Comments

mikkie wrote on 7/10/2003, 9:47 AM
Thanks

Looks like making video factory more competitive with Magix, Ulead, Roxio etc. entry software. If it fills the coffers & strengthens the say of their software division, may be a good sign. The online stuff, I assume of interest because of gaming influence in Sony, is kind of interesting to me from the standpoint of Japan biz watching, how & what they'll learn and so on... Not a huge success as far as what I've seen with other online media sites that *seem* similar, but with the included small screen capability possibly could get a lift from the much larger worldwide cell phone use and abuse?

Personally, figure Sony will do a lot of learning, some incremental changes, explore some opportunities tying into their playstation biz (including huge current market as DVD players), try to come up with some proprietary stuff/twists... Won't be afraid to write it off to learning though, and drop whatever. Current products bring in some cash, so don't see anything threatening yet.

At any rate, guess it might hint at how some of the developers have been busy.
Chienworks wrote on 7/10/2003, 10:09 AM
"Screenblast.com debuted in September 2001" ... This is old news. Screenblast has been around selling rebranded versions of ACID Music, SoundForge Studio, SIREN, and VideoFactory for quite a while.

The one interesting thing in this announcement is that MovieStudio (their version of VideoFactory) now seems to include DVD authoring, yet still remain under $100. That could annoy the folks who have shelled out big bucks for Vegas+DVD.
mikkie wrote on 7/10/2003, 10:24 AM
"That could annoy the folks who have shelled out big bucks for Vegas+DVD"

From what I read, seems more a prepackaged sort competing with Magix, ulead, & Roxio then with Sonic. When you look at the DVD features bundled with Easy CD & DVD Creator 6, or the simplified but capable design of the Magix software, find it hard to imagine Screenblast doing well at all without some DVD capability, especially given Sony's poor software distribution network (when's the last time saw screenblast on a store shelf?). Given NeoDVD & similar can be had for shipping costs, the Magix software is like $15 on sale, & the Roxio package is around $30 after rebates), basic authoring couldn't be easier or cheaper.

DVDA doesn't play to that market. Should see some improvement, new features etc. if they plan on going head to head with the coming Adobe product though - figure that'll tap into a huge user base right off the bat, whether it's any good or not.