[ANN] QuickTime 4.0 Ships
press_r...@mactech.com
[ANN] QuickTime 4.0 Ships
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Apple's QuickTime 4 Goes Primetime
More Than Five Million Copies Downloaded In First 50 Days
FOX News Online, FOX Sports Online and The Weather Channel Join QuickTime
Content Providers
CUPERTINO, Calif. - June 8, 1999 - Apple today released the final
shipping version of QuickTime 4, its industry-leading multimedia software
for both Macintosh and Windows platforms. QuickTime 4 features
"streaming" of live and stored video and audio over the Internet and is
the first Internet streaming solution to use non-proprietary
industry-standard RTP and RTSP protocols. More than five million copies
of QuickTime 4 public beta software have been downloaded from Apple's web
site during the first 50 days since its release in April.
Apple today also announced that FOX News Online and FOX Sports Online
have joined the growing lineup of QuickTime content providers offering
live programming, which also include BBC WORLD, Bloomberg, HBO, NPR (R)
and WGBH Boston. The Weather Channel(R) joins the QuickTime programming
lineup with on-demand weather forecasts.
"QuickTime 4 provides the highest quality video and audio over the
Internet, and with five million new customers it's the hottest streaming
technology out there," said Steve Jobs, Apple's interim CEO. "Content
providers also love QuickTime's use of open standards instead of
proprietary streaming formats -- they no longer have to pay RealNetworks'
server tax."
"NADP (News America Digital Publishing) was a pioneer in the use of
streaming video on the Internet and offers the most extensive library
archive of video on the web," said Scott Ehrlich, senior vice president
and executive producer of NADP, producer of FOXSports.com and
FOXNews.com. "Our partnership with Apple furthers NADP's commitment to
deliver high-quality video to our web site users."
"We've gone from a public beta version of QuickTime 4 to final product in
less than two months," said Avie Tevanian, Apple's senior vice president
of Software Engineering. "QuickTime is the only digital media
architecture that allows content providers to create, edit and distribute
audio and video in a single format."
QuickTime 4's new Internet streaming capabilities allow users to play
live and stored video and audio, enabling them to experience high-
quality playback even over 28.8Kbps modems. Key features in QuickTime 4
include:
- QuickTime Player, providing intuitive user controls, a stunning new
look and feel, and one-click access to Internet content. QuickTime Player
also features audio controls for balance, volume, bass, and treble;
- QuickTime PictureViewer, delivering still image support for a wide
range of formats including BMP, GIF, JPEG, PICT, PNG, SGI, TIFF, Adobe
Photoshop, and FlashPix;
- QuickTime Web Browser Plug-in, enabling Microsoft Internet Explorer,
Netscape Navigator and America Online web browsers to display
QuickTime-based media directly inside web pages;
- Compression technologies, allowing content providers to optimize the
playback of their content for dial-up Internet access and CD-ROM. These
include MPEG-1 layer 3 (MP3), Sorenson Video, QDesign Music, Qualcomm
PureVoice, H.261, H.263 and GSM;
- Network protocol support for Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
streaming standards, RTP, RTSP, SDP, FTP and HTTP;
- Support for video and animation formats, such as AVI, DV, Macromedia
Flash, OpenDML, GIF and FLC;
- QuickTime for Java allowing Java applets to interface with QuickTime's
entire API;
- New small, intelligent installer to speed the download process,
especially for QuickTime 4 users with low bandwidth Internet connections.
By enabling users to download only the parts of QuickTime they
immediately need and offering automatic updates, customers get the
fastest possible access to QuickTime content.
QuickTime 4 Pro includes all the features of QuickTime 4 while unlocking
the software's advanced authoring and playback capabilities, including:
- Multi-format editing, allowing users to integrate video and audio from
anywhere, in any QuickTime supported format, including streaming;
- Advanced export capabilities, enabling users to manipulate still images
and convert them to standard publishing formats, such as Adobe Photoshop,
TIFF, BMP, PICT, PNG and JPEG;
- Ability to create slide shows that integrate pictures and sound; - New
Lens Flare and Zoom filters to further enhance movies and images;
- Easy preparation of QuickTime movies for streaming distribution.
Availability, Pricing and System Requirements
Macintosh and Windows users can immediately download a free version of
QuickTime 4 software from Apple's QuickTime web site
(www.apple.com/quicktime). The advanced playback and editing capabilities
of QuickTime 4 Pro are available to users for U.S. $29.99. QuickTime 3
Pro customers are automatically upgraded to QuickTime 4 Pro free of
charge upon downloading the QuickTime 4 software.
System requirements for Mac OS-based systems are: 68020, 68030, 68040 or
PowerPC processor; at least 8MB of RAM recommended for 68020, 68030 or
68040 processor-based systems. It also requires at least 16MB of RAM for
PowerPC processor-based systems and MAC OS 7.1 or later. PowerPC
processor required for streaming.
System requirements for Windows-based systems are: Intel or compatible
processor or any MPC2-compliant PC with minimum 66-MHz 486 processor; at
least 16MB of RAM; Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0 system
software. Sound Blaster or compatible sound card and speakers and DirectX
version 3.0 or later are also recommended. Pentium processor required for
streaming.
Apple Computer, Inc. ignited the personal computer revolution in the
1970s with the Apple II, and reinvented the personal computer in the
1980s with the Macintosh. Apple is now recommitted to its original
mission to bring the best personal computing products and support to
students, educators, designers, scientists, engineers, businesspersons
and consumers in over 140 countries around the world.
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