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If you’re looking for a digital camcorder, you will be spolit for choice. There are so many models out there - Canon, Sony, Panasonic, JVC - just to name a few brands. It is tough to make a decision because of the variety and the cost. Digital camcorders are not cheap. and easily run into the $500 to $2000 price range. You wouldn’t want to fork out so much money for a camera that does not meet your expectations.

Let’s take a look at the various factors to consider when purchasing your first camcorder.

Analog or Digital Format?

The first decision you have to make is this: do you want to work with video in an analog format (VHS-C, 8mm and Hi8) or a digital format (MiniDV, Digital8, MicroMV, Digital Tapeless and DVD). The digital format is all the rage now, just look at the digital camcorders flying off the shelves offline and online. Of course, a digital camcorder is slightly more expensive than an analog one.

If you simply cannot decide whether to go digital or analog, just consider the intended usage of your camera. If you intend to capture video into the computer and do some video editing, then my advice is to go for a digital camcorder. If you don’t mind lower quality video, then save your money and get an analog camera. You can still import video from your analog camera into your computer using an analog-to-digital conversion device (albeit with some loss in quality).

What’s Your Budget?

As with all purchases you make, you need to consider your budget. A low-end digital camera like the Canon ZR200 will set you back about $400. A super duper high-end model like the Sony HDR-FX1 will cost a bomb at $3000. Be sure to compare prices and get the best deals matching the features you want in your camera. Of course, the more you pay, the better features you’ll get - that’s a known fact.

Other Features

The features and attributes to consider when purchasing a camcorder include:

* Firewire/IEEE 1394 support * Lens Quality * LCD Size * Optical Stabilization System * Digital Still Image Capability

To me, only the first attribute (Firewire support) is absolutely critical. Never buy a digital camcorder that does not have Firewire support (a rarity these days anyway). The other attributes like lens quality, LCD size and optical stabilization are nice to have but should not matter if you are just an average home user.

The last attribute - digital still image capability - gives you the ability to shoot pictures just like a digital still camera. I personally think there’s no need for this feature, as it jacks up the price tag way too much. I’d prefer to get a basic videocam and a proper digital still camera separately if I want to both shoot videos and take still pictures.

Conclusion

So while it seems you are blinded by the vast array of choices available for digital camcorders, my advice is to focus on your budget and intended usage of the camera. I know some professional wedding videographers who use their digital camcorders to shoot wedding videos. These guys need the best, high-end models. If you’re a average home user, start with a lower-end to mid-range model. You can always upgrade to a better model later as you get more experienced in digital video.

Wondershare Software, a globe provider of multimedia software, is proud to announce today the unveiling of Video to Flash Encoder V1.0. Video to Flash Encoder is a Video/Audio converter for Window platforms. It enables the users to edit your favorite video clips and turn them into smaller, easily distributable Flash file. With Video to Flash Encoder, you can be a professional moviemaker, produce high-quality, fun-to-watch video flashes and upload them to the Internet for distributing far and wide.

” Most of us must have watched some very classic movies like “Gone With the Wind”, “Titanic” etc, some astonishing, romantic scenes just impress you so much and every now and then you can’t help thinking of them”, said Sergey Pozhilov, marketing communications manager, “Video to Flash Encoder is exactly such kind of software to crop and edit those classic movie scenes with your imagination, easily and quickly”. Video to Flash Encoder provides strong Video/Audio processing function. It allows you to select video length within a video timeline, crop an area within a video frame, zoom in/out video with its original proportion. The powerful audio processing ability can erase original audio track and add different background music, even you own narration. “With DV becoming more and more popular, every family must tapes many videos at different occasion. Video to Flash Encoder can help you add more fun to them by editing them and apply a wide range of special effects to it, such as Black and White, Negative Effect, etc. Complete with Video to Flash Encoder’s unique movie templates, you can be make a profession movie”, said Sergey Pozhilov Along with its user-friendly interface, powerful audio/video processing ability, special video effects, the program can convert the edited video clips to flash with the size of 1/3 of its original. The most important feature of Video to Flash Encoder is its converting function, the whole Video to Flash conversion is easily and quickly, the output flash file look exactly like the original video file with any distortion. Video to Flash Encoder Key Feature at a Glance 1. Multiple Video Formats Supported 2. Original Effects with Reduced Size 3. Powerful Video Editing 4. Powerful Audio Processing 5. Video Effects with Real Time Preview 6. Complete with Movie Templates Flash Movie 7. Easy to Use Availability and Pricing

