Home Network Licenses Macromedia Flash(TM) for Advanced Digital
Latest Version of Macromedia Flash Player(TM) To Be Incorporated Into Internet
Applications and Broadband Interactive Services for the Set-Top
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Macromedia, Inc. (Nasdaq: MACR) and @Home Network (Nasdaq: ATHM) today announced that @Home Network has licensed Macromedia Flash Player technology for use in advanced digital set-top products and services. The deal will allow @Home Network and its cable partners to include Flash Player technology in future set-top platforms, thereby enabling interactive Web content and native applications.
"Macromedia Flash technology is absolutely ideal for a whole range of set-top environments because it is extremely lightweight," said Tom Jermoluk, chairman and CEO of @Home Network. "We look forward to incorporating it into platforms with widely varying hardware capabilities."
"Macromedia and @Home share a vision of enabling a more television-like experience on the Web by optimizing available bandwidth to deliver rich, interactive content," said Rob Burgess, chairman and CEO of Macromedia. "This agreement provides set-top consumers with more exciting e-commerce, entertainment, real-time news, and other content on the Web. In short, they'll have more fun."
Today's news follows recent Macromedia announcements that the Flash Player is included with Windows 95/98, MacOS 8.5, Netscape Communicator, and Internet Explorer and AOL CD-ROM editions. This news further establishes the Macromedia Flash Player as the Web standard for delivering rich, interactive vector-based content. Macromedia published the Flash file format (.swf) in April 1998 as an open Internet binary standard for vector-based graphics and animation on the Web with support from industry-leading companies including @Home Network, Microsoft, IBM, RealNetworks, Netscape, Associated Press and Broderbund. With today's announcement, Macromedia Flash continues to amass widespread industry support as technology fundamental to adding life to the Web.
Professional Web designers use the Flash authoring tool to create and deliver compact, fast, and beautiful vector-based graphics and animation for the Web. Macromedia Generator(TM) is new server-based software that uses templates created in Flash to deliver Web graphics on-the-fly from dynamic, real-time data. Illustrators and designers can also use the award-winning FreeHand(TM) 8 to produce Flash graphics for the Web. The free Flash Player enables Web consumers to display Flash and Generator content that streams, or plays, as it downloads from within a Web browser -- even over slow Internet connections. Companies using Flash to make their Web sites more interactive include: Pier 1 Imports, the Official Site of the International Olympic Committee, Mitsubishi Motors UK, and more. For more information, visit flash.com.
ABOUT @HOME NETWORK
Based in Redwood City, California, @Home Network develops and distributes high-speed interactive services to residences and businesses using its own network architecture and a variety of transport options including the cable industry's hybrid-fiber coaxial infrastructure. The cable connection provides users significant increases in speed over conventional Internet services. Leveraging the "always on" attributes of cable, @Home allows for unique multimedia applications that go beyond current Web experiences. Since its founding in 1995, @Home Network has reached affiliate agreements with eighteen leading cable companies worldwide. @Home was also selected by TCI to develop software and integration services for up to 11 million of its advanced digital set-top boxes. For more information, visit the @Home Network Web site at home.net.
ABOUT MACROMEDIA
Macromedia's mission is to add life to the Web. By providing its award-winning Web Publishing, Web Traffic, and Web Learning solutions to Web designers, consumers, and the enterprise, Macromedia is delivering a completely new generation of Internet tools and technologies designed to transform the Web experience. Headquartered in San Francisco, Macromedia has more than 500 employees worldwide and is available on the Internet at macromedia.com. Macromedia also hosts one of the most engaging entertainment sites on the Web at shockrave.com.
NOTE: Macromedia, Flash, Flash Player, Generator and FreeHand are trademarks or registered trademarks of Macromedia, Inc., as indicated. @Home, @Home Network, and the @logo are trademarks of At Home Corporation and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Other company names, brand names and product names may be trademark(s) of others.
SOURCE Macromedia, Inc.
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