21/10/2008 by john.

Never ones to shy away from the entry level end of the market, leading monitor specialists HANNSG, have today unveiled the new HG221AP monitor. The new 22” monitor offers big screen luxury at an unprecedented price retailing for only £109.99 inc. VAT.

If you want to enter the world of big-screen multimedia entertainment or simply need a large screen monitor that can take care of office applications and internet browsing but don’t want to pay a premium, the new HG221AP is the ideal solution,

Although basic in design and connectivity, the new HANNSG HG221AP boasts a high end technical specification thanks to HANNSG’s expertise in display technology. Offering a high resolution (1680×1050) widescreen display and a decent 5ms response time to ensure visual clarity, the HG221AP is a truly outstanding visual performer for multimedia applications and more than qualified for standard computing tasks. The HG221AP also boasts; a super wide viewing angle of 170º ensuring visual perfection from any position forward of the display, and a high contrast and bright screen for a continually impressive sharp, bright and colour rich image.

The new HG221AP, helping the more modest budget to get more for less, is available now from Misco.co.uk supplied as standard with a generous ‘3 year’ warranty and VESA mounting capability.

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21/10/2008 by john.

October 20, 2008 – Pinnacle Systems, Inc., the consumer division of Avid Technology Inc. (Nasdaq: AVID), today shared the highlights of a presentation given by Tanguy Leborgne, Pinnacle Systems Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, at the InfoTrends Digital Imaging Conference 2008.Duringthe conference panel session, “Targeting the Right Markets,” Leborgne emphasized the changes that are taking place in the consumer photo and video imaging markets. He also noted that there is a strong correlation between being able to do more with photos and videos, such as creating digital photo/video albums and sharing them on the Web, and consumer satisfaction with digital imaging.

“Family memory keepers have increasingly done away with the digital shoebox and are sharing photos, videos and digital photo albums on home TVs and across the Internet,” said Leborgne. He described memory keepers as usually being married females who enjoy taking photos and videos (especially when children are involved) and are very comfortable in working with editing and sharing solutions such as Pinnacle Studio™ version 12 photo/video production software.

“The needs of the camera/camcorder/production software markets can no longer be met with a single solution,” he told the audience. Referring to his firm’s research results, he explained that there were measurable differences among the age groups as well as male/female, married/single and the number of children in the households.

“In a number of areas, our findings parallel those of InfoTrends when it comes to the growing demand for cameras/camcorders,” he stated. “We see the female of the household not only taking over the management of capturing family moments and memories, but also wanting to do more with them than simply leaving the images on memory cards or storing them on the family’s computer hard drive.”

He pointed out that while the prosumer and hobby photography/videography market has been growing only modestly the past few years, the number of family memory keepers has risen significantly with the emergence of digital imaging.

“They shoot the photos and video at most family events and experiment with their content, often mixing stills with video clips and even TV content,” he explained. “More than half of them use software such as Pinnacle Studio to create really exciting photo shows and produce beautiful digital scrapbooks.”

Leborgne summarized by emphasizing that today’s digital imaging memory keepers are no longer satisfied with a “one size fits all” approach to the camera, software or services they use. Instead, each segment wants products – devices, software and services – that meet their specific needs. “And in almost every instance, the solution has to blend smoothly into their Web 2.0 activities,” he noted.

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23/05/2008 by john.

London, May 22, 2008 – Pinnacle Systems, Inc., the consumer division of Avid Technology, Inc., announces today the update of its Dazzle® video capture family. The Dazzle family allows consumers to easily transfer video content from camcorders, VCRs or almost any other video device and burn it to DVDs for archiving and viewing. The Dazzle family consists of three products: Dazzle DVD Recorder to easily back up videotapes to DVD, Dazzle Video Creator for digitising videos and quickly editing them with the included Pinnacle Studio software, and Dazzle Video Creator Platinum, includes Pinnacle Studio software and Scorefitter vol.1 & 2 plug-ins to create great looking movies from captured videos. These movies can be shared on the web or even transferred to mobile devices like Apple® iPod® and Sony™ PSP®.

