Producer 2003 Beta Released by Microsoft

Microsoft this week issued a beta of the next release of Producer, a free add-on for PowerPoint that enables users to create rich-media presentations using synchronized audio, video and slides.

Producer 2003 integrates with PowerPoint 2003, which will be released with Office System 2003 in late summer, and offers improved audio and video using Windows Media 9 Series codecs. The beta release also adds support for playback under Internet Explorer for Mac and Netscape browsers on Windows.

"With digital media being used by 40 percent of large organizations in the United States (with 5,000 PCs or more), Producer 2003 is the perfect tool to make it easier than ever for everyday business users and content professionals to create rich media presentations for corporate communications, training, and sales and marketing presentations," a Microsoft spokesperson told BetaNews.

Microsoft Producer 2003 requires the Beta 2 release of PowerPoint 2003 or PowerPoint 2002, and runs on Windows 2000 or Windows XP. The beta release is available for download via FileForum.