Apple Releases DVD Studio Pro 2

CUPERTINO, California—August 6, 2003—Apple® today announced that DVD Studio Pro® 2, a powerful new application re-designed to simplify professional DVD authoring with a breakthrough user interface, will be available through Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers beginning August 18. Starting today, customers can place their orders at 102.p.syniva.es/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 DVD Studio 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’s professional suite of software which includes Shake® 3, the industry-leading compositing and visual effects software; Soundtrack, the innovative music production tool; and Logic Platinum, the standard in computer-based music production.

“DVD Studio Pro 2 is the breakthrough DVD authoring application that video professionals have been asking for,” said Rob Schoeben, Apple’s vice president of Applications Marketing. “Regardless of whether your DVD project is simple or complex, no other professional DVD authoring tool offers the type 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 both Final Cut Pro editors and users of consumer DVD authoring applications, such as Apple’s iDVD™, can get started right away. DVD Studio Pro 2 provides professionals with a solution that scales from building basic DVDs easily to handling the most advanced projects.

New Apple-designed templates in DVD Studio Pro 2 include a variety of styles, buttons and backgrounds so users can start creating elegant DVDs in a few simple steps. The templates are fully customizable, allowing users to jumpstart their DVD projects with the look of a Hollywood title or to create their own templates from scratch to re-use or share with customers and colleagues.

“DVD Studio Pro 2’s wedding templates are exceptionally elegant, exuding the beauty and excitement of the special occasion,” said Denis Reggie, wedding photojournalism pioneer. “DVD Studio Pro 2 gives wedding photographers substantial creative freedom, and their clients are guaranteed to receive a brilliant DVD that will last through time.”

The innovative new menu editor in DVD Studio Pro 2 provides the tools DVD authors need to create professional-quality menus, while also integrating with popular graphics applications such as Adobe Photoshop. Context-sensitive drop palettes allow users to make otherwise tedious connections in one step, dramatically reducing the work required to make a DVD.

Based on the popular timeline in Final Cut Pro 4, a new timeline-based track editing feature in DVD Studio Pro 2 enables users to work faster and more efficiently with a linear view of clips, audio and other assets. In addition to arranging up to nine video angles, eight audio streams and 32 subtitle streams, DVD Studio Pro 2 users can do basic trimming, merge clips and manage chapter markers in one location.

“DVD Studio Pro 2 delivers a straightforward user interface, outstanding speed and basically everything we need to produce high-quality DVDs,” said AJ Pyatak, chief scientist at Outpost Digital. “By coupling Final Cut Pro 4 with DVD Studio Pro 2, we have the ultimate solution to complete a DVD project from beginning to end on one system.”

DVD Studio Pro 2 also offers an integrated MPEG-2 encoder that delivers pristine video at low bit rates. Compressor, a batch transcoding tool that comes bundled with both DVD Studio Pro 2 and Final Cut Pro 4, lets users export directly to multiple formats including MPEG-2 for DVD and MPEG-4 for streaming media. A.Pack encodes uncompressed audio into highly compressed Dolby Digital AC-3 streams, which can then be used in DVD Studio Pro 2 for full 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 today through the Apple Store® (102.p.syniva.es) at a suggested retail price of $499 (US). DVD Studio Pro 2 will be available for purchase through Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers beginning August 18. Localized versions in German, French and Japanese will be available in September. Full system requirements and more information on DVD Studio Pro 2 can be found at 102.p.syniva.es/dvdstudiopro

Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, DVD Studio Pro, Final Cut Pro, Shake, iDVD and Apple Store are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.