EMediaLive.com: Macromedia Ships Studio 8

Macromedia has announced the immediate availability of Macromedia Studio 8 ($399-$999), a software suite assembled to help Web designers, developers, video professionals and graphic artists to design, develop, and maintain interactive online experiences. Combining the latest releases of Macromedia Dreamweaver, Macromedia Flash Professional, and Macromedia Fireworks, and key productivity tools Macromedia Contribute and Macromedia FlashPaper, Studio 8 is designed to provide a more streamlined workflow for creating Web sites, interactive media, and mobile content.

Studio 8 includes new video encoding tools, new CSS enhancements and visual authoring tools for XML, and new tools for authoring and testing mobile content and the addition of Contribute and FlashPaper. Components of the Studio 8 suite are part of the Macromedia Flash Platform for delivering rich content, applications and communications across browsers, operating systems, and devices.

Dreamweaver 8, available immediately, is Macromedia's latest release of for designing and developing Web sites and applications. New Dreamweaver 8 features include the following:

expanded Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) layout visualization for easier design
drag-and-drop integration of XML data feeds, improved code hinting support for XML and XSLT
enhanced usability features such as zoom and code collapse to streamline the development process
easier ways to incorporate Flash video content onto websites.

Flash Player 8, available immediately, includes a higher-quality video codec, an advanced text-rendering engine and an improved security model and privacy controls to offer unprecedented performance in a lightweight runtime player, according to Macromedia.

Macromedia Studio 8, Dreamweaver 8, Flash Professional 8, and Fireworks 8 are available for immediate purchase from the Macromedia Online Store. Studio 8 pricing is $999 for a full license and $399 for an upgrade. Education, government, and volume pricing is available.