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Minerva Systems Announces Minerva Impression; The
Next Generation in Interactive Video Authoring for DVD
DVD PRO, Santa Barbara
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 31, 1998--Minerva Systems, Inc., the
leading provider of high-quality MPEG digital video publishing systems, has announced Minerva
Impression(TM), an interactive video authoring software solution for DVD.
Minerva Impression has been designed to enable video producers in the corporate and education
market to author DVD titles with software-only tools that plug right into their existing development
environment. Minerva Impression offers seamless integration with leading non-linear editing tools, a
unique video-centric interface and flexible production options.
"Many of the next generation of DVD developers are already working with interactive media or
non-linear editing systems. These video professionals need tools that integrate with their current
workflow", said Ian Locke, DVD Product Marketing Manager for Minerva Systems. "Minerva
Impression was designed specifically for these individuals."
With Minerva Impression, the output from any video editing system can be immediately fed into the
DVD creative development process. The "Format-Independent Import Engine" feature allows the
author to import any AVI video file, as a proxy, into the DVD project. A separate MPEG encoder
is no longer a requirement for an author to structure a DVD title.
Importing stills and menus is also very simple. The "Smart PhotoShop" support enables a user to
import entire multi-layer image files with a single mouse click, which are then parsed and captured as
backgrounds, buttons and highlights.
Minerva Impression features a familiar project timeline paradigm; the author can see all of the video
assets in the correct order, link any DVD asset to any menu and add new menus anywhere in the
project timeline. All of the authoring steps are executed through a 100 percent (100%)
drag-and-drop interface.
Every asset and title element is icon-based and can be linked to menus with a single mouse click.
"Dynamic asset linking" is an important feature of Minerva Impression that greatly simplifies the
process of creating and changing menus and navigation links during development.
A powerful built-in simulator allows the author to instantly preview the results of his or her actions.
All the complex aspects of the DVD file format are completely hidden from the user, while still giving
the developer access to a powerful DVD authoring environment.
"It is clear that the first and second generation of DVD authoring packages were designed for
engineers, and Minerva Impression was designed with the creative person in mind", says Ralph
LaBarge, President of AlphaDVD and producer of more than 25 DVD titles.
"In addition to empowering the creative community, I also see tremendous productivity benefits in
the new drag & drop interface, the immediate results from simulation, and the ability to quickly make
changes to the title menus. All of these features will allow me to create a DVD title much faster than
I could in the past."
Once the creative process of DVD title authoring is complete, it is time for the production process
which includes MPEG encoding of video assets and disc building. The author has the option of
performing MPEG encoding and disc burning in-house (assuming the availability of encoding and
DVD-R hardware), or simply exporting the DVD project to a DVD service bureau.
Minerva Impression features a powerful DVD engine developed by Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
A joint development effort was established between Minerva Systems and Samsung Electronics to
provide users worldwide with advanced digital media publishing tools.
Minerva Impression is groundbreaking software that is uniquely positioned to energize the growing
community of corporate DVD developers who need flexible, easy to use tools. Video
post-production facilities and corporate service bureaus will also be able to expand their DVD
publishing services by adding Minerva Impression to their operation.
Pricing and Availability
Minerva Impression authoring software requires Windows NT(R) (V 4.0) on a Pentium II (300Mhz)
personal computer with 64MB RAM. Disk storage is typically configured at three times the size of
the asset files. Minerva Impression will be available in October, 1998 starting at $9,995. For sales
information, contact Minerva Systems at 650/940-1383 or 800/806-9594.
Minerva Systems, Inc.
Minerva Systems, Inc., founded in 1992, is the leading supplier of high-quality MPEG-based digital
video publishing and distribution solutions. Minerva's products are used in post-production facilities;
DVD replication facilities, telephone and cable television network facilities; advertising agencies;
educational institutions and corporations worldwide.
Minerva is backed by leading venture capital firms, including Accel Partners, Kodak Corporation's
Aperture Fund, Merrill, Pickard, Anderson & Eyre, U.S. Venture Partners and ETF. Minerva
Systems is headquartered at 1585 Charleston Road, Mountain View, CA, 94043. Tel.:
650/940-1383 Fax: 650/940-1450. Address on the World Wide Web: minervasys.com
Note to Editors: (c) 1998 Minerva Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. The Minerva logo is a
trademark, and Minerva is a registered trademark of Minerva Systems, Inc. Windows NT is a
registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All other brand names are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective holders.
CONTACT: Minerva Systems, Mountain View
Ian Locke , 650/940-1383
info@minervasys.com |