Video to Flash Encoder 1.0 runs under Windows /2000/XP/2003 and costs $39.95(USD) for a single-user license. Discounts for volume buyers, home users and educational establishments are available. A 30-day fully functional evaluation version can be downloaded for free at : http://download.video-to-flash-encoder.com/vtf_trial.exe Homepage: http://www.video-to-flash-encoder.com Screenshot: http://www.video-to-flash-encoder.com/screenshot/screenshot.html Buy Online: http://www.video-to-flash-encoder.com/buy/video-to-flash-buy.html About Wondershare Software

Established in 2002, Wondershare software is a multimedia software company creating and marketing multimedia Windows applications for both business and home users. From the start, the company was aware of the need for easy to use multimedia programs with reasonable price. Our extensive software line enables users of all levels to easily and effectively edit, organize and manage their multimedia files or convert them to other format and medium.

To satisfying every user of our products, Wondershare created our powerful Online Support System, for quality help and a fast response. Wondershare software is also bundled with digital cameras, computers, and other consumer electronic devices on a global scale. Wondershare Software is dedicated to be a professional digital software developer and provider in the area of graphics, and audio & video multimedia applications systems. Wondershare colors your digital life! Company: Wondershare Software Co.,Ltd Address: 4F Beida Jade Bird Building, South Area, Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, GD, China Postcode: 518057 Tel: +86-755-26038199/26038299/26038399 Fax:+86-755-26038199/26038299/26038399 -868 Email: info@wondershare.com

Web Conferencing is, very simply, a meeting, conference or seminar that is held over the World Wide Web. Web conferencing can refer to audio, video or text-based conversations and are conducted in real-time.

Web conferencing is an incredibly useful resource for anyone who trades within a global market place. It literally allows you to be in two places at once - sitting at home or in your office whilst conducting a meeting with someone one the other side of the world.

In its simplest form web conferencing can take the form of free downloads such as Microsoft NetMeeting or Yahoo Messenger. Subscribers can participate in text-based ‘chats’, inviting others into their conversations and being able to communication in real-time. Add a simple digital camera to this equation and you have the beginnings of an elementary web conferencing application.

At the other end of the scale, the most sophisticated applications allow seminars and presentations to be made to hundreds of delegates at the same time. Meetings can be fully interactive, allowing question and answer sessions, the sharing of files and documents and slide show presentations to be broadcast.

What Can I Do With Web Conferencing?

How you choose to use web conferencing will very much depend upon your line of work. A webinar (an online seminar) is less interactive than a web meeting, but is a very effective means of presenting sales pitches, performance reviews and delivering staff training.

A web meeting on the other hand, can be fully interactive not only in terms of audio and video but also by allowing the sharing of documents and files and viewing them online.

What is Online Collaboration?

Online collaboration is an excellent resource for project management, especially when team members are located in different geographical locations. Online collaboration provides an advanced level of document management and file sharing. Documents and files can be viewed, modified and updated online and in real time.

What Are The Benefits Of Web Conferencing?

The main benefits of web conferencing are to be found in terms of time and money savings. The need for travel is greatly reduced, and therefore so are the associated costs of travel - tickets, accommodation, subsistence, to name but a few. Employees spend less time waiting for flights, travel or just generally being away from their desk and therefore have more time to spend productively.

Enhanced communication is another benefit of web conferencing. Where colleagues could perhaps only meet face to face a few times a year, for example, web conferencing allows them to meet on a daily basis, if required. With people talking more, work gets done more efficiently and more accurately.

How Much Does It Cost?

The cost of web conferencing depends on how sophisticated an application you need. Low-level, one-to-one systems can be set up these days for virtually nothing. The most advanced systems, unsurprisingly, can run into thousands of dollars. Careful research, however, and thoughtful analysis of what you need from a web conferencing system can allow you to budget accordingly and match a system to your needs. The chances are, if you are spending money on travel then you will recoup the cost of your web conferencing software over time.

Diane Parker is a web content writer who specializes in internet related topics. Her conferencing articles include: web conferencing software, choosing a web conferencing tool and internet conferencing.

Audio conferencing software normalizes audio, video, and file sharing applications. In other words, this software allows everyone participating in a virtual meeting to see each other hear each other, and work on the same projects together. This last attribute of audio conferencing software is often called collaborative software (formerly known as groupware.) For example, if there is a diagram on the television or computer screen that everyone can see, it is possible for everyone to make marks on the document using a special whiteboard-and-pen program. This brings everyone together in as “real” a way as possible over infinite distances.

