Sonic unleashes PrimeTime Deluxe for XP Media Center Edition 2004

October 2, 2003

Sonic, the makers of RecordNow! and Backup MyPC have announced their new version of a product that enables easy burning of TV shows to DVD. Described as a premium version of its Sonic PrimeTime line of DVD creation software, this version is geared for Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition.

Launched
in conjunction with Microsoft's release of Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004, Sonic says that PrimeTime Deluxe makes it easy to archive personal digital media such as TV shows onto DVDs that can be played on any home DVD player. New features in this version include real-time TV preview, expanded menu style selections, OpenDVD edit-on-disc capability and Sonic "SmartStyle" technology. There's that smart word again!

Sonic PrimeTime utilizes the same program information and sorting functionality as Media Center, making it fast and easy for anyone to browse, select, preview and burn their favorite recorded TV shows to DVD or Video CD. Sonic PrimeTime also includes a built-in Bit Budget which makes it easy to see how much space is available on each recorded DVD. Once PrimeTime starts burning a DVD, users can return to watching TV or listening to music on their Media Center PC. The final disc can then be played back on standard set-top DVD players and DVD-equipped PCs.

New Sonic PrimeTime Deluxe features include:

Edit-on-Disc '“ PrimeTime Deluxe is OpenDVD-compliant, allowing users to add or remove content on their rewritable DVDs and VCDs at anytime.

Real-time preview '“ PrimeTime Deluxe integrates TV playback into its interface, allowing users to play, pause, and navigate through each show and see the chapter points that will automatically get burned to disc.

Sonic SmartStyles '“ PrimeTime Deluxe creates menus that replicate the Media Center experience, allowing users to sort their TV shows directly on their DVD during playback.

Style chooser '“ PrimeTime Deluxe gives users the ability to choose the look and feel of their final DVD disc with a built-in style chooser. Additional styles will be available on the Sonic estore.

Dolby Digital audio '“ PrimeTime Deluxe includes Dolby Digital audio encoding, providing crystal clear theater-quality sound and allowing for up to 50% more video on a disc.

The line continues to blur between the TV and the PC as hardware and software firms struggle to become the leader in making digital recording as transparent as possible. Not to mention creating a nice sales niche. Good for them. The end result is a powerful home media hub. Making the venerable VCR look like a wringer washing machine.

Source: sonic.com