8 May 2000
Reported, written and edited by David Duberman
for editorial/subscription inquiries, send mailto:duberman@dnai.com
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Shipping
as of last week from Alameda, Calif.-based NuSpectra Multimedia, Inc. are new version
5.0 releases of both SiteCam and SiteZAP. With newly added real-time audio
streaming, the Mac-based products automatically broadcast in three different
encoding settings. In a related announcement, Rearden Technology, former
producers of SiteCam and SiteZAP, merged with NuSpectra Multimedia under whose
name the products will be now produced and supported.
SiteZAP
5.0, a remote-controlled motorized pan/tilt/zoom system based on SiteCam 5.0,
includes all the new features in SiteCam 5.0, plus a new Macromedia Flash
interface. Controllable via the Internet, users with the access password
(optional) can view the camera's video feed and control the camera through a
Flash or Java control in their browser. The at $1,995 (starting price) SiteZAP
system includes SiteCam 5.0 software, a Sony Pan/Tilt/12xZoom camera, IR remote
control, and extra cable. Optional heated enclosures for outdoor use and other
add-ons are available.
The
integrated Web server in the new SiteCam 5.0 can serve Web pages that feature
real-time live streaming audio/video, live video snapshots, time-lapse
QuickTime movies and archived images. SiteCam's multi-document approach lets
users capture video at different image formats using different images sizes,
compression formats, and quality settings -- each labeled with text and
graphics, letting the end-user pick a compression level and image size that
fits their bandwidth and frame-rate needs.
Other
features include image archiving, built-in FTP support, motion detection,
password protection, AppleScript support for custom automation, multi-camera
support and quick set-up guides.
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WebSideStory
last week released a beta of Version 2.0 of the Yep Web Companion, which lets
users chat with other Yep users at the same site at the same time, take each
other on guided tours of the Internet, post notes on Web sites, view personal
Web surfing statistics, and vote on the quality of each site visited.
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Websplit.com's
new Websplit is a free downloadable software application designed to help users
create a personal Web portal. It
organizes browser bookmarks into a grid of Internet pages viewed simultaneously
on one screen. The software also lets users add, delete and edit bookmarks,
organize them into folders, define how many sites they want to see on one
screen, and access bookmarks remotely.
Websplit
also provides personal matching technology that indicates when people with
similar interests are also surfing pages on Websplit. Users are represented as
orange and blue icons on-screen, in various sizes according to their
compatibility to the host user. A user can click on another user's icon to send
an instant message.
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Just out from Italian developer Phoenix Tools is a new "Yellow CD" collection of Softimage plug-ins including:
Also, the company is promising Maya plug-ins for the end of June.
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ACD
Systems International and LuraTech last week announced integration of LuraWave
and LuraDocument compression technology in the ACDSee 3.0 image-management software.
LuraTech's technology uses wavelet-technology, said to combine higher
compression rates with superior image quality. Wavelet compression will be the
core technology behind the coming JPEG2000 still image standard to be finalized
late this year.
In
addition to supporting the viewing of LuraWave (.LWF) and LuraDocument (.LDF)
formats, ACDSee will offer LuraWave and LuraDocument plug-ins that let users
compress image and image/text files at rates of 200:1 and higher. LuraWave
provides additional features such as the ability to download progressively
sharper versions of an image from a single file and the ability to have scaled
images (i.e. thumbnails) from the original without having to create a new file.
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It's not
exactly what we think of as "new media," but this may be of interest
to some: Authorlink.com, a news/information/marketing site for editors, agents
and writers, has launched a new section called New Media. Defined by the
Authorlink folks as titles published by subsidy presses or self-published by
the author, they can be ranked for quality on a five-star rating system by the
site's committee of "four published writers."
New Media
books advertised by the publisher or author on Authorlink.com, potentially can
earn stars for quality. Rankings include: "Excellent Read" (five
stars), "Good Read" (three stars), or "Worth a Look" (one
star). Books showing no stars are not rated or have not yet been evaluated.
