FREMONT, Calif.—October 10,
2003—InterVideo,
Inc. (NASDAQ: IVII), developer of
WinDVDÒ,
one of the world’s most popular software solutions for DVD playback on a PC,
announced today a license agreement
with InterActual® Technologies, Inc., developer of the de facto technology
standard for viewing dynamic Internet content and enhanced DVD titles on PCs.
Under the terms of the agreement, InterVideo will offer InterActual’s DVD
technology as an optional add-on pack for its WinDVD software including WinDVD
Gold 5, the standard consumer edition; and WinDVD Platinum 5, InterVideo’s
high-end version.
With the new add-on
pack, users have transparent access to next-generation entertainment
experiences that go beyond trailers and outtakes. More than 70 percent of the
top 25 DVDs now include InterActual-enhanced features such as the ability to
morph your own image into a character of the movie or actively participate in
answering integrated trivia questions and games that provide rewards for high
scores. Some videos even allow viewers to challenge other players on the
Internet.
By integrating
InterActual functionality into WinDVD 5, InterVideo delivers a single solution
for the finest-quality video and audio playback of DVD-Videos, VCDs, SVCDs, and audio CDs plus seamless navigation
of DVDs that include interactive PC
content and exclusive online
features. No additional software is required and potential software
compatibility issues are eliminated. When InterActual-enhanced DVDs are played,
the interactive experience plays automatically.
WinDVD
5’s new InterActual add-on pack enables users to enjoy all the features of
enhanced DVDs with embedded features such as playback tracks, games, printables
and photo galleries. When videos enhanced with web links are played, WinDVD
users will have transparent access to interactive content that developers can
regularly update such as commentaries, historical backgrounders and online
contests. Because access to timely information from all over the world is
important for research and educators, access to DVD titles enhanced with links
to Internet data will also become increasingly popular for reference and
educational titles.
“InterVideo’s
seamless integration of InterActual’s technology makes it easier for consumers
to enjoy all of the exciting
interactive features included on most DVD blockbuster releases from the major motion picture studios,” said Todd Collart, President &
CEO of InterActual. “Now these compelling activities are available to PC
consumers at the forefront of the WinDVD experience.”
Steve
Ro, founder and CEO of InterVideo, explained that while earlier versions of
WinDVD were among the first to provide a Web link button for access to
interactive data, consumers had to run separate software from InterActual
included with the enhanced DVD discs to enjoy the interactive features. “Combined, InterActual and WinDVD redefine
the consumer’s DVD viewing experience and provide compelling reasons to make
the switch from passive viewing to interactive entertainment that can be easily
accessed,” said Ro. “WinDVD 5 is the first PC software DVD player to offer
fully integrated these interactive capabilities, and we look forward to
maintaining this lead by building on our relationship with InterActual to add
many more capabilities in the near future.”
As
part of InterVideo’s commitment to make watching a video on a PC or laptop more
entertaining, InterVideo has also added its new Smart StretchÔ technology to
WinDVD Platinum 5. With Smart Stretch,
users can customize their viewing image with intelligent compensation for the
differences in displays and
aspect
ratios, i.e., when viewing 4:3 content on 16:9 or vice versa. InterVideo’s
non-linear technology minimizes the distortion by only stretching the edges of
the video and maintaining the original content in the center portion of the
image.
In addition to the
new InterActual add-on option, InterVideo also offers several other add-on
packs that enable WinDVD 5 users to customize their playback capabilities. The
Audio Booster Pack enhances the listening experience by delivering surround
sound and increased user control. The Mobile Technology Pack enables extended
battery life when playing DVDs on Intel® processor based-notebooks.
With the introduction of its recently announced
DVD-Audio Pack, InterVideo adds navigation controls and playback capabilities
for the latest high-definition standard in music listening--DVD-Audio. Users
can navigate the audio content, skip tracks, play music, or access the special
audio disc menus to view slide shows, pictures, lyrics and bonus sessions with
ease.
Pricing, Availability
InterVideo’s
new InterActual add-on packs for WinDVD Gold 5 and WinDVD Platinum 5 are
available at InterVideo's web site, www.intervideo.com for a suggested
list price of $19.95.
InterVideo markets
WinDVD to consumers and hardware
OEMs, including manufacturers of PCs, video cards, camcorders, disk drives and
consumer electronics products. It can be used with PC and laptop computers
running Windows 98/2000/Me/XP. The
suggested list prices for WinDVD Gold 5 and WinDVD Platinum 5 are $49.95 and
$69.95 respectively.
InterVideo’s DVD-Audio Pack for enabling
DVD-Audio playback and navigation using WinDVD 5 is available for a suggested
list price of $39.95. InterVideo also offers the Audio Booster Pack for
enhanced audio functionality for WinDVD 5 for $12.95 and the Mobile Technology
Pack for extended battery life for $19.95.
About InterVideo, Inc.
InterVideo is a leading provider of DVD software. InterVideo has developed a technology platform from which it has
created a broad suite of integrated multimedia software products that allow
users to capture, edit, author, burn, distribute, and play digital video.
InterVideo's software is bundled with products sold by the majority of the top
ten PC OEMs ranked in terms of sales by IDC. The company is headquartered in
Fremont, CA with regional offices in Europe, Taiwan, China and Japan. For more
information, contact InterVideo at 510/651-0888 or visit the company’s Web site at
www.intervideo.com.
Safe
Harbor Statement
Except for the historical statements contained herein, the
foregoing release contains forward-looking statements, including statements
regarding InterVideo’s WinDVDÒ 5 products. These
forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual
results could differ materially due to several factors, including but not
limited to the ability to forecast customer behavior and recognize or respond
to emerging trends, changing preferences or competitive factors, the market
acceptance of our new products and product enhancements, the resolution of any
notices of claims regarding alleged infringement of third parties’ intellectual
property rights, the ability to maintain or expand our relationship with PC
OEMS and other risks and uncertainties.
Please consult the various reports and documents filed by InterVideo with
the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to
InterVideo’s Form 10-Q for other risk factors that could cause actual results
to differ. All forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and
InterVideo disclaims any responsibility to update or revise any forward-looking
statement provided in this news release.
InterVideo is a registered trademarks and UniPass is a trademark of InterVideo, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
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Editors Notes: For more
information, photos/illustrations or a review copy of InterVideo WinDVD 5
software and the InterActual Add-on Pack, contact andy@markencom.com.