Media Architects, Inc. Announces OLE Controls Product Line

San Francisco---Media Architects announced the addition of two new OLE
Controls to its current line of powerful image handling and multimedia
components at the Windows Solutions Conference. ImageKnife/OCX 2.0 and
MediaKnife/OCX 1.1 will be available early 1995 and are designed to
enhance the capabilities of the Microsoft Visual Basic programming system
and other development environments that support OLE Controls, according to
Paul Needham, president of Media Architects, Inc.

The software developer will also release updated versions of its existing
ImageKnife/VBX and MediaKnife/VBX products in November 1994. Customers
upgrading to or purchasing ImageKnife/VBX 2.0 and MediaKnife/VBX 1.1 prior
to release of the OLE Controls will receive free upgrades to the new OLE
Controls and will be dual-licensed to use either product.

"The new OLE Controls of ImageKnife and MediaKnife will make powerful image
handling and multimedia components available to a broad range of
developers creating applications and interactive titles for Windows,"
notes Needham. "This is a major step in our goal to maximize the potential
of multimedia under Windows by developing and marketing components to
enhance standard development systems such as Visual Basic."

MediaKnife/VBX is a powerful set of extensions for Visual Basic. Software
developers using this popular application development system for Windows
can create high-impact multimedia kiosks, games, titles and other
applications. ImageKnife/VBX is an image handling control providing a wide
range of image display, image processing and format conversion
capabilities.

"Visual Basic Custom Controls have been immensely popular with MIS
developers and system integrators looking to quickly assemble business
solutions," states Needham. "OLE Controls retain the ease of integration
that solutions builders are looking for, but are based on an open
component software technology - Microsoft OLE. Needham emphasizes that
through OLE, both ImageKnife and MediaKnife will be usable in a much
broader range of development environments and across different hardware
platforms and operating systems. OLE software components will be the
standard building blocks for future software applications, adds Needham.

MediaKnife/VBX allows developers to create applications that have a much
higher impact than previous programs through the use of motion, sound and
other multimedia elements, without sacrificing the advantages of
developing in Visual Basic. Version 1.1 adds supports for the new
Microsoft high-speed graphics API, WinG. The new API will provide
game-quality graphics performance under the Windows operating system. Both
MediaKnife/VBX and MediaKnife/OCX will make the WinG performance available
to multimedia developers without requiring them to work at the API level.

"With MediaKnife/VBX, the entire concept of what can and can't be done with
Visual Basic has changed radically," comments Randy Chase, game developer
and reviewer. "The ability to create 256-color full-screen graphic
interfaces for my games with sprites, embedded hotspots and dynamic
television-like wipes and transitions has created a whole new world of
possibilities." Chase is developer of the political simulation game, Power
Politics.

ImageKnife/VBX is an image handling control introduced by Media Architects
in January 1993. It enables a developer to quickly build applications that
incorporate the ability to acquire images via a TWAIN-compliant scanner,
manipulate the images as needed and store them in a compressed format to a
database for later retrieval, etc. ImageKnife/VBX was recently honored as
"Custom Control of the Month" for August 1994 by Databased Advisor
Magazine. Version 2.0 adds built-in scrollbars, high-speed panning and
zooming, 4-9 times faster color reduction, support for CCITT Group 3/4
compression and a variety of other capabilities that customers have
requested.

ImageKnife/VBX, Standard lists for $249; ImageKnife/VBX, Pro Pack lists for
$349 and ImageKnife/OCX lists for $399. MediaKnife/VBX lists for $349 and
MediaKnife/OCX lists for $399. In addition, online vendor support for both
ImageKnife and MediaKnife will soon be available via a CompuServe Forum,
according to Needham.

Founded in 1988, Media Architects, Inc. is headquartered in Portland,
Oregon. The company was a pioneer in the application of computers for
audience presentation. Drawing on that expertise, the company develops and
markets multimedia tools and, utilizing those tools, and produces
interactive CD-ROM titles. For more information, contact Media Architects,
Inc., 503-639-2505.

Media Architects
7320 SW Hunziker Rd, Suite 305
Portland, OR 97223
503-639-2505,  fax 503-620-5451

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