SINGAPORE - January 7, 2005 - Creative (NASDAQ: CREAF), a worldwide leader in high-quality audio for the PC, today announced the USB Sound Blaster® Audigy® 2 ZS Video Editor, the first ever Sound Blaster with video editing capabilities. This ultra-sleek high-end audio system combines premier audio playback with award-winning video technology in one easy-to-use solution for audio and video that connects to the PC via USB 2.0, all for the estimated street price of only US$259.99.
The USB Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Video Editor is a great hardware solution for bringing all your video to any PC, to store it on a desktop or notebook or to burn it directly to DVD,¡± said Steve Erickson, vice president of audio for Creative. "In putting together a complete high-performance solution we combined outstanding Sound Blaster audio with the award-wining LSI Logic® DoMiNoFX? technology for video. We did all the engineering work to optimize performance so you can capture all your analog or digital video. And we utilize USB 2.0 so your DV camera plugs right in, and you don't need to add a FireWire card to your PC."
Hardware Accelerated Video Encoding and Filtering
Because it utilizes hardware encoding, the USB Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Video Editor allows users to enjoy crisp, glitch-free encoding to MPEG and DV formats. Hardware encoding enables functionality with a wider variety of systems, not just high-performance desktop systems required by software-only encoding solutions. The advanced compression technology available from the hardware encoding greatly minimizes digital artifacts, such as blockiness and loss of detail (even at low bit-rates), and provides video clean-up filters that consistently reduce random noise, increase video quality, and extend recording time.
"The LSI Logic DoMiNo processor provides 'Visibly Superior' DoMiNo FX processing technologies for crystal-clear video quality from any source. It is ideally suited for the Creative USB Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Video Editor, because it's the best way for consumers to encode and preserve home movies, whether they are stored on the latest DV cameras or older VCRs and analog cameras," said Umesh Padval, executive vice president for the LSI Logic Consumer Products Division.
Comprehensive Software for Professional-Quality Video Editing and One-Step DVD Creation
Even beginners can create top-quality DVD movies using the Ulead® MovieFactory? 3 SE. One-step DVD burning enables users to save time and hard drive space by authoring a DVD straight from a video source directly to a disc, bypassing the computer's hard drive altogether.
For the advanced user, more complex editing is done with the award-winning Ulead VideoStudio? 8 SE. This feature-rich software allows users to transfer video from an external source, extract unwanted scenes, and add transitions, music, narration, titles and special effects.
"DVD MovieFactory 3 makes it easy for everybody to quickly edit their videos and photos and turn them into DVDs that they're proud to share," said Lewis Liaw, president of Ulead Systems, North America. "At the same time, our Disc-Direct capture technology is a significant step toward DVD totally replacing VHS tapes. With this feature, consumers can record TV programs directly to disc, complete with a DVD menu and the ability to append video and customize menus on the DVD."
Superior Audio in Music, Movies and Games
The THX-Cerfitied USB Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Video Editor delivers 24-bit ADVANCED HD? music playback in 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1 surround sound, with Dolby® Digital EX and DTS-ES? decoding for the ultimate DVD movie experience. In addition, EAX® support provides realistic, real-time audio effects processing, a technology that has been incorporated into hundreds of the top PC games.
Connect Camcorders, TVs, VCRs and More
The USB Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Video Editor features DV, S-Video, and composite video ins and outs, analog and digital audio in and out, plus a built-in 4-port USB hub, allowing users to record from any audio or video source, including a camcorders, TV or VCRs. Any edited content can be converted back to its original source and/or played back on a TV or VCR for viewing and recording.
Pricing and Availability
The USB Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Video Editor will be available at www.asia.creative.com in February for an estimated street price of US$259.99. For more information about the USB Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Video Editor, visit www.soundblaster.com.
Press Release
Hardware Accelerated Video Encoding and Filtering
Because it utilizes hardware encoding, the USB Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Video Editor allows users to enjoy crisp, glitch-free encoding to MPEG and DV formats. Hardware encoding enables functionality with a wider variety of systems, not just high-performance desktop systems required by software-only encoding solutions. The advanced compression technology available from the hardware encoding greatly minimizes digital artifacts, such as blockiness and loss of detail (even at low bit-rates), and provides video clean-up filters that consistently reduce random noise, increase video quality, and extend recording time.
"The LSI Logic DoMiNo processor provides 'Visibly Superior' DoMiNo FX processing technologies for crystal-clear video quality from any source. It is ideally suited for the Creative USB Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Video Editor, because it's the best way for consumers to encode and preserve home movies, whether they are stored on the latest DV cameras or older VCRs and analog cameras," said Umesh Padval, executive vice president for the LSI Logic Consumer Products Division.
Comprehensive Software for Professional-Quality Video Editing and One-Step DVD Creation
Even beginners can create top-quality DVD movies using the Ulead® MovieFactory? 3 SE. One-step DVD burning enables users to save time and hard drive space by authoring a DVD straight from a video source directly to a disc, bypassing the computer's hard drive altogether.
For the advanced user, more complex editing is done with the award-winning Ulead VideoStudio? 8 SE. This feature-rich software allows users to transfer video from an external source, extract unwanted scenes, and add transitions, music, narration, titles and special effects.
"DVD MovieFactory 3 makes it easy for everybody to quickly edit their videos and photos and turn them into DVDs that they're proud to share," said Lewis Liaw, president of Ulead Systems, North America. "At the same time, our Disc-Direct capture technology is a significant step toward DVD totally replacing VHS tapes. With this feature, consumers can record TV programs directly to disc, complete with a DVD menu and the ability to append video and customize menus on the DVD."
Superior Audio in Music, Movies and Games
The THX-Cerfitied USB Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Video Editor delivers 24-bit ADVANCED HD? music playback in 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1 surround sound, with Dolby® Digital EX and DTS-ES? decoding for the ultimate DVD movie experience. In addition, EAX® support provides realistic, real-time audio effects processing, a technology that has been incorporated into hundreds of the top PC games.
Connect Camcorders, TVs, VCRs and More
The USB Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Video Editor features DV, S-Video, and composite video ins and outs, analog and digital audio in and out, plus a built-in 4-port USB hub, allowing users to record from any audio or video source, including a camcorders, TV or VCRs. Any edited content can be converted back to its original source and/or played back on a TV or VCR for viewing and recording.
Pricing and Availability
The USB Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Video Editor will be available at www.asia.creative.com in February for an estimated street price of US$259.99. For more information about the USB Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Video Editor, visit www.soundblaster.com.
Press Release
