ZOOtech, the interactive DVD technology pioneer, announced an agreement with educational publisher Scholastic Media to use the company's DVD-EXTRA STUDIO system for new interactive DVD titles, including Clifford Phonics and two games based on the popular I Spy series.

Under this agreement, Scholastic will utilise ZOOtech's proprietary technology that uses specific algorithms in innovative ways to create interactive DVDs.

"The fact that these DVD products can help children develop critical skills such as logic and problem-solving while playing in a non-linear environment is very exciting,” said Alan Waldman, SVP and General Manager of Scholastic Media’s Interactive Products Group. ”DVD-EXTRA STUDIO helped us to bring some very compelling interactive DVD titles to the market with the kind of interactivity today’s tech-savvy young people want most. It is like working with CD-ROM game play with all of the other interactivity benefits, yet on a DVD format that kids can play on their televisions.”

The interactive tool's Predictive Preprocessing is a compilation technique that starts with the definition of the title in the early programming – or preprocessing stage –- so that all possible game play events are anticipated and rendered. Thousands – or even tens of thousands – of audio, video, still images and reference images are then interwoven using this navigation logic and complied to produce the DVD.

As a result, highly interactive titles, that play on standard, consumer DVD players, can be designed and produced quickly, reliably and cost-effectively.

Story filed 11.04.06