Entera has released two free QuickTime RTSP servers, one that runs under Windows 98/NT and the other that runs on Sun's Solaris. You can read a press release about the Solaris server, and a press release about the Windows server. You can download a beta version at Entera's Streaming Server page; click the Download Now button. (We downloaded and ran the Windows version of the server and found that it was very simple to set up and run. In short, it just worked, like QuickTime!)
Microsoft and Real Networks have jumped on to Akamai's network. (Akamai is the distributed network technology behind QuickTime TV.) For more details, see an Akamai press release about the Microsoft partnership, and an Akamai press release about the Real Networks partnership.
Software updates:
There's an Avid Cinema Version 1.3.1 Update. This update will allow you to use Avid Cinema with QuickTime 4.0. Go to the Avid Cinema PowerMac G3 downloads page.
There's an SoundsaVR 1.2 update that takes advantage of QuickTime 4.0 features such as embedding MP3 and RTSP audio in QuickTime VR panoramas. You can find out more about the product at the SoundsaVR page.
Version 3.37 of Play it Cool, a shareware QuickTime movie player, is available from the About Russell Clarke page.
PuppetTime, the QuickTimed-based software for telling digital stories, has reached beta 3. Visit the PuppetTime web site to download the beta.
Photoshop users may want to get an update to the Tour and Training CD-ROM included with Adobe Photoshop 5.5. This update fixes an incompatibility with QuickTime 4. Get it at the Adobe Photoshop 5.5 Tour and Training Update page.
There's a 4.1 version of Adobe After Effects. It's a $50 upgrade for 4.0 owners. Go to the Adobe After Effects page for info about the upgrade and a link to an order page.
Uni Software has releasedthe final version of easy beat, a Mac-only QuickTime Music Architecture based music program; it lets you compose music that can be exported as a QuickTime music track. You can get more info at the easy beat home page and get a demo from the easy beat download page.
You'll find a PDF document of Ben Waggoner's "Making Great Web Video" article at the October 99 edition of DV Live magazine.
wrinkle in time 2000 is coming. (This will be an events during which VR photographers from all over the world will shoot panoramas at the same time.) You can read all about this at wrinkleintime.org
Interactive Solutions has released version 4.5 of their MovieWorks QuickTime authoring tool. Go to the MovieWorks home page for info and to download a demo.
A new website offers lots of stuff concerning the authoring program, iShell, including much that is QuickTime-related. Go to the iShell Network home page, and check out the FAQ, demos, Plug-ins, and Xtras, all of which have QuickTime-related items, demonstrating just how powerful iShell's QuickTime features are.
EditDV Unplugged 1.6 is now out. Go to the EditDV Unplugged page for more info, to upgrade, puchase, or to download a trial version of this FireWire capture and editing tool.
Yabba-Dabba-Doo! The Flintstones "Saturday Night Fred", a new interactive cartoon, is available only in QuickTime 4! Check out the Web Premiere Toons Saturday Night Fred page. (We found out about this at MacCentral)
The VRWorx (Mac and PC package containing tools for creating QuickTime VR panoramas, objects, and scenes) will begin shipping at the beginning of October. The VR Toolbox web site has details and evaluation copies you can download.
Brennan Young has a Lingo Audio Panning Example using QuickTime Wired Sprites page which shows shows how Director can communicate with QuickTime wired sprites. (Director Shockwave 7 or later is required; make sure it's installed before you click on the link above or your browser may crash.)
Here's a useful article from Apple's tech info library that we forgot to mention last week: About QuickTime Streaming Server 1.0.2 (#60464)
We're back after our 6 week hiatus. We're all fine. Thanks for all your good wishes. Below we've noted the significant news from the last month and a half.
Judy and Robert
QuickTime 4.0.3 has been released. If you want to update, you can run QuickTime Updater (found in your QuickTime folder), which will update a few QuickTime items. ( If you don't already have QuickTime 4, download it at the QuickTime download page.) You can find out what's new in an Apple Tech Info Library article, "QuickTime 4.0.3: What Is New".
Sorenson Broadcaster (the tool for doing live QuickTime broadcasting) has been released and is available for purchase. The Sorenson Broadcaster page has more info, including links to an ordering page, tutorial, and more.