Many people have their special memories recorded on VHS tapes, which aren’t the best format for long-term storage and over the years show signs of video quality degradation, with the risk of having those special videotaped moments disappearing. The best solution is to transfer them to DVD. Today’s DVD burners and easy-to-use video capture solutions like Dazzle make the task of transferring footage to DVD discs affordable, fast and simple. The Dazzle product family is the one-stop solution for effortlessly digitising and archiving videos, prolonging the life of all those memories caught on VHS.

With the Pinnacle Instant DVD-Recorder software included in all three Dazzle products, users can record from a video source to a DVD with one-click. Thanks to its direct-to-disk feature, the Pinnacle Instant DVD-Recorder makes an exact copy of the tape to DVD and automatically adds DVD menus and chapter points by detecting scene changes. In minutes, users will have rescued their family videos from deteriorating and can enjoy their DVD on any home DVD player. Moreover, with Pinnacle Studio™ software included in Dazzle Video Creator and Dazzle Video Creator Platinum, videos can be easily restored and transformed into high-quality movies with effects, transitions, titles and soundtracks.

Product Family Overview
Dazzle DVD Recorder – for simple and fast DVD creation. It is a portable, USB 2.0 device that is easy to install and use with one-click transfer of videos to DVD. It also includes Pinnacle Instant DVD Recorder. SRP £39.99.

Dazzle Video Creator – for fast, high-quality DVD creation and video editing. It includes Pinnacle Studio software to quickly edit movies with a full range of automated editing and restoration tools. Afterwards, users can burn movies on DVD or share them on the web via Yahoo Videos. Also includes Pinnacle Instant DVD Recorder. SRP £59.99

Dazzle Video Creator Platinum – for DVD and mobile video (MPEG-4) creation. This product allows users to create a high-quality video that is compatible with portable media players, including Apple Video iPod or Sony PSP. The included Pinnacle Studio software and the soundtrack creation plug-ins Scorefitter vol.1 & 2 make it easy to create great looking videos that can be enjoyed on DVD, on portable devices or shared on the web. Also includes Pinnacle Instant DVD Recorder. SRP £69.99

Product Availability
Dazzle products are already shipping, and are distributed through Pinnacle Systems website (www.pinnaclesys.com) and major e-tailers.

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21/05/2008 by john.

21 May 2008, London: 1&1 Internet Ltd, the world’s leading web host, has joined Open Source Business Foundation e.V. - (OSBF). Seated in Nuremberg, Germany, Open Source Business Foundation is a European network of the open source sector and already has more than 120 members - innovative companies as well as scientific institutes and public-sector bodies. “Open source solutions played and continue to play a formative part in business developments at our company”, says Achim Weiss, CTO of 1&1. “The professional use of open source early on has clearly given us competitive advantages”. Today, 1&1 is a market leading web host worldwide. Through its membership and engagement in Open Source Business Foundation, 1&1 seeks to actively promote acceptance of open source solutions in companies and to profit from cooperation with other open source developers.

OSBF’s latest member, 1&1, demonstrates how strongly the deployment of open source solutions can propel business success, as the success of 1&1 has been linked to open source developments from the outset. Over 90 percent of the three million and more private and business websites hosted with 1&1 today are based on open source technology. More than 40,000 servers at 1&1’s data centres in Europe and the US operate on Linux. The company employs about 400 developers and programmers, and a large number of the 3,515 jobs depend directly or indirectly on open source. By the same token, developments are redistributed back into the community, where they are made available to all companies and programmers on a cost-free basis. One example of open source projects initiated by 1&1 is www.qooxdoo.org an Ajax framework that focuses on graphical user interfaces and includes support for professional JavaScript development via a state-of-the-art GUI toolkit and high-level client-server communication.

For more information on 1&1 Internet Ltd visit the website at www.1and1.co.uk

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20/05/2008 by john.

