Apple's Color 1.5 By Kevin McAuliffe
As everyone knows, the inclusion of FinalTouch (renamed Color by Apple) into Final Cut Studio 2 was shocking. A few months before Apple announced it, I looked at purchasing FinalTouch as a separate, stand alone application for a post facility I was working for.
...Read More »
First Look: Panasonic AG HMC150 AVCCAM camcorder By John Virata
Back in 2005, my aunt asked me to videotape her wedding. Now I am not a professional videographer, but rather, over the years I've enjoyed shooting video with all types of cameras, be it via my digital camera, my Flip video camera, to a variety of miniDV cameras. So I agreed to tape her wedding.
...Read More »
G-Technology's G-Drive mini SSD 120GB By John Virata
When I first reviewed an 8MB flash based USB thumb drive from M-Systems and IBM back in 2001, I was astounded at its durability. I dropped the device, went surf fishing with it and got it wet, and basically abused it until the plastic casing came off and all that was left was the memory module and the USB arm. It still works today, but at 8MB, it has since been replaced by several drives at varying capacities.
...Read More »
Cineform Neo4k for the Mac part 2 By Mike Jones
The second part of Cineform Neo4k and NeoHD is what's known as ReMaster; a software utility for batch-process transcoding of media files into the various Cineform formats. But along with batch-processing, ReMaster also provides a variety of functions that extend beyond just encoding into the Cineform wavelet codec. ReMaster has tools for resizing files on encode so it becomes a perfect tool for HD online intermediate workflows from 2k or 4k acquisition sources.
...Read More »
Cineform Neo4K for the Mac part 1 By Mike Jones
After an established history of developing lossless compression technology predominantly for the Windows platform - and particular Adobe's Premiere Pro NLE - Cineform has at last brought its lossless intermediate, high performance codec system to the Mac.
...Read More »
The solid-state missing link: Sony's XDCAMEX Browser 2.0 By Mike Jones
Once you've had the joys of solid state shooting and production, with formats such as P2 and XDCAMEX, its hard to imagine ever going back to tape. This is not to say that solid state doesn't come without its drawbacks: no shelfable master, re-wrapping processes, short record times are all tangible workflow concerns. But the advantages -- speed, efficiency, on-set clip review - for the most part outweigh the drawbacks.
...Read More »
Roxio Toast 10 Titanium By Kevin Schmitt
In what has become something of a Macworld tradition, Roxio once again used the annual gathering of Apple faithful as the backdrop for the unveiling of version 10 of its stalwart Toast Titanium media management product. As in past years, more features have been added and the upgrade price is still terrible, but this year there's a new wrinkle. Let's dive in to see what's changed this time around.
...Read More »
HP EliteBook 8730W By John Virata
Hewlett Packard has been known for years for its solid workstations. The company has been an innovator when it comes to content creation machines, even supplying its own designed graphics adapters in the late 1990s to power its visual systems. When the company decides to enter the market, it does so with a lot of thought, offering systems that are unique from what is currently available from its competitors, yet still remaining price competitive. The company's latest mobile offering is such a system.
...Read More »
Why You Need Magic Bullet Looks By Kevin McAuliffe
If you've been checking out the DMN website over the last couple of weeks, you would probably know that Mike Jones did a great series of articles on do-it-yourself color grading. Keeping on that idea, for me, there is only one plug-in (program) I use when I want to do any of my color grading work, and that's Magic Bullet's Looks. Looks is a powerful, fast and more importantly, simple plug-in to use. For this article, I'm going to give you four great reasons why you need to add this plug-in to your arsenal.
...Read More »
Sony PMW-EX1 Training DVD Reviews: VASST and Call Box By Heath McKnight
Two new excellent training DVDs from VASST and Call Box have come out covering all aspects of the amazing Sony PMW-EX1 professional XDCAM EX HD camera. Both are great, but each has a unique aspect to it.