Other applications of audio conferencing software include slide shows, streaming audio and video, and document sharing. As telecommunications companies come up with newer and newer ideas, audio conferencing software will have greater and “more real” applications.

When choosing your audio conferencing vendor, the number of users or “seats” could determine which type of technology you’ll need. Some technical support will be needed for all web conferencing solutions.

Three examples of audio conferencing software brands are the following:

Centra

Centra is both a software and a service. The software has all the usual normalizing characteristics, plus a few extras. Centra can be programmed to automatically set up and communicate conference times and dates. It can also track who is logged in during the conference. Afterward, the program can automatically send meetings notes via e-mail to all participants.

Microsoft NetMeeting

Another popular audio conferencing software program, NetMeeting is compatible with any web device. It integrates your calendar, e-mail system, and so on, and is very easy to use. You can even use your web camera to take a snapshot of something and place it on the whiteboard for discussion or markup.

Xbox Live

Even modern video gaming systems use audio conferencing software! You can play a war game against other gamers anywhere else in the world, and talk trash to them at the same time via a headset.

Audio Conferencing Info provides detailed information about audio conferencing services, equipment, software, companies, plus online audio conferencing, and more. Audio Conferencing Info is affiliated with Original Content.

Everyone knows that color can make a presentation more interesting and stimulating to look at. It can also convey information, as in the differently colored slices of a pie chart.

But color used improperly is worse than no color at all. Bad color choices or combinations can actually distract viewers from your message and can even cause unpleasant feelings in them. The following guidelines can help you use color effectively in your presentations:

* Too much color can be distracting. Resist the temptation to decorate your slides with a rainbow of colors. Graphic elements (such as charts) should never contain more than five colors; text slides should use at most two main colors and a third for highlighting.

* Keep the colors, and their meanings, consistent throughout the presentation. This will unify your presentation and give it a professional look.

* Even if you’ve chosen a harmonious set of colors, don’t use them arbitrarily. Let the colors to show the relationships between elements, with related things in related colors.

* As with the colors, keep the text (font) styles in your slides consistent.

* Don’t arbitrarily switch colors (of background, text, graphics, or anything else) during the course of the presentation. A change of color should only be used to emphasize key information or to indicate a change of topic or message.

* Don’t use red and green at the same time, because colorblind people can’t see the difference between them.

* Backgrounds consisting of more than one color should use dithering (a gradual blending from one color to the next) for easy viewing. It’s usually preferable to use a solid light color (light blue or gray) for the background with a dark color for text. This is the most effective combination for projected slides.

* To help maintain visual consistency, develop a template that you can use to create each slide. A template is just a basic slide containing the background colors, font style, and graphics that will be common to every slide.

* Test your color combinations on the actual projection equipment that will be used, or at least on a similar type of projector. The projected image will usually appear brighter and more vivid than it does on your computer screen. You may discover that your perfect color scheme doesn’t look so perfect when projected. It’s better to discover this while creating your template than during your presentation.

Color Meanings

Colors in themselves, of course, have no specifically defined meanings. Nevertheless, colors tend to carry subtle, subliminal emotions to viewers, whether by convention or by some natural perceptual process, and you should bear these traditional associations mind when making your color choices.

Color preference:

9% Choose Black - Reliability, Authority, Power, Constancy, Prudence Black feels formal and powerful. Formal clothing tends to be black for this reason.

20% Choose Blue - Tranquility, Intuitiveness, Trust, Loyalty Peaceful, tranquil blue relaxes the nervous system and increases productivity. People seem to retain more information when reading blue text.

3% Choose Brown - Credibility, Solidity, Strength, Maturity. The color of earth and wood, brown creates a neutral and comfortable environment.

13% Choose Green - Life, Growth, Abundance, Vitality. Green is the easiest color on the eye. It calms and has a neutral effect on the nervous system.

7% Choose Orange - Warmth, Happiness, Courage, Success. Orange is the color most associated with appetite. It has a broad appeal. Suitable for anything and anyone.

11% Choose Purple - Luxury, Wealth, Sophistication. Purple conveys a feeling of passion, romance, and sensitivity.

14% Choose Pink - Romance, Imagination, Fantasy. Pink feels calm and soft-hearted, with a tranquilizing effect.

12% Choose Red - Power, Warmth, Energy, Determination, Excitement, Passion. Red dominates and grabs attention. It stimulates people to quick decisions and increases expectations.

4% Choose White - Purity, Innocence, Sterility. White is cool and refreshing.

5% Choose Yellow - Enthusiasm, Light, Creativity, Spirituality. Yellow draws attention, feels warm, and is the most visible color of all.