Canopus Corporation, announced that ProCoder 2.0 would be available by the end of the month. ProCoder 2.0, an update to the company's acclaimed professional video transcoding software tool, includes new features such as watch folders with network support, an easy-to-use Wizard interface, and a batch manager tool to boost productivity by streamlining the transcoding process. Additional encoding options, such as HD and MPEG transport stream encoding, MPEG-4 encoding, and the ability to combine separate audio and video files into a single file have also been added.

ProCoder 2.0 fully supports HD resolutions (720p and 1080i) and has the ability to transcode between HD and SD resolutions and frame rates. ProCoder 2.0 can also transcode between HD-compatible formats, including MPEG, DivX, Windows Media High Definition Video (WMV HD) and QuickTime. In addition ProCoder 2.0 supports MPEG transport streams, including over-the-air HDTV broadcast streams and those created by JVC's GR-HD1 and JY-HD10 HD cameras. ProCoder 2.0 also lets users encode MPEG-4 files with QuickTime or DivX Pro (full, licensed version included) for high-quality, low-bitrate Web or CD-ROM videos.

ProCoder 2.0 will be available by the end of the month through Canopus authorised dealers and system integrators for a suggested retail price of £289 (€399). Registered users who purchased ProCoder before September 11, 2003 may upgrade to ProCoder 2.0 for £79 (€119). Those who purchased ProCoder after September 11, 2003 will receive ProCoder 2.0 at no charge.

ProCoder 2.0 supports Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional operating systems. Fully optimised for Intel Pentium 4 processor, ProCoder 2.0 also supports Intel Pentium II and higher, as well as the AMD K6, AMD Duron and AMD Athlon processors.