Microsoft Corp. today announced the immediate availability of the final release of Microsoft® Producer for Microsoft Office PowerPoint® 2003. A free add-on for PowerPoint 2003, Producer 2003 makes it easy for anyone to communicate effectively by combining PowerPoint presentations with audio and video to create rich-media presentations that can be viewed on demand via a Web browser. With this release, users will enjoy richer integration with PowerPoint 2003 and support for the high-quality audio and video of Windows Media® 9 Series, as well as cross-platform support for Mac and Netscape users, enabling the broadest reach for Producer-authored presentations. More than 30 organizations, including Cap Gemini Ernst & Young LLP and Harley-Davidson Motor Co., as well as the University of Alabama in Huntsville, have committed to support Producer 2003, demonstrating how Producer is adding value to their enterprise communications.
"Producer 2003 is playing a key role in helping us utilize the full power of digital media to better train our consultants and communicate with our customers," said Deanne Handron, vice president at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young. "Producer 2003 is a perfect tool for us to broadly deliver all the information we need so that others can quickly understand our new products and services."
"Producer 2003 is meeting a critical business need for companies around the world as they look for new, more effective ways to communicate and boost productivity," said Jeff Raikes, group vice president of Productivity and Business Services at Microsoft. "By combining the unmatched quality of Windows Media 9 Series with the new productivity enhancements in Office 2003, Producer 2003 is a powerful complement to PowerPoint 2003, enabling users to deliver their PowerPoint slides and related commentary to a broad audience."