Camcorder & Computer Video articles from September 2002

Camcorder & Computer Video archives from September 2002

Sound matters. (Editor's Report).
September 1, 2002... Sound. Its importance came home to me recently when I was asked to shoot an event and was somewhat unprepared. (Too often we are unprepared for the scope of things we get dragged into!) The event was a young woman's bat mitzvah to be held...

VCE-B5A01. (Zoom in: hottest must-have products and accessories).
September 1, 2002... What is it? A high-performance, plug-and-play PCMCIA video-capture card from Imperx. What does it do? Lets users display, capture, store and preview full-motion video on their laptops. Special features? Hot insertion and removal; two...

NEO DynaFlats. (Zoom in: hottest must-have products and accessories).
September 1, 2002... What is it? Line of HDTV monitors (27-inch TXM2798HF, 32-inch TXM3298HF, and 30-inch widescreen TXM3098WHF) from Samsung. What does it do? Gives perfectly flat images without the curvature, image distortion or glare associated with...

ProCoder. (Zoom in: hottest must-have products and accessories).
September 1, 2002... What is it? A stand-alone transcoding software tool from Canopus. What does it do? Lets users easily convert video between formats at high speeds, convert single or multiple source files at one time, and output to multiple files in multiple...

Casablanca Avio DV Pro. (Zoom in: hottest must-have products and accessories).
September 1, 2002... What is it? Stand-alone nonlinear editing system for professional video editors from MacroSystem US. What does it do? Provides complete professional video capabilities; offers double the storage capacity at previous models, and built-in...

Pick-a-Video Pro. (Zoom in: hottest must-have products and accessories).
September 1, 2002... What is it? A four-title collection of media clips for sports, weddings and other high-impact productions from Ulead Systems. What does it do? Enhances videos with its theme backgrounds and overlay footage (for example, bells, hearts and...

India. (Zoom in: hottest must-have products and accessories).
September 1, 2002... What is it? A library of animated, high-resolution textures, objects and DVFonts (32-bit animated movies or still images) from DVFonts. What does it do? Lets users easily create dazzling, complex animated titles. Special features?...

F5U140. (Zoom in: hottest must-have products and accessories).
September 1, 2002... What is it? USB media reader/writer for Compact-Flash I and II from Belkin. What does it do? Allows users to transfer files between their PC or Mac and their MP3 player, cell phone, handheld and digital camera. Also lets users drag and...

Lumiflo fluidic ink delivery system. (Zoom in: hottest must-have products and accessories).
September 1, 2002... What is it? A continuous inking system (for Epson 870, 890, 1270 and 1280 desktop ink-jet printers) from Luminos Photo. What does it do? Provides photographers and artists a more cost-effective inking system that includes three packages:...

Canon GL2: is this the best prosumer camcorder?
September 1, 2002... It's been more than two years since we first reported on the GL1, one of Canon's 3-chip Mini DV camcorders. Since then, camcorders have advanced significantly in both quality and features. Now, Canon has introduced one Mini DV cam that's...

Shooting like a pro: step-by-step DV production. (Getting Professional Results).
September 1, 2002... The step-by-step process to digital video (DV) production entails looking at the big picture. A video in its finished form is a gestalt creation, larger than the sum of all its parts by its ability to communicate feelings, ideas, entertain or...

Power savers: how to maximize your batteries. (Getting Professional Results).
September 1, 2002... Do you ever feel sluggish, missing the pep and vigor you used to have? Do you ever feel that you are just not up to doing the job, that you would rather go home, climb into bed and recharge your batteries? Your camcorder suffers from the...

Stabilizers and mics: no shake, rattle or roll. (Getting Professional Results).
September 1, 2002... Most camcorders have image stabilizers built in. These optical/electronic marvels smooth over shaky shots and let you move with your cam to create dynamic, flowing videos. Unfortunately, in-camera stabilizers often don't do a good enough job....

