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Panasonic plans Blu-ray Centerby Emily Price Matsushita Electric (Panasonic) has decided to create a "Hollywood Blu-ray Testing Center" within its current Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory.What would one do in a "Blu-ray Testing Center?"
Matsushita thinks that there needs to be a place where Blu-ray discs can be tested for copyright protection before they are duplicated. The Center would serve as a place to verify discs for proper formatting and protection. They are also inviting members of the Blu-ray Disc Association to being in their BD-Video playback products such as Blu-ray players and recorders so studios can check and make sure their disc will be compatible with different manufacturers' players.
So is this necessary, and if so, where's the HD DVD Testing Center?
[via PC Authority] Added on Feb 8, 2007 11:00 AM Comments () - Read More - Technorati The newest kid on the block in online video editingby Emily Price What could be better than watching a video off YouTube?Watching a video off YouTube and editing your own remix, of course! If you've been dying to re-edit a video you've seen on YouTube, Cuts is the newest website designed to let you do that.
To start off all you need is the URL of your chosen video. With the URL, Cuts will automatically import your video into their system and the fun can begin. Cuts is a pretty basic editing tool which will allow you to cut out pieces of the video you didn't like, add your own captions, sound effects, and loop sections of the video... Added on Feb 8, 2007 10:00 AM Comments () - Read More - Technorati Mix and match with Instant HDby Adam NielsonOne day in the distant future, when High-Def has been universally accepted across the globe, we can all sit back and revel in 1080 bliss. Until then, things are a bit murky. Cutting HD and SD content into the same project is problematic at best. Editing systems support mixed formats in varying degrees, and usually force the editor to convert down. The HD/SD transition period is a problem, but the solution may come in the form of a plugin... Added on Feb 8, 2007 7:47 AM Comments () - Read More - Technorati JVC Unleashes GZ-HD7 HD Everio Camcorder in Japanby John Neely The JVC HD Everio, shown last month at CES in Las Vegas created quite a stir, and the company was tight-lipped when it came to details on the much-anticipated camcorder. We were able to get our hands on a non-working model (well, we weren’t actually supposed to touch it…but our intrepid staff writer James Murray managed to get his paws on the unit JVC turned their back for a few moments…) and found out enough to produce a First Impressions Review, albeit with some major gaps. Well, the company has now announced the availability of this 1920x1080i HDD powerhouse in Japan, and that means some more details on the unit have been released...[Via TechOn] Added on Feb 8, 2007 7:30 AM Comments () - Read More - Technorati Amazon and Tivo bring downloads to the living roomby Adam NielsonIn a distribution deal of epic proportions, major media players Tivo and Amazon.com announced Wednesday, a partnership bringing downloadable content directly to the living room. Amazon will bring it’s Unbox movie service to nearly 1.5 million Internet enabled Tivo boxes across the country. The service will allow users to download the latest TV shows and movies from studios like FOX and CBS... Added on Feb 8, 2007 6:15 AM Comments () - Read More - Technorati LG's BH-100: Rosetta Stone of next-gen optical?by Randall Bennett While the format war rolls on, Sony, Panasonic and Toshiba certainly aren't waving any sort of white flag nor making any peace consessions. Fortunately for us, LG is here to save the day with its BH-100, the Blu-Ray & HD-DVD player hitting store shelves. Yeah, all the standards are there (HDMI, 1080P support, etc) but missing on the box? An HD-DVD symbol won't be found anywhere, since the player can't officially get the HD-DVD seal of approval due to the lack of full HD-DVD interactivity. Yeah, it's not quite a complete player, but we'll take something we know won't be invalidated in three years over a lack of interactivity any day.Added on Feb 7, 2007 6:30 PM Comments () - Read More - Technorati HVX200 shoots Doritos' Super Bowl adby Randall Bennett The biggest game of the year only warrants one of the biggest cameras of the year, right? In Doritos case, not exactly. Their "checkout lady" Super Bowl ad was actually shot with an off-the-shelf HVX200. Yup, no fancy CineAlta, nor film, the spot was shot with some P2 cards, some speed and an Avid Media Composer (with Mojo, natch.) Low cost doesn't mean low quality. Of course you know that, but to reinforce it once again with a $2.5 million 30-second Super Bowl spot is, well, super.