The most recent articles from What PC?

The most recent articles from What PC?http://www.whatpc.co.uk/The most recent articles from What PC? (Generated on Thursday 8 January 2009 at 09:03:13)VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKCopyright © 1994-2009 VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKhttp://www.whatpc.co.uk/2009-01-08T09:03:13.824Z

The most recent articles from What PC?http://www.whatpc.co.uk/images/rss/wpc_logo.gifhttp://www.whatpc.co.uk/Ulead DVD Picture Showhttp://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/software/2132669/ulead-dvd-picture-showBen Lewis, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Friday 13 September 2002 at 11:01:57An excellent way to store and share digital images.<content page="1"><html><body>Burning to disc has now become the most easy and efficient way to store and display digital photography, but software is needed to prepare information for transfer. DVD Picture Show from Ulead is the latest offering, and allows you to use your CD or DVD burner to create custom slide-shows.The interface is very easy to operate, adhering to step-by-step templates.You start by choosing whether you are creating a VCD or a DVD, and then compile your images. You can take these from any source, be it a computer's hard disk, a digital camera, a webcam or similar image-capturing peripheral.Once you have got the pictures from whichever source you are using, drag them from the menu onto the selected image bar. You can rotate images through 90 degrees and rearrange their order of appearance by using the Thumbnail Arrange button.After you have decided which shots go where, you can add some background music. There are some truly terrible audio tracks included, and it is best to avoid them.Alternatively, you can use any MP3 file for your musical score. It is annoying that you can only use one file for each show, as the music might have to loop and start again.Before burning to disc, you can preview how your finished presentation will look, which is useful for last-minute alterations. As the software has its own CD- and DVD-creation tools, it is very easy to burn straight to your chosen media. We experienced no problems when doing this. However, be sure to check that your intended DVD player accepts CD-RW and CD-R discs before burning, as some players do not support all the different types.SPECIFICATIONS <ul><li>Ready-to-use menu templates</li><li>Custom-made slide-shows</li><li>Built-in CD-R/CD-RW/DVD-R-writing software</li><li>Drag-and-drop photo ordering</li></ul>DETAILS Price: £19.95 (inc VAT) Contact: KL Associates 01327 844 880 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ulead.co.uk">www.ulead.co.uk</a> Minimum requirements: <ul><li>Pentium or equivalent processor</li><li>Windows 98</li><li>64MB Ram</li><li>140MB hard drive space</li><li>CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW or DVD+R/W burner</li></ul></body></html></content>http://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/software/2132669/ulead-dvd-picture-showBen Lewis, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Friday 13 September 2002 at 11:01:57An excellent way to store and share digital images.<content page="1"><html><body>Burning to disc has now become the most easy and efficient way to store and display digital photography, but software is needed to prepare information for transfer. DVD Picture Show from Ulead is the latest offering, and allows you to use your CD or DVD burner to create custom slide-shows.The interface is very easy to operate, adhering to step-by-step templates.You start by choosing whether you are creating a VCD or a DVD, and then compile your images. You can take these from any source, be it a computer's hard disk, a digital camera, a webcam or similar image-capturing peripheral.Once you have got the pictures from whichever source you are using, drag them from the menu onto the selected image bar. You can rotate images through 90 degrees and rearrange their order of appearance by using the Thumbnail Arrange button.After you have decided which shots go where, you can add some background music. There are some truly terrible audio tracks included, and it is best to avoid them.Alternatively, you can use any MP3 file for your musical score. It is annoying that you can only use one file for each show, as the music might have to loop and start again.Before burning to disc, you can preview how your finished presentation will look, which is useful for last-minute alterations. As the software has its own CD- and DVD-creation tools, it is very easy to burn straight to your chosen media. We experienced no problems when doing this. However, be sure to check that your intended DVD player accepts CD-RW and CD-R discs before burning, as some players do not support all the different types.SPECIFICATIONS <ul><li>Ready-to-use menu templates</li><li>Custom-made slide-shows</li><li>Built-in CD-R/CD-RW/DVD-R-writing software</li><li>Drag-and-drop photo ordering</li></ul>DETAILS Price: £19.95 (inc VAT) Contact: KL Associates 01327 844 880 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ulead.co.uk">www.ulead.co.uk</a> Minimum requirements: <ul><li>Pentium or equivalent processor</li><li>Windows 98</li><li>64MB Ram</li><li>140MB hard drive space</li><li>CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW or DVD+R/W burner</li></ul></body></html></content>VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKCopyright © 1994-2009 VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKBen Lewis2002-09-13T11:01:57.000ZSoftware Reviewssoftware-applicationsE-Promo CD-R Presenterhttp://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/software/2132668/promo-cd-presenterBen Lewis, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Thursday 12 September 2002 at 11:22:01A simple but well-executed program for making business-card-sized CDs, CD-Rs or DVD-Rs.<content page="1"><html><body>When presenting yourself in business or personal circles, it is important to make a good impression. E-Promocard has therefore designed this program for making business-card-sized CDs, CD-Rs or DVD-Rs.Called CD-R Presenter, this software allows interactive multimedia content to be created and then transferred onto disc using your usual burning software. You can burn onto normal-sized discs as well, but the business-card size makes a better impression.The software is based around a set of nine page layouts. These each offer variations and options to make each page of your project look suitably different. Once you have chosen a layout, entering your text and importing images is incredibly simple. The step-by-step instructions make it impossible to go wrong, and with built-in animations, buttons and backgrounds included, you have plenty of material available.On each page of your project you can insert pictures in various formats as well as web and email links. You can also import your own graphics and audio. The program can handle AVI and SWF files, so you can add your own movie. Once you have put together the presentation, you can preview it to see how it looks, then save it, ready to be put onto CD. This is a little clumsy, as you have to drag the files over to the software, but this is only a minor complaint.The package we reviewed contained only the software, but for £39.95 you can get five 35MB CD-R cards with wallets, 16 high-resolution stickers, and label-applicator and creator software. If you want to buy the business-card-sized CD-Rs separately, they cost £12.99 for ten.This is a simple and well-executed idea. Although it is aimed at the small business user, it can also be used for personal invites and event promotions.SPECIFICATIONS <ul><li>Selection of audio tracks</li><li>Selection of pre-animated templates</li><li>Supports WAV, MP3, AVI and SWF files</li><li>100 backgrounds</li></ul>DETAILS Price: £29.95 (inc VAT) Contact: E-Promocard: 01234 823 525 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.e-promocard.com">www.e-promocard.com</a> Minimum requirements:<ul><li>Pentium 233MHz</li><li>Windows</li><li>CD-R writer plus CD writing software</li><li>32MB Ram</li><li>40MB hard disk space</li></ul></body></html></content>http://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/software/2132668/promo-cd-presenterBen Lewis, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Thursday 12 September 2002 at 11:22:01A simple but well-executed program for making business-card-sized CDs, CD-Rs or DVD-Rs.<content page="1"><html><body>When presenting yourself in business or personal circles, it is important to make a good impression. E-Promocard has therefore designed this program for making business-card-sized CDs, CD-Rs or DVD-Rs.Called CD-R Presenter, this software allows interactive multimedia content to be created and then transferred onto disc using your usual burning software. You can burn onto normal-sized discs as well, but the business-card size makes a better impression.The software is based around a set of nine page layouts. These each offer variations and options to make each page of your project look suitably different. Once you have chosen a layout, entering your text and importing images is incredibly simple. The step-by-step instructions make it impossible to go wrong, and with built-in animations, buttons and backgrounds included, you have plenty of material available.On each page of your project you can insert pictures in various formats as well as web and email links. You can also import your own graphics and audio. The program can handle AVI and SWF files, so you can add your own movie. Once you have put together the presentation, you can preview it to see how it looks, then save it, ready to be put onto CD. This is a little clumsy, as you have to drag the files over to the software, but this is only a minor complaint.The package we reviewed contained only the software, but for £39.95 you can get five 35MB CD-R cards with wallets, 16 high-resolution stickers, and label-applicator and creator software. If you want to buy the business-card-sized CD-Rs separately, they cost £12.99 for ten.This is a simple and well-executed idea. Although it is aimed at the small business user, it can also be used for personal invites and event promotions.SPECIFICATIONS <ul><li>Selection of audio tracks</li><li>Selection of pre-animated templates</li><li>Supports WAV, MP3, AVI and SWF files</li><li>100 backgrounds</li></ul>DETAILS Price: £29.95 (inc VAT) Contact: E-Promocard: 01234 823 525 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.e-promocard.com">www.e-promocard.com</a> Minimum requirements:<ul><li>Pentium 233MHz</li><li>Windows</li><li>CD-R writer plus CD writing software</li><li>32MB Ram</li><li>40MB hard disk space</li></ul></body></html></content>VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKCopyright © 1994-2009 VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKBen Lewis2002-09-12T11:22:01.000ZSoftware Reviewssoftware-applicationsShowshifterhttp://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/software/2132667/showshifterCliff Joseph, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Thursday 12 September 2002 at 11:18:38Showshifter promises to turn your PC into a digital video recorder and save you up to £300 in the process.