...Read More »
Avid Media Composer 3.0 By Kevin McAuliffe
Nothing gets me more excited than sitting down in front of a new editing application, or one that has recently been updated. As I have said in previous articles, no one makes a better editing application than Avid, and it is back with its new line of post production products, and leading the way is Media Composer version 3.0. Why should everyone care about this? Keep reading, and you'll find out!
...Read More »
Lenovo D10 ThinkStation workstation By John Virata
The Lenovo D10 is the big brother to the ThinkStation S10, and as such sports dual Intel XEON CPUs for a combined four processor cores, 12MB L2 cache and a 1333MHz front side bus. Housed in a tower configuration, the D10 system is wider than the S10, and can accommodate more internal drive space, with support for five 3.5-inch hard drives as opposed to three for the S10, two PCIe x4 slots, two PCI X slots, and a single PCI slot.
...Read More »
Apple's 2.8Ghz dual Intel Xeon Quad-Core Mac Pro By Heath McKnight
Apple's 2.8Ghz dual Intel Xeon Quad-Core (8-cores total!) Mac Pro is one of Apple's fastest computers yet. With the capability to run with 32GB RAM, an excellent graphics card (or two), and terabytes of storage, no job is too big for this beast to handle.
...Read More »
Celtx 1.0 and the reshaping of creative software culture Part 2 By Mike Jones
Creating a highly competent and complex piece of software is not difficult; creating one that is highly competent and complex and yet is accessible and fluid to use is the challenge. And truly this is where Celtx shines. For all its relational database foundations, its depth of annotation and markup, and its diverse array of forms and features that are unrivalled by any other system of its kind on the market, Celtx is a software tool that delivers to the creative producer a very large degree of transparency.
...Read More »
Celtx 1.0 and the reshaping of creative software culture By Mike Jones
The contemporary world of cinema and moving image media production is currently in a state of change that is unprecedented. And yet the presented indicators of the revolution, the much referenced point makers of these radical changes, are often mis-aligned. The introduction of DV was sported as a 'Revolution' but whist it did provide a platform of accessible quality and efficiency it was, in truth, just an obvious next incremental step from previous steps in image quality and accessibility.
...Read More »
Western Digital`s MyBook Studio II By David Basulto
It s funny how things work themselves out. As I have been shooting more and more in high definition I kept finding myself running out of storage space. I filled the MacPro with as much hard drive space as it would hold but that still wouldn t suffice the hunger my media had.
...Read More »
Filemaker's Bento Personal Database By Mike Jones
Databases are one of those things most often shrouded in arcane technical mystery. For those who've yet to utilize a database in a personal or meaningful way, it s easy to dismiss them as belonging to IT nerds and the heavy demands of major corporations needing to keep track of vast amounts of data.
...Read More »
The Manfrotto FigRig By Mike Jones
Cinema technology delivers a constant air of innovation, of radical changes and re-invention. But this perception is largely a façade. While there may be ongoing evolution, the truth is that a camera today is still largely the same as a camera has always been, a tripod is a tripod, a dolly is a dolly, a microphone is a microphone. True examples of 'out of the box' thinking is remarkably rare. The Manfrotto FigRig may be just such a product.
...Read More »
Antics v3 By Mike Jones
A new category of software tool that derives from new genres of the moving image is a rare thing but this is exactly what we have seen in recent years with Machinima and real-time 3D. Whereas NLEs and DAWs are, despite their sophistication, really just digital replications of analog processes and digital animation tools are built off the same frame-by-frame concepts of traditional animation, the real-time 3D environment of Machinima and Pre-Vis is something quite unique.
...Read More »
Bluetooth headsets have become more and more popular throughout the years and now more and more cell phones have been able to take advantage of this technology. In this review we'll be looking at a brand new Bluetooth headset from iTech, the SolarVoice 908, one of the first solar charging headsets on the market.
Read More
Thank goodness you're a pack rat! You know, have to grab, keep everything that flies by...ok everything except that report or news item or YouTube yuck you saw last week and now desperately need. Can't find it it save your behind. And still you don't have enough storage...there are new worlds to conquer, new worlds to destroy or take home with you. Don't worry Flash will always be there for you Dale!!!!
