ProShow Gold and ProShow Producer, software programs beloved by photographers, now supports burning to high-definition Blu-Ray discs, the next generation DVD discs.
We know what a difference high def makes with video. But for photos? There's no such thing as a high-def JPG. So what’s the big deal?
Paul Schmidt, the founder and president of Austin, Texas based Photodex, which makes the programs, set us straight.
“It’s like taking a picture with a 1 megapixel camera, and then moving to a 6 megapixel,” he told us. “You have six times the resolution—or six times as many dots. You see more definition, more colors, your show is sharper.”
Photo slideshows -- a string of pictures set to music -- have become really popular thanks to the explosion of digital photography, and ease of posting on the Web. While many software programs (Roxio’s Easy Media Creator, Nero, Slide.com) let you make slideshows, ProShow Gold (the $69.95 consumer application) and Producer ($249.95, targeted to professionals) offer more controls and sharing options.
Shows can be posted online to blogs or websites, direct to YouTube, and burned.
Photodex’s programs also work with video clips, but it’s with photos where the high-def is more dramatic, says Schmidt. “When I show people photos on DVD, and then the same show on Blu-Ray, they are blown away,” he says.
To go the Blu-Ray route, you’ll need at pick up a Blu-Ray burner (we found a Lite-on for $239 at Newegg.com). For the living room, if you don’t already have one, a Blu-Ray player as well—Newegg.com offers a Panasonic for $339.
Then there’s digital media, which is substantially more expensive than regular DVD media. Schmidt says he’s found recordable Blu-Ray discs for $7 each. Regular DVDs can be found for around 25 cents. But if you want to start using Blu-Ray for backup, you get a lot more room—25 gigabytes, vs. 4.7 GB on standard DVD.
By Jefferson GrahamPhoto: Photodex
Comments