EMediaLive.com

At this writing I’m just back from NAB, and wanted to let you know what’s up with Blu-ray. I’ll cover the recorder/printer market first, then move to software, then touch on replication. Starting with the least expensive unit, Primera (which now offers Blu-ray support in its entire Bravo line, up to the network-capable Bravo XRn) is selling the Bravo SE with Blu-ray for a street price of $2,900 with a $500 rebate scheduled to expire at the end of May, but may continue depending on how the units sell. Primera offers both Mac and Windows clients with the base unit, and shared network use for an additional $500.

Moving up the food chain, Microboards is offering the new MX-1 for $4,495 with two Blu-ray recorders and a 100-disc capacity. Notably, the new unit uses separate ink cartridges, which means less waste and a reported drop in print cost to nine cents per disc. In addition, Microboards scrapped the outdated Prassi Windows interface for a new proprietary design that is a vast improvement. Microboards will continue to ship Charismac for Mac users, but that program still lacks network capabilities, so networked Mac users won’t be able to take advantage of the MX-1 like their Windows-based counterparts.

Finally, at the high end, Rimage offers several devices with units with up to 4 recorders and 300-disc capacity for over $40,000, with single recorder/printer devices costing around $10,000. Why the price premium? First, all Rimage devices are standalone systems with a processor and network capabilities, so you don’t need a computer to run them. Second, all systems can be accessed by Mac and Windows computers over a network, and controlled remotely via browser-based control software. Third, Rimage can now print at 600dpi, with its new Everest 600, which represents a visible improvement over its own Everest III solution and visually matches the silkscreening used on replicated discs.

Finally, Rimage’s Video Protect copy protection feature prevents DVDs from being copied by the most commonly used DVD ripping and copying programs. If you provide three discs to a bride, with additional discs at $40 or so, this protects your future revenue stream. With stage, worship, or sports events with larger target markets, the revenue savings could be even greater. Note that you don’t have to own a Rimage duplicator to take advantage of this service since many service bureaus with Rimage equipment offer this feature, which can cost as little as $1/disc.

On the software side, Sony Creative Software added Blu-ray authoring to DVD Architect 5. Like Adobe Encore and Sonic Solutions DVDit, Sony simply extended the program’s full range of DVD authoring features to Blu-ray, and didn’t add full Blu-ray Java support. (Sonic Scenarist-level BDMV and BD-J support is available in newly updated Sony’s Blu-print 4.3 solution.) However, the program can burn Blu-ray-compatible projects with menus onto DVD±R media, which Encore can’t do, though the Sony rep indicated that playback compatibility may be an issue. DVD Architect 5 is a free upgrade to DVD Architect 4.5 and Vegas 8 and is scheduled to ship in June 2008.

Also at the show, Sonic Solutions announced support for AACS in DVDit HD, a $299 program, along with export to the Cutting Master Format. Both these features are required if you’re preparing a disc as a mastering source for Blu-ray replication. You don’t get the fancy overlays or BD-Live or Java support available in high-end authoring programs like Sony Blu-print or Sonic Scenarist, but you should be able to produce a project that you can replicate, which formerly required one of these two $40,000 solutions.

This could be a very significant feature for mid-sized Blu-ray producers shipping 50–500 discs because it dramatically drops the up front cost for producing BD titles for replication. As you probably know, the compatibility of BD-R/RE media is pretty iffy on many older Blu-ray players—especially those with out-of-date firmware—since many shipped before BD-R discs were available for testing. If you’re producing 2-3 Blu-ray Discs for a video client, you can direct them towards known compatible players, test on their current players, or simply build a compatible Blu-ray player into the price and sell it as part of the package. While you might not be able to fix the problem for those who’ve already taken the Blu-ray plunge, at least you can warn them up front.

If you’re producing for the mass market, you either own Scenarist or Blu-print or use a service bureau that does, so can replicate the discs, which is pretty affordable, if you don’t include the $40,000 software investment. Now, with the Sonic announcement, the software cost drops to $299, albeit for a product with far fewer features.

