Interactive whiteboards and other communication and education solutions from Hitachi Software Engineering Europe are now available in Malta.

The Audio Visual Centre Ltd has been appointed distributor for Malta and Libya. Audio Visual Centre managing director Simon Bonello last week gave me a demonstration of a Hitachi Starboard electronic whiteboard linked to a Hitachi video projector with a 16:9 ratio.

With applications in the fields of education, business and emergency services, the technology enables countless applications at affordable prices.

Among the features Mr Bonello demonstrated were the ability to synchronise the whiteboard with your laptop or PC, run videos, spotlight magnification, handwriting recognition, printing and e-mail all data and a host of features through dedicated software.

The latest features of the Starboard software include: an all-in-one launcher, enabling you to open files, customise settings, and network other StarBoard systems (as many as 42 interactive systems can be linked together on a local or wide area network); a customisable interface to maximise operational flexibility and convenience; an annotation toolbar to make annotations on data displays, documents, spreadsheets, CAD software or any other application. Just select the pen icon;

Electronic 'ink' colour palettes - three types of electronic pens: the standard drawing pen, the IntelliPen with geometric object recognition capability, and the laser pen for temporary highlighting and annotations. In addition, there are six different electronic ink types; customisable colour palettes; and drag-and-drop frequently used inks onto your working toolbar for fast and easy access;

a large library of useful background images: blank coloured screens, graph papers, sports fields and music sheets. Plus, you can complement the standard library with background images of your own, which you can import from a variety of standard formats;

integrated PowerPoint features to drive home critical points by annotating presentations as you page through them;

saving your presentations for future use in any of several formats: HTML, JPEG, BMP or PNG. The Annotation Viewer lets you browse a previously saved presentation without opening the entire program. And with Web access, you can even access saved data across a network;

advanced networking facilities enable conferencing with colleagues across a classroom, meeting room, hall or around the globe. You can participate in seminars and strategy sessions anywhere, over LANs, dial-up lines, even the Internet. StarBoard software manages networking details behind the scenes, ensuring that your view of the proceedings is accurate and up-to-the-moment;

support for video conferencing standards and tight integration with commercial video conferencing systems to set up multiple remote teaching or conferencing sites quickly and easily, all directly from your host system;

an IntelliPen feature automatically recognises freehand geometric shapes and lines and converts them to precise geometric objects;

a full range of object management functions: grouping, copying, editing colour and size attributes, undo/redo, importing and back to top more;

seamless scrolling page, transforming the navigation window and working space to a single scrolling vertical page;

two transparent layers for even more working space. You can create different annotations, objects and background on each of the transparent layers, then progressively hide or reveal them;

an on-screen stopwatch/countdown timer to use for timing tests and exercises, keeping meetings on schedule, or for any other creative uses you choose; and

turn your computer into a virtual Web server allowing associates or students to review your presentations, notes or research.

Hitachi has also linked up with Cambridge University Press to form a new e-learning company, Cambridge-Hitachi, which combines the curriculum knowledge and educational expertise of Cambridge University with the innovative technology of Hitachi Software Engineering.

There are a host of curriculum teaching aids coming from the new company to run on Hitachi hardware and software. In addition, there is also VerdICT, an easy to use, versatile hardware and software tool for multiple choice questions, performance rating and end-of-lesson or course reviews, class surveys, voting quizzes and tests.

For more information contact the Audio Visual Centre on tel: 2133- 0886, e-mail info@avc.com.mt or visit the Hitachi Website www.hitachisoft-eu.com