[Via Digital Camcorder News] Added on Feb 7, 2007 5:00 PM Comments () - Read More - Technorati HV20 impresses Impress Watchby Randall Bennett Canon's HV20 may have only been official for about a week, but already those crafty kids at Impress Watch got a hands on with Canon's latest HDV camcorder. The meat of the review? Impress says all the low-light issues with the HV10 have been fixed. That'd be good news for sure, but we're not going to take their word for it just yet. We should be getting in a review unit, and after we see less noisy footage in person, then we'll believe it. If you want to see the HV20 in person, Canon says they'll be rolling out the camera in April, and logic tells us we could safely assume a release near NAB.[Via Engadget] Added on Feb 7, 2007 9:30 AM Comments () - Read More - Technorati What is Full HD 1080?by Adam NielsonElectronics giant Sony recently started branding various TVs, and other consumer products with its Full HD 1080 logo. The enigmatic sticker appears on HDTVs which feature 1080p, or 1080 full lines of resolution refreshed at 60 frames per second. It's natural to assume those are the specs required for something called "full HD" however, a little researching indicates Sony might be pulling our leg a bit... Added on Feb 7, 2007 7:44 AM Comments () - Read More - Technorati The death of MiniDVby Adam NielsonIs MiniDV dying? We think the jury is still out on that one, but that question seems to be getting tossed around the net quite a bit lately. Seeing how MiniDV holds some historical significance, namely being the format that spurred the digital video revolution, we're not quite ready to let it go just yet. The versatile format narrowed the gap between home movies and production video. It even seems to have been the secret ingredient that brought desktop editing to the masses. We shudder to think about where we might be if it weren't for MiniDV, so why kill it?... Added on Feb 7, 2007 5:23 AM Comments () - Read More - Technorati St. Clare: Patron saint of televisionby Randall Bennett Joining the ranks of degaussing DVDs (and rewinding them,) comes St. Clare, the Patron Saint of Television. Now don't confuse what we're saying... we're not saying St. Clare is silly, or making fun of anyone's religion, but the packaging and presentation on the St. Clare doll (pictured right) makes us kind of feel like she's a pretty cool office toy. Scott Simmons pointed us toward this awesome lil' version to watch over you -- maybe she'll finally clean up those jump cuts and flash frames! At $5 and $10, you can add another plastic character to adorn your suite, in case you didn't pick up enough desk treasure at NAB.Added on Feb 6, 2007 2:24 PM Comments () - Read More - Technorati Steve Jobs lashes out at music industry DRMby Randall Bennett Steve Jobs hates DRM. Those four words are something we all thought, but with the incredibly restrictive environment of FairPlay (iTunes and iPod only) we weren't sure it was true. Now Stevie J, after a little European anti-trust prodding, penned an open letter encouraging users and lawmakers to concentrate their efforts on the real enemy: The four major record labels imposing restrictions on users. That's great and e'rythang, but why is this on the CamcorderInfo Blog? Realistically, it's the first time a major figure in the DRM movement has come out against the technology. Steve Jobs controls the digital music scene, and has a pretty good share of the online video market. He's encouraging companies to be open with their files, and encouraging them to remember to be nice to their users. Could we see a similar shift in movies? And more to the point, could this actually be beneficial to you, the content creator? While it'd be great if we all got along, and the big corporations trusted their bottom lines to us, the consumer, we know that's not going to happen... Added on Feb 6, 2007 1:00 PM Comments () - Read More - Technorati DXG's colored camcorders for cheapby Randall Bennett DXG USA isn't well known around these parts, and we think we know why. Yeah, their new five megapixel camcorder is at the minimum pretty versatile, with an mp3 player, digital voice recorder and webcam drivers. However, they say it'll take 12 megapixel stills, but at a price of $149, we're not sure exactly how they could get a quality sensor into such a small vertical form-factor. They say the device is targeted toward the "youth oriented" market, and as such they've managed to produce it in four colors to match what they think is your personality.We don't think this camcorder is a serious contender, and with no mention of recording format / codec in the press release we'll probably pass, but if you've got to get your metallic pink tapeless record on and don't truly care about editing the footage, we're sure DXG USA is one of the few manufacturers willing