Sonic Solutions release Scenarist 4 and CineVision

Sonic Solutions, the leader in digital media software, have released the world’s first professional high-definition authoring and encoding systems, Scenarist 4 and CineVision, to enable major motion picture studios to begin the rollout of Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD commercial titles.
Designed for professional content creators who demand the highest level of creative control, Scenarist 4 offers complete support for HDMV (Movie Mode) and BD-J Blu-ray Disc authoring in addition to Standard and Advanced Content HD DVD authoring. Also delivering comprehensive next-generation format support is CineVision, Sonic’s Hollywood-quality encoding workstation that provides expert control over all three HD video codes: AVC/H.264, VC-1, and MPEG-2.
Scenarist 4 and CineVision were developed in collaboration with the High Definition Authoring Alliance (HDAA), an association of top authoring and post-production facilities around the globe, which Sonic formed in 2005 to help facilitate the successful launch of high-definition titles. Both Scenarist 4 and CineVision were refined based on feedback from content creators who used pre-release versions to produce the industry’s first replicated discs using the advanced interactive modes of Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD.
Featuring the same logical workflow and user interface already familiar to the majority of professional DVD authors, Scenarist 4 can be configured to specifically address the needs of authoring facilities producing titles in one or both high-definition formats. As with its predecessor, Scenarist 4 offers surgical control over every aspect of the high-definition authoring process, enabling full access to the HD formats while ensuring maximum player compatibility of titles with next-generation HD players. With Scenarist 4, content creators are able to exploit the full potential of the next-generation formats, delivering titles with dynamic navigation, stunning graphical elements, and engaging interactive features.
With the HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc formats anchored on the highest-quality consumer electronics video possible, Sonic developed the CineVision encoding system to complement Scenarist 4 and deliver master-quality video streams across all of the next-generation HD formats: H.264/AVC, VC1, and MPEG-2. Designed to integrate seamlessly within the HD authoring workflow, the CineVision encoder not only links directly into Scenarist 4, but offers comprehensive support for a broad range of HD video input formats including QuickTime, AVI, and DPX image sequences. (CD/CL)