AV Video Multimedia Producer articles from April 2003

AV Video Multimedia Producer archives from April 2003

Mac aficionado turned PC enthusiast: profile of the Orphanage. (Special Advertising Section).
April 1, 2003... As a loyal Macintosh[R] aficionado, the last thing visual effects creator Stu Maschwitz thought he'd ever do was to replace his sexy Mac dual-800 G4 computer with a Microsoft[R] Windows[R]-based workstation. After all, he'd been on a Mac since...

Disc-o fever. (Real Time).
April 1, 2003... THE STORY ABOUT TAPELESS RECORDING HAS BEEN building in these pages for the past year. Sony's news in February that it would bring prototypes of a new optical-disc camera to NAB this year caused quite a stir, especially among those...

Shining examples: what to look for when choosing a portable lighting kit for location shoots and live events. (Production).
April 1, 2003... VIDEOGRAPHERS AND PRODUCERS know well that in-the-field and live-event lighting is tricky. It can be too harsh or too soft. The color temperature can be wrong, and you may not realize it until you're back in the studio. Light can come from the...

Lock, stock and barrel: new tools help you zero in on the right clips online. (Post-Production).
April 1, 2003... WHETHER YOU ARE SEARCHING for royalty-free clips that you can use again and again in your company's employee orientation video, or you need high-quality, rights-managed content that is licensed for one specific use, buying stock footage is a...

Array of hope: with Xserve RAID, Apple takes on enterprise server vendors. (Delivery).
April 1, 2003... IN ITS REGENT MARKETING, APPLE (www.apple.com) compares the recently shipping Xserve RAID with offerings from well-known enterprise storage companies like Dell, HP, IBM and Sun. This demonstrates once again that Apple is serious about taking on...

DVD-RW. (Hardware News).
April 1, 2003... For producers working on the road or presenters who need to travel light. EZQuest (www.ezq.com) recently previewed a DVD-RW drive that measures only 6 inches by 5.5. inches by three-quarters of an inch-just big enough to accommodate a DVD or...

Touching news: SMART develops new touch technology for interactive displays. (Presentations).
April 1, 2003... IT'S NOT HARD TO UNDERSTAND the appeal of touch-sensitive displays. Who doesn't like the idea of being able to control screen actions without a keyboard or mouse, or annotating a video with the mere movement of a finger? Unfortunately, the...

Market on the mend: Forecast is bright for AV industry. (Communique News).
April 1, 2003... According to ICIA's 2003 Market Forecast Survey, released in February, the AV industry--comprising media producers, systems integrators, design consultants and IT managers and the technology providers that serve them--is poised for a recovery...

Projection Summit returns. (Communique News).
April 1, 2003... Held for two days before InfoComm on June 1 and at Orlando's Orange Country Convention Center, Projection Summit 03 will reprise its successful executive-level conference and exploration of key business and manufacturing issues within the...

TI reaches 2K resolution: Texas Instruments unveils a prototype of its 2K DLP Cinema Projector. (Communique News).
April 1, 2003... At the ShoWest 2003 trade show in Las Vegas on March 3, Texas Instruments demonstrated its new 2K-resolution DLP Cinema Projector technology, quieting critics who believed that TI had unwittingly taken itself out of the digital-cinema...

Long live DLP? A new study about the reliability of color and picture quality in LCD and DLP projectors could change the course of front-projection technology. How will LCD projector manufacturers respond? (Special Report).
April 1, 2003... IMAGINE THAT YOU ARE SEATED in the boardroom at Coca-Cola's corporate headquarters. The lights dim and the branded opener to a new, high-profile training video flashes onto the projection screen. The slickly produced audio floods the room as...

Show me your papers: document cameras migrate to business meetings. (Document Cameras).
April 1, 2003... Once relegated to scientific research applications and the lecture circuit, document cameras have been embraced by media-savvy presenters and sales forces for their on-the-spot clarity. More and more, document cameras are playing key roles in...

