You can get deals on computers, digital storage, printers, digital cameras, software, GPS products, computer accessories, office technology, office supplies, office furniture, assorted gift items, and more. Act now!

And there is still time to donate $5 to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation and have it matched for a total $10 donation. It’s just $5 and it can make a big difference for some child’s holiday.

• Roxio Toast 11 Pro for Mac – Save $50 plus get a free USB capture dongle, for a $110 total savings! $99.99 – normally $209.99!
• Roxio Toast 11 Titanium for Mac – Save $30 plus get a free USB capture dongle, for a $90 total savings! $69.99 – normally $149.99!
• Roxio Easy VHS to DVD for Mac – Save $10! $69.99 – normally $79.99!
• Roxio Creator 2012 Pro for PC – Save $30 plus get a free USB capture dongle, for a $80 total savings! $99.99 – normally $179.99!
• Roxio Creator 2012 for PC – Save $30 plus get a free USB capture dongle, for a $80 total savings! $69.99 – normally $149.99!
• Roxio Game Capture for consoles – Save $30! $69.99 – normally $99.99!
• Roxio PC Game Capture – Save $20! $29.99 – normally $49.99!
• Roxio Easy VHS to DVD for PC – Save $10! $49.99 – normally $59.99!

Remember, Roxio is the only officially endorsed third party software for use with TiVo & TiVoToGo. And the only sanctioned solution at all for MacOS, since there isn’t a TiVo Desktop Plus for Mac. This is a limited time holiday sale, so act now.

Roxio is the only official endorsed third party software for use with TiVo & TiVoToGo. And the only sanctioned solution at all for MacOS, since there isn’t a TiVo Desktop Plus for Mac. Here are the discounts once last time, for your convenience:

All Products – 10% Off – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Toast 11 Titanium and Save $20 Instantly – $79.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Toast 11 Pro and Save $30 Instantly – $119.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Popcorn 4 and Save 50% Instantly – $24.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Creator 2011 and SAVE $20 Instantly – $79.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Creator 2011 Pro and SAVE $30 Instantly – $99.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Easy VHS to DVD (PC) and Save $10 Instantly + FREE Shipping – $49.99 – Expiration 10.15.11

Buy Easy VHS to DVD (MAC) and Save $10 Instantly + FREE Shipping – $69.99 – Expiration 10.15.11

Note that since I originally posted those links Roxio Creator 2012 and Roxio Creator 2012 Pro launched at the end of August and they also have a $20 savings.

Enjoy!

All Products – 10% Off – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Toast 11 Titanium and Save $20 Instantly – $79.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Toast 11 Pro and Save $30 Instantly – $119.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Popcorn 4 and Save 50% Instantly – $24.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Creator 2011 and SAVE $20 Instantly – $79.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Creator 2011 Pro and SAVE $30 Instantly – $99.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Easy VHS to DVD (PC) and Save $10 Instantly + FREE Shipping – $49.99 – Expiration 10.15.11

Buy Easy VHS to DVD (MAC) and Save $10 Instantly + FREE Shipping – $69.99 – Expiration 10.15.11

Note that since I posted those links Roxio Creator 2012 and Roxio Creator 2012 Pro launched at the end of August and they also have a $20 savings.

Roxio Creator 2012
Enhance, preserve, capture and share your digital media

• NEW! Enhance your videos with 8 artistic effects
• NEW! Convert and create DivX® videos
• NEW! Powerful portrait improvement tools
• NEW! 50 professional background music tracks
• Enhanced conversion video tools for iPad®, iPhone®, and Android™ phones
• Edit videos and create DVDs like a pro – even in 3D
• Fix photos and make cards, calendars and slideshows
• Burn and copy CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray Discs
• Share on DVD, portable devices, YouTube™ or Facebook®
• Create PhotoShow slideshows with any music to share on DVD

Roxio Creator 2012 Pro
All the power of Creator 2012 + new software and tools worth over $400

• NEW! HDR Express™ by Unified Color for photo with stunning visual contrast
• NEW! 14 amazing video effects found in nature and beyond
• NEW! iZotope Music and Speech Cleaner™
• NEW! DivX Plus® video converter and player
• NEW! 100 soundtracks from Triple Scoop Music library
• NEW! Soundtrack titles in the SmartSound® Easy Livin’ collection
• BackOnTrack 4 system restore & disaster recovery
• SonicFire PRO® custom soundtrack creation
• Roxio Securn Burn and copy discs and secure them with encryption
• Burn high definition video Blu-ray discs

All Products – 10% Off – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Toast 11 Titanium and Save $20 Instantly – $79.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Toast 11 Pro and Save $30 Instantly – $119.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Popcorn 4 and Save 50% Instantly – $24.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Creator 2011 and SAVE $20 Instantly – $79.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Creator 2011 Pro and SAVE $30 Instantly – $99.99 – Expiration – 10.15.11

Buy Easy VHS to DVD (PC) and Save $10 Instantly + FREE Shipping – $49.99 – Expiration 10.15.11

Buy Easy VHS to DVD (MAC) and Save $10 Instantly + FREE Shipping – $69.99 – Expiration 10.15.11

Enjoy!

Toast 10 Titanium also includes AVCHD Archive, which makes it easy to burn content form HD camcorders to BD or DVD, Web Video To Go, which allows users to grab video from websites to save locally or transfer to portable devices, place-shifting support which streams content from the Mac to a Streamer application on an iPhone or iPod Touch, and a number of others.