Title
listings range in price from $15 per month to $25 per month, plus a $40 setup
fee.
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Despite a
slow start, good news is on the horizon for the U.S. digital TV market, with
shipments projected to increase to more than a half million units this year. By
2004, as DTV set prices decrease and the government-mandated cessation of
analog transmissions nears, this figure will soar to 5.9 million units,
resulting in $9 billion in revenue, reports Cahners In-Stat Group, a high-tech
market research firm.
HDTV
Displays will reign supreme for the next couple of years, and will eventually
be overtaken by Standard Definition (SD) TV sets in 2003.
According
to Michelle Abraham, Senior Analyst for In-Stat's Consumer and Convergence
Service, "The large price differential between HDTV and SDTV will remain
constant and the minimal variance in picture quality in sets below 30 inches
will convince consumers replacing smaller screen sets to opt for SDTV. As a
result, SDTV sets will lead the market in shipping volume by 2004, even though
HDTV sets will generate more overall revenue".
Few HDTV
sets are currently being sold with integrated decoders. Instead, consumers
purchase separate decoder set top boxes which enable them to upgrade at a
significantly lower cost than purchasing an entire HDTV set.
Additionally,
the use of Digital Terrestrial TV Set Top Boxes (DTT-STBs) gives consumers
digital television benefits without the purchase of pricey High Definition
sets. "SDTV-STBs, specifically, can be used in conjunction with analog
televisions, allowing the consumer to receive Digital Terrestrial Transmission,
increase their set's picture quality, and have access to multicast program
services, Electronic Program Guides and stereo or surround sound audio
outputs", says Gerry Kaufold, principal analyst with In-Stat's Consumer
and Convergence Service. So far, the high cost of digital sets has parlayed
into $100 million dollars worth of retail sales worldwide for STBs. In-stat
predicts that these sales will explode to an estimated $1 billion in 2004. The
European DVB-T market is breaking out of the chute first, In-Stat expects over
600,000 DTT-STBs to ship this year in England and Sweden.
In-Stat
also reports:
The report
Digital Television Sets: The Forecast (MM0004DV) covers the current state of
the digital TV market and provides forecasts for DTV set shipments and revenue
in addition to resulting semiconductor content. The report also profiles DTV
products for companies such as Hitachi, Fujitsu, Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer,
Samsung, Sony, Sharp and Thomson/RCA. The report price is $2,495.
The report
Digital Terrestrial TV Set Top Boxes: Catching the New Digital Waves (MM0005ST)
presents set top box features, transmission and reception issues in addition to
set top box and semiconductor forecasts. The report price is $2,995.
http://www.instat.com/catalog/cat-mm.htm
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We spent
way too much time last weekend playing this title; if you like console RPGs, do
not miss it. It's a bit wordy, and the battles are on the easy side (so far),
but the puzzles are clever, if not downright tricky in some cases, the story is
fairly compelling, and some of the NPCs are quite humorous. The PR says the
battles are real-time, but in fact they're turn-based--thank goodness. Even
better, the special effects are effective without taking forever. And on two
CDs with minimal cinematics, it's a huge game: You get your money's worth and
then some.
Sony
Computer Entertainment America last week released Wild Arms 2 for PlayStation.
As the sequel to 1997's role-playing hit Wild Arms, Wild Arms 2 is a true,
traditional role-playing game (RPG) which brings back the best features from
the first installment while adding improved graphics with 3D worlds, new
characters, complex puzzles and dynamic battles.
Players
must venture through Filgaia as one of three characters: Ashley, Lilka or Brad.
Also known as dream chasers, these characters each possess their own distinct
abilities and special fighting skills when engaged in battle. In Wild Arms 2,
the journey will vary depending on the character selected, the information and
items acquired, and the final decisions made by the player as the storyline
unravels.
Walkthrough:
http://www.gamewinners.com/playstation/WildArms2ndIgnition.htm
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In an
attempt to get the word out and broaden the appeal of its game MindRover,
CogniToy last week released Mini-Mindrover, a free Web-based Java game
available at the company's Web site.