<content page="1"><html><body>Showshifter is a very useful piece of software that could save you £200 to £300. That is the cost of buying one of the latest digital video recorders (DVRs) such as the Sky+ box or the Thomson TiVo. However, you will need to make sure that your PC matches Showshifter's system requirements.One of the main features of DVRs is the ability to 'time shift'. This allows you to pause a programme while you are watching it, perhaps so you can answer the phone or make a cup of tea. The DVR records the rest of the broadcast and allows you to carry on watching whenever you're ready.Showshifter lets you use your PC as a DVR, using the PC's hard disk to store the programmes you want to record. You will, however, require a video capture card or a TV tuner to get the TV signal into your PC.There is a slight problem here, since Showshifter is a bit picky about which tuners and capture cards it will work with. The information on the Showshifter website indicates that it is compatible with products from ATI, Hauppage and Matrox.It did not work with the Pinnacle USB TV device we initially tried to test it with, so we had to search our Labs facility for an ATI Radeon before we could start using it.You will also need to make sure you have the right version of the Windows video software to match the version of Windows you are running.Fortunately, there is a trial version of the software available on the Showshifter website (see below), so you can at least see whether it works with your PC before paying for it.There were a couple of minor glitches during installation as well. It is annoying that software aimed at home users should force you to enter a company name during installation.It also assumes you are connected to the internet, as it attempts to register you with the tvtv online programme guide and to check for software updates.Less technically-minded users might also be confused by having to choose a 'codec' (video compressor/decompressor) and deactivating 'window animations' (whatever they are).Installation was a bit of a struggle, then. Fortunately, things went more smoothly once we were over this hurdle. Showshifter's interface looks as though it was designed for young kids, consisting of a few very large and brightly coloured buttons.This is because the interface was designed to be viewed on a TV screen, and from a distance rather than close up on a computer screen.This makes it very easy to use, as just a few simple buttons allow you to select all the main options, such as watching TV, viewing video files stored on your hard disk or playing DVD films. We did hit another technical glitch here, though, as the program would not play any of our DVD discs.After all these little problems, we can at least report that the time-shifting feature worked very well. The ability to link up with the tvtv schedule makes it easy to record whichever programmes you want, and there is an option for manually setting recording times.If your PC meets its specifications, Showshifter is definitely worth buying.Price: £34 (inc VAT)Specifications: <ul><li>TV/video-capture software</li><li>Programme time-shifting</li><li>DVD, audio CD and MP3 playback</li><li>Links with online programme guide</li><li>Timer controls for recording TV shows</li><li>Built-in file management system</li><li>Supports all European TV formats</li></ul>Minimum requirements: 500MHz processor; Windows 98 or later; 128MB Ram; 1GB free hard disk space; compatible TV tuner or capture card.Contact: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.showshifter.com">www.showshifter.com</a></body></html></content>http://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/software/2132667/showshifterCliff Joseph, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Thursday 12 September 2002 at 11:18:38Showshifter promises to turn your PC into a digital video recorder and save you up to £300 in the process.<content page="1"><html><body>Showshifter is a very useful piece of software that could save you £200 to £300. That is the cost of buying one of the latest digital video recorders (DVRs) such as the Sky+ box or the Thomson TiVo. However, you will need to make sure that your PC matches Showshifter's system requirements.One of the main features of DVRs is the ability to 'time shift'. This allows you to pause a programme while you are watching it, perhaps so you can answer the phone or make a cup of tea. The DVR records the rest of the broadcast and allows you to carry on watching whenever you're ready.Showshifter lets you use your PC as a DVR, using the PC's hard disk to store the programmes you want to record. You will, however, require a video capture card or a TV tuner to get the TV signal into your PC.There is a slight problem here, since Showshifter is a bit picky about which tuners and capture cards it will work with. The information on the Showshifter website indicates that it is compatible with products from ATI, Hauppage and Matrox.It did not work with the Pinnacle USB TV device we initially tried to test it with, so we had to search our Labs facility for an ATI Radeon before we could start using it.You will also need to make sure you have the right version of the Windows video software to match the version of Windows you are running.Fortunately, there is a trial version of the software available on the Showshifter website (see below), so you can at least see whether it works with your PC before paying for it.There were a couple of minor glitches during installation as well. It is annoying that software aimed at home users should force you to enter a company name during installation.It also assumes you are connected to the internet, as it attempts to register you with the tvtv online programme guide and to check for software updates.Less technically-minded users might also be confused by having to choose a 'codec' (video compressor/decompressor) and deactivating 'window animations' (whatever they are).Installation was a bit of a struggle, then. Fortunately, things went more smoothly once we were over this hurdle. Showshifter's interface looks as though it was designed for young kids, consisting of a few very large and brightly coloured buttons.This is because the interface was designed to be viewed on a TV screen, and from a distance rather than close up on a computer screen.This makes it very easy to use, as just a few simple buttons allow you to select all the main options, such as watching TV, viewing video files stored on your hard disk or playing DVD films. We did hit another technical glitch here, though, as the program would not play any of our DVD discs.After all these little problems, we can at least report that the time-shifting feature worked very well. The ability to link up with the tvtv schedule makes it easy to record whichever programmes you want, and there is an option for manually setting recording times.If your PC meets its specifications, Showshifter is definitely worth buying.Price: £34 (inc VAT)Specifications: <ul><li>TV/video-capture software</li><li>Programme time-shifting</li><li>DVD, audio CD and MP3 playback</li><li>Links with online programme guide</li><li>Timer controls for recording TV shows</li><li>Built-in file management system</li><li>Supports all European TV formats</li></ul>Minimum requirements: 500MHz processor; Windows 98 or later; 128MB Ram; 1GB free hard disk space; compatible TV tuner or capture card.Contact: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.showshifter.com">www.showshifter.com</a></body></html></content>VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKCopyright © 1994-2009 VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKCliff Joseph2002-09-12T11:18:38.000ZSoftware Reviewssoftware-applicationsSun StarOffice 6http://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/software/2132666/sun-starofficeAnthony Smith, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Monday 9 September 2002 at 15:02:32At a fraction of the price of market leader Microsoft Office, StarOffice is an attractive option for the cost-conscious user.<content page="1"><html><body>In place of a review, we could have printed a comparative table highlighting the strengths and deficiencies of StarOffice against those of Microsoft Office, the undisputed market leader in office software.But let us skip straight to the bottom line: unless, and only unless, you actively need the more advanced functions of Office, including document sharing in workgroups and the ability to author your own macros, we think that StarOffice can meet the demands of any home or business user - with one significant limitation, which we will come to laterSo who should consider StarOffice? Well, in one corner there are budget-conscious home consumers, ie, nearly everyone who uses a computer. But will StarOffice's plain packaging and pedestrian marketing - coupled with Sun's poor brand recognition in relation to Microsoft - see it leaping from shop shelves into our shopping baskets? We doubt it.We also expect that the impressive Microsoft Works package - which includes Word 2002 alongside a full suite of office applications and extras such as Encarta and AutoRoute - will continue to be computer manufacturers' pre-installation package of choice for mid-range PCs, with heavily discounted versions of Office XP available as an upgrade. StarOffice will therefore face an uphill struggle to establish itself in the home.Instead, we suspect that business users will constitute the core market for Sun. StarOffice runs on Windows, Linux and Solaris PCs, which makes it easier to introduce across a multiplatform office environment. An important plus is good (but not perfect) compatibility with Microsoft's proprietary Word, Excel and PowerPoint file formats, so it could be introduced either alongside or as a wholesale replacement for Microsoft Office.Because StarOffice looks and behaves much like its Microsoft rival, Office-trained staff can make the switch with ease. Moreover, with the advent of product pricing, developer Sun Microsystems has made a firm commitment to properly develop, expand and support the suite. Business managers can be confident that it is here to stay and, importantly, that future upgrades will be affordable.StarOffice boldly claims three clear advantages over Office XP Standard Edition: a drawing application, a database and value pricing. This last is self-evidently true and much to be commended, even if we do lament the end of the free ride. (You can still get a free version of StarOffice from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.openoffice.org">OpenOffice.org</a>, but Sun is no longer directly involved).Even if you overlook the limitations of the bundled database (which are considerable; this is no Access clone), and even if you accept the dubious inclusion of a drawing utility in an office suite, there is no escaping StarOffice's Achilles heel: it has no Outlook-style contact manager/scheduler/email client.If you are used to using Outlook as the hub on which you plan your business day and organise your workload, you will feel the absence of such an application keenly. There is no lack of suitable software around, of course - even Outlook Express will do at a pinch - but it does considerably narrow StarOffice's appeal as the backbone of your office system.Specifications<ul><li>Word processor</li><li>Spreadsheet</li><li>Presentation application</li><li>Drawing application</li><li>Database</li><li>Supports web publishing</li><li>File compatibility with Word, Excel and PowerPoint</li><li>Cross-platform (Windows, Linux and Solaris, but not Mac)</li></ul>Price:£53 (including VAT) Contact: Sun Microsystems 0800 731 0658 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sun.co.uk">www.sun.co.uk</a> Minimum requirements: Pentium processor, Windows 95, 64MB Ram (128MB recommended), 200MB free hard drive space.</body></html></content>http://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/software/2132666/sun-starofficeAnthony Smith, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Monday 9 September 2002 at 15:02:32At a fraction of the price of market leader Microsoft Office, StarOffice is an attractive option for the cost-conscious user.<content page="1"><html><body>In place of a review, we could have printed a comparative table highlighting the strengths and deficiencies of StarOffice against those of Microsoft Office, the undisputed market leader in office software.But let us skip straight to the bottom line: unless, and only unless, you actively need the more advanced functions of Office, including document sharing in workgroups and the ability to author your own macros, we think that StarOffice can meet the demands of any home or business user - with one significant limitation, which we will come to laterSo who should consider StarOffice? Well, in one corner there are budget-conscious home consumers, ie, nearly everyone who uses a computer. But will StarOffice's plain packaging and pedestrian marketing - coupled with Sun's poor brand recognition in relation to Microsoft - see it leaping from shop shelves into our shopping baskets? We doubt it.We also expect that the impressive Microsoft Works package - which includes Word 2002 alongside a full suite of office applications and extras such as Encarta and AutoRoute - will continue to be computer manufacturers' pre-installation package of choice for mid-range PCs, with heavily discounted versions of Office XP available as an upgrade. StarOffice will therefore face an uphill struggle to establish itself in the home.Instead, we suspect that business users will constitute the core market for Sun. StarOffice runs on Windows, Linux and Solaris PCs, which makes it easier to introduce across a multiplatform office environment. An important plus is good (but not perfect) compatibility with Microsoft's proprietary Word, Excel and PowerPoint file formats, so it could be introduced either alongside or as a wholesale replacement for Microsoft Office.Because StarOffice looks and behaves much like its Microsoft rival, Office-trained staff can make the switch with ease. Moreover, with the advent of product pricing, developer Sun Microsystems has made a firm commitment to properly develop, expand and support the suite. Business managers can be confident that it is here to stay and, importantly, that future upgrades will be affordable.StarOffice boldly claims three clear advantages over Office XP Standard Edition: a drawing application, a database and value pricing. This last is self-evidently true and much to be commended, even if we do lament the end of the free ride. (You can still get a free version of StarOffice from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.openoffice.org">OpenOffice.org</a>, but Sun is no longer directly involved).Even if you overlook the limitations of the bundled database (which are considerable; this is no Access clone), and even if you accept the dubious inclusion of a drawing utility in an office suite, there is no escaping StarOffice's Achilles heel: it has no Outlook-style contact manager/scheduler/email client.If you are used to using Outlook as the hub on which you plan your business day and organise your workload, you will feel the absence of such an application keenly. There is no lack of suitable software around, of course - even Outlook Express will do at a pinch - but it does considerably narrow StarOffice's appeal as the backbone of your office system.Specifications<ul><li>Word processor</li><li>Spreadsheet</li><li>Presentation application</li><li>Drawing application</li><li>Database</li><li>Supports web publishing</li><li>File compatibility with Word, Excel and PowerPoint</li><li>Cross-platform (Windows, Linux and Solaris, but not Mac)</li></ul>Price:£53 (including VAT) Contact: Sun Microsystems 0800 731 0658 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sun.co.uk">www.sun.co.uk</a> Minimum requirements: Pentium processor, Windows 95, 64MB Ram (128MB recommended), 200MB free hard drive space.