News posts from 2002

[Jay Gladwell]

Once more greed rears its ugly head!

[Dylan Couper]

Just you guys wait 'till I get a patent on FIRE. Then you'll see greed...
MuahahaHAHAHAA!!! ;)

[Peter Lock]

I just passed (Made) Wind, do i have a patent on Air.

[Martin Munthe]

There was a bit of controversy a few years back between ILM and the folks at Electric Image. EI was p***ed off at ILM for not giving them the proper credit. Most of the big exterior shots in Episode I was made on Macs using EI. In fact; the whole "look" of Episode I is typical for the EI rendering engine. For Episode II Maya on Macs where used for producing cinematics and previz stuff. EI is known for its lightning fast rendering engine. Knoll Lens Flare was originally written for Photoshop and EI.

[Jeff Donald]

Panasonic sent me this today. I thought a few might enjoy the specs. etc.

Jeff



PANASONIC ANNOUNCES PRICING, AVAILABILITY FOR REVOLUTIONARY AG-DVX100
MINI-DV CAMCORDER

World's First and Only 24p DV Camera Delivering in October

Panasonic has announced availability and pricing for its breakthrough
AG-DVX100, a unique Mini-DV 3-CCD camcorder with exclusive CineSwitch(tm)
technology that supports 480i/60 (NTSC), cinema-style 480p/24fps and
480p/30fps image capture. The AG-DVX100 will be available on October 10th at
a suggested list price of $3,795.

"The AG-DVX100 DV Cinema(tm) camcorder completely re-defines the Mini-DV
camera, because it leaps ahead of the competition. This camcorder offers
entirely new features and price performance levels," said Stuart English,
Vice President, Marketing, Panasonic Broadcast. "The AG-DVX100 is carefully
engineered to give today's shooters what they desire: a single camcorder
that captures in 60i to acquire standard video projects and in 24p to add
the 'look and feel' of film to their productions."

To acquire stunning digital pictures, the AG-DVX100 is equipped with
newly-developed 1/3" progressive-scan 410,000-pixel 3-CCD imagers to deliver
more than 500 lines of horizontal resolution (a 25% picture quality
improvement over analog VHS), low smear and flare, a low light performance
of 3 lux (at +18dB) and a high sensitivity of f11 at 2000 lux. The native
progressive CCDs eliminate interlace artifacts including horizontal jaggies
and motion-edge tearing.

The well-balanced, ergonomically-designed camcorder features a precision
wide-angle zoom lens (4.5mm to 45mm with a 56-degree viewing angle) and a
host of manual controls to make subtle picture adjustments. The wide angle
lens allows a shooter to be "one step closer" to the action without the
added expense, weight, distortion and inconvenience of an add-on adapter.
Manual controls include Servo/Manual Zoom (with stops and barrel markings),
Auto/Manual Focus (at f 1.6) with 72mm filter size, and Auto/Manual iris.

The ultra-compact 4.2-pound camcorder can capture pictures in the
conventional 4:3 aspect ratio and 16:9 aspect ratio letterbox modes. Its
advanced optical image stabilization delivers superb picture quality and
minimizes jitter, so hand-held shots and video taken from moving vehicles
appear smooth and steady.

Versatile CineSwitch Function Permits Three Recording Modes

With its unique CineSwitch selectable operation, the camcorder operates in
480i/60 (NTSC), 480p/30fps and 480p/24fps capture modes to serve the widest
range of applications. In 480i/60 mode, the AG-DVX100 is ideal for covering
local broadcasts, cable news, weddings, local or government events, school
sports and industrial video productions.

In 480/30p mode, maximum vertical resolution is produced for multimedia
production, internet streaming and DVD production and for document or
evidence gathering in legal and law enforcement applications.

In 480/24p mode, the AG-DVX100 permits shooters to incorporate cinema-like
images for documentaries, music videos, television programming, and
independent filmmaking. The camcorder is also an excellent teaching tool for
film and drama schools.

The camcorder's true progressive scanning CCDs, 24-frame-per-second capture
and cine-like gamma contrast control permit it to produce cinema-looking
images. Its CineGamma function extends the camera's dynamic range to create
pictures with the characteristics of film.

"Until now, a shooter had to obtain the PAL version of a high-end DV
camcorder in order to get close to 24fps -- the speed at which film cameras
operate," said English. "These shooters experienced the inconvenience of not
being able to view video on normal NTSC recorders and monitors. Beyond that,
a shooter's artistic freedom was stymied by the 4% audio pitch change
between PAL and NTSC and the frustration of missing the critical timing of
their edits. The AG-DVX100 grants them their wish of true 24-frame capture
at an unmatched price."

