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The Age
Monday February 3, 2003
Burn, baby, burn
Adaptec's MyDVD Video Studio is an all-in-one software suite for capturing, editing, burning and viewing home movies on DVD or VCD. Sonic MyDVD will capture analog video via a capture card or digital video via a FireWire port. It can record video directly to DVD, or to your hard drive for editing using ArcSoft Showbiz. Sonic MyDVD's limited capture quality options extend to "best, better and good" but, fortunately, ArcSoft Showbiz can capture, and offers detailed audio and video settings. Video files such as AVI, MPG and MOV can imported and edited - adding music, menus and special effects - before the final product is burned to VCD, DVD+ or RAM. Photo slideshows can also be created. The suite includes Sonic CinePlayer, DVD playback software.
Adaptec's MyDVD Video Studio retails for $249. For details call Digiland on 1300 652 005 or visit www.adaptec.com.au
Fly off the wall
For those wanting to capture video on the go, LifeView's FlyGrabber CF is a CompactFlash Video Capture card for hand-held PCs. It supports NTSC and PAL and will record from external AV devices at up to 30 frames a second with a 320x240 display. The unit offers real-time video quality adjustment for brightness, saturation, contrast and hue. The FlyGrabber CF can capture still images in JPEG, BMP and GIF formats with a maximum of 720x576 at 24-bit true colour and can browse photos in Thumbnail view mode. Captured video files can also be converted to animated GIF format.
Lifeview's FlyGrabber CF retails for $199. For more information call distributor Rectron on (03) 9561 6166 or visit www.lifeview.com.tw
Clash of the cordless keyboards
Microsoft's Wireless Optical Desktop for Bluetooth, a fully featured cordless multimedia keyboard and optical mouse, feels nice under the fingers and lets you move up to nine metres from the base station. But the same can be said for Microsoft's Mac-compatible Wireless Optical Desktop keyboard combination, with traditional RF wireless technology, which connects via USB or PS/2 at $170 less. Desktop for Bluetooth only works with Windows XP plus Service Pack 1 and the Bluetooth update for XP; Logitech's Bluetooth Presenter mouse works with Windows 98 and above. Microsoft supports a limited range of Bluetooth devices and does not use Bluetooth's ability to create a Personal Area Network (PAN) of local devices.
Microsoft's Wireless Optical Desktop for Bluetooth retails for $399. For details call 132 058 or visit microsoft.com/hardware
Cable problem solved
The introduction of high-speed protocols to notebook and tablet PCs has left many users lugging around a bag of cables to support their so-called portable device. Targus' Retractable Flat FireWire Cable allows users to connect to external hard disks, optical drives, digital video cameras and other devices with FireWire connections. It weighs only 88 grams, provides up to 1.8 metres of FireWire cable and an automatic retracting spring prevents tangles.
Targus' Retractable Flat FireWire Cable retails for $59.95. For more details phone 1800 641 645 or visit targus.com.au
© 2003 The Age
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