[Resolved] [Resolved] [Resolved] Flix 2.0 and Flash 6 (MX)

Macromedia, makers of the Flash authoring tool, has announced that the Flash 6 authoring tool ($ 499) includes video support. We welcome Macromedia's support for video in Flash, which we introduced to the marketplace over a year ago. We believe that Macromedia's new video feature will significantly widen the market for video in Flash.

Up to now, the biggest complaint about Flix has been the quality of the video – which is not as good as Quicktime and Windows Media. The tradeoff has always been the ubiquity of the Flash player. So you give up some quality in exchange for the fact that everyone can view your video without hassles, on all platforms, even through firewalls. Now there is the MX video format, and one of the reasons we’re excited about it is that we will add support for MX video as soon as it is released, and it will provide our customers with another output format – one that has video quality comparable to Quicktime and Windows Media.

So with Flix you will be able to output both a Flash 3+ .swf that will play on the hundreds of millions of existing Flash players (98% of web users), and you will also be able to output the new high quality MX format for viewers with Flash 6 installed. That way you can enjoy the best of both worlds. In addition Flix enables you to output our one-of-a-kind vector video .swf files (not to mention audio only files, projectors, html, and all the other outputs that Flix offers).

Flash MX is a design tool, not a video tool. That is why Macromedia will be offering a $300 video encoding tool to go along with Flash MX that will have only some of the many features Flix offers. So if you’re working with video in Flash you can spend $300 on their video encoder (in addition to the $500 it costs to purchase Flash), or you can get Flix ($129, $30 upgrade) and enjoy all the other features that Flix offers as well.

Given some of the questions we have been asked since the announcement of Flash 6, we thought we would answer them here:

*If I plan on buying Flash 6, why do I need Flix?

There are many, many reasons why you would still need to use Flix. Here are just a few:

· Flix is the only software available that will turn live action video into a vectorized animation in the swf format (Flash 6 does not offer this). It is a powerful new feature for animators, video professionals and web designers. (If you vectorize even a single video file, Flix has paid for itself.)
· Flix offers bitrate control; Flash 6 has no bitrate control. If you want to ensure that users on a specified connection can view your video you must have bitrate control. Macromedia will be offering an additional $300 encoding tool that has bitrate control.
· Flix has batch encoding; Flash 6 does not. (If you batch encode one set of files Flix has paid for itself.) Macromedia will be offering an additional $300 encoding tool that has batch encoding.
· Flix will output Flash 3, 4, 5 and MX video, while Flash MX will only output MX video. Users should be aware that the video output in Flash MX is Flash 6 only (it will only play in the Flash 6 player). Based on the history of Flash 4 and 5, it is safe to assume that it is going to take a while for the Flash 6 player to become widespread. With Flix you will be able to encode video for the older Flash 3, 4 and 5 players as well as the new Flash 6 player, so you won’t have to choose.
· Flix has many different outputs that can be generated from the source file automatically, including .swf, .mp3, .wav, pc and mac projectors, and .jpeg; Flash 6 does not
· Flix will automatically output the code to play your swf in a rich media email and in an html page; Flash 6 does not.
· Flix has many built in automatic .swf functions such as linking, looping, preloading, play controls, variables, etc.; Flash 6 does not.
· Flix allows you to automatically embed a non-removable overlay and/or watermark in your output .swf; Flash 6 does not.
· Flix allows you to set distinct video and swf framerates, as well as easily control image size and custom swf dimensions; Flash 6 does not.
· Wildform offers a 15 day money back guarantee on all our software for any reason; Macromedia does not.
· Wildform provides excellent, free technical support; Macromedia does not.

There are many other reasons why Flix is the tool to use to create video in Flash. For a full feature list of Flix 2.0, please visit our Flix features page (http://www.wildform.com/flix/features_flix.php). For an overview of Flix, please visit our Flix product overview page (http://www.wildform.com/flix/index.php). Or download our demo version and try the software out yourself (http://www.wildform.com/demos/index.php#productdemos).

*What is the future direction for Flix, now that Flash has video support?