PagePlus X3 (List Price £79.99; upgrade prices available*) is the latest Microsoft Windows Vista certified version of Serif’s multi-award winning desktop publishing program. Repeatedly praised for offering powerful, yet easy-to-use and affordable desktop publishing tools for every level of user, this latest version promises even greater flexibility for businesses and design enthusiasts looking to create outstanding publications.

Top new PagePlus X3 features and benefits include:

Logo Studio – A dedicated logo designer for drawing, high-impact headlines and special effects
Cutout Studio – Quickly and easily remove photo backgrounds; give subjects total focus
HD Photo and EPS Support – Use professional, high quality graphics in PagePlus X3
New Special Effects – Reflective shiny surface effects and subtle image and text reflections
Duplex Printing Wizard – Successfully print double-sided documents on regular printers
Enhanced Usability – Be even more productive with PagePlus’s stylish revamped user interface
In addition to these popular headline features, this release includes PagePlus’s best ever professional design content with over 1500 fresh, attractive new designs amongst its 2500 templates, logos and graphics. Stylish ‘Design Packs’ offer themed business publications including posters, brochures, websites, and promotional emails alongside letterheads and business cards.

PagePlus X3 once again outshines its competitors – in any price bracket – with unrivalled PDF import, editing, and publishing. PDFs can be opened directly in PagePlus X3 regardless of their origin, with all text, graphics and photos ready to move, recolour, resize, reuse, embellish and more. When designs are finalised they can simply be published as PDFs for sharing with colleagues, friends, or family. PagePlus’s PDF profiles include settings varying from for press-ready PDF/X-1a files and web-optimised PDFs for speedily sharing with the world online.

Dedicated Logo Studio
The new PagePlus X3 Logo Studio makes it easy to create and edit professional logos in isolation, away from the rest of the page layout, but with full access to all of PagePlus’s drawing power and text effects. Instant presets walk users through logo creation and provide guided access to stunning special effects, fills, transparencies, text-on-a-path, shape creation and much more. The Logo Studio working area expands instantly to accommodate edits and when closed transports the graphic back to its place in the main layout. It’s never been easier to create striking and eye-catching logos with PagePlus.

Image Cutout Studio
This amazing addition to PagePlus allows users to remove photo backgrounds, giving the photo subject total focus or allowing them to be placed against new backgrounds. With unrivalled power yet with simple user controls, brushing over an image’s background magically grabs areas to dispose of, or if the foreground subject is less complicated, painting to retain the foreground quickly selects the most important part of users’ photos. The cutout edge can be a soft, blended transparency or a clean clipping path, so the results are perfect for catalogues, brochures, websites and much more.

HD Photo and EPS Support
Up-to-the-minute support for the latest graphics is extended with PagePlus X3’s ability to import and export HD Photo (formerly Windows Media Photo) files, which support RGB and CMYK colour models, lossy and lossless compression, and alpha transparency. EPS Encapsulated PostScript graphics are prevalent in high-end design applications and professional workflows, so are a welcome addition to PagePlus X3. These PDF-like files can contain line art, text and graphics, and are now supported in PagePlus publications – even when the EPS file has no built-in preview.

New Special Effects
Modern and stylish reflections are just one click away. The Style gallery and fully customisable effects settings provide a professional and glossy finish to headlines, logos, and images – fast. Adjust reflection transparency, distance, and fade with ease for perfect results. With a refined modern look, this effect complements virtually any professional design. Also included are new presets for impressive realistic glass and metal surface textures, again with single-click results and access to Reflection Map filter effect settings.

Duplex Printing Wizard
Users can let PagePlus X3 remove the headache from double-sided printing on regular desktop printers with the new Duplex Printing Wizard. PagePlus helps untangle the complicated web of tumbling and turning pages to get fantastic double-sided prints – and saves paper in the process!

Enhanced Usability
The latest Vista-compliant interface – still perfect for Windows XP too – graces users’ screens when they launch PagePlus X3, with new options for customising toolbars and keyboard shortcuts for maximum productivity, and editing pasteboard and guideline colours to suit all customers’ needs. More options for controlling page layout make it easier than ever to achieve crisp and smart designs, with editable nudge controls and a new ‘move handle’ on objects, great when working with small text and logo elements or when zoomed out.

