Tribeworks, makers of the multimedia authoring environment iShell, and Totally Hip Software, makers of the award winning QuickTime authoring tool LiveStage Professional, are collaborating on a “Summer of Independence” special that will offer a combination of their products which have a regular list price of US$1,874 for $995. The promotion starts today and runs until the end of the month.
“Both companies do so much more with QuickTime that anyone on the planet. As many multimedia developers have pointed out, the products work incredibly well together,” Marcel Siegle, director of marketing & enterprise solutions for Tribeworks, told MacCentral. “The collaboration between the two companies, often mistakenly thought of as competitors, marks a significant milestone for multimedia developers using QuickTime.”
iShell is a QuickTime-native multimedia authoring suite that enables the creation of customized media players that launch from a Web site. iShell 2 added the ability to create highly customized streaming media players in addition to its established capabilities in CD/DVD-ROM, connected disc and Web site publishing that can be authored and played on Mac and Windows/NT systems. iShell 2 players can be of any arbitrary shape, can contain holes, and are draggable with the ability to play in the foreground or the background.
iShell requires a Power Mac, Mac OS 8.6 or higher — a Mac OS X version is in the works — 32MB of available RAM, a minimum of 10MB of free hard disk space, and QuickTime 4 or higher. iShell 2.2 can be downloaded for free at the Tribeworks Web site. Tribeworks Full Memberships are $2,000 per year, or through an initiation fee of $500 and monthly payments of $150. Annual renewal fees are $1000, or $100 per month. Full Tribeworks Members receive high-end technical support, discounts on third-party products, instant online access to other top multimedia developers, and iShell’s Software Developer’s Kit (SDK). For more info send e-mail to iShell2@tribeworks.com.
Designed for developers and digital media producers, LiveStage Professional 3 can be used to create interactive QuickTime movies and video for the Internet, CD-ROM, DVD or anywhere that QuickTime plays. It offers interactive media skins that allow for delivery of custom interfaces; Flash 4 support for integrating Flash with all other QuickTime media including video; XML support for the dynamic creation of content or movies; server side connectivity for database support and movie generation; wired actions to be added to the QScript including reference guide, tutorials and sample projects; and more.
Suggested retail pricing for LiveStage Professional 3 is US$899.95. Current registered users of LiveStage Professional 2 can upgrade to version 3 for $199.95 or purchase an additional Windows license for $499.95. Pricing discounts for educational and multiple user licenses are available by contacting Totally Hip (sales@totallyhip.com).
“We now offer a complete cross-platform solution for integrating most kinds of digital media content, adding unmatched levels of interactivity and deploying it anywhere QuickTime plays,” said David Dicaire, CEO of Totally Hip Software. “Our collaboration provides customers with increased value and capabilities while providing the means for both companies to increase market share.”
The Multimedia Freedom bundle includes Tribeworks Silver membership, iShell 2.2 for Macintosh and Windows and either LiveStage Professional 3.0 for Macintosh or Windows. The package is available immediately from the Totally Hip and Tribeworks Web sites for $995.
The companies are also offering an education and professional solutions bundle as well as special discounts for existing customers.