Aldus acquires desktop video line

SEATTLE, February 1, 1994--Aldus Corporation today announced it has
acquired a line of desktop video software products from the former desktop
division of Digital F/X, Inc. of Mountain View, California. Terms of the
acquisition were not disclosed.

Among the products acquired were a program code-named Hitchcock, a
yet-unreleased non-linear video editing software solution for the Apple
Macintosh; and TitleSoft (also unreleased) a Macintosh-based PostScript
rendering and video title generation software program.

"The acquisition of Hitchcock and TitleSoft has two important implications
for Aldus customers," said Skip Walter, vice president of Aldus'
Interactive Publishing Group. "It reinforces our commitment to delivering
professional-quality digital video solutions, and it signals another step
in our plan to produce core technologies that will lead to a new suite of
tools for creating interactive electronic communications."

The acquisition is Aldus' second digital video-oriented technology purchase
hl less than a year. In July 1993, the company acquired CoSA (the Company
of Science & Art) and its award-winning special effects and motion
graphics program, CoSA After Effects.

Further development planned 

Neither Hitchcock or TitleSoft is currently available. Aldus plans to
complete both products in 1994 under the direction of three former Digital
F/X software engineers who have joined Aldus subsequent to the
acquisition. Aldus will announce pricing and availability for both
products at a later date.

Hitchcock will combine JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) compression
with a suite of professional tools to bring random-access, disk-based
video editing to the Macintosh at a significantly lower price than current
turnkey systems. The product will feature full-motion (30 frames per
second), full screen (640 X 480) JPEG video and stereo digital audio.
Hitchcock will print to video directly, or serve as an editing tool for
digital video in QuickTime format. It will also meet off-line video
editing requirements, exporting an EDL (Edit Decision List) in the most
popular file formats for use in tape-based online editing systems.

"When Hitchcock joins After Effects in the marketplace, Aldus will provide
the most powerful broadcast-quality desktop production and post-production
solution for video professionals, and we'll do so at a very competitive
price relative to other video production alternatives--both traditional
and digital," said Enrique Godreau, principal engineer bl Aldus'
Interactive Publishing unit.

Hardware components to be sold

As part of the acquisition, Aldus also acquired two hardware products:
Video F/X, a dedicated turnkey video editing system, and TitleMan, a
PostScript-based title generator. The company announced that it intends to
divest both products and is currently looking for a suitable buyer.

"Because Aldus is not in the hardware business, we do not plan to assume
development and support responsibility for Video F/X and TitleMan," said
Godreau. "However, we are sensitive to helping current customers of the
two products realize an upgrade and support path that enables them to
achieve a return on their investment. Those principles guide our search
for a buyer."

Future emphasis 

Initially, according to Godreau, Aldus will target Hitchcock and TitleSoft
specifically for professional video producers. In the long term, the
company plans to incorporate the products' core technology into new
software solutions that bring digital video capabilities to a broader
group of users.

"Our growing focus on digital video and motion graphics, combined with our
historic expertise in print publishing, will lead to a new a suite of
Aldus software tools that allow our customers to integrate typography and
graphics with sound and motion." said Godreau. "The resulting forms of
electronic communication our customers create with these new tools will
comprise an emerging information design and delivery activity that we call
interactive publishing."

Aldus Corporation (NASDAQ:ALDC) creates computer software solutions that
help people throughout the world effectively communicate information and
ideas. The company focuses on three lines of business: applications for
the professional publishing, video and prepress markets; applications for
the general consumer market; and new software tools for the emerging
interactive publishing market. Aldus has subsidiaries in Europe, Asia, and
the Pacific Rim serving a worldwide network of dealers and distributors.

Aldus Corporation
411 First Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98104-2871
(206) 622-5500

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