Studio Monthly articles from October 2006

Studio Monthly archives from October 2006

The stereoscope comes of age.(editor's note)
October 1, 2006... At IBC this year I saw a demo that gave me renewed hope in 3D video as a killer app. Think of live sports on the field or on the court, or of a rock concert, where the rush of being in the crowd is always better than watching it on the big or...

What's my flow? Central storage in the twin cities.(quick cuts)
October 1, 2006... Minneapolis-based Splice Here recently refurbished its operations room and the infrastructure to move direct-attached storage for each workstation to a central storage system connected via fibre Channel. Now, instead of having to swap drives...

What I'm using now.(quick cuts)
October 1, 2006... MARC DOLE Owner/editor/compositor Hatchling Studios Portsmouth, NH www.hatchling.com LIST: Starting at $750 WHY I LOVE IT: You never know how much you need something until you don't have it anymore. Well, we were not...

Media on the move.(SPOTLIGHT ON DIGITAL SIGNAGE)
October 1, 2006... Avocent has just announced the Emerge MPX1000, a wireless HD media extender that provides wired and wireless connectivity in one product. The MPX1000 allows HD content from one source to be transmitted to as many as eight wireless or wired...

X20 Xpresenter.(SPOTLIGHT ON DIGITAL SIGNAGE)
October 1, 2006... The folks from VertigoXmedia have re-emerged with a shiny new company, X20.To celebrate, they also polished up Xpresenter, the company's flagship digital signage offering. The new version combines the familiar Microsoft PowerPoint user...

Mondo monitors.(SPOTLIGHT ON DIGITAL SIGNAGE)
October 1, 2006... Sharp's 65-inch LCD model PN-655U monitor is now shipping in the U.S. Offering full 1920 x 1080,2-megapixel HD resolution, the PN-655U uses DFE (Dual-Fine Engine) technology to display both computer and video content. Its full complement of...

"FrENDLY" persuasion.(SPOTLIGHT ON DIGITAL SIGNAGE)
October 1, 2006... The new Electrosonic MS9400 HD FrEND (for far end network device) is an HD playback unit that lets retailers, entertainment companies and other organizations cost-effectively send dynamic HD video, graphical and editorial content on hundreds of...

Apple MacBook Pro 17-inch: a leap forward in laptop performance.(ROI reviews)
October 1, 2006... The latest laptop from Apple, the 17-inch MacBook Pro, is a leap forward in laptop performance, especially for video. That it blows away previous Apple laptops is not much of a surprise, given the Intel Core Duo processor and high-bandwidth...

Daz Carrara 5 Pro: feature-rich and capable tool for content developers.(ROI reviews)
October 1, 2006... Carrara 5 Pro, priced $300 higher than Carrara 5 (and now a part of the Daz Production family), includes several important features not found in its less expensive sibling. For animators, the Graph Editor and network rendering features are...

Sony HVR-V1U: a powerhouse camcorder with a price to satisfy.(FIRST LOOK!)
October 1, 2006... A new generation of high-definition camcorder is soon to hit the streets, and if initial trial tests of the Sony HVR-V1U are any indicator of what's to come, hang on to your production budget. Over the course of several weeks, I shot some...

Better animate your screenshots for Web software tutorials or demo reels.(how)
October 1, 2006... STEP 1 RECORD YOUR SCREEN Capture your demonstration in real time at the highest resolution your computer can display. On Windows, use Camtasia Studio; on the Mac, use Snapz Pro X 2.0. Both programs permit you to record your voice as...

Create linked flash videos, for streaming and download, with Sorenson Squeeze.(how)
October 1, 2006... STEP 1 IMPORT YOUR VIDEO FILE Start the compression process to a linked .FLV and embedded .SWF video by choosing Import in the main Squeeze interface. Next, navigate to the location of your video file and choose Open. ...

Hands-On HD: tips on getting the most out of high-def.
October 1, 2006... Hands-On HD: First-Person Advice This installment of "Hands-On HD" marks the latest collection of pro tips and workarounds we've gleaned from producers, directors, DPs, editors and audio post specialists working on the frontlines of...

Design and blend an animated logo with HD video.(how)
October 1, 2006... STEP 1 DESIGN THE ANIMATION Always first consider the logo elements, their shapes, different sizes and the context of the company itself. Our animator, Lori Newman, worked with my company's new logo, designed in Adobe Illustrator, in...

No more ashes to ashes, rust to rust: what's the best format for archiving your valuable work and saving it from the dustbin?(the biz)
October 1, 2006... With so many storage formats available today, a question we are often asked at the Digital Cinema Society is which one we recommend to archive a filmmaker's work? Which one will stand the test of time and be trusted to preserve the precious...

Bent Image Lab: mad scientists of stop-motion.(STUDIOS ON THE RISE)
October 1, 2006... WHAT'S THEIR GIG? The name says it all--Bent Image Lab, a place where nothing is inflexible or rigid, where creatives can bend the rules and completely wrap themselves around a project. Artists, directors and producers alike work together...

Dealing with Web video portals.(WEIRD BUT TRUE TALES FROM THE STUDIO)(Cartoon)
October 1, 2006... Tom Beland is a cartoonist based in Napa, CA. He is also the creator of the Eisner Comic Industry Award-nominated series, True Story: Swear to God, published by AiT/Planet Lar, www.ait-planetlar.com. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...