Flix 1.0, released in January, 2001, was the first video to Flash encoder. Flix 2.0 ($ 129), released in February, 2002, is the first software that converts standard video into vectorized video using its automated trace bitmap feature. Flix 2.0 also has major performance enhancements and it comes loaded with great, time saving features, including batch encoding. Flix is simply the easiest way to put video on the web, and with its new features, it is also a powerful tool for web developers, Flash designers, animators and video professionals.

Flix is an essential tool for any Flash developer who is serious about working with video. If you are comfortable using Flash, you only want to encode an occasional clip of video, and you don't care about controlling the bitrate of your video for web streaming, then Flash may be sufficient for your needs. However, Flix is a professional tool designed to handle all your needs for working with video in Flash. If you want to optimize your video for web streaming by setting a bitrate, batch encode your files, create watermarks and overlays, or vectorize your video, then you will need Flix, and the software will most likely pay for itself in the time saved by a single use.

Flix is also an indispensable tool for the vast group of designers who want to use Flash without learning the complex Flash authoring tool, or paying the $ 499 purchase price. Flix 2.0 automates many key swf functions so that users can easily encode, manipulate and post their video on the Internet.

As you can see from our customer gallery (http://www.wildform.com/resources/gallery.php), which illustrates some of the many ways Flix has been put into use, from our user comments (http://www.wildform.com/flix/flix_testimonials.php), and from our excellent reviews (http://www.wildform.com/flix/reviews.php), Flix is simply the best and most comprehensive solution for putting video on the web and for encoding video into Flash.

We don’t see ourselves in competition with Flash, because we are not a design tool. We are a video tool that is designed to be a very easy, powerful and professional way to put video on the web and in CD Roms, and we don’t think the introduction of Flash MX changes that. As mentioned, we think that Flash MX has opened the door to a new way of encoding video in Flash, which gives our customers more options. Obviously Macromedia feels that Flash MX does not do it all because they will be offering another piece of $300 software that only encodes video into the Flash MX format and which only has some of the features of Flix.

We were the first to put video in Flash, we were the first to have vectorized video output, and we plan on continuing to create software with unique, valuable and time-saving features. We are already at work on the next generation of Flix software, and I think it’s safe to say that our customers will find the improvements and new features to be extremely useful and at the forefront of video encoding technology.

JB
[Edited by Jonathan_B on 03-06-2002 at 04:59 PM]

I don't quite see how Flash MX's new video feature comes anywhere close to replacing Flix.

As a web developer, I have found that Flix offers many things that Flash MX and other 3rd party tools do not. Jon has listed a few of them, but Jon is one of the creators of the program. I would like to give the perspective of a web developer.

Flix's ability to set the bitrate of an encoded video
Flash MX or any other 3rd party tool does not have the ability to do this. Not only does this eliminate the need for programs like Real Player/QuickTime for streaming over the internet, it also saves a fortune in production costs.

Vectorizing
Flix's new ability to vectorize video is another revolutionary step in the world of video in swf format. As opposed to going frame by frame to vectorize a video, Flix will automatically do it for you. That saves endless hours of work. No other program, including Flash MX, offers this ability.

Batch Encoding
This is a great example why Wildform is so innovative. Many users of Flix actually requested this feature for version 2.0. Wildform listened to their callings and gave them what they wanted. In fact, Wildform included just about every requested feature in version 2.0. This batch encoding feature saves endless hours of production time.

These are just a few of Flix's advantages. The one main thing that Jon left out is that Wildform is a very innovative company. Flix is only at 2.0, but with every release/update, the guys at Wildform offer even more creative and revolutionary ideas. This means that Flix 2.0 is an incredible program now, but when Flix 2.5 and 3.0 comes out; it will be even better.

I will continue to use Flix for my video encoding in Flash simply because Flix is the only program that truly does what I need.

Please note: I am not paid by Wildform, nor am I given any benefits for moderating there forum or speaking this about them. I do this purely out of love for the program. When I truly hate a program, I say it.

-scott
http://scottmanning.com/