3DsoundSurge Press Release: MGI Software & Dolby Laboratories Add Dolby Headphone Technology to MGI's Market Leading DVD Applications

MGI Software & Dolby Laboratories Add Dolby Headphone Technology to MGI's Market Leading DVD Applications

TORONTO, Jan. 25 /CNW-PRN/ - MGI Software Corp. (TSE:MGI), a leader in E-commerce imaging and digital video solutions, and Dolby Laboratories, the world leader in multichannel sound, today announced a licensing agreement allowing MGI Software to become the first software developer to incorporate the Dolby Headphone technology in its current and future DVD applications, including MGI Pure DIVA and MGI SoftDVD MAX. Dolby Headphone, which was announced last year and debuted for the public earlier this month at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2000) in Las Vegas, lets users experience the rich, full, multichannel surround sound they get in a cinema or a fine home theater on conventional headphones.

`MGI Software is taking a leadership role in defining and building new applications that take advantage of the latest in audio technology,` said Roger Dressler, Director of Technology Strategy for Dolby. `By extending Dolby Digital sound capabilities with Dolby Headphone in its current and future products, MGI Software is clearly at the forefront of the evolving movement of PC-based digital entertainment technologies.`

Through Dolby Headphone, which was developed by Lake Technology and Dolby and is being licensed by Dolby to consumer electronics manufacturers, listeners can enjoy the surround experience from DVDs, MiniDiscs, CDs and MP3 files, whether they are encoded in Dolby Surround, Dolby Digital, PCM, MLP-packed PCM, or MPEG. Applications for Dolby Headphone include digital cable and satellite set-top boxes, VCRs, DVD-Video and DVD-Audio players, conventional and digital TV receivers, personal and laptop computers, portable stereos, game consoles, A/V surround decoders and receivers, auto sound systems, and multimedia speaker systems. MGI Software is the first software company to license the technology for software applications.

`The incorporation of Dolby Headphone technology in our products is yet another in a series of 'firsts',` said Anthony DeCristofaro, president and CEO, MGI Software. `We have consistently led the market in innovation. For example, the original version of SoftDVD MAX was the first software-only DVD player to include Dolby Digital, and MGI Pure DIVA is the first and only digital entertainment software that enables PC users to pause live TV broadcasts and digitally record shows like a TiVo or ReplayTV device. Dolby Headphone will extend the entertainment experience of our applications to individuals listening with conventional headphones.`

About Dolby Laboratories

Dolby Laboratories is the developer of signal processing systems used worldwide in applications that include motion-picture sound, consumer entertainment products and media, broadcasting, and music recording. Based in San Francisco with European headquarters in England, the privately held company also has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai, and Tokyo.

About MGI Software

MGI Software (www.mgisoft.com) is a pioneer and established market leader in E-commerce imaging and digital video. Its early focus on delivering imaging and video technology to the mass market has led to an ever-growing network of partnerships with major consumer electronics manufacturers, computer hardware and software vendors, photo retailers, media companies, and e-businesses. The Company's intellectual property spans many aspects of imaging and video, including content creation and editing, content encoding and decoding, Internet distribution systems, Web printing, and online navigation or Zoom. As digital imaging and video become commonplace, it will be MGI Software's technologies that are behind the scenes making it work. MGI Software employs over 230 people with offices in North America, Europe, Pacific Rim, and Japan. MGI Software is publicly traded on The Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol `MGI`. (c) 2000, MGI Software Corp. MGI, MGI PhotoSuite, MGI VideoWave, SoftDVD MAX, Pure DIVA, Zoom Server and Live Picture are trademarks or registered trademarks of MGI Software Corp. All other company and/or product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective manufacturers.

SOURCE: MGI Software Corp.