</body></html></content>VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKCopyright © 1994-2009 VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKAnthony Smith2002-09-09T15:02:32.000ZSoftware Reviewssoftware-applicationsNova Video Explosion Deluxehttp://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/software/2132665/nova-video-explosion-deluxeBen Lewis, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Friday 6 September 2002 at 10:29:25Video Explosion will bring out the Steven Spielberg in you.<content page="1"><html><body>Video Explosion Deluxe is the latest addition to the steady stream of new DVD video-editing suites currently hitting the market. These kinds of programs are ideal for turning unstructured home videos and pictures into slick and polished films. So how well does Video Explosion do the job?Its editing interface is easy to master. You have a pair of video 'tracks' for overlays and transitions and three audio tracks for voice-overs, sound effects and music. These are arranged using drag-and-drop actions. Simply drag whatever file you need from your PC files and drop it onto a frame in the timeline.Multimedia files are accessed in the Media Pool section of the Multifunction dialog box, which allows you to place all your video, audio, stills and backdrops in one location. You can also add audio from CD. When you drag files onto the timeline, a thumbnail representation of the clip appears, which allows for straightforward editing and mixing.Once you have all your clips and tracks in the right order, you can fine-tune the arrangement. There is a handy Video Preview display in the bottom right-hand corner, which shows you exactly how your film appears at any given time.Next to the Media Pool are all the tools for editing your film. There is a good selection of professional-style transitions, such as fades, rolls and slides, for cutting between different clips. You can also use the range of special effects to distort, blur and manipulate each scene.Although fun to tinker with, most of the special effects are useless when it comes to producing and editing your film. They tend to make movies look rather amateurish, so their inclusion is more a novelty than a necessity.The other tools, however, are useful for putting together impressive video films quickly. There is a large selection of title sequences, text and backdrops. These allow you to create credits, text overlays and all manner of clever presentation techniques.Although Video Explosion is claimed to be equally as useful for professionals as for beginners, the program is definitely more suitable for beginners, with the amount of ready-made sounds and clips it offers. The software boasts that you will make your first movie in under 30 minutes, and this is a fair claim. A helpful tutorial gets you up and running, and introduces you to the basics.The variety of available media is impressive. There are 200 royalty-free MP3 audio themes, 1,000 sound effects and 750 backgrounds and overlays.Although much of this material is dire, some of it can be useful. You even get 25 storyboards to help you organise your movie's scenes, but this option is only for the truly unimaginative user.When your film is completed, you can choose your format and media. You can save to videotape, VCD, DVD and even create videos for the web. The program sorts out all the encoding for you at the click of a button, using the MyDVD software, which is included free. This eliminates a major headache.For DVDs and VCDs, you can also create professional-style menus from a large selection of templates; or, alternatively, create the buttons from your own fonts and photos.The real strength of this package is the excellent, easy-to-use interface.Minimum requirements:<ul><li>Pentium II PC</li><li>Windows 98</li><li>128Mb Ram</li><li>CD-Rom</li><li>FireWire card required for digital capture from cameras.</li></ul>Specifications<ul><li>200+ MP3 music themes</li><li>1,000+ sound effects</li><li>250+ special effects and transitions</li><li>250+ ready-to-use video clips</li><li>Supports MPEG1, MPEG2, MP3, AVI, MOV (Quicktime) file formats.</li><li>Sonic MyDVD authoring software</li></ul>Price: £69.95 (inc VAT) Contact: Guildsoft: 01752 895 100 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.novadevelopment.com">www.novadevelopment.com</a></body></html></content>http://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/software/2132665/nova-video-explosion-deluxeBen Lewis, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Friday 6 September 2002 at 10:29:25Video Explosion will bring out the Steven Spielberg in you.<content page="1"><html><body>Video Explosion Deluxe is the latest addition to the steady stream of new DVD video-editing suites currently hitting the market. These kinds of programs are ideal for turning unstructured home videos and pictures into slick and polished films. So how well does Video Explosion do the job?Its editing interface is easy to master. You have a pair of video 'tracks' for overlays and transitions and three audio tracks for voice-overs, sound effects and music. These are arranged using drag-and-drop actions. Simply drag whatever file you need from your PC files and drop it onto a frame in the timeline.Multimedia files are accessed in the Media Pool section of the Multifunction dialog box, which allows you to place all your video, audio, stills and backdrops in one location. You can also add audio from CD. When you drag files onto the timeline, a thumbnail representation of the clip appears, which allows for straightforward editing and mixing.Once you have all your clips and tracks in the right order, you can fine-tune the arrangement. There is a handy Video Preview display in the bottom right-hand corner, which shows you exactly how your film appears at any given time.Next to the Media Pool are all the tools for editing your film. There is a good selection of professional-style transitions, such as fades, rolls and slides, for cutting between different clips. You can also use the range of special effects to distort, blur and manipulate each scene.Although fun to tinker with, most of the special effects are useless when it comes to producing and editing your film. They tend to make movies look rather amateurish, so their inclusion is more a novelty than a necessity.The other tools, however, are useful for putting together impressive video films quickly. There is a large selection of title sequences, text and backdrops. These allow you to create credits, text overlays and all manner of clever presentation techniques.Although Video Explosion is claimed to be equally as useful for professionals as for beginners, the program is definitely more suitable for beginners, with the amount of ready-made sounds and clips it offers. The software boasts that you will make your first movie in under 30 minutes, and this is a fair claim. A helpful tutorial gets you up and running, and introduces you to the basics.The variety of available media is impressive. There are 200 royalty-free MP3 audio themes, 1,000 sound effects and 750 backgrounds and overlays.Although much of this material is dire, some of it can be useful. You even get 25 storyboards to help you organise your movie's scenes, but this option is only for the truly unimaginative user.When your film is completed, you can choose your format and media. You can save to videotape, VCD, DVD and even create videos for the web. The program sorts out all the encoding for you at the click of a button, using the MyDVD software, which is included free. This eliminates a major headache.For DVDs and VCDs, you can also create professional-style menus from a large selection of templates; or, alternatively, create the buttons from your own fonts and photos.The real strength of this package is the excellent, easy-to-use interface.Minimum requirements:<ul><li>Pentium II PC</li><li>Windows 98</li><li>128Mb Ram</li><li>CD-Rom</li><li>FireWire card required for digital capture from cameras.</li></ul>Specifications<ul><li>200+ MP3 music themes</li><li>1,000+ sound effects</li><li>250+ special effects and transitions</li><li>250+ ready-to-use video clips</li><li>Supports MPEG1, MPEG2, MP3, AVI, MOV (Quicktime) file formats.</li><li>Sonic MyDVD authoring software</li></ul>Price: £69.95 (inc VAT) Contact: Guildsoft: 01752 895 100 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.novadevelopment.com">www.novadevelopment.com</a></body></html></content>VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKCopyright © 1994-2009 VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKBen Lewis2002-09-06T10:29:25.000ZSoftware Reviewssoftware-applicationsScarlet Software Crazy Talk 2.51http://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/software/2132664/scarlet-software-crazy-talk-51Leo Waldock, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Wednesday 4 September 2002 at 09:37:38More sophisticated than the animation in Monty Python's Flying Circus.<content page="1"><html><body>Most people know that movie clips take up a large amount of hard drive space and that streaming media only works well over a high-speed internet connection. Even so, we all want to produce attractive websites. If text and still images are not enough for you, here is a potential solution.The principle behind Crazy Talk is quite simple. First, you import or capture a photo - the program has TWAIN drivers, so it supports most digital cameras and scanners; alternatively, you can use a previously stored bitmap or JPEG image. You then use Crazy Talk Fitting Editor to crop the photo and position it onto a wireframe model, so that the software knows where the various parts of the face in the photo are.As a test, you can hit the various expression buttons to see the face smile, look angry or blink. If you have fitted the wireframe carefully, the correct parts of the image move, but the motion is not that realistic: as one part of the animated face moves, all the other parts also move very slightly - it looks rather odd.Once you are happy with the wireframe fit, you can save the picture as a Crazy Talk model. This is a small file, about 60KB in size. Next, you can add a WAV audio file, and your model will 'speak' the sounds. The synchronisation is convincing and effective.The test file we created lasted for 10 seconds and was 454KB in size.However, when we exported the file in AVI format to send to a friend who does not have Crazy Talk, the file size shot up to 7.8MB, which is a huge difference.We suspect Crazy Talk will keep children happy for a weekend, but beyond that it has limited use.Specifications:<ul><li>Combines a still image and an audio file to create an animation</li><li>Employs image-morphing technology</li><li>Text-to-speech conversion</li></ul>Price: £29.99 (inc VAT) Contact: Scarlet Software: 01256 707727 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.reallusion.com">www.reallusion.com</a>Minimum requirements: <ul><li>Pentium II 233MHz</li><li>64MB Ram</li><li>50MB disk space</li></ul></body></html></content>http://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/software/2132664/scarlet-software-crazy-talk-51Leo Waldock, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Wednesday 4 September 2002 at 09:37:38More sophisticated than the animation in Monty Python's Flying Circus.