Epson Australia is releasing three new single function - the Epson Stylus Photo R230, the Stylus Photo R250 and the Stylus Photo R350 - and four new multifunction printers - the Epson Stylus CX3700, Epson Stylus CX4100, Epson Stylus CX4700 and Epson Stylus Photo RX530, this November.

Each printer creates BorderFree prints on 4x6, 5x7 and A4 size paper, with a resolution of up to 5760 dpi optimised (dots per inch) with RPM (Resolution Performance Management) technology using Epson Variable-Sized Droplet technology for smooth tones and vibrant colour prints; and uses individual ink cartridges for economical printing.

With features such as direct CD/DVD printing, the Stylus Photo R230 allows users to be creative and have fun with home printing. With its 1.5 inch colour LCD viewer and multiple card slots, the Stylus Photo R250 offers user friendly, PC Free printing. The Epson Stylus Photo R350 is based upon the highly successfully Stylus Photo R310, and offers many new features including an easy to use control panel and high quality LCD screen for PC-free printing.

The multifunction Stylus CX3700, Stylus CX4100 and Stylus CX4700 use Epson's DURABrite(TM) Ultra pigment ink which ensures that prints will last up to 120 years#, while the four individual colour Intellidge(TM) ink cartridges provide consistent results and maximise ink usage.

The improved 1200dpi scanner and improved copying facilities mean that the Epson Stylus CX4100 and Stylus CX4700 allow users to scan anything from documents to photos with quality results while copying quality has been improved from previous Stylus models with an adjustment of the LUT (Look-Up-Table).

The Stylus Photo RX530 uses Epson's brilliant dye based HQ3 ink with improved print longevity, and comes with Epson Photo Enhance 4 and Epson colour restoration software plus a 2400 dpi scanner for standalone film and photo scanning, for easy reproduction and restoration of images all in the one compact unit

The Stylus Photo R250, Stylus Photo R350 and Stylus Photo RX530 support PictBridge, a camera industry standard that facilitates fast and easy to use PC-free digital printing of high quality photographs directly from digital cameras.

The Epson Stylus Photo R230 is priced at $199 RRP, the Stylus Photo R250 is $249 RRP, and the Stylus Photo R350 is $349 RRP. In the multifunction range the Stylus CX3700 is $129 RRP, the Stylus CX4100 is $159 RRP, the Stylus CX4700 is $209 RRP and the Stylus Photo RX530 is $329 RRP. All are available for purchase at consumer electronics retailers, computer superstores, mass merchandisers, office superstores and selected photo specialty stores.

Until 28 February 2006 the Epson Stylus CX3700, Stylus CX4100, Stylus CX4700 and Stylus Photo RX530 come with a bonus 12 month warranty, extending the warranty period to 24 months.

For more information visit www.epson.com.au

Nokia has extended the Nokia N-series multimedia range to include three devices: the Nokia N92 (the world's first mobile device with a built-in DVB-H receiver), the Nokia N71 and the Nokia N80. With these devices consumers can wirelessly watch mobile TV, stream music, share photos and send e-mails with attachments, using technologies such as 3G, WLAN and Universal Plug and Play (UPnP).

The Nokia N92 is the world's first mobile device with a built-in DVB-H receiver, making it possible for users to watch and record live TV.

The Nokia N92 features applications and functions that enable users to watch and search for TV programmes, create personal channel lists, subscribe to TV channel packages, set programme reminders and access interactive TV services. The ergonomic form factor includes media keys, a view mode and a large (2.8") anti-glare QVGA screen supporting 16m colours.

The latest member of the Nokia Xpress Music family, the Nokia N71 is a pocket-sized entertainment system that comes with stereo FM radio and support for digital music and videos. The Nokia N71 also features the Nokia Web Browser with Mini Map. This allows a semi-transparent, zoomed-out view of a web page, so that users can orient themselves on a handset screen.

Equipped with WLAN and 3G, the Nokia N80 is the world's first handset to feature UPnP technology. This allows it to be used as a remote control for wirelessly swapping content between compatible PCs, TVs and audio equipment. Images and video stored on the Nokia N80 or on a compatible PC can be viewed on a TV, for instance, while music stored on the device can be played through an audio system. Nokia N80 users can print wirelessly to any UPnP-enabled printer. The Nokia N80 supports most commonly used e-mail solutions and office-application formats.

Nokia Eseries devices support all GSM bands, 3G, WLAN, corporate e-mail access and advanced voice functionality (including IP PBX connectivity over WLAN), and offer integrated security features and tools for device management. Multiple e-mail solutions are supported, including Blackberry Connect, Good Link, Nokia Business Centre, Seven Mobile Mail, Seven Always-on mail and Visto Mobile.

