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PC Authority Issue: July, 2006

Australia's premier computer magazine, PC Authority gives you the facts, opinions and insight to make informed PC and tech purchasing decisions.

Issue: 104  |  July, 2006

What's in this issue

If you’re confused by High Definition, you’re not alone. The technologies, standards, copy protection and broadcasters seem to be conspiring together to make it as incomprehensible as possible. But help is at hand in this month’s PC Authority.

Our HDTV superguide looks at the equipment you need to watch High Definition video, as well as who’s broadcasting what. We also look at the next generation of copy protection, and the looming battle between Blu-ray and HD-DVD -- including a preview of Samsung’s new Blu-ray drive.

We’ve also looked at the latest all-in-one printing, scanning, copying and faxing devices. HP’s performance in our inkjet roundup was outstanding -- can it take the crown again with its multifunction wonder?

Finally, we have an Australian magazine first -- Ageia’s next generation graphics card, the PhysX. We pull it apart and find out whether it’ll take the world by storm.

The latest in computer news, reviews and opinion is all in this month’s issue of PC Authority. Don’t miss out.

Articles in this issue

Acer Ferrari F-20
A superb screen that excelled in our tests, but you can get the same performance for less.

All-in-one printers
Print, scan, copy and fax with one single device. We put 10
all-in-ones through their paces.

AMD and AM2
Everything you need to know about AM2 -- without the headache.

AOpen i975Xa-YDG
An expensive board, but a fascintating way of getting a powerful, quiet system, especially if you're prepared to tweak.

Asus A8R32-MVP Deluxe
With CrossFire performance more erratic than SLI, and NVIDIA outgunning ATI with its Shader Model 3 cards, it's hard to recommend this board.

Asus Ageia PhysX
A potentially stunning card -- but don't buy one just yet.

Asus Lamborghini VX1
The branding reflects the exclusivity, but not necessarily the capability.

Cakewalk Sonar 5 Producer Edition
With a fantastic new suite of plug-ins on top of an already hugely powerful production environment, it’s hard to imagine a musician for whom Sonar 5 isn’t perfect.

Canon Pixma MP170
One of the fastest and best-quality printers on show. The scanner isn’t perfect and there aren’t as many features as the best here, but the MP170 is hard to beat for value.

Canon Pixma MP500
The MP500 is a great all-rounder. It’s capable of excellent print quality at high speeds, plus CD printing, has an automatic duplex module and a tempting price.

Canopus EDIUS NX PCI Express
Great real-time performance, particularly with high definition footage. But the EDIUS Pro software still needs a few more features to usurp the competition.

Condemned: Criminal Origins
Relieve stress and scare yourself stupid.

Creative WebCam Instant: Skype Edition
A decent software bundle, but has a low resolution and no integrated microphone.

Dell Inspiron 6400
Dell's 6400 is a great value mid-range notebook with very few weaknesses. The support is the icing on the cake.

Dell Latitude D620
Fast, well built and superbly featured - our business laptop of choice.

Dell Photo 924
The price is reasonable, but the interface is poor and speed and quality are below average.

Dell Photo 964
The best home-office choice with an ADF and fax, plus good text speeds and quality. Those looking for a photo printer should look elsewhere, though.

Desperados 2: Cooper's Revenge
Will this game kick-start the cowboy game genre?

Epson Stylus CX4700
Economical running costs and a great scanner make it appealing, but it’s slow and hard to use as a standalone copier.

Epson Stylus Photo RX650
With a lightning-fast scanner and high-quality photo printing, it’s only hampered by speed and running costs. CD printing and transparency scanning are bonuses, though.

HDTV Heaven
High definition video is the next big thing for Australia. We explain the essential technologies for your TV or living room PC, and what to expect from our broadcasters.

Heroes of Might and Magic 5
Turn based strategy gaming for the thinker, with long term playability.

HP Photosmart 3110
Packed with features like network capability and transparency scanning, it also has the best scanner by far, with great print quality too.

HP PSC 1510
The quality of this diminutive cutie is almost as good as the high-end models, but the price means a compromise on both speed and features.

iPod Hi-Fi
Some good design touches and decent sound quality, but a staggering price tag.

