Softimage Announces Breakthrough Integrated Video and Audio Editing,
Compositing, Paint and Project Management Environment

Redefines Film, Video and Interactive Game Development by Providing Single
Application Across All Aspects of Media Production; Automatically Scales
Content to Any Media Resolution

REDMOND, WASH. - APRIL 15, 1996 - Softimage Inc., the world's leading
high-end 3-D animation software company and a wholly owned subsidiary of
Microsoft Corp., today previewed a revolutionary new integrated
digital-media creation, editing and management environment, code-named
"Digital Studio." This new platform, which handles digital media ranging
from compressed video streams to full-resolution film images, is a
technology breakthrough because it provides a single consistent
application for professional nonlinear video editing and compositing, 2-D
and 3-D painting, audio editing, titling, special effects and project
management. By integrating all major production elements into a single,
seamless application, Digital Studio significantly streamlines and speeds
the process of creating videos, films and interactive games.

Built from the ground up as an integrated set of tools, Digital Studio is
scheduled for release by the end of 1996 on the Microsoft Windows NT
operating system version 4.0. Digital Studio is a fully multithreaded
application based on an open architecture extensible through both hardware
and software.

Softimage is also teaming with Play Inc. of Rancho Cordova, Calif., to
offer Digital Studio with Play's high-performance Trinity video and audio
production hardware. This software and hardware combination, which enables
customers to create and edit media in real time on multiple compressed or
uncompressed D1 video streams, provides performance and functionality
found in systems costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"Digital Studio redefines production by synthesizing complete tool sets for
video and audio into a single creative environment," said Daniel Langlois,
founder of Softimage and senior director at Microsoft. "The integration of
all these digital-media production tools under a common user interface
provides content creators with an environment that significantly increases
their level of creative freedom and productivity. By taking advantage of
Play's Trinity system, customers can have extremely high performance at a
fraction of the price."

INTEGRATED FEATURES, CUTTING-EDGE INTERFACE DESIGN

Digital Studio features are accessed through an elegant, customizable
graphical user interface that transforms automatically depending on the
task being performed. The power of Digital Studio is in the integration of
these production components:

* NONLINEAR EDITING (NLE). Digital Studio offers best-of-breed nonlinear
editing tools. It provides all of the high-end features needed to complete
complex professional editing projects. Digital Studio enables editing from
an unlimited number of audio and video tracks. Time-line markers
synchronize audio and video events, as well as providing looping
capabilities. Video and audio clips can be dragged-and-dropped anywhere on
the time line. "Activeness" of video tracks allows media to be viewed on
the time line even when it does not contribute to the final edit. Digital
Studio supports multiple resolutions of media within a single project so
customers can work at real time in D1 resolution and output at a specified
project resolution. Nested transitions allow customers to go beyond
standard wipes and transitions by making dynamic combinations possible.
The D1 trim window allows customers to trim, slip and roll media in full
D1 resolution in real time.

* COMPOSITING. Digital Studio delivers compositing of unlimited audio and
video layers using various Boolean and compositing operators, in addition
to traditional compositing. Layers are modified in place or painted on
layers at any time during the editing process. Layers are composited
through existing alpha channels, via chroma, luma or difference keying.
Multiple alpha channels can be applied to each video layer. Digital Studio
can stabilize and motion track video with one-point tracking or four-point
corner pinning to compensate for incorrect camera movements, as well as
realistically merging physical and synthetic elements.

* 2-D AND 3-D PAINTING. Digital Studio includes an extensive vector- based,
resolution-independent 2-D and 3-D paint package. Because paint functions
are vector-based rather than pixel-based, they can be animated. Paint
effects are nondestructive and resolution- independent, which allows
retouching without loss of original content. Paint functions are
extensible with developer-created custom effects.

* AUDIO. Digital Studio includes a highly integrated eight-channel audio
editing environment. All eight uncompressed digital audio streams can be
played back at once, with real-time audio effects and mixing. Real-time
audio effects can be applied directly to the audio mixer or on the time
line. A fully automated virtual audio mixer can animate any audio
attribute during playback. Nondestructive waveform editing permits the
highest level of creative control without the concern of losing original
data. The digital audio tool set allows sample-accurate editing, as well
as construction of audio effects such as equalization, reverb, delay and
chorus.