Some rough break-even calculations reveal that if you’re producing 600 discs and authoring with DVDit HD, it’s cheaper to replicate than to record and print your own. Interestingly, if you remove AACS copy protection from the picture, the break-even number drops to about 230 units, which would cost around $3,450 to record and print at $15 per unit, not counting the costs of handling tech support and refunds for the discs that didn’t play. For the same cash, you could replicate 1,000 Blu-ray discs that should play reliably on all target players. Of course, you can’t remove AACS from the equation because you can’t replicate a Blu-ray Disc without paying $3,000 up front and about $1,600 per title for AACS.

From my perspective, the Blu-ray industry is poorly serving mid-size producers in this regard, especially considering that many producers don’t care about copy protection and that AACS has already been broken. It’s a true Catch-22; you either pay $3,000 up front and $1,600 per disc for a technology that you don’t want and currently doesn’t work, or produce the discs on BD-R and risk massive playback problems in the field. The Blu-ray industry should be able to find some middle ground that allows producers to opt out of AACS when they decide that copy protection isn’t required for their projects.

Jan Ozer (jan at doceo.com) is a contributing editor to EventDV and Streaming Media.

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The Authoritative Blu-ray Disc (BD) FAQ: Updates

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Sony Creative Software Showcases Prosumer and Enterprise Blu-ray Disc Authoring Applications at NAB

Following the industry-wide adoption of the Sony Blu-ray high definition DVD format, Sony Creative Software today announced upgrades to its DVD Architect and Blu-print applications for authoring Blu-ray discs. Ongoing development of Blu-ray authoring solutions reinforces Sony’s commitment to offer comprehensive production solutions, from software to hardware, at the prosumer and global production scale.

DVD Architect 5 software enables independent producers and videographers to author both a standard definition DVD or a high definition Blu-ray Disc complete with full motion buttons, motion menus, scene selection menus, subtitles and alternate video and audio tracks. The clean, drag-and-drop DVD Architect interface, powerful layout and authoring tools work seamlessly with the Sony Vegas Pro video editing and production software, making it easy to develop dynamic menu-based DVDs, movies, picture slideshows and music compilations. Shipping in mid-June, DVD Architect 5 software will be available as a free downloadable upgrade to all registered Vegas Pro 8 users, as the Vegas Pro software ships bundled with the DVD Architect application.

“With the release of DVD Architect 5, Sony Creative Software now offers a comprehensive tool for Vegas Pro users to publish their work in the Blu-ray Disc format, highlighting our position as the software foundation of the integrated Sony solution,” said Dave Chaimson, vice president of global marketing for Sony Creative Software.

Available in May, Blu-print 4.3 enterprise software helps to simplify the complexity of producing fully interactive Blu-ray discs at professional studios or authoring houses. Delivering on the partnership announcement made last month, Blu-print 4.3 now features integration with Ensequence on-Q Create for Blu-ray Java, which enables Blu-ray Disc developers to create and distribute Java based interactive experiences to viewers worldwide. Blu-print 4.3 features an intuitive user interface, as well as automation tools to simplify otherwise daunting tasks, such as creating multi-story Blu-ray discs. Blu-print 4.3 offers a full-featured high level scripting language that saves DVD authors from having to write BD assembly codes, as well as the ability to export all project objects into XML files for easy BD-Java authoring using Ensequence on-Q Create for Blu-ray Java.

“Not only does the Blu-ray format feature next-generation video quality, but it also showcases next-generation interactivity that requires incredibly powerful authoring applications,” continued Chaimson. “Blu-print 4.3 solves these challenges for enterprise-level production houses with tools that help streamline the development of interactive Blu-ray features such as Internet-connected content and multi-story discs.”

www.sonycreativesoftware.com

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Sonic Upgrades Industry Standard Blu-ray Disc Authoring Suite

Sonic Solutions(R) (Nasdaq: SNIC), the leader in digital media software, today announced the release of Scenarist(R) BD 4.5, a major upgrade to the world's leading professional Blu-ray Disc creation solution. The new version features expanded capabilities for the creation of BD-J titles, which fuse Java-programmed applications to enable the integration of high-definition audio and video with advanced interactivity. Numerous workflow enhancements were added to speed title creation, and the software package also includes Sonic's new Scenarist Safeguard(TM) tool for setting security parameters on BD-J content. Scenarist BD 4.5 began shipping at the start of April and is on show at Sonic's Booth (SL8020) at NAB, running April 14 through the 17 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"Our customers need to increase productivity and throughput efficiency if they are to participate profitably in the BD authoring market," said Chris Neely, vice president of development for Sonic's Professional Products Group. "The Scenarist BD upgrade directly addresses this need, delivering fast and powerful tools for BD production. With an all-new BD-J creation environment and new capabilities such as BD+ content protection and security signing, Scenarist offers our customers all the necessary features to further develop their BD business and to push BD titles in new and exciting directions."

