Is Microsoft marketing both EM and iView?

[BillRogers]

I'm DAM confused. Looking at the websites, it appears that Microsoft is marketing both iView Multimedia AND Expression Media. Is this true?

Iview is stiil not running smoothly on my new Vista machine. I tried Lightroom but it's too complex for my needs.  I'm not sure what to do. I have ZERO confidence in Microsoft's commitment to DAM software.

What other DAM software is out there besides LR and "iView/EM"?

I don't want to make DAM software the center of my world. I want to go out and take pictures, then be able to find them in my computer. I don't want to spend my shooting time trying to de-bug and learn DAM software. I'm sure I'm not the only photographer who feels this way.

Suggestions? Please ....

Bill Rogers

[Dierk]

The iView site is maintained for old-timers, the main focus being the forum [which isn't that trafficky anymore]. The program versions before xMedia 1.0 are not marketed anymore. You can only buy xMedia - unless someone still has a few licences stocked away.

LR is not a DAM solution, merely a Tool Time Tim image browser.

Three other programs come to mind: Extensis Portfolio [very good in the network area, quite expensive], iMatch [acquired taste], IDimager [close runner-up to MP/xMedia, timely development, very responsive developer, currently state of the art - unlike xMedia].

iMatch and IDimager can be trial run, last time I checked without limitations apart from the 30-day period; not sure about Portfolio. Only xMedia and Portfolio are currently cross-platform.

[BillRogers]

Thanks for the response. I'm coming to similar conclusions on my own. I don't like Lightroom's weird file handling scheme, and I don't want to modify my workflow to fit the LR model. I downloaded iMatch and found a non-intuitive GUI. 

Thanks,

Bill Rogers

[peterkrogh]

Bill,
You should probably take a look at idImager.
Peter

[Ron Grassl]

FYI:
I just bought iView Pro3 from Frys, not knowing that it is fairly long in the tooth ($200), (the tamper proof box it was in was sure scratched up).  As soon a I registered it, I got a free upgrade offer from Microsoft.  I loaded it and was amazed at how small it is.   I expected it to take overnight to load based on my experience with less extensive programs.

It is on about 12.4 MB compressed & took maybe one minute to download on my rather slow DSL.  & then maybe another 30 seconds to install where it takes about 29MB now.  The original iView file takes up 37.5 MB.   More stuff seems to be in the original iView.   Seems like a steep price to pay for a program smaller than just one of my D200 NEF files.

They seem to look and work identically, so far, but I am very much a newbie.  I saved a catalog of about 20,000 files last night on iView and they opened up almost instantly today on EM.

So far so good, yelled the jumper as he passed by the fifth floor window.

Ron Grassl
Torrance, CA

[David Sayed]

Dierk is correct. The iview-multimedia site is maintained primarily due to the forum (and frankly because no one like the original Microsoft Expression forum due to its ahem limitations). Note that the new Microsoft Expression forum is much improved from a UI standpoint, and content has been migrated over from the old forum. There is also some good (but dated) information on the iView site. We are working revising some of the more useful documents and webcasts on the iView site to bring them up to date with both Expression Media and third party products.

It is still possible to find iView MediaPro at various resellers. For the longest time it was on Amazon and I see that there's actually version of iView Media (not Pro) up there from one of the Amazon Storefronts and a bundle with another product, and yes I've also seen it in Fry's.

Today, the only official ways to get the Microsoft Expression Media for new customers are by purchasing either:
1. Expression Media standalone
2. Expression Studio, which includes Expression Media
3. Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition (includes the Macintosh version of Expression Media).

There is also the 60-day trial download and the new Expression Media 2 beta, which are both available at the Microsoft Expression site.

David.