Reprinted from a muvee press release:

muvee Technologies, the pioneer and leader in automatic video production, is proud to officially launch muvee autoProducer 4 at International CES 2005. Featuring a revamped user interface for better workflow, improved automatic editing capabilities and a host of powerful new features, muvee autoProducer 4 ups the ante once again by delivering enhanced user control and unparalleled automatic video production technology that is remarkably fast, easy and fun.

magicMoments technology, which was first introduced in the previous version of the software, is now emphasized as a key aspect of muvee autoProducer 4. magicMoments is an innovative feature that complements muvee’s automatic editing capabilities by enabling users to quickly pre-select their most important scenes for inclusion using a simple Thumbs-Up button if they choose to do so. Unwanted shots can similarly be excluded with a Thumbs-Down button.

Dr. Pete Kellock, muvee’s founder and CEO, said, “magicMoments combines automatic editing with the ability to pick favorite moments in a revolutionary new way, and is just one of muvee’s unique, distinguishing features. We also offer more than 100 downloadable editing styles that are creatively themed for all sorts of occasions so that our users can give their videos impact and emotion, and create home videos that are great to watch over and over again.”

muvee autoProducer 4 now supports DivX, Windows Media, QuickTime and MPEG-4 video inputs, in addition to AVI, MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 formats. Other new features include support for USB webcam and video capture, integrated DVD/VCD authoring, a video snapshot tool, more photo-centric effects and transitions, picture interleaving, style groupings, file drag-and-drop, and improved title and credit sequences, among others. More advanced production settings also allow users to specify the duration of each muvee, or to optimize it to fit either the selected video and pictures, or the music.

Dr. Kellock added, “Ever since we first introduced muvee autoProducer in 2001, automatic video editing has become a must-have offering in several video editing programs, and this is a great testament to what we’re doing. But muvee’s solution is much more radical: automatic editing is at the very heart of our revolutionary approach to video production. We’ve now capitalized on our expertise in this field to make version 4 even better for our users by giving them more functionality and control. Using muvee is like having an expert video editor in your computer doing the hard work for you – in fact, quite a few of our users are professional video editors, although I’m not sure if they all tell their clients that they’re using muvee! I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved in this latest release and anticipate more exciting developments down the road.”

The award-winning muvee autoProducer software is the first in the world to deliver an intelligent, automatic and effective video production solution that caters to the needs of the majority of home movie-makers. muvee lets even the most novice user instantly transform unedited video and pictures into compelling, professional-looking “muvees” – completely automatically in just a few quick steps that take only minutes, even seconds. Users simply select their video and pictures, add in their favorite music, and apply a production style. muvee’s Artistic Intelligence then analyzes the video, pictures and music to select the best footage highlights and determine the tempo and mood of the music, before automatically splicing everything together with style effects and transitions synchronized to the beat. The end result is a stylish production that can be saved and shared with family and friends in many popular formats.

muvee autoProducer 4 (currently for Windows XP only) is now available online at www.muvee.com for US$69.95.

Reprinted from a Kanguru press release:

Kanguru Solutions announced the release of the Kanguru DVD Auto Loader 200, a standalone DVD and CD duplication system capable of producing as many as 200 discs at the mere touch of a button.

Functioning as a standalone device, the Kanguru DVD Auto Loader 200 proves time efficient as it burns up to 18 full size DVDs per hour, and 45 CDs per hour. Simply insert a master DVD and up to 200 blank DVDs or CDs, press the Copy button and let the device begin duplicating on its own.

The Kanguru DVD Autoloader 200 is fully equipped with media hopper trays that can hold up to 200 CDs or DVDs. A robotic arm mechanically moves the CD or DVD from tray to burner for custom burning. Perfect for any office environment, the Kanguru DVD Auto Loader 200 can run in the background, reducing time and effort previously spent on DVD and CD duplication.

A user friendly LCD makes producing mass quantities of DVDs and CDs quick and easy with Copy, Compare, Load, Verify, Test, and Erase features. The built in hard drive feature allow users to save images of their source discs to copy at any time. This feature allows users to load up to 16 full DVDs to burn at anytime. Just select that image from the internal hard drive and press the Copy button.

A division of Interactive Media Corporation, Kanguru Solutions manufactures high quality, secure and portable computer storage peripherals that have provided consumers with secure back-up solutions for more than a decade. Interactive Media Corp. was established in Massachusetts in 1992. For more information on Kanguru Solutions, visit their web site at www.kanguru.com.