Lenovo ThinkPad R52 184732M
A notebook fortress to equip your workforce with confidence, but sub-par performance.

Lexmark E120N
A miniature marvel, the E120N’s speed and size make it an obvious choice for home offices.

Lexmark P4350
Reasonably affordable to buy, but high running costs combined with poor-quality output mean you’re better off spending your money elsewhere.

Lexmark X8350
It’s one of the few to include a fax machine and the ADF could be useful, but we expected far better print quality and faster speed at this price.

Logitech QuickCam Communicate STX
Fixed focus and average video quality mean the well-featured Logitech looks expensive in this company.

Logitech Wireless Music System for PC
It doesn’t do anything apart from simple music streaming, but the price and ease of use make this a good choice for getting music from one room to another wirelessly.

Mighty AJAX - a faster and more powerful web.
The web is changing, and AJAX is leading the charge. Tim Dean looks at the first great Web 2.0 technology in action.

MSI Mega Book S721
The sweet taste of AM2, in the form of an ultraportable powerhouse.

MSI StarCam 370i
Great image quality and a good range of features make the MSI a real bargain.

Netgear Rangemax 240 Wireless Router
Wireless networking at 10/100 speeds, with range to match.

Nikon Coolpix S5
A very slim digital compact that’s capable of taking superb pictures. It only just misses out on a Recommended award.

Philips SPC 900NC
Great quality and decent software. But at this price, it isn’t the best value.

Samsung SH-B022 BD Writer
The future of storage is expensive, for now. That aside, how do Blu Ray drives compare to DVD drives?

Sapphire ATI Radeon X1900 GT
Performance, software and value that almost snatches away the A-List crown.

Silver Screen OS
Tim Dean on the Hollywood OS running the world's biggest computers via a green flashing cursor and bleeps.

Swann Platinum Max-i-Vision
The fish-eye effect combined with substandard audio and poor software makes the Swann one to avoid.

Tutorial: Triple-boot Win XP, Linux and OS X on an Intel Mac
Leigh Dyer arrives in OS heaven with a triple-booting Intel Mac.

ViewSonic VX2025wm
A good display that’s fine for office use and any work that needs the resolution, but it isn’t a contender for the A-List.

What's on the disc

PC Authority Issue: 104

MICROSOFT(R) OFFICE PROFESSIONAL PLUS 2007 BETA 2*
Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007 Beta 2 is a comprehensive set of business productivity applications that helps your organisation succeed by making it easier to more effectively manage, analyse and share information. When upgrading from Microsoft Office 2003 to the 2007 release you may need to upgrade your hardware, although you may need to upgrade to a supported operating system. When upgrading from Microsoft Office 2000 or Office XP to the 2007 release you will need to ensure that your hardware and operating system meet the minimum 2007 Microsoft Office system requirements. Note on Betas: Many organisations have policies prohibiting unauthorised software installation on company-owned computers. Make sure you check with your IT department before downloading and installing Microsoft Office 2007 Beta 2 on your computer at work. The information contained on this Beta software relates to pre-release software products, and may be substantially modified before the commercial release. This information is provided for informational purposes only, and Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to this demo product or the information contained in it.

BLUESQUAD SEARCHMYDISCS*
Finding important back up files in CDs and DVDs isn’t always straightforward. SearchMyDiscs builds a catalogue of your backup CDs and DVDs, making it easy to locate any file you need.

MAGIX MOVIE EDITOR PRO 10 SILVER
The secret to moviemaking success isn’t in the amount of cash you spend on the camcorder or the extra lenses. The real key to a highquality, professional movie comes in the editor like Movie Editor Pro 10 silver. Some menu options lead to features that are only available in the Pro version.

PDFCRYPTER STANDARD*
PdfCrypter Standard is the easiest way to add security to your PDF documents. You can choose to password-protect your files using the various Acrobat standards, apply documentation restrictions to prevent readers printing and copying parts of the file to the clipboard, or changing your content.



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November, 2009
Issue: 144
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Issue: 143
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September, 2009
Issue: 142
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Issue: 141
August, 2009

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