FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BitJazz Media Contact:
Meaghan Dixon (Horizon Communications)
408-969-4888, ext. 105
mdixon@horizonpr.com
www.horizonpr.com
BitJazz Contact:
Jim Lloyd (BitJazz Inc.)
(415) 642-4829
jim@bitjazz.com
www.bitjazz.com
BitJazz Enables Lossless Photo-Quality Compression for QuickTime
Applications on Mac OS and Windows
2.5X Compression Technology Previously Available Only in Adobe
Photoshop; New Version Also Supports 16-bit Color Channels for
High-End Imaging Applications
MACWORLD, BOOTH #3841, SAN FRANCISCO, CA – January 5, 1999 — BitJazz
Inc. today announced QuickTime support for the company’s acclaimed
BitJazz lossless, photo-quality compression software technology.
Available on both Microsoft Windows and Mac OS, this new
integration enables any software that supports QuickTime to natively
read and write PhotoJazz files, which are compressed an average of
2.5X with zero degradation of photo-quality images. PhotoJazz images
can now also be embedded in standard QuickDraw PICT files, QuickTime
image files and QuickTime movies.
The BitJazz compressor — formerly available only through an Adobe
Photoshop plug-in – enables artists and desktop publishers to go
beyond the ‘lossy’ compression of JPEG and maintain complete image
fidelity throughout a publishing distribution and archival workflow.
Using BitJazz, a 4.5 MB, 1536×1024-pixel photo-quality RGB image
typically compresses to 1.8MB, transmitting in 14 minutes instead of
35 over a 28.8Kbps line – a PhotoJazz file also takes significantly
less archival space. BitJazz uses the same amount of memory for any
size image and compresses 3X as fast as PNG (Portable Network
Graphics).
“BitJazz’s lossless compression technology is a great complement to
the existing compressors shipped in QuickTime 3, the industry
standard for digital media,” said Mitchell Weinstock, senior
QuickTime product manager at Apple Computer, Inc. “Artists and
desktop publishers now have another QuickTime-based tool for creating
top-quality images. We are excited to see developers like BitJazz
continue to move the QuickTime standard forward.”
“Based upon the success of our technology in the Adobe product
family, we wanted to extend leading multimedia architecture for Mac
and PC. Being able to losslessly compress images files in any
QuickTime-savvy application on all personal computing platforms is a
real win for our customers and partners,” said Andreas Wittenstein,
BitJazz’s founder.
New High-Color Support
The BitJazz compression engine has also been enhanced to support
high-precision (16 bits per channel) color, taking advantage of
QuickTime’s new color capabilities. 16-bit channels are now available
in both the PhotoJazz QuickTime components and in the upgraded
Photoshop plug-in for both Mac and Windows. Developers have access to
16-bit channels through the latest cross-platform BitJazz SDK.
16-bit channel support in BitJazz enables markets such as
professional digital photography, high-end computer animation,
medical imaging, and remote sensing, all of which require more than
the standard 8-bits per channel.
The versatility of the PhotoJazz format meshes with new features in
QuickTime 3.5 to support a variety of high-quality color modes,
including RGB, CMYK, grayscale, multispectral, and high-fidelity.
PhotoJazz also supports any number of alpha and spot-color channels,
plus ICC profiles.
Pricing and Availability
BitJazz has added the QuickTime component to its PhotoJazz product
line as a free upgrade to all users. The PhotoJazz reader/evaluation
copy is free and available for immediate download from
http://www.bitjazz.com.
PhotoJazz Expert, a new high-end US $149 solution for QuickTime and
Photoshop applications, has full write capability of all color modes,
including the new 16-bit channel support. PhotoJazz Pro, which sells
for $99, outputs 8-bit channels only, while PhotoJazz Lite, $49,
outputs RGB only.
The PhotoJazz product line is fully compatible with all
QuickTime-savvy applications, in addition to Adobe Photoshop
(4.0.1+), Adobe Illustrator (8.0+), Adobe ImageReady (1.0+), and
Adobe ImageStyler (1.0+). Other products that also support Photoshop
format plug-ins are compatible as well.
Using the BitJazz SDK, developers can incorporate the PhotoJazz
interface in their software free of charge, and their users can read
PhotoJazz images free of charge. For more information on developer
licensing of BitJazz technology, email license@bitjazz.com.
About BitJazz
BitJazz Inc. is emerging as the new market leader in lossless image
compression technology and development for key digital imaging
markets, including electronic publishing, graphic design, photography
and other digital arts, as well as the medical, satellite and
communications sectors. For additional company and product
information, please visit http://www.bitjazz.com/