News From Here & There

Zacuto EVF
It seems to be the week for HDSLR viewfinder/monitor announcements. First came news that Marshall's 5-inch monitor might finally be shipping, then Redrock Micro came out of no where with the microEVF electronic viewfinder. Now it seems Zacuto will be announcing their own Electronic View Finder either today or tomorrow. (Official announcement still pending...)



LED Light Panels
I just spent last night playing with some inexpensive LED light panels. You can get some quite impressive little light packages for not much money (under $100), and when combined with the low-light capabilities of today's cameras, it's possible to use these to great effect for interviews, etc. The best part; they don't put out the heat that your standard lights do. I'll be posting more - along with some video - later in the week.



The Latest in HPX and AVCCAM Camcorders
Rule Boston will be hosting an event this Wednesday with Bill Kennedy from Panasonic talking about the AG-HPX370 P2 HD and the AG-HMC150. I wonder if he'll talk about the AG-AF100?
Time: 10am - 12 noon
Rule: Events @ Rule


Open Video Conference Oct 1-2, New York
I'd like to go to this, if only to hear Adam Chodikoff, senior producer of The Daily Show:
Adam Chodikoff, senior producer of The Daily Show, prefers the moniker of “investigative humorist.” He’s the guy who plumbs the archives to find juicy video clips of politicos, cable news talking heads, and other public figures contradicting and embarrassing themselves. And he’s a big part of why video is today’s medium of record—though he doesn’t write the gags for Jon Stewart, he brings the intangible genius that makes The Daily Show pop.

At this year’s Open Video Conference, he’ll talk about how he sources the awesome video montages for the show, and walk us through some of his favorite video picks.
Profile of Chodikoff at The Washington Post
Open Video Conference



So You Thought They Were Giving Away H.264?
Just incase you thought that the announcement that H.264 would be Royalty Free Forever (on the Internet) meant it was royalty free for all uses [how'd you get that idea?!] Peter Csathey, CEO of Sorenson Media, has the blog post to scare you straight:
Sorenson Media: Think H.264 is Now Royalty-Free? Think Again – and the “Open Source” Defense is No Defense to MPEG LA


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