In both
versions of the game, users wire up intelligent robots to compete against the
clock or other robots. The full version of MindRover lets users choose the
chassis type and components, build the robots, wire them, and then provides a
variety of 3D scenarios for competition. Mini-MindRover starts with a pre-designed
robotic race car and lets the player program its components to race around one
of three different race tracks in a top-down view.
http://www.cognitoy.com/minimindrover
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Publisher Eidos Interactive last week announced its PC and console lineup for this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo:
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The greedy
Trade Federation has invaded pastoral Naboo, and the vile Neimoidians are
wreaking havoc on the peaceful world. The planet's people have been
imprisoned... or worse. But a handful of resistance fighters have rallied to
defend their homeworld. LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC challenges players
to strike back on land, sea and air in the Nintendo 64 action-arcade title Star
Wars: Episode I Battle for Naboo. Inspired by Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, the
game is being developed in conjunction with Factor 5 LLC of San Rafael, Calif.,
and is expected for release in fall 2000.
The title
intersects Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace at key plot points, but
Lucas claims the storyline is entirely original. Players will assume the role
of Lieutenant Gavyn Sykes, a young and dedicated Naboo soldier fighting to
defend his planet. In his quest to free Naboo, Sykes must master multiple
vehicles, including the fast and agile N-1 starfighter, a heavily armored
battle STAP, a stolen Trade Federation gunboat, and the powerful Gian speeder,
to name a few. Each vehicle has different strengths, weaknesses, and weapons;
understanding these factors will be a key to victory.
Battle for
Naboo's dynamic difficulty adjustment continually evaluates the player's
performance and adjusts the levels accordingly.
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WildTangent
was one of the most visible companies at the recent GDC, thanks to the
unflagging energy of founder/CEO/ex-Microsoft game evangelist Alex St. John.
Microsoft recently announced the release of its latest online game,
"Tacoma Adrenaline" featured on the MSN Game Zone at.
The game
was created by WildTangent using its Web Driver, which interfaces directly with
DirectX. The software is said to let Web and game developers create and deliver
multimedia content via the Internet using standard scripting languages. The Web
Driver software development kit enables developers to take advantage of a
user's hardware acceleration to display graphically rich content. In doing so,
Web developers can create and incorporate rich advertising, entertainment and
gaming content that scales to a user's system.
http://www.zone.com/adrenaline
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Tired of
taking your life into your hands every time you go online? Electronic Arts last
week released the latest version of its multiplayer virtual world, Ultima
Online (UO). Ultima Online: Among the new features in Ultima Online:
Renaissance are new lands, equal to the size of the original world and devoted
to providing players with an area safe from the attacks of other players. Upon
logging in to the world, new players are given the opportunity to go through
the new in-game tutorial.
They are
immediately taken to the safe town of "Haven" where they can practice
in a live game environment and benefit from one-on-one training supplied by
more than 2000 volunteer companions.
The
upgraded features will allow expanded opportunities for housing. A doubling of
the landmass in Britannia means additional room to build houses, towers and
castles, giving more players the chance to live the Britannia dream. In
addition, a new party system enables adventuring with a group of friends by
facilitating group communication, combat, and profit and reward sharing. Skill
management, a new skill system design feature, allows for more exact control
over the development of your character.
Current
Ultima Online subscribers won't be required to purchase a CD to enjoy the
updated features of Ultima Online: Renaissance because the features are
automatically downloaded to existing accounts.
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eMediatainmentWorld,
a new conference and marketplace focused on the development and distribution of
the Internet's emediatainment-related content, supporting services and
applications, has set a lineup of four main panels:
Other
panels include:
http://www.emediatainmentworld.com
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Spectrum is an independent news service published every Monday for the interactive media professional community by Motion Blur Media. Spectrum covers the tools and technologies used to create interactive multimedia applications and infrastructure for business, education, and entertainment; and the interactive media industry scene. We love to receive interactive media and online development tools and CD-ROMs for review.
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