For more information visit www.nokia.com

Avid Technology are just about to release a new Avid Liquid product line, the company’s new nonlinear editing software and hardware offerings for event videographers, government and corporate video producers, and high-end enthusiasts. Drawn from editing products formerly developed by Pinnacle Systems, the Avid Liquid family includes new versions (v.7.0) of the Avid Liquid and Avid Liquid Pro systems, both of which are packed with new features designed for users who want a single application for creation and delivery of tape, DVD and streaming media. The product line also includes new configurations and pricing for the Avid Liquid Chrome HD (v.6.1) family of solutions featuring advanced standard-definition (SD) and high-definition (HD) I/O hardware.

Avid Liquid builds on popular Liquid features, including native HDV editing, GPU-accelerated effects, background rendering, Dolby Digital 5.1 surround audio with AC-3 encoding, DVD creation directly on the video editing timeline, and great value I/O hardware.

New features of Avid Liquid v.7.0 software include:
• SmartSound integration – custom music creation directly inside the Avid Liquid application.
• New multimedia format support – native editing of popular codecs including WM9, DivX, and MPEG-4 for repurposing and output of content to the Internet.
• New effects – Real-time Timewarp, Stabilize, Dream Glow, and over 50 plug-ins from the highly-regarded Commotion effects suite.
• Avid Open Timeline – native HD and SD editing on the same timeline in real time, without transcoding for fast, flexible editing regardless of format.
• Preview HDV in SD – for viewing HDV in SD on a client video monitor with Avid Liquid Pro.

All products within the new Avid Liquid family run on Windows XP, and are expected to ship by November 22, 2005. For more information, please visit www.avid.com/AvidLiquid/

Autodesk have announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Alias for $182 million in cash. This acquisition will grow Autodesk’s expertise and offerings for the design of consumer products and automotive as well as in the media and entertainment markets. Autodesk anticipates that the transaction will close within the next four to six months.

“This acquisition brings to Autodesk a highly talented group of individuals, a wealth of technologies and a great set of products,” said Carl Bass, COO of Autodesk. “Alias’ technology spans several of our most important markets and augments the synergy between our design and media businesses. Our design customers are demanding more powerful visualization, animation and publishing capabilities. Our media and entertainment customers are increasingly using the data created by our design applications for broadcast, film and games projects. By combining the technology and talents of our two companies, we will be better able to continue delivering solutions that address our customers’ complex needs.”

Alias’ product lines comprise sketching, animation, visual effects, design, modeling, rendering
and reviewing solutions. Alias MotionBuilder is Alias’ 3D character animation product, Alias FBX is widely used in the exchange and use of 3D content, and Maya is the company’s Academy Award-winning 3D application. These products will augment Autodesk’s offering in the film and video and interactive games segments. Alias StudioTools – software for design tasks from 2D sketches to production models – will add industrial design and high-end visualization capabilities to Autodesk’s manufacturing solutions. Autodesk will continue to develop the Alias product lines in conjunction with Autodesk’s complementary products and technologies.

“This acquisition is designed to leverage the strengths of both companies,” stated Doug Walker, president and CEO of Alias. “Alias’ customers will benefit from nearly $300 million in R&D spending while having access to new and complementary products and technologies. Together, Autodesk and Alias will deliver products and services that give form to great ideas from the fantasy world of film to the factory floor.”

Michael Boughen and Matthew Street of Ambience Entertainment, an Omnilab Group company, have announced that children’s 3D animated series Erky Perky is going into production.

The 26 part 12 minute animated series is an official co-production between CCI in Canada and Ambience Entertainment and will be directed by Ambience Entertainment’s David Webster.

“Erky Perky has been in development for a few years and it’s very exciting to finally have the opportunity to bring the characters to life for a global audience” said Webster.

Erky Perky follows the escapades of two bickering bugs, Erky and Perky, living an idyllic life on a hotdog stand who are cruelly swept away in a take-out bag and to their horror end up in a sterile suburban kitchen with no food.

"CCI is delighted to be co-producing Erky Perky and handling world television, home video and merchandising efforts," says Arnie Zipursky, CEO of CCI Entertainment. "Kids will have an opportunity to share in the adventures the wacky adventures of Erky and Perky both on screen and off."

The visually rich comedic series has been pre-sold to the Seven Network in Australia and YTV in Canada and will be animated at another Omnilab Group company, The Lab Sydney.

The Lab’s animation team has recently completed children’s animated film, Peter Cottontail for Classic Media in the US, as well as part animation on US feature Happily N’ever After. “It’s great to have such an experienced group of 3D artists working on this project. Their talents are really going to enhance the series’ said Ambience Entertainment’s Michael Boughen.

Acer Computer Australia, has announced that the 17" AL1751 LCD monitor now features a leading 6ms response time and Acer CrystalBrite technology for 25 per cent brighter views.

By applying an ultra-fine, highly-polished coating to the LCD screen, Acer's unique CrystalBrite technology provides users with more intense colour saturation, superior contrast ratio and sharper photo images. The final coating to the screen prevents the diffusion of surrounding light and internal rays, meaning that colours are read more accurately, images are built quicker on the screen and overall, the effect gives users a 25 per cent brighter screen compared to standard displays.

