BW0220 JUL 20,2000 5:09 PACIFIC 08:09 EASTERN
( BW)(CA-INTERACTUAL-TECH) The Abyss Special Edition DVD, Enhanced With
InterActual -R- Software, Wins `Best Consumer DVD-ROM'
Award
Business Editors & High Tech
Writers
BURLINGAME, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July
20, 2000--
The Winner and All 3 Other Finalists Used InterActual PCFriendly(TM)
Software to Add Enhanced Features That Connect the DVD-ROM Audience to the
Internet.
The 3rd Annual Discus Awards for
Creative Excellence honoring technological and creative achievement in the DVD
industry was the highlight of the DVD-PRO industry conference held near San
Francisco this week. The Best Consumer DVD-ROM award went to Twentieth Century
Fox Home Entertainment's The Abyss Special Edition DVD, which connects fans of
the nautical sci-fi classic to a unique Internet-enhanced experience when played
on computers with DVD-ROM drives. Three other nominees were similarly
web-enhanced, including (in award placement order): Warner Home Video's The
Matrix, New Line Home Video's Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and Saturn
Home Video's Grey Owl.
A panel of industry experts
chose the finalists from a field of twenty-six nominated titles, representing
the most advanced application of DVD-ROM technology. InterActual Technologies'
PCFriendly software was the common underlying technology that enabled the
special Internet and ROM features for all the winners in the
category.
"We're delighted to have won," said Peter
Staddon, Senior VP of Marketing Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. "The
Abyss Special Edition enabled people not just to see the movie, but to
experience it in their homes as they have never done before. We look forward to
working with InterActual to continue pushing the envelope of possibility for
web-connected DVD."
Scott Bates of Click Active
Media, the content developer for the DVD-ROM portion of the winning disc,
agreed, saying, "InterActual enabled us to create a fully immersive multimedia
experience that incorporated actual DVD Video. They took us well beyond what we
could have achieved with streaming video, and the difference was really
noticeable to the consumer. InterActual works with web-based development
software we already know, like Macromedia Flash, allowing us to extend our
creativity in new areas.
"This is a real example of
how entertainment is converging," said Chris Brown, Chief Evangelist and
Co-founder of InterActual. "These titles combine the quality of DVD video with
the immediacy of the Internet resulting in the most compelling entertainment
experience possible."
The Discus Awards were
presented just one day after InterActual announced the next generation of its
flagship software, InterActual Player 2.0, for multi-platform support of DVD and
the web. The successor to the popular PCFriendly(TM) software, InterActual
Player 2.0 includes support for both the Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh
operating systems, and also provides a common platform for the design of
Internet-enhanced DVDs and CDs for use on upcoming web-connected DVD consumer
electronics players and appliances. InterActual Player 2.0 is the first software
application to bridge the worlds of DVD and the Internet in a single,
cross-platform environment.
About Click Active
Media
Since 1995, Click Active Media has created
numerous award-winning Web sites and marketing campaigns for some of the most
prestigious companies in the entertainment industry. This dynamic interactive
communications agency utilizes technology solutions to raise the bar of the user
experience as demonstrated by "The Abyss DVD-ROM". This commitment to pushing
the technical and creative envelope has earned Click Active Media the privilege
of collaborating with some of the finest artists working in digital media today,
such as Van Ling, who created the stunning menu system on "The Abyss
DVD."
About InterActual
PCFriendly(TM)
Having shipped on over 30 million
DVDs worldwide, InterActual PCFriendly software is the industry standard
solution for providing ROM features and web connectivity to DVD titles. Some of
the best-selling DVDs of all time include InterActual PCFriendly software,
including The Abyss Collector's Edition, American Pie, Austin Powers: The Spy
Who Shagged Me, The Blair Witch Project, The Matrix, The Mummy, Stuart Little,
Walt Disney's Tarzan and over 200 other
titles.
About InterActual Technologies,
Inc.
InterActual Technologies, Inc. (http://www.interactual.com/) is the
leading provider of software and services that connect DVD and the Internet.
InterActual PCFriendly(TM) software has enabled millions of connected viewers to
enjoy exclusive special features with Hollywood movies and music when played in
an Internet-connected DVD player or personal computer. By integrating the
experience of web browsing with theater quality video and audio, InterActual is
connecting the audience to a new dimension of entertainment and
communication.
(c) 2000 InterActual Technologies,
Inc. InterActual, the InterActual logo, PCFriendly and the PCFriendly logo are
either trademarks or registered trademarks of InterActual Technologies, Inc. All
other company or product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
Specifications, pricing and delivery schedules are subject to change without
notice.
--30--EG/na*
CONTACT: InterActual Technologies, Inc.
Leonard Sharp, 408/392-7134
Fax: 408/436-6709
lsharp@interactual.com
KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: ELECTRONIC GAMES/MULTIMEDIA ENTERTAINMENT
INTERNET MOTION PICTURES SOFTWARE