Not Only but Also…
Serif is delighted to also include further customer-requested features and tweaks in this release, including: Package files containing PagePlus publications, fonts, and images for easy collaboration with other PagePlus users, multiple spotlights for 3D lighting and surface texture effects, the ability to import more than one image at once, extended website colour schemes, the ability to lock QuickShape geometry to prevent changes during scaling, a movable centre-of-rotation for all objects, and a new file format (Serif Metafile) for forward-looking compatibility between Serif applications.

“Serif is delighted to launch PagePlus X3 after a massive development effort to improve this popular publishing powerhouse”, said Gary Bates, Serif’s Managing Director. “In our 21st year in business we have continued to work hard to stay in touch with current developments and to outpace our competitors with incredible creative publishing solutions, and PagePlus X3 really stands out from the crowd. In-house graphic design continues to become more popular in today’s business market, and design enthusiasts everywhere can benefit from PagePlus X3’s very rounded design feature set, high levels of compatibility, and unrivalled value for money.”

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15/05/2008 by john.

Audio-Technica, the leading Japanese manufacturer of high-performance microphones, headphones, wireless systems, mixers and electronic products for the home and professionals, has unveiled the ATH-W5000 model; a pair of beautifully crafted ebony headphones that can deliver formidable levels of power; and offer an ultra-comfortable fit from a truly stunning design.

Equipped with a striped ebony housing carved from a solid block for superb acoustic matching, the W5000 dynamic headphones achieve new levels of audiophile sound quality and listening comfort. These “high-end” headphones deliver extremely high sound pressure levels with true fidelity and absolute neutrality whilst offering an ultra-comfortable fit and an appearance design that is simply stunning. The super powerful large aperture 53mm neodymium magnet based transducers have coils wound with what engineers call a “super pure 8N-Oxygen Free Copper with bobbing winding voice coil” which translates into a sound producing system which projects sounds with incredible delicacy and detail from an ultra low 5Hz to a super high 45kHz.

Audio-Technica’s unique Wing Support Housing vibration-proof mechanism (PAT) gives a comfortable support ensuring a pleasurable listening experience no matter how long you enjoy the pleasure of good music. The unique and patented Double Air Damping System provides a really deep bass extension and accurate reproduction rarely heard from headphones.

The Audio-Technica W5000 headphones have 3 metre cables made from the highest quality Oxygen Free Copper conductors and are supplied with a high quality durable hard carrying case and a cable storage bag. The suggested retail price will be £699.95.

To find the nearest Audio-Technica dealer, call Henley Designs on 01235 511166, or visit the e-tail site www.atheadphones.com

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15/05/2008 by john.

The disgo Media Bank from Clever-Stuff, is a personal video recorder (PVR) and digital storage device that offers cutting edge technology at amazing value.

To date the market for home digital media storage devices has been mainly for the elite technology user, but the new disgo Media Bank changes this completely. Thanks to simple plug and play functionality this device doesn’t require any complicated installation processes. The disgo Media Bank allows you to store your media collection of photos, videos and music files in a compact, sleek black unit and makes recording from your set top box or TV simple.

Along with the storage capability of the disgo Media Bank, users also have the option to record directly from their TV or Set Top Box and can choose either the manual or scheduled recording option. A digital movie library can easily be created and played back instantly on your TV.

“Irrespective of age, gender or technology know-how, everyone can use the disgo Media Bank without the constraints of a monthly subscription,” says Luke Noonan, Business Development Director, Clever-Stuff. “The disgo Media Banks’ price, huge 500GB capacity and simplicity make it the ideal product to sit at the heart of everyone’s media life both now and in the future.”

The disgo Media Bank will be available nationwide from PC World stores, www.pcworld.co.uk and at www.mydisgo.com as of the 19th May 2008 at the RRP of £169.99

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15/05/2008 by john.