The BD-J enhancements in Scenarist BD 4.5 include a new BD-J project creation wizard, a new user interface supporting drag-and-drop application creation, the Scenarist Safeguard security tool, and all-new BD-J tutorials. Scenarist BD 4.5 also enables enhanced workflow design for faster project completion, comprehensive BD+ content protection support, and distributed multiplexing.

"As the Blu-ray Disc format gathers momentum, production efficiency becomes an increasingly vital component of our BD workflow," said William Roe, general manager, icandy interactive. "The new version of Scenarist offers major workflow advantages that will enable us to complete titles faster and more efficiently than ever before, allowing us to increase throughput and provide a competitive service for our clients."

www.sonic.com

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Sonic Debuts Lemony Pro Subtitling Suite

Sonic Solutions(R) (Nasdaq: SNIC), the leader in digital media software, today announced the release of Lemony Pro, a comprehensive suite of powerful subtitling applications. Lemony Pro is the first in a series of innovative applications and utilities slated for release through Sonic's Extended Developer Group (EDGe) program. The EDGe program supports third-party developers releasing products that extend the capabilities of Sonic's Scenarist(R) authoring platform and help streamline the creation of advanced Blu-ray Disc (BD) titles.

"Lemony is excited to be a member of Sonic's EDGe and to participate in the first release of an EDGe product," said Jorge Morones, Lemony's director. "The EDGe program allows smaller developers like us to bring our technologies to the widest possible audience. And because EDGe products are backed by Sonic's leading SonicCare(TM) support and training services, customers can buy with confidence."

Lemony Pro brings together in a single package the ability to create, import, integrate, stylize, check, correct, and export subtitles and captions tailored to a wide range of applications, including not only optical disc formats but also film, Line-21 captioning, and Web delivery. Lemony Pro's capabilities include professional-level subtitle manipulation operations such as time calculations, text conversions, spell-checking, error reporting, sub- picture conversion, OCR, file browsing, track comparison, and karaoke.

"Sonic's investment and commitment to enabling professional content creation goes well beyond our own industry standard products and services to include fostering innovations from an impressive array of third-party developers via our EDGe Program," said Rolf Hartley, senior vice president and general manager of Sonic's Professional Products Group. "The EDGe program is about enabling a market where creative developers can design and monetize unique applications for Scenarist authors and participate in the exciting and rapid evolution of HD packaged media."

The EDGe program provides everything needed to define, create, qualify, market, and support both plug-ins and standalone applications that enable advanced features for DVD and BD authoring. EDGe puts innovative solutions within reach of the entire production community and offers a significant revenue opportunity to those with the expertise to conceive and develop those solutions. Sonic provides EDGe participants with engineering assistance to help turn ideas into tested code and, once an EDGe product is Sonic-certified, will actively promote it to the worldwide Sonic professional user community. Sonic also provides comprehensive end-user technical support.

Scheduled for release through Sonic's professional product resellers in May for MSRP of $1,999, Lemony Pro can be seen in the Sonic booth (SL8020) at the NAB show, which runs from April 14th through the 17th in Las Vegas, Nevada. For further information about the EDGe program, visit: http://www.sonic.com/about/edge.aspx.

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TEAC America Introduces the P-55-C Dye-Sublimation Thermal Disc Printer

TEAC America, Inc. introduces its improved P-55-C dye-sublimation thermal disc printer, a new version of its revolutionary P-55 disc printer at the National Association of Broadcasters Show (NAB) at Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, April 14-17th, 2008.

