Abbey Road Interactive joins Sonic High Definition Authoring Alliance

Sonic Solutions has announced that Abbey Road Interactive, the award-winning new media facility based at London’s Abbey Road Studios, has joined Sonic’s High Definition Authoring Alliance (HDAA).
Abbey Road’s membership gives them immediate access to Sonic’s pioneering tools for high-definition video and audio encoding, and comprehensive Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD authoring systems that include tools for advanced interactivity (BD-J and iHD).
The HDAA is the first and only worldwide association of top DVD authoring houses dedicated to facilitating the rollout of titles for release in the new high-definition HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD) optical disc formats. The charter of the alliance is to help increase momentum for the successful introduction of the new DVD formats, and ensure the timely availability of quality titles by providing members exclusive access to key information, HD-enabled tools, and comprehensive training.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome Abbey Road Interactive into the HDAA. Our collaboration will assist in the development of these new formats,” said Richard Linecar, Managing Director of European Operations for Sonic’s Professional Products Group based in London, UK. “I’m confident that the association will result in the production of the highest quality Blu-ray Disc and HD-DVD titles and will herald a new era in compelling, interactive viewing experiences.”
Rob Pinniger, New Technologies Manager, Abbey Road Interactive and EMI Music, said “Sonic has been our technology provider of choice since we began developing interactive entertainment for DVD-Video in 1996.
“Membership in the HDAA will enable us to better our understanding of the new formats in order to produce high-impact titles making full use of the system’s capabilities.”
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