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Week
of Sep 28 1998
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Oct
2
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Good news for those interested in audio
editing. Berkley Integrated Audio
Software, manufacturer of the audio
software products Peak, Peak LE, and SFX
Machine - has acquired the multitrack
audio recording application Deck
from Macromedia, Inc.
Macormedia
has previously purchased Deck from the
original developer, OSC, a few years back.
While Macromedia continued to sell Deck,
they did little to promote it as a
standalong product and had mainly been
selling it as part of the Director Studio
bundle. Macormedia stopped including it
with Director 6 (which made sense since
they already included the sound
application Sound Edit 16.)
The
mostcurrent version, Deck 2.6, works in
conjunction with third-party audio cards
or in "native mode" - where it can be used
with almost any recent Macintosh
(including all PowerPC and G3 CPUs, even
PowerBooks) with no additional audio
hardware. Deck 2.6 offers up to 999
virtual tracks; playback of up to 64
simultaneous tracks; real-time DSP
features for every channel;
OMS-compatibility; support for Adobe
Premiere Plug-Ins; and QuickTime digital
video playback and sync.
BIAS
also announced that active development has
commenced on Deck 3.0 (ship date TBA).
This forthcoming version will support the
ASIO industry standard, giving users a
wide choice of audio hardware and
interface options. Deck 3.0 will also
offer support for VST plug-ins, expanding
its already existing repertoire of
real-time DSP options.
Upgrades
to Deck 3.0 will be free for anyone who
purchases a new copy of BIAS Deck 2.6 on
or after October 31, 1998 (which will also
include a free copy of Peak LE.) For
owners of older versions of Deck, BIAS
will announce other upgrade programs as
the release of Deck 3.0 draws closer.
<www.bias-inc.com>
HEURIS has released MPEG Export
Engine-Pro. This QuickTime export
component allows users of Apple's
QuickTime 3 Pro MoviePlayer or Media
Cleaner Pro 3.1, who also own MPEG Power
Professional, to control HEURIS' MPEG
encoding engine - without having to open
MPEG Power Professional. All MPEG Power
Professional standard and custom encoding
templates, and a number of encoding
options, are available through the MPEG
Export Engine-Pro.
The
HEURIS MPEG Export Engine-Pro will be
offered free of charge to all users of
HEURIS' MPEG Power Professional line of
products. The HEURIS MPEG Export
Engine-Pro QuickTime export component is
now bundled with all copies of MPEG Power
Professional, MPEG Power Professional-2
and MPEG Power Professional-DVD. It is
also available to current owners of MPEG
Power Professional products for download
from HEURIS' FTP site free of charge.
<www.heuris.com>
 
Visioneer, Inc. has announced that
it will provide a free version of its
Visioneer Visual Bookmarks via the
company's web site. Visual Bookmarks saves
a thumbnail representation or snapshot of
any web page. Once saved, users simply
double click on a thumbnail image to
launch directly to a bookmarked web
site.
When
a user installs Visual Bookmarks on a
system loaded with Internet Explorer,
their list of favorite web sites is
automatically imported into Visual
Bookmarks. Netscape users can import their
bookmarks. HTML file and then capture
their favorite web sites as Visual
Bookmarks. Visual Bookmarks requires
Windows 95/98 and is compatible with
Netscape Navigator 3.0/4.0 and Microsoft
InternetExplorer 3.0/4.0.
<www.visioneer.com/visualbookmarks>
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Oct
1
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Microsoft is "preparing to unveil
the final feature set and direction of
FrontPage 2000", the fifth version
of the product since its introduction in
1995. This release will integrate the
FrontPage Editor and Explorer and
implemente shared Office menus and
toolbars. Site management is said to be
easier with 14 new reports that for
diagnosing problems. Office 2000
applications will open and save directly
to FrontPage Web sites. No release date
yet.
<www.microsoft.com>
CNET reports that the World Wide
Web Consortium (W3C) is considering a
cosubmission by Microsoft, Macromedia and
Compaq for HTML-TIME (Hypertext
Markup Language-timed interactive
multimedia extensions.) HTML-TIME would
allow synchronization between media and
HTML documents; for example the contents
of a frame might change when a video
reaches a certain point in time. The
article notes that the recently adopted
SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration
Language) only allows for synchronization
between media within a SMIL document
(though a SMIL document can contain
multiple regions.)
