Reprinted from a Microsoft press release:
Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) today released the beta version of Windows(R) Movie Maker 2 for Windows XP, a new and completely redesigned video editing feature of the Microsoft(R) Windows XP operating system. Using state-of-the-art technology, Windows Movie Maker 2 offers dramatic improvements for Windows XP customers to remove the complexity and confusion from home video editing. Beyond breakthroughs in ease of use, Windows Movie Maker 2 offers deep and powerful new features with over 130 new kinds of video effects, titles and transitions to help even novice PC users create their own home movies with a professional touch. The beta version is available today for download at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/moviemaker/ .
“We designed Windows Movie Maker 2 from the ground up to make creating home movies as effortless as possible with Windows XP,” said Dave Fester, general manager of the Windows Digital Media Division at Microsoft. “Our development teams have applied some of the latest Microsoft Research technology to redefine ease of use for people who want to get more out of their home video collections.”
“Easy, intuitive home video editing allows millions of PC owners to better enjoy their camcorder-captured memories,” said Richard Doherty, research director for The Envisioneering Group. “Because it simplifies many of the most popular, previously complex video effects, many consumers trying out Windows Movie Maker 2 will e-mail videos, burn CDs and re-edit digital video tapes they are truly proud of.”
Create Home Movies in Minutes
Windows Movie Maker for Windows XP redefines fast and easy home video creation with a new, more intuitive, task-based user interface, improved timeline and storyboard views, and a new breakthrough feature called AutoMovie, which allows anyone to create a home video with music, professional-looking titles and transitions in just minutes. In just a few clicks of a mouse, home video from an analog or digital video (DV) camera and digital photos can be transformed into fully edited home movies ready to be easily shared via the Web or e-mail, recorded back to a DV camera burned on CD or burned on DVD using third-party software. Developed with technology pioneered by Microsoft Research, AutoMovie in minutes analyzes audio and video clips chosen by the user, selects the highest-quality sections of video, synchronizes the scene changes of the movie with the beats of the music, adds titles, transitions and effects, and creates a fully edited home video approximately three to five minutes long.
Jazzing Up Home Movies With a Professional Touch
Windows Movie Maker 2 for Windows XP is more than easy to use: It also offers powerful new features with more than 130 effects to make professional-looking home movies. They include the following:
Sharing and Storing an Entire Video Library on a PC Easily
Windows Movie Maker 2 for Windows XP offers the most efficient way to edit and store a home movie and share it with friends and family using the industry-leading compression of Windows Media Audio and Video 9 Series. Windows Media Video 9 compression offers the ability to store in native resolution the equivalent of 15 one-hour DV tapes in just 10 GB of hard drive space — 1/20th the size of DV-AVI 9 (1.5 Mbps). Using DV-AVI, the same 10GB hard drive would store only 45 minutes of video footage – not even enough to store a standard DV tape. Using this new technology, users can easily take their completed home movie and share it any number of ways:
Windows Media Player 9 Series Release Candidate Available Today
Microsoft also posted on the Web today the release candidate for the Windows Media Player 9 Series. The release candidate includes numerous enhancements based on user feedback from the beta releases earlier this fall. For Windows XP users these enhancements include the following new features:
Availability
The beta version of Windows Movie Maker 2 for Windows XP is available for download today at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/moviemaker/ .
The release candidate of Windows Media Player 9 Series is available for download at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/windowsmediaplayer/