Toast 10 Titanium goes on sale today at http://www.roxio.com/ for $99.99, with special pricing at MacWorld Expo January 5-9. The High-definition/Blu-ray Disc (HD/BD) plug-in, which is required to author BD discs and is normally $19.99, is available free to those who purchase Toast 10 Titanium from http://www.roxio.com/ through February 5, 2009. Toast 10 Titanium Pro is also available for $149.99.

Press release:

Jan 5, 2009 06:30 ET

Roxio Launches Toast 10 Titanium at Macworld Expo

Also Introduces Pro Version Packed with Advanced Photo, Video, and Audio Capabilities

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Macworld Expo, Moscone Center — Roxio®, a division of Sonic Solutions® (NASDAQ:SNIC) , the leader in digital media software, today announced the immediate availability of Toast® 10 Titanium, the latest version of the company’s market-leading burning and digital media software for the Mac®. The latest version helps greatly enhance and extend Mac OS X and iLife® applications with a broad range of additional capabilities for creating, sharing, and enjoying personal digital media content.

Toast 10 delivers groundbreaking digital media functionality to Mac users with a range of pioneering features that includes: Mac2TiVo for sending home movies and other video content from a Mac to a TiVo® DVR; an audiobook creator for converting audiobook CDs into files compatible with portable devices; AVCHD™ Archive for quickly backing up original content from high-definition camcorders onto DVD or Blu-ray Disc (BD), and a Web video file capture and conversion tool that allows Web-based video to be enjoyed on DVD or mobile devices. Toast 10 Titanium is available today at http://www.roxio.com/ and at Macworld Expo booth #2238.

“Toast is far more than better burning on Mac OS; it’s about enabling users to manage, create, enjoy and simply do more with their personal library of digital photos, music, and video,” said Vito Salvaggio, vice president of consumer products, Sonic Solutions. “This latest version will have special appeal to consumers that want to easily move digital media between their Mac and digital devices such as the iPhone® and TiVo®, or enjoy Web-based video content offline.”

New in Toast 10 Titanium:

– AVCHD™ Archive — Backup original video from AVCHD camcorders direct to DVD or BD media in one easy step. Use the discs in BD players or as source materials in future iMovie or Toast projects.

– Mac2TiVo — Send standard definition and HD video from your Mac to your TiVo DVR for viewing on your TV.

– Web Video To Go — Save Web video from your favorite video sharing sites to view offline, burn or convert it for viewing on portable players such as an iPod or iPhone.

– On-the-go Entertainment — Stream and watch television programs, such as EyeTV recordings and TiVoToGo transfers on your iPhone or iPod touch over Wi-Fi with the new iPhone native application Streamer®.

– Portable Audiobooks — Convert audiobook CDs into single audiobook files for playback on your iPod or other portable player — complete with individual chapters — no more individual audiobook chapter files scattered throughout your iTunes library or iPod.

– Music Builder — Expand your audio library by capturing streaming audio. Toast now automatically splits captured songs into tracks, tags them with title and artist information, and then sends them to iTunes.

– Folder Sync — Synchronize folders bi-directionally between multiple computers, network volumes or external hard disks.

– Stunning DVDs — Create personalized DVDs with any of the over 20 new DVD and Blu-ray Disc menu styles — available in both full screen and high-definition widescreen versions.

Introducing Toast 10 Titanium Pro

Today Roxio also released Toast 10 Titanium Pro aimed at prosumers, creative professionals and designers, as well as photo and video hobbyists. In addition to offering everything available in Toast 10 Titanium, Toast 10 Pro includes the High-Definition/Blu-ray Disc plug-in as well as these award-winning, third-party applications for developing advanced photo, video, and audio projects:

– HD/BD Plug-In — Author HD video content on to standard DVDs and Blu-ray Discs. Take high-def (HD) video footage from AVCHD™ camcorders, TiVo® and EyeTV and create Blu-ray Discs or even standard DVDs with HD content that can be played on any standard Blu-ray set top box or PlayStation® 3 game console.

– SmartSound Sonicfire™ Pro — Orchestrate the perfect sound track to accompany videos and slideshows. Use Sonicfire Pro’s unique automatic “Mood Mapping” feature or select from a library of included music tracks and adjust the mix and feel of the score to perfectly match your videos and slideshows.

– BIAS SoundSoap™ — Remove unwanted noise like wind, hisses, scratches, and pops from LPs, cassettes, or almost any audio, music or video soundtrack.

– LightZone™ — Produce striking photos in a simple and intuitive way. Sophisticated features such as zone mapping and relight give you the control to achieve professional quality results.

– FotoMagico™ — Turn pictures into spellbinding slideshows with a few simple clicks, and then present them in high definition. Innovative text, transition and alignment tools ensure astonishing results. Burn your slideshow to DVD or Blu-ray Disc for easy viewing and sharing.

Pricing and Availability

Toast 10 Titanium is available direct from Roxio at http://www.roxio.com/ for $99.99. Special pricing is available at Macworld tradeshow, running January 6-9. An accompanying High Definition/Blu-ray Disc (HD/BD) plug-in, which is needed to author Blu-ray Disc video, is sold separately for $19.99 and is available free for those who purchase Toast 10 Titanium online at roxio.com through February 5, 2009. Toast 10 Titanium Pro also goes on sale today for $149.99.

About Roxio

Roxio®, Sonic’s Consumer Products Group, provides a range of award-winning digital media creation, management, preservation, sharing, and enjoyment applications, field-proven SDKs, and Web-based services. Roxio solutions offer the perfect blend of ease and power, enabling consumers to achieve professional results from their photo, video, and music projects with minimal effort. Roxio’s flagship applications, Creator for the PC and Toast for the Apple Macintosh, are the best-selling products in their respective categories in North American retail.