Read More
On this Veteran's Day 2009, as we honor those who served and gave their lives for America, there are stories about man's best friend being told by those who fought alongside their "War Dogs of the Pacific." Most Americans have no idea that dogs were trained to sniff out the enemy during World War II, 549 to be exact fought with the U.S. Marines on Guam, Saipan, and other battlegrounds of the Pacific Theater.
Read More
Did you hear? Microsoft is releasing a new version of Windows - should you buy it? Windows 7 is here. In this article you will find out if Windows 7 is worth the wait and whether or not you should upgrade. Or is Windows 7 just another Vista?
Read More
@ Copyright, 2008 Digital Media Online, All Rights Reserved
Apple's Color 1.5
As everyone knows, the inclusion of FinalTouch (renamed Color by Apple) into Final Cut Studio 2 was shocking. A few months before Apple announced it, I looked at purchasing FinalTouch as a separate, stand alone application for a post facility I was working for.
...Read More »
First Look: Panasonic AG HMC150 AVCCAM camcorder
Back in 2005, my aunt asked me to videotape her wedding. Now I am not a professional videographer, but rather, over the years I've enjoyed shooting video with all types of cameras, be it via my digital camera, my Flip video camera, to a variety of miniDV cameras. So I agreed to tape her wedding.
...Read More »
G-Technology's G-Drive mini SSD 120GB
When I first reviewed an 8MB flash based USB thumb drive from M-Systems and IBM back in 2001, I was astounded at its durability. I dropped the device, went surf fishing with it and got it wet, and basically abused it until the plastic casing came off and all that was left was the memory module and the USB arm. It still works today, but at 8MB, it has since been replaced by several drives at varying capacities.
...Read More »
Cineform Neo4k for the Mac part 2
The second part of Cineform Neo4k and NeoHD is what's known as ReMaster; a software utility for batch-process transcoding of media files into the various Cineform formats. But along with batch-processing, ReMaster also provides a variety of functions that extend beyond just encoding into the Cineform wavelet codec. ReMaster has tools for resizing files on encode so it becomes a perfect tool for HD online intermediate workflows from 2k or 4k acquisition sources.
...Read More »
Cineform Neo4K for the Mac part 1
After an established history of developing lossless compression technology predominantly for the Windows platform - and particular Adobe's Premiere Pro NLE - Cineform has at last brought its lossless intermediate, high performance codec system to the Mac.
...Read More »
The solid-state missing link: Sony's XDCAMEX Browser 2.0
Once you've had the joys of solid state shooting and production, with formats such as P2 and XDCAMEX, its hard to imagine ever going back to tape. This is not to say that solid state doesn't come without its drawbacks: no shelfable master, re-wrapping processes, short record times are all tangible workflow concerns. But the advantages -- speed, efficiency, on-set clip review - for the most part outweigh the drawbacks.
...Read More »
Roxio Toast 10 Titanium
In what has become something of a Macworld tradition, Roxio once again used the annual gathering of Apple faithful as the backdrop for the unveiling of version 10 of its stalwart Toast Titanium media management product. As in past years, more features have been added and the upgrade price is still terrible, but this year there's a new wrinkle. Let's dive in to see what's changed this time around.
...Read More »
HP EliteBook 8730W
Hewlett Packard has been known for years for its solid workstations. The company has been an innovator when it comes to content creation machines, even supplying its own designed graphics adapters in the late 1990s to power its visual systems. When the company decides to enter the market, it does so with a lot of thought, offering systems that are unique from what is currently available from its competitors, yet still remaining price competitive. The company's latest mobile offering is such a system.
...Read More »
Why You Need Magic Bullet Looks
If you've been checking out the DMN website over the last couple of weeks, you would probably know that Mike Jones did a great series of articles on do-it-yourself color grading. Keeping on that idea, for me, there is only one plug-in (program) I use when I want to do any of my color grading work, and that's Magic Bullet's Looks. Looks is a powerful, fast and more importantly, simple plug-in to use. For this article, I'm going to give you four great reasons why you need to add this plug-in to your arsenal.