A must-have for those jetting off this summer, Pinnacle’s Video Transfer (PVT) means you now don’t need a computer to transfer analogue video onto any USB 2.0 storage device. The ingenious PVT makes childs play of transferring video onto your iPod, PSP or USB device all at the touch of one easy button. Available now at £99.99 from leading retailers including Amazon, Dabs.com and Play.com.

This portable device acts as a bridge and will transfer any of your video recording whether from your DVD player, TV, PVP, camcorder or from your set top box direct to your personal player such as your Ipod, PSP, USB flash drive or hard drive. So you can watch your favourite movies and TV programmes on your portable device or store video footage if you are out and about and watch it or archive it later.

iPod users can now maximize all the features of their stylish music/video player by transferring whole series of their ‘can’t miss, won’t miss’ favourite TV programmes - be it Desperate Housewives or Torchwood - from their set top box or hard drive via the PVT to their IPod. And those with PSPs, make the most of that great screen and watch films whilst on the move.

With PC-less recording, the compact device will appeal to travelers, holiday makers or people who want a simple way to offload footage from their camera to a portable USB device when away from home. So if you’re David Lean out on safari and are running out of space on your video camera hard drive, just transfer the footage to your PVT and free up space for tons more filming. For consumers with personal videos on VHS, Hi8 or VHS-C tape, Pinnacle Video Transfer can be used to make a digital copy on a USB 2.0 hard drive for safe keeping–without having to deal with complicated PC-based software.

Offering anytime, anywhere entertainment convenience, Pinnacle Video Transfer hardware is ideal for people who want to enjoy TV shows and personal videos on their iPod Video, PSP or just want to store them on a USB drive to archive or watch later.

Being able to transfer videos to an iPod, PSP or USB device without having to copy the files to your PC is a bonus because it saves both valuable time and hard drive space. PC-less recording and the device’s small, compact size also makes it a convenient solution for people who are on the go.

For each connected device, the user can select three different levels, depending on their preferences between video quality and actual size of the video files captured.

Pricing and Availability
Pinnacle Video Transfer is now available nationwide throughout the UK at leading etailers and retailers nationwide at a price of £99.99. In addition to the Pinnacle Video Transfer device, the complete package includes three RCA audio/video cables, an 110v-230v power supply and a Quick Start Guide.

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15/02/2008 by john.

Intellect, the trade association for the UK technology industry, has launched a report examining the role of technology in tackling climate change.

The report was published yesterday to coincide with the Intellect Energy & Environment conference attended by Intellect Environment Leadership Group member, Sharp Electronics (UK) Ltd.
Sharp UK managing director, Paul Molyneux, took part in a conference panel session about the next steps for the technology sector and Sharp’s investment in low carbon technologies, such as photovoltaic (PV) solar power.

The report, entitled High Tech: Low Carbon is the first publicly available document to set out the issues relating to the energy demands of products and services together with a clear action plan for the sector to address them. In addition, it discusses the impact of technology on other sectors, stating that if the industry does not implement low-carbon technologies soon, it will cause irreparable harm to the environment.

Intelligent use of technology
The report identifies 26 different technologies that can be applied by other sectors of the economy to reduce their carbon emissions. These technologies are not simply ICT-related but encompass related fields such as engineering and biotechnology.

The report concludes that innovation and the intelligent use of technology will be key to reducing carbon emissions across the economy.

Paul Molyneux agrees that the technology sector can and should take a leading role in these two areas. He said: “Sharp has already reduced C02 emissions at its factories by integrating all the processes of manufacturing LCD TVs to significantly reduce impact on the environment. This includes parts procurement, panel manufacture, LCD TV assembly, inspection and shipment – all from one factory site.”

Sharp is the world’s largest producer of solar PV cells and has been investing in R&D for this technology since 1959. “Our environmentally advanced Kameyama factories in Japan combat C02 emissions by utilising non-CE technology innovations to both create and save energy,” Molyneux adds. “The power supply to Kameyama I and II is provided by three environmentally friendly systems including: transparent solar PV panels on the walls, which generate energy for the plant equivalent to powering 1,300 homes, a low air pollution fuel cell and an energy-saving cogeneration system.”