<content page="1"><html><body>Most people know that movie clips take up a large amount of hard drive space and that streaming media only works well over a high-speed internet connection. Even so, we all want to produce attractive websites. If text and still images are not enough for you, here is a potential solution.The principle behind Crazy Talk is quite simple. First, you import or capture a photo - the program has TWAIN drivers, so it supports most digital cameras and scanners; alternatively, you can use a previously stored bitmap or JPEG image. You then use Crazy Talk Fitting Editor to crop the photo and position it onto a wireframe model, so that the software knows where the various parts of the face in the photo are.As a test, you can hit the various expression buttons to see the face smile, look angry or blink. If you have fitted the wireframe carefully, the correct parts of the image move, but the motion is not that realistic: as one part of the animated face moves, all the other parts also move very slightly - it looks rather odd.Once you are happy with the wireframe fit, you can save the picture as a Crazy Talk model. This is a small file, about 60KB in size. Next, you can add a WAV audio file, and your model will 'speak' the sounds. The synchronisation is convincing and effective.The test file we created lasted for 10 seconds and was 454KB in size.However, when we exported the file in AVI format to send to a friend who does not have Crazy Talk, the file size shot up to 7.8MB, which is a huge difference.We suspect Crazy Talk will keep children happy for a weekend, but beyond that it has limited use.Specifications:<ul><li>Combines a still image and an audio file to create an animation</li><li>Employs image-morphing technology</li><li>Text-to-speech conversion</li></ul>Price: £29.99 (inc VAT) Contact: Scarlet Software: 01256 707727 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.reallusion.com">www.reallusion.com</a>Minimum requirements: <ul><li>Pentium II 233MHz</li><li>64MB Ram</li><li>50MB disk space</li></ul></body></html></content>VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKCopyright © 1994-2009 VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKLeo Waldock2002-09-04T09:37:38.000ZSoftware Reviewssoftware-applicationsRoxio Toast With Jamhttp://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/software/2132662/roxio-toast-jamCliff Joseph, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Friday 2 August 2002 at 10:44:24The latest version of this popular Mac CD-creation application boasts many new features and an incredibly daft name.<content page="1"><html><body>There are several CD-creation programs available for PC owners, but the Mac side of the CD software market has long been dominateed by one application. The oddly named Toast succeeded because it had what all Mac owners want - an easy-to-use interface.But features count too, and Toast's many fans have long had a list of improvements they wanted to see implemented in the program.The first thing developer Roxio had to do was to make sure the program was compatible with Apple's new OS X operating system, and also with iTunes, the MP3 player included as part of the Mac operating system. There have been compatibility problems ever since Apple introduced OS X, but thankfully Toast runs happily under both OS X and the 'classic' Mac operating system.The same applies to Jam, the advanced mastering program included in this bundle.Other important improvements in this version of Toast - which, to give it its full title, is actually called Toast 5 Titanium - include support for a number of new disc formats. Toast can now create MP3 discs as well as standard audio CD discs, and the program has moved beyond audio by adding support for Video CD (VCD) and DVD formats as well.To make life easier when working with audio, video and graphics files, Roxio has also thrown in a small utility called iView Media. This simple program allows you to organise your media files into catalogues. You can, for example, keep holiday videos in one catalogue and party music in another.There is a thumbnail display for photos and graphics files, and you can play video or audio clips within iView, which makes it easy to organise your files within the program.We are also pleased to see that Roxio has improved its manuals. Toast's interface is very well designed, but the manual provided with previous versions was very confusing.However, the main improvement in this package is the addition of Jam, which provides a number of sophisticated mastering options that you can use when burning your audio files onto CD. Jam will allow you to import 24-bit audio files created with professional, high-resolution recording equipment. You can get 24-bit sound cards relatively cheaply these days, so this feature will appeal to both professional musicians and more serious hobbyists.There's a 'dithering' option that will allow you to convert 24-bit files into the 16-bit format used by ordinary audio CDs with minimal distortion.Other options include a variety of controls for modifying cross-fades and pauses between tracks. These features are aimed at the more serious musician rather than ordinary home users who just want to make their own 'greatest hits' compilation CDs. But, if you do not want Jam with your Toast, you can still buy Toast on its own for about half the price of this bundle.But, with or without Jam, Toast is still the best CD-creation software available for the Mac, and it is a must-have item for Mac owners who want to make the most of their CD-RW or DVD-R drive.Minimum requirements: Mac running OS 9.1 or OS X 10.1.2. Price:£124.99 (inc VAT)<ul><li>Easy-to-use CD and DVD authoring tools</li><li>Creates audio CDs, MP3s, VCDs and DVDs</li><li>Simulation mode for testing drive performance</li><li>Jam program supports 24-bit audio format</li><li>Converts 24-bit recordings to 16-bit</li><li>Options for adjusting cross-fades and pauses between tracks</li><li>Crackle and distortion filters for recording from vinyl</li><li>iView utility for organising media files</li></ul>Contact: Roxio: 01908 278100 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.roxio.com">www.roxio.com</a></body></html></content>http://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/software/2132662/roxio-toast-jamCliff Joseph, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Friday 2 August 2002 at 10:44:24The latest version of this popular Mac CD-creation application boasts many new features and an incredibly daft name.<content page="1"><html><body>There are several CD-creation programs available for PC owners, but the Mac side of the CD software market has long been dominateed by one application. The oddly named Toast succeeded because it had what all Mac owners want - an easy-to-use interface.But features count too, and Toast's many fans have long had a list of improvements they wanted to see implemented in the program.The first thing developer Roxio had to do was to make sure the program was compatible with Apple's new OS X operating system, and also with iTunes, the MP3 player included as part of the Mac operating system. There have been compatibility problems ever since Apple introduced OS X, but thankfully Toast runs happily under both OS X and the 'classic' Mac operating system.The same applies to Jam, the advanced mastering program included in this bundle.Other important improvements in this version of Toast - which, to give it its full title, is actually called Toast 5 Titanium - include support for a number of new disc formats. Toast can now create MP3 discs as well as standard audio CD discs, and the program has moved beyond audio by adding support for Video CD (VCD) and DVD formats as well.To make life easier when working with audio, video and graphics files, Roxio has also thrown in a small utility called iView Media. This simple program allows you to organise your media files into catalogues. You can, for example, keep holiday videos in one catalogue and party music in another.There is a thumbnail display for photos and graphics files, and you can play video or audio clips within iView, which makes it easy to organise your files within the program.We are also pleased to see that Roxio has improved its manuals. Toast's interface is very well designed, but the manual provided with previous versions was very confusing.However, the main improvement in this package is the addition of Jam, which provides a number of sophisticated mastering options that you can use when burning your audio files onto CD. Jam will allow you to import 24-bit audio files created with professional, high-resolution recording equipment. You can get 24-bit sound cards relatively cheaply these days, so this feature will appeal to both professional musicians and more serious hobbyists.There's a 'dithering' option that will allow you to convert 24-bit files into the 16-bit format used by ordinary audio CDs with minimal distortion.Other options include a variety of controls for modifying cross-fades and pauses between tracks. These features are aimed at the more serious musician rather than ordinary home users who just want to make their own 'greatest hits' compilation CDs. But, if you do not want Jam with your Toast, you can still buy Toast on its own for about half the price of this bundle.But, with or without Jam, Toast is still the best CD-creation software available for the Mac, and it is a must-have item for Mac owners who want to make the most of their CD-RW or DVD-R drive.Minimum requirements: Mac running OS 9.1 or OS X 10.1.2. Price:£124.99 (inc VAT)<ul><li>Easy-to-use CD and DVD authoring tools</li><li>Creates audio CDs, MP3s, VCDs and DVDs</li><li>Simulation mode for testing drive performance</li><li>Jam program supports 24-bit audio format</li><li>Converts 24-bit recordings to 16-bit</li><li>Options for adjusting cross-fades and pauses between tracks</li><li>Crackle and distortion filters for recording from vinyl</li><li>iView utility for organising media files</li></ul>Contact: Roxio: 01908 278100 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.roxio.com">www.roxio.com</a></body></html></content>VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKCopyright © 1994-2009 VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKCliff Joseph2002-08-02T10:44:24.000ZSoftware Reviewssoftware-applicationsJasc After Shot Premium Editionhttp://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/software/2132660/jasc-shot-premium-editionAndy Gordon, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Thursday 11 July 2002 at 12:20:38Paint Shop Pro's little brother is very affordable and crammed with useful features.<content page="1"><html><body>Jasc is an old hand at digital imaging. It is the company behind Paint Shop Pro, the hugely popular graphics software that emerged as an affordable alternative to Adobe's Photoshop.After Shot is a cut-down version of Paint Shop Pro, adopting many of its complex functions but placing them behind a friendlier front end.The interface is very straightforward, with available images displayed as thumbnails. Tabs down the side let users search for images, browse the computer or display further image information. Text, keywords and audio can be attached to an image to aid recognition, and AVI movie files are supported.When a photo is selected all the popular methods of changing its appearance are immediately highlighted. These include red-eye removal, image rotate and crop selection.More advanced options adjust the colour saturation, brightness, hue and sharpness. Frustratingly, only the previously applied effect can be withdrawn as there's no multiple 'undo' facility here.Plenty of special effects are available, such as Ripples, Fisheye and the psychedelic Invert. As these are applied, the image is split in two, and the effects are demonstrated on one half only.The number of print options is commendable. After Shot can divide an A4 sheet of paper to make the most efficient use of the page, leaving the user to just drag and drop images into place. Simple web pages can be designed by using any of the 41 available templates.After Shot also automates the process of uploading images to an online service for sharing or developing images. Another way to share photos is to make a slideshow that friends can view without the need to own After Shot.Price: £39.95 (inc. VAT)Features:<ul><li>Organise images into albums</li><li>Design and upload images to a website</li><li>Upload images to online printing services</li><li>Panoramic stitching</li><li>Apply red-eye correction, colour and brightness adjustment, special effects</li><li>Quick Fix auto adjustment.</li></ul>Minimum requirements: Pentium processor or equivalent; Windows 98; 64Mb Ram; 60Mb of disk space, CDRom drive.Contact: Jasc 01295 258 335 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.digitalworkshop.co.uk">www.digitalworkshop.co.uk</a></body></html></content>http://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/software/2132660/jasc-shot-premium-editionAndy Gordon, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Thursday 11 July 2002 at 12:20:38Paint Shop Pro's little brother is very affordable and crammed with useful features.