Leading Vendors, Award-Winning Photographers and Acclaimed Experts Demonstrate
Imaging Scenarios and Industry Opportunities Using Windows XP
LAS VEGAS, Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Signaling its commitment to
the digital imaging industry, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) today will make
its first appearance at PMA 2004, the annual convention and trade show of the
Photo Marketing Association International, being held in Las Vegas Feb. 12-15.
At the show, Microsoft is demonstrating its breadth of digital imaging
products and technologies for hardware and software developers, retailers,
professional photographers and consumers.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )
At booth P111, Microsoft is showcasing the Windows(R) XP operating system
as a key platform for digital imaging and high-quality digital media creation
and playback via a series of demonstrations using products from leading
imaging software, hardware and service vendors including Adobe Systems Inc.,
Canon USA Inc., EPSON America Inc., Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. Inc., HP, Eastman
Kodak Co., Nikon USA and Sony Electronics e-Solutions Company LLC.
"We're excited to showcase how Windows XP supports new digital photography
scenarios for consumers and professionals, and enables the industry to further
capitalize on the PC as an important component of the digital imaging value
chain," said Amir Majidimehr, vice president for the Windows Digital Media
Division at Microsoft. "Our goal is to work cooperatively with industry
participants to make it easier for everyone to get the most out of digital
photography."
New Opportunities for Retailers in Photofinishing Services
Microsoft is working with industry leaders at PMA to show how its software
is providing retailers with new opportunities to deliver photofinishing
services. The demonstrations include these:
-- Fuji and Microsoft will show how the Online Print Ordering Wizard
enables consumers to order retail prints of their digital photographs from the
Windows XP desktop.
-- The Photo E-Mail feature in MSN(R) Premium enables consumers to easily
share their photos with family and friends. Customers can view a slide show,
download high-resolution photos, which they receive by e-mail, or print the
photos through an online service from Fuji and have them mailed directly to
wherever they wish.
-- The Microsoft(R) Windows XP Media Center Edition and its convenient
remote control enable users to access and view their digital images and then
share and print the photos using Kodak's Ofoto online digital photo service.
"We are pleased to continue to offer consumers the same great digital
prints in a new way. By ordering pictures through local retailers via Windows
XP, getting the picture is more convenient than ever," said Paul D'Andrea,
group vice president of the Photo Imaging Division at Fuji.
"Kodak has always created new and easy ways for consumers to enjoy and
share their pictures," said Lisa Gansky, general manager of Digital Imaging
Services at Eastman Kodak Co. "By offering access, print-ordering and sharing
capabilities through Windows XP Media Center Edition, we are providing yet
another way we can help people share their special moments with friends and
family so they can do more with their pictures."
Supporting the Professional Photographic Community
Professional photographers are embracing the Windows platform as a key
component of their digital workflow. At PMA 2004, several of the world's top
digital photographers and industry experts will speak in the Microsoft booth
about key digital imaging trends and how best to use technology for
professional-level output:
-- Denis Reggie of Denis Reggie Co., the acclaimed celebrity wedding
photographer and pioneer of digital wedding photojournalism
-- George Lepp of Lepp & Associates, one of the world's leading outdoor
and nature photographers, author, lecturer, and founder of the Lepp Institute
of Digital Imaging
-- Reed Hoffmann of Blue Pixel LLC, an instructor for the Nikon School and
award-winning digital photojournalist and corporate photographer
-- Scott Kelby, editor-in-chief of Photoshop User magazine, president of
the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, and author of
best-selling digital imaging books
"Photographers -- both amateur and professional -- are learning to use the
PC as a core component of their digital imaging workflow," Reggie said.
"Microsoft Windows XP gives us highest performance output and great color
fidelity, which has helped us take our photography business to the next level
-- transforming fleeting moments in time into lasting digital memories for our
clients."
According to a recent study by the Rob Galbraith Digital Photography
Insights Web site comparing the processing performance for professional
digital photography workflow, the Windows XP-based systems were faster than
the G5 Macintosh in 58 of 77 benchmarks. The tests were conducted on the
latest Apple Macintosh G5 systems and Windows XP-based PCs from Dell. Complete
results of the study are available online at http://www.robgalbraith.com/.
