Adobe Systems
desktop publishing software, has set its sights on the high-end DVD
authoring market.
The San Jose, Calif.-based Adobe on Monday unveiled Adobe Encore DVD, a
DVD authoring application that extends the company’s digital video product
line. While rival firms like Roxio have integrated DVD
burning capabilities to desktop software, Adobe is taking a different
approach by targeting professional videographers and DVD
authors.
Adobe Encore DVD will feature a slick interface that lets technical users
create multi-language DVDs
with interactive menus, multiple audio tracks and subtitles. To lure users
into purchasing the Encore software, the company has tightly integrated it
with Adobe Photoshop, one of the most popular digital imaging tool.
“By integrating Adobe Encore DVD with applications critical to the authoring
process — Photoshop, Adobe Premiere and After Effects — we have created a
superior DVD authoring environment that will enable our customers to take
their work to the next level,” said Bryan Lamkin, VP of digital imaging and
video products at Adobe.
Adobe Encore DVD, which ships this summer, will be pried at $549, the
company said.
For Adobe, the move is a no-brainer. Research firm IDC is estimating the
number of DVD recorders in homes and enterprises will triple by 2004,
creating a ready-made market for DVD authoring software. Recordable DVDs,
which have a storage capacity of up to 4.7GB, have grown in popularity
because of low prices for the PC-based hardware, IDC said.
The new software lets users combine video, audio and subtitles with up to
8 tracks of audio and 32 subtitle tracks. The interface allows users to
view their work in a preview window before burning the DVD.
The company said Adobe Encore DVD would offer playback compatibility with
support for all recordable DVD formats including DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW and
DVD-RAM. It also promises integrated video and audio transcoding, which
converts video source files to MPEG-2 and audio source files to Dolby
Digital.