<content page="1"><html><body>Jasc is an old hand at digital imaging. It is the company behind Paint Shop Pro, the hugely popular graphics software that emerged as an affordable alternative to Adobe's Photoshop.After Shot is a cut-down version of Paint Shop Pro, adopting many of its complex functions but placing them behind a friendlier front end.The interface is very straightforward, with available images displayed as thumbnails. Tabs down the side let users search for images, browse the computer or display further image information. Text, keywords and audio can be attached to an image to aid recognition, and AVI movie files are supported.When a photo is selected all the popular methods of changing its appearance are immediately highlighted. These include red-eye removal, image rotate and crop selection.More advanced options adjust the colour saturation, brightness, hue and sharpness. Frustratingly, only the previously applied effect can be withdrawn as there's no multiple 'undo' facility here.Plenty of special effects are available, such as Ripples, Fisheye and the psychedelic Invert. As these are applied, the image is split in two, and the effects are demonstrated on one half only.The number of print options is commendable. After Shot can divide an A4 sheet of paper to make the most efficient use of the page, leaving the user to just drag and drop images into place. Simple web pages can be designed by using any of the 41 available templates.After Shot also automates the process of uploading images to an online service for sharing or developing images. Another way to share photos is to make a slideshow that friends can view without the need to own After Shot.Price: £39.95 (inc. VAT)Features:<ul><li>Organise images into albums</li><li>Design and upload images to a website</li><li>Upload images to online printing services</li><li>Panoramic stitching</li><li>Apply red-eye correction, colour and brightness adjustment, special effects</li><li>Quick Fix auto adjustment.</li></ul>Minimum requirements: Pentium processor or equivalent; Windows 98; 64Mb Ram; 60Mb of disk space, CDRom drive.Contact: Jasc 01295 258 335 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.digitalworkshop.co.uk">www.digitalworkshop.co.uk</a></body></html></content>VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKCopyright © 1994-2009 VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKAndy Gordon2002-07-11T12:20:38.000ZSoftware Reviewssoftware-applicationsRoxio WinOnCD 5http://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/software/2132659/roxio-winoncdBen Lewis, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Friday 5 July 2002 at 11:34:27Roxio's multimedia authoring software offers professional editing facilities in an easy-to-use package.<content page="1"><html><body>CD-burning software has become a saleable commodity in the PC market now that most new computers include CD-RW drives. People have taken quickly to the idea of burning music compilations. Preparing video, data and photo discs is now a favourite pastime for many computer users.Disc creation software often boasts new features and improved usability, but there is usually nothing to set it apart from the crowd. Roxio's new WinOnCD 5 Power Edition, though, fulfils many of its promises.The first pleasing feature is the main interface screen, where you compile CD lists and edit the tracks, or prepare video/data/photo compilations.The layout is extremely well designed. Floating windows allow you to use the excellent sound editor without leaving the main screen.You can click on a track and immediately see the audio graph, which allows you to clip and equalise sound levels so that the recording is as crisp and as sharp as possible.The interface and simple icon-based toolbar lead you through every task and let you control every function without having to use annoying wizards. This package is designed to make everything as easy as possible.The sound editor has some very professional features, enabling experienced users to work with a variety of processing and editing effects. With full support for WAV, MP3, WMA and MPEG1 files you can encode and use any kind of audio in your project.There are professional editing tools for doing cross-fades, pauses, index marks and sub-channel mixing, and the range of sound effects allows you to get a really good compressed audio levels on compilations.WinOnCD 5 does many other jobs. You can burn any amount of electronic information with the help of the interface. If the chosen data is too big to fit on a single disc, the Data Overspan function will prove handy: it automatically spans large data files or file sets over any number of discs. This is ideal for people who want to back up large files.The software will automatically encode any video film you transfer to your PC into MPEG1 format and burn it onto a Video CD (VCD). It also has menus and buttons that allow you to create a professional-looking menu and navigation system for your VCD.It can also create slideshow discs. The VCD format will play in most domestic DVD machines, so you can impress friends with high-resolution snapshots displayed on a television screen.The program also creates special VCD music albums, which will store up to seven hours of music on one disc as MPEG1 audio files. When we tried this, we managed to fit 88 songs (about six and a half hours worth of music) onto one CD, but it takes much longer than usual to burn. Storing tracks this way is no different to making an album of MP3s, though, so it seems a little pointless.At present the Power Edition can only encode MPEG1 formats and therefore isn't suitable for burning DVD discs for use in domestic players.However, we are told by Roxio that an MPEG2-enabling update will be available by the time you read this. This should be downloadable from the Roxio website for around £15 (inc VAT), but check before you buy.Specifications:<ul><li>Includes buffer under-run protection</li><li>CD/DVD Emulator feature creates 'virtual' disc images on a hard drive</li><li>Advanced sound editing facility</li><li>Comprehensive MP3 support</li><li>Data Overspan mode automatically spreads data over several discs</li><li>VCD and SVCD authoring</li><li>Encodes all audio file types</li></ul>Minimum requirements: Pentium 400MHz PC; Windows 98/XP; 64Mb Ram; 300Mb hard disk space (2Gb for full VCD authoring facilities); CD or DVD burner.Price: £54.99 (inc VAT)Contact: Roxio 01908 278 100 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.roxio.com">www.roxio.com</a></body></html></content>http://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/software/2132659/roxio-winoncdBen Lewis, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Friday 5 July 2002 at 11:34:27Roxio's multimedia authoring software offers professional editing facilities in an easy-to-use package.<content page="1"><html><body>CD-burning software has become a saleable commodity in the PC market now that most new computers include CD-RW drives. People have taken quickly to the idea of burning music compilations. Preparing video, data and photo discs is now a favourite pastime for many computer users.Disc creation software often boasts new features and improved usability, but there is usually nothing to set it apart from the crowd. Roxio's new WinOnCD 5 Power Edition, though, fulfils many of its promises.The first pleasing feature is the main interface screen, where you compile CD lists and edit the tracks, or prepare video/data/photo compilations.The layout is extremely well designed. Floating windows allow you to use the excellent sound editor without leaving the main screen.You can click on a track and immediately see the audio graph, which allows you to clip and equalise sound levels so that the recording is as crisp and as sharp as possible.The interface and simple icon-based toolbar lead you through every task and let you control every function without having to use annoying wizards. This package is designed to make everything as easy as possible.The sound editor has some very professional features, enabling experienced users to work with a variety of processing and editing effects. With full support for WAV, MP3, WMA and MPEG1 files you can encode and use any kind of audio in your project.There are professional editing tools for doing cross-fades, pauses, index marks and sub-channel mixing, and the range of sound effects allows you to get a really good compressed audio levels on compilations.WinOnCD 5 does many other jobs. You can burn any amount of electronic information with the help of the interface. If the chosen data is too big to fit on a single disc, the Data Overspan function will prove handy: it automatically spans large data files or file sets over any number of discs. This is ideal for people who want to back up large files.The software will automatically encode any video film you transfer to your PC into MPEG1 format and burn it onto a Video CD (VCD). It also has menus and buttons that allow you to create a professional-looking menu and navigation system for your VCD.It can also create slideshow discs. The VCD format will play in most domestic DVD machines, so you can impress friends with high-resolution snapshots displayed on a television screen.The program also creates special VCD music albums, which will store up to seven hours of music on one disc as MPEG1 audio files. When we tried this, we managed to fit 88 songs (about six and a half hours worth of music) onto one CD, but it takes much longer than usual to burn. Storing tracks this way is no different to making an album of MP3s, though, so it seems a little pointless.At present the Power Edition can only encode MPEG1 formats and therefore isn't suitable for burning DVD discs for use in domestic players.However, we are told by Roxio that an MPEG2-enabling update will be available by the time you read this. This should be downloadable from the Roxio website for around £15 (inc VAT), but check before you buy.Specifications:<ul><li>Includes buffer under-run protection</li><li>CD/DVD Emulator feature creates 'virtual' disc images on a hard drive</li><li>Advanced sound editing facility</li><li>Comprehensive MP3 support</li><li>Data Overspan mode automatically spreads data over several discs</li><li>VCD and SVCD authoring</li><li>Encodes all audio file types</li></ul>Minimum requirements: Pentium 400MHz PC; Windows 98/XP; 64Mb Ram; 300Mb hard disk space (2Gb for full VCD authoring facilities); CD or DVD burner.Price: £54.99 (inc VAT)Contact: Roxio 01908 278 100 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.roxio.com">www.roxio.com</a></body></html></content>VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKCopyright © 1994-2009 VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKBen Lewis2002-07-05T11:34:27.000ZSoftware Reviewssoftware-applicationsIntuit Quicken 2002http://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/software/2132658/intuit-quicken-2002Paul Wardley, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Thursday 4 July 2002 at 10:42:22The finance manager gets an upgrade.<content page="1"><html><body>Intuit started selling Quicken in 1984. When reviewing a software product with such a long history, it is easy to assume that everybody already knows about the program.This assumption can lead to a review being simply a list of new features rather than a considered evaluation of the product. Because some of our readers weren't even born when Quicken was introduced, it's time for a re-evaluation of this classic software.Quicken 2002 is a finance manager. What you can do with it depends on which version you buy. Quicken Standard reconciles loans, savings and current accounts, and helps you plan and budget, but for most people the Deluxe version is the most appropriate.It answers 'what if' questions about savings and investments, and offers better help with financial decision making. It also includes a separate home inventory module, where you can record and value your possessions for insurance purposes.The Deluxe and Business version has a limited range of invoicing, estimating and reporting functions for business users who don't need the complications of a formal accounts package.If you want to use Quicken for financial planning and debt management you'll have to feed it copious amounts of information about yourself, including the balances of all your bank accounts and loans, the value of your investments, the state of your mortgage and how you use your credit cards.Collating this information and typing it in could take hours, but you don't have to do it all at once. You can start with your current account details and add other accounts as the need arises.The account information is entered into the Register, which is the heart of Quicken and where you record the day-to-day flow of money through your various accounts.If you scrupulously record everything, you can see your net worth whenever you want to, and you can also see when you spent your money and what you spent it on, but this is possible only if you're willing to keep a full record of