Camcorder & Computer Video articles from February 2003

Camcorder & Computer Video archives from February 2003

No free lunch. (Editor's Report).
February 1, 2003... Recently, I've been talking with two readers who are in the process of buying a video camera. I don't say "camcorder," because their search has taken them down the road of digital still cameras. What they've discovered is that most digicams...

ViviClip video filters 2. (Zoom In).
February 1, 2003... What is it? From ViviClip, it's a video correction and enhancement tool for Adobe Premiere. What does it do? It's a single plug-in that can reduce noise, soften your clips, adjust perspective and legalize for broadcast. Special...

Retractable mobile power cord. (Zoom In).
February 1, 2003... What is it? Just as the name suggest it's a portable power cord for cellular phone users from Belkin. What does it do? It features Thinflex cabling for a complete, safe charge, and five gold-plated contacts to ensure maximum conductivity...

XPower mobile plug 75. (Zoom In).
February 1, 2003... What is it? A portable power adapter from Xantrex. What does it do? Plug it into a car lighter to power and recharge camcorders, cell phones, laptop computers and most Palm Pilots. Special features? A single, three-prong connection for...

Digital vinyl CD-R. (Zoom-In).
February 1, 2003... What is it? A new line of discs from Verbatim that combine the look of a 45 rpm record with today's CD production technology. What does it do? It provides high-speed write performance and read compatibility with even the oldest CD drives...

Producer 3D Kit. (Zoom-In).
February 1, 2003... What is it? From Razor3D, it's an accessory that lets you film movies in realistic stereoscopic 3D. What does it do? The Producer 3D Kit accessory uses a proprietary, patented process that allows two distinct views to enter a camcorder....

Jukebox FM. (Zoom-In).
February 1, 2003... What is it? The new Jukebox FM Recorder 20 from Archos. What does it do? Lets the user create MP3 files in real time from any source, including the built-in radio, and to retro-capture 30 seconds prior to the Record button being pushed and...

PCR-50 and PCR-30. (Zoom-In).
February 1, 2003... What is it? A new line of USB MIDI keyboard controllers from Edirol. What does it do? They offer features designed for complete real-time control of the most advanced audio software and hardware on the market. Special features?...

VerticalMouse. (Zoom-In).
February 1, 2003... What is it? A vertical computer mouse from Evoluent. What does it do? The company say, the mouse has an upright surface that supports the hand and forearm in a neutral. relaxed handshake position. Special features? An optical sensor...

Ikebana USB 2.0 Slimline. (Zoom-In).
February 1, 2003... What is it? The latest portable hard drive from Shecom. What does it do? The drive's lightweight, thin design is small enough to fit in users' pockets, and it is available in 20-, 30-, 40-, and 60GB capacities. Special features? It is...

PowerProducer. (Zoom-In).
February 1, 2003... What is it? From CyberLink, it's a home movie and photo slideshow creation program. What does it do? Offers beginners tools to assemble movies and photos quickly, and transfer them to DVDs or CDs. Special features? Has an...

FireWire portable CD-RW. (Zoom-In).
February 1, 2003... What is it? A portable CD-burner from SmartDisk. What does it do? Allows you to rip, burn and play CDs anywhere, anytime. Special Features? The unit is fast--24X playback, 16X write and 10X rewrite. What do we think? SmartDisk is...

DVR-A05. (Zoom-In).
February 1, 2003... What is it? Pioneer Electronic's fifth-generation drive with 4X capabilities. What does it do? The new drive doubles writing performance with 4X DVD-R, 2X DVD-RW, 16X CD-R, and 8X CD-RW capabilities. Its recording speed translates into...

Break into NLE: how to get started editing your videos on your computer. (Nonlinear Editing).
February 1, 2003... If you've recently bought a camcorder, you will almost immediately come up against a cold, hard question--what to do with all the footage you've shot? While we all tend to envision ourselves as the next Spielberg or Lucas, the reality is...

Edit and burn: reviews of Ulead VideoStudio 6, neoDVD, AverDVD EZMaker, and Video CD Maker. (Nonlinear Editing).
February 1, 2003... When I first heard the idea to do a roundup of bunch of a video-editing packages, I was a bit skeptical. I had visions of a column filled with a big, bulleted chart of features. While occasionally informative, I find such charts to be boring....

Squeeze your video: compress your files for the Web.
February 1, 2003... When it comes to developing software for sending video over the Internet, programmers try to create smaller files and produce better video quality. For several years now, Sorenson Media has been an undisputed leader in the area of video...

Digital fusion: dazzle's new outboard box captures all formats.
February 1, 2003... Are you a digital demon? A multimedia maven? Do you and your family have camcorders, digital still cameras and other electronic gizmos that use some sort of removable memory devices? Does your computer setup look like peripheral hell, with one...

DVD stand-alones: more affordable and easier-to-use burners. (Nonlinear Editing).
February 1, 2003... The conversion from VHS tape to DVD is surging these days, as a new selection of one-button home DVD recorders take center stage. Now, Philips, Pioneer, Panasonic and others have DVD recorders on the market, and Sony has one on the way. These...

10 top shoots: put your video talents to work.
February 1, 2003... Are you stuck in a video rut? Is your camcorder and editing system gathering dust because you simply have run out of things to shoot? What you need is a little inspiration, a project to sink your teeth into. Once the wheels are set into motion,...

Sharp VL-MC500U: a consumer favorite that produces excellent image quality and rich colors.
February 1, 2003... Sharp's new VL-MC500U ($999 MSRP) takes this established camcorder and electronics manufacturer into the high-resolution Combo-Cam playing field. The MC500U has a 1.3-megapixel (1.3MP) CCD and built-in flash, making it a full-fledged digital...

Transferring to DVD: preserve your valuable memories to stable media.
February 1, 2003... Video is great for capturing important events, be it in our personal lives Where we preserve moments with families and friends, or in business, where we record and distribute presentations. But, often all those great moments are wound up on...

Future is all-in-one: convergence of your camcorder, editor, VCR, even refrigerator.
February 1, 2003... Imagine the day when the doddering videographer tells his grandkids, "I remember when we had to use videocassettes and tape to record movies and parties. Back then, you had to worry about videotape getting scrunched inside your camcorder or...

Sony DCR-IP220: combo-cam with true 2MP resolution for digital stills.
February 1, 2003... Sony's flagship MIGROMV model the DCR-IP220 ($1,999 MSRP), represents a milestone for a Combo-Cam because of its two-megapixel (2MP) resolution for digital stills. Previous top resolution figures for Combo-Cams registered about 1.5MP on...

Camcoder shopping: doing your research pays off.
February 1, 2003... So, you want to buy a camcoder. The dilemma: Which one get? The circulars newspaper make them all look good. And, the salespeople in the stores, well, why do they all sound like they are selling used cars? Who do you trust? Solution: Be...

How do Combo-Cams stack up? (Camcoder Insider).
February 1, 2003... Combo-Cams (combination camcorders/digital still cameras) continue to be one of the most popular consumer electronics products for the past several years. They represent a continuing trend in combining features of both separate camcorders and...

Looking like film: independent filmmaker tricks when shooting Mini DV.
February 1, 2003... Not only are hobbyists able to get sharp, beautiful pictures from Mini DV camcorders, independent filmmakers, as well as more prominent Hollywood directors, have discovered that the high-resolution images allow for clean transfer to film for...

Bird's-eye view: techniques for shooting exotic subjects.
February 1, 2003... A bird in the hand is better than 10 pigeons on the roof, or so e old saying goes... well almost. But, for videographers with long camcorder zooms, even distant birds can be easily captured to fill the frame. And, for those of you who...