Camcorder & Computer Video articles from October 2004

Camcorder & Computer Video archives from October 2004

Camcorders refined--the latest models from Canon, Sony and Panasonic.(Editor's Report)
October 1, 2004... Unlike car manufacturers, which tend to introduce new models only once a year, camcorder makers have introductions every three or four months. That's the case with these new cams from Canon, Panasonic and Sony. (Note: These camcorders are...

FP231W.(Zoom in: store, view and protect your media in this active digital age)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... What is it? BenQ's new LCD monitor with a large 23-inch screen. What does it do? Great for watching videos, playing games, word processing and other business applications. Special features? A resolution of 1920x1200 pixels, wide...

AV400.(Zoom in: store, view and protect your media in this active digital age)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... What is it? A new pocket-sized video recorder from Arches. What does it do? This handheld gadget can record music, TV shows and movies directly from a TV, VCR, or cable/satellite receiver, can display photos on its large LCD screen, or...

Imaginate 2.0.(Zoom in: store, view and protect your media in this active digital age)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... What is it? The latest still-image animation software from Canopus. What does it do? Transforms still images into movies, montages complete with audio, DVD motion menus, and other productions. Special features? New features include a...

Double-layer solution kit.(Zoom in: store, view and protect your media in this active digital age)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... What is it? From Verbatim, it's a 10-pack kit with eight 1-8x DVD+R discs for high-speed recording, one 8.5GB DVD+R Double-Layer (DL) certified disc, and one 1-4X DVD+RW for rewriteable applications. What does it do? Allows users to...

EZ maker pro & pro PCI.(Zoom in: store, view and protect your media in this active digital age)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... What is it? Two new video-capture and edit devices from AverMedia Technologies. What does they do? For transferring video from any VHS recorder, an analog or digital camcorder, to DVD or CD. Special features? Includes Ulead DVD...

CityGear case line.(Zoom in: store, view and protect your media in this active digital age)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... What is it? Four different styles of notebook cases from Targus. What does they do? In sporty black, gray and yellow, these cases hold a wide range of notebooks and other essentials, like cell phones, CDs, passports, etc. Special...

DVD-RW optical disc.(Zoom in: store, view and protect your media in this active digital age)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... What is it? A new 4X DVD-RW optical disc from Advanced Media, a subsidiary of RITEK. What does it do? With a 4.7GB capacity, it provides up to two hours of recording time in standard mode and up to 1,000 rewrites, which is seven times more...

LVW-5020.(Zoom in: store, view and protect your media in this active digital age)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... What is it? Lite-On's newest HDD DVD recorder. What does it do? It allows up to 102 hours recording for hard disk and six hours for DVD and to most popular digital media formats. Special features? An Easy Guider 2 on-screen navigation...

USB flash drive.(Zoom in: store, view and protect your media in this active digital age)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... What is it? A new line of USB flash drives, ranging in capacities from 128MB, 256MB and 512MB, from Targus. What does they do? Thumb-sized and weighing only half an ounce, these drives allow users to transport files, graphics, music and...

Hybrid keyboards.(Zoom in: store, view and protect your media in this active digital age)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... What is it? A new line of editing keyboards from Bella Corporation. What does they do? The built-in Hybrid Technology provides flexibility; users can now use the same keyboard on both Windows and Macintosh computers. Special features?...

FireFly.(Zoom in: store, view and protect your media in this active digital age)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... What is it? SmartDisk's latest USB 2.0 20GB portable hard drive. What does it do? Can store up to 20 hours of digital video, more than 5,000 MP3 songs and more than 15,000 digital images. Special features? It's tiny (!)--about the size...

CamWraps.(Zoom in: store, view and protect your media in this active digital age)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... What are they? New camera jackets from Petrol. What does they do? Fit and protect most full-sized Sony camcorders. Special features? Constructed of a double mesh quilted fabric, they contour to the camcorder body, three oversized...

Camcorder wars.(Camcorder Insider)
October 1, 2004... It's funny how we'll go months without hearing anything about new camcorders from the top manufacturers. And, then, all of a sudden these companies will launch new models at the same time with uncanny precision. I call this timing "Camcorder...

Shoot your video, Part 2: from basic to expert, 10 more dos and don'ts to help you develop your videomaking skills.
October 1, 2004... Last month, we touched on the basics of video equipment usage and care. We explored shooting techniques, lighting and composition. We'll move forward here with more ideas on how to selectively use focus, angles, movement and transitions, with...

Canon Optura 30: at well under a grand ($629), this combo-cam records true 16:9 images and captures 2-megapixel digital stills.(Camcorder Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2004... Canon's Optura 30 camcorder is a true representative of the modern multimedia device. It is super small and compact, recording both video and 2-megapixel (2MP) high-resolution digital stills. Use your camcorder to display your work directly to...

Moving up: camcorder features you need for professional--quality videos.(Buyers Guide)
October 1, 2004... There comes a time when you as a camcorder owner are ready to grow. Your first camcorder was pretty good in its day, and it gave you the chance to get comfortable with shooting techniques and editing. Now, you are ready to produce what for you...

Movies at our fingertips: video phones.(Buyers Guide)
October 1, 2004... You might be old enough to remember when cell phones were large brick-and-attach, case-size units that you had to lug around. Since then, a bit has changed. Not only have cell phones been greatly miniaturized, they also have added a lot of...

Panasonic VDR-M70: a flexible DVD camcorder that records on DVD-RAM or DVD-R media, and features a 1Mp sensor for enhanced video quality.(Camcorder Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2004... Panasonic was one of the first camcorder companies to market its own DVD camcorder. While it was breakthrough in concept (recording onto a small DVD-RAM disc), it did have its drawbacks. The biggest was its incompatibility with set-top DVD...

How to put your videos on the web.
October 1, 2004... There are many different ways to share your edited movies with your friends and family. You can send copies on videotape or you can burn DVDs and CDs. You can create highly compressed short clips and send them via e-mail or you can post your...

How to become a better videographer.
October 1, 2004... If you've watched many home videos, it becomes pretty obvious that most camcorder owners don't have a clue. I mean, we've all watched literally thousands of hours of television and movies, but when the camcorder starts recording, most people...

Rediscovering DivX: store more video with Plextor's ConvertX box.(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2004... In my June 2004 "Camcorder Insider" column, I alerted you to the fact that DivX, the compressed video format made famous on the Internet, was planning to re-enter the consumer marketplace later this year. In the meantime, I've been able to test...

Video editing software solutions: as simple or as advanced as you want it.
October 1, 2004... Everyone wants to share their videos with friends and relatives. Some want to share them with business associates or even use them as an educational tool. But, though sharing is the prime reason for taking videos for most us, how many people...

Sony's new VAIO R Series--loaded! designing a dream machine.(Hardware review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2004... What would make your ideal dream machine for video and audio editing? Is it heavy iron--a hot processor with big and fast disks? Or powerful tools--software for slinging digital media? For video enthusiasts, an integrated system with high-end,...

Painless extraction: 4 great DVD burning programs.(Software review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2004... Once you start working with DVDs, building up a collection and burning your own, you'll start to want to have an easy way to make copies of them. While cracking the encryption used for copy-protection discs is illegal in the U.S. under the...