Sector emissions and carbon accounting
According to Intellect’s report, the energy use related to ICT (information communications technologies) currently accounts for about 2 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions. If all else remained equal, a straight-line projection based on growth in both sectors would suggest that by 2050, we could see a five-fold increase in emissions related ICT and a six-fold increase in the emissions related to consumer electronics (CE).

However, according to Intellect the industry can exceed the target set by the CBI Climate Change Task Force for a 30 per cent improvement in the efficiency of electrical equipment by 2030.

The report also supports making carbon accountable will help drive demand for energy efficient products and services, iron out perverse incentives and create a level playing field for energy efficient manufacturers and will stimulate investment in low carbon technologies.

The time is now
The UK Government has set emission reductions targets for 2050. According to the report a disastrous build up of CO2 can only be avoided if new low carbon technologies are implemented well in advance of 2050. Rapid innovation cycles in the technology sector mean change can happen at the required pace, however, this will require active stimulation and support from government.

John Higgins, director general of Intellect said: “It is clear that there is considerable scope for improving the energy efficiency of ICT and CE products, irrespective of our sector size, our contribution to GDP or anything else. However, it should also be clear that the technology sector is embracing the challenge of energy efficiency and is producing better, faster, lighter devices that use less and less energy as the result of a continuous process of intensive research and development. But improving efficiency isn’t enough. We have to find ways to completely decouple economic growth from energy consumption. This is not an either/or scenario – we have to do both.”

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15/02/2008 by john.

Wembley, UK February 14th, 2008, ENlight UK, a wholly owned subsidiary of Enlight Corp Taiwan, has announced the arrival of its new Flat Panel LCD TV PC, TVL 322 with a 32” flat-panel LCD display

Specifications:
• Video Compatibility TV Tuner – NTSC / PAL (B/G, D/K, I) / SECAM
• Video System – NTSC / PAL Auto Detect
• Inputs Terminals Composite + Audio (L/R) x 2
• S-Video + Audio (L/R) x 1
• Component (YPbPr) + Audio (L/R) x 1
• VGA In + PC Audio Jack x 1, HDMI x 1
• Scart In x 2, TV Antenna In (Analog) x 1
• Media Storage Support USB 2.0
• 1EEE 1394 (Option)
• All-in-1 Flash Card Reader
• Slim Slot-in Dual DVD + RW

Features:
• 32” flat-panel LCD display with life-like colours, pixel resolution: 1366 x 768
• 16:9 full screen aspect ratio and wide 170 degree horizontal and 170 degree vertical viewing angles
• High Brightness (500 cd m2) and quality contrast (1200:1) for an incredible picture
• HDTV capable (720p)
• Component video inputs make it easy to hook up a HD-DVD player and optimize HD-DVD output
• OSD Language: English, Traditional/Simplified Chinese, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese
• Video features: CATV (181CH). 3D de-interlace, 3D Comb-filter, teletext, V-chip, PIP/PoP, VGA mode, HDMI
• Audio features: MTS, SRS, Speaker (10w x 2)

PC:
• Standard Micro ATX form factor Mother-Board
• 3.5 inch HDD
• 3 Low profile PCI slots (for TV Tuner Card or 802.11a/b/g Wireless Card etc…).
• Minimum 1 Low profile AGP/PCI Express
• Entertainment Mode: Video, Music, Photo, Media Service

Whole Set;
• A/V cable, user manual, remote control and TV stand
• Measures; 935 mm x 510mm x 155mm (w x h x d)
• Wall mount optional, VESA Compliant
The TVL322 will be available as a complete system from Resource Development or NS Optimum for £1,000 inc. VAT
OR, from our authorised distributors, Enta Technologies www.entaonline.co.uk and Northamber www.northamber.com as a bare bones system

About ENlight UK Ltd
ENlight UK Ltd is one of the world’s leading suppliers of desktop or server chassis. The company has an extensive line of enclosure products for desktop computers, All-in-one integrated LCD PC chassis, high-performance servers, storage systems and consumer electronics. ENlight and its product range can be found at www.enlightuk.com

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