Lyrebird for Windows

Kazo Vision's Lyrebird is a powerful multimedia publishing solution that lets you create, edit, and distribute custom multimedia content, incorporating a huge range of file and document types to a variety of devices employing LCD screens and projection technology. It's composed of two parts, an Editor and a Player, though they're one and the same in the free Standalone Edition. The free version lets you master Lyrebird's many options and steps, and schedule multimedia presentations to play on your own PC, once or multiple times, always on top (or not) and with effects such as text overlays and background screens. Presentations can cycle through and repeat multiple windows, each with different content. Lyrebird packs many extras, such as an LCD screen testing tool that can help you diagnose bad pixels and other issues.

Lyrebird's main interface, the Editor, resembles an e-mail client in some ways, though that makes for both a familiar layout and a logical one, too, starting with the navigation sidebar's tree view. Although Lyrebird isn't difficult to learn, it does things its own way. But following the reasonably clear and copious assistance the program offers, we were able to pick up the basics. Step one is to configure the software and device, which involves some significant options, though the process is much easier in the Standalone version since no remote devices are involved. After that, it's a simple matter of creating and programming one or more display windows, adding content, and scheduling playback. That's the condensed version, but we were able to create a brief presentation within a few minutes of opening the tool's Editor.

We barely brushed the surface of this impressive tool's capabilities, not to mention its many extras such as the aforementioned LED screen tester and the ability to detect and import LED screen settings from software already installed in our system. Lyrebird's free standalone Edition is a great way to interview a top prospect.