...Read More »
Sony PMW-EX1 Training DVD Reviews: VASST and Call Box
Two new excellent training DVDs from VASST and Call Box have come out covering all aspects of the amazing Sony PMW-EX1 professional XDCAM EX HD camera. Both are great, but each has a unique aspect to it.
...Read More »
Avid Media Composer 3.0
Nothing gets me more excited than sitting down in front of a new editing application, or one that has recently been updated. As I have said in previous articles, no one makes a better editing application than Avid, and it is back with its new line of post production products, and leading the way is Media Composer version 3.0. Why should everyone care about this? Keep reading, and you'll find out!
...Read More »
Lenovo D10 ThinkStation workstation
The Lenovo D10 is the big brother to the ThinkStation S10, and as such sports dual Intel XEON CPUs for a combined four processor cores, 12MB L2 cache and a 1333MHz front side bus. Housed in a tower configuration, the D10 system is wider than the S10, and can accommodate more internal drive space, with support for five 3.5-inch hard drives as opposed to three for the S10, two PCIe x4 slots, two PCI X slots, and a single PCI slot.
...Read More »
Apple's 2.8Ghz dual Intel Xeon Quad-Core Mac Pro
Apple's 2.8Ghz dual Intel Xeon Quad-Core (8-cores total!) Mac Pro is one of Apple's fastest computers yet. With the capability to run with 32GB RAM, an excellent graphics card (or two), and terabytes of storage, no job is too big for this beast to handle.
...Read More »
Get Hypoxic HYPEYE D PRO Remote Camcorder Indication and Control System
I received my HYPEYE D PRO controller and expansion in the mail today; I was overjoyed. I knew it would be a good product, as I already owned two HYPEYE MINI camera indicators.
...Read More »
Celtx 1.0 and the reshaping of creative software culture Part 2
Creating a highly competent and complex piece of software is not difficult; creating one that is highly competent and complex and yet is accessible and fluid to use is the challenge. And truly this is where Celtx shines. For all its relational database foundations, its depth of annotation and markup, and its diverse array of forms and features that are unrivalled by any other system of its kind on the market, Celtx is a software tool that delivers to the creative producer a very large degree of transparency.
...Read More »
Celtx 1.0 and the reshaping of creative software culture
The contemporary world of cinema and moving image media production is currently in a state of change that is unprecedented. And yet the presented indicators of the revolution, the much referenced point makers of these radical changes, are often mis-aligned. The introduction of DV was sported as a 'Revolution' but whist it did provide a platform of accessible quality and efficiency it was, in truth, just an obvious next incremental step from previous steps in image quality and accessibility.
...Read More »
Western Digital`s MyBook Studio II
It s funny how things work themselves out. As I have been shooting more and more in high definition I kept finding myself running out of storage space. I filled the MacPro with as much hard drive space as it would hold but that still wouldn t suffice the hunger my media had.
...Read More »
Filemaker's Bento Personal Database
Databases are one of those things most often shrouded in arcane technical mystery. For those who've yet to utilize a database in a personal or meaningful way, it s easy to dismiss them as belonging to IT nerds and the heavy demands of major corporations needing to keep track of vast amounts of data.
...Read More »
The Manfrotto FigRig
Cinema technology delivers a constant air of innovation, of radical changes and re-invention. But this perception is largely a façade. While there may be ongoing evolution, the truth is that a camera today is still largely the same as a camera has always been, a tripod is a tripod, a dolly is a dolly, a microphone is a microphone. True examples of 'out of the box' thinking is remarkably rare. The Manfrotto FigRig may be just such a product.
...Read More »
Antics v3
A new category of software tool that derives from new genres of the moving image is a rare thing but this is exactly what we have seen in recent years with Machinima and real-time 3D. Whereas NLEs and DAWs are, despite their sophistication, really just digital replications of analog processes and digital animation tools are built off the same frame-by-frame concepts of traditional animation, the real-time 3D environment of Machinima and Pre-Vis is something quite unique.
...Read More »
Vegas Pro 8 + Free Vegas Seminar Series
