Hitachi is pushing its MPEG1 digital camera............
Hitachi Announces Compatibility of MPEG Digital Video Camera With Macromedia's Authorware and Director
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 8, 1997--
MPEG camera users can now drop video and still images into Macromedia software for dynamic multimedia training and presentations
Hitachi Home Electronics (America), Inc., a subsidiary of Hitachi America, Ltd., today announced the compatibility of its MP-EG1A digital video camera with Macromedia Authorware(R) 4 and Director(R) 6 Multimedia Studio.
The Hitachi MP-EG1A, the world's first and only MPEG digital video camera, is capable of recording 20 minutes of real-time MPEG-1 video, 3,000 JPEG still images, or 1,000 still images with 10 seconds of audio for each still, or up to four hours of digital audio. It permits PC and Mac users to add video and still images to Web pages, in-house training videos, presentations and other Internet and Intranet applications.
Authorware, the leading tool for creating interactive training and educational courseware, allows users to easily develop solutions for Web and CD delivery, and can now accommodate full-motion digital video from Hitachi's acclaimed MP-EG1A camera. Images can be quickly dropped into interactive multimedia training courses and presentations, interactive magazines and catalogs, and interactive training titles on CD-ROM/DVD.
Authorware 4 features streaming Macromedia Shockwave to support streaming audio, greater file compression, embedding in browsers and FTP services on Intranet or Internet. It also offers full binary file compatibility, making it possible to produce single files that run and play back on Windows and Macintosh platforms. Authorware 4 runs on Windows 95, Windows NT 3.51, Windows NT 4.0, Macintosh and Power Macintosh platforms. It also supports Active X controls and Sprite and scripting Xtras.
Macromedia's Director is used to create multimedia productions, such as Web content, interactive advertising, CD-ROM titles and business presentations. It can import 2D and 3D graphics, text, animation, sound and digital video, including files from the MP-EG1A camera. The files can be quickly integrated, synchronized and animated using the Director tools. The production then can be distributed over the Web using Shockwave.
The Director 6 Multimedia Studio supports Windows 95, Windows NT 4.0 or higher, Macintosh 68K and Power Macintosh. Productions can be delivered on the Internet, Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows NT, Macintosh 68K and Power Macintosh.
"The compatibility of the Hitachi MPEG camera with Authorware and Director creates a powerful combination for multimedia developers," said Rix Kramlich, senior product manager of Authorware at Macromedia. "The ability to easily drop high-quality video into presentations and interactive training programs gives our users a dynamic production package."
"Authorware and Director make it even easier and more cost effective to use the Hitachi MPEG video camera to produce video and still images for multimedia presentations," said Kunihide Kaneko, president of Hitachi Home Electronics (America). "This allows the MPEG camera to be an extremely valuable tool for creating training and business presentations on a variety of platforms."
The Hitachi MP-EG1A camera records video and audio in MPEG-1 format and stores the data on a 260 MB PCMCIA card. ISA and SCSI adapter kits allow recorded video to be transferred to a PC or Mac. At 19.3 ounces, the camera is smaller than a conventional camcorder. All of its functions, such as real-time compression, full motion video and playback, are handled by a single chip -- the MPEG1 encoder/decoder (CODEC) LSI, developed by Hitachi, Ltd. Suggested retail, including the PCMCIA card, is $2,399.95.
Macromedia (NASDAQ: MACR), headquartered in San Francisco, develops and markets multimedia, graphic and video software for creating dynamic digital media applications. Offered on Windows and Macintosh platforms, these products are used by organizations and individuals to create and deliver interactive media, printed materials, videotape and film. The company has more than 70 distribution partners in Asia, Canada, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East.
Hitachi Home Electronics (America), Inc., a subsidiary of Hitachi America, Ltd., develops and markets a variety of consumer electronics and commercial multimedia products, including handheld computers and products for image capture and information access/multimedia.
Hitachi America, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., Japan, markets and manufactures a broad range of electronics, computer systems and products, and semiconductors, and provides industrial equipment and services throughout North America.
Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading global electronics companies, with fiscal 1996 consolidated sales (ending March 31, 1997) of $68.7 billion. The company manufactures and markets a wide range of products, including computers, semiconductors, consumer products, and power and industrial equipment.
CONTACT: Hitachi Home Electronics (America)
Lee Woodring, Director of Marketing (x 5617)
or
Benny Wei, Product Manager (x 5824)
800-241-6558
or
Crescent Communications
Gregg Echols, 770-698-8650 (x 116)
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