Flat-panel frenzy: everybody wants a flat-panel screen. Industry analysts sort through the pros and cons of LCD and plasma versions for the business-media user. (Displays).
April 1, 2003... Sometimes a technology is poised to take a great leap. That's the case with large flat-panel displays. Not only are plasma and LCD screens rapidly changing; they're beginning to overlap in size and price. That will lead to more competition,...

Navitar U-Touch: touch-screen for plasma displays. (Product Previews).
April 1, 2003... The new U-Touch from Navitar (www.navitar.com) converts 42-, 50- and 61-inch plasma displays into interactive touch-screens. The U-Touch overlay, available in sizes to match 42-, 50- and 61-inch plasma units, connects to a PG's COM port. The...

Christie DS30: DLP projector. (Product Previews).
April 1, 2003... Christie (www.christiedigital.com) will introduce its first single-chip DLP front-screen projector, the Christie DS3O. Weighing 6.6 pounds and featuring S-XGA (1,280 x 1,024) resolution, the DS30 is aimed at producers who need to project...

Crestron TPS-6000 with TPS-VID-1: Isys touch-panel with video card. (Product Previews).
April 1, 2003... Joining the existing line of Isys touch-panels, the 15inch TPS-6000 gives users a real-time video display in a single window by way of the TPS-VID-1 video card with Gamma Correction Technology. Crestron (www.crestron.com) says that composite or...

BenQ PB8220: DLP projector. (Product Previews).
April 1, 2003... The PB8220, targeted at the corporate, commercial and educational markets, uses proprietary BenQ (www.benq.com) video-processing technology to support Ti's DLP chip sets. The projector has a 2,000:1 contrast ratio, 2,200 ANSI lumens, 85 percent...

NEC GT500 and GT6000: installation projectors. (Product Previews).
April 1, 2003... NEC Solutions (America)'s (www.necvisualsystems.com) new GT5000 and GT6000 projectors' dual lamp design allow users to run one lamp at a time and achieve up to 3,000 ANSI lumens of brightness, or run both lamps for applications where up to...

Egan TeamBoard PowerX: PowerPoint touch-screen accessory. (Product Previews).
April 1, 2003... Egan TeamBoard (www.eganpowerx.com) recently announced PowerX, a touch-screen designed exclusively for use with Microsoft PowerPoint presentations. To advance slides, the user needs only to touch the screen, which is available in three sizes:...

Crestron RMC2e: IP-to-serial control system. (Product Previews).
April 1, 2003... A smaller version of some of Crestron's (www.crestron.com) full-featured control systems, the RMC2e is a low-priced alternative for colleges and universities. It features a 2-Series controal processor with two RS-232 ports, one IR port, four...

Da-Lite Fast-Fold Truss Deluxe: portable display screen. (Product Previews).
April 1, 2003... With a sturdy aluminum frame and legs, the Fast-Fold Truss Deluxe (www.dalite.com) features easy release latches for simple and quick setup and equally easy tear down after an event. The complete screen includes a durable carrying case with...

HRS Technologies C5 series: video distributors/extenders over CAT-5 cable. (Product Previews).
April 1, 2003... HRS Technologies' C5 series (www.hrstechnologies.com) let producers of business media and educational content extend or distribute computer video, component video, S-VHS and composite video over wide-bandwidth, high-resolution CAT-5 cable. The...

Extron Electronics VSC 500: computer-to-video scan converter. (Product Previews).
April 1, 2003... The Extron (www.extron.com) VSC 500 high-resolution computer-to-video scan converter converts images up to 1,600 x 1,200 for output as composite video, S-video, component video or RGB video. Aimed at videoconferencing and video recording...

NEC-Mitsubishi LCD9V: 19-inch LCD desktop display. (Product Previews).
April 1, 2003... Aimed at the systems integrator outfitting small to medium-sized businesses, the 19-inch NEC AccuSync The LCD9V will ship in April for an estimated street price of about $679. According to the company, the monitor uses up to 70 percent less...

Canon LV-5200: LCD multimedia projector. (Project Previews).
April 1, 2003... The Canon LV-5200 (www.canonprojectors.com) features a 1.5X motorized zoom that, despite the projector's small size, lets presenters control the quality of the projected content even within tight spaces. Its short-throw distance lets you...