Roxio’s parent company, Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: SNIC; http://www.sonic.com/) enables the creation, management, and enjoyment of premium and personal digital media content through its Hollywood to Home™ products, services, and technologies.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward looking statements that are based upon current expectations, including the launch, distribution, and market acceptance of Roxio Toast 10 Titanium and Toast 10 Titanium Pro. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties, including those discussed in the Company’s annual and quarterly reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This press release should be read in conjunction with the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and other reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which contain a more detailed discussion of the Company’s business including risks and uncertainties that may affect future results. The Company does not undertake to update any forward looking statements.

Sonic, the Sonic logo, Sonic Solutions, Roxio, the Roxio logo, Toast, Roxio Streamer, and Hollywood to Home are trademarks or registered trademarks owned by Sonic Solutions in the United States and/or other countries. All other company or product names are trademarks of their respective owners and, in some cases, are used by Sonic Solutions under license. Specifications, pricing and delivery schedules are subject to change without notice.

Source: Roxio

CONTACT: Chris Taylor of Roxio, +1-408-367-5231, Chris.Taylor@roxio.com

Web site: http://www.roxio.com/
http://www.sonic.com/

Use Coupon Code 10ROXIOSAVE for Roxio Site Wide Coupon Code – Save 10%. Expires 1/5/09.
Roxio FREE Holiday Shipping (United States Priority Shipping Only) – Starts November 1 and Exp: December 15, 2008. Coupon Code: USPSROX
Use Coupon Code CUSAVE20 to save an instant $20 on Creator 2009 Ultimate Today! 01/05/09
Save $20 when you buy Creator 2009 and the Blu-Ray/High-Def Plug-in Exp. 11-30-08
Buy Toast 9 and the HD/BD Plug-in together and SAVE $20 Expires 11-30-08.
Use Coupon Code MDVDSAVE35 and SAVE 50% off MyDVD 10 Premier
Get a FREE T-Shirt with your purchase of Popcorn 3! While Supplies Last!
Use Coupon Code to SAVE $10 instantly. CPSAVE10 Expires 1-5-09
RecordNow Save $20. Use Coupon Code RNSAVE20 to save $20 instantly. Exp. 1-5-09
Use Coupon Code T9SAVE10 to get $10 instant savings on Toast 9. Expires November 30, 2008.

Use Coupon Code 10ROXIOSAVE for Roxio Site Wide Coupon Code – Save 10%. Expires 1/5/09.
Use Coupon Code CUSAVE20 to save an instant $20 on Creator 2009 Ultimate Today! 01/05/09
Buy Toast 9 and the HD/BD Plug-in together and SAVE $20 Expires 11-15-08.
Save $20 when you buy Creator 2009 and the Blu-Ray/High-Def Plug-in Exp. 11-15-08
Use Coupon Code MDVDSAVE35 and SAVE 50% off MyDVD 10 Premier
Get a FREE T-Shirt with your purchase of Popcorn 3!While Supplies Last!
Use Coupon Code to SAVE $10 instantly. CPSAVE10 Expires 1-5-09
RecordNow Save $20. Use Coupon Code RNSAVE20 to save $20 instantly. Exp. 1-5-09
Use Coupon Code T9SAVE10 to get $10 instant savings on Toast 9. Expires November 30, 2008.

Roxio Easy Media Creator 10 is being updated and it is now known simply as Roxio Creator 2009. This is Roxio’s premier media creation and authoring package for Windows. Creator 2009 has a new UI and supports HD content from AVCHD camcorders and transfers from HD TiVos for Blu-ray discs with a free HD/Blu-ray plug-in, a $29.99 value (a limited time offer). You can also easily share your content online via a free, secure Roxio web page or via YouTube. Roxio Creator is the only officially endorsed authoring tool for TiVoToGo on Windows.

Through September 30, 2008 you can buy Creator 2009 for $79.99 (after $20 Mail-in Rebate) and receive the High-Def/Blu-Ray Disc plug-in (a $29.99 value) free. So that’s a $129.98 for $79.99.

Roxio issued a press release to detail all of the changes and improvements in Creator 2009:

Aug 26, 2008 06:30 ET

Roxio Launches Creator 2009

Top-Selling Media Suite with Integrated Online Services Makes it Easier than Ever for Families to Create and Share their Digital Lives

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Roxio®, a division of Sonic Solutions® (NASDAQ:SNIC) , the leader in digital media software, today launched Roxio Creator™ 2009, the latest version of the company’s market-leading suite of photo, video, and music authoring, burning, and online sharing applications. Creator 2009 introduces a range of pioneering audio features, integration of family-friendly online services, and advanced support for High Definition (HD) video. Creator 2009 also offers a streamlined workflow that enables consumers to complete a broad range of media creation, editing, sharing, and management projects more efficiently. Taking the guesswork out of evolving technologies and complicated formats and enabling users to take full advantage of all of Creator’s capabilities, Creator 2009 offers direct links to informative tutorials and how-to articles that provide guidance and creative inspiration. Roxio Creator 2009 is available today at http://www.roxio.com/ for $99.99 and will be introduced early next month in retail stores worldwide.

“Whether it’s the desire to edit hours of footage from a special family event, create a personalized photo slideshow of exotic travels or compose a perfect music playlist, consumers just want a straightforward solution that enables them to quickly and effortlessly create, preserve and enjoy their personal media content,” said Vito Salvaggio, vice president of consumer products, Roxio division of Sonic Solutions. “We listened to our customers and with Creator 2009 delivered a suite that is not only powerful, but also easy enough for family members of all skill levels to achieve great results.”

