Avid Adds High-Definition Authoring to Avid DVD by Sonic; Brings Ground Breaking High-Definition Digital Media Creation Tools to Video Professionals

LAS VEGAS --(Business Wire)-- April 25, 2006 Sonic Solutions(R) (NASDAQ:SNIC), the leader in digital media software, today introduced Avid DVD by Sonic(R) - BD Edition, the world's first Blu-ray Disc (BD) authoring system for video professionals. The software will be included as a tightly-integrated component of Avid Technology, Inc.'s Studio Toolkit, which can be added to the Avid Xpress(R) Pro and Avid(R) Media Composer(R) family of products. Offering the perfect balance of speed, flexibility, and power, Avid DVD by Sonic - BD Edition will enable creative professionals working with high-definition content to author BD projects that feature stunning Widescreen (16:9) menus, rich playlists and sophisticated navigation systems. "Our pioneering work with Avid highlights another important milestone in Sonic's strategy to bring HD authoring technologies to the vast video-production market," said Chris Neely, vice president of development for Sonic's Professional Products Group. "Our knowledge and experience in BD and HD DVD will continue to drive a full range of Sonic-enabled solutions by our technology partners and industry-defining products that deliver dynamic high-definition creation and enjoyment experiences from Hollywood to home." The unveiling of next-generation authoring capabilities for the professional video market is the latest in a long series of high-definition initiatives by Sonic Solutions, which began its pioneering work on next-generation formats over two years ago. Sonic has taken a leading role in helping the industry make a smooth transition to the new high-definition optical formats, spearheading the High Definition Authoring Alliance (HDAA) in 2005 to prepare Hollywood and their authoring facility partners for the rollout of BD and HD DVD titles. More recently, Sonic announced an extension to the Alliance with the formation of an Advisory Group (HDAA AG). Comprised of top-tier computer and consumer electronics companies, the HDAA AG will collaborate with the HDAA to ensure high-definition formats deliver reliable, consistent and dynamic viewing experiences across platforms. In addition, Sonic recently released the world's first professional high-definition authoring and encoding systems, Scenarist(R) 4 and CineVision(TM). "We are pleased to extend our successful, long-standing relationship with Sonic Solutions," said Patrick McLean, senior product manager for Avid. "Our winning formula of seamlessly combining Sonic's advanced authoring technologies with Avid's tools for editing, finishing, and mastering film and video projects, will enable content creators to expose the full power and potential of high definition from capture all the way to final distribution." Click here for more information on Avid Xpress Pro including Avuid DVD by Sonic - for a limited time!