Gefen ex.tend.it VGA to ADC Conversion Box: display accessory. (Project Previews).
April 1, 2003... Users of Apple's new line of small PowerBooks now have increased options for external displays. The new ex.tend.it VGA to ADC Conversion Box from Gefen (www.gefen.com) can connect the 12-inch PowerBook G4 laptop computer to any of Apple's...

AnyStream Agility Presenter for PowerPoint: web-streaming utility. (Project Previews).
April 1, 2003... Anystream (www.anystream.com) is helping presenters save their rich-media PowerPoint presentations easily and making those presentations more accessible. Using Agility Presenter for PowerPoint, presenters conduct their presentations as they...

Plasmavision SlimScreen P42HCA11, P42VCA21 and P50XCA 11: plasma displays. (Product Previews).
April 1, 2003... Fujitsu General America (www.plasmavision.com) has introduced three additions to its Plasmavision SlimScreen line of plasma displays-two 42-inch models (the P42HCA1I and the P42VGA2l), and a 50-inch unit (the P5OXCA1 1). All three displays are...

D-Link DVC-1000 i2eye VideoPhone: Videoconferencing phone. (Product Previews).
April 1, 2003... Co-developed by D-Link (www.dlink.com) and Sorenson Media (www.sorenson.com), the D-Link DVC-1000 i2eye VideoPhone is designed for real-time, high-quality, personal video conferencing that combines Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP)...

Astro-Systems. (Product Showcase).
April 1, 2003... The QS-2017 receives 4 individual inputs up to SXGA, and outputs up to 4 screens of SXGA for a maximum resolution of 2560x2048. Each of the 4 inputs can accept the entire output screen or 4 independent windows. QS-2017 was designed to...

3M Visual Systems. (Product Showcase).
April 1, 2003... The revolutionary 3M[TM] Digital WallDisplay combines the latest presentation technologies in one sleek, space-saving wall system. Innovative features include digital whiteboard, integrated projector, interactive monitor, dry erase/copy-board...

JVC. (Product Showcase).
April 1, 2003... JVC has released their latest DILA (Direct Drive Image Light Amplifier) projector, the DLA-SX21. With the highest 1400 x 1050 native resolution (1400 x 788 in 16:9 mode), three 0.7" D-ILA devices and high contrast of 800:1, the DLA-SX2I sets...

Christie Digital. (Product Showcase).
April 1, 2003... The Christie DS3O delivers DLP SXGA (1280x1024) resolution, 3000 ANSI Lumens and a contrast ratio of 1000:1 in a lightweight package (6.6lbs). Ideal for architectural design, biotech modeling and engineering CAD drawing as well as high impact...

Megatrax. (Product Showcase).
April 1, 2003... Megatrax offers the highest quality production music, original scoring, and SFX packages, with over 12,000 tracks to sample online at www.megatrax.com. Call us Toll-Free at 888.MEGA.555 for a free demo. tel: 818.255.7122 fax:...

VBrick Systems. (Product Showcase).
April 1, 2003... For the first time VBrick's VBXcast enables organizations to simply "plug in" and distribute video communications to and from anyone, anywhere, on any network. Using the latest MPEG-4 technology, VBXcast brings live company news, education, or...

Serious Magic. (Product Showcase).
April 1, 2003... Serious Magic's award-winning Visual Communicator Pro makes it fast and easy to produce professional video presentations for websites, email, and DVDs. Create your next training video or executive interview in just 20 minutes! ...

Azden Corporation. (Product Showcase).
April 1, 2003... Azden Corporation manufactures a complete line of UHF and VHF wireless microphone systems, shotgun microphones and mixers for video cameras and all audio applications. Shown is the 1000URX-A/B camera-mount receiver in a custom Anton/Bauer Gold...

Hitachi. (Product Showcase).
April 1, 2003... Hitachi's CP-X870W projector offers approximately 4,000 hours of lamp life. Weighing 13 pounds, the CP-X870W provides 2,000 ANSI lumens, XGA resolution, multiple connectivity options and vertical/horizontal keystone correction. Sales Tel.:...

