MGI SoftDVD MAX(TM) Scores Another Pan-European ''Design Win'' with Packard Bell
NEC - Europe, One of the Top 5 PC Vendors
TORONTO, Jan. 13 /CNW/ - MGI Software Corp. (TSE:MGI), the leader in
E-commerce imaging and digital video solutions, today announced a second
major European design win for its software-only DVD player with Packard Bell
NEC - Europe, one of the top 5 PC makers in Europe. MGI SoftDVD MAX, which
replaces hardware chips that are required to decode DVD movies for viewing
on a personal computer, is now included on all Packard Bell NEC PCs.
''MGI SoftDVD MAX is proving to be the best and most flexible solution
for OEMs, especially in Europe, where vendors must tailor their systems to
serve multiple countries with varying needs,'' said Anthony DeCristofaro,
president and CEO, MGI Software. ''We continue to break new ground with our
complete OEMs solutions and are pleased that Packard Bell - Europe, one of
the top 5 vendors, has selected to work with MGI Software.''
Through its focus on making home computing more creative, more
productive, and more fun, Packard Bell NEC is one of the top consumer brands
in Europe. All Packard Bell NEC computers offer affordable access to the best
and brightest technologies available, and MGI SoftDVD MAX delivers the best
technology in DVD viewing on a computer.
Software-only DVD players, like MGI SoftDVD MAX, replace expensive
hardware chips that are required to decode DVD movies and content for viewing
on a personal computer. Since hardware DVD movie decoders typically cost a PC
manufacturer about US$50 per system, MGI SoftDVD MAX offers manufacturers a
more flexible, cost-effective alternative. According to Michelle Abraham,
Senior Analyst, Multimedia, Cahners In-Stat Group, shipments of drives with
DVD-ROM read capability will increase from six million in 1998 to 150 million
in 2003, all needing DVD decoding capability and MGI SoftDVD MAX offers a
cost-effective solution for DVD decoding on the PC. MGI SoftDVD MAX is a
robust software-only DVD decoder that runs on a broad range of Pentium(R) II
and Pentium III -class multimedia computers (300Mhz or faster), with support
for most of the leading graphics cards, including hardware motion
compensation, and audio controllers.
Beneath its sleek and intuitive VCR-type interface, MGI SoftDVD MAX
supports all of the components of the DVD standard in software, including
full DVD player navigation, MPEG-2, video decryption, Dolby(R) Digital
(AC-3) decoding and 5.1 surround, 3D audio, and more. These capabilities
provide users with smooth, laser-sharp video and crystal-clear audio without
any skips or clicks. With immediate support for Microsoft(R) DirectShow(TM),
Windows 95, 98 and NT -based architectures, and twenty-four languages
(including English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Japanese), MGI
SoftDVD MAX provides manufacturers with the flexibility to rollout systems,
with various hardware configurations, to a worldwide audience. In addition,
MGI SoftDVD MAX is the only DVD playback solution on the market that is
Web-enabled. This exclusive feature extends the DVD experience beyond the PC
to the Internet, bringing DVD movie enthusiasts together to a hosted online
community.
About Packard Bell NEC - Europe
NEC has operated its personal computer and server business through
Packard Bell NEC Europe since 1996. PBN-E has enjoyed significant growth
and constant profitability over the last five years while dominating the
consumer computer market with the Packard Bell brand, and rapidly expanding
its corporate business segment under the NEC brand name. NEC Computers
International continues to reinforce its consumer and retail activities under
the Packard Bell brand name. Packard Bell obtains excellent performance across
Europe and is number 1 in the home PC market in Q3 99 for Western Europe with
12 % market share (Source: Dataquest), and among the top 5 home PC vendors in
9 Western European countries.
About MGI Software
MGI Software (www.mgisoft.com) is a pioneer and established market leader
in E-commerce imaging and digital video. Its focus on delivering imaging
technology to the mass market has led to an ever-growing network of
partnerships with major consumer electronics manufacturers, computer hardware
and software vendors, photo retailers, media companies, and e-businesses. The
Company's intellectual property spans all aspects of imaging, including
content creation and editing, Internet distribution systems, Web printing, and
online navigation or Zoom. As Internet imaging becomes commonplace, it will be
MGI Software's technologies that are behind the scenes making it work. MGI
Software employs over 200 people with offices in North America, Europe,
Pacific Rim, and Japan. MGI Software is publicly traded on The Toronto Stock
Exchange under the symbol ''MGI''.
For OEM inquiries contact Sean Budnik, Director, OEM Sales, at
905-707-4712 or seanb@mgisoft.com.
(c) 2000, MGI Software Corp. MGI, MGI PhotoSuite, MGI VideoWave, SoftDVD
MAX, Pure DIVA, Zoom Server and Live Picture are trademarks or registered
trademarks of MGI Software Corp. All other company and/or product names
are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective
manufacturers.
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