every payment made and received.It's not enough to record that you took £100 out of a cash point machine and blew it all in an afternoon. To get the best out of Quicken you must be prepared to apportion the money to groceries, petrol, entertainment or whatever. This soon becomes tedious.Despite Intuit's claims, Quicken is not an easy program to get to grips with, and the documentation is scant. Unless you buy the Deluxe version, which comes with a 32-page set-up guide, you'll have to read everything on screen.The Watch Quick Tour Video option on the Help menu sounds like a good place to start, but all it does is display the promotional pages of Intuit's UK website, and these are mainly static screenshots from Quicken 2001.An internet connection is essential to make the most of Quicken, especially its ability to monitor share prices and retrieve up-to-date advice from the Motley Fool financial website.It's convenient being able to access financial websites from within Quicken, but you could simply access them with Internet Explorer and, if you wish to bank online, you are better served by your own bank's website.Quicken can download details of cleared transactions from NatWest and Lloyds TSB accounts, but real-time interactive banking is out of the question.Prices: Standard: £35, Deluxe: £55, Deluxe & Business: £75 (all prices include VAT).Specifications:<ul><li>Reconcile bank, loan and savings accounts</li><li>Monitor bills and payments</li><li>Produce reports of your financial situation</li><li>Plan savings and investments, including ISAs</li><li>Manage personal share portfolios</li><li>Make home inventories and 'what if' forecasts (Deluxe version)</li><li>Produce balance sheets, invoices and estimates (Deluxe/Business versions)</li></ul>Minimum requirements: Pentium 90MHz; Windows 95; 24Mb Ram; 54Mb to 97Mb free hard drive space; double-speed CDRom drive; optional modem/sound card.Contact: Intuit 0845 606 2161 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.intuit.co.uk">www.intuit.co.uk</a></body></html></content>http://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/software/2132658/intuit-quicken-2002Paul Wardley, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Thursday 4 July 2002 at 10:42:22The finance manager gets an upgrade.<content page="1"><html><body>Intuit started selling Quicken in 1984. When reviewing a software product with such a long history, it is easy to assume that everybody already knows about the program.This assumption can lead to a review being simply a list of new features rather than a considered evaluation of the product. Because some of our readers weren't even born when Quicken was introduced, it's time for a re-evaluation of this classic software.Quicken 2002 is a finance manager. What you can do with it depends on which version you buy. Quicken Standard reconciles loans, savings and current accounts, and helps you plan and budget, but for most people the Deluxe version is the most appropriate.It answers 'what if' questions about savings and investments, and offers better help with financial decision making. It also includes a separate home inventory module, where you can record and value your possessions for insurance purposes.The Deluxe and Business version has a limited range of invoicing, estimating and reporting functions for business users who don't need the complications of a formal accounts package.If you want to use Quicken for financial planning and debt management you'll have to feed it copious amounts of information about yourself, including the balances of all your bank accounts and loans, the value of your investments, the state of your mortgage and how you use your credit cards.Collating this information and typing it in could take hours, but you don't have to do it all at once. You can start with your current account details and add other accounts as the need arises.The account information is entered into the Register, which is the heart of Quicken and where you record the day-to-day flow of money through your various accounts.If you scrupulously record everything, you can see your net worth whenever you want to, and you can also see when you spent your money and what you spent it on, but this is possible only if you're willing to keep a full record of every payment made and received.It's not enough to record that you took £100 out of a cash point machine and blew it all in an afternoon. To get the best out of Quicken you must be prepared to apportion the money to groceries, petrol, entertainment or whatever. This soon becomes tedious.Despite Intuit's claims, Quicken is not an easy program to get to grips with, and the documentation is scant. Unless you buy the Deluxe version, which comes with a 32-page set-up guide, you'll have to read everything on screen.The Watch Quick Tour Video option on the Help menu sounds like a good place to start, but all it does is display the promotional pages of Intuit's UK website, and these are mainly static screenshots from Quicken 2001.An internet connection is essential to make the most of Quicken, especially its ability to monitor share prices and retrieve up-to-date advice from the Motley Fool financial website.It's convenient being able to access financial websites from within Quicken, but you could simply access them with Internet Explorer and, if you wish to bank online, you are better served by your own bank's website.Quicken can download details of cleared transactions from NatWest and Lloyds TSB accounts, but real-time interactive banking is out of the question.Prices: Standard: £35, Deluxe: £55, Deluxe & Business: £75 (all prices include VAT).Specifications:<ul><li>Reconcile bank, loan and savings accounts</li><li>Monitor bills and payments</li><li>Produce reports of your financial situation</li><li>Plan savings and investments, including ISAs</li><li>Manage personal share portfolios</li><li>Make home inventories and 'what if' forecasts (Deluxe version)</li><li>Produce balance sheets, invoices and estimates (Deluxe/Business versions)</li></ul>Minimum requirements: Pentium 90MHz; Windows 95; 24Mb Ram; 54Mb to 97Mb free hard drive space; double-speed CDRom drive; optional modem/sound card.Contact: Intuit 0845 606 2161 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.intuit.co.uk">www.intuit.co.uk</a></body></html></content>VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKCopyright © 1994-2009 VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKPaul Wardley2002-07-04T10:42:22.000ZSoftware Reviewssoftware-applicationsMicrosoft Works Suite 2002http://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/software/2132657/microsoft-works-suite-2002Andy Gordon, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Tuesday 2 July 2002 at 12:46:30A well-balanced suite that works out cheaper than buying components individually.<content page="1"><html><body>For home-office workers Microsoft offers three varied suites of software. At the top end is Office XP, which includes Outlook, Excel, Word and PowerPoint and costs over £400. Works 6 includes simpler versions of standard applications such as a database and a spreadsheet.The latest edition of Works Suite, reviewed here, is an intermediate package. It includes all of Works 6 and a little of Office XP, along with some other excellent standalone programs designed to make Works Suite attractive to those who can't quite decide what applications they need.Office XP's contribution to Works Suite is Word 2002: "the world's best-selling word processor", as Microsoft is keen to remind us. There is no doubt that Word's popularity is well-founded; the developers continue to innovate and refresh the program, along with all the Office applications.This version includes task panes for text formatting and access to multiple clipboard entries. The interface now looks even smarter and supports more sophisticated working arrangements.From Works 6, Works Suite has taken the literally titled applications Spreadsheet, Database, Calendar and Address Book. These meet basic requirements without the sometimes overwhelming complexity of the brand-name programs included with Office XP.The Task Launcher is a handy little application that helps you to carry out everyday tasks, such as budgeting or car hire arrangements. It will launch the appropriate software or send you to a Microsoft-sanctioned web service, but the list of tasks is far from exhaustive.Money 2002 is a substantial application which is very popular on its own, and adds a great deal of value to Works Suite 2002. Designed to help the home user with personal finance, it can be used to balance income and outgoings, track expenses and budget for the future.New, more advanced additions include integration with online banking, share prices and Money Viewer, which can work with Explorer.Aimed squarely at the family market, Encarta 2002 is Microsoft's flagship encyclopaedia. It makes good use of the PC's multimedia potential by including over 225 videos as well as 25,000 photos and 3,000 sound clips.Just as importantly, it is easy to navigate and has a search pane constantly on view with access to every single entry. To keep things up to date it links seamlessly to online content from the MSN website.AutoRoute 2002 is one application that demands upgrades because of the continual changes to the road network. It goes beyond simple route planning by showing nearby sites of interest, as well as information on filling stations and cash machines. You can specify road speeds, the cost of fuel and the types of road you prefer.Works Suite is the sum of its parts, and therefore only as good as its constituents. These have all improved to some extent and therefore justify the need for a new Works Suite for 2002.Its price may be a quarter of Office XP's, but it is still substantially more expensive than non-Microsoft suites such as Ability Office.It is up to users whether they want to pay the extra for the name and influence of Microsoft, and for the variety of the applications on offer.Price: £119 (inc VAT).Specifications:<ul><li>Word 2002</li><li>Picture It! 2002</li><li>Works 6</li><li>Money 2002</li><li>Encarta 2002 encyclopaedia</li><li>AutoRoute 2002.</li></ul>Minimum requirements: 200MHz processor; Windows 98; DVDRom or CDRom; 32Mb Ram; 975Mb hard disk space.Contact: Microsoft 0870 601 0100 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.microsoft.com/uk">www.microsoft.com/uk</a></body></html></content>http://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/software/2132657/microsoft-works-suite-2002Andy Gordon, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Tuesday 2 July 2002 at 12:46:30A well-balanced suite that works out cheaper than buying components individually.<content page="1"><html><body>For home-office workers Microsoft offers three varied suites of software. At the top end is Office XP, which includes Outlook, Excel, Word and PowerPoint and costs over £400. Works 6 includes simpler versions of standard applications such as a database and a spreadsheet.The latest edition of Works Suite, reviewed here, is an intermediate package. It includes all of Works 6 and a little of Office XP, along with some other excellent standalone programs designed to make Works Suite attractive to those who can't quite decide what applications they need.Office XP's contribution to Works Suite is Word 2002: "the world's best-selling word processor", as Microsoft is keen to remind us. There is no doubt that Word's popularity is well-founded; the developers continue to innovate and refresh the program, along with all the Office applications.This version includes task panes for text formatting and access to multiple clipboard entries. The interface now looks even smarter and supports more sophisticated working arrangements.From Works 6, Works Suite has taken the literally titled applications Spreadsheet, Database, Calendar and Address Book. These meet basic requirements without the sometimes overwhelming complexity of the brand-name programs included with Office XP.The Task Launcher is a handy little application that helps you to carry out everyday tasks, such as budgeting or car hire arrangements. It will launch the appropriate software or send you to a Microsoft-sanctioned web service, but the list of tasks is far from exhaustive.Money 2002 is a substantial application which is very popular on its own, and adds a great deal of value to Works Suite 2002. Designed to help the home user with personal finance, it can be used to balance income and outgoings, track expenses and budget for the future.New, more advanced additions include integration with online banking, share prices and Money Viewer, which can work with Explorer.Aimed squarely at the family market, Encarta 2002 is Microsoft's flagship encyclopaedia. It makes good use of the PC's multimedia potential by including over 225 videos as well as 25,000 photos and 3,000 sound clips.Just as importantly, it is easy to navigate and has a search pane constantly on view with access to every single entry. To keep things up to date it links seamlessly to online content from the MSN website.AutoRoute 2002 is one application that demands upgrades because of the continual changes to the road network. It goes beyond simple route planning by showing nearby sites of interest, as well as information on filling stations and cash machines. You can specify road speeds, the cost of fuel and the types of road you prefer.Works Suite is the sum of its parts, and therefore only as good as its constituents. These have all improved to some extent and therefore justify the need for a new Works Suite for 2002.Its price may be a quarter of Office XP's, but it is still substantially more expensive than non-Microsoft suites such as Ability Office.It is up to users whether they want to pay the extra for the name and influence of Microsoft, and for the variety of the applications on offer.Price: £119 (inc VAT).Specifications:<ul><li>Word 2002</li><li>Picture It! 2002</li><li>Works 6</li><li>Money 2002</li><li>Encarta 2002 encyclopaedia</li><li>AutoRoute 2002.