Sony Creative Software has announced new versions of its Vegas Movie Studio consumer video production software. Vegas Movie Studio 9, Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum Edition and Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum Pro Pack for the PC will be available in stores and online this August. Sony Creative Software is also introducing Vegas Movie Studio 9 and Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum Edition at new lower prices.

"As video has become a popular medium for all age groups to enjoy and share on the Internet, the Vegas Movie Studio 9 line of products was designed to address customer demand for simple, end-to-end video production at home that works seamlessly from the camcorder, to the software and ultimately to a variety of destinations for sharing," said Dave Chaimson, vice president of global marketing for Sony Creative Software. "Whether it's a camera full of still photos, or footage from your cell phone, our products provide the best solution for creating the perfect montage from all of your media in one, easy-to-use, reliable application."

"With the high-definition (HD) workflow application in Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum Edition, our unique Sony synergy ensures that working with HD is simplified from start to finish whether it's working with native AVCHD footage direct from the camcorder, or burning movies to Blu-ray Discs directly from the project timeline," Chaimson continued.

Enhanced Project Wizards Speed Movie Creation and Sharing
Vegas Movie Studio 9 software contains new import and export project wizards to help consumers get started making their movies even faster and also helps with outputting projects to the proper formats for sharing across a range of delivery options. Sony Creative Software's exclusive Show Me How interactive tutorials are also included to help users learn the software more efficiently while completing the task at hand. The Show Me How tutorials make it easy to complete a project step-by-step and are not found in any other consumer video editing product.

Cinescore Studio Soundtrack Creation
Developed from the professional version of Cinescore software, the Cinescore Studio royalty-free soundtrack application is now available exclusively in the Vegas Movie Studio 9 product releases to help consumers create the perfect mood for every movie. A breakthrough in soundtrack creation, Cinescore Studio software provides customizable capabilities to automatically create your own music for videos. Cinescore Studio software is an easy way for movie makers to match a musical theme to their project without needing to worry about any copyright issues. A number of themes and variations are included with the software for infinite ways in which to create the perfect score.

Click and Share Online and on DVD
Vegas Movie Studio 9 and Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum Edition software offer users their own integrated home desktop production studio as they create and share video that can be output to numerous media formats, which includes direct publishing to YouTube, direct output to an email attachment and formatting for portable music and media players to share creations easily on screens large and small. DVD Architect Studio 4.5 software is also included with the Vegas Movie Studio 9 applications to make creating professional-looking standard definition DVDs and widescreen productions fun and easy.

Full HD from Start to Finish
Optimized for complete high-definition home studio production, Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum Edition can burn Blu-ray Discs directly from the project for easy Blu-ray Disc publishing. The application also features tools for importing high-definition footage, including native import functionality for Sony, Canon and Panasonic AVCHD camcorders and expanded import options for the newest high-resolution Sony AVCHD 1920 format. Additional format support in Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum Edition includes MPEG-2 smart rendering for faster output, high quality audio compression for Sony Walkman and Apple iPod, as well as support for tapeless HDV footage transfers.

Pro Pack Offers Advanced Tools for the Home Studio
In addition to the Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum Edition software, the new Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum Pro Pack features software and content for enhanced professional production, including applications for audio mastering, video transitions and special effects. Additional Sony Creative Software applications featured in the Pro Pack are Sound Forge Audio Studio, additional Cinescore themes, and 1001 Sound Effects. Also included are NewBlue 3D Transitions and Effects and for a limited time, a 2 GB Sony Microvault USB flash drive.

Price and Availability

Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum Pro Pack (MSRP $129.95), Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum Edition (MSRP $99.95), Vegas Movie Studio 9 (MSRP $69.95) will be available this August in North America. Localized versions of all products for Japan, Germany, France, Spain, and the UK will be available later this fall.