ICE Announces ICE'd Commotion.

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 12, 1999--

From 2 to 50 times faster "on ICE";

equalizes playing field for small- to mid-size facility;

OMF support and heightened creativity for

Avid, Adobe After Effects users

ICE, a leader in desktop special effects software, announced an accelerated or "ICE'd" version of Puffin Designs' celebrated Commotion(tm) visual effects package for video, film and digital content creation that delivers added creativity and performance for motion graphics professionals. ICE'd Commotion speeds the core functions within un-"ICE'd" Commotion of motion tracking, stabilization, corner pinning and special effects from 2 to 50 times-- speed that gives users the time to add exquisite finishing touches they previously might forego. For nonlinear editors who work with Avid systems, ICE'd Commotion provides a seamless way to read and write OMF media files used by Avid Media Composer and Avid Xpress systems, thereby giving access to the popular Commotion system and its high-end paint, rotoscoping and playback capabilities. For existing ICE customers, ICE'd Commotion brings an upshot of productivity with yet another major application in the project workflow that lev erages their BlueICE(r) hardware. The product will be showcased February 23 in Los Angeles at the first of ICE's seven-city "On ICE" presentation series featuring Tom Ohanian, co-inventor of the Avid Media Composer. ICE'd Commotion software will ship in April 1999 and is priced at $4990 for Commotion 2.0 users, including ICE'd Commotion software and a BlueICE(r) hardware card, or $995 for Commotion 2.0 users with BlueICE hardware. Other upgrade pricing and bundled offerings are available directly from ICE at 888-ICE-THIS or at ICE's web site, www.iced.com.

Developed by Industrial Light & Magic's visual effects supervisor Scott Squires, Commotion took the industry by storm, redefining the standard for desktop software tools - and the caliber of feature film and broadcast work that can be created with them. The ICE'd Commotion product goes the next step for the power motion graphics user with even greater speed, interactivity and performance especially for small- to mid-size producers of film, video, games, and any motion graphic content. ICE'd Commotion accelerates the 14 effects from ICE that are bundled into Commotion 2.0, and adds modules for accelerated motion tracking, image stabilization, and corner pinning - functions that are the foundations for successful paint and rotoscoping work. ICE'd Commotion also features native OMF support, which enhances the workflow for Avid users and allows users to save RGB and Alpha channel information in separate OMF files simultaneously - a sizable time-saving in the rendering process.

"When you're creating an animation for a tropical storm or hurricane that's about to impact the East Coast, time is of the essence. ICE has enabled us to focus more time on the design and less time on the render by allowing us to work in near realtime at full NTSC resolution. This type of creative empowerment is vital to the nature of our business," said David Vinson, graphic designer at The Weather Channel(r) in Atlanta. "The fact that ICE has taken After Effects, Final Effects Complete, and now Puffin Designs' Commotion - all state-of-the-art packages - and made them not only faster, but better, has proved ICE's innovative focus." The Design Group of The Weather Channel utilizes Commotion, Blue ICE hardware and ICE software products including ICE'd After Effects and ICE'd Final Effects Complete in promos, IDs, and other animations for The Weather Channel.

"ICE is working closely with us at Puffin on our Commotion 2.0 release to provide functionality that simplifies the workflow of the motion graphics creator," said Forest Key, president of Puffin Designs. "Puffin and ICE share a common vision and an understanding of the needs of the professional. We are delighted that there's an ICE'd version of our product for sale and believe our user base will respond enthusiastically."

"Few content creators can make a living without a fast way to create and insert graphics directly into their work," said Bob Sullivan, president and CEO of ICE. "ICE has a long-standing and deep relationship with Puffin Designs, from our teaming together to produce the ICEblast stand-alone application, and now with ICE'd Commotion. We look forward to delivering heightened performance with ICE'd Commotion, and helping users expand their revenue potential by working smarter with their hardware investments."

About ICE

Founded in 1994 and based in Waltham, MA, Integrated Computing Engines (ICE) is a leader in special effects solutions on desktop systems used in digital post-production, compositing, visual effects, broadcast, and animation. The ICE architecture easily integrates into Mac(r)OS and Windows (r) NT platforms, turning them into affordable super-fast systems for video and film finishing by up to 50 times. ICE is privately held and has strategic relationships with SCP Private Equity Partners L.P., Citicorp, and Compaq Computer Corporation.

EDITOR'S NOTE: All ICE news releases are available via the ICE Home Page at http://www.iced.com. The Internet provides an easy way to find information about all ICE products and services. "ICE" and its products are trademarks of Integrated Computing Engines, Inc. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.