Outstanding Professional Audio, Easy PC Editing and Easy-to-Use Functions

In addition to high-level video performance, the AG-DVX100 offers
professional 16-bit/48kHz digital audio with two-channel, built-in XLR
inputs; phantom power supply (48V); manual audio volume controls (ch1/ch2
independent), and Line/Mic switchability.

The camcorder's IEEE-1394 in/out digital interface makes it easy to download
and upload video to PC-based nonlinear editing systems.

Shooting with the AG-DVX100 is a breeze from overhead or from low angles
with its two, easy-to-view displays - a large, centrally-located pivoting
electronic viewfinder for left or right eye use, and a flip-out, 270-degree,
3.5" LCD panel. Superimposed audio metering is available on both the panel
and viewfinder.

The AG-DVX100 offers a comprehensive list of standard performance features
including six scene files and two user-assignable functions; S-Video, video
and stereo audio inputs and outputs; pre-cleaning heads and auto head
cleaning to maximize reliability; and interval (time lapse) recording with
adjustable record duration and interval time to capture events like flowers'
blooming or sunsets. Its lightweight and compact size make it ideal for use
on dollies, cranes and jibs.

The camcorder's standard accessories include 1.6Ah battery, AC
adapter/charger, microphone holder, remote control, shoulder strap, lens
cap, cleaning tape and instruction manual.

----------------------------------------

To learn more about the AG-DVX100, please visit:
http://www.panasonic.com/dvcinema

----------------------------------------

Feel free to forward this Newsletter to friends and colleagues.

[Greg Matty]

<<<-- Originally posted by Jeff Donald : Panasonic sent me this today. I thought a few might enjoy the specs. etc.

Jeff



PANASONIC ANNOUNCES PRICING, AVAILABILITY FOR REVOLUTIONARY AG-DVX100
MINI-DV CAMCORDER

World's First and Only 24p DV Camera Delivering in October

Panasonic has announced availability and pricing for its breakthrough
AG-DVX100, a unique Mini-DV 3-CCD camcorder with exclusive CineSwitch(tm)
technology that supports 480i/60 (NTSC), cinema-style 480p/24fps and
480p/30fps image capture. The AG-DVX100 will be available on October 10th at
a suggested list price of $3,795.

"The AG-DVX100 DV Cinema(tm) camcorder completely re-defines the Mini-DV
camera, because it leaps ahead of the competition. This camcorder offers
entirely new features and price performance levels," said Stuart English,
Vice President, Marketing, Panasonic Broadcast. "The AG-DVX100 is carefully
engineered to give today's shooters what they desire: a single camcorder
that captures in 60i to acquire standard video projects and in 24p to add
the 'look and feel' of film to their productions."

To acquire stunning digital pictures, the AG-DVX100 is equipped with
newly-developed 1/3" progressive-scan 410,000-pixel 3-CCD imagers to deliver
more than 500 lines of horizontal resolution (a 25% picture quality
improvement over analog VHS),

----------------------------------------

Feel free to forward this Newsletter to friends and colleagues. -->>>

I would think this camera should have a much better improvement than just 25% over VHS? I must be interpreting their statement incorrectly as a GL2, XL-1s and this camera are probably 100% improvements. Isn't VHS limited to something like 240 lines of resolution?

I can't wait to see how this camera compares to the competition. BTW, any idea how large the camera is physically? It looks like it might be inbetween the XL-1s and GL2?

Greg Matty

[Rob Lohman]

Sony is making a new DVD burner which should come out in
October (external model will come later) for around 350 US
dollars (internal model). The amazing thing (if it works as they
claim it does) is that it burns the following:

DVD-R/-RW ... DVD+R/+RW ... CD-R/-RW

Very nice. So whichever DVD standard will prevail in the end
you'll have a burner that supports it (and with that it isn't
a very expensive burner)!

The specs (keep in mind that 1x DVD = 9x CD (more or less). Thus
1x DVD is around 1.321 MB/s):

writing:
DVD+R: 2.4x, DVD+RW: 2.4x
DVD-R: 4x, DVD-RW: 2x
CD-R: 24x, CD-RW: 10x

reading:
DVD-ROM: 8x
CD-ROM: 24x

The drives comes with an 8MB buffer and a form of burn-proof
which should protect against burn failures if your harddisks can't
keep up (keep in mind that 4x DVD = 5 MB/s).

