of Sonic Solutions® (NASDAQ: SNIC), the leader in digital media software, today launched Roxio Creator™ 2009, the latest version of the company’s market-leading suite of photo, video, and music authoring, burning, and online sharing applications. Creator 2009 introduces a range of pioneering audio features, integration of family-friendly online services, and advanced support for High Definition (HD) video. Creator 2009 also offers a streamlined workflow that enables consumers to complete a broad range of media creation, editing, sharing, and management projects more efficiently. Taking the guesswork out of evolving technologies and complicated formats and enabling users to take full advantage of all of Creator’s capabilities, Creator 2009 offers direct links to informative tutorials and how-to articles that provide guidance and creative inspiration. Roxio Creator 2009 is available today at www.roxio.com for $99.99 and will be introduced early next month in retail stores worldwide.
“Whether it’s the desire to edit hours of footage from a special family event, create a personalized photo slideshow of exotic travels or compose a perfect music playlist, consumers just want a straightforward solution that enables them to quickly and effortlessly create, preserve and enjoy their personal media content,” said Vito Salvaggio, vice president of consumer products, Roxio division of Sonic Solutions. “We listened to our customers and with Creator 2009 delivered a suite that is not only powerful, but also easy enough for family members of all skill levels to achieve great results.”
Roxio Creator 2009 introduces a variety of new features and enhancements to help both families and digital multimedia enthusiasts organize their digital world and express themselves through engaging movies, powerful multimedia stories and creative projects.
Roxio Creator 2009 Highlights:
Online and Mobile Sharing
Users will appreciate the direct access to Roxio Online, a new digital storytelling platform that enables families to turn their photos and videos into engaging slideshows that can be shared and enjoyed on PCs, DVDs, TVs, a range of handheld devices, and popular social networking sites. For added convenience, Roxio Online can be accessed from within Creator 2009’s product launcher and is available from within applications such as VideoWave®, CineMagic® or Media Manager. The Roxio Online service is available through a free subscription. Consumers can unlock additional creation and sharing capabilities by upgrading to Roxio Online’s premium service.
Ease-of-Use
The redesigned Creator 2009 product launcher provides quick access to all the tasks and creation tools available within Creator. Whether it’s editing video, creating a photo slideshow or burning an audio CD, Creator’s friendly and interactive design makes it easy to quickly accomplish a given task. Also easily accessible are a variety of helpful how-to articles and video-tutorials designed to guide consumers through the creative process.
Beyond the dozens of new workflow enhancements that make projects easier to complete, Creator 2009 also features SyncIt!™, a new desktop applet that automatically converts digital files to preferred formats for viewing on mobile devices, smart encoding technology for the quick authoring of HD video, and enhanced multi-core processor support for the latest CPUs.
Life in High Definition
Families and others can now create stunning HD projects using footage from AVCHD camcorders and favorite HD programming from TiVo® and other DVRs and burn it in HD, using DVD burners, onto standard DVDs for playback on a Playstation® 3 and other Blu-ray Disc players. This technology provides consumers with an affordable alternative to enjoy up to 60 minutes of video in HD. For even more impressive results, consumers may choose from a variety of new high definition menu themes and easily add them to their final productions. Enabled by a High-Def/Blu-ray Disc Plug-in, consumers can burn HD video to Blu-ray Disc, and enjoy more than three hours of HD movies on their HDTV using any Blu-ray Disc set-top player.
Superior Audio and Music
Headlining the new audio capabilities of Roxio Creator 2009 is Audiobook Creator™, an innovative technology that converts an entire audiobook into a single file with preserved chapter markers, making it easy for on-the-go readers to enjoy their favorite book on iPod®, iPhone® or other portable players like the Creative Zen®. Until now, users were only able to convert audiobook CDs into dozens of individual chapter files, making it difficult and often frustrating to manage on a portable device. Creator’s already impressive audio capabilities are enhanced by the new Beatmatching™ feature which enables users to create music compilations of perfectly synchronized cross fades for great sounding party mixes that are ideal for special occasions and gatherings.
In support of the launch of Creator 2009, Roxio is extending MyMoments™, its educational portal that offers consumers a wealth of digital media resources including how-to videos, informative tutorials and blogs. Included in the latest additions is Extreme Digital Makeover™, a web-based video series dedicated to helping users make the most of their digital lives. To view the series or to learn how you could become a makeover candidate visit: http://www.roxio.com/go/digitalmakeover.
Pricing and Availability
Roxio Creator 2009 will be available in retail stores worldwide this month and is available today directly from Roxio at www.roxio.com for $99.99. The High-Def/Blu-ray Disc plug-in will be sold as a downloadable component from roxio.com for $29.99. Roxio will offer the High-Def/Blu-ray Disc plug-in for free for customers who purchase from roxio.com through September 30, 2008.
For enthusiasts who want even more capabilities and control, Roxio is releasing Roxio Creator 2009 Ultimate for $129. The Ultimate version includes everything available in Creator 2009 and, in addition, includes the High-Def/Blu-ray Disc plug-in and a comprehensive set of audio and backup tools, which would cost over $300 if purchased separately.*
For years, we video producers have had to deal with how we share our videos with our associates or clients when we want to discuss changes, and where to go next. We’ve mailed VHS tapes and DVDs and waited for their response. We’ve made low-rez e-mail and FTP links… and waited for their comments.
In a move that will be applauded by many (including this editor), 
Adobe will release CS4 on September 23rd 2008.
