PRESS RELEASE
August 6, 2003
Apple Releases DVD Studio Pro 2
Professional DVD Authoring Made Simple
MARKHAM, Ontario—August 6, 2003—Apple® today announced that DVD StudioPro® 2, a powerful new application re-designed to simplify professional DVDauthoring with a breakthrough user interface, will be available throughApple Authorized Resellers beginning August 18. Starting today, customerscan place their orders at www.apple.com/ca/dvdstudiopro. New features such as Apple-designed fully customizable templates, an innovative menu editor,timeline-based track editing and a new world-class MPEG-2 encoder make DVDStudio Pro 2 a must-have application for every creative professional.
DVD Studio Pro 2 offers unprecedented integration with Final Cut Pro® 4,Apple's Emmy award-winning video editing software, and completes Apple'sprofessional suite of software which includes Shake® 3, the industry-leadingcompositing and visual effects software; Soundtrack, the innovative musicproduction tool; and Logic Platinum, the standard in computer-based musicproduction.
“DVD Studio Pro 2 is the breakthrough DVD authoring application that videoprofessionals have been asking for,” said Rob Schoeben, Apple's vicepresident of Applications Marketing. “Regardless of whether your DVD projectis simple or complex, no other professional DVD authoring tool offers thetype of advanced capabilities and ease-of-use that DVD Studio Pro 2 does.”
DVD Studio Pro 2 features a new user interface so easy to navigate that bothFinal Cut Pro editors and users of consumer DVD authoring applications, suchas Apple's iDVD™, can get started right away. DVD Studio Pro 2 providesprofessionals with a solution that scales from building basic DVDs easily tohandling the most advanced projects.
New Apple-designed templates in DVD Studio Pro 2 include a variety ofstyles, buttons and backgrounds so users can start creating elegant DVDs ina few simple steps. The templates are fully customizable, allowing users tojumpstart their DVD projects with the look of a Hollywood title or to createtheir own templates from scratch to re-use or share with customers andcolleagues.
“DVD Studio Pro 2's wedding templates are exceptionally elegant, exuding thebeauty and excitement of the special occasion,” said Denis Reggie, weddingphotojournalism pioneer. “DVD Studio Pro 2 gives wedding photographerssubstantial creative freedom, and their clients are guaranteed to receive abrilliant DVD that will last through time.”
The innovative new menu editor in DVD Studio Pro 2 provides the tools DVDauthors need to create professional-quality menus, while also integratingwith popular graphics applications such as Adobe Photoshop.Context-sensitive drop palettes allow users to make otherwise tediousconnections in one step, dramatically reducing the work required to make aDVD.
Based on the popular timeline in Final Cut Pro 4, a new timeline-based trackediting feature in DVD Studio Pro 2 enables users to work faster and moreefficiently with a linear view of clips, audio and other assets. In additionto arranging up to nine video angles, eight audio streams and 32 subtitlestreams, DVD Studio Pro 2 users can do basic trimming, merge clips andmanage chapter markers in one location.
“DVD Studio Pro 2 delivers a straightforward user interface, outstandingspeed and basically everything we need to produce high-quality DVDs,” saidAJ Pyatak, chief scientist at Outpost Digital. “By coupling Final Cut Pro 4with DVD Studio Pro 2, we have the ultimate solution to complete a DVDproject from beginning to end on one system.”
DVD Studio Pro 2 also offers an integrated MPEG-2 encoder that deliverspristine video at low bit rates. Compressor, a batch transcoding tool thatcomes bundled with both DVD Studio Pro 2 and Final Cut Pro 4, lets usersexport directly to multiple formats including MPEG-2 for DVD and MPEG-4 forstreaming media. A.Pack encodes uncompressed audio into highly compressedDolby Digital AC-3 streams, which can then be used in DVD Studio Pro 2 forfull 5.1-channel surround sound or simply as a compressed 2.0 stereo track.
Pricing & Availability
The English language version of DVD Studio Pro 2 can be ordered todaythrough the Apple Store® (www.apple.com/canadastore) at a suggested retailprice of $679 (CDN). DVD Studio Pro 2 will be available for purchase throughApple Authorized Resellers beginning August 18. Localized versions inGerman, French and Japanese will be available in September. Full systemrequirements and more information on DVD Studio Pro 2 can be found atwww.apple.com/ca/dvdstudiopro.
The English language version of DVD Studio Pro 2 can be ordered todaythrough the Apple Store® (www.apple.com/canadastore) at a suggested retailprice of $679 (CDN). DVD Studio Pro 2 will be available for purchase throughApple Authorized Resellers beginning August 18. Localized versions inGerman, French and Japanese will be available in September. Full systemrequirements and more information on DVD Studio Pro 2 can be found atwww.apple.com/ca/dvdstudiopro.
Apple Canada Inc. is headquartered in Markham, Ontario and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Apple Computer, Inc. Apple products are available at more than 450 Authorized Apple Canada Dealer locations across Canada.
- © 2003 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved.Apple, the Apple logo, Mac,Mac OS, Macintosh, DVD Studio Pro, Final Cut Pro, Shake, iDVD and AppleStore are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Apple. Other companyand product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.