<www.news.com
article "W3C
mulls
HTML-TIME">
Digital Bitcasting says that
Microsoft's Windows Media Player
breaks it's competing Internet Video
Player
Software Architects Inc offers
several DVD utilities:
Write
DVD! provides a read/write universal
disk format (UDF) file system for use with
DVD drives including DVD-RAM. A special
device driver is included to function with
the DVD-RAM drives shipping today. Write
DVD! can read and write to UDF formatted
block-addressable device (DVD-RAM, HDD,
MO, etc.) as if it was formatted in the
standard DOS FAT format. This circumvents
a shortcoming of Microsoft Windows 95
drivers that will only recognize a DVD-RAM
drive as a CD-Rom device (and not
recognize rewritable DVD-RAM disks.)
Microsoft has announced "read only" UDF
support for Win98, the operating system
will support DVD-ROM drives
only.
Some
manufacturers, including Hitachi and
Panasonic, have licensed WriteDVD! for
distribution with some of their DVD-RAM
disk drive subsystems. Some manufacturers
have sublicensing arrangements with SAI
for sales of DVD-RAM drives to PC
manufacturers. Other manufacturers may or
may not provide software. Check with your
disk drive supplier to see they are an
authorized distributor of WriteDVD!.
WriteDVD!
supports all DVD-RAM drives using SCSI
protocol, including Hitachi, Panasonic and
Toshiba brands. Future upgrades will
support ATAPI interface drives when they
are commercialized by the manufacturers.
List price is $79.95 US dollars.
<www.softarch.com>
DVD-RAM TuneUp from Software
Architects lets you setup the media
and read and write to your DVD-RAM
drive. In addition, users can setup a
RAM/disk cache to allow for better
performance. DVD-RAM TuneUp is the first
software utility that provides the true
"plug and play" support for DVD-RAM drives
running on Apple Macintosh computers.
Version 1.0 supports all brands of DVD-RAM
drivesusing the SCSI protocol, including:
Panasonic, Hitachi and Toshiba
drives.
Features
include:
- accelerates
read performance by up to 200% using
proprietary "multi-level" (RAM to hard
disk to DVD-RAM drive) caching
architecture.
- reading
CD-ROM, DVD-ROM and CDR disks
- reading
and writing to DVD-RAM disks
- formatting,
partitioning and write protecting
DVD-RAM disks
- testing
DVD-RAM media; re-assigning defective
blocks
Although
Apple OS 8.1 includes an interface for
reading CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks, it does
not include the necessary interface that
can read and write to DVD-RAM drives, or
operate them as a multi-function
re-writable storage device. List price is
$99.95 in US dollars.
<www.softarch.com>
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Sep
30
|
America Online is including
Macromedia Flash and
Shockwave players as part of its
AOL 4.0 CD-ROM. This follows
Macromedia's earlier announcement that the
Flash and Shockwave players are included
with every copy of Windows 98. Macromedia
also announced that Netscape is including
the Flash player with all current versions
of its Navigator browser.
<www.macromedia.com>
A little more info on Kodak Picture
CD:
Adobe
has announced its alliance with Kodak and
Intel on Kodak Picture CD. Adobe has
developed the software environment that
creates the Kodak Picture CD user
experience. Kodak Picture CD is an
all-in-one, auto-loading CD-ROM with a
magazine interface developed by Adobe.
Kodak Picture CD enables consumers to do
photo-editing tasks and create projects
with their pictures on a personal
computer.
The
Kodak Picture CD includes easy-to-follow
on-screen instructions to perform the
following photo-editing tasks:
- Rotate
images, add names / titles, improve
color.
- Send
pictures in JPEG format automatically
via the user's existing email.
- Choose
specific pictures for a full-screen
slideshow presentation; customize
timing; select from a variety of slide
transitions.
- Print
single or multiple pictures; "package
print" capabilities in numerous sizes
and quantities.
- Select
pictures as background for a computer
monitor.
- Adjust
brightness and contrast, sharpness,
trim; remove red-eye; save pictures in
a variety of formats.
- Paint
over pictures to create artistic looks
with posterize, emboss, mosaic; convert
to black and white capability.
