FLUITION 1.51 FOR WINDOWS MAKES SMIL EVEN EASIER

TORONTO, ON - March 2001 - Confluent Technologies Inc., creator of the popular dual-platform SMIL authoring tool, Fluition has released a new version of Fluition for Windows. Fluition 1.51 for Windows is a substantial upgrade to Fluition 1.0 with additional features such as a Quick Start Wizard that makes SMIL creation accessible to everyone.

The Quick Start Wizard is a new addition to Fluition 1.5 released in January 2000 and is such a great feature that Confluent Technologies Inc. was prompted to release Fluition 1.51. Fluition 1.5 was recently reviewed at ZDNet and given 5 out of 5 stars. The ZDNet review states:

"Fluition is a first-rate SMIL authoring tool for the layout and sequencing of streaming multimedia presentations. Eliminating the need for manually writing SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language, pronounced "smile") code, this program includes several graphical presentation layout tools and makes use of a wide range of media file formats, so you can create some quite sophisticated productions. User-customizable templates and a user-friendly interface make getting started easier than you think, and tools such as the Clip Sequencer (for modifying the timing aspects of clips), the SeriesProducer (for generating a series of SMIL files), and the TextStream Builder (for RealText file editing) make creating presentations highly user-intuitive. With advanced hyperlinking, the ability to play back presentations using Realplayer G2, and an online tutorial, Fluition packs a lot of power for such a small package. "

SMIL, Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language, is gaining momentum in the streaming media industry for creating interactive streaming media presentations. SMIL, a W3C standard markup language, allows the streaming media author the opportunity to incorporate and synchronize video, audio, graphics, text, shockwave flash files and other file formats into an interactive presentation for streaming on the Internet in RealNetworks Inc.?s RealPlayer.

Confluent Technologies Inc., a privately held Toronto based Streaming Media company, has pioneered interactive Streaming Media presentation creation through the development of Fluition. Fluition demonstration versions for Mac and Windows are available for download at www.fluition.com. Fluition can be purchased through Confluent Technologies Inc.?s distributors listed at www.fluition.com.