HP sets stage for entertainment and digital photography

HP's newly launched consumer product range consists of 20 devices focused on digital photography and entertainment.

The new consumer range dovetails with HP's plan to extend its reach beyond the traditional IT space. “HP is now placing the consumer at the centre of the digital experience by making technology that seamlessly integrates, is simple and fun to use,” said Rebekah O'Flaherty, vice-president and general manager of HP's consumer and imaging & printing group for the South Pacific region.

In the print and imaging space, HP has introduced several 'world first' technologies to improve the quality and experience of capturing and printing digital photos.

The Photosmart 7960 printer uses HP's eight-ink technology, which includes the new PhotoREt Pro image enhancement. With these technologies combined, O'Flaherty claims “Australian consumers can print studio quality photos from their home”. The Photosmart 7960 sells for $699.

The Photosmart 945 digital camera features HP's Adaptive Lighting Technology (ALT). This enables consumers to take pictures that preserve the contrast and lighting conditions of the original scene, meaning they don't have to adjust their images after they're taken. The 945 launches with an RRP of $1,099.

The Scanjet 4670 is the world's first vertical see-through scanner. Designed to take up less space on the desktop than traditional flatbed scanners, the Scanjet 4670 rests vertically in a dedicated cradle. With a transparent lid, scans can be watched as they progress, and you can reposition the scanner for objects that would otherwise be difficult to scan. The 4670 has an RRP of $499.

HP's foray into digital home entertainment marks the introduction of InterVideo Home Theatre, which is a centralised solution for digital devices including video, images, music, DVDs and CDs. InterVideo runs on HP's new range of Pavilion PCs and notebooks and allows users to seamlessly switch between watching video and listening to music.

The new Image Zone all-in-one software tool also runs on Pavilion notebooks and PCs. With it consumers can perform downloads and archives, remove red-eye from photos, set up slide shows and video clip memoirs, without needing a variety of different software tools. 

The dc3000 is a product designed to help people transfer videos recorded on VHS to DVD. The recorder, which is priced at $699, plugs into a PC and VHS recorder and will seamlessly transfer analog recordings into digital format, and store it on recordable DVDs. The unit also doubles as a conventional DVD recorder.

HP's new product line will be available from October through national resellers as well as HP's Call Centre and website: www.hp.com.au.