Utrecht, December 18, 2003 - Macromedia (Nasdaq: MACR) today announced the launch of a new MacromediaÒ FlashÔ Video Gallery, which showcases amazing video experiences from 25 leading companies that are broadly adopting Flash video, including Ben & Jerry's (see separate release), Comcast, Ford, and Red Bull Energy Drink. Macromedia Flash is the most widely distributed player with video capabilities, with more than 90 percent of all Internet-connected PCs ready to playback Flash video content. Macromedia today also announced the Macromedia Flash Video Streaming Service powered by VitalStream (see separate release), which enables quick, easy, and reliable delivery of video-enabled Flash content across VitalStream's streaming media network. The Flash Video Gallery is available at
http://www.macromedia.com/go/fvg/.
"Many leading sites have discovered that Flash offers a compelling choice for any video project that aims to engage and move an audience on the web," said Forest Key, senior product manager, Macromedia. "Video on the web is evolving at a breakneck pace and there are so many creative innovations in terms of how video is being used to educate, communicate, sell, and engage customers. The Flash Video Gallery highlights the amazing work our customers are already doing, and will inspire other companies to use innovative video strategies on their sites."
Macromedia today also released Flash video resources to enable developers to more easily and effectively create and deliver Flash content and applications that incorporate video. Templates and tutorials will help create common interactive video projects, such as video showcases, corporate presentations, and interactive video presentations. The resources are available at http://www.macromedia.com/go/fvr/.
"Although the Internet has become a fairly dynamic, interactive medium, video on the web is rarely more than television content repurposed in a static window," said Tim Barber, principal, Odopod, a leading rich media developer in San Francisco. "For the Red Bull Copilot site (www.redbullcopilot.com), we incorporated video into an immersive interactive experience that combines custom navigation and branding with layers of graphics, text, animation, and multiple sound tracks. This kind of experience just wouldn't be possible with other streaming video technologies. The results are impressive and are a testament to how Flash is changing the experience of video on the web."
Flash MX Professional 2004 makes Flash video projects easier to create than ever before. Flash MX Professional includes the Flash Video Exporter for seamless integration with leading professional non-linear editing, effects, and batch encoding tools. The resource center includes a new updated version of the Flash Video Exporter for Flash MX Professional 2004 that adds a "two-pass" encoder for better image quality. In addition, updated Media Components are now available for Flash MX Professional 2004 that include several enhancements, including support for the new Flash Video Streaming Service.
"I am really impressed with the video capabilities in Flash MX Professional," said Jason Crichton, designer, Elevate Studios. "For the DoubleClick Motif launch video, we were able to put together a simple interactive version for the web in no time. The Media Components and Flash Video Exporter made the process fast and simple, and the results are very impressive and make the video all the more useful for customers."
ABOUT MACROMEDIA
Experience matters. Macromedia is motivated by the belief that great experiences build great businesses. Our software empowers millions of business users, developers, and designers to create and deliver effective, compelling, and memorable experiences - on the Internet, on fixed media, on wireless, and on digital devices.
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Copyright 2003 Macromedia, Inc. All rights reserved. Macromedia, the Macromedia logo, Macromedia Flash, and Macromedia Flex are trademarks or registered trademarks of Macromedia, Inc., which may be registered in the United States and internationally. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
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