Archive for April, 2008

I know, I know…

The Buddy Group has built its reputation around Flash Video and interactivity. Well, pigs fly don’t they? I am actually a believer in Silverlight and excited to see where The Buddy Group and DotLot are going to take it!

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Today was a day of gimmicks at NAB. We saw a bunch of things that had great cool factor, and a couple more that will be really practical.File this one under “super cool but currently irrelevant for the web”: Ultra High-Definition (UHD). If you didn’t wander all the way to the back of the central hall, then you missed this incredible display. Japan’sNHK Enterprises (NAB booth C12105) was showing off its UHD system. The new camera is almost the size of a Smart Car, draws 900W of AC power and looks like an old studio camera from the 1950’s, but it doesn’t shoot like one – not by a long shot. UHD-format video has a native resolution of 7680×4320 – sixteen times the size of a standard HD image! The system also boasts 22 channels of audio; 10 speakers surround the viewer at ear level, 9 more are placed above the viewer and there are 3 channels at floor level.We watched a brief demo that was displayed on four 4K monitors. The experience was similar to that of watching an IMAX movie. The sound was totally immersive and even the smallest details were incredibly crisp; in an extreme wide shot of a football stadium we could read the writing on a sign that someone was holding up. According to the NHK rep, their target is to have the UHD format be accepted as the broadcast standard in Japan by 2025 and to bring that same integration to the States by 2040.

For something a bit more practical to the DotLot way of life, we visited Panasonic (NAB booth C3512) to check out the AG-HPX170. This P2 camera is cousin to the wildly successful AG-HVX200. It retains all of the shooting mode features of the HVX200, but eliminates the tape drive in exchange for an HD-SDI 4:2:2 output. Look for the HPX170 to hit shelves this fall at a price point similar to the HVX200.

3D has long been romanticized in the world of cinema as the next great thing. Since the 1950’s, it has been used to “resurrect” movies whenever box office receipts start falling. With the recent acceleration in installations of digital projectors at movie theaters nationwide, we are currently watching yet another 3D explosion with films such as the U2 and Hanna Montana 3D concert films. Could web be the next domain of 3D content? It’s hard to say for sure, but if any company can make that concept a reality, it’s American Paper Optics (NAB booth C11225).

No, they don’t shoot 3D video – that’s DotLot’s job. What they do is produce the cardboard glasses that get sent to consumers via direct mail, magazines and in-store handouts. Anaglyph, Color Depth, Polarized… we counted at least 6 different types of 3D glasses. Which one would be best for web? Is 3D even a viable format for the internet? We’re not sure, but we are definitely insipred and over the next few months DotLot is going to start conducting some tests to find out.

For tomorrow’s Day 3 update, we’ll be looking at a lot of post-production solutions including plugins and accelerators for Premiere and After Effects.

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Hello there fellow DotLotters!

We drove out to Las Vegas to check out all the stuff that’s going to make our industry even better in the year to come and thus far, we’re finding what we came for.

First, the candy! The RED booth (NAB booth SL3820) has been a dream magnet for a few years now. DotLot has had several RED ONE cameras on our stage over the past few months and we thought that NAB would be a good palce to talk to lots of RED ONE users and get our hands on some cool accessories for the cameras.
Leave it to RED, however, to whet our appeties once again, with the announcement of two new concept cameras slated for release over the next few years. Following tradition, RED teased us with prototype body designs that look great but have limited tech specs at this time. EPIC is touted as a 5K resolution camera, which would make even the RED ONE seem like a starter camera.

Also shown was a handheld camera called SCARLET, which is going to be a 3K camera released in “2009″ for around $3K! This small but powerful camera would truly bring super-large resolution shooting into the hand of the masses. If the release version of this camera even comes close to this target, then it will knock down the cost of super-resolution acquisition, once again following in the long line of technological advancements that bring high technology into the hands of the masses. This would level the playing field and once again signal that content and not budget is king. Long live content. www.red.com

Speaking of conent, are you ready to monetize? If you’re anything like DotLot, then you’re always coming back from shoots with extra footage or shooting fun clips here and there in your spare time. A new stock library makes it easy for you to put your SD and HD content up for sale. Pond5 (NAB booth SL10730) allows registration of a free account for content producers and users. You can browse the entire library online and buy clips via direct download. As a producer, you upload your clips and set your own price, sharing revenue with pond5 50/50. www.pond5.com

Rosco (NAB booth C8208), whose 5711 chroma green paint we just used to cover our green screen Studio B has a great booth, and they sent some really friendly reps to answer questions. They spent some time giving us tips and also showed us a chroma green vinyl dance floor material that we might use t ocover the floor of our studio. This material can be mopped clean just like Mom’s kitchen, meaning no more post-shoot repainting. Now we just have to get our Moms to come clean up after us. I guess we never really grow up, after all. www.rosco.com

Do you shoot with camera stabilizers? Be sure to visit Camera Motion Research (NAB booth C10412) to see their prototype GS2. This gyro stabilized handheld stabilzer takes all of the rock and sway out of your moves. You have to feel it to believe it, but it truly makes even the steadiest shots more steady. www.camotionllc.com

On Tuesday we’ll be checking out a ton more gear including Panasonic (NAB booth C3512), who now has a cousin to the HVX200 that eliminates the tape drive and concentrates fully on P2 acquisition. This camera features an SDI output via BNC and lots of other cool features. www.panasonic.com
Until then…

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