Microsoft also is featuring in its booth some of the latest Windows-based
professional hardware and software solutions from leading industry providers
such as Adobe, Camera Bits Inc., Canon, GretagMacbeth LLC, Victor Hasselblad
AB, Imacon Corp., NEC Corp., nik multimedia Inc., Nikon and Phase One.
Microsoft product developers and digital photography experts will be on hand
to speak directly with customers about their requirements for using computers
in advanced digital photography.
Innovative Products and Services for Consumers to Drive Category Growth
At the show Microsoft is demonstrating many of its products, technologies
and services designed to enable complete digital imaging -- from acquiring,
editing and organizing photos to sharing photos in new ways, viewing images on
a TV screen or mobile device, and more. These include the following:
-- Microsoft Digital Image Suite 9 is a complete photo software system
that combines two powerful digital imaging applications: Digital Image
Library 9 for organizing, sharing and archiving photos, and Digital Image Pro
9 for advanced image-editing and creative content. Using this seamlessly
integrated suite of easy-to-use tools, consumers can organize their entire
photo collection, edit photos with professional-quality results, create
thousands of one-of-a-kind projects, print and share their memories, and
archive photos for safekeeping.
-- Plus! Photo Story 2, part of Microsoft Plus! Digital Media Edition,
enables users to share and enjoy their photos in a whole new way. Users can
build unique slide shows complete with narration and music -- even
automatically add panning and zooming effects -- for a spectacular viewing
experience that can be easily shared via e-mail, the Web, a Pocket PC, or on
home DVD players via Video CD.
-- Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 was created to deliver the best of
both computing and entertainment on a home computer. Consumers can play slide
shows of their summer vacation while sitting comfortably on their couch, by
accessing the show from the computer's hard disk or by simply inserting a
smart media or CompactFlash card or CD to access photos. Users can rotate,
zoom and print photos and even remove red-eye with the touch of one button.
-- MSN Photos, a feature of MSN Premium, lets consumer have more fun with
their photos. In addition to enabling consumers to open, save, edit or print
photos, MSN Photos makes sharing images with friends and family easier than
ever via e-mail or MSN Messenger. In addition, MSN Photos offers professional
editorial content, tips and hints for taking better photos.
-- Xbox Music Mixer's Photo Album Viewer allows amateur photojournalists
to snap the life back into slide shows by letting them set their images to
customized soundtracks, creating the ultimate in slide shows. They can simply
transfer Windows Media(R) Audio (WMA), MP3 or JPEG files to their Xbox(R)
system to create the ultimate music and photo library.
-- Windows Mobile software for Pocket PC and Smartphone devices enable new
media and imaging functionality including Windows Media Player, which provides
higher-quality audio and video, improved performance and content-streaming
capabilities. Above all, Windows Mobile(TM)-based Smartphones include small,
stylish form factors designed for one-handed operation and all the features
mobile customers expect in a world-class phone. Windows Mobile extends the
mobile voice experience to include Outlook data as well as messaging features
such as e-mail, IM and SMS and the ability to browse the Web on a bright-color
screen.
In addition, Microsoft is showcasing the role of High-Performance Media
Access Technology (HighMAT(TM)) for the digital imaging industry. HighMAT,
which Microsoft and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (Panasonic)
jointly developed and introduced to the market last year, is designed to
significantly improve interoperability for photos, music and video between PCs
and popular consumer electronic devices using storage media such as CDs and
DVDs. More information about HighMAT is available at http://www.highmat.com/.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services
and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company
offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people
through great software -- any time, any place and on any device.
NOTE: Microsoft, Windows, MSN, Windows Media, Xbox, Windows Mobile and
HighMAT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in
the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.
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Related links:
http://www.microsoft.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
press only, AnnMarie Coe of Weber Shandwick,
+1-253-334-7705, or +1-585-507-8695, or acoe@webershandwick.com,
for Microsoft
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