TEAC's P-55 thermal disc printer is the only dye-sublimation disc printer in the world that features the highest resolution print image quality. It is also the only 4-color CMYK thermal printer in the industry with True Black. The exclusive VersaMax ribbon for P-55 printer provides the widest media compatibility as users now have the freedom to use their media of choice instead of media kits and or special thermal media, saving them money and providing them the lowest cost per printed disc.

P-55-C offers even more exclusive benefits. It boasts a fifty percent increase in its printing speeds. P-55-C can print up to 60 discs in Photo mode, 68 discs in Color mode, 60 discs in VersaMax mode and 112 discs in Black mode. "As higher speeds are required for some applications, TEAC has designed the P-55-C to be the fastest thermal disc printer with the highest print image quality available. It is a win, win situation for the customer," says Les Luzar, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at TEAC. "P-55-C is also much quieter than the current P-55 disc printer," he added.

TEAC will display the P-55-C and its complete line of disc publishing products at the upcoming National Association of Broadcasters' Show (NAB), at Las Vegas Convention Center, April 14-17th. TEAC Booth number is SL 9623. TEAC's Disc Publishing line is available through TEAC distributor and resellers.

www.teac.com

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Sonic and Sony Power BD-Live Solutions for Hollywood Strengthen Partnership to Enable Connected Content Creation for Blu-ray Disc

Sonic Solutions® (NASDAQ: SNIC), the leader in digital media software, today announced it is collaborating with Sony to enhance the BD-Live creation features of the Scenarist® BD authoring platform. The new capabilities will help streamline the creation of highly interactive Blu-ray Disc titles that harness the full power of the BD-Live feature set to enable Web-connected content.

BD-Live adds an exciting new level of interactivity to the home entertainment experience. By allowing the dynamic inclusion of downloaded online content such as special features, new trailers and games, BD-Live enables content creators to maintain a direct relationship with viewers even after a title has shipped. By making BD-Live-enabled features more efficient to produce, the Sony and Sonic collaboration is expected to help increase the availability of connected-content, which in turn will help speed consumer adoption of next-generation titles and players.

"The BD-Live feature set is an exciting new capability for BD that combines the best of on-disc and online content to provide consumers with a dynamic and always-current entertainment experience," said Rolf Hartley, senior vice president and general manager of Sonic's Professional Products Group. "Sony's extensive knowledge of the BD specification combined with Sonic's experience in providing solutions for online interactive content via its InterActual® products will help significantly boost BD-Live title production."

At the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, Sonic is exhibiting Scenarist® 4.5, a new release of its industry-standard BD authoring suite. Scenarist 4.5 includes enhancements that enable BD-Live title creation as well as a new security management utility called Scenarist Safeguard™. Scenarist Safeguard is the only fully integrated tool that enables all aspects of BD-Live security and secure content management in a single application that fits any production environment.

www.sonic.com

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InPhase Technologies Demonstrates Holographic Storage Workflow Solutions for Broadcasters at NAB 2008

InPhase Technologies, the world leader in holographic data storage, will demonstrate holographic storage workflow solutions for video professionals at NAB 2008 in Las Vegas, from April 14-17. The Tapestry 300r, the world's first commercially-available holographic storage product, will be integrated into workflow demonstrations at the Ikegami booth #C4228 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center and at the Panasonic technology suite in Booth #C3512 in the Central Hall.

Ikegami and InPhase will demonstrate an integrated video workflow solution with the Ikegami GF Media Manager software, which will migrate content from the Ikegami GFPAK removable storage device to the Tapestry 300r, illustrating a seamless archival solution that is completely tapeless. InPhase and Ikegami announced an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) relationship at NAB 2007, in which Ikegami will market branded versions of the Tapestry 300r product.

The Panasonic demonstration with show a Tapestry 300r integrated into a video workflow using the Panasonic P2 camera and an Avid Adrenaline server running NewsCutter. Panasonic Broadcast has recommended the Tapestry 300r as an ideal archival solution for its P2 solid-state camcorder customers for several years.

The InPhase Tapestry 300R is an archival write-once read many (WORM) product that will enable broadcasters to record 2,100 minutes (35 hours) of broadcast-quality video on a single disk in less than 4.2. hours (250 minutes).

InPhase will also have information available at the Maxell Corporation of America booth # C8428 in the Central Hall, and in the SGL booth located in the South Hall, Upper Level, #SU11926. SGL is a software partner of InPhase.

