The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is set to kick off at the beginning of June in Los Angeles, and this is supposed to be the year the show puts itself back on the map after a couple years of less-than-successful scaled-back efforts. Game publishers are already looking to jump on the E3 hype machine, and Sega is out the door early, announcing a slate of titles it plans to showcase at the show…and, of course, the company plans to get many of them into consumers’ hands in time for the end-of-year holiday season.
Tag Archive: Sonic
Blockbuster, Sonic Team on Internet Movies
Video rental outfit Blockbuster is looking to amp up its competition with upstart rival Netflix, announcing today it is partnering with Sonic Solutions (now part of CinemaNow) to provide Internet-based, streaming access to movies and other video content to computers, mobile devices, set-top boxes, and Web-connected TVs. Financial terms of the arrangement were not disclosed, but the companies say this is a multi-year, preferred-provider arrangement. Under the deal, Blockbuster will supply the “branded consumer interfaces” while Sonic will power the back end and content delivery.
Sonic Solutions Buys CinemaNow
Sonic Solutions, which develops and distributes digital media software, has announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire digital movie distributor CinemaNow. The deal will rename CinemaNow as Sonic’s Premium Content Group and integrate it with Sonics Qflix team. Qflix technology enables users to burn copyright-protected movies to DVD discs, so long as they’re using QFlix-enabled drives and players, which are now available from Dell, Pioneer, and Plextor.
Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Group Warns of Growing Video Game Violence
The National Institute on Media and the Family has issued its 2007 report card on the video game industry, and has reached some rather unsurprising conclusions: despite a few retailers’ steps to curtail childrens’ access to violent video games and new software and parental controls, these efforts have not kept pace with game publishers, and violence in video games continues to increase. Furthermore, the group warns the video game industry is becoming complacent about content standards for video games, and finds that children are spending too much time playing inappropriate games. Describing 2007 as an "ominous backslide," the group is calling for significant changes to the video game ratings system and warns parents about video game tournaments being used to recruit youths towards ever more-violent games.
Sega’s Sonic Rolls Onto Verizon Phones
Fans of Sega’s long running Sonic the Hedgehog gaming franchise will be interested to know that the gaming company today announced a deal with cellular carrier Verizon Wireless to bring a version of the game to users who own select “Get It Now†enabled phones.
Sonic the Hedgehog, which first appeared as a game over 15 years ago, will be available for download from Verizon for $3.49 monthly access or $7.99 for unlimited use purchase. Customers will need a “Get It Now†enabled phone and Verizon Wireless digital service to access to the virtual store where the game can be downloaded.
Hollywood-Level DVD Authoring? DVD It?
Sonic Solutions announced the launch of DVDit Pro 6, the latest edition of their DVDauthoring software solution today.
Citing a list of new features and improvements, Sonic claim that the release of DVDit Pro 6, represents the most significant update to date of their DVDit Pro range.
Implemented with numerous features to allow creative professionals and enthusiasts alike to produce enthralling and high quality DVDs, Sonic are making noise about the inclusion of their eDVD 4solution with the new release.
Sonic Develops Blu-ray CD Writing Software
In a joint demonstration with PBDS, Sonic unveiled its AuthorScript Blu-ray Data Recording Software Development Kit (SDK) as well as Blu-ray support in its popular Roxio- and Sonic-branded RecordNow and CinePlayer HD consumer software applications. Deployed on almost 200 million PCs, Sonic’s AuthorScript is the core burning engine that underlies all of Sonic’s professional and consumer software applications; it is also the leading CD and DVD burning SDK used by software developers such as Adobe, AOL, Microsoft, Sony and many others. With the AuthorScript Blu-ray SDK, Sonic makes it easy for software developers to add support for recording BD discs into their applications.
Sonic Debuts HD Real-Time WMV HD Encoder
The HD-series encoder provides video professionals with detailed control of Microsoft’s Windows Media High Definition Video (WMV HD) codec using Inlet Technologies’ Optimized Compression Encoding andAnalytics (OCEAN(TM)) platform to create exceptional quality video and audio assets for use in WMV HD-DVDs.
“With more and more HD productions being created on advanced NLEs, video professionals require a high-quality platform for delivering their high-definition content,” said Rolf Hartley, senior vice president and general manager of Sonic’s Professional Products Group. “Our HD-series encoder delivers the video quality and efficiency that can only be obtained through dedicated hardware and optimized technology, and we are delighted to be partnering with Inlet to provide advanced HD encoding today.”
Microsoft Unveils WMV HD Application
From Microsoft’s press release:
Today at NAB2004, Microsoft Corp. and Sonic Solutions unveiled DVD Producer – WMV HD Edition, a special version of Sonic’s award-winning professional authoring application that supports the production of DVD titles using Microsoft Windows Media Video High-Definition (WMV HD). WMV HD delivers dramatically superior image quality with high-definition video at data rates comparable to standard-definition DVD video.
Sonic is launching a beta program for DVD Producer — WMV HD Edition to provide high-end professional facilities with early access to this groundbreaking technology so they can build exciting high-definition experiences using WMV HD for playback on Windows XP PCs. Production companies interested in joining the beta program may contact Sonic via e-mail at hdbeta@sonic.com.




