Camcorder & Computer Video articles from February 2006

Camcorder & Computer Video archives from February 2006

Edit those holiday videos now.(Upfront)
February 1, 2006... New year, new beginnings. For some of us, the new year ushers in a new batch of home videos we eagerly shot during the past holiday season. If you are the designated family videographer, you know what I'm talking about. With those crazy holiday...

Better audio.
February 1, 2006... Users of Sony's HDR-FX1 HDV camcorder will find this new adapter from BeachTek the perfect accessory for getting even better sound. The DXA-FX is a 2-channel, battery-powered microphone adapter with built-in low-noise preamplifiers and...

Making a case for style.
February 1, 2006... Get your hands on this ultra-stylish, limited-edition messenger bag, a collaboration between Adobe and MEDIUM Design Group. It has compartments to hold up to a 17-inch laptop, MP3 player, folders and other items. It's a bag that's sure to stand...

Almost instant video.(ZOOM IN: First Look At Video Gear And Accessories)
February 1, 2006... muvee Technologies has added more features to make its instant video-editing software even more automatic. Now, muvee autoProducer 5 includes magicSpot, which lets users control the pan/ zoom motion that is applied to still images. It also has...

Global sounds.
February 1, 2006... Give your video productions more flavor by adding some of the latest sound samples and loops from around the world. The new Soundpool DVD Collection 11 from Magix contains more than 7,000 samples and loops, with styles ranging from hip-hop,...

Personalized slide shows.
February 1, 2006... Photodex has added new tools to ProShow Gold to give users more control over their slide shows. ProShow Gold Version 2.6 has a new menuing system that lets users set custom captions and adjust images and backgrounds. Plus, it has enhanced audio...

Weather on demand.
February 1, 2006... Rain or shine, you can get the right kind of weather-related footage for your video productions with the latest collection from Weatherthings. Its Stock Weather Library includes 48 categories with lightning, sunsets, summer and fall scenes,...

Do-it-yourself duplication.(ZOOM IN: First Look At Video Gear And Accessories)
February 1, 2006... Affordable disc duplication is now within reach with Disc Makers' new Pico, a single-drive automated CD (16X) and DVD (48X) duplicator for less than $700. Measuring 7.1 x 15.75 inches, the Pico features a 25-disc capability, a built-in Card...

Bags for every occasion.
February 1, 2006... Carry all your portable gadgets in style with one of Tritton's latest Everki lifestyle bags. The Everki lineup includes all styles and sizes from small cases, camera bags, backpacks, briefcases and duffel bags. It offers two styles of bags for...

No computer required.
February 1, 2006... Save your digital photos to CD using the same printer that prints those images. That's the idea behind Lexmark's new P450 4x6-inch inkjet printer with a built-in CD burner. This versatile machine lets you burn your photos to a CD, print photos...

Faster xD Cards.
February 1, 2006... Olympus is releasing a new line of ultra-compact xD-Picture Cards called the H-Series, designed for use with high-megapixel cameras. The H512MB H-Series xD-Picture Card is an ultra-compact card that features high-speed data-transfer rates, up...

Travel buddy.
February 1, 2006... Never run out of memory card space again, thanks to Media Buddy from Digital Foci. This portable photo storage with hard drive and card reader has built-in card slots so you can copy and store your photos directly from your camera. It works...

The hottest high-def and mini DV camcorders.(Camcorder Insider)
February 1, 2006... Canon has just fired its 2006 volley of entry-level camcorders, and they're very exciting new models. Panasonic has also just fired a tremendous round of PR with the announcement of its new P2 camcorder--the AG-HVX200. This amazing new...

Adobe's new production studio premium.(Adobe Systems Inc.)
February 1, 2006... Adobe Production Studio Premium combines the power of Adobe's world-class post-production applications so you can use a tightly integrated solution to produce your projects from start to finish. Production Studio Premium includes the...

High-def video in your hands: ready for video that's too sharp?(Cover Story)
February 1, 2006... Low-priced high-definition video--is that for real? The door to affordable hi-def cracked open about three years ago when JVC introduced the first high-definition camcorder to record in the HDV format. HDV was developed jointly by several...

Sony DCR-DVD203: a great DVD-cam for family videos.(CAMCORDER REVIEW)
February 1, 2006... The Sony DCR-DVD203 is in the mid-range of Sony s line of DVD camcorders for home and consumer use, with a MSRP of $800. What makes this camcorder--and other DVD camcorders--different from a typical digital video camcorder is that, instead of...

Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0: edit your video from start to finish.(SOFTWARE REVIEW)
February 1, 2006... So, you are ready to go to the next level. You have a shoebox full of videotapes representing several years of home videos, and the time has come to transform them into an edited video. If you are wondering how to get going, you might consider...

Format wars: how do tapeless camcorders stack up to mini DV?
February 1, 2006... So, what's the deal with all those new camcorders that don't record to Mini DV tape? If you're like most people, you've probably seen some of the newer-generation models that record directly to DVD or possibly even to a hard disk drive (HDD)...

How to digitize your videos for sharing.
February 1, 2006... Once you have shot your video of your family, a special event or holiday celebration, how do you plan on sharing it with those who want to see it? Most of us shoot video and movies so that we can show it to others. This is especially true of us...

10 easy tricks for shooting better video.
February 1, 2006... Learning how to capture good video is not rocket science, yet we sometimes forget the basics in our haste to start shooting. Here are 10 tips that are easy to follow and can ensure that your video productions look more polished and impressive....

JVC Everio GZ-MG70U: ideal for shooting a lot (up to 37 hours!) of video.(CAMCORDER REVIEW)
February 1, 2006... Unlike most other camcorders on the market, the JVC Everio-G Series camcorders, like the GZ-MG70 ($1,100 MSRP), have a small built-in hard drive to capture video and audio. Not only can you capture great-looking video, you can also capture...

Video in your pocket: 2 portable media players to go.(HARDWARE REVIEW)
February 1, 2006... Portable MP3 music players have exploded in popularity in the past couple of years--cramming collections of songs, then photos, and now video clips into astoundingly tiny and featherweight devices. However, these tiny players really are only...

Pinnacle Studio Plus Version 10: everything you need in a home video editor.(SOFTWARE REVIEW)
February 1, 2006... Pinnacle Systems has a good track record in video-editing software. Its products have always been reliable and powerful, from beginner or consumer systems to its professional nonlinear editors (NLE). Studio Plus Version 10, Pinnacle's NLE...

JVC's 3-in-1 dubbing machine: a VCR on steroids.(HARDWARE REVIEW)
February 1, 2006... During the last decade or so, there's been an evolution in the recording and playback of video and audio information. Sony got it started with the introduction of the Mini DV camcorder a few years back. Mini DV remains the most popular consumer...

Water world: shooting high-def video underwater.
February 1, 2006... The underwater world suddenly got wider and sharper when Sony introduced its consumer-priced HDV camcorders, the HDR-HC1 and the HVR-A1U. Now, you can dive and display high-resolution images on large projectors and plasma monitors for your...

Anatomy of a Guerrilla Film.
February 1, 2006... Anatomy of a Guerrilla Film The Making of RADIUS by Helmut Kobler $39.99; Thomson Course Technology www.courseptr.com An interesting twist on the typical behind-the-scenes look, Kobler--a former video game producer and director who now runs...

DVD Studio Pro 4.("DVD Studio Pro 4 Authoring Professional DVDs")(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 1, 2006... DVD Studio Pro 4 Authoring Professional DVDs by Martin Sitter and Adrian Ramseier $49.99; Peachpit Press www.peachpit.com Part of the Apple Pro Training Series, this 700-plus page book is designed for all levels of DVD Studio Pro 4 users....

Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials.
February 1, 2006... Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials Master the Art and Technique with Step-by-Step Tutorials by Tom Wolsky $34.95 DV Expert Series/CMP Books www.cmp.com Tom Wolsky's Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials is filled with step-by-step guides and...

Hillman Curtis on Creating Short Films for the Web.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 1, 2006... Hillman Curtis on Creating Short Films for the Web by Hillman Curtis $34.99; New Riders www.newriders.com; www.peachpit.com Part of the New Riders' Voices that Matter series, this book is more about art and the artist, and how one can...

Pinnacle Studio 10 for Windows.("Pinnacle Studio 10 for Windows Visual Quickstart Guide")(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 1, 2006... Pinnacle Studio 10 for Windows Visual Quickstart Guide by Jan Ozer $24.99; Peachpit Press www.peachpit.com Turning video footage into what the author calls "watchable video" can be a monumental and time-consuming task, regardless of what...