Roxio Creator 2009 introduces a variety of new features and enhancements to help both families and digital multimedia enthusiasts organize their digital world and express themselves through engaging movies, powerful multimedia stories and creative projects.

Roxio Creator 2009 Highlights:

Online and Mobile Sharing

Users will appreciate the direct access to Roxio Online, a new digital storytelling platform that enables families to turn their photos and videos into engaging slideshows that can be shared and enjoyed on PCs, DVDs, TVs, a range of handheld devices, and popular social networking sites. For added convenience, Roxio Online can be accessed from within Creator 2009′s product launcher and is available from within applications such as VideoWave®, CineMagic® or Media Manager. The Roxio Online service is available through a free subscription. Consumers can unlock additional creation and sharing capabilities by upgrading to Roxio Online’s premium service.

Ease-of-Use

The redesigned Creator 2009 product launcher provides quick access to all the tasks and creation tools available within Creator. Whether it’s editing video, creating a photo slideshow or burning an audio CD, Creator’s friendly and interactive design makes it easy to quickly accomplish a given task. Also easily accessible are a variety of helpful how-to articles and video-tutorials designed to guide consumers through the creative process.

Beyond the dozens of new workflow enhancements that make projects easier to complete, Creator 2009 also features SyncIt!™, a new desktop applet that automatically converts digital files to preferred formats for viewing on mobile devices, smart encoding technology for the quick authoring of HD video, and enhanced multi-core processor support for the latest CPUs.

Life in High Definition

Families and others can now create stunning HD projects using footage from AVCHD camcorders and favorite HD programming from TiVo® and other DVRs and burn it in HD, using DVD burners, onto standard DVDs for playback on a Playstation® 3 and other Blu-ray Disc players. This technology provides consumers with an affordable alternative to enjoy up to 60 minutes of video in HD. For even more impressive results, consumers may choose from a variety of new high definition menu themes and easily add them to their final productions. Enabled by a High-Def/Blu-ray Disc Plug-in, consumers can burn HD video to Blu-ray Disc, and enjoy more than three hours of HD movies on their HDTV using any Blu-ray Disc set-top player.

Superior Audio and Music

Headlining the new audio capabilities of Roxio Creator 2009 is Audiobook Creator™, an innovative technology that converts an entire audiobook into a single file with preserved chapter markers, making it easy for on-the-go readers to enjoy their favorite book on iPod®, iPhone® or other portable players like the Creative Zen®. Until now, users were only able to convert audiobook CDs into dozens of individual chapter files, making it difficult and often frustrating to manage on a portable device. Creator’s already impressive audio capabilities are enhanced by the new Beatmatching™ feature which enables users to create music compilations of perfectly synchronized cross fades for great sounding party mixes that are ideal for special occasions and gatherings.

In support of the launch of Creator 2009, Roxio is extending MyMoments™, its educational portal that offers consumers a wealth of digital media resources including how-to videos, informative tutorials and blogs. Included in the latest additions is Extreme Digital Makeover™, a web-based video series dedicated to helping users make the most of their digital lives. To view the series or to learn how you could become a makeover candidate visit: http://www.roxio.com/go/digitalmakeover.

Pricing and Availability

Roxio Creator 2009 will be available in retail stores worldwide this month and is available today directly from Roxio at http://www.roxio.com/ for $99.99. The High-Def/Blu-ray Disc plug-in will be sold as a downloadable component from roxio.com for $29.99. Roxio will offer the High-Def/Blu-ray Disc plug-in for free for customers who purchase from roxio.com through September 30, 2008.

For enthusiasts who want even more capabilities and control, Roxio is releasing Roxio Creator 2009 Ultimate for $129. The Ultimate version includes everything available in Creator 2009 and, in addition, includes the High-Def/Blu-ray Disc plug-in and a comprehensive set of audio and backup tools, which would cost over $300 if purchased separately.*

About Roxio

Roxio, Sonic’s consumer products group, develops a range of award-winning digital media creation, management, preservation, sharing, and enjoyment applications for home and business users under the Roxio brand. Roxio products offer the perfect blend of ease and power, enabling consumers to achieve professional results from their photo, video, and music projects with minimal effort. Roxio’s flagship applications, Creator® for the PC and Toast® for the Apple Macintosh, are the best-selling products in their respective categories in North American retail.

Roxio’s parent company, Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: SNIC; http://www.sonic.com/), enables the creation, management, and enjoyment of digital media content through its Hollywood to Home™ products, services, and technologies. Sonic’s products range from the advanced authoring systems used to produce Hollywood DVD and Blu-ray Disc titles to the award-winning Roxio-branded photo, video, music, and digital-media management applications and services. Sonic’s patented technologies and AuthorScript® media engine are relied upon by leading technology firms to define rich media experiences on a wide array of consumer electronics, mobile devices, set-top players, retail kiosks, and PCs. Always an innovator, Sonic has taken a leading role in helping professional and consumer markets make the successful transition to the new high-definition media formats and, through the Qflix™ platform, Sonic is defining new models for the digital distribution of Hollywood entertainment. Sonic Solutions is headquartered in Marin County, California.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations, including the launch, distribution, and market acceptance of Creator 2009. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties, including those discussed in Sonic Solutions’ annual and quarterly reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This press release should be read in conjunction with Sonic Solutions’ most recent annual report on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and other reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which contain a more detailed discussion of the Company’s business including risks and uncertainties that may affect future results. Sonic Solutions does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements.