Reprinted from a JHL Technologies press release:

JHL Technologies Inc. announces their latest venture in multimedia with its release of quikDVD, a collection of pre-made DVD menu templates designed specifically for Apple’s DVD Studio Pro 2 and newer. This new media finally provides consumers with the ability to create their own professional looking DVDs on their home computer for less.

Recognizing the need for attractive, easy-to-use templates, quikDVD gives consumers, who have been previously limited in their choice of menu templates, an alternative to the typical designs and themes found elsewhere. As opposed to the much smaller packages available, this collection includes twenty-one different themes featuring more than forty individual templates, more than any other similar product currently on the market. With customizable images, titles and buttons, quikDVD caters to the growing demand for more flexible DVD templates by allowing users to have the ability to make these menus their own by inserting personal photos and movie clips. With a multitude of themes ranging from holidays and special occasions to that sleek, corporate look. Professionals and aspiring DVD creators alike have many options available to them.

The quikDVD package sells for $74.99 and can be ordered online at www.quiktemplates.net. The website also has access to extra downloads such as additional themes, shapes, and buttons for future projects as well.

Since 1993, JHL Technologies, Inc. has provided advanced technical training, as well as courseware, software and multimedia development to multinational companies, universities, and small businesses.

Reprinted from a Sonic Solutions press release:

Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: SNIC) today announced the completion of its purchase of Roxio’s consumer software division. Under the terms of the transaction, previously announced, Sonic is acquiring substantially all the business and assets of the division, including all products, intellectual property, and trademarks, including the Roxio name. More than 200 Roxio employees, based at several U.S. and international locations, will join Sonic. Roxio, Inc., which will retain the Napster division, has officially changed its name to Napster, Inc.

“Since we first announced this transaction last August, members of both Sonic and the Roxio software division have been hard at work to complete the details of the deal and to join our operations,” said Bob Doris, president and chief executive officer of Sonic. “The new Sonic Solutions will be one of the largest digital media software companies in the world, and the clear leader in CD and DVD creation tools and applications. We’re looking forward with great enthusiasm to 2005 as we continue to provide great technology and tools to our many partners, and outstanding digital media experiences to our hundreds of millions of consumer customers.”

About Sonic Solutions
Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: SNIC; http://www.sonic.com) 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- and Sonic-branded CD and DVD creation, playback and backup solutions that have become the premiere 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.

Reprinted from a Teac press release:

TEAC, a premier manufacturer of DVD-Recorders, CD-RW, CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo Drives, DVD-ROM, CD-ROM, Internal and USB Floppy Drives, and USB Flash Drives announces the launch of its full line of 1×1, 1×3 and 1×7 CD-R Duplicators.

TEAC’s new line of 1×1, 1×3 and 1×7 CD-R Duplicators are stand-alone disc-to-disc CD-R Duplication systems requiring no PC connection. With the numerous menu commands and optional hard disk drive, TEAC’s 1×3 and 1×7 Tower Duplicators offer the best solution for production level CD-R Duplication requirements today. TEAC Duplicators offer high-performance and high-speed duplication at 52x speeds.

“TEAC’s new line of Duplicators have been specifically designed to meet the growing demand for operators wishing to duplicate small to medium quantities of CDs by the most cost effective way,” says Les Luzar, Division Manager, TEAC America, Inc. “TEAC Duplicators offer the highest performance duplication systems featuring the fastest speeds and advanced recording technologies and of course with the TEAC reliability our customers have come to expect from TEAC brand name”.

With the emergence of CD Recordable technology in every day applications, TEAC is leading the development of units that combine ease and design with solid engineering and advanced capabilities. There is no need to load extra software or attach any cables to personal computer. No extra time is needed to setup the TEAC duplicators, as they completely function as stand-alone units.

TEAC will present its full line of Duplication systems at Consumer Electronics Show 2005 (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 6-9th, 2005, at Las Vegas Convention Center. TEAC’s booth number is 30917 South Hall 3.

The complete TEAC Duplicator line will be displayed at the Consumer Electronics Show 2005 in addition to TEAC’s full line of Disc Printers, including the Revolutionary new P55 Photo-Quality Thermal / Dye-Sublimation Disc Printer, launched in Summer 2004. TEAC P55 Printer produces the sharpest and the highest resolution prints available today. TEAC will also launch its full line of the DVD-R Duplicators in Q2, 2005. The DVDR Duplicator line will include 1×1, 1×3 and 1×7 DVDR Duplicators.

TEAC 1×1 CD-R Duplicator, CDW/D11A/KIT is currently available through TEAC America’s Distribution partners. TEAC 1×3 CD-R Duplicator without Hard Drive, CDW/D13A/KIT, TEAC 1×3 CD-R Duplicator with 80GB Hard Drive, CDW/D13A/KIT/H, TEAC 1×7 CD-R Duplicator without Hard Drive, CDW/D17A/KIT and TEAC 1×7 CD-R Duplicator with 80GB Hard Drive, CDW/D17A/KIT/H will be available through TEAC America’s Distribution partners from February 1, 2005.