Sanyo. (Product Showcase).
April 1, 2003... Sanyo's PLC-XP46 combines XGA resolution, 4100 ANSI lumens and 800:1 contrast ratio with impressive abilities, including x-y keystone correction and Sanyo's optional cutting-edge LAN-capable PJ-Net Organizer. Sanyo Presentation...

Pesa. (Product Showcase).
April 1, 2003... HD-SDI Multi-rate version of Ocelot 8x8, 16x8, and 16x16 PESA's new Ocelot small scale High Definition router is now capable of multi-format digital (SDI and HD-SDI). The Ocelot's multi-rate card set handles bit-rates from 3Mb/s to 1.5Gb/s, and...

TV One. (Product Showcase).
April 1, 2003... Content@Disk is a Network based Storage and Management System for Video, Audio, Images and Data. Simultaneously while recording the MPEG-2 stream, it also records a Video Thumb as an MPEG-4 for Preview purposes. Browse in low resolution on the...

Zandar. (Product Showcase).
April 1, 2003... Fusion Series of High-Resolution Video Display Processors Provide Flexible Options for Multi-Image Display Applications The FusionPro enables users to combine a wide range of input formats -- analog video, SDI, computer and DVI -- in the...

Concept and content: tapping into a new market while managing an upstart. (Winners' Circle).
April 1, 2003... "WE ARE NOT VERY GOOD AT playing the victim," says Jeff Flower, a Top 100 winner and principal at 3AXIS (www.3-axis.com) in San Jose, California. "Instead of complaining about the economy, we figured we would be proactive and find a new...

Tape less cameras: new optical disc-based cameras and dockable hard-disk drives will help you shake your tape habit. (Tapeless Recording).
April 1, 2003... Mired in dead tape? You'd gladly ditch the once future and now dying format, if only you could find an alternative that is reliable and simple enough to ease the inevitable pain of separation between you and your Betacam SP camera. Right? The...

Pioneer's PRV-LX1 DVD-video recorder: an exclusive first look. (Tapeless Recording).
April 1, 2003... Never accuse the folks at Pioneer of lacking ambition. DVD specialists have been paying attention to the company's every product launch for years. Pioneer was first out of the gate with an "industrial" DVD player sporting enhanced functions and...

Public image: NEC-Mitsubishi's LCD3000 display. (Test Patterns).
April 1, 2003... **** Summary: This versatile 29.5-inch LCD display is more lightweight and energy efficient than comparable plasma screens, It's also immune from phosphor burn-in. Target Users: Presentation professionals in corporations and public...

Lots to love: Toshiba's TLP-T701U video projector and document camera. (Test Patterns).
April 1, 2003... *** Summary: An exemplary video projector that would earn five stars were it not hobbled by its less-than-great document camera Target Users: Presentation professionals Platforms: Windows and Macintosh IN COOKING, IT'S JUST AS...

Eovia. (Tool Wise).
April 1, 2003... Eovia Power Pack is a set of 14 plug-ins for Carrara Studio 1.1, 2.1 and Carrara 3D Basics on both the Mac and Windows platforms. Power Pack lets users add fur, hair and similar strands to characters and models, add depth to their objects...

Edirol. (Tool Wise).
April 1, 2003... Edirol V-4 is a four-channel video mixer for portable or fixed installations. The V-4 offers V-LINK. which lets users trigger clips, perform video effects and transitions in real time when connected to the Edirol DV-7PR. The video mixer also...

SGI. (Tool Wise).
April 1, 2003... SGI's Altix 3000 servers and superclusters are designed to be used with Intel Itanium 2 processors and Linux operating systems. Each node runs a single Linux OS image with up to 64 Itanium 2 processors and 512 GB of memory. With multiple nodes...

Sonic Desktop Software. (Tool Wise).
April 1, 2003... Sonic Desktop Software's new Edge Volume 5 is a music collection of 20 rhythmic tracks spanning numerous musical genres, including industrial, jazz, electronica, new age, rap and tribal. Unlike synthesized loop-based music found in stock...

