MACROMEDIA ANNOUNCES INTEGRATION WITH LEADING PROFESSIONAL VIDEO TOOLS
Users of pro video solutions benefit from streamlined workflow and new features in Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004
San Francisco, CA—August 25, 2003—Macromedia, Inc. (Nasdaq: MACR) today announced new integration between Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004 and leading professional video and encoding tools to accelerate and enhance the workflow for producing and deploying compelling video content to the Internet. Supported tools include products from Anystream, Apple, Avid, Canopus, Discreet, and Pinnacle (see attached quote sheet).
With Flash MX Professional 2004 (see separate release), video professionals can incorporate video directly from their editing and encoding tools and quickly add interactivity and customized interfaces to create immersive, branded video experiences that can be delivered to the world's most pervasive video client, Macromedia Flash Player.
“Integrating video into websites has historically involved a set of uncomfortable compromises and frustrating limitations for both developers and end users,” said Forest Key, senior product manager, Macromedia. “Flash MX Professional 2004 tears down these barriers, making it possible for developers to deliver high quality video experiences with maximum reach and complete control.”
With the Flash Video Exporter, professional video editing and encoding tools can now directly encode and export into the Macromedia Flash Video (FLV) format. Supported applications include Anystream Agility, Apple Final Cut Pro, Avid Xpress/Media Composer, Canopus Procoder, Discreet Cleaner, and Pinnacle Edition. Once created, FLV files can quickly be incorporated into content and applications using Media Components that provide controls for playback, streaming, and interactivity.
“Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004 greatly simplifies the production process and allows us to create killer video experiences on the web,” said Matt Silverman, director of effects and design, Phoenix Editorial. “We can export directly from Avids or Apple Final Cut Pro editing stations and quickly create unique interfaces, add interactivity, and deploy to the web.”
For detailed information on all the features of Flash MX Professional 2004, visit www.macromedia.com/go/fmxpro/.
PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
Introductory pricing for Flash MX Professional 2004, available for
Mac OS X v10.2.6 and Windows, is $699 and it is expected to ship
in September. Upgrades from Flash 5 or Flash MX to Flash MX Professional
2004 are priced at $299. Flash MX Professional 2004 is expected to
be available in English in September, with Simplified and Traditional
Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish expected
to ship shortly thereafter.
Flash MX Professional 2004 will also be available as part of Studio MX 2004 with Flash Professional, which is expected to ship in September, and costs $999 for new users, $499 for upgrades from Studio MX, $599 for upgrades from any eligible product, and $249 for education customers. Macromedia DevNet Professional members will receive Flash MX Professional 2004 automatically as part of their annual subscription. Discounted pricing for education, government, and volume purchases is available.
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.
LEADING VIDEO PROFESSIONAL TOOLS SUPPORT MACROMEDIA FLASH MX PROFESSIONAL 2004 LAUNCH
Anystream
"Broadcasters and content providers have made Anystream Agility the
top automated encoding solution because of its reliability in mission-critical
workflows. In delivering a product that seamlessly integrates with
Agility, Macromedia has ensured that Anystream's clients now can deliver
Flash -- without any additional labor investment -- as a seamless part
of their automated encoding workflow."
- Fady Lamaa, vice president of marketing, Anystream
Apple
“The new Power Mac G5 running Final Cut Pro 4 with RT
Extreme, SoundTrack, LiveType and Compressor is an incredibly fast
and affordable professional
video editing solution. Macromedia has done a great job enhancing
our professional customers’ production workflow by integrating Macromedia
Flash MX Professional 2004 with Final Cut Pro to deliver professional
quality, interactive video with customized interfaces to Macromedia
Flash Player."
- Ron Okamoto, vice president of worldwide developer relations, Apple
Avid
"Our entire video post-production product family,
including our new Avid DNA products, are the gold standard for professionals
because
of their deep creative toolsets, seamless workflow, and open architecture.
Flash MX Professional 2004 will enable video professionals who use
all of our products to reach an even larger online audience with high-quality
video, which ultimately increases the value of the content our customers
create.”
- Alan Hoff, director of editors product management, Avid
Canopus
"Canopus is excited about offering Macromedia
Flash video export capabilities to our customers, a discerning group
of more than 100,000 professionals
worldwide. Our users are always looking for more effective ways to
deliver their video content on the web and this new product integration
between Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004 and Canopus Procoder
will make them very happy."
- Robert Sharp, general manager, Canopus Corporation
Discreet
"Discreet's cleaner software for media mastering
is now the best way to make high quality Flash video (FLV), whether
in batches, one at
a time, or as part of a customized workflow. Now with Macromedia Flash
MX Professional 2004 and Discreet cleaner, video and Flash professionals
can wield the power of cleaner software including optimized pre-set
templates, batch processing and automated workflow features. The fast
and almost effortless creation of the best looking FLV is what the
customer can expect when they use these products together."
- Joe Klingler, vice president of software products, Discreet
Pinnacle Systems
"The ability to export Macromedia Flash video files from Pinnacle Edition
gives users new flexibility and power to create great content more
easily for the web. Video is becoming increasingly important in corporate,
education, training, and government settings and Pinnacle along with
Macromedia, is providing great solutions to make this happen."
- Jim Guerard, vice president and general manager, professional editing
business unit, Pinnacle Systems