</li></ul>Minimum requirements: 200MHz processor; Windows 98; DVDRom or CDRom; 32Mb Ram; 975Mb hard disk space.Contact: Microsoft 0870 601 0100 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.microsoft.com/uk">www.microsoft.com/uk</a></body></html></content>VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKCopyright © 1994-2009 VNU Business Publications LTD, London UKAndy Gordon2002-07-02T12:46:30.000ZSoftware Reviewssoftware-applicationsChoosing the perfect software packagehttp://www.whatpc.co.uk/whatpc/features/2133166/choosing-perfect-software-packageAndy Gordon, <a href="http://www.whatpc.co.uk/">What PC?</a>, Thursday 6 June 2002 at 23:00:00You need the right software to make your PC do what you want. We look at typical tasks and suggest suitable packages to carry them out.<content page="1"><html><body>In an effort to keep prices down, a number of today's PCs come with nothing more than Microsoft Windows pre-installed.Windows itself only provides the user with basic facilities and, to do anything useful, you'll need to invest in additional software.For just a few pounds a simple package can empower even the most inexperienced user to set up an office at home, enhance digital photographs, edit and publish digital videos, design web pages and a whole lot more.Many computer users have an idea about what they want to do, but no idea how to do it or what is possible. Here we aim to show you exactly what the different types of software are capable of and which specific titles we recommend.Moreover, there is no need to worry about taking out a second mortgage to afford this. Our categories will cover the ideal choice for those on a budget, the standard option and the expert's alternative.SETTING UP A HOME OFFICEThe PC has sent the typewriter into retirement and brought a multitude of previously complex office tasks into the home via home office suites.A suite will normally give you a versatile word processor, a spreadsheet for working with figures, some kind of information manager, and often picture editing or personal finance software.Writing a letterFor very basic letters you can use Notepad, which comes with Windows. For more complex options you need a word processor.All word processing programs offer a range of text styles (fonts), and changing the size, emboldening, underlining or italicising are as simple as clicking a mouse. You can also format paragraphs and pages, adjusting the alignment, line spacing, indentation and tab stops.Other options enable you to cut and paste text, add bullet points, tables, page numbers, headers and footers, and change paper size. Mail Merge allows a standard letter to be sent to a number of addresses in a database. Ability Office and Microsoft Word include templates for different types of letters.Reports, business plans and homeworkThe formatting options for letter writing also apply to lengthy reports, as do specific templates for publications, legal pleadings and even web pages.Programs with a spelling and grammar checker will save a lot of time, but parents concerned that such luxuries produce lazy brains can easily disable them. Some packages even have a thesis template for university students.Crunching your numbersA spreadsheet lets you organise numerical data and calculate figures. Sums can be entered to compute totals, work out averages or calculate exchange rates. A spreadsheet can help with issues such as planning mortgage repayments, household income and general expenditure. To help you with this, spreadsheet software also comes with templates.Microsoft Excel includes a balance sheet, expense statement, sales invoices and loan management form. Calculations can also be presented as graphs. Works Suite includes Money 2002, specifically for managing your personal finances. The latest version can be connected with any online financial information you have so that it is always up to date.Information management and emailAbility Office includes the Database application for organising information. It allows the user to build tables and form relations between them, search the contents, sort orders, set filters and change the view.All of this is ideal for managing names, phone numbers and addresses. Microsoft Office goes some way further by including Outlook, which is a program specifically for managing contacts, keeping a calendar and noting down tasks.Most significantly, it can operate as an email client with the option of 128-bit document encryption for security. The latest version allows you to colour-code appointments and co-ordinate your web-based Hotmail and MSN Messenger.PresentationsThe flexibility of word processors means that graphics and photographs can be imported to spice up documents. Word processors come with templates specifically for designing brochures.For specialist slide shows, Microsoft Office includes PowerPoint, which is suitable for anything from holiday snaps to business presentations.Editing imagesAbility Office includes Photopaint for doctoring and improving your digital photographs. The program includes many options for enhancing the colour and brightness of images, filtering colours and layering the image for advanced manipulation. The software also includes paint and draw tools to design simple graphic files.Sharing informationCompatibility between competing office suites is a big issue and one of the reasons Microsoft Office has remained popular despite stiff competition.People are worried that if they use different software they will not be able to share files with others. Ability Office, however, is compatible with all versions of Microsoft Office. Furthermore, files can be saved into Portable Document Format (PDF) allowing anyone to view them, whatever office software they own, via Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free.CONSIDER ...Ability Office 2002 The suite includes Write, Spreadsheet, Database, Photopaint and Draw. All the options for your average user, and then some. And, at this price, the package is an absolute steal. £49.95 (inc VAT) Minimum requirements: Windows 95, 60MHz processor, 32Mb Ram, 40Mb hard disk space. Ability: 020 7231 1004 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ability.com">www.ability.com</a>Microsoft Works Suite 2002 Word 2002 and the basic spreadsheet, database and information management capabilities of Works 6. Money 2002, Picture It! 2002, Autoroute 2002 and Encarta add value. £119.99 (inc VAT) Minimum requirements: Windows 98, 200MHz processor, 32Mb Ram, 975Mb hard disk space. Microsoft: 0870 601 0100 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.microsoft.co.uk">www.microsoft.co.uk</a>Microsoft Office XP Standard The latest version of Microsoft's dominant office suite, consisting of Excel 2002, Word 2002, Outlook 2002 and PowerPoint 2002. All the overwhelming functionality and support you would expect for the money. £429 (inc VAT); £199 upgrade Minimum requirements: Windows 98, 133MHz processor, 32Mb Ram, 245Mb hard disk space. Microsoft: 0870 601 0100 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.microsoft.co.uk">www.microsoft.co.uk</a>EDITING DIGITAL PHOTOSDigital photography is finally taking off and image editing software is essential if you want to take full advantage of the digital format. However, the differences between various packages are substantial, and so are the prices.Get a better pictureImage manipulation software allows you to improve your photographs after they are taken. At the basic level, you can eliminate red-eye, repair scratches, and rotate, cut, crop or resize pictures. Brightness and contrast can also be adjusted, along with tint and colour balance.Most of these options are available in Serif PhotoPlus 5, which is a few years old but is free. For superior results, Photosuite, which is nice to look at and easy to use, is aimed at casual digital photographers.Personalising your photosAll of the software featured here includes options to add fancy designs to your photographs. At a basic level there are borders and text effects.Photosuite has a Photo Sprayer for 'drawing' photos onto a document and makes it easy to 'stitch' photographs together to form a panorama. Photosuite also includes templates for calendars, postcards, business cards, Christmas cards, posters and more. Alternatively, images can be imported into any office software and used in documents.Animated images in the GIF format are another good way of spicing up your work, and there are millions available on the web. Photosuite, Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop all offer varying degrees of control and design possibilities for creating GIFs.Paint Shop Pro doesn't offer the depth of Photoshop, but it still includes 28 special effects, ranging from Aged Newspaper to Sepia to Rough Leather and Fur. Vectors are another area Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop excel in.Vectors are shapes that can be added to documents, and Photoshop has an overwhelming number. It also wins the text options battle as words can be warped, arced and twisted.Developing your photosMost people still print their digital photographs. All the software here allows you to preview the results, set the size and quality of print, and perform other basic operations. Photosuite supports printing multiple copies of the same photograph on one page and in different sizes.Alternatively, numerous online services can save you a job and handle more complex print jobs. Typical services are available at: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.fotango.com">www.fotango.com</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kodakpicturenetwork.com">www.kodakpicturenetwork.com</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pixology.com/jessops">www.pixology.com/jessops</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.maxspielmann.com">www.maxspielmann.com</a>.Posting pictures onlineMost of the online developing services offer web-based photo albums and it is easy enough to set up your own page to show off your creations.Photoshop is the don for publishing photos to the web. It uses a technique called slicing to prepare images for web pages, includes ImageReady for creating image maps (images with clickable areas) and lets users design website buttons. Another way to distribute images is to save them in PDF format or turn them into HTML. Paint Shop Pro supports this.Sharing the momentA slide show is another good way of entertaining the relatives. Photosuite includes this feature with the option of accompanying audio and, if you have Microsoft Office, PowerPoint does a great job.For professional use, Photoshop is the ultimate choice for collaborative work. As different users see a document they can record their thoughts in text or attach audio notes, and an individual user's changes can be easily undone.Complex photo transformationIf you want to do more than just improve your photographs you will need some fairly complex software. The king of image manipulation software is Adobe Photoshop. It is not as easy to use as Photosuite or PhotoPlus 5, but there is little you cannot do with it.The high level of flexibility is in part down to Photoshop's layer-based approach. Each layer works like a sheet of tracing paper, making it easy to apply changes and modify even the slightest fragment. On top of this, Photoshop includes numerous palettes, lots of effects and a context-sensitive toolbar showing all the options available at any one point.Paint Shop Pro started out life as an alternative to the expense of Photoshop and was a free internet download. It is still much cheaper than Photoshop and is a good alternative for users who want more creative options without the expense.CONSIDER ...Serif PhotoPlus 5 It does not have the advanced functions of other software, but as a free download it is an excellent budget option. Free Requirements: Windows 95, 75MHz processor, 32Mb Ram, 20Mb hard disk space. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.serif.com/photoplus5">www.serif.com/photoplus5</a>Roxio Photosuite 4 Tailored to the needs of the home photographer with easy-to-understand commands and a user friendly interface. £49.99 (inc VAT) Requirements: Windows 95, 166MHz processor, 32Mb Ram, 200Mb hard disk space. MGI Europe: 0800 973830 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mgieurope.com">www.mgieurope.com</a>Paint Shop Pro 7 An excellent alternative to the costly Photoshop, with much of the functionality demanded by professionals. £79.95 (inc VAT) Requirements: Windows 95, 60MHz processor, 32Mb Ram, 75Mb hard disk space. Jasc: 01295 258335 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.jasc.com">www.jasc.com</a>Adobe Photoshop 7 The accepted gold standard for image manipulation and a market dominator. £528.75; £117.50 upgrade (inc VAT) Requirements: Windows 98, 300MHz processor, 128Mb Ram, 280Mb hard disk space. Adobe: 020 8606 4001 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.adobe.co.uk">www.adobe.co.uk</a>EDITING DIGITAL VIDEOThe advent of digital video (DV) means that camcorders are shrinking and advanced editing suites now fit into a notebook computer. As with digital photography, there are both expensive and inexpensive DV editing packages, and the more you want to do the more you will have to pay. That said, even cheaper software can offer undemanding users ample power and functionality.Easy editingTo make videos more manageable, editing software divides them into scenes when taking source material from a DV camcorder. It manages this by reading the time code on the tape and detecting when recording stops and starts.Once downloaded, scenes can be edited and the quality enhanced using tools similar to those found in image editing software. Colours can be improved, saturation adjusted, brightness and contrast tinkered with and static cut out.Thanks to its advanced features, Adobe Premiere is the choice for many professionals, while Roxio Videowave has long been a favourite with newcomers.Videowave uses a story line method with every scene displayed in chronological order. Thumbnail pictures representing the clips can be dragged from the Library, dropped into the Storyline and easily moved around. The whole movie can be played back or a limited section can be highlighted and reviewed.Premiere goes a step further. It offers a single-track editing mode and a multiple-track one that makes adjusting video and audio tracks in unison much easier. Moreover, the workspace in Premiere can be saved to recall complicated layouts for specific tasks. To get an idea of how things will look when exhibited, Premiere can output results to a TV or DV tape.Enliven your videosThe most straightforward way to inject some style into movies is by changing the way one scene joins to the next. Such changes are called transitions, and can vary from a simple cut to more fancy blends, wipes and fades.Videowave includes a space between scenes where the chosen transition can be incorporated. Both Videowave and Premiere let users create titles to place at the beginning and within movies and write credits for the end. Still images can also be inserted.Videowave features TimeWarp to slow down or speed up video, and a mixer to blend scenes, add shadow effects and remove colour. Premiere can make clips transparent to be superimposed on top of each other, which is ideal for titles, credits and changing scene backgrounds.Premiere also comes with 25 plug-ins to enhance its facilities, and more are available free from the Adobe website.Video editing packages let you adjust audio as well as images, and music or commentary can be added in either WAV or MP3 format. Videowave treats audio like any other effect, while Premiere offers the option of a separate audio track that can be edited and adjusted in the same way as video.Digital video is most commonly downloaded to a PC via an IEEE 1394 interface, more popularly known as FireWire. Analogue video can be used just as easily by transferring it through a video capture card. The software can then be used to clean up the picture and enhance colours.Video distributionCompleted DV movies can be quickly shared via email and you could set up a website to host them. For the latter, editing software enables users to save files in the RealVideo and Windows Media Player web streaming formats.DV footage makes very large files and takes considerable time to download via a dial-up modem and the best method for sharing DV footage is to burn it onto CD in Quicktime, MPEG 1 or MPEG 2 formats.For more comfortable home viewing, it is possible to record footage to videotape or, more recently, DVD. Ulead DVD Movie Factory is designed specifically for the latter. Users can include navigation menus, on-screen buttons and scene selection menus with automatic chapter numbering and the option of background music.The software can also capture the video from the camera, includes basic editing functions and can convert video into different file formats. Videowave also supports basic DVD authoring.CONSIDER ...Ulead DVD Movie Factory This software provides a simple way to produce professional-looking DVDs and carry out basic editing. £45 (inc VAT) Minimum requirements: Windows 98, 64Mb Ram, 70Mb hard disk space, 4Gb hard disk space for video capture. Ulead: 01327 844880 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ulead.co.uk">www.ulead.co.uk</a>Roxio Videowave 5 Some powerful features combine with a clear and simple interface making this the best choice for newcomers and more advanced home users. £90 (inc VAT) Minimum requirements: Windows 98, 500MHz processor, 64Mb Ram, 110Mb hard disk space, 1Gb work space. MGI Europe: 0800 973830 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mgieurope.com">www.mgieurope.com</a>Adobe Premiere This is the professional choice, with flexible editing options, advanced features for publishing to the web and special effects. £505 (inc VAT) Minimum requirements: Windows 98, 300MHz processor. 64Mb Ram, 130Mb hard disk space. Adobe: 020 8606 4001 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.adobe.co.uk">www.adobe.co.uk</a>WEB DESIGNWhen building a website, a little effort goes a long way, and the latest software makes designing a good site simple and cheap.Simply webMost of the what you see on the internet is written using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). As computer languages go it is relatively simple, but it's still more complicated than learning the alphabet.To overcome this barrier, popular web design software is described as What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG), where the user sees the graphical representation of a web page and the HTML encoding stays behind the scenes. Serif WebPlus falls into this category, while FrontPage and Dreamweaver support WYSIWYG and HTML coding.Using WYSIWYG software to design a simple website is easy. WebPlus takes a wizard approach, requiring users to do little more than enter their details for each section before building the final page.Pictures can be changed, text edited, there's a spell checker and a layout checker is there to identify overlapping tables and objects with potentially long download times.WebPlus is very simple and does not allow much creativity, but it is quick, free to download and there are many more web site wizards available from the Serif site. The more fancy and expensive FrontPage and Dreamweaver have even more templates to offer, support WYSIWYG and will do a better job on your website.FrontPage boasts the same user interface as other software in Microsoft's Office range, which many users find a great comfort. Equally, Dreamweaver has built something of a reputation for ease of use, hence its immense popularity.Complicated codeIf you want to learn HTML code, Dreamweaver has the option of a Design View, HTML View or a split between both. This makes switching between the two easy and it is simple to make associations between the code and the results.Its Quick Tag Editor means that an object can be selected in Design View and its HTML source code edited directly.Non-HTML codes, such as Javascript, Perl and ASP, are all supported by Dreamweaver and can be viewed and edited. If you really want to get into the mechanics of web design, Dreamweaver offers the depth required, while still being accessible to newcomers.With its familiar Microsoft Office interface, FrontPage is nice to look at and provides a view of the underlying code. However, it doesn't have the same coding depth as Dreamweaver.Spice up a siteWebPlus has a bevy of simple effects such as its Animated Marquee Wizard for scrolling multi-line text across the screen, and LogoPlus for text effects. There is a wizard for creating animated GIFs and there are thousands more available on the internet.All three programs featured here allow you to draw directly onto a web page. FrontPage includes the same drawing tools found in PowerPoint: WordArt and Autoshapes. It comes with 67 customisable themes, which work in the same way as the Desktop Themes in Windows.For the fancy graphical effects that characterise the most eye-catching web sites, you need Dreamweaver. As well as the options already mentioned, it integrates with Macromedia Flash, the popular animation and vector graphics software.JavaScript has long been a popular programming language for web graphics and other features. Dreamweaver supports it, executes programs in Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer for viewing and automatically debugs code.For further support there is an integrated O'Reilly code reference for information on Javascript, HTML, CSS and more.FeedbackMost web hosting services will provide simple info on the traffic to your site, but some web design software includes the option to extract greater detail.FrontPage has templates for creating forms to gather visitor feedback and once the data has been gathered it can be sent directly to a specified email address or collated in a database.Dreamweaver has automatic site reporting for detecting any dead links, saving you the time consuming chore of checking links individually.Going liveHosts for your website include: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.angelfire.com">www.angelfire.com</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bravenet.com">www.bravenet.com</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.geocities.com">www.geocities.com</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.tripod.com">www.tripod.com</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.fortunecity.com">www.fortunecity.com</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.dreamwater.com">www.dreamwater.com</a>.CONSIDER ...Serif WebPlus The price and simplicity help to make up for the software's limited functionality. This package is a particularly good choice for beginners. Free Minimum requirements: Windows 95, 75MHz processor, 30Mb hard disk space. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.serif.com/Webplus1">www.serif.com/Webplus1</a>Microsoft FrontPage 2002 This easy-to-use package has various built-in tools for building content quickly, and has lots of functionality as you would expect from Microsoft. £139 (inc VAT) Minimum requirements: Windows 98, 133MHz processor, 32Mb Ram, 165Mb hard disk space. Microsoft: 0870 601 0100 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.microsoft.co.uk">www.microsoft.co.uk</a>Macromedia Dreamweaver 4 The preferred choice for web designers because of its extensive coding capabilities and support from other Macromedia software. £219 (inc VAT) Minimum requirements: Windows 95, 60MHz processor, 64Mb Ram, 110Mb hard disk space. Macromedia: 01344 458600 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.macromedia.com">www.macromedia.com</a>MORE MUST-HAVESGamesLet's be frank. Most people say they buy a PC for serious reasons, but they wouldn't mind a bit of fun as well. For this reason, the computer games industry is tipped to earn more than the music industry any year now.First-person shoot 'em ups are about as action packed as they come and show off the graphics capabilities of a powerful PC, and Medal of Honor is one of the best.Medal of Honor £34.99 Electronic Arts: 01932 450000 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.uk.ea.com">www.uk.ea.com</a> Also consider Championship Manager and The Sims.Personal financeThere are all sorts of home finance products available and, with so much choice, a few quid invested in a reliable and simple piece of personal finance software can repay itself in spades. Money 2002 is our favourite, with an easy-to-use interface and the ability to balance a budget, track share prices online and plan for the future.Microsoft Money 2002 Standard £29.99 Microsoft: 0870 601 0100 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.microsoft.co.uk">www.microsoft.co.uk</a> Also consider Quicken 2002 and TaxCalc 2002.<