Video 101: attending Hollywood's premier film and TV school.
September 1, 2002... When the former Columbia College of Chicago, Los Angeles Division, opened it doors in 1952, no one could have envisioned where the fledgling television industry would be in 50 years. Today, Columbia College-Hollywood is celebrating its 50th...

Film to DVD: is it worth doing it yourself?
September 1, 2002... Everybody has them--boxes of old home movies that nobody watches anymore because no one knows how to work the projector, if they even have one. I found my stash a few weeks ago when I was helping my grandmother clean out her basement. The...

DVD in a box: ReelDVD for step-by-step authoring.
September 1, 2002... Using one of the new breed of entry-level consumer, or automated, DVD-authoring tools is a great way to get started with creating DVD productions. For around $100, tools, such as Sonic MyDVD, MedioStream NeoDVD, and Pinnacle Express, let you...

Christmas in July: now's the time to make your holiday video presents.
September 1, 2002... There's nothing worse than waking up Christmas morning, face flushed with excitement at the thought of opening presents, and then getting a box with, guess what, another ho-hum necktie. Or, how about opening up a present with a bottle of...

Sony CCD-TRV608: Hi8 technology at a bargain price.
September 1, 2002... There's a rule that many of us have discovered when buying computers: buy last year's technology. When you think about it, it just makes more sense--you get all the advanced features, only you get them just a bit later AND you save a bundle in...

Secrets of Final Cut Pro: getting that film look.
September 1, 2002... How often have you wanted to employ professional video-editing techniques rising Apple's Final Cut Pro but didn't have the understanding to do so? Sometimes, it is difficult to embrace the deeper sides of your editing software to create superb...

Taking the plunge: secrets to shooting underwater.
September 1, 2002... Capturing the sights and sounds of the sea can be full of surprises when you're an outsider, so one should always be ready for the unexpected. Just ask Renee Colette, who once had an unusual encounter with an overly eager cephalopod. "One...

A before and after guide to using camcorder housings.
September 1, 2002... 1. Test your underwater housing before you leave, particularly if you haven't used it for a while or if the equipment is new. First check the o-rings and make sure they're in good shape and greased. Then take the housing, without the camera in...

A powerful Windows 2000/XP NLE system. (Camcorder Insider).
September 1, 2002... Pinnacle's "Edition DV" In the consumer Digital Video (DV) editing marketplace, Pinnacle Systems has more software solutions available than anyone else. Its Studio DV software is the No.1 consumer movie making solution in the world, by its...

Condensing down the matter. (Doc Camcorder: the doctor is in--answers to your digital-editing questions).
September 1, 2002... Dear Doc: My battery-powered professional microphone doesn't seem to work properly. I bought an XLR adapter to run it into my camcorder, but I still can't get any audio indication on the meters or through the headphones. What's wrong? ...

Retaping No-No. (Doc Camcorder: the doctor is in--answers to your digital-editing questions).
September 1, 2002... Dear Doc: I have some old VHS tapes that I want to digitally capture on my FireWire-capable computer. Can I use my DV camcorder to retape the VHS playback on my TV? --Allen, via e-mail Hi Allen, You might think this would be...

Do-it-Yourself Film Transfer? (Doc Camcorder: the doctor is in--answers to your digital-editing questions).
September 1, 2002... Dear Doc: I want to transfer my parent's archival Super8 home movies shot years ago. What are my options? And should I throw away the movie film once the transfer to video is complete? --Bill, via e-mail Hi Bill, You have two...

Hit the jackpot with Vegas: full-featured and affordable NLE.
September 1, 2002... When searching for a nonlinear editing (NLE) program, the key is to choose a program that is easy and intuitive to work with, has loads of great features, and is still easy on your pocketbook. Most importantly, decide the price range that fits...

Aerial maneuvers: not just plane video.
September 1, 2002... Did you get it?" asked the breathless elderly gentleman wearing a baseball cap. "Get what?" I wondered as I paused my camcorder and faced him. "Did you capture the Polikarpov?" he asked this time. "You mean the little plane doing...