Reprinted from a Panasonic press release:

Panasonic Industrial Company announced today the availability of the 5x SW-9573-C DVD MULTI Drive for its OEM and system integrators, a product that provides reliable backup and storage solutions for an array of industry uses. The SW-9573-C writes to DVD-RAM discs at an impressive 5x speed, believed to be the industry’s highest speed currently available on a rewriteable DVD drive. The new Panasonic SW-9573-C DVD MULTI Drive was recently honored at the Gartner System Builder Summit & VARVision conference in Phoenix, Ariz. with a nomination for Best Hardware Product.

The new drive extends an already strong Panasonic DVD MULTI drive lineup, allowing OEM and system integrators to provide their customers with a fast, powerful and cost effective DVD drive that meets their customers’ system needs. With the availability of the SW-9573-C MULTI Drive, manufacturers can now choose from a variety of tray and cartridge type DVD MULTI drives, including the Slim (12.7mm) and Super Slim (9.5mm) tray and slot type drives. All new and current DVD MULTI drives from Panasonic provide the flexibility of read/write support for the powerful DVD-RAM format, as well as for DVD-R/-RW/+R/+RW, CD-R/-RW.

Reliable backup and storage solutions play a critical role in a wide array of today’s businesses. As technologies improve and advance, the need for more robust storage solutions also increases. Today, businesses large and small continue to create massive amounts of data in multiple formats on a daily basis.

For technology and service provider Formation Inc., which specializes in serving the aerospace, data communications, defense and transportation industries, the functionality and flexibility that Panasonic MULTI Drives deliver made them a clear-cut choice for the highly specialized needs of Formation’s customers. When designing and building cutting edge recording systems for archiving radar-generated air traffic data and voice data of air traffic controllers, Formation trusts the combination of the DVD-RAM/DVD-R/DVD-RW formats for the unique needs of its customers.

“We demand the highest quality hardware and software for the systems we develop; the performance of Panasonic’s DVD MULTI Drives continues to exceed our expectations and those of our customers,” said Doug Crawford, product director of Formation, Inc. “When creating backup and storage technology solutions for highly sensitive customers, such as those in the defense and intelligence communities, it is critical that our technology partners provide us with the most dependable yet cost effective technologies. The Panasonic DVD MULTI Drives have consistently done just that.”

For enterprise and SOHO customers of NovaStor Corporation, a leading developer and distributor of data backup and disaster recovery software, Panasonic’s OEM DVD MULTI Drives are also playing a significant role. NovaStor has certified that this Panasonic high-capacity rewritable DVD drive works seamlessly with its software, offering powerful features that make data backup, management and disaster recovery faster, easier and more economical.

“Our customers are continually looking for storage solutions that are dependable, flexible and cost-effective, and the lineup of Panasonic MULTI Drive with DVD-RAM, including the new SW-9573-C provides exactly what our customers are looking for,” said Elias AbuGhazaleh, NovaStor’s vice president of technical operations. “The speed and flexibility of Panasonic’s latest DVD MULTI Drive makes storing and archiving large amounts of data a much easier and faster task, regardless of users’ capacity requirements.”

For the Communications Recording Systems (CRS) division of Dictaphone Corporation, adding support for Panasonic’s DVD MULTI Drives extends the storage capabilities of its Freedom digital voice recording system. Organizations like public safety agencies, financial services organizations, contact centers and others benefit from a complete solution that enables them to pick the best recording format for their needs. Combined, the Freedom recording system and DVD MULTI drive provide real-time recording, storage/archiving and retrieval of mission-critical communications.

“Panasonic’s DVD MULTI drives enable us to provide our customers with an all-in-one DVD/CD storage solution that provides the security of write-once, the flexibility of rewriteable, higher write speeds, broad compatibility and the ability to choose between a range of capacities,” said John Kaiser, vice president of global marketing at for Dictaphone CRS.

“With the addition of our new SW-9573-C DVD MULTI Drive, we are furthering our commitment to providing our OEM and system integrators with a wide array of powerful technology options for their customers’ recordable DVD needs,” said Dana Berzin, product manager for Panasonic’s OEM computer devices. “In addition to providing what is currently one of the industry’s fastest DVD drives, our SW-9573-C MULTI Drive, Panasonic continues to offer some of the most versatile, high quality and cost-effective solutions for backup and storage needs in a wide range of industries.”