Spider Support Systems. (Tool Wise).
April 1, 2003... Spider Support Systems' new Scorpion Pod is a one-piece portable tripod riser and standing platform that elevates a camera tripod and its operator 23 inches. The Scorpion Pod is designed for videographers who need to raise their camera's...

Ulead Systems. (Tool Wise).
April 1, 2003... Ulead Systems' Ulead MediaStudio Pro 7.0 is a digital video post-production suite that offers real-time software previewing, output and MPEG encoding. MediaStudio's modular package includes video capture, editing, audio editing, video painting...

Pinnacle Systems. (Tool Wise).
April 1, 2003... Pinnacle Systems' Liquid chrome video-editing and compositing system ($24,995) brings three components into one system: the Liquid editing application, the TARGA 3000 compositing engine and the K2 single-chip 3D DVE. Liquid chrome features...

Media 100. (Tool Wise).
April 1, 2003... Media 100's Final Effects Complete for Mac OS X is a set of over 100 software plug-in filters and transitions that generate special effects for video, animation, DVD and CD-ROM content. Final Effects Complete is designed for Media 100, Avid,...

In the trenches: replication. (Frontline: DCD News).
April 1, 2003... DVD Producer Mark Ashkinos of New York's ScreamDVD has a love-hate relationship with replicators. DCD Business asked him to explain. He can be reached online at mark@screamdvd.com DCD: You've authored a DVD. After weeks of encoding,...

Authoring: Adobe Encore Yokes DVD authoring to design. (Cool Gear).
April 1, 2003... Adobe is flexing its muscle in the graphic design market by closely integrating functions in its new Adobe Encore DVD authoring software ($549) with Photoshop. For the first time, Adobe Encore users will be able to create and edit menus in the...

Packaging: slimming down the collection. (Cool Gear).
April 1, 2003... Home-theater buffs gripe that their DVD collections take up more space than their CDs ever did. Video stores are scrambling, maximizing revenues by cramming more titles into a smaller space. So the THINpak from DVD package designer Nexpak...

CompactFlash hits 4 GB. (News Briefs).
April 1, 2003... SanDisk (Sunnyvale, CA) introduced a 4 GB CompactFlash memory card at the CeBIT trade show held last month in Hanover, Germany. The Type I card, billed as the densest CompactFlash memory card to date, quadruples the size of SanDisk's next...

Handling the high cost of Digipaks. (News Briefs).
April 1, 2003... Automation specialist GIMA (Bologna. italy) will start shipping systems for the popular Digipak packages for GD and DVD discs. GIMA claims the new equipment, the first for Digipaks, will bring down costs by automating disc loading, booklet...

Hiding seams and telling stories: the evolving art of DVD interactivity; At the intersection of motion picture art and graphic design, a new type of entertainment experience is emerging. (Cover Story Business).
April 1, 2003... By any measure, 2002 was a banner year for DVD. More than 16 million new set-top players found their way into consumers' homes, and more than 6000 new software titles were released. But with a greater number of titles being marketed each year,...

Cinematographer Ed Lachman gets the right look on DVD. (Business).
April 1, 2003... I've always felt like my job was to see a film through its digital or VHS stage," says cinematographer Ed Lachman, nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Far From Heaven (Universal). The film was transferred to video at...

Multi-dimensional data: InPhase Technologies moves holographic data storage from science fiction to reality. (Holographic Data Storage).
April 1, 2003... Imagine an optical technology that allows a million bits of data to be written or read with a single flash of light -- a technology that begins where DVD and Blu-ray storage capacities leave off, or even where optical storage currently...

The customer's always right: ... even though you know the truth, don't you? (The Last Word).
April 1, 2003... "I LIKE IT. REALLY IT'S GREAT. I SEEYOU PUTA LOT OF time into this..." Ah, the satisfaction of a verbal nod from the client. "... But I'm not sure it's quite right. It needs more--oh, I don't know--more something. Can you do it over?"...