ArcSoft today announced its entree into the DVD playback market with an easy-to-use, high-quality, full-featured DVD playback technology for desktop and notebook PCs.

Designed for hardware OEMs seeking to integrate the home-theater experience into PCs and other Windows-based devices, ArcSoft's DVD playback technology provides the same capabilities as a stand-alone DVD player. It offers multiple playback modes (normal, letterboxed, pan-and-scan and widescreen), precision color adjustments, and multi-channel audio decoding up to 7.1 channels with Dolby Surround, Dolby Pro Logic I and II, DTS and Dolby Digital/AC-3.

Advanced functions allow users to "bookmark" sections of a DVD movie, capture freeze-frame images and choose from multiple user interface "skins." The software incorporates a parental control feature and supports international languages.

"ArcSoft's new DVD playback technology makes watching movies on a desktop or notebook PC as easy and enjoyable as using a home DVD system," said Todd Rumaner, vice president for ArcSoft. "This solution is a natural extension of our DVD lineup and one of a long list of new and exciting applications and utilities being released this fall."

ArcSoft develops, markets and distributes advanced digital imaging and video solutions.