Sonic, the Sonic logo, Sonic Solutions, Roxio, the Roxio logo, Roxio Creator, Creator, Toast, VideoWave, CineMagic, SyncIt!, Audiobook Creator, MyMoments, Extreme Digital Makeover, Hollywood to Home, AuthorScript and Qflix are trademarks or registered trademarks owned by Sonic Solutions in the United States and/or other countries. All other company or product names are trademarks of their respective owners and, in some cases, are used by Sonic Solutions under license. Specifications, pricing and delivery schedules are subject to change without notice.

*Based on SRP

Source: Roxio

CONTACT: Mirka Janus of Sonic Solutions, +1-408-367-5255,
Mirka_Janus@sonic.com, for Roxio

Web site: http://www.roxio.com/
http://www.sonic.com/

Through 9/30/08 save 10% site wide on Roxio.com: SAVE10ROX
Through 8/15/08 save $20 on Roxio Easy Media Creator 10: C10SAVE20
Through 9/30/08 same $20 on MyDVD 10 Premier: MDVDSAVE20

And a couple of non-coupon deals:
While supplies last buy Popcorn 3 and get a free T-shirt.
Through 9/30/08 save $20 when you buy Toast 9 and the HD/Blu-ray Plug-in together.

And for the Mac users, Roxio Popcorn 3 is one of the two officially endorsed packages for Mac (the other is Roxio Toast 9, of course). The MSRP is $49.99, but Buy.com is selling it for $29.99 with a $10 rebate – just $19.99.

The deals are only good through 7/20.

Shop Roxio’s website, and use these codes:
* Save 10% on any product – site wide – coupon code: SAVE10ROX
* Buy Easy Media Creator 10 and SAVE $15 USD instantly! – coupon code: 15EMC10
* Buy MyDVD 10 Premier and SAVE $10 USD instantly – coupon code: 10MYDVD
* Buy Roxio Crunch and Save $5 for a price of $34.99 – coupon code: savecrunch5
* Popcorn 3 and Get a FREE Popcorn Tee – while supplies last! Link id: 10550913

The update comes less than two weeks since Roxio first released Toast 9 Titanium, and just over a week since they asked for TiVo users to assist in debugging the issues.

Roxio PR

We did indeed believe that we had addressed all the sync issues in Toast 9 and were planning to issue an update for Toast 8 customers. Post launch, we have become aware that some problems persist. As a result, we are going through the process of acquiring the problematic files and working to resolve any remaining issues. We fully intend to continue to work through all the issues and update Toast 9 and Toast 8 customers as required. We are asking for Toast 9 customers’ assistance. If a Toast 9 customer has experienced sync issues, we ask that they email TivoFiles@roxio.com, as we would like to acquire and test the problematic file.

Thank you.

So it sounds like Toast 9 has improved things, but not completely resolved them. If you have Toast 9 and are experiencing trouble, you have a chance to help get things fixed.

And it is nice to hear that Roxio intends to issue a fix for Toast 8 users as well, so they won’t be forced to upgrade to Toast 9 just to get the fix.

Toast 9 also introduces Roxio Streamer, which allows you to stream your video to any Internet connected PC or Mac, as well as connected devices such as the iPhone or iPod Touch. Kind of like having a Slingbox for your Mac videos. It also offers the ability to capture streaming audio, such as recording Internet radio, with automatic tagging of the recordings.

What remains to be seen is if Toast 9 Titanium resolves the TiVoToGo issues users of Toast 8 have been experiencing. I don’t have a Mac, so I can’t comment on that. But if anyone out there has been having issues with Toast 8 and you decide to upgrade to Toast 9, leave a comment either way. For that matter, anyone who upgrades to Toast 9, let us know what you think. Is it worth it?

Roxio’s press release:

Mar 17, 2008 06:30 ET

Roxio Launches Toast 9 Titanium

Blu-ray Disc Authoring and Remote Video Streaming to iPhone Arrive for Mac Consumers

SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Roxio(R), a division of Sonic Solutions(R) (NASDAQ:SNIC) , the leader in digital media software, redefines Mac burning yet again with the introduction of Toast(R) 9 Titanium. Toast 9 allows consumers to record high-definition content from high-definition (HD) camcorders and favorite HD programming from TiVo(R) DVRs and Elgato’s EyeTV devices to Blu-ray Disc (BD). Users also have the option to burn HD video and slide shows on standard DVDs. For on-the-go entertainment, Toast 9 introduces Roxio Streamer(TM). Streamer allows users to stream video content stored on their home Mac(R) to a Wi-Fi connected iPhone(R) or iPod(R) Touch or any Internet connected Mac or PC. Already the first choice for music fans wishing to create great sounding CDs and DVDs, Toast 9 offers the ability to capture streaming audio for recording Internet radio. Another Toast innovation allows captured music tracks to be automatically tagged with song titles, artist or other related information. Toast 9 Titanium is available direct from Roxio at www.roxio.com for $99.99. The High Definition/Blu-ray Disc (HD/BD) plug-in, which is needed to author BD video is sold separately for $19.99 and is available free for those who purchase Toast 9 online at roxio.com through April 13, 2008.

“With the growing adoption of high-definition devices, comes the need for consumer applications that allow users to enhance and enjoy their favorite movies, photos and music on HDTVs or on-the-go,” said Vito Salvaggio, vice president of consumer products, Sonic Solutions. “With high-definition video authoring, remote streaming of personal and commercial content, as well as exciting audio innovations, Toast 9 continues its long history of breakthrough features that empower Mac users to make the most of their digital media.”

Toast 9 is packed with new features and enhancements that set the standard for burning, watching, listening and sharing digital content on the Mac and beyond.

  Toast 9 Highlights:

  Burn
      * Blu-ray Disc Support - Store as many as 12,500 music tracks, 50,000
        photos, and hours of high-definition video on a single 50 GB Blu-ray
        Disc.
      * Mac & PC Data Spanning - Span large files across multiple discs,
        including Blu-ray Discs, for easy retrieval on any Mac or PC.

