Screenblast™ Unleashed Today

Screenblast™, the first-ever broadband creativity platform developed by Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment (SPDE), debuts today offering a digital sandbox for an empowered online community to experience, create and connect. Today's unveiling marks the beginning of a new era in networked entertainment and personal expression.

"Screenblast is built on SPDE's experience in creating engaging, interactive entertainment for online communities," said Yair Landau, SPDE President. "This is a first step toward convergence of Sony content and Sony devices."

Screenblast unleashes the user's artistic ability with easy-to-use publishing software ranging from fun, browser-based tools to professional grade software to produce their own music, video and animation. Users can pull from Screenblast's studio-quality audio and video asset packs to incorporate drum loops, guitar licks, vocals, or aerial shots into their own projects.

"Screenblast is the ultimate in interactive entertainment -- not only can the audience involve themselves in the content that we provide but also go ahead and create their own multimedia and then share it with the world," said Andrew Schneider, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Screenblast. "Screenblast builds on the phenomena around such community-based offerings as Dawson's Desktop and EverQuest®, pointing to the growing demand for networked entertainment."

"Personal empowerment is the key to turning Screenblast into a truly interactive service," said Mike Arrieta, Vice President of Operations and Co-General Manager of Screenblast. "For novices and professionals alike, Screenblast provides users with the assets and digital canvas needed to further their artistic vision."

Experience, Create and Connect™ at Screenblast

Screenblast's broadband-based service at http://www.screenblast.com/ gives users the opportunity to experience branded digital entertainment, produce their own audio, video and animation and connect with others in the online community where they can artistically collaborate and showcase their work to the world.

Experience. The audience can immerse themselves in five genre-specific channels (action, comedy, drama, sci-fi/horror and music). Musicians, actors, directors and other creative forces use the Screenblast platform to showcase other sides of their talent and personality through such innovative offerings as Billy Corgan's "Glass and The Machines of God," Seth Green's "Sweet J Presents," Paul Stupin's "Rachel's Room" and Jorge Gutierrez' "El Macho." The original programming serves as the starting point for users to interact, allowing them to not only check out new broadband entertainment but also to manipulate the selected content, influence story lines or use the Screenblast tools to add their own elements.

Create. Screenblast's Create Channel immediately moves the audience into the director's chair. Users access end-to-end, easy-to-use publishing tools at the service ranging from fun, browser-based MovieCreators and MusicCreators to the powerful Screenblast Creation Suite of multimedia authoring and editing software. Screenblast adds studio-quality audio and video asset packs for users to download and edit into their original creations. Asset packs include hundreds of elements ranging from aerial views to hip-hop and electronica beats and more.

Users can upgrade to the complete Screenblast Creation Suite Deluxe for $149 or choose individually from Screenblast ACID™, Screenblast Sound Forge®, Screenblast Image Editor or Screenblast VideoFactory™ for $59 or Screenblast SIREN Jukebox™ for $29.

Connect. Connecting is central to Screenblast. Users can store their audio, video or animated creations in the 50 Mb of Stash provided (free, private online storage); use the simple one-click publishing to showcase their work to the world; select multiple template designs and color palettes to match their personality and creation; or engage in the enhanced traditional community features such as chat and bulletin boards. User creations can be published to the world through the Screenblast Showcase community, where all users' Showcase pages can be browsed.

Register free now to enjoy Screenblast Version 1.0. Users are encouraged to log on daily to view new original programming offerings; newly unveiled user-generated content, and additional soon-to-launch enhanced creative tools and services.

To access Screenblast, users must have a high-speed connection of 128 KB/second or better. Screenblast is both Windows and MAC compatible. The Screenblast Creation Suite is only available to PC users. Additional system requirements can be found at http://www.screenblast.com/.

About Screenblast

Built on the online entertainment innovations Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment has become known for, Screenblast uses a broadband-based creativity platform to deliver one of the first unique interactive entertainment environments for users to create and immerse themselves in.

http://www.screenblast.com/

Screenblast and Experience, Create and Connect are trademarks of Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment Inc. Acid, Video Factory and SIREN Jukebox are trademarks of Sonic Foundry, Inc. Sound Forge is a registered trademark of Sonic Foundry, Inc.

MAKE YOUR OPINION COUNT - Click Here

http://tbutton.prnewswire.com/prn/11690X55739978

SOURCE: Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment Inc.

Contact: Don Levy of Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment, +1-310-840-7315, dlevy@sonypictures.com; or Liana Miller of eLuminate, +1-949-595-4320, liana.miller@home.com, for Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment

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