Apple has announced the QuickTime Live! conference, in LA from November 8 to 11. (We will be speaking on Wednesday, Novemeber 10 at 10am; the title of our talk will be "Authoring and Editing with QuickTime Player".)
If you're doing much QuickTime work and thinking about getting a new computer, look into Apple's new PowerMac G4. We like it because of its speed: you can compress Sorenson in near-real-time. Key applications are being optimized for the G4: Terran has a press release, Terran's Media Cleaner© Pro Being Optimized for Apple's New PowerMac G4; Apple has announced that Final Cut Pro 1.2, to be released in November, will be optimized for the G4; Sorenson Video 2.1 (Developer Edition) will also take advantage of the G4, according to a 9/1 press release from Sorenson Vision.
A summary of QuickTime's presence at the recent Seybold conference can be found in a PCWorld article, "QuickTime: The Internet Live".
ZDNN has an opinion piece about QuickTime by Matthew Rothenberg that's full of QuickTime cheerleading.
Apple has posted an update to version 1.0.2 of its QuickTime Streaming Server. You can get it if you go to article 11519 of the Apple Software Library. The readme for the software is at article 60462 of Apple's Tech Info Library, "QuickTime Streaming Server 1.0.2 Update: Read Me".
LiveStage Professional, a tool for creating interactive QuickTime movies, is not yet out, but you can get a beta version if you go to the LiveStage Professional Beta page.
A new product that sounds quite interesting is Video Gogh. It can alter photographic stills and video so they look like painted works of art.The RE:Vision Effects web site has info, a gallery of examples, and links to their webstore where you can purchase this $20 piece of software.
PTStitcher, a new freeware stitching utility that creates a panoramic image to be viewed with all major VR viewers (including QuickTime VR, of course) can be found at the Panorama Tools page.
Various other tools have been updated:
Macsourcery BarbaBatch is now at version 3.0. This Mac batch sound conversion and compression tool does MP3 encoding, and has QuickTime 4 and QDesign 2 Pro support. The BarbaBatch page has lots of details.
Casady & Greene's SoundJam (a Mac MP3 player and encorder, which can convert QuickTime audio to MP3) has been upgraded to 1.1, adding support for the G4. Get the update at the SoundJam page.
Etchelon Tracer , a vector-based morphing animation program that outputs as QuickTime has been updated to version 3.1.2. More info and a download are at the Etchelon Tracer page.
Synthetic Aperture has updated their Video Finesse plug-ins for Adobe Premiere to version 2.0; you can read more and download a demo version at the Video Finesse page.
PuppetTime, the QuickTimed-based software for telling digital stories, has reached beta 2. Visit the PuppetTime web site to download the beta.
QuickEditor, a shareware movie editor, has been updated to version 6.3.2; download at the QuickEditor site.
Escape Information Services has released their QuickTime import component for the DICOM image format. (DICOM is an image format used by healthcare professionals.) You can read more about it and sign up for the beta at Escape's QuickTime for Medical Imaging page.
There's a new version of DeFish, a free tool that dewarps fisheye images so they can be used for QuickTime VR, among other things. See new examples, and download the new version at Ken Turkowski's Fisheye Examples page.
iREZ has announced its KritterUSB camera, which lets you bring live video in through a USB port. Read more about it at the KritterUSB page.
Aurora Design has unbundled its Igniter card, which is a high quality Mac video capture card. (Previously you could only get it bundled with Premiere; the hardware alone is now $1149.) The Aurora Design Press Release page has some info about the unbundling; the Aurora Design Igniter page has more info about the card.
Recent QuickTime-related article's at Apple's Tech Info Library:
Final Cut Pro 1.0.1: PowerBook Support (#60447)
QuickTime 4: Customizing MIME Type Assignments for the QuickTime Plug-in (#36508)
At Mark Christal's "QuickTime VR for Educators and JustPlain Folk" Web site you'll find a couple of new sections: "Finding the VFOV Parameter of a Lens" and "Simulating QTVR Scenes on the Web Using PlugInHelper or ConVRter"
Our new book, QuickTime Pro 4: A Visual QuickStart Guide should now be available in your local bookstore and online (at Amazon and at Peachpit).