SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 16, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Discreet, a division of Autodesk Inc. (Nasdaq:ADSK), today announced it is shipping Discreet cleaner(TM) 6 for Apple(R) Macintosh(R) video encoding software. Already recognized as the industry standard for professional video encoding, cleaner 6 further develops the power of cleaner software as the indispensable complement to non-linear editing tools such as Apple Final Cut Pro(R), Adobe(R) Premiere(R) and Avid(R) Xpress(R) DV. The availability of cleaner 6 comes at a time of increasing industry adoption, illustrating Discreet's unwavering commitment to the desktop market. In fact, according to AccuStream iMedia Research, in the first six months of 2002, online audiences accessed video streams across multiple mediums at a growth of 65 percent when compared to the same timeframe in 2001.

"Discreet cleaner 6 has proved to be an invaluable tool that has helped us produce the highest quality final product, no matter what format we need to encode to," said Christopher Blandy, Director of Broadband Applications, FOXSports.com. "Coupled with Final Cut Pro, cleaner 6 for Mac is an essential part of our video encoding processes providing an extremely productive environment for our editors and producers."

Building upon the benchmark feature sets of Discreet's cleaner product line, cleaner 6 software sets the standard for creating high-quality encoding for new and popular digital formats including Apple's QuickTime(R), RealMedia(TM), Windows Media(TM), and Kinoma(TM), the latest downloadable video format for handheld PDAs. 150 high-quality presets enable editors to encode video with a single step, and more than 50 professional filters and correction tools provide the power to fine-tune digital video to the highest possible quality.

"We are committed to helping our desktop customers maintain the quality of their video productions whether encoded for the Web, DVD or even for a PDA," said Joe Klingler, Senior Director, Software Development, Discreet. "The release of Discreet cleaner 6 for Apple Macintosh, reaffirms our commitment with significant improvements in quality, speed and workflow."

    New Features

Recognized as Macworld's "Best of Show" at its recent unveiling, cleaner 6 software includes the following new and improved features: support for MPEG-4 and Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) audio compression through Apple's QuickTime 6; new 2-pass variable bit rate (VBR) encoding for MPEG-2 lets users create high-quality video for DVD; new Watch Folders provide editors the option to encode work directly from their non-linear editing tool from their desktop or across a network; optimization for the G4 Velocity Engine and improved dual processor support and drag-and-drop encoding allow editors to get work done quickly and efficiently.

    Pricing and Availability

Discreet cleaner 6 for Apple Macintosh is available in North America for an SRP of US$599. Upgrade price is US$179. cleaner 6 is now available for download from the Discreet e-store at www.discreet.com/purchase. For more information about purchasing Discreet cleaner 6, or to find a reseller, call 1-866-317-1011 or visit www.discreet.com.

    About Discreet

Discreet empowers moving media professionals to realize the visual experience, transforming their most evocative and ambitious visions into reality. Its range of award-winning systems and software is developed for digital media creation, management and delivery -- across all disciplines from visual effects and editing to animation, game development, web and interactive. Discreet is based in Montreal, Quebec and is a division of Autodesk, Inc., the world's leading design and digital media creation, management, and distribution company. Product and corporate information is located on the Internet at www.discreet.com.

Note to Editors: Discreet is a division of Autodesk, Inc. Discreet and cleaner are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. /Autodesk Canada Inc. in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

CONTACT:          Discreet Public Relations         
                  Kevin G. Clark, 415/547-2457      
                  kevin.g.clark@autodesk.com        
                  or                        
                  Access Communications             
                  Lindsay Stewart, 415/844-6217     
                  lstewart@accesspr.com             

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