This slim and lightweight monitor features a revolutionary bezel design that allows the monitor to be used free standing or it can be easily wall mounted using the standard base, with no need for extra brackets or fittings. This makes the AL1751 ideal for use in public display and exhibition areas where this flexibility will enable almost any set design to be created. All connections are housed in the base of the unit which also removes the unsightly tangle of connections necessary with some other monitors.

The Acer AL1751 is available now for $599 inc GST.

On2 Technologies have announced the immediate availability of its Flix line of Flash Video authoring tools for creating high quality Flash video content for Macromedia's newly-launched family of Flash Player 8 products.

On2's VP6 compression technology – integrated in both Macromedia's Flash Player 8 and On2's Flix line of Flash Video authoring tools – delivers pristine quality Flash video imagery, unparalleled in the industry. Customers can experience "before and after" Flash video clips, demonstrating On2's dramatic enhancements to image quality, by visiting http://www.on2.com/video_samples/flix-video-samples.

On2 Flix Products for Creating High Quality Flash Player 8 Content
On2's new VP6-enhanced Flix family of video compression technologies include:

Flix Pro – a powerful Flash Video encoder that enables users to edit, crop, convert and post video to the web in minutes;
Flix Engine – enables users to add Flix's Flash Video encoding capabilities to their software and enables website visitors to convert their video, audio and image files to Flash. The Flix Engine also enables users to allow anyone within the intranet to have access to Flix solutions.

The On2 family of Flix video authoring tools for Flash Player 8 is available immediately with prices starting at $249 for Flix Pro, and can be purchased online at http://flix.on2.com/.

Microsoft has announced the release of Expression, a family of professional tools for the design and production of enhanced user experiences and rich content for the Web and Windows Vista platform.

The announced products are Acrylic Graphic Designer: a painting, illustration and effects tool for creating graphic designs; Sparkle Interactive Designer: a user-interface design tool for modern application development using the Windows Presentation Foundation; and Quartz Web Designer: a layout and design tool for creating Web sites.

Incorporating design concepts into the development process has typically been difficult due to communication and technical gaps between design and development teams. With its Expression family of products, Microsoft bridges these gaps by leveraging common file types and languages such as Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML), HTML and ASP.NET and through seamless integration with Microsoft Visual Studio®, which greatly simplifies development processes and maximizes the creative solutions that teams can deliver. These tools enable designers to explore a wide range of creative options using vector and bitmaps graphics, 3-D content, rich text, media, animation and interactivity, and then to integrate those designs seamlessly with developer code and functionality created using the Visual Studio family of professional development tools.

More information about the Microsoft Expression family can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/expression.

Toon Boom Animation are about to release Toon Boom Solo, a new stand-alone animation software solution designed to meet the needs of small size studios and independent animation filmmakers.

Solo offers an impressive array of creative animation tools, facilitating complete artistic expression throughout the animation production process, whether it is traditional, digital or cut-out style. Advanced features, such as morphing, inverse kinematics, glue and special effects, translate into faster completion of projects—all integrated in a single application and relying on a field-proven technology.

Toon Boom Solo is expected to ship on September 30, 2005. Toon Boom Solo comes with a DVD case and CD, a security key (dongle), Keyboard Shortcuts and Installation and Getting Started Guide, tutorials as well as a two-volume user guide. Toon Boom Solo is available for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.

For more information take a look at the Launch Special available at www.toonboom.com

Acon Digital Media is set to make personal music editing and optimizing as accessible, simple and popular as digital image editing with the launch of Acoustica v3.3. This music-editor can read and graphically display the sound waves from all common audio file formats like Ogg-Vorbis (OGG), Wave Audio (WAV), Windows Media Audio (WMA), MPEG Layer 3 (MP3) and Sun Audio Format (AU). Acoustica can also take the sound track from MPG, MPEG, WMV and AVI videos to edit them just as it does with a song from an audio CD.

The Cleaning Wizard automates the whole process from recording and track splitting to audio restoration and CD-recording. Professional users will appreciate the six band equalizer, automatic noise and scratch-elimination as well as sound effects like reverb, chorus, and others. The application can also edit the metadata for MP3, Ogg and Wave files, which can contain for example the song title or artist.

The new Effect Chain Editor allows the user to chain internal processing tools and plug-ins. The chains can be saved, including their settings for later use. Each processing step in the chain can be bypassed and the processing order changed by drag and drop.

The new 3.3 version of Acoustica comes with many other useful additions like dithering and noise shaping; statistics (RMS, DC offsets, loudest peak and more); a new stereo enhancer tool; support for ACID information in wave files; new time formats such as sample index, SMPTE and bars and beats; the addition of a preview button to the file opening dialogue; the option to save regions as a separate file; support for LAME codec if installed and several new usability features.

A free 30-day trial version is available from http://www.acondigital.com. The full, unlimited version costs $34.90 (USD) as electronic delivery or $43.85 (USD) on a CD-ROM. Users of earlier versions can upgrade at a reduced cost of only $19.00 (USD).