"Today's broadcast and production professionals have extremely urgent needs for reliable, high-capacity video storage, and the InPhase Tapestry solution is now being integrated into some of the leading workflow products in the industry," said Liz Murphy, vice president of marketing for InPhase. "We are aligned with some of the industry?s leading broadcast equipment vendors, service providers, and resellers, and can demonstrate a wide array of archival solutions for this award-winning first-generation product."

About InPhase Technologies
InPhase Technologies is the leading developer of holographic data storage (HDS) recording media and systems. Based in Longmont, Colorado, InPhase was founded in 2000, and is comprised of some of the storage industry's leading executives and scientists. InPhase is funded by venture capital investors New Venture Partners LLC, Signal Lake Ventures, Newton Technology Partners, Yasuda Enterprise Development, Japan Asia Investment Company, Nanotechnology Partners LLC, and Mr. B.J. Cassin. Corporate investors are Hitachi Maxell, Ltd., Bayer MaterialScience AG, and ALPS Information Technology Fund. For more information on InPhase, please visit the company's Web site at www.inphase-tech.com.

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TrusCont and CoakleyTech announce the launch of TrusCont Enhanced DVD-R Security Solution

TrusCont Ltd a leader in copy control and Digital Rights Management solutions for digital content, and CoakleyTech, L.L.C., a TouchPoint Print Solutions Company, a leader in digital printing and document management services, announced today the launch of TrusCont Anti-Copy solution for DVD-R discs.

For the first time the professional DVD-R duplication and publishing industry has a true solution for securing digital content such as software and documents from unauthorized copy and use. Using TrusCont Enhanced DVD-R media, service providers such as DVD-R duplication houses have a new added value service they can offer to their customers, and the content owners have a new solution for fighting piracy and information leaks.

Publishing software and documents using TrusCont Enhanced DVD-R media assures publishers that their content cannot be copied easily. Protected software can run only when the original DVD disc is present in one of the local computer's DVD drives. Publishers of documents such as e-books and technical manuals now have the means to distribute reading and reference materials while restricting the readers from altering, copying or misusing their content in any other way. The flexibility of TrusCont document protection system also allows the publishers to enable or restrict specific actions such as printing and copy & paste for each individual document.

TrusCont DVD-R Protection offers authorized duplicators the ability to scale up production to thousands of pieces utilizing a software add-on for Rimage DVD-R publishing solutions. The same content protection level is also available for small office home office and private consumers by using TrusCont software, available for free download from TrusCont website, and obtaining TrusCont Enhanced DVD-R media, which is compatible with standard DVD recorders and readers. The ability to use TrusCont Enhanced DVD-R in-house with standard computers and DVD recorders makes it a perfect solution for organizations such as governments and military institutes that absolutely cannot send out their sensitive information to service providers.

TrusCont Enhanced DVD-R media are available worldwide and are now distributed in the United States by CoakleyTech. “We are pleased to offer TrusCont Enhanced DVD-R Copy Protection to our customers,” said George Gama, Digital Media Production Specialist at CoakleyTech. “Any security solution must be completely transparent at the desktop level. The TrusCont Enhanced DVD-R Copy Protection is a cost effective solutions for customers seeking to protect their proprietary files.” Mr. Gama continued, “It seems that you can’t go a week without hearing about employee files or customer information on a DVD getting lost.

Software developers, specialty publishers, schools, government and military service providers and virtually anyone wishing to copy protect their intellectual property, are ideal candidates for TrusCont DVD-R Copy Protection.”

www.truscont.com

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Dieter Daum, President of Sony DADC will keynote at MEDIA-TECH Expo 2008

This year’s MEDIA-TECH Expo, the definitive equipment trade show for the optical media industry, will be held May 6-8 in Hall 5.0 of the Messe Frankfurt in Germany, and will be the have a strong focus on Blu-ray Disc – the winner of the high definition media format war.

Replicators and suppliers within the optical media industry will need to get up to speed quickly with the new format, with research showing that nearly 30 million homes worldwide will have Blu-ray technology by the end of 2008.