  Watch
      * Life in High-Def - Enabled by a HD/BD plug-in, consumers can burn HD
        video content to Blu-ray Disc and watch it on their HDTV using any
        BD set top player.  For consumers who do not own a BD burner or
        media, the plug-in allows burning high-definition content to
        standard DVDs. Users can also create HD video projects using footage
        from AVCHD camcorders or recorded TV shows or movies.
      * Video Editing - Easy removal of unwanted video segments from TiVo,
        Elgato's EyeTV, and QuickTime(R) video files before burning the
        final project to disc or exporting it to a portable player.
      * Time Savers - Toast 9 includes a variety of innovative features
        designed to simplify and accelerate the otherwise time consuming and
        CPU intensive video conversion process. These include Batch DVD-
        Video conversion to enable consumers to queue multiple video files
        for use with Roxio's Fit-to-DVD(TM) compression technology.  The
        Fit-to-DVD compression technology enables consumers to compress
        large files to fit on a single layer 4.7 GB disc.  Pause and Resume
        buttons enable users to suspend and later resume a video conversion
        project, and a Video Quality Preview enables users to review a
        snippet of converted video to verify video quality prior to
        initiating a complete file conversion.

  Listen
      * Library Extension - Build an extensive audio library by capturing
        any audio playing through the Mac, including Internet audio.
      * Audio Fingerprinting - Automatically identify untagged music files
        and add song titles, artists and genres, eliminating the mystery of
        "Track_01".
      * Perfect Mixes - Create perfect mixes with DJ-style crossfades and
        transitions, output level adjustments, and enhancement filters.

  Share
      * On-the-go Entertainment - A new application called Roxio Streamer
        enables on-the-go consumers to access video recordings stored on a
        home Mac and stream it to a Wi-Fi connected iPhone or iPod Touch or
        any internet connected Mac or PC.
      * High Quality Photo Discs - Toast Photo Discs store thousands of
        full-resolution photos as well as automatically-generated slideshows
        viewable on Mac and PC.
      * iLife and Aperture - Access iLife(R) 08 and Aperture(TM) libraries
        directly from Toast 9's Media Browser.
      * Personalized Disc Artwork - Personalize discs with labels, cover
        art, and inserts. Includes drawing and text editing tools, as well
        as over 600 clip art images and built-in Google image search.
        Supports LightScribe and Labelflash(TM) drives and media to allow
        users to burn artwork and labels directly to discs.

  Pricing and Availability:

Toast 9 Titanium is available now for purchase direct from Roxio at www.roxio.com, and will be widely available from e-tailers and retail outlets this month for $99.99. Owners of previous versions may be eligible for upgrade offers. The HD/BD plug-in will be sold as a downloadable component from roxio.com for $19.99. Roxio will offer the HD/BD plug-in for free for customers who purchase from roxio.com through April 13, 2008.

About Roxio

Roxio, Sonic’s Consumer Products Group, develops a range of award-winning digital media creation, management, preservation, sharing, and enjoyment applications for home and business users under the Roxio brand. Roxio products offer the perfect blend of ease and power, enabling consumers to achieve professional results from their photo, video, and music projects with minimal effort. Roxio’s flagship applications, Easy Media Creator for the PC and Toast for the Apple Macintosh, are the best-selling products in their respective categories in North American retail.

Roxio’s parent company, Sonic Solutions (Nasdaq: SNIC; http://www.sonic.com/) enables the creation, management, and enjoyment of digital media content through its Hollywood to Home(TM) products, services, and technologies. Sonic’s products range from the advanced authoring systems used to produce Hollywood DVD and Blu-ray Disc titles to the award-winning Roxio(R)-branded photo, video, music, and digital-media management applications. Sonic’s patented technologies and AuthorScript(R) media engine are relied upon by leading technology firms to define rich media experiences on a wide array of consumer electronics, mobile devices, set-top players, retail kiosks, and PCs. Always an innovator, Sonic has taken a leading role in helping professional and consumer markets make the successful transition to the new high-definition media formats and, through the Sonic DVD On Demand(TM) and Qflix(TM) platforms, Sonic is defining new models for the digital distribution of premium Hollywood entertainment. Sonic Solutions is headquartered in Marin County, California.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations, including the launch, distribution, and market acceptance of Roxio Toast 9 Titanium. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties, including those discussed in the Company’s annual and quarterly reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This press release should be read in conjunction with the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and other reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which contain a more detailed discussion of the Company’s business including risks and uncertainties that may affect future results. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements.

Sonic, the Sonic logo, Sonic Solutions, Roxio, the Roxio logo, Toast, Roxio Streamer, Roxio Easy Media Creator, Fit-to-DVD, Hollywood to Home, Qflix, Sonic DVD on Demand, and AuthorScript are trademarks or registered trademarks owned by Sonic Solutions in the United States and/or other countries. All other company or product names are trademarks of their respective owners and, in some cases, are used by Sonic Solutions under license. Specifications, pricing and delivery schedules are subject to change without notice.

Source: Roxio

CONTACT: Mirka Janus, +1-408-367-5255, Mirka_Janus@sonic.com, for Roxio

Web site: http://www.sonic.com/

We’ve been running a limited beta with a small number of users from the forums to test an update to both Toast 8 Titanium and Popcorn 3 and we’ve had positive results. We’re going to expand the testing for more users who are still having audio/video sync issues, please send me an e-mail to toastfeedback@roxio.com.

