Sony Vegas Pro 8 | Sanyo's Xacti HD1000 | Adobe Premiere Elements 4

Sony Vegas Pro 8 made its debut at IBC 2007 in September. This new version adds 32-bit floating point video processing, multicamera workflow and ProType titler for animated text effects. Vegas Pro 8 is fully Microsoft Windows Vista-compatible and includes support for editing and delivering Sony AVCHD content. It ships with DVD Architect Pro 4.5 and Dolby Digital AC-3 encoding software for $700 (upgrade pricing for current Vegas users is available). Keep your eyes peeled for a review of Sony Vegas 8 Pro from Videomaker.

Sanyo has been slowly but surely releasing new camcorders this year and they do it again with the Xacti HD1000 full HD (1920 pixels by 1080 pixels) camcorder. The HD1000 records MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 video stored to SD/SDHC Memory Card. It's also equipped with an HDMI output for connecting to a compatible HDTV. Sanyo is boasting that the Xacti HD1000 is the smallest and lightest full HD camcorder, weighing in at only 9.5 ounces and has a total volume of 16.6 cubic inches. We like the sleek and ergonomic looking design which is somewhat reminiscent of the VPC-HD2 design. The Xacti HD1000 goes for $800 and is now shipping.

Apple has announced its new iMac line-up, including the updated iLife '08 software package. The new iMac line-up comes in two flavors, 20" or 24" and features an aluminum and glass case. There are several improvements made on the case that we liked. First, the outer frame around the LCD has a black margin (versus white on the last iMac series) which will give your viewing screen more pop. This should help video editors see colors more clearly. Second and probably most obviously, these new iMacs are pretty thin. Check out the photo.

We're also very excited to see a FireWire 800 port added to the iMac line, equipping these computers to handle higher throughput via external hard drives for digital video editing. Also, the 24" model has a 1920 pixels by 1200 pixels resolution, enabling it to be a decent HD video monitor with the right software (FlipFlop or ScopeBox ). And let's not forget to mention the 2.0/2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo chips which should help handle the complexities of digital video. Then new iMac line-up starts at $1,199.

iLife '08 included a drastically different iMovie application which had it's core users give a knee-jerk back to Apple. Apparently it was too much too soon for the dedicated iMovie fans. The new interface features a video skimming view that makes video editing more like throwing words (video clips) into a paragraph (the project view) and you'll really have to give it a go to know what that's like. You can get your hands on iLife '08 included in any new Mac for $79 to upgrade.

Just when you thought Premiere Elements couldn't get any better, along comes the 4th version with many improvements and a sleek looking interface. This latest installment takes an already robust video editor and simplifies the interface allowing the editor to quickly and easily apply fun transitions and effects themes that are completely customizeable. The dark grey background of the GUI allows for your video to really pop-out, which is a nice improvement that's also in the Premiere Pro application. Another great feature we're pleased to see developed in Premiere Elements 4 is the new media management features. Organizing and accessing your content is much easier with custom tags and star ratings for each video clip or still photo. Speaking of still photos, Photoshop Elements 6 is also made it's debut. You can get both applications bundled together for $150 or separately for $100.