News from Here & There

DIGITAL CONVERGENCE EPISODE 18 - Philip Bloom - Director of Photography, Cinematographer, DSLR Video Pioneer
Carl Olson of 16x9 Cinema interviews Philip Blom in his latest podcast: Episode 18



H.264 and VP8 Compared
Jan Oxer at StreamingMedia.com takes a first look at VP8 compared to H.264. His initial conclusion; VP8 does pretty well, matching or slightly outperforming H.264 in low motion clips, depending upon the background, but H.264 does better in high-motion pieces, though the differences are probably not even noticeable in most applications.
StreamingMedia.com: First Look: H.264 and VP8 Compared


Meanwhile...
Google's new video codec may infringe other patents
As was previously reported, Google's new Web video format/codec may not be free from patent licensing; or the threat of it.
Sometime's the threat is all that' needed...
CNET: Patent cloud looms over Google Web video plan



New iKan ID 400
iKan describes the ID-400 as the perfect ENG-style remote-controlled lighting unit, which comes complete with remote, lighting unit and stand, and one set of tungsten flood bulbs. The bulbs are interchangeable and can be changed easily in the field. Other bulbs including daylight, spot, daylight flood and tungsten spot are sold separately. In addition to standard AC power, the LED Box can also be powered by optional Professional Battery Packs, using the Professional Battery Plates.
The unit costs $499, and additional bulb sets are $129.
ikancorp: ID 400

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sony GV-D200 review

Image
Sony GV-D200 I've been using a Sony GV-D200 deck to transfer old Video8 and Hi8 tapes. Some of these tapes are over twenty years old, and no longer having a Hi8 camcorder that worked I was concerned that if I didn't do something about transferring them to a more modern format soon, I might never be able to. While Sony no longer make camcorders that use these tapes - that I know of - Sony does still sell the GV-D200 deck (or Video Walkman, as it's sometimes labelled.) They also offer the GV-D800, which is almost identical but adds a small LCD screen for about $120 more. I didn't think I'd need a screen since I was using this to capture to the computer, but you will need an external monitor when you first set it up. Physically, the device is small. At 5 7/8" wide, 5 3/8" deep and 2" high, it's the smallest video deck I've encountered. I used to have a Video8 deck that I thought was small; and it was twice as deep and twice as high. The t...
Read more

Response: Which iPhone to Get?

Image
In response to my iPhone musings, I got the following reader email which actually sums up a lot of my second and third thoughts too: You might have a point about the fancier camera, but otherwise I would buy the smaller model. Its screen is about the same size as that of my Nexus 4, and I don't feel at all like it limits me with a too-small screen. But I do sometimes stretch to get my thumb the reach to the other corner of the screen. It is plenty big for a phone. A phone is a pocket thing. (Well, in my case it lives an ancient REI soft sunglasses case that I have on my belt.) Ubiquitous, handy, convenient, almost always with me. Small is crucial for all of that. Certainly a large screen is cool, but you need a place to put it: don't break a fundamental feature of a pocket phone by getting too big. That is what your small tablet is for. I have my phone with me almost always. I have my Nexus 7 tablet with me nearly as much. The bigger screen is great, yet it fits in some...
Read more

Should you buy the Sony NEX-FS100 Kit Lens?

Image
The Sony NEX-FS100 is available in two configurations: B & H : NEX-FS100U Camcorder only $4,999 B & H : NEX-FS100U (with 18-200mm lens) $5,599 But what does that extra $600 get you? It get's you this: Sony 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Zoom Lens for NEX Camera This lens is also available separately for $799.99, so at $200 off you'd think everyone would be jumping on it. But not so fast... In his article about switching from the Canon 5D Mark II to the Sony NEX-FS100 , Paul Antico  at Need Creative says of the kit lens: 7) Its 18-200 F3.6-6.3 kit lens absolutely sucks and should be avoided (thankfully, you can order it without one) [ 1 ] But is it that bad? At B & H 's site, 43 reviews give it an average of 4.6 out of 5 stars. That's not a bad rating, though many of these people are using it for stills, and the most common complaint noted is how large and heavy it is. Of course this feeling of size would be exacerbated when you put it on a tiny camera ...
Read more