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To: coopie who wrote (201)	1/31/1998 9:42:00 PM
From: Maya	Respond to of 324

DVD format gives new life to "Little Shop" yahoo.com Thursday January 29 9:56 AM EST DVD format gives new life to "Little Shop" By David Cassel SAN FRANCISCO (Wired) - As DVD technology fights to win consumer attention, resurrecting lost pieces from cinema archives may prove to be one of the format's more compelling selling points. Warner Brothers Wednesday released a digital versatile disc of the 1986 film Little Shop of Horrors containing a "lost ending" in which a wild, carnivorous plant eats New York City. DVD is a technology that allows for high-capacity storage on a computer disc, allowing users to view movies and other data-intensive presentations. The film, (based on a popular off-Broadway musical, itself based on a 1960 low-budget cult film), was re-edited in 1986 after audiences, at its initial screenings, objected to the flower-shop plant gobbling up the film's stars in the finale. "They hated us when the main characters died," director Frank Oz commented in 1988 in The Little Shop of Horrors Book. "In the play, they're eaten ... but you know they're coming out for a curtain call. But the power of movies is different." The changes meant a spectacular $5 million ending -- in which an army of ravenous plants scale the Empire State Building and toy with the Brooklyn Bridge -- was lost. DVD discs' high storage capacity allows both the campy-bleak and the upbeat endings to be included, along with audio commentary by the director, outtakes, an isolated music-only track, and theatrical trailers. This "have it both ways" approach may bring new audiences to DVD discs, as fans scramble to see the new ending. "It's actually one of the main reasons I bought a DVD player," one person posted on a computer bulletin board. Gregory Purcott, a 23-year-old Boca Raton student, who's been a fan of the film since he was 12, says he's going to purchase the DVD edition even though he doesn't own a player. "I've been interested in seeing it in its entirety ever since I've seen the photographs about it," he gushes. In any case, the DVD release preserves a piece of cinema history. "It seemed so indulgent to wipe away $5 million worth of footage because the ending was deemed too relentless ...," Richard Conway, the film's model unit supervisor, told CineFantastique magazine in 1987. At least one person isn't so happy with the newly revived version - the actress who played flower-shop worker Audrey in the original 1960 film. "Naturally, I'm partial to the original ending," Jackie Joseph said. "Audrey did not get eaten!" (Reuters/Wired)