In order to help with the facts, figures and technology of BD media, the first day of the event will showcase technical and market presentations from key industry experts. These will include a keynote speech from Dieter Daum, head of the Sony DADC manufacturing facilities worldwide.

Equipment manufacturers such as Singulus, Anwell, and Marubeni will provide information on the technology behind single and dual layer pre-recorded media while the BDA and well-known research company Understanding and Solutions will provide an overview of the format and its future. Experts from Philips, AACS, and MPEG LA will provide a path through the licensing maze, and a special session will focus on recordable and rewritable Blu-ray media.

“Everything that a content owner or replicator needs to know about what BD is, what it can do, and how to make it will be covered at MEDIA-TECH Expo, either on the show floor or in the special Presentation Theatre,” says Bryan Ekus, Managing Director of the MEDIA-TECH Association. “Visitors will be able to get in-depth information from the industry experts, and then go see the systems live in action right there at the show.” Full details of the show and how to register for free attendance can be found at: www.media-tech.net

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InPhase Technologies Demonstrates Holographic Storage Workflow Solutions for Broadcasters at NAB 2008

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Technicolor and CinemaNow Partner to Offer Retailers an Optimized Digital Movie Solution

Technicolor, the Services Division of Thomson (Euronext 18453; NYSE: TMS), and CinemaNow, an innovator in digital entertainment technology, delivering high-quality Hollywood movies, TV shows and music videos to users across multiple platforms, announced today that the two companies have partnered to offer online retailers a better way to deliver the digital content consumers are demanding.

Under the new partnership, Technicolor and CinemaNow will provide a seamless, fully-integrated platform for the electronic delivery of movies, TV shows, music and software to consumers via a broadband Internet connection. This platform will include content encoding and encryption, digital rights management (DRM), hosting and storage, promotions and ad management, streaming or download delivery, order fulfillment, reporting, and forensics. This end-to-end delivery channel will utilize Technicolor’s purpose-built infrastructure and CinemaNow’s well-developed storefront and Media Manager application to facilitate new and exciting developments in electronic content distribution.

Online retailers wishing to enter the digital market or to replace legacy solutions will benefit from optimized user interfaces, streamlined infrastructure and an extensive reporting system provided by the end-to-end offering that CinemaNow and Technicolor’s Electronic Distribution Services (EDS) business will offer. Emerging digital delivery services such as e-Copy and second session, which are supplementary digital versions of physical DVDs purchased at retail stores, and online downloads will work across CinemaNow’s entire ecosystem of compatible consumer electronic devices including PCs, portable media players (PMP), digital television sets (DTV), set top boxes (STB), and network attached storage (NAS) devices from manufacturers such as Archos, Dish Network, HP, and Samsung.

Scott Dougall, senior vice president and general manager of Technicolor EDS said, “This is the next stage in the evolution of the broadband digital supply chain. As the distribution of content transitions from physical to digital, a new streamlined infrastructure is required. The partnership between CinemaNow and Technicolor bring together and unify two major pieces of a traditionally fragmented solution.”

Under the terms of the partnership, CinemaNow and Technicolor will also collaborate on special projects including adding HD movies to CinemaNow’s library of more than 10,000 titles available via embedded stores and consumer electronic devices. The partnership will also enable CinemaNow to expand internationally, leveraging Technicolor’s digital supply chain services including preparing and hosting movies with subtitles and foreign language audio tracks.

“As an innovator in this industry, CinemaNow always seeks to partner with those that share our vision of creating an unparalleled consumer experience.” said David Cook, president and COO of CinemaNow. “By combining Technicolor’s superior infrastructure with our proven distribution technology, our goal is to provide the most effective way to date for online retailers to deliver digital entertainment to their customers”.

Founded in 2007, Technicolor EDS (www.technicolor.com/eds) addresses the growing need for digital content distribution services in the media and entertainment industries. Its business model is unique, and unlike other outsourced content delivery networks that only distribute content, Technicolor EDS offers clients a comprehensive suite of end-to-end or a la carte services – from content preparation and digital rights management to global distribution and reporting. Technicolor EDS also provides a host of online services to help bring new and innovative Internet-based connectivity functions for digital copy DVDs and emerging interactive features for Blu-ray discs.

www.technicolor.com
www.cinemanow.com

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