Hitachi DZ-MV100E

The Ricoh MP5125A-DP drive is actually used by the other DVD+RW supporters, although they rebrand them as their own. AOpen and HP have both taken this route, and use the Ricoh as their base.

HITACHI DZ-MV208E

Built-in tracing and improved drawing, formatting and colour correction make X3 the best CorelDRAW upgrade in years.

Vector graphics

The Quark-killer has finally landed. For the last year, the hype about Adobe's replacement for the worthy but old-fashioned PageMaker (reviewed issue 22, p108) has been building to fever pitch.

Great video, tons of features, easy to use... if only there was a PAL-friendly version

The Internet is booming again, but this time it’s very different. PC Authority brings you up to speed with the global Web 2.0 phenomenon.

It sets out to create photo-realistic 3D models from 2D photos and illustrations, with the barest of tool sets and minimum user input.

TrueSpace has always led the pack in terms of features as far as Windows 3D animation packages under $2,000 are concerned. Recently, however, the market has become rather crowded, with a powerful upgrade to Ray Dream (reviewed issue 9, p100) and the cut-down version of LightWave 3D (Inspire 3D) both challenging it on features and price.

Video2000 Pro from MadOnion (www.madonion.com) is one of the first comprehensive video quality and performance testing suites.

Hitachi VM-D965LE Video

It was a very close race between the Canon MV630i and the Sony TRV 355E as to which camera should take out the overall award. While the MV630i is $170 dearer, it has a better still photo resolution (1,024 x 768 compared to a screen-only 640 x 480), but the TRV 355E has superior PC connectivity and editing software.

There is not a huge difference between this and the MV550E. In fact, if you put them side by side you have to look closely to see the difference in looks, which is model number in small print on one side.

Sony's DVD201E HandyCam is a good example of how far DVD cameras have come and what a bit of commonsense can do when selecting the right format. Unlike some of the earlier DVD cameras which opted for the unpopular DVD-RAM rewritable format, Sony elected to go with the more common DVD-RW format.

Prices have come down in recent times and there is no better example than the Sony TRV 355E. Compromising on size and portability, but not on video quality or features. Despite its size, it's still lighter than many VHS cameras but has more features and equals most for image quality.

The digital revolution is entering a new, more mature phase. The early adopters are now on to their second or third generation of digital equipment, prices have come down to a more consumer oriented level, and the general public is becoming more digitally aware.

Buying a digital video camera is a tough task, but you’ll be well prepared with our comprehensive guide.

As this Labs’ sole available proponent of the –RW format, Pioneer has a struggle on its hands getting the public to accept the standard over the faster and more widely used +RW format.

Ian Burley walks you through the process of making professional-looking digital pictures with the help of Corels Photo-Paint. Having a super high-resolution digital camera or a fea