Camcorder & Computer Video articles from August 2004

Camcorder & Computer Video archives from August 2004

Double-duty DVD players.(Editor's Report)(Editorial)
August 1, 2004... DVDs are all the rage these days. Manufacturers report that sales of DVDs have eclipsed virtually every other consumer electronic gadget. Indeed, even the likes of Blockbuster Video and Best Buy are phasing out the sale of pre-recorded VHS...

Sonicfire Pro 3.2.(Zoom in: video-editing essentials)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... What is it? The newest version of SmartSound Software's soundtrack-creation software. It's now integrated with Macromedia Flash and select Avid video-editing products. What does it do? Sonicfire Pro 3.2's integration with Avid and...

LVW-5005.(Zoom in: video-editing essentials)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... What is it? One of Lite-On's newest DVD players. What does it do? It's a DVD player/recorder and DVD/CD writer. Special features? The player has an onscreen programmable Timer Recording and Recording mode, step-by-step instructions...

MP3 Maker 2005 Deluxe.(Zoom in: video-editing essentials)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... What is it? The latest version of Magix' music manager software. What does it de? It rips, converts and organizes music files onto CDs and DVDs. Special features? A new database feature with ID-3 tagging, which quickly searches and...

CD & DVD-Maker 6.7 Gold Suite.(Zoom in: video-editing essentials)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... What is it? The latest version of NewTech Infosystem's DVD/ CD-burning suite now supports Panasonic's DVD multi-drives, including the new burners that deliver 3X DVD-RAM and 4X DVD-R write speeds. What does it do? For video capture,...

Dvdriver.(Zoom in: video-editing essentials)(Eagletron Inc)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... What is it? A new software utility from Eagletron. What does it do? This tool lets you use your DV camcorder with any software designed for use with a Web camera. Special features? Software control for optical zoom, and it lets users...

DVD/CD Copy Cruiser Pro.(Zoom in: video-editing essentials)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... What is it? The latest DVD/CD duplicator from Alera Technologies. What does it do? It copies DVDs at up to 8X speed and supports the most popular DVD formats, such as DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW and CD-ROM discs....

IVCD 2.0.(Zoom in: video-editing essentials)(Mireth Technology)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... What is it? Version 2 of Mireth Technology's VCD-authoring software. What does it do? Designed for Mac OS X users, it's a simple way of making VCDs and Super VCDs. Special features? Playlists and menus, TV-safe border effect for...

USB Flash Drives.(Zoom in: video-editing essentials)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... What are they? A new line of USB flash drives, ranging in capacities from 128MB, 256MB and 512MB, from Targus. What do they do? Thumb-sized and weighing only half an ounce, these drives allow users to transport files, graphics, music and...

Lost in Tokyo.(Camcorder Insider)
August 1, 2004... In the movie "Lost In Translation:" we are taken to modern-day Tokyo to follow movie star Bill Murray as he films a Japanese advertisement for whiskey. Interestingly, I also was recently in Tokyo on a weeklong trip with Sony Digital Imaging....

Next-gen video: the latest video-editing software and hardware tools.(generation)
August 1, 2004... Late spring and summer are when many of the top manufacturers announce their latest and greatest offerings. This year, the emphasis seems to be on high definition (HD), for big dollars. Yes, you can do at home what the pros do on television,...

Optimize your computer for video editing: 4 steps to get it ready.(nonlinear editing )
August 1, 2004... When it comes to working with a nonlinear editing NLE) system, the performance and operation can range from a beautiful dream to nightmare. A day of blissful editing can become a very unpleasant experience when you are plagued with system...

Panasonic PV-GS120: Panasonic's 3-CCD Combo-Cam delivers better pictures with true-to-life colors, and stands up to broadcast-quality Camcoders, for under $700.(Camcoder Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... Panasonic's new PV-GS120 truly breaks new ground. Along with its big brother, the PV-GS200, these two camcorders represent the smallest units on the market today with three CCDs behind the lens, the components responsible for image resolution...

HD on the desktop: everything you need for end-to-end HD production.(Hardware Review)(High definition)
August 1, 2004... High definition has been proclaimed the next great new thing--for, at least, the past few years. The consumer-electronics business has been impatiently waiting for HD to really take off, hoping for a repeat of the tremendous success of DVD....

Next-gen options for storing, editing and watching your videos.(Merging Technologies)(generation)
August 1, 2004... If digital technology has done anything, it has increased our options. Many of us can remember the Dark Age of television, when there were only a dozen stations showing lousy programs. Now, we bask in the Glorious Future of satellite TV and...

Multimedia road show: combining video, digital photography and projector technology.(presentation and video projection)
August 1, 2004... When I first got into shooting and editing video. I always dreamed of creating the masterpiece, my ultimate artistic independent production. After pursuing commercial work for many years to pay the bills and for my equipment, I began to...

Sony DCR-PC330: this great DV cam features a complete control touch-screen, pro-quality zoom lens, plus it captures 3MP digital stills.(Camcorder Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... Recently, I had the need for a Combo-Cam that would provide not only excellent digital-video (DV) quality but also good-quality digital stills. And, I needed it to be portable and compact, so that it wouldn't encumber me on an overseas press...

Adobe's video collection: a solid editing package that sets a new bar for desktop publishing.(Software Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... We can't imagine a more complete video production package than Adobe's new Video Collection. Released for the Windows XP operating system, the collection (AVC) is available in two versions--Standard or Professional Edition. The Standard...

Pinnacle's Studio 9: intuitive editing, plus it automatically matches your video to music.(Software Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... Studio 9 from Pinnacle Systems is the company's latest video-editing solution targeted at those hobbyists and prosumers who need to upgrade from free and bundled video-editing programs but don't require the plethora of special effects,...

Muvee magic: video editing in minutes.(Software Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... Making cool-looking videos is now a lot easier than it was five, 10 or 20 years ago. There are dozens of easy-to-use nonlinear video-editing (NLE) programs on the market that enable you to import video from almost any source, cut and paste it...

How to get steady, smooth action.(handheld stabilizers)
August 1, 2004... If you've ever handled a camcorder, you know that after several minutes of holding it steady, your hand and arm start getting tired. Junior seems to take forever opening his presents; that dance recital seems awfully long, and after only four...