"Macromedia Flash MX unites designers and developers who can build on their existing knowledge to deliver more effective, rich Internet applications," said Rob Burgess, chairman and CEO, Macromedia. "Macromedia Flash MX applications provide increased return on investment for companies, and amazing user experiences across everything from mobile phones, PDAs, interactive TV systems, game machines, Internet appliances, webpads, and in-room hotel entertainment systems."

Macromedia Flash MX meets the needs of both designers and developers to deliver rich Internet content and applications that can be experienced consistently across all leading platforms and devices. The product simplifies the process of visual authoring for traditional web developers who want to use a rich client technology for their applications. The more than one million designers already familiar with Macromedia Flash can use their existing skills along with new server technologies to address the emergence of rich Internet applications (see separate release).

Video support enables developers to deliver a better overall user experience by bringing and adding interactivity to video clips within the overall Macromedia Flash content. Video content in Macromedia Flash allows designers to maintain control of the look and feel of their applications, unlike today's existing video options which require external players to be launched and have platform inconsistencies. Support for the Sorenson Spark codec ensures compressed, high-quality video playback (see separate release).

Macromedia Flash MX enhances the authoring workflow with a flexible workspace that can be customized to maximize productivity for both designers and developers. Pre-built user interface components accelerate development by providing users with customizable scrollbars, list boxes, and other standard interface elements to ensure a common experience across applications. Macromedia Flash MX also supports industry standards such as ECMAScript, HTML, MP3, Unicode, and XML. For a detailed breakdown of the new and enhanced features in Macromedia Flash MX, visit www.macromedia.com/go/flashmxfeatures/.

"Macromedia Flash MX empowers Sony Classical's designers to rapidly create online content that looks and sounds as vibrant as the artists we feature," said Manech Ibar, director, new media, Sony Classical. "Using Macromedia Flash MX, we can create compelling online content that draws new customers, while keeping their interest to stay longer at each site. In the first month after using Macromedia Flash, Sony Classical increased unique visitors by 76 percent and average time on our site by 120 percent. Now, with the ability to load sound and images dynamically, we can easily maintain all our sites and populate the content with updated artist-specific images and sound clips, saving precious development and maintenance time."

Macromedia Flash Player is the leading rich client on the Internet, with more than 98 percent of online users able to view Macromedia Flash content today across leading platforms and devices. More than two million online users download Macromedia Flash Player every day.

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
Macromedia Flash MX, which will be available electronically from the Macromedia Online Store for both Macintosh and Windows on March 15, is priced at $499, with upgrades at $199. The product will be available in English, French, German, and Japanese on March 15. Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish will be available at a later date. Check the website for additional information. Educational pricing is also available. Macromedia Flash MX seminars will be held throughout North America, check www.macromedia.com/go/q402seminars for more information.

ABOUT MACROMEDIA
Macromedia is passionate about what the web can be. Its award-winning products empower designers and developers to efficiently create and deliver the most engaging experiences on the web, and enable innovative Internet business applications. Headquartered in San Francisco, Macromedia has more than 1,400 employees worldwide and is available on the Internet at www.macromedia.com.