Sorenson Media has announced the availability of Sorenson Squeeze for Macromedia Flash MX and Sorenson Squeeze for QuickTime on the Mac platform.
The first in a planned MX line of products, Flash MX will provide a broad range of multimedia design and rich Internet application development features in one product, Jeremy Clark, Flash product manager told MacCentral. It will provide designers with the ability to create graphics, sophisticated user interfaces and synchronized animation with audio and new video playback to provide supreme, branded experiences, he added. Macromedia partnered with Sorenson Media to integrate the Sorenson Spark video codec into Macromedia Flash MX and the Macromedia Flash Player 6. See our March 4 article for details.
Sorenson Spark allows designers and developers to deliver compressed video as part of Macromedia Flash content and applications. By bringing video support within Macromedia Flash, developers can create entirely new types of interactive video applications while maintaining a higher level of control over the user experience, providing “seamless integration” of video-based content within Web sites, according to Ed McGarr, vice president of marketing and sales for Sorenson Video.
Sorenson Squeeze for Macromedia Flash MX is a compression tool that accesses the advanced features of a new video codec called Sorenson Spark Professional (Pro), McGarr said. Packaged as an optional application for Flash MX, Squeeze with Spark Pro provides Flash MX developers with enhanced video compression capabilities for higher quality and smaller file size, as well as Two-Pass Variable Bit Rate (VBR), cropping and inverse telecine tools, multiple filters, and advanced editing features. And it lets users to compress their video offline while continuing to create Flash movies.
Sorenson Squeeze for QuickTime includes the Sorenson Video 3 Professional codec. With Squeeze, QuickTime media is compressed to a fraction of its original size — allowing for more media on local and portable storage devices — and is streamed across the Internet much more affordably, McGarr said. Sorenson Squeeze for QuickTime supports One and Two-Pass Variable Bit Rate compression.
“The Macintosh has always been the platform of choice for creative production, both for the professional producer as well as for the student and novice,” McGarr said. “Combining the Sorenson Squeeze applications with the existing line-up of Sorenson products for Macintosh enables us to provide a wider array of easy and affordable video solutions to our most loyal market.”
Sorenson Squeeze integrates with Sorenson Vcast, a live and on-demand video Webcasting service, giving users the ability to compress, manage and deliver compressed QuickTime, FLV and SWF video content over the Web. After compression, Vcast allows Squeeze users to share video content with anyone, anywhere for immediate playback. A free 30-day trial of Vcast is currently being offered to all Squeeze customers.
Vcast is a service that will allow users to register online and send video (live or on-demand) to anyone in the world. After downloading the Vcast client and filling out an online registration form, a user can stream live video from a camera connected to their computer, or compress existing video content with Vcast. The content is then posted to the Internet for Vcast to stream. The total cost of the broadcast is based on the number of viewers the user anticipates will watch the event.
The Vcast client is basically a simplified version of Sorenson Broadcaster, which enables users to stream video and audio using QuickTime. Unlike its “parent,” the Vcast client has lots of presets to make it easy to use even by those who know little or nothing about video production and streaming.
McGarr said Vcast is and will be used to meet the needs of education, entertainment and communications. He said that a small hospital in Utah is using a preview version of the system to stream surgery over the Internet. Educators can use it for distance learning courseware. And real estate firms could use it on their Web sites to offer video-based walkthroughs of properties, McGarr said.
Sorenson Squeeze for Macromedia Flash MX (includes Sorenson Spark Pro) and Sorenson Squeeze for QuickTime (includes Sorenson Video 3 Professional) will be available electronically later this week for Macintosh OS 9.2 and Mac OS X. The suggested retail price for each product is US$299. You can get both bundled for $499.