reprinted from a Corel press release:
Corel Announces Support for AVCHD Standard
Corel?s InterVideo WinDVD 8 First Playback Software to Achieve AVCHD Certification
Las Vegas, NV January, 7, 2007 Corel Corporation (NASDAQ:CREL) (TSX:CRE), a leading provider of digital media software, today announced support for the Advanced Video Codec High Definition Standard (AVCHD). Corel? s InterVideo WinDVD 8 ? the world?s best-selling DVD/BD/HD-DVD and video playback software ? is the first playback software to achieve AVCHD certification. Corel, which completed its acquisition of InterVideo, Inc. and Ulead last month, announced that additional InterVideo and Ulead video and DVD burning products will also support AVCHD via update packs and future product releases. "AVCHD is a high-powered, flexible format that gives consumers stunning quality video and superior ease of use," said Blaine Mathieu, General Manager of Corel?s Digital Media business. "As the first to deliver an AVCHD certified player, we look forward to incorporating AVCHD support into our consumer editing and authoring tools in the future." AVCHD is a new high-definition recording format jointly introduced by Sony and Matsushita (Panasonic). It employs an advanced MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 video codec to offer users the advantages of 1080i and 720p high-definition, 16:9 widescreen and multi-channel digital audio. Unlike other video recording systems, AVCHD does not record to tape, but record video to hard drive, 8cm DVD or Memory Stick/SD. The format offers consumers the promise of HD video camera recorders which achieve compact size as well as high-quality video and audio. For consumers purchasing new AVCHD camcorders, the WinDVD 8 AVCHD support allows them to enjoy their AVCHD content directly without the need for time-consuming format conversions. The software will support playback of DVDs created in AVCHD camcorders or AVCHD files transferred from camcorders or memory sticks to the user?s personal computer. Known for superior video playback, WinDVD will provide convenient navigation of AVCHD discs with support for AVCHD menus and playlists.