Macromedia Director MX 2004 now available

Macromedia Director MX 2004 now available

Support for Flash MX 2004 content, JavaScript and DVD-Video among new features

AUCKLAND New Zealand - 19 February 2004 - Macromedia (Nasdaq: MACR) announced the immediate availability of Macromedia Director MX 2004, the latest version of the industry standard multimedia authoring tool. Macromedia Director MX 2004 adds support for JavaScript, Macromedia Flash MX 2004 content, DVD-Video playback and the ability to create projector files for both Mac and Windows platforms in one simple step. Director MX 2004 is available for immediate download today from the Macromedia Online Store at http://shop.macromedia.com/nz.

"Macromedia Director MX 2004 furthers the product's rich legacy by adding features that directly address developer requests to work more efficiently and utilise the latest technologies available," said Miriam Geller, director of product management, Macromedia. "Director MX 2004 greatly eases development and enables users to create richer content through a seamless workflow with other MX 2004 products and support for standards like JavaScript and DVD-Video."

Macromedia Director MX 2004 delivers multimedia content anywhere, whether it be to CD, DVD, intranets, kiosks or the Internet. Director MX 2004 supports most major video, audio, bitmap, 3D and vector formats to give developers the broadest content palette from which to deliver sophisticated and compelling user experiences. Extensive video capabilities within Director MX 2004 allow developers to incorporate video files in DVD-Video, Windows Media, RealMedia, QuickTime and Flash Video formats. DVD-Video functionality will enable developers to embed, control and playback DVD-Video content within multimedia projects. Director also has a powerful Xtras plug-in architecture that enables developers to extend both the application and playback to add nearly limitless functionality.

"Every year, I need to create at least eight different presentations that are sent around the world to showcase ESPN programming. Director MX 2004 delivers a whole new level of functionality enhancements that will make my job easier and more fun," said Brett E. Stewart, interactive designer, ESPN, Inc. "Being able to incorporate DVD-Video into my Director presentations will both improve the video quality and more effectively enable me to reach new markets."

Macromedia Director MX 2004 is tightly integrated with other products and servers in the Macromedia MX family. In addition to adding support for Flash MX 2004, Director also has the ability to launch and edit both Flash and Fireworks to enable a seamless workflow. Director now supports the Flash MX 2004 component architecture and includes a subset of the Flash MX 2004 components to use in Director. Flash content can be integrated into Director projects and Flash performance within Director projects has been dramatically improved over previous versions. Like other MX 2004 products, the workspace is entirely customisable and Director now lets users customise both the stage and the movie-in-a-window docks for better workspace management.

The product has also added new features to make developers more efficient and productive. Interactivity within projects can now be scripted using JavaScript, Lingo or a combination of both. The ability to name sprites and channels enables workflow efficiencies for content production within Director. Content can be published to both Mac and Windows and online, across different platforms in one simple step. For more information on Director MX 2004, visit http://www.macromedia.com/go/dirmx2004/.

Macromedia will be hosting online seminars to showcase the new features of Director MX 2004. For more information on seminars, visit http://www.macromedia.com/go/directoronlineseminar/.

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY

Macromedia Director MX 2004 is available for purchase immediately through Macromedia resellers or from the Macromedia Online Store New Zealand (http://shop.macromedia.com/nz). It is priced at NZ$1,711 for new users and NZ$569 for upgrades from Director 8.5 and Director MX. Education, government and volume licensing options are available. The software works on Mac OS X v10.2.6 or higher and on Windows 2000 or Windows XP. French, German and Japanese versions are expected to ship in March.

ABOUT MACROMEDIA

Experience matters. Macromedia is motivated by the belief that great experiences build great businesses. Our software empowers millions of business users, developers and designers to create and deliver effective, compelling and memorable experiences - on the Internet, on fixed media, on wireless and on digital devices. www.macromedia.com/ap

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