- Apply
visual effects to pictures to create
new looks through mirror images or
painting.
It
is expected that Kodak Picture CD will be
available nationwide in early 1999 at an
estimated retail price between $8.95 and
$10.95, and as an add-on to developing and
printing traditional prints.
<www.adobe.com>
MacCentral reports that MacZone has
several specials on digital cameras
that expire on October 2, 1998. This
includes the Olympus D-600L US$759.00,
Kodak DC 260 $820.00 and Nikon Coolpix 900
$736.00
<www.maccentral.com>
Meanwhile the Digital Camera Resource
Page has info on two updated cameras
from Olympus; the D-600XL and
D-400Z expected November 4th.
<www.dcresource.com>
And emediaweekly has a comparison
of point and shoot digital cameras under
$1,000: Casio QV-5000SX, Epson PhotoPC
700, Fuji MX-700, HP PhotoSmart C20,
Konica Q-M100V, Olympus D-340L and Toshiba
PDR-M1.
<www.emediaweekly.com
comparison "Digital
cameras shoot it
out">
Adobe is shipping Illustrator
8.0 for the Windows 95/98, Windows NT
4.0, and Power Macintosh. Estimated street
price of $375 (U.S.). Registered users of
any version of Adobe Illustrator can
upgrade for $129 (U.S.)
<www.adobe.com>
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Sep
29
|
RealNetworks, Inc. has released the
second beta of RealSystem G2. This
is the first beta release of RealSystem G2
where the encoder and server are ready for
production use.
The
beta 2 release of RealSystem G2
incorporates Intel's Web Streaming Video
technology, providing content producers
with better performance in streaming video
production. A single Pentium II PC can
simultaneously encode live video for
bitrates spanning 14.4Kbps to 1Mbps. The
RealServer G2 now offers a completely
Web-based administration and monitoring
interface, which is extensible both
through HTML and a server side API.
Scalable multicasting has also been added,
allowing broadcasting to an unlimited
number of clients.
Also
announced today, America Online will
distribute RealPlayer G2 as the streaming
media solution of choice with AOL 4.0
Gold, initially distributing the
RealPlayer 5.0 and later the final version
of RealPlayer G2.
A
new technology called FRU (frame rate
upsampling) produces smoother video
playback for Internet bitrates by
increasing the frame rate without
requiring additional bandwidth.
Additionally, stereo and near-CD quality
capabilities have been added to the G2
Music Codec.
<www.real.com>
Kodakand Intel have
announced Kodak Picture CD, a new
consumer product which will begin a four
month market test this week. Kodak Picture
CD is a CD-ROM that bundles
high-resolution scans of pictures and
multiple built-in software applications.
Kodak and Intel anticipate rolling-out the
product nationally in early
1999.
The
press release was vague about what the
resolution of the images on the discs are,
yet imply that they are lower than Photo
CD. Yet curiously, the press release says
that sach Kodak Picture CD typically holds
one roll of film--35 mm or Advanced Photo
System. A Photo CD can easily hold over
100 images (two maybe three rolls of
film.)
Intel
and Kodak are installing new Intel
Architecture-based equipment in Kodak's
Qualex photofinishing labs which will
enable photofinishers to produce Kodak
Picture CDs and other film digitization
products and services, including Kodak
Picture Disks and Internet uploads through
Kodak PhotoNet Online and through America
Online's "You've Got Pictures!" service
scheduled to begin around the end of the
year. The equipment being installed
includes dual Intel Pentium II
microprocessor-based servers and a series
of high-performance workstations, along
with new Kodak film scanners and CD
writers.
<www.kodak.com
and www.intel.com>
MetaCreations has released
Painter 5.5 Web Edition, an upgrade
to Painter, MetaCreations' paint and
image-editing program. Painter 5.5 Web
Edition introduces to the application new
features including image slicing, dynamic
text, JavaScript rollover support, easy
custom button creation and a built-in
content library of more than 1,000
Web-ready images for stunning Web site
graphics.
Painter
5.5 Web Edition is available now at an
average selling price of $299 (US).
