Picture CD Compatibility With DVD Players Will Let Consumers Share Pictures From Their Television Set
COLOGNE, Germany, September 24 — Eastman Kodak Company announced today Kodak Picture CD, version 5.2, with expanded features that offer consumers more choices and more convenient sharing possibilities than ever before through e-mail.
With digital services penetration essentially doubling in 2001, Kodak has become the industry leader in this new and growing photo category. Not only does the category bring the benefits of digital imaging to consumers who prefer to use film, it also has resulted in significant revenue opportunities for participating retailers. Available in November 2002, the new Kodak Picture CD is a user-friendly Kodak product that provides high-resolution images and all the software consumers need to enhance pictures and share through e-mail. Best part: It allows the consumer to share their pictures with many people at one time.
"Kodak continues to look for ways to make the consumer experience even better," said Dieter Werkhausen, General Manager, Consumer Digital Services for Kodak’s EAMER region, Consumer Imaging, Eastman Kodak SA, Geneva. "With the release of the new Kodak Picture CD, our key focus has been to improve the total picture-sharing experience for the consumer and make digital imaging easier than ever for film users. Kodak is empowering consumers to capture their most important moments through film and share those pictures easily with friends and family through e-mail."
Features of the 2002 Kodak Picture CD Improved User Interface:
- An improved consumer interface complete with easy-to-understand command icons and pull-down menus.
- Browse user-friendly directions for all levels of Picture CD users – from beginner to expert.
NEW and Improved Share Features:
- Send favourite pictures as an e-mail attachment to family and friends quickly and easily with the new address book, in fact send multiple pictures on one e-mail.
- Combine a picture and text to create a Picture Postcard.
- Create a slide show that chronicles an event and share via Kodak Picture CD Road Show.
Picture Enhancements:
- Remove red eye, crop a picture, apply a fun effect or add a caption to pictures.
Extras:
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Picture Projects – Included in this section are 3 pieces of exciting software, which bring added value to the Picture CD experience. They are:
- Digimask – which basically offers the user the opportunity of turning a photograph of a person into a fully animated 3D model of that persons head, this can in turn be used with e-mails, videogames, mobile phones, and much more, importantly this is simple and takes only minutes to create.
- Photoartmaster – is a fun piece of software that enables the user to transform their photograph into a painting style, from that of a child through to a grand master, it embodies Kodak’s view of doing more with our photographs.
- Kodak Memory Albums – this is very versatile and effective software designed to help the user store their digital images on their PC album, just like you do with the more traditional album.
- Kodak’s Online Learning Center – where tips and information help the consumer explore all of the possibilities of digital pictures.
DVD Compatibility
Kodak’s growing number of alliances with DVD equipment manufacturers will promote new capabilities enabling photo sharing through the television. This will allow consumers to view their pictures digitally from a Kodak Picture CD directly on their TV without ever touching a computer. Through these agreements, DVD equipment manufacturers are making their devices compatible with Kodak Picture CD, and using the "Kodak Picture CD Compatibility Mark" on their equipment and packaging to inform consumers. Consumers will be able simply to place a Kodak Picture CD in their DVD player and instantly view their pictures on their television.
"The technology represents a key step toward bringing digital photography services to the family room, where most people want to view their pictures," said Werkhausen. "The combination of Kodak's comprehensive digital-imaging products and services and DVD manufacturers’ digital video solutions promises to expand the benefits of photography and digital services and broaden Kodak's reach to the consumer electronic market."
Kodak's initiative is the latest move in the infoimaging industry, which is driven by the convergence of images and information technology. Infoimaging unites three closely-related imaging markets – devices, such as DVD players, as well as infrastructure and services/media, such as Kodak Picture CDs that enable people to more easily use images as a fast and effective way to communicate. Consumers will be able to view their digitized pictures using the following features available on DVD players:
- Automatic picture scaling to best-fit maximum TV display size.
- Slide show.
- Thumbnail/catalogue display in one screen for quick browsing.
- Image rotation.
Previous Kodak research has shown that Kodak Picture CD consumers are extremely satisfied, and have a very high repurchase rate. The new Kodak Picture CD offers consumers an enhanced picture-sharing experience by providing them with more choices in how they share their pictures. New features include the creation of a picture postcard and a picture "road show" to e-mail to friends and family. Users can also select and organize with whom they want to share through the addition of a Picture CD e-mail address book and group-sharing feature.
(Note: Kodak is a trade mark of Eastman Kodak Company.)