Corel Corp. has announced its new Ulead VideoStudio 11 and Ulead VideoStudio 11 Plus software, the latter of which offers the “industry’s first” AVCHD editing software, allowing users to edit, author, and burn videos in the high-definition HD DVD format.

The software also includes enhanced DV-to-DVD Wizard and Movie Wizard features; more title/subtitle and overlay tools; and a host of quick-fix solutions for common video problems, like automatic colour/tone correction. It is certified to work with Windows Vista; and can produce video, slideshows, and DVD with Dolby Digital sound. 

“AVCHD camcorders are being positioned as the best choice for consumers who want the higher quality that can be achieved with high-definition video, but until now, no software packages were available to edit AVCHD,” explained Blaine Mathieu, Vice President and General Manager, Products and Strategy, Digital Media at Corel. “VideoStudio 11 changes all that. Now, consumers have an easy-to-use solution for capturing video from the new crop of AVCHD camcorders; editing without quality loss; and outputting to disc, tape or the Web to share with friends and family.”

VideoStudio 11 offers an MPEG Optimizer that helps users select the best MPEG settings for rendering video when combining clips in multiple formats. It analyzes the bitrates of all clips on the timeline, Corel explains, than suggests encoding settings to ensure the least re-rendering for the best quality and speed. Users can also safely pause rendering when they need to do something that requires more PC resources. The Plus version adds Dolby Digital 5.1 Creator Technology, which converts two-channel stereo sound to Dolby Digital 5.1.

VideoStudio 11 supports all popular formats, including standard and HD video, images, and audio; and video can be captured from virtually any source, including DV camcorders (including HDV and AVCHD models), to hard drive camcorders (MOD file format), USB camcorder devices, mobile phones, set-top DVD recorders, digital and analog TV tuners, VCRs and webcams. 

A DV-to-DVD Wizard quickly and easily converts DV from a camcorder to a DVD. The software also includes complete DVD authoring functionality, enabling users to create both DVDs and HD-DVDs with multimedia menus in a few clicks. More advanced users can customize and create DVD menus that include Corel’s SmartScene technology.

The Movie Wizard features new, advanced templates that allow users to create their own Hollywood-style openings using personal video clips in multiple animated frames. Videos can also be shared on-the-go, with portable devices like the Microsoft Zune, leading smartphones, and other popular mobile devices. VideoStudio Plus adds support for the Apple iPod, Sony PSP, YouTube, and Nokia mobile phones. 

A new Auto Color & Tone feature auto-corrects the colour and tone of videos recorded in low light or less-than-perfect white balance conditions; while a DeBlock Filter has been added to clean up videos with blocky compression artifacts, like those downloaded from the Web. A new DeSnow Filter reduces noise found in video digitized from analog sources, like VHS tapes.

The software also provides Overlay Video Tools for combining transparency with mask or chroma key effects and for cropping the results on-screen to remove unwanted elements. A new Preview Window for Overlays shows the original overlay image, making it easier to adjust chroma key settings. The Plus version adds a new Expanded Timeline: users who work on projects with more than one overlay can view multiple overlay tracks and audio tracks without having to scroll. 

Described by Corel as the “complete, end-to-end HD DVD solution,” the Plus version lets users import high-definition video from hard drive and disc-based AVCHD camcorders, and edit the content in real time using Corel’s advanced PureHD technology. Authored projects or folders can be burned to HD DVD-R/RW or standard DVD discs. VideoStudio 11 Plus also includes InterVideo WinDVD 8 Silver, the first universal playback software to achieve AVCHD certification.

Ulead VideoStudio 11 Standard and Plus editions are available for US$89.99 and US$129.99, respectively. Upgraded pricing is also available for registered users of previous versions.

For more information, visit www.corel.com or www.ulead.com.