Sony Media Software has announced the immediate availability of the Vegas+DVD Production Suite, a significant upgrade to its video, audio, and DVD production software solution. The suite includes Vegas 7 and DVD Architect 4 software, as well as a Dolby Digital AC-3 multi-channel encoder for 5.1 surround output.

The all-new Vegas 7 nonlinear editing software combines HDV and XDCAM support with innovative workflow enhancement tools that make the application more powerful and intuitive than ever before. Responding to industry-wide demand for new HDV-enabled technology, Vegas 7 software offers full frame rate playback of native HDV on the Vegas timeline and includes improved memory for handling HDV 1080i longform projects. In addition, Vegas 7 software provides all the tools needed to edit proxy and full resolution HD and SD XDCAM MXF files natively without requiring further transcoding.

New capabilities include improved snapping with enhanced visual clues across multiple tracks, and flexible window docking, which provides customized layouts for modifying the user interface preferences.

The Vegas+DVD Production Suite is also bundled with two free bonus applications: Boris Graffiti Ltd and Magic Bullet Movie Looks HD65, an enhanced version of the Movie Looks program that shipped with earlier versions of the suite. The new Magic Bullet Movie Looks HD65 supports HD resolutions and provides 65 different presets that mimic popular television and movie looks.

New features in the Vegas+DVD Production Suite include:

Vegas 7 New Video Features:

• Improved native HDV 1080i .m2t playback performance and improved memory handling for HDV 1080i longform projects.
• Comprehensive XDCAM support, including XDCAM viewer window, proxy support, FAM (i.LINK ) and network support, multi-channel audio I/O, proxy conform and master to disc. All SD and HD XDCAM formats are supported.
• Improved DeckLink implementation includes support for current- generation DeckLink PCI-e and PCI-x cards, improved batch capture, multi-channel audio I/O, insert edit to tape, mixed timecode handling, 1080i 24p I/O support, and 720p timeline monitoring.
• Support for AJA SDI cards (requires Xena LH, LHe, LS, or LSe card). Includes support for batch capture, multi-channel audio I/O, insert edit to tape, mixed timecode handling, SD and HD I/O including 1080i 24p, and 720p timeline monitoring.
• High-quality H.264 AVC/AAC import and export. Includes templates for Sony PSP , Apple iPod , and HD (originally released with Vegas 6.0d).
• I-frames insertion at marker positions when rendering MPEG-2 (works in conjunction with I-frame viewer in DVD Architect 4).
• Export to PSP (originally released as special upgrade in Vegas 6.0d).
• 5.1-channel audio extraction from DVD-based camcorders and home movies on DVD.
• Red-eye reduction for still images.

Vegas 7 New Audio Features:

• Multithreaded audio engine maximizes real-time audio playback and rendering performance — more tracks and effects with lower latency.
• Support for Sony Cinescore music-generation plug-in.
• Multi-channel audio rendering, audio import and Broadcast Wave (BWF) audio import with arrange to timestamp.
• Improved VST plug-in support.
• Support for opening and rendering ATRAC3 , ATRAC3plus , and ATRAC Advanced Lossless files, mono, stereo, and 5.1 surround.
• Gracenote MusicID technology for extracted audio from CDs.
• Support for the Frontier TranzPort control surface.

Vegas 7 New Workflow Features:

• Improved video preview — now includes auto-fit to preview window, simultaneous internal / external preview, additional resolution modes and optimized scaling for previews.
• Enhanced window layout management offers ability to save, recall, and share custom window layouts.
• More flexible window docking lets timeline and tabs display on top of docked windows or below.
• Improved snapping includes color-coded visual snap indicator and the ability to snap to event edges on other tracks.
• User-definable default smoothness values for Pan/Crop and Track Motion keyframes.
• Freehand envelope drawing on the timeline.
• Improved project copy/trim with media includes support for uncompressed AVI, Sony YUV AVI, and CineForm AVI files, copy/trim of audio and video to a single .avi file, copy/trim support for media with velocity envelopes.
• Cut/copy/delete applies to grouped events.
• Display option for media marker names in events.
• Improved Media Manager performance.
• Enhanced keyboard customization.

The Vegas+DVD Production Suite also includes an updated version of DVD Architect software, offering new capabilities in the design and production of DVDs. New scripting tools in the software enable custom navigation and interactivity in DVD menu design.

The Vegas+DVD Production Suite is now available from software retailers worldwide for $699 (MSRP). French, German, and Japanese versions of the software will be available through international retailers in October 2006.