Macromedia Breeze Presenter is a Microsoft Powerpoint plug-in that allows you to easily record, edit and synchronize digital audio with PowerPoint PPT slides to create web-based Flash (swf) presentations that can be streamed over the Internet on its own URL or saved on CD-ROM.Can Breeze Presenter be used as a standalone tool without having to use a Breeze Server? Is there a Standalone Breeze Installer? Yes, you do not need to purchase the Macromedia Breeze Server in order to use Breeze Presenter. You need to buy minimum 5 licensed versions Breze Presenter to buy and download standalong Breeze Presenter. Then you have the ability to create content that is AICC, SCORM 1.2 or 2004 compliant.
Instead of publishing to the Breeze Server, simply publish locally (My Computer) and then upload the files to any server or view the presentation off-line. If you register for a free trial of the Breeze Presenter software they will give you temporary access to a Breeze Server. Macromedia doesn't provide a trial download of Macromedia Breeze Presenter 5 standalone version.
If the Breeze Presenter does not install a menu in Microsoft PowerPoint, open the following folder.
C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Breeze 5
Double click on ppsserve.exe and launch PowerPoint again, that should fix the Breeze Powerpoint toolbar issue. The current English Version is Macromedia Breeze 5.1 SP 1
Download Macromedia Breeze 5.1 (breeze_5.1_en.zip) - This Breeze v510_r114 update to Macromedia Breeze 5.0 breeze_500_r469 provides support for additional languages including French, German, Korean, and Japanese. The update also includes fixes to defects reported in Macromedia Breeze 5.0. This updater should be applied to all Macromedia Breeze 5.0 licensed deployments.
download.macromedia.com/pub/breeze/updaters - breeze_5.1_en.zip
The page is only for Macromedia Breeze customers who have licensed the Breeze Server.
Breeze 5.1 Service Pack 1 510_r127. is primarily a bug-fix update to Breeze 5.1. PDF files can now be uploaded and tracked using the Breeze Manager.
Macromedia Breeze Presenter installation overwrites Flash Player 8 with Flash Player 7 since Flash Player 7 is bundled in the installation program for Breeze Presenter 5.1. After installing Breeze Presenter, reinstall Flash Player 8.
Kim Cavanaugh has written an excellent Breeze Presenter Tutorial on how to publish online content from Powerpoint. Kim further explains the capabilities of Breeze Presenter - Breeze allows you to insert Flash movies and audio files, and even provide survey and quiz questions to go along with your presentation. You can even create demonstrations with quizzing in Captivate, insert the contents into your Breeze Presenter movie, and deliver eLearning content that interacts with your favorite Learning Management System such as BlackBoard.
Where can I find the Breeze Presenter Add-in for PowerPoint?
In order to upload or publish content to a Breeze server, users must first have either the Breeze Presenter Installer Add-in for Breeze 5 or the Breeze PowerPoint plug-in for Breeze 4 installed. Download the Macromedia Breeze Presenter Add-in or PowerPoint Breeze plug-in. (presenter.exe from admin.breezecentral.com)
1. Login to the Breeze Manager using your browser.
2. Click on the Home tab.
3. Select the Getting Started link under Learn:.
4. Click on the Install Macromedia Breeze Presenter link under the Publish Presentations section. Breeze Presenter is installed as a menu in Microsoft PowerPoint.
5. Click Save.
6. When the download has completed, double click on the Presenter.exe file to install.
Note: If you are a trial customer, the URL to use for Breeze Server Preferences is "http://admin.breezecentral.com".
TheWarp has written a decent guide to customize certain undocumented Breeze Presenter features like creating your own logo for presentations, writing new themes and changing background colors. Read detailed instructions here and here.
Note that Macromedia Breeze Presenter does not support PowerPoint animation triggers. Do not use PowerPoint animation triggers when converting the presentation in Breeze.
Macromedia Breeze includes four applications that provide a complete, integrated solution for your communication and training needs. Use Breeze Presenter for PowerPoint-based authoring of narrated, self-paced e-learning courses and on-demand presentations. Use Breeze Training for managing e-learning courses and curriculum, with surveys, tracking, analysis, and course management. Breeze Meeting offers instant online meetings, and virtual classes. Breeze Events offers management of user registration, reminders, and tracking for large online seminars and presentations. The underlying Breeze Communication Server provides a host of capabilities delivering real-time and on-demand communication, user administration, tracking, and reporting.
It is possible to use streaming FLV in Breeze Presener. You will have to use a SWF that references the FLV.
Breeze 5.1 Service Pack 1 includes a new version of Breeze Presenter, build 269. You can access the upgrade installer from the Getting Started link on the Breeze Manager home page. Verify the build number by selecting Breeze > About Breeze Presenter after the installation is complete.
Breeze Meeting presenters can now use familiar keyboard navigation (Left and Right Arrow keys), PowerPoint-like default slide show mode, and common Next and Previous buttons to control uploaded PowerPoint slides. Users preferring the scrub bar can turn it on by selecting Show Presentation Playbar in the Share Pod options menu.
Powerpoint and Breeze Content must be republished using the new version of Breeze Presenter if you want to get the updated behaviors described in the following list.
* OpenType (OTF) fonts are now recognized.
* Problems playing content authored in 4.1 in a 5.x meeting room have been addressed.
* Custom feedback on questions is now maintained after upgrading a presentation from 4.1.
* Presentations with audio now play back correctly on systems with no audio hardware.
* Long author or presenter names are no longer truncated.
* Font sizes for the presentation title, presenter name, and presenter title have been reduced for legibility.
* Breeze Presenter has incorporated a new version, 1.2.3, of the zlib compression library.
Please note that Microsoft Office XP Security Patch KB822036 is not compatible with Macromedia Breeze. When this patch is installed, Breeze is not able to publish presentations and error messages will be written in the breeze.log file. Reason - the patch removes the following entry from Windows Registry:
1. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ Office\10.0\PowerPoint\Addins registry key for Addins.
2. Removes PowerPoint add-ins, so when launching Powerpoint on the server, the Tools > Add-Ins menu item will be grayed out.
See some more Macromedia Breeze Presenter related resources and Sample Breeze Presentations here.