Presentation Technologies

Power-Up Your Creativity

A single great picture or video clip can clearly express the essence of a business idea. HDV camcorders produce super-realistic, high-definition television and are now priced within the reach of most business communicators. The HDV industry standard enables videographers to record HDTV (1080i or 720p) on standard DV tape. Noteworthy new units include Sony's sub-$2,000 HDR-HC1 one-chip wonder, Panasonic's groundbreaking AG-HVX200 (which adds solid state recording) for less than $6,000, JVC's ProHD GY-HD100U 3-chip camera for around $6,300, and Canon's fully professional XL H1 with 20X zoom lens for less than $9,000.

Digital still cameras continue to evolve at a rapid speed. The new, pocket-sized 6.3 megapixel Fujifilm FinePix F10 delivers images good enough for printed publications, even when taken in available light, for $349. The DiMAGE X1 (around $400) from Konica Minolta packs 8-megapixel resolution, a 3X optical zoom, into a sleek body, measuring only 3.7 x 2.7 x 0.8 inches.

Clip and Polish

Developing raw video footage and digital photos into powerful presentations requires some skill and practice, and it's a lot easier with the right editing software.

While Photoshop CS 2 from Adobe ($899 Standard Edition) is arguably the most powerful graphics tool ever, the new Paint Shop Pro X from Corel ($129) makes it simple for non-graphics professionals to turn average photos into powerful visual statements. You can use Paint Shop's One Step Photo Fix to quickly bring your photos up to power, or dig into the program's powerful tools, including a perspective corrector, and a makeover tool with blemish fixer.

Among the most powerful basic software tools for DV and HDV video editing are the Platinum Edition of Sony Vegas Movie Studio+DVD ($130) and Apple's Final Cut Express HD ($299). Sony's Vegas Platinum package (PC only) includes hundreds of special effects, ACID XMC for creating and editing exciting music tracks, plus a very useful 126-page book, HDV: What You Need to Know. Final Cut Express HD offers Mac users advanced features such as animated titling with Live Type, music track creation, plus customizable effects and compositing that enable complex layering of video and graphics.

Displays Great and Small

Effective communication involves the selection of the appropriate medium and output device for your message. Real Estate professionals and other mobile professionals will appreciate the super-crisp, 3.5-inch image display and 80 GB hard disk of Epson's P-4000 handheld Multimedia Storage Viewer ($699).

For the conference room or home office, the stylish 37LP1D high-definition LCD TV from LG Electronics, with integrated media card reader, does a superb job of displaying business graphics, digital photos, multimedia, and HD TV news and sports from virtually any source (less than $4,000).

With so many powerful tools at your fingertips, it is easy to create and deliver high-impact presentations, proposals, and other business communications.

Fast magicolor Laser Offers Speed and Value

It's one fast color laser printer and costs just $699*. The magicolor® 5430 DL from KONICA MINOLTA prints up to 21 ppm in color and black-and-white. It features 2400 x 600 dpi quality for high-impact business documents and is equipped with 10/100BaseTX Ethernet® and Hi-Speed USB interfaces for quick connectivity.

Everyone will appreciate how easy the printer is to use. Out of the box, the supplies are pre-installed for fast setup. And for everyday convenience, the printer includes gauges on the keypad for viewing supply levels and an indicator on the paper tray to see how much paper remains. The magicolor 5430 DL has a 60,000-page monthly duty cycle and is backed by a one-year warranty.

For more information, call 1-800-523-2696 or visit www.buymagicolor.com.