We’re going to extend this to about 50 users from TiVoCommunity.com and after a short time if feedback is positive move towards releasing this as an official update. Please keep in mind I will only be contacting users who are accepted for testing.

Please include the following information:
- Name
- Product you own (Toast 8 or Popcorn 3)
- TiVo Service Number (TSN)

If you’re having trouble with Roxio Toast or Popcorn and TiVoToGo on your Mac, you might want to jump on that.

TiVo made a statement to News.com for their article:

“It is important to us that all TiVo subscribers using TiVoToGo receive the same great TiVo experience whether they are utilizing a PC or Mac,” the company said in a statement to News.com. “It has been brought to our attention that a small subset of customers using Toast 8 have experienced a problem when trying to transfer their shows. We have been working with our partner Roxio and currently have a fix in beta.”

Roxio product manager Patrick Nugent said that they’ve been working with TiVo to fix the issues an that it affects “a small number of users.” He also said that it has been difficult to fix because it has been hard to reproduce and it doesn’t happen with ever recording.

Hopefully the code now in testing will be the final fix. Of course, there are other alternatives for Mac users. Such as the TiVo NowPlaying Widget, SeasonPassGetter, TiVoDecode Manager, and others.

A market leading company like Sonic walking away from the format certainly isn’t good news for HD DVD, especially on top of all the other hits they’ve been taking. This basically means Sonic doesn’t feel they’d be able to achieve a high enough return on investment to continue developing their HD DVD tools and they see more return from Blu-ray, so they’re shifting their resources appropriately.

The full press release is below:

Jan 30, 2008 06:30 ET

Sonic’s Professional Products Group to Fuel Growth of Blu-ray Disc and Digital Distribution

New Product Releases to Streamline BD-Live and DVD-on-Demand Content Production

NOVATO, Calif., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Sonic Solutions(R) (NASDAQ:SNIC) , the leader in digital media software, today announced that its Professional Products Group will focus its research and development resources on the creation of new applications for cutting-edge authoring of Blu-ray Disc titles that encompass the interactive and connected-content capabilities of BD-Live. The group will also increase resource allocation on developing its encoding and title creation applications that streamline the process of preparing video entertainment for digital distribution. In order to address these emerging market opportunities and optimize investment return, the Professional Products Group will conclude sales of its Scenarist(R) HD DVD authoring product line.

“Extending Sonic’s long history of commitment and support for the professional sector, we are aligning our professional product portfolio to address the evolving needs of our high-end customers,” said Dave Habiger, president and CEO, Sonic Solutions. “Our Professional Products Group plays a significant role in supporting the development of high-definition formats, including the contribution of core IP to HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc joint portfolio licenses. Going forward, the group will direct its considerable format expertise on helping our professional customers fulfill the richly interactive promise of Blu-ray Disc including BD-Live, and aligning with a broader company strategy to enable the secure and efficient digital-distribution of video entertainment.”

Part of Sonic’s industry-leading professional authoring solutions, Scenarist provides the specification-level control required to author BD titles of uncompromising interactivity and compatibility. In 2008, an expanded feature set will simplify the creation of highly interactive BD components, such as enabling BD-Live, which enhances on-disc content in broadband-connected players. To streamline the creation of BD-Live, Sonic will build upon its pioneering InterActual(R) technologies, which today enable millions of movie enthusiasts to benefit from a similar ‘connected content’ experience when viewing DVDs on a PC.

“Our professional authoring customers are actively engaged with expanding their services in advanced interactive and online content creation. With a focus on Blu-ray Disc, we’re able to meet this demand with new technologies and applications that leverage the growing-capabilities of the robust BD format to deliver dynamic entertainment experiences that consumers not only want, but have also come to expect from today’s connected-content platforms,” said Rolf Hartley, senior vice president and general manager of Sonic’s Professional Products Group. “Commensurate with this focus, we’re building our solutions in support of video delivery beyond professional packaged media and assisting in the enhancement of emerging platforms that provide consumers convenient, flexible access to high-quality entertainment.”

To further enable the authoring community, Sonic will offer its Scenarist HD DVD customers a special promotion to exchange their authoring system(s) for a Scenarist BD system. Sonic’s Professional Products Group will maintain its high-end support services as part of its SonicCare(TM) program for HD DVD customers who elect not to participate in the special promotion program and will provide software update releases where appropriate in keeping with its standard practice.

About Sonic’s Professional Products Group

Sonic’s Professional Products Group (PPG) develops authoring and encoding systems used in the release of a wide variety of video entertainment including major motion pictures on standard-definition and high-definition discs. Sonic’s world-renowned Scenarist(R) authoring and CineVision(TM) video and audio encoding systems are designed for highly skilled professional content creation facilities including high-end authoring and design houses, major motion picture studios, and disc replicators. Sonic’s Professional Products Group is actively involved in the development and implementation of new entertainment standards and formats.

About Sonic Solutions

Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: SNIC; http://www.sonic.com/) enables the creation, management, and enjoyment of digital media content through its Hollywood to Home(TM) products, services, and technologies. Sonic’s products range from the advanced authoring systems used to produce Hollywood DVD, and Blu-ray Disc film releases to the award-winning Roxio(R)-branded photo, video, music, and digital-media management applications. Sonic’s patented technologies and AuthorScript(R) media engine are relied upon by leading technology firms to define rich media experiences on a wide array of consumer electronics, mobile devices, set-top players, retail kiosks, and PCs. Always an innovator, Sonic has taken a leading role in helping professional and consumer markets make the successful transition to the new high-definition media formats and, through the DVD On Demand(TM) and Qflix(TM) platforms, Sonic is defining new models for the digital distribution of premium Hollywood entertainment. Sonic Solutions is headquartered in Marin County, California.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations, including the distribution and market acceptance of Sonic’s professional products. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties, including those discussed in the Company’s annual and quarterly reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This press release should be read in conjunction with the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and other reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which contain a more detailed discussion of the Company’s business including risks and uncertainties that may affect future results. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements.

