Nova Design Selling Off One of its Lines of Business
Date 10-Oct-2006 4:14:42
Topic: Software News
| Financials
Asking: $45,000
Inventory: $4000 approx. (included in the asking price)
Business Summary
Cinematte was created in 1995 as part of the Amiga (a computer popular in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s for desktop video) software package, ImageFX. Cinematte was one of the first true digital bluescreening software packages for compositing actors, and other subjects, photographed against a blue (or other compatible solid color) background into another photograph, film or video. While many applications on all platforms attempt to provide methods of realistic compositing, Cinematte is one of the few that can do this easily and realistically using the same methods pioneered in Hollywood features.
In 1996 Cinematte was recreated as a plugin for Adobe’s popular Photoshop graphics application. First available under the Windows platform and later on Macintosh OS X. At this time Cinematte was spun off as its own package and was marketed under a different company name to distinguish itself.
Cinematte was a strong seller from the start. Originally thought of as a software tool for special effects companies, Cinematte grew to find strong appeal in the then-new digital still photography market, especially with photographers working with catalog photography and the novelty photograph market.
The Amiga version of Cinematte was the last to receive significant updates to its functionality in 2002. These new features were scheduled for implementation on the Windows/Macintosh version, but were never completed. Other versions were also planned for additional markets, which would require relatively less programming effort, but were also not completed. These markets all still exist, as well as many new markets have arisen. For ten years Cinematte has been a strong product, and the market still continues to grow for this quality compositing package.
Cinematte, under a new vision, could also be sold in partnership with many other companies in the non-linear editing (NLE) and digital photography worlds as part of bundling or licensing arrangements. These could be done as one-time deals or be used to drive sales back to the full Cinematte package.
Any existing company in the graphics field would find Cinematte to be an excellent addition to its software catalog. Cinematte would also make an ideal basis for a business for a programmer looking to start his or her own company.
Market Outlook
Competition: Only two partially competing products existing. Both are significantly more expensive and lack significant features present in our product. User interfaces on competition are more limiting as well. No attempt by competition to appeal to larger market in the pro-sumer realm.
Growth/Expansion: Expansion possibilities are huge. Cinematte could be made available as a plugin product for many other packages and platforms that would greatly expand its market. Features developed for Amiga version have never been ported to the existing Photoshop plugin.
Distribution: Currently offered through one catalog reseller who does a good business and sold online direct without any current promotion.
Demo Reel
The Nova Design, Inc. demo reel, including many sequences bluescreened with Cinematte, can be seen on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cAf6cgu5N0
About the Sale
Support/Training: Will provide 60 days of part-time consulting service on non-programming issues. Programming consulting available at hourly rate.
Trademarks: Cinematte trademark will be transferred to purchaser.
Source Code: All source code will be transferred to purchaser.
Documentation: All documentation for all editions will be transferred to purchaser.
Reason Selling: Do not have the time to maintain, nor to build.
Contact
Kermit Woodall can be reached at kermit@novadesign.com, by mail at Nova Design, Inc., PO Box 9441, Richmond, VA 23228
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