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Sony NEX5 Ticking | Philip Bloom | Vimeo
Last week Engadget reported a clicking noise on the Sony NEX-5N. This does appear to be a real issue; a search on YouTube turns up multiple examples of the noise, and now Philip Bloom has posted a video exhibiting the problem.



NEX-7 First Impressions | Luminous Landscapes
Perhaps the NEX-7 won't have the clicking problem; though the "fix" comes at a premium price! Here's a preview of the camera:
With the addition of two programmable control dials that fall perfectly under ones thumb, a soft button under ones index finger, and a wide range of programmability for the rear panel control wheel, the NEX-7's user interface moves up (compared to the original NEX-3 and NEX-5) to a very high level of functionality. Indeed it challenges virtually every other small camera on the market when it comes to the ability for the photographer to get the camera operating in a smooth and intuitive manner.


FCPX Bug? Best Practices for Using External Hard Drives with Final Cut Pro X | Danny Greer | Premiumbeat.com
"Many FCPX users are experiencing troubles when attempting to use external hard drives in Final Cut Pro X. Apple’s Time Machine backups may be the cause of this problem."



Canon DSLRs: some of the best picture profiles out there | Preston Kanak
| PhilipBloom.net
The new "cinema" picture profile for Canon DSLRS inspires this look at other options:
With the introduction of the new Cinema Picture Profile, I wanted to do a quick post on MY favorite picture styles as well as how to use/install them. Picture Profiles/Styles (PP) are meant to optimize the dynamic range in the image. One of the hardest parts about them though is picking the right one for the right job. I find that it all depends on shooting conditions and final output.


Stripped-Down Blu-rays Selling Blu-ray Are Making Me Hate Blu-ray
| Stu Maschwitz | Prolost
Last week Stu wrote a blog complaining about stripped-down Blu-rays he was getting from Netflix:
I get it. These minimized disks are pressed specifically for the rental market. I’m supposed to buy the “real” Blu-ray to see the good stuff. I actually do buy tons of Blu-rays—usually after renting them and experiencing how great all the special features are (Universal, ironically a late adopter of Blu-ray having supported HDDVD, doesn’t do the bare-bones thing). Looking back at my Amazon buying habits, turns out I buy a lot fewer movies these days—with “these days” corresponding precisely to the advent of these stripped-down “rental only” disks.


An Explanation and Some Reflections | Netflix blog
Meanwhile, over at Netflix, lots of people were unhappy when Netflix changed their streaming/DVD rental plans [really?! who doesn't love an increase in prices?! -Ed] So here's a mea culpa from Reed Hastings, Co-Founder and CEO, Netflix AND, a split into two services:
Qwikster will be the same website and DVD service that everyone is used to. It is just a new name, and DVD members will go to qwikster.com to access their DVD queues and choose movies.
This has a lot of people puzzled, as it appears this will just make the service more complicated to use.



Anatomy of a Scene: Drive | The New York Times
Meanwhile, you can get some of the DVD director narration without buying the DVD; a three minute segment of Drive narrated by director Nicolas Winding Refn. Interesting that he says LA was actually looking nicer than he had wanted it to look!



Hands-on with the PIX 240 | Andy Shipsides | CineTechnica
The Sound Devices PIX 240 Video Recorder costs $2,749, and provides QuickTime or DNxHD recording for video cameras with HDMI and HD-SDI inputs. A built-in LCD has a 800x400 resolution. AbelCine offers a short overview.



In the Spotlight: Jill Bilcock | DigitalContentProducer
An interview with editor Jill Bilcock, who uses the Lightwave editor.
The first time I used Lightworks was in 1994, when I was working on the romantic comedy I.Q. in New Jersey. Coming straight from cutting film to non-linear editing ­ the Lightworks system was designed specifically for this transition. It has a speed controller that was like a KEM or a Steenbeck. I was able to feel in control, as Lightworks complemented the thought processes I was used to before non-linear editing, when I was cutting film. Lightworks is a film program, which just happens to be run by a computer. It's not like other systems [such as] computers adapted to edit film.


iPad Goes to Hollywood | Tom Kaneshige | NetworkWorld
A general article about the adoption of the iPad that also mentions Sample Digital's dax|Mobile application for the iPad for streaming media :
"The industry has been moving from a physical media to a digital media, in terms of workflow," says Sample Digital CEO Patrick Macdonald-King. "The iPad's screen is big enough for people to actually digest media properly and be able to make creative decisions, see stuff on the fly. They have all the tools of a desktop application without the anchor of being at their desk."




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