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July
2003
Minnetonka Audio Announces Version 2 of Acclaimed discWelder
STEEL
Minnetonka Audio Software, home of the first affordable DVD-Audio
tools, announces Version 2 of the groundbreaking DVD-A authoring
application discWelderTM STEEL. This highly-anticipated upgrade
maintains the essential DVD-Audio feature set of Version 1,
while adding enhancements only found previously in discWelder
CHROME, Minnetonka’s flagship DVD-A authoring program.
New
Features added to discWelder STEEL Version 2 are:
·
Gapless PCM Track Play (a discWelder exclusive), allowing
most DVD-A players to seamlessly play PCM tracks of the same
format (5.1 surround 24-bit 48kHz, for example), i.e. without
the random-length gap between PCM tracks that normally occurs
in most commercial DVD-A players.
· Custom Menu Image Import, allowing the on-screen
menu background image to be imported in any popular bitmap
format (within PAL / NTSC pixel dimension limits), to replace
the default discWelder menu image.
· Album Image On-screen, which places the imported
menu background image on the TV screen connected to the DVD-A
player while the tracks are playing, without the menu selection
text overlay.
· More Fonts and Styles are available for the Menu,
allowing access to most of the fonts and styles in Windows,
enabling a wider selection of design choices.
· Menu Column Selection, which sets the number of vertical
text columns at 1, 2, or 3 for the On-Screen Track Menu.
Migrating
these discWelder CHROME features to discWelder STEEL adds
unparalleled value to this already-affordable authoring tool.
Artists, engineers, and producers working in Classical, Jazz,
live Rock-and-Roll, and many other styles will find the Gapless
Track Play feature indispensable in creating seamless performances
from separate audio assets. This feature is normally accomplished
in far more expensive authoring applications using MLP long-form
encoding, import, and track pointers. With STEEL Version 2,
anyone wishing to produce DVD-Audio content on a budget can
take advantage of the tremendous capacity of the DVD-A format
for high-resolution, long-play seamless content.
The on-screen look of the DVD-A disc is also important to
the end-user, and the added functionality of more fonts and
styles, as well as the design options afforded by the image
import and column selection features, greatly increase the
ability to customize the Menu’s on-screen appearance.
Two of STEEL’s most important features are unchanged
- discWelder STEEL Version 2 remains at the original shockingly-low
price of $495 MSRP (the upgrade is free for registered owners).
And it remains brilliantly easy to use. Minnetonka makes DVD-A
authoring accessible to everyone.
The release of discWelder STEEL Version 2 is scheduled for
August of 2003, and it will be available through all Minnetonka
Audio Software Dealers and on the discWelder website (www.discwelder.com).
Upgrades will be available by contacting Support at Minnetonka
Audio, at 1-952-449-6481 or on the website.
discWelder
STEEL Version 2 Features:
· Supports Linear PCM formats: 16, 20, 24-bit depth;
44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 192kHz sample rates (Stereo); 44.1, 48kHz
(5.1 Surround); WAV, AIFF files
· Supports Intermixed Surround and Stereo (PCM only)
Tracks
· Linear PCM Track Pause (0.5 to 10 seconds)
· Multiple DVD±R/RW Burner Support
· 1 Group with up to 99 Tracks
· On-Screen Menu Auto-Generated from Playlist
· 4:3 and 16:9 / NTSC or PAL Menu Support
· Drag-and Drop or Double-Click Soundfile Placement
· Downmix Properties Preset to Industry Standards
· * Gapless PCM Track Play
· * Custom Menu Image Import
· * Menu Image On-Screen during Album Play
· * Most Windows Fonts and Styles Available for Menu
· * Menu Column Number Selection (up to 3)
*New in Version 2
System Requirements – Windows 98/2000/NT/XP with 10
GB free hard disc space and supported DVD±R/RW drive
.
Click
here to learn more.
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