To: coopie who wrote (201)	1/31/1998 9:48:00 PM
From: Maya	Respond to of 324

Legendary Hitchcock Classics Find New Life With Sonic DVD Creator Zuma Digital Masters to DVD with Sonic DVD Producer Authoring System biz.yahoo.com Wednesday January 28, 2:35 pm Eastern Time Company Press Release Legendary Hitchcock Classics Find New Life With Sonic DVD Creator Zuma Digital Masters to DVD with Sonic DVD Producer Authoring System NOVATO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 28, 1998--When Zuma Digital was awarded the contract by Madacy Entertainment to remaster and author ten feature films for DVD-Video, they turned to Sonic Solutions' (NASDAQ:SNIC - news) DVD Creator system for the power and performance that would be needed to prepare the DVD titles creatively and efficiently. Among the ten titles are five early Alfred Hitchcock films, made in the 1930s, including ''Secret Agent,'' ''Sabotage,'' ''The Man Who Knew Too Much,'' ''The Lady Vanishes'' and ''39 Steps.'' Previously released on VHS, these precious classics are brought back to life through the capabilities of the DVD format and with the use of Sonic's DVD Creator system. The titles will be released by Madacy Entertainment on Feb. 28 and can be purchased at Musicland, Best Buy and other leading outlets. Using Sonic's DVD Producer authoring system, Zuma was able to build in the rich interactivity and style that they sought to distinguish these classic works. Each DVD includes an interactive guide to Hitchcock's filmmaking innovations, a Hitchcock filmography, a biography of the renowned filmmaker, and a Hitchcock trivia quiz that viewers can participate in. Screens and type faces were designed to be consistent with the films' art deco style, a capability made easy by using Sonic DVD Producer. ''We chose Sonic Solutions' DVD production tools because we wanted the highest quality audio and video as well as the highest efficiency in authoring,'' said David Anthony, CEO of Zuma Digital. ''With the introduction of Sonic's new authoring product, DVD Producer, we have cut production time in half, and achieved a significant increase in the flexibility of title design -- we're able to be much more creative than ever before. Thanks to DVD Producer, we can now offer same-day turnaround. For a number of DVD clients, they can walk in in the morning with their content and walk out that same evening with their finished DVD title.'' Zuma also restored and remastered the original mono soundtrack and then created a full surround mix, using Sonic's Dolby Digital-certified Audio Encoding system and Emmy-award winning NoNOISE(R) sound restoration technology. ''We achieved a clear and rich soundtrack from a seventy-year-old film,'' said Patrick Anding, Zuma's sound technician. ''People will be able to hear sounds that were not audible on the original masters.'' ''We are pleased that our users are seeing the benefits of DVD Producer,'' said Mark Ely, Director of DVD Product Marketing at Sonic Solutions. ''This next generation authoring tool has been designed with the feedback from our many users and is now the fastest growing authoring tool in the market.'' The DVD format was developed by a consortium of companies from the consumer electronics, computer and movie industries. Although identical in size to a CD, DVD discs can store 4.7 Gbytes on a single layer. This capacity is enough to store a full-length, high quality movie with three sound tracks. About Sonic DVD Producer Designed to be fast and easy to use, Sonic DVD Producer provides creative artists with real-time tools for making powerful, interactive content for the DVD format. DVD Producer reflects the insights gained from more than a year of field experience with DVD production and Sonic's position as the pre-eminent provider of DVD production systems. DVD Producer was developed in close consultation with key members of the DVD Production Alliance, an advisory group for DVD production technologies. Sonic DVD Producer dramatically speeds DVD title production and makes it possible for DVDs to be produced in half the time because encoding, authoring and proofing take place in an integrated, streamlined process. With Sonic DVD Producer, creative professionals can graphically edit program chains, links and seamless branches as well as edit menu buttons and highlight areas. About Sonic DVD Creator Sonic DVD Creator is the first and most widely-used and most complete DVD production system in use today. DVD Creator consists of modules for high-quality MPEG-2 and MPEG-1 video encoding, audio prep and encoding, authoring and proofing. The Sonic DVD Creator Workstation is network-enabled and can easily be expanded into a larger workgroup as a facility's DVD production business grows. Included with the system are Sonic DVD Studio for video and audio encoding, Sonic's DVD Producer authoring software, and DVD PrePlay for proofing titles. Sonic was the first to bring Hollywood DVD production below $100K, and is now the first to deliver a solution for the corporate market. About Sonic Solutions Based in Novato, Calif., Sonic Solutions designs and manufactures tools to assist audio and other multimedia professionals in preparing music, video, film, graphics and entertainment software. SonicStudio is the leading digital audio workstation used around the world by audio professionals to prepare recorded sound for release on Digital Audio Compact Disc, as well as to prepare sound for film and video soundtracks and for broadcast on radio and television. Sonic DVD Creator is the leading professional system for producing content for the DVD format, and has been used to create hundreds of DVD titles worldwide. About Zuma Digital Zuma Digital was founded in March 1997, by David Anthony and Blaine Graboyes in association with JSM Music. Zuma provides complete DVD integration services including creative services, authoring of DVD-Video discs, comprehensive digital video encoding services (MPEG 1, MPEG 2, AVI and Quick Time), DVD-Video interactive menu creation, design, and production. Zuma Digital holds a license from Dolby Laboratories to encode the new Dolby Digital standard, 5.1 surround sound. In association with JSM Music, Zuma can remix audio for the Dolby Digital Format. Contact: Sonic Solutions Paul Lefebvre, 415/893-8000 paul_lefebvre@sonic.com