News

IBM Announces New Rich Media Software

• By Scott Bekker
• 11/01/1999

IBM announced today the release of new software that makes it easier for companies to make their online business efforts more interactive. The newest release of IBM's rich media software, HotMedia 2.5, allows companies to more easily integrate bandwidth-intelligent, high-volume multimedia with their existing business processes. HotMedia 2.5 enables companies to synchronize HotMedia streaming audio with images for more interactive Web-based presentations, slide shows, and panoramas. The new release also includes a batch processing feature that gives high-volume, mega-product e-commerce, customer service and auction sites the ability to automate the production of large amounts of rich media content.

HotMedia 2.5 includes several new features. These include enhanced streaming audio with selectable quality that provides options to trade-off bandwidth and listening experiences; a new authoring tool GUI for Windows and Macintosh platforms; player control API for JavaScript control to create customized navigation and playback controls; image scrolling for advanced ticker experiences; user specified time interval for auto transition from thumbnail for additional control of page download characteristics; and event triggers for creating sophisticated rich media experiences, such as mouse-over streaming audio.

HotMedia 2.5 is one of the first rich media technologies to harness the power of Java. The HotMedia player is broken into applets, typically less than 10 Kbytes each in size, which are delivered to the user on an as-needed basis. The patented "smart content" technology requires no plug-ins or special server technology. HotMedia's new JavaScript player control API allows HotMedia to work with other objects in a Web application. HotMedia objects such as slide shows, videos, panoramas and tours can be controlled from within the user interface of applications such as distance learning and corporate communications products without plug-ins or special controls.

Contact IBM, (800) 772-2227, www.ibm.com.