Upgrades to registered owners of Painter 5
are available at an upgrade price of $79
(US). Registered Painter 4 owners can
upgrade to the Web Edition for $129
(US)
<www.metacreations.com>
Sonic Solutions has announced a
DVD-Audio authoring system,
Sonic DVD Producer AV. Sonic also
announced OneClick DVD, an option
for SonicStudio and new SonicStudio
HD workstations which provides integrated
DVD-Audio production for users of the most
widely-used professional CD premastering
system.
DVD-Audio
supports 24-bit, uncompressed digital
audio at high-resolution sampling rates of
96kHz and 192kHz. It also includes a host
of features, such as real-time text, slide
shows, interactive menus, and integrated
digital video. Note that the 1.0 DVD-Audio
specification spec is still
pending.
Sonic
and Pioneer plan to produce test discs to
cover the entire DVD-Audio specification.
Pioneer has begun developing a series of
disc specifications based on version 0.9
for DVD-Audio players that will be used to
test for compliance with the new standard.
A first trial disc has been prepared for
the portion of the DVD-Audio specification
called Audio Only Title (AOTT), and
includes multiple test tones up to stereo,
24-bit, 192kHz scaleable High-Density
Audio™, as well as surround
versions.
<www.sonicsolutions.com>
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Sep
28
|
Unity Motion began 24-hour HDTV
broadcasting in St Louis, Saturday,
Sept. 26, 1998, the first time
around-the-clock high definition
programming available in the United
States.
The
general entertainment channel, called
HD-1, features movies, sports, travel,
children's programs, animation, art,
music, and special features. By the end of
1998, Unity Motion will transmit two
additional HD channels, one each for
movies and sports.
New
Line has granted Unity Motion special
permission to show "Austin Powers" as the
first movie to be broadcast on HD-1.
<www.unitymotion.com>
Sony, who reportedly passed on
puchasing CosmoSoftware has released
updates to their VRML browser and
authoring tools.
Community
Place is a stand alone VRML97 browser,
that also supports multi-user shared 3D
cyberspace. Each browser, when connected
to a multi-user server, the Community
Place Bureau, allows users to choose their
3D avatar.
Community
Place Bureau provides a shared world
where users can see other people, wave to
them, chat in groups, or even have private
conversations.
Community
Place Conductor 2.0 is a VRML97 and
Java authoring tool.
<www.sonypic.com/vs/downld1.html#CPC>
Be Here Corporation has introduced
the Be Here Portal S1 Plus, a
second-generation version of their
360-degree lens system that is suitable
for stopping action in environments with
motion. The Portal S1 Plus costs $4,995
and is Nikon and Canon EOS
mount-compatible and offers a lighter
weight design for improved ease-of-use and
mobility.
Be
Here's Portal S1 Plus features an improved
optical design over the original Portal
S1, resulting in improved image quality
and a higher speed f/8 lens. The Portal S1
Plus is capable of operating with a camera
at shutter speeds up to 1/500th of a
second - a speed suitable for stopping
action in environments with motion.
<www.BeHere.com>
<Review
of Be Here S1
lens>
VideoBrush is offering a BETA
version of their new Panorama 2.0
image stitching tool that offers
enhanced capabilities, and a new user
interface for wide angle imaging and web
authoring. Panorama can now create and
export Apple QuickTime VR format (.mov),
as well as Infinite Pictures SmoothMove
(.pan) and Live Picture RealSpace (.ivr).
Features:
- Support
for Motion-JPEG compressed formats
(M-JPEG boards):
- No
restrictions on input frame width and
height
- Selectable
color quality (24, 12, or 9-bit color)
- Selectable
lens focal length
- Control
trade-off between color quality and
memory usage
- Manual
override to adjust alignment between
frames
- Manual
override to select frames to match for
360-degree pan
You
can doanload a demo from their
website.
<www.videobrush.com>
INTEREST
GROUP
Microsoft Corp has announced the
creation of the Windows Media
Technologies Online Special Interest
Group (OSIG). Designed to establish a
community for Web professionals interested
in Microsoft streaming media solutions to
find and exchange information, benefits
include weekly Web broadcasts with
interactive chats, online forums,
discounts on third-party hardware and
software products, workshops, and free
technical support via e-mail.
Membership
in the Windows Media Technologies OSIG is
available to any content developer or
solution provider free of charge
(connect-time charges may apply).
Registration information and additional
details can be found on the Site Builder
Network.
<www.microsoft.com/sbnmember/osig/>
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