Best Products of the Year (page 4)

Focus Enhancements FS-100 DTE Recorder $1,800

Who's got the trademark on DTE? Focus Enhancements, that's who. They've also got a reliable product with a user interface that gives added control to the drive. When it comes to hard drive recorders, those are two things that will help you feel like you can shoot more confidently.

Primera Bravo SE $1,495

"Hands-off" disc publishing is a good thing for those of you who have to fulfill medium to large disc runs. The Primera Bravo SE is just the machine to do all the routine work for you, while still keeping the overall cost of production down. We were impressed with its performance, speed and small size, making it manageable for most computer desks. Not long after the release, Primera swapped out the DVD burner for a Blu-ray burner, which we were quite surprised to see. Of course, you'll have to pay more for that option, but we like that Primera is staying competitive and raising the bar.

Adobe Premiere Elements 3.0 $99

Adobe Premiere Elements has changed the game forever, making a video editing application that can please both the newbie and the more advanced hobbyists. Version 3.0 also adds more support for HDV, additional DVD templates and incorporates the same interface that we're very pleased with. Add in Adobe's trustworthy brand name and increased interaction with Photoshop Elements, and this product is bound to please the video editing enthusiast.

Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5 $50

These days there are as many ways to burn a DVD as there are ways to sing the National Anthem. Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5 stands above the crowded DVD authoring market with its addition of Blu-ray and HD-DVD support. It also has a healthy smattering of video editing and menu creation enhancements that make this a fun application capable of delivering stunning results. Ulead has made us proud.

Sony Cinescore $200

We got a good look this year at a multitude of music creation software, and Sony Cinescore surprised us with its approachable interface, including interactive tutorials for editors who are new to this type of application. Mix in its innovative music generation feature that allows you to make dynamic soundtracks for a variety of productions, and you've got a royalty-free music making machine. We look forward to seeing more musical themes released for this software in the future.

Adobe Audition 2.0 $349

It's no surprise that Adobe re-committed itself to market this software to audio professionals this year. When Audition hit our workstation we scratched our heads trying to decide how much time it would take to thoroughly review this application. All that is to say that we were pleased with the depth of this software package. Whether mastering a multitrack score or simply sweetening up a voiceover, Audition 2.0 can get 'er done.

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