Macromedia Inc. on Monday is announcing an upgrade to its Breeze online conferencing software and hosted service, making improvements such as event lifecycle management and Web page customization.

Breeze 5 leverages the Macromedia Flash Player to provide online conferencing and Web communications, the company said. "All you need is the Flash Player to participate," said Tom Hale, general manager of the communications division at Macromedia.

Applications include live meetings, on-demand presentations, and enterprise Web conferencing, for uses such as training presentations.

Version 5 features event lifecycle management capabilities, including meeting registrations and reminder e-mails. Dashboard-style reports are featured. Also, Web pages can be customized to add a company"s color, for example.

Wizard-based directory integration and single sign-on are supported, as is full-screen video.

Macromedia also added high-quality VoIP support, enabling Breeze to handle multiple microphone configurations and provide echo cancellation. Audio conferencing is controlled via the Web meeting interface.

A telephone gateway in Breeze 5 lets organizations leverage existing telephony bridges when considering bridge integration and in-meeting call controls. Macromedia is partnering with Premiere Global Services to provide integrated telephone audio conferencing in Breeze 5. Users can access conference calling within the Breeze meeting room and control the volume of each caller or mute when needed.

Additionally, version 5 enables users to integrate Web communications and conferencing inside a firewall. The application can be deployed without changing client infrastructure.

Shipping on Monday, pricing for the in-house version of the product installed at a customer"s site starts at around US$25,000. The hosted version costs 32 cents per minute per user.