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It seems like Macs are becoming more powerful on a daily basis. Multimedia hardware and software applications have always sought to capitalize on the computer's capabilities -- and they're changing accordingly along with the newest, fastest machines. Here's a look at the state of the Macintosh multimedia market leading up to January's Macworld Expo. Macromedia Flash ( www.macromedia.com ) has been a major player in the long-format Web animation market since Flash 3. Because they're vector-based, Flash files are small in size. Flash 4 built on that appeal by adding more interactivity options. Thanks to the ubiquity of the Shockwave Flash Player plug-in and QuickTime's built-in Flash support, Flash files are now common on the Web. With Macromedia's December 15 announcement of an alliance with Liberate Technologies ( www.liberate.com ), you may soon see Flash on your television, as well. Liberate Technologies develops software platforms for set-top boxes that enable … [Read more...] about Road to Expo: Multimedia

Rattle off a list of Tony Hawk's achievements--the inventor of more than 50 skateboarding tricks, the only skateboarder to pull off a two-and-a-half-turn maneuver called the 900 in competition, and the standard by which people measure performance in his sport, even after his retirement from active competition. Talk about his business interests, which include clothing, skateboards, film, and video games. Then ask him if there's anything you haven't covered. "Just that I'm a true Mac devotee," he says. When Hawk isn't on his skateboard, chances are he's in front of his Mac, doing everything from burning CDs to editing digital video. Q: What hardware do you use? A: I've got a G4 that I use at home. It's a 450MHz with 256MB of RAM. I've got a 30GB FireWire external drive from VST. My internal drive is a 20GB drive. I use a Que FireWire CD-RW, 16x10x40, which doesn't work with iTunes yet, which is really a drag. And that was one of the big reasons I bought it, too. Q: You bought … [Read more...] about Pro File

Unity developer BitHeadz Inc. has announced plans to release a new software title called Unity Synth Expander 1. The new package will debut at the Winter NAMM show in San Francisco, Calif. in January and will ship early in 2003. <?php virtual("/includes/boxad.inc"); ?> Comprising six plug-ins, Unity Synth Expander 1 consists of 500 sounds that can be used either standalone or as plug-ins with Unity Session, Unity DS-1, Unity AS-1. They'll also work with Pro Tools, Digital Performer, Cubase and Logic. The set consists of FM-1, an 8 operator FM synthesizer; BR-1, a brass physical model; EP-1, an electric piano model; GL-1, a glottal and vocal physical model; VS-1, a vector synth; and WS-1, a wave sequencer synth. BitHeadz plans to sell Unity Synth Expander 1 for US$199. It'll be available direct through BitHeadz and through BitHeadz's dealer network. This story, "BitHeadz to offer Unity Synth Expander" was originally published by PCWorld . … [Read more...] about BitHeadz to offer Unity Synth Expander