AV Video Multimedia Producer articles from October 2004

AV Video Multimedia Producer archives from October 2004

Gearing up.(Real Time)
October 1, 2004... YOU'VE ASKED FOR MORE REVIEWS, AND THIS MONTH WE'VE GOT more for you. Our cover story (see page 24) by Peter Putman features our first side-by-side review of five products in one hot category--flat-panel monitors--complete with full specs and...

Sony's 1080i answer to the HDV camera: the consumer version comes first, but is a professional model far behind?(News)
October 1, 2004... Sony has now pulled ahead in the HDV camera race with its announcement of the HDR-FX1 Handycam--the first 1080i HDV camera on the market. This release, however, comes from the company's consumer division, begging the question, is a professional...

The interactive meeting comes of age.(Trends)
October 1, 2004... In addition to the dazzling audio, video and lighting tricks that producers of business meetings are asked to create, they are also being asked for meetings that are more interactive and collaborative. Workshops and breakout groups are usually...

Documercials mean big business: documentary-style paid programming may blur the lines between commercial and news production, but its growing popularity translates into steady work for producers, directors and camera operators.(Production)
October 1, 2004... THE IMAGE OF A YOUTHFUL company president is on your television screen, explaining his biotechnology company's latest medical advance to a Business News World reporter. On another channel, in a program titled "Eye on the Storm," a TV weatherman...

Low-cost HD post arrives: what does it take--and cost--to put together a finishing system based on new HD editing software?(Post-Production)
October 1, 2004... LETS GET RIGHT DOWN TO IT: There have been a number of exciting recent announcements regarding HD editing systems, but Apple's entry in this market is nothing short of spectacular. The company has created a stellar integrated hardware...

Webcasts to go: the services approach to delivering rich media online.(Delivery)
October 1, 2004... At InfoComm in May, Sonic Foundry released two new Mediasite rich-media recorders including the RL400, known as Mediasite Live in its previous incarnations. To complement the capture and streaming functions of the RL400 and other Mediasite...

Voiceover 101: how to hire, direct and format scripts to get the most out of your talent in the studio.(Managing Your Business)
October 1, 2004... MOST SEASONED PRODUCERS know that there's more to a successful voiceover session than just sticking the talent in front of a mic and slapping the result on a timeline. The process starts with the initial selection of the voice talent for a...

Flat-panel displays: a comparative look at five new pro LCD and plasma monitors from Sony, LG, Barco, Pioneer and NEC.(Special Review)(Cover Story)
October 1, 2004... IN THE MARKET FOR A PROFESSIONAL plasma or LCD monitor? Last time I checked, there were over 60 different models available from 20 to 63 inches in size, packed with a bewildering array of features and connectivity. Some are branded with the...

Alienware's Roswell-m notebook workstation: more than a laptop, with advanced graphics and audio.(Test Patterns)
October 1, 2004... IT'S EASY TO ASSUME THAT ALL high-end notebook computers are equally capable of handling video and audio. In fact, the requirements for editing video are substantially different than the requirements for running PowerPoint, Word or your...

Canopus Edius 2.5: a strong competitor in the software-only editing market.(Test Patterns)
October 1, 2004... EDIUS 2.5, FOR WINDOWS XP USERS, is the latest nonlinear editing release to come from Canopus. The earlier 2.0 release signaled a big change for this editing application, as it no longer required Canopus hardware in order to operate. A...

Miller Solo DV 10 system: a decent tripod with excellent legs, but only an average camera head.(Test Patterns)
October 1, 2004... FACE IT--ONLY THE TOP CAMERA operators can truly get away with handheld camera work. For the rest of us mere mortals, nothing says "unprofessional" in video production louder than a camera shot done without a tripod. Yet a good tripod can set...

Shortly after Alias debuted at SIGGRAPH 2004 as an independent company from SGI.(Acquisition News)
October 1, 2004... Shortly after Alias debuted at SIGGRAPH 2004 as an independent company from SGI, it signed an agreement to acquire Kaydara, a developer of real-time 3D character animation and motion editing solutions. "This move effectively unites the top...

Avid Technology.(Acquisition News)
October 1, 2004... Avid Technology, Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Midiman, Inc.--which does business as M-Audio and is a provider of digital audio and MIDI solutions for electronic musicians and audio professionals. At closing, Avid will...

Panasonic's.(Acquisition News)
October 1, 2004... PANASONIC's PT-L785U portable, high-brightness XGA LCD projector for small- to mid-size venues is now available. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The 12.8-pound PT-L785U offers 3200 lumens of brightness, a 500:1 contrast ratio, and displays...

BOXX Technologies.(Acquisition News)
October 1, 2004... BOXX TECHNOLOGIES announces the new 4200 and 8200 digital content creation workstations. The BOXX 4200 ($1,850) is a single-processor Pentium 4 workstation including Intel 925X chipset featuring DDR2, PCI Express graphics and serial ATA or...

Turbo Squid.(Acquisition News)
October 1, 2004... TURBO SQUID, publisher of Discreet-certified 3ds max plug-in programs, announces Turbo Toolkit 2, a suite of ten premium plug-ins in a single product. Turbo Toolkit 2 includes: hairfx for hair and fur creation; clothfx realistic fabrics...

Macromedia.(Acquisition News)
October 1, 2004... MACROMEDIA announces the FLASH Video Kit allowing Macromedia Studio MX 2004 with Flash Professional users to add video to their websites without any special technical knowledge. The kit enables streaming or progressive download video...

Apple.(Acquisition News)
October 1, 2004... APPLE has introduced Production Suite, the new software suite for film and video that delivers real-time production tools in one comprehensive and integrated package. Production Suite combines Final Cut Pro HD, Motion, and DVD Studio Pro 3;...

Leitch.(Acquisition News)
October 1, 2004... LEITCH has announced the immediate availability of its modular HDTV upconverter in NEO, the company's processing platform. With a focus on cost-effective upconversion from SDI to HDTV, the HUC-3901 ($3,500) is designed to provide all-size...

Taking pre-vis to the stage--and beyond.(Inspired Technique)
October 1, 2004... 3D COMPUTER VISUALIZATION HAS BECOME A STANDARD design methodology for architects and filmmakers. However, its potential for live performance is just beginning to be realized. I recently had the opportunity to explore the amazing...