AV Video Multimedia Producer articles from March 2002

AV Video Multimedia Producer archives from March 2002

Signs of spring. (Real Time).
March 1, 2002... Where's the green? Although the entire eastern seaboard is suffering from the worst drought in more than 100 years, the pre-NAB deluge has begun. Manufacturers furiously began rolling out new products in late February with the hope that...

Raising the AV IQ: What are the benefits of 'smart furniture' in boardrooms? (Presentations).
March 1, 2002... With digital technology firmly entrenched in business communication, the design of the corporate media boardroom has been permanently altered. Presentation and teleconferencing equipment has shrunk in size, precipitating changes in the ways...

Network stars: Building efficiency into a new in-house production unit. (Production).
March 1, 2002... It shouldn't surprise anyone that Cisco Systems has an interconnected in-house production facility. After all, the company is synonymous with internetworking. But until its new video-creation digs went live last month, Cisco did not have a...

Ice effect: Composited video is at the core of Hornet Animation's media for the New York Rangers. (Post-Production).
March 1, 2002... For Greg Harvey, the president and chief effects artist of Hornet Animation in New York and Los Angeles, composited video doesn't always finish last. During a project for the New York Rangers hockey team, it actually came first. Last...

Can a CD-ROM save lives? Triad Interactive helps women manage breast cancer risk. (Delivery).
March 1, 2002... When Triad Interactive agreed to produce a software program to educate women about breast cancer, the company knew it was important to get everything exactly right. The CD-ROM title, Personal Aid to Health: Making Decisions That Work (or PATH...

NAB 2002 beyond broadcast: the digital-production landscape and falling prices mean more tools for the rest of us.
March 1, 2002... NAB has always been the largest show of its kind, and organizers expect attendance to be on a par with last year's show. But the changing economic and industry landscape has forced NAB to look beyond its broadcast roots into the wider world of...

Into the lens. (Acquisition).
March 1, 2002... With so--called prosumer acquisition and editing gear finding favor among some corporate and independent media producers, major vendors are falling into line by announcing more attractively priced products aimed squarely at the professional...

Sound connections. (Audio).
March 1, 2002... Audio's importance in the media-production cycle has been one of the more noticable casualties of the past year's strained economy. Previously a production afterthought, the past decade had seen audio's integrity rise steadily as producers came...

All eyes on IP. (Delivery and Storage).
March 1, 2002... The big story for delivery and storage at this year's NAB is not much different than that of the past several. Streaming remains something that businesses are either doing or wanting to do. However, it's gotten easier to sift through the tools...

Gets power hungry. (Nonlinear Editing).
March 1, 2002... If Media 100 has its way, its new 844/x system--nee Pegasus--will be the talk of NAB. Finally dispensing with the hints and coy glances, Media 100 spilled the beans on its secret project last month, unveiling a super-powered editing-and-effects...

PCI cards, switchers, etc. (The Go-Betweens).
March 1, 2002... Bluefish444 has a new line of Windows PCI cards supporting 10-bit SD/MD uncompressed SCI input and output. Bluefish444 will also debut drivers supporting Digital Voodoo PCI cards, previously the province of Mac users, at uncompressed 10-bit...

Cliff notes for animators. (Animation, Graphics & Effects).
March 1, 2002... Alias\Wavefront will display the latest versions of Maya, Maya on Mac OS X, Maya RTA and mental ray for Maya, all exceptional tools for the long-form animator. But the company would like to bring corporate producers into the fold with the free...

Taming the wild DVD. (DVD).
March 1, 2002... DVD premastering, a product category that seemed so lucrative just a few short years ago, has virtually collapsed on itself. The big news going into NAB last year was that DVD giant Sonic Solutions had sued its main competitor, Spruce...

Affordable style. (Presentations).
March 1, 2002... Streamlined design and increasing brightness--at a lower price--continue to dominate the presentation market. Manufacturers are dangling slicker and more affordable tools before corporate and educational producers' eyes. NEC Technologies will...

The operation: an exploratory journey inside Mayo Clinic's media services.
March 1, 2002... IN SOME WAYS, IT'S THE IDEAL SITUATION FOR A MEDIA DIVISION. Its parent organization--an authority on health and medicine--is profitable although categorized as not-for-profit, employs nearly 45,000 people and encompasses five schools. For...

Explosive effects: Discreet combustion 2. (Test Patterns).
March 1, 2002... Summary: One of the very best desktop compositing tools Target Users: Post-production and desktop-video professionals Platforms: Windows 2000/NT4.0; Mac OS 9.x or 10.1 The battle for supremacy in the world of desktop compositing got...

Stealth makeover: Canon's XL1S. (Test Patterns).
March 1, 2002... Summary: Successor to the popular XL1 offers enhanced image quality, improved battery life and a wide array of manual functions Target Users: Budget-minded professionals Video format: Mini DV How does a company top the success of a...

Hot-wired Web video: iMove Multiview Production Suite 6.0. (Test Patterns).
March 1, 2002... Summary: IMove delivers interactive bells and whistles for your video--with minor glitches Target Users: Video professionals, Web designers, multimedia/presentation developers Platform: Windows 95/98/2000/NT 4.0. By itself, video...

Intuitive scriptwriting: Final Draft AV. (Test Patterns).
March 1, 2002... Summary: Dual-column scriptwriting program that automatically aligns video and audio elements Target Users: Scriptwriters Platform: Windows 95/98/2000/NT/ME; Mac OS 8.6 or later If you script your own video productions, you...

Visual communications @work videoconferencing: Its time has come.
March 1, 2002... Even before the events and aftermath of 9/11, videoconferencing use in this country was on the rise. Some analysts predict that the market will grow to more than $2.2 billion in 2006. But the process of migrating outmoded equipment to existing...