DVD NEWS-(C)1999-2003 DVD NEWS. Distributed for AM Newswire Inc via M2 Communications Ltd (www.m2.com).

InterVideo's family of WinDVD Creator Platinum 2 software video editing products and WinDVR 3 Digital Video Recorder (DVR) software have been enhanced with a new Dolby Digital Consumer Encoder (DDCE). With the new two-channel Dolby Digital audio encoder, businesses and consumers can now create DVDs with high-quality Dolby sound for a more in-depth listening experience. Developed by InterVideo in collaboration with Dolby Laboratories, the new audio encoder software has been granted Dolby Digital Consumer Encoder certification by Dolby Laboratories.

InterVideo's new audio encoder leverages the Dolby technology consumers have been enjoying in movie theaters and commercial videos for nearly a decade. Dolby Digital also features the same technology specified by the DVD formats for stereo or multichannel surround audio on both PAL and NTSC DVD discs. As a result, Dolby Digital-encoded files created with WinDVD Creator 2 and WinDVR 3 will be compatible with the broad range of consumer electronics players and recorders that support the DVD format.

Using audio captured from analog or digital sources, the InterVideo DDCE creates Dolby Digital audio files without sacrificing sound quality. The size of the encoded audio files are typically reduced by a ratio of 8:1, leaving more space on the disc for video.

InterVideo's WinDVD Creator Platinum 2 products help users turn raw video footage into more professional-looking DVDs by guiding them through four simple movie-making steps: capturing video; editing it; adding titles, transitions, effects, music, and DVD menus, and finally, burning the finished product as a DVD (or VCD, SVCD, mini-DVD, MPEG-4, DivX, WMP) movie.

WinDVD Creator Platinum 2 is compatible with Windows 98 SE, Me, 2000 and XP, and is now available. The suggested list prices are: $99.95 for WinDVD Creator Platinum 2 and $129.95 for WinDVD Creator Platinum 2 AVDV. WinDVR 3 is compatible with Microsoft Windows 98 SE, Me, 2000, and XP, and supports Microsoft's DirectShow technology as well as WDM-compliant TV Tuner devices. WinDVR 3 is now available on InterVideo's web site, www.intervideo.com for $79.95 and will soon be in retail stores.