Tech Shout!

On Friday, Sony Media Software, a leading provider of professional audio and video editing software applications, announced that it has started shipping Blu-print, a commercial product developed for use in creating DVDs in the new Blu-ray format. The Blu-print authoring application, created by Sony Pictures Entertainment, operates on most high-end Windows-powered workstations and allows post-production facilities and movie production studios to make use of the highly developed features of the BD-ROM format.

Users can utilize Blu-print to create menu navigation for their Blu-ray discs and make use of the advanced features of the format such as BDMV (Blu-ray Disc Movie) ‘popup’ menus and BD-J (Blu-ray Disc Java) interactivity.

Dave Chaimson, vice president of marketing, Sony Media Software said, “The Blu-print application effectively unlocks many of the most advanced Blu-ray functions and capabilities, providing producers of the new disc format with a comprehensive resource for developing higher quality projects than ever before.”

Don Eklund, executive vice president, advanced technologies, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment stated, “We are delighted that Blu-print can finally be made available to all interested customers for commercial use. Extensive experience gained through years of DVD and UMD production at Sony Pictures has been used to design and develop a powerful tool that can satisfy demanding production environments while providing an easy-to-use user interface. Blu-print is now in use at SPE and other premier authoring facilities and has been used to create the BD-titles in the market today.”

Blu-print is now available for $50,000 per license. A free 30-day trial is available by request. Sony Media Software also offers technical support and maintenance agreements for Blu-print at the Gold (6 months - $7,500) and Platinum levels (1 year - $10,000).