You even get a very heafty software bundle to top it off. I haven't
found any reviews on the net yet, but if I do I'll add links to them
here. If it gets good reviews I'm certainly gonna buy one.

source:
http://www.sonystyle.com/home/item.jsp?hierc=9683x9714x9715&catid=9715&itemid=50044&type=o

[Keith Loh]

Thanks for the heads up. I've been looking for a standard-inclusive solution recently. I shoot way too much video and I'm a file pack rat.

[Steve McDonald]

Can someone bring me up to speed about what
I'm describing here? I can't remember the name of a new CCD type that was announced last year, but maybe someone can provide it.
Basically, it allows for the 3 separate segments of the color spectrum, red, green and blue, to be acquired in 3 layers of the same CCD. The lower frequency red would penetrate to the deepest sensing layer, the mid-frequency green to a layer above that and the higher-frequency blue would be picked up by the surface layer. This would make the dichroic prism system in current 3-CCD cameras unnecessary.

We've been talking about improved CCDs on another forum here and this technology seems like it would be a possible way to advance video performance at a lower cost. Supposedly, one company was going to sell a digital still camera this year, using this type of CCD, but I've heard no more about it. If someone has some knowledge about this, I'm sure it would be interesting to most of us.

[Rob Lohman]

Same here... I wanted to get me one, but I couldn't decide
on one. Now that this is coming along it might be the perfect
fit. I have to wait on some reviews first though.

[Jeff Donald]

Ah, Foveon X3 technology. It was big news about a year ago. However, only Sigma (yes, they make cameras too) has signed on to use the technology. Why? I don't believe it's the technology. Papers I've read and images I've seen (images are among the best) really support the technology. My understanding is the costs involved are too high. If your interested have a look here http://www.foveon.com/X3_tech.html The pictures I've seen substantiate what's on the web site.

Jeff

[Rob Lohman]

There are actually two breakthroughs. One is the multi layer
CCD you are talking about and the other is a 22 mega pixel
CCD chip, this chip will allow normal 35mm lenses to be used
(with their DoF characteristics and such)...

The multilayer CCD chip is called Foveon X3 and information
can be found here: http://www.foveon.com/X3_tech.html
Image comparison: http://www.foveon.com/X3_comparison.html
There already is a photo camera out that uses the chip:
http://www.nikkeibp.asiabiztech.com/wcs/leaf?CID=onair/asabt/news/176832

More information on that 22 mega pixel chip can be found here:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0209/02090601sinar22mp.asp

I hope this is the information you are looking for. If not it sure
is interesting stuff anyways...

Enjoy.

(edit: Jeff and I posted this around the same time... heh)

[Gary Bettan]

DVD-R/RW Computer Drives and DVD Recorders Require Firmware Update for New High Speed Discs

LONG BEACH – As the DVD Forum releases the specifications for new high-speed discs for DVD recording, Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. announces that many of its DVD-R/RW computer drives and DVD recorders will require a firmware update in order to avoid potential damage to the units and discs.

The update process is free and relatively simple, and it is extremely important for owners of these products to make sure it is completed prior to using any new high-speed discs for recording. The DVD Forum has established new standards for high-speed recordable discs (4X for DVD-R and 2X for DVD-RW). Various media manufacturers have begun production of these discs that will soon be available in the marketplace.

The source of the problem is a firmware “bug” in certain Pioneer DVD-R/RW recorders and drives, and not with the high-speed media itself. As a result, use of the new high-speed discs for recording on these particular Pioneer products may cause damage to both the loaded disc and to the drive/recorder. The following drives and recorders may be affected:

Pioneer DVR-7000 DVD recorder
Pioneer PRV-9000 Professional DVD recorder
Pioneer DVR-A03 computer drive
Pioneer DVR-103 computer drive
Pioneer DVR-A04 computer drive
Pioneer DVR-104 computer drive

In addition to the above models, certain OEM computer systems containing Pioneer-manufactured DVD-R/RW drives are affected. Anyone who owns or uses any of the above-listed products should conduct the free firmware update immediately, prior to using the new high-speed media. Go to http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/hs/pioneer.html to download the new firmware.

Gary
Videoguys.com

[Chris Hurd]

As an A03 owner, I really appreciate this info. Thanks, Gary.

[Ken Tanaka]

Gary,
Thanks very much for sharing this with us!

To onlookers, Apple's "SuperDrive" is actually an OEM version of a Pioneer DVR-A03 so you should also take heed to Gary's notice.