New:
Iomega's Buz multimedia producer enables consumers to capture movies, photos, music on personal computers; for under $200, Buz multimedia producer integrates real-time video capture with the power of Ultra SCSI and full-featured multimedia creation software
Business Wire - June 17, 1997 08:09
IOMEGA IOM %NEW-YORK %COMED %COMPUTERS %ELECTRONICS %INTERACTIVE %MULTIMEDIA %INTERNET %PRODUCT %TRADESHOW V%BW P%BW
PC EXPO
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 17, 1997--Iomega Corporation (NYSE:IOM) today announced Buz(TM) multimedia producer, the industry's most affordable audio/video and photo capture solution to bridge the gap between consumers' multimedia content and their PCs.
For an estimated street price of only $199.95 in the U.S., Buz multimedia producer is a combination video capture card, Ultra SCSI controller and software suite that offers one of the easiest ways to get home movies, photos and music from camcorders, DVD-ROMs, digital cameras, VCRs and laser disks into a personal computer.
The content captured with Buz multimedia producer can be stored directly to an Iomega Jaz(R) disk, Zip(TM) disk or hard drive. The large capacity of Jaz disks offers the perfect storage solution for video and graphics while the Zip disk is ideal for storing audio and short video clips. Jaz and Zip disks can store hundreds of digital photos and hours of audio and video.
"Buz multimedia producer allows the PC to become a personal multimedia entertainment studio," said Maury Domengeaux, director of Jaz product marketing. "It offers the most affordable, fun and easy way for consumers to add their own audio and video to their computers, personalize it and then share their creations with family, friends or co-workers."
As the first product to deliver the power of Ultra SCSI, video capture and multimedia software in an affordable, integrated solution, Buz multimedia producer brings four revolutionary capabilities to a PC or Macintosh:
-- A Buz box for ease-of-use -- Easily accessible, the mouse-sized system plugs into the Buz card in the back of the computer and sits on the user's desktop to serve as a single connection for all multimedia devices. Eliminating the need to deal with multiple connections in the back of a computer, the Buz box includes in and out connections for S-video, composite video and stereo audio.
-- Real-time video capture at near broadcast quality -- Delivering near broadcast quality to consumers, Buz multimedia producer uses real-time digital conversion and compression to enable the quick transfer of high-quality multimedia content to PC and Macintosh computers.
-- Fully featured video, graphics and audio creation software -- The multimedia software included with Buz multimedia producer is intuitive and easy to use, enabling consumers to personalize movies, pictures and music; enhance presentations and reports; send movies and audio postcards over the Internet; and create digital photo albums.
-- A powerful Ultra SCSI controller -- Costing less than the average retail price of a traditional SCSI connector card, the Buz card is the first SCSI controller to include advanced audio/video capture and customization capabilities. It also meets the requirements of traditional SCSI controllers by enabling consumers to connect any SCSI device, such as a Zip drive, Jaz drive, scanner, or CD-ROM drives, to a PC or Macintosh computer.
Software to Personalize Your Multimedia
Easy enough for a beginner to use, but with the functionality required by advanced users, Buz multimedia producer includes a comprehensive set of industry-leading software, including MGI's VideoWave(TM) SE Plus, PictureWorks' HotShots(TM) and Iomega's RecordIt(TM).
MGI Software's award-winning VideoWave SE Plus video publishing software lets users quickly and easily capture, edit and produce video on their PC. Aimed at the non-technical, general business and home user, MGI VideoWave takes a fresh approach to video publishing. Its unique user interface, storyline, powerful editing functionality and real-time previewing capability lets users quickly and easily combine moving pictures, animations, graphics, photos, sound, music and narration to tell a story in video. A video publishing software package for the Macintosh is expected to be available with Buz multimedia producer later this year.
PictureWorks' HotShots software, a comprehensive cross-platform PC photography tool kit, makes it easy for consumers to organize, enhance and publish pictures on their computers. HotShots offers a full range of digital imaging capabilities, including "one-click" QuickFix to correct lighting in pictures and "mini-preview" to quickly find any movie, picture, video or audio stored in a collection.
RecordIt, Iomega's digital recording software, enables audio recording and playback of pre-recorded and live audio on PC and Macintosh computers. Easy to use, RecordIt software includes features similar to a CD player, such as random track playback. It also provides sound quality comparable to a CD, offering a convenient alternative to dictaphones, tape recorders and microcassette recorders.
The Power of Hardware
Buz multimedia producer will use a powerful video compression chip set supplied by Zoran Corporation. This is a version of Zoran's industry-leading motion JPEG chip set, including code and video PCI controller, which enables recording of high quality digital video on the storage medium, and accelerates the editing and personalization of the movie content. The movies can also be viewed using Zoran's JPEG software movie player.
Buz multimedia producer is a full-featured Ultra SCSI controller with proven Ultra SCSI technology supplied by Advansys Corporation. Featuring plug-and-play support and an innovative GUI installation interface, it allows consumers to effortlessly connect Jaz drives, Zip drives and other SCSI devices to either a PC or Macintosh computer.
Expected to be available through all worldwide channels in the fourth quarter of 1997, Buz multimedia producer is compatible with Video for Windows and Quicktime 3.0 for the Macintosh, and requires Windows 95 or Macintosh OS System 7.5 or higher.
Buz multimedia producer will be demonstrated at PC Expo in Iomega's booth no. 3934 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York.
Iomega Corporation provides personal computer storage solutions that help people manage their computer stuff -- anywhere. These solutions include: Zip drives and disks; Jaz one-gigabyte drives and disks; and Ditto tape backup drives and tape cartridges. Used in homes, business, government and education, and by creative professionals, Iomega storage solutions are available through computer retail stores, resellers and major distributors. The company can be reached at 801/778-1000 or on the World Wide Web at iomega.com .
Special note: Statements concerning the expected pricing and availability of Buz multimedia producer in the fourth quarter of 1997 and the inclusion of video publishing software for the Macintosh are forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements including market acceptance of, and demand for, the Company's drive and removable disk products, manufacturing, development and distribution issues, product pricing, competition, intellectual property rights and other risks identified in Iomega's prospectus filed in June 1996, its annual report for 1996 on Form 10K, and its most recent quarterly report on Form 10Q filed with the SEC.
Note to Editors: Iomega, Jaz, and the Iomega logo are registered trademarks of, and Zip, Buz, RecordIt, Ditto, and n-hand are trademarks of, Iomega Corporation. VideoWave is a trademark of MGI Software Corporation. HotShots is a trademark of PictureWorks' Technology, Inc. Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer. All other product and brand names are the property of their respective companies.
CONTACT: Iomega Corporation A. Cory Maloy, 801/778-3712 maloy@iomega.com Susan T. Stillings, 801/778-3585 (Investor Relations) stilling@iomega.com or Copithorne & Bellows Heather Staples, 415/284-5200 heather.staples@cbpr.com
REPEATS: New York 212-752-9600 or 800-221-2462; Boston 617-236-4266 or 800-225-2030; SF 415-986-4422 or 800-227-0845; LA 310-820-9473
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