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To: LiveWire who wrote (1131)	7/29/1998 7:50:00 AM
From: STEAMROLLER	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 119973

7th Level animation to run on mainstream software Reuters Story - July 29, 1998 06:19 By Eric Auchard NEW YORK, July 28 (Reuters) - 7th Level Inc. announced on Wednesday that its animation software can be used to create talking characters on the pages of all major personal computer software programs and link them to the Internet. 7th Level said its Agent 7 Internet animation software will be able to produce lip synchnorized, talking characters within Powerpoint, Word and Excel -- Microsoft's popular slideshow presentation, word processing and spreadsheet programs. The software allows a user to select from a cast of characters created by 7th Level and insert the animation into other programs. The user can then then add dialog simply by recording a voice track with a microphone plugged into a PC. The program breathes life into text-based information by allowing a user to link his or her voice to an animated character and speak on the user's behalf. Agent 7 takes advantage of Internet video and audio streaming technology to make transfer of its animated characters over the Web easy. Analysts believe such technology could someday help transform computers into voice-enabled communication devices from their current principal use as text delivery systems. "We want to get people familiar the concept of taking presentations and animating them," 7th Level's CEO Richard Merrick said in an interview on Tuesday. "You can't help being amazed by watching a character talk to you right on the computer," Merrick said. "An animated character gives personality to a computer -- its not just canned, it says whatever you want it to say," he said. 7th Level is a Richardson, Texas-based former video game maker whose major shareholder is 1980s junk bond financier Michael Miliken. The company's board includes Jim Cannavino, a former top IBM executive, who now runs CyberSafe Corp. The company has undergone a turnaround since last fall when it exited the CD-ROM business, received a fresh round of capital that allowed it to adapt its animation technology to the Internet. In mid-April, 7th Level stock went through the roof after it reached the first of several Internet distribution pacts with for the animation technology, rocketing to over $11 from under $2 in one day on volume of over 29 million shares. The stock, which since the spring has been propelled by speculation among online investors of an impending deal with a major customer who will legitimate the technology, has subsided in recent months to around $4, where it closed Tuesday. Manuel Royo, an analyst at brokerage Southwest Securities, said talk has centered on a possible partnership with Walt Disney Co., whose Mickey Mouse and friends would be natural choices to be made Internet-ready. But while Royo said that 7th Level has had to close ties to Disney's Internet unit in the past, he warned that Agent 7 is still under development and that as a result it is unlikely that any major corporate deal between the two is imminent. Royo rates the company a "speculative buy." "Not only is this an Internet company but it's a start-up," he cautioned. Agent 7 technology allows companies to create talking characters on a Web site that offer a continuous and direct line of communication to customers while attracting them into their site for more information. A character depicting the company's CEO, or perhaps an organizational mascot, could be used in a Powerpoint presentation to deliver a company announcement, for example. Such characters could also serve as "automated attendants" guiding Web site visitors through an information search or an electronic commerce transaction, Merrick said. The company's strategy is to seed the technology among Web site designers and corporate developers. It hopes to attract business professional, public speakers and anyone making computer presentations to use its programs, Merrick said. 7th Level also said it is in talks with media companies to create brand-name character pacts to use with the software. As possible examples, it could be used to create Internet-ready Warner Brothers cartoon characters or images of movie stars. Two weeks ago it inked a deal with NetPerceptions, which sells software that analyzes individual Internet user interests and recommends other topics that might be of related interest. NetPerceptions is backed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and has deals with leading electronic commerce sites Amazon.com Inc. Audio Book Clubs and CDNow . The companies said they planned to create Internet characters to act as product recommenders for users of NetPerceptions software. Agent 7's initial version has been undergoing final testing and is expected to ship in the current quarter, with pricing expected to around $99. CNBC just talking this one up on the news. this could be a good play today if the market goes for it. seems like good news does nothing for the price of a stock is this downward market. SR