* SPECIAL EFFECTS. Digital Studio provides a professional special- effects
library for video production, including the full range of sweeps, wipes
and fades. Developers can also take advantage of an open architecture to
create custom special effects.

* INTEGRATION WITH SOFTIMAGE 3D. Digital Studio will provide seamless
integration with SoftimageR 3D, the world's most powerful high-end 3-D
animation system. This includes all models, animation sequences and
rendering output.

* TITLING. Digital Studio provides free-form, anti-aliased titling
capabilities. Text is generated as a character, so it can be animated,
painted or edited. Any WindowsR operating system- based TrueTypeR font may
be used for titles. Free-form text placement tools allow desktop
publishing-style freedom in titling layout.

* OUTPUT. Digital Studio is resolution-independent, so it can be used in
projects from feature films to interactive games to live broadcast. All
effects, including video, audio, paint and titling, will automatically
adapt to the desired output resolution.

* CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (CMS). Digital Studio includes its own revision
management and archive system. This is particularly important for large
projects and for reusing existing content. Multiple resolutions of
digitized video clips can be treated as one item, allowing for easy
reassembly of the time line at various resolutions. A search engine allows
customers to locate material quickly based on any number of attributes.

* OPEN ARCHITECTURE. Digital Studio is extensible through both hardware and
software. Over time, third parties will be able to create plug-in tools
for video, audio, special effects, painting and other major components of
Digital Studio.

BRINGING CREATIVE GROUPS TOGETHER

By providing a single, seamless production environment, Digital Studio
helps bring together traditionally separate disciplines. For example, a
director, video editor and audio engineer can sit down at the nearest
computer console to review part of an elaborate video production they are
currently working on. From any PC on the network, they can work together
to view, edit or add any type of image or audio effects, 3-D animation,
wipes, fades, live feed composites, 2-D or 3-D paint, or other effects.
Even though they have different responsibilities on this project and each
is an expert in his or her field, they can all communicate and share ideas
more easily because they are all working with the same consistent
production environment. Using the same software application gives them
much more flexibility and helps them achieve better integration between
the different media usually involved in their productions.

RELATIONSHIP WITH PLAY INC.

Softimage has teamed with Play to offer Digital Studio on Play's
award-winning Trinity video and audio production hardware and storage
systems. "The Trinity System is state-of-the-art when it comes to PC-based
media creation and editing," said Moshe Lichtman, general manager of
Softimage.

DIGITAL STUDIO PART OF LONG-TERM STRATEGY

Softimage sees Digital Studio as the cornerstone of an evolving Softimage
solution. "Digital Studio is a creative platform, not just an
application," Langlois said. "Additional software components - 3-D
modeling and animation, 2-D cel animation and asset management - will be
available both from Softimage and third parties. Our objective is to make
Digital Studio the best possible digital production environment today, and
to make sure it can evolve with the future demands of digital media
producers and technological advances we haven't even begun to imagine."

PRICING, AVAILABILITY, DISTRIBUTION AND SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

The first release of Digital Studio is expected to ship before the end of
1996. In its first release, Digital Studio will require a fast PentiumR
system running the Windows NT operating system and Play's Trinity
platform. Future versions of Digital Studio will be available for other
Windows NT-based platforms, including MIPSR and Alpha systems. Pricing for
Digital Studio will be announced later in 1996. It will be distributed
through a network of joint Softimage and Play authorized resellers.

COMPANY INFORMATION

Founded in 1986, Softimage develops software for media-rich applications
including video, film, interactive games and CD-ROM applications. Products
include Softimage 3D (high-end animation), Softimage Eddie (compositing)
and Softimage Toonz (2D cel animation). The company was acquired in 1994
by Microsoft Corp. Additional information about Softimage and Microsoft
can be found via the Internet at HTTP://WWW.SOFTIMAGE.COM/ and
http://www.microsoft.com/, respectively.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in
software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of
products and services for business and personal use, each designed with
the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take
advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Softimage general information, (800) 576-3846; Internet:
HTTP://WWW.SOFTIMAGE.COM/

 
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