Totally Hip out to sizzle Shockwave
Totally Hip Software, Inc. has posted to the Web a beta version of its Sizzler multimedia plug-in for Netscape Navigator 2.0. The rival to Macromedia's Shockwave features advanced compression technology.
Aimed squarely at competing with Macromedia's Shockwave for Director plug-in, Sizzler is targeted at creative users working at ad agencies and other similar outlets. In contrast, Sun Microsystems' Java toolkit is aimed at programmers and application developers.
Sizzler is based on the company's streaming multimedia technology. That technology lets Sizzler deliver highly interactive multimedia applications to the desktop faster than other plug-ins, said officials. The plug-in also uses compression technology to speed delivery on low-band networks, including the Web.
Beta versions of Sizzler for both Macintosh and Windows are available. Both are smaller than 50K, according to company officials.