BitJazz Press Releases
January 5, 1999

BitJazz Enables Lossless Photo-Quality Compression
for QuickTime Applications on MacOS 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

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, 1536x1024-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, 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 Bitjazz compression to all users of QuickTime, the leading multimedia architecture for Mac and PC. Being able to losslessly compress image 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 to support a variety of high-quality color modes, including RGB, CMYK, and Grayscale. PhotoJazz also supports any number of alpha and spot-color channels, plus ICC profiles.

Pricing and Availability

BitJazz has added the QuickTime components 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-capable 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+), and other products that support Photoshop format plug-ins.

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 partnerbitjazz.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/.

BitJazz and PhotoJazz are trademarks of BitJazz Inc. All product and service names profiled herein are trademarks and service marks of their respective companies. Trademarks and registered trademarks previously cited are hereby recognized and acknowledged.