to cater to your pink camcording needs. Added on Feb 6, 2007 11:02 AM Comments () - Read More - Technorati Fujinon gets wiiiiiide at NABby Adam NielsonNAB is a mere 2 months away, and that means press releases from all your favorite video and camera manufacturers are about to come rolling in. Take, for example, the announcement today from Fujinon regarding it's new HD telephoto lens. At 8.8 mm to 777mm, the XA88x8.8BESM lens has a focal length almost as long as it's name. Fujinon claims the lens to be perfectly capable of stunning wide shots, and long range closeups too. Added on Feb 6, 2007 9:15 AM Comments () - Read More - Technorati Swedish company says Super 8 is Super!by Emily Price Who needs a digital camcorder when you can have a Super 8? Super 8? The Swedish firm Ikonocop is hoping to bring back Super 8 by being the first manufacturer to make the relic in more than 20 years. Before they can make their Super 8 masterpiece they need to find 25 people will to put their money were their mouth is and make a deposit on buying one of the camcorders. Initial specs for the Super 8 masterpiece will include a parallel viewfinder, C-mount lenses, and a 100-foot film capacity. The camcorder would use 16mm film to record Super 8 size frames, making it a hybrid of film proportions. A deposit will run you around $1300 with the whole camera coming in at around $6,764, a pretty steep price for something that is thought to be outdated technology. But honestly, who really needs a RED camera? [via Engadget] Added on Feb 6, 2007 9:00 AM Comments () - Read More - Technorati FS-100 adds new formats with 39 firmware updateby Randall Bennett While we were in transition last week, we didn't get a chance to mention FireStore's firmware update to the FS100. Good news for all tapeless video shooters, as the newest update adds native DVCPRO HD 720/24p, 25p and 30p recording, plus added quicktime support for seamless Final Cut Pro usage. Sounds like the FS100 must use some sort of lossless compression or something, since Focus Enhancements says it's device doubles storage time from 100 minutes to 200 minutes when using native formats.If you're planning to pick up an FS-100, it'll come shipped with the new firmware. If you're already enjoying the tapeless wonders of hard-drive acquisition, Focus is taking a page from Apple's 802.11n strategy and charging $39 for the update. Kind of ludicrous that they're charging for a firmware update, but I guess there are software development challenges involved which would account for the purchase. Although for $39, native DVCPRO HD support might just be worth it. Added on Feb 6, 2007 9:00 AM Comments () - Read More - Technorati JVC and Matsushita Headed for a Break Up?by Emily Price Earlier this morning the Asian stock market reported that Matsushita Electric International (Panasonic) who owns 52% of JVC is considering selling its stake in the company to a private-equity group. JVC represents 8 percent of Matsushita's group sales. The company has repeatedly stated in the past that they have no intentions of selling their stake in the company.Added on Feb 5, 2007 1:30 PM Comments () - Read More - Technorati XDCAM takes step toward becoming mainstreamby Randall Bennett Fujifilm says they're producing third-party XDCAM discs. Exciting no doubt, if you understand that this is the first step in getting XDCAM out to other manufacturers, and being a little more standard. What exactly is XDCAM? If you feel like a camera isn't worth anything unless you're investing $50 grand or more, then XDCAM should already be on your radar, if not on your shoulder. It's the next gen tapeless storage solution implemented by Sony. Essentially its Blu-ray, but specifically targeted at high read/write rate applications, IE TV station ENG photography. XDCAM records in its own flavor of MPEG2, so as a format right now it's little better than HDV, but ideally we'd start seeing this format migrate toward prosumers and consumers... Added on Feb 5, 2007 6:30 AM Comments () - Read More - Technorati Next-gen Optical: No Clear Winnerby Randall Bennett [Via Engadget] Added on Feb 5, 2007 5:58 AM Comments () - Read More - Technorati Film Your Issue online film festivalby Emily PriceHow would you like to be just one degree from Kevin Bacon? Bacon was just named one of the VIP judges of this years "Film Your Issue" film festival which is currently underway. The 2007 "Film Your Issue" short film competition encourages young adults aged 16-25 to create a thirty or sixty second online film to talk about an issue they find important. The idea behind the festival is to get youth talking about what they find important from animal rights to pollution and welfare anything goes. Added on Feb 5, 2007 2:29 AM Comments () - Read More - Technorati |
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