Sonic, the Sonic logo, Sonic Solutions, Scenarist, AuthorScript, Hollywood to Home, Sonic DVD On Demand, Qflix, and Roxio are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sonic Solutions in the United States and/or other countries. All other company or product names are trademarks of their respective owners and, in some cases, are used by Sonic Solutions under license.

Source: Sonic Solutions

CONTACT: Chris Taylor of Sonic Solutions, +1-408-367-5231,
chris_taylor@sonic.com

Web site: http://www.sonic.com/

Additionally, Blu-ray.com is reporting that ‘inside sources’ inform them that Sonic Solutions will be dropping HD DVD authoring support from their Scenarist line of professional disc authoring tools. They will continue to support existing HD DVD customers, but will focus on Blu-ray authoring going forward. There is no indication of changes in their consumer products, such as Roxio, at this time.

I want to point out that I updated the last post to remove the details relating to the Mac software. Specifics of the Mac solution had been reported which were not authorized to be published. But there is a Mac solution coming, the details are just not releasable at the moment. No, I’m not telling, don’t bug me about it. Just remain calm.

With the new TiVo Desktop, you link it with your TiVo account online. That’s not something you do today:

Why? I’ll get into that below.

You can subscribe to a list of videocasts from an HME interface on the TiVo, and it is quite an extensive list. I didn’t get good shots of that interface, I’ll try tomorrow, but ZatzNotFunny, Engadget, and EngadgetHD all have coverage with some photos if you can’t wait.

If the videocast you want isn’t in the list, then you can go to TiVo Desktop and add it there.

The settings are fairly simple. You point the desktop at the folder where the videocast is saved on your PC. Note that the TiVo Desktop software doesn’t include the RSS feed reader to download itself, which could be a nice feature for 2.7. Instead, you use your favorite podcast software, such as iTunes, and simply point the desktop to the folder your software downloads to. You then select if you want the video automatically transferred to a TiVo or not. If so, then you set how many episodes you want transferred to the TiVo at a time and which TiVo(s) to transfer to. Finally, you can select whether or not to include subfolders.

All video is transcoded to MPEG-2 before transfer to the TiVo. The Series2/2DT units only support MPEG-2, and while the Series3 and TiVo HD have the hardware for advanced codecs, the software support isn’t there yet. In the future, once those codecs are enabled, such as H.264, it is likely that the desktop will transfer video already in those codecs ‘as is’. If the source video is high definition, and it is being transferred to a Series3 or TiVo HD, then it is kept HD through the transcode. If it is transferred to a Series2 then it is encoded as SD to enable playback. And yes, this does mean that your PC needs to be one for this to work. You don’t necessarily need to leave it on all the time, but you’ll need to have it on long enough for the PC to grab your downloads, transcode them, and transfer them to the TiVo(s).

OK, so why is the desktop linked to your account online? Because the TiVo back-end plays a role in the new system. Today each TiVo polls TiVo’s severs roughly every 15 minutes to check for new scheduled recordings, TiVoCast downloads, Unbox downloads, etc. That’s highly inefficient – nearly all of those polling calls are for nothing. There is nothing waiting to be done. And it introduces a lag when you want to start a download – up to 15 minutes. And it doesn’t scale well as TiVo’s user base keeps growing.

So what’s changed? The polling system is gone. TiVo is using XMPP now instead. What is XMPP? The Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol – better known as the instant messaging protocol that powers Jabber, Google Talk, and other IM systems. Yep, TiVo is basically using instant messaging for real-time communication. Now when the TiVo server has a new recording to schedule, it will IM the TiVo to tell it. Or if there is a download to pull, it will IM the TiVo to tell it to do so. This is a much more efficient system and it eliminates latency. It is really a clever idea.

Now, the way this works with web video is that when the desktop finds a new video and has it ready to transfer to the TiVo, it sends an IM to TiVo’s servers. TiVo’s servers then send an IM to the TiVo to tell it to grab the video. Which brings up another new twist.

This does not use the TiVoToGo/TiVoToComeBack protocol, it uses TiVoCast. Yep. your PC becomes a TiVoCast server, and the TiVo grabs the video from the PC just like it does today from the TiVoCast servers online.

While I think the 2.6 web video features are great, I think the work done to implement the infrastructure could be the bigger story. Replacing polling with XMPP opens the door to all kinds of improvements. Instant starts to downloads of TiVoCast or Unbox video, or any other video source, such as Music Choice music videos. If there is a schedule change that impacts your TiVo, TiVo could tell your box to grab it right now instead of waiting a day. It even opens the door to possibly handling last minute changes such as sporting events running long, Presidential addresses, and other events that bump the schedule at the last minute. TiVo’s servers could instantly IM units to warn them of the changes. Though there would have to be a lot of additional work to provide a full service.

And being able to trigger a TiVoCast download from basically any server on the net would really open the door to 3rd party content providers to setup their own content servers – if TiVo opens this up. Right now it doesn’t sound like this functionality will be open to 3rd parties, but the foundation is there. I’d love to see TiVo update the HME SDK with the ability to trigger TiVoCast, that would be a major jump.

I have some more, but I want to get some clarifications, and make sure that it is OK to share everything before I do. But I’m excited by some of the things I heard today about the work being done. I hope to have more to share tomorrow. But right now I need some sleep.