Sonic acquires Simple Star to expand multimedia sharing for Roxio
Sonic Solutions said it has agreed to acquire the assets of Simple Star. Sonic’s Roxio digital media products will make use Simple Star’s PhotoShow multimedia storytelling platform and online community.
The platform allows users to quickly and easily turn personal photos and video clips into shows that can be can be shared on PCs, TVs, handhelds, or published to popular social media sites. About 13 million copies of the PhotoShow desktop software and Adobe Flash-based online application have been installed since the product was first introduced in 2002. New installations now top 5 million a year.
The platform is distributed through a network of major partners, including online photo providers Kodak, Shutterfly, and Snapfish, photofinishing service provider Ritz Camera, as well as cable operators Comcast and Time Warner Cable. Simple Star has an API for developers to integrate PhotoShow into web offerings. Last year, Simple Star launched PhotoShowTV, a Time Warner Cable service that allows customers to publicly broadcast their own content via their local on-demand service.
Simple Star was founded in 2001. Investors included Venrock Associates and Victor Hwang, Managing Partner of Agile Capital Partners. Sonic says the acquisition helps the company make its transition to web-based products from desktop application software. The purchase price was not disclosed.
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About the Author, Dean Takahashi
Dean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.