News posts from 2006 Q4

[Gary Bettan]

Boris FX 9

Boris FX gives you every tool you will ever need for your video projects. If you can imagine it, you can accomplish it - fast and easy - using Boris FX. Boris FX includes realistic lighting, advanced keying and color correction, compositing, DVE, and support for third-party After Effects filters. Need an effect completed quickly? FX offers a Library Browser with hundreds of high-quality presets for easy application in over 20 NLEs. Sophisticated vector paint and spline tools allow you to create animatable masks. More than 115 video filters include motion tracking and image stabilization as well as self-animating natural effects that easily interact with timeline video.

Graffiti 5

Create titles and graphics directly inside your NLE without importing and exporting. Easily create sophisticated title animation including type on text, text on a path, jitter and randomization. Create 3D text with bump maps and reflections. An expansive Style Palette and the Boris Library Browser provide easy access to hundreds of preset effects and styles. Boris Graffiti 5 delivers a slick new user environment, EPS file import, extrusion, and animation capabilities, and over 30 new filters. Adding Graffiti to your existing NLE system puts the industry's most innovative and user-friendly titling tools at your fingertips.

Super Bundle! Save Over $150!
Combine the leading FX & 3D Titling Software with this Bundle and get a free ShuttleXpress!

Boris FX 9 & Graffiti 5 with free ShuttleXpress Win/Mac - $499.95


Attention Boris FX & Graffiti Owners: Upgrade Now and Save!

Many NLEs have included Boris FX LTD or Grafitti LTD as part of their 3rd party included software over the years. If you own Sony Vegas, Avid Xpress DV & Pro, or one of the older Adobe hardware bundles from Canopus, Pinnacle, Matrox and others then you most likely qualify for this great offer! All you need to own is any version of Boris FX or Grafitti, including the bundled LTD versions!!!

Boris FX 9 Upgrade & Graffiti 5 Upgrade with free ShuttleXpress
Win/Mac - $299.95

For more info http://www.videoguys.com/borisfx.htm

Gary

[Gabriel Yeager]

I am sad to hear this. You can read the whole article here.

~Gabriel

[Paulo Teixeira]

Here is a fair review about the Pioneer player.
http://www.guidetohometheater.com/hd...1206piobdphd1/

Both the Sony and the Pioneer needs a future firmware upgrade to handle all sound signals but what separates these 2 players from the rest is the ability to output 1080 24p. Not bad at all.

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Originally Posted by Paulo Teixeira

Here is a fair review about the Pioneer player.
http://www.guidetohometheater.com/hd...1206piobdphd1/

Both the Sony and the Pioneer needs a future firmware upgrade to handle all sound signals but what separates these 2 players from the rest is the ability to output 1080 24p. Not bad at all.

The Samsung BDP1000 outputs 1080p24 with the revised firmware that also fixes the image processing glitch. However, I've heard that the glitch still isn't completely fixed, nor does the internal processing properly work at 24p so we get a 24p source that is pulled-up to 30fps for output and then uses 2:3 drop-frame to get back to 24p. ...I haven't seen it for myself, but I've read that on two separate forums from more than a couple owners. ...But we all know that the Samsung player is a turd anyway and can't even match the output (in most cases) of the crappy playback on the PS3. OTOH, the PS3's software player is still buggy and likes to occasionally stutter, lose audio sync, or even lock up. Coolness. ;-)

[Ben Gurvich]

www.fatfreefilm.com

I suggested to the guys at Fat Free Film that they should try and get Scott Billups on due to his Vast knowledge in HD, DP'ing and general indie friendly attitude.

They mention me in the opener!

Pretty interesting discussion on HD and studio backlash.


Cheers,
Ben Gurvich

[Chris Li]

Thanks for sharing. Billups is da bomb. I thought the hostess was a little ditzy at the end, but she's an Actress.

[Ben Gurvich]

She's actually a Director too.
Produced/Directed an indie feature, and had a script optioned by Hollywood.

[James Bridges]

Early Bird deadline is only 5 days away. Take advantage of our low entry fees before December 25th.

The Southern Winds Film Festival looks to be BIG in 2007! Make your mark at this wonderful event for
independent cinema. We want to showcase your film! Remember, animation and music videos are welcome.

Here is the lay out for the Early Bird deadline:

Native American
Promoting film produced by Native Americans and/or about Native Americans past or present. $15.00 ANY LENGTH early deadline.

Narrative Feature
Anything over 60 minutes in length. $30.00 early deadline.

Documentary Feature
Documentary of any genre over 60 minutes in length. $30.00 early deadline.

Narrative Short
Short films are under 60 minutes in length. $20.00 early deadline.

Documentary Short
Documentary Shorts are under 60 minutes in length. $20.00 early deadline.

Student Feature
Student produced features must provide documented proof of enrollment at the time of production and be longer than 45 minutes in length. $20.00 early deadline.

Student Short
Student produced shorts must provide documented proof of enrollment at the time of production and be no longer than 45 minutes in length. $15.00 early deadline.

Okie Home Grown Feature
As an Okie Home Grown Feature the project in it's entirety will have been made right here in Oklahoma. The running time is anything over 60 minutes. Documentary Features made in Oklahoma will be in this category as well. $25.00 early deadline.

Okie Home Grown Short
As an Okie Home Grown Short the project in it's entirety will have been made right here in Oklahoma. The running time is anything under 60 minutes. Documentary Shorts made in Oklahoma will be in this category as well. $15.00 early deadline.

Visit us on the web at:

www.southernwindsfilmfestival.com

www.withoutabox.com/login/5232

Thanks!

[Paulo Teixeira]

At least that’s the name I’m calling it. Actual name is "AV-centric PS3"

http://www.a.engadgethd.com/2006/12/...v-centric-ps3/

"be a standard AV component sized box with a more powerful, power supply unit, anti-shake insulator, twice the main memory, and 2x HDMI to split sound and video output."

[Jason Strongfield]

so, you have to be shot and mugged twice for this one then huh ?

[Evan C. King]

They need two product lines!

PS3

and

PSX..2!

[Paulo Teixeira]

I know a lot of you will find it hard to comprehend the reasons for Sony releasing a PS3 of this magnitude but I see a lot of potential. For one thing there are Windows Media PC boxes that cost a lot more than 2500 dollars and Sony have not officially announced the price for this machine yet so it no point saying that’s its going to be expensive when its expected to have a Blu-Ray burner and maybe over 500 gigs of storage. Besides, the Pioneer Elite stand alone Blu-Ray player is 1500 dollars and that’s without a burner and a hard drive and it will still sell very well.

Nearly a year ago Sony mentioned that the PS3 can be used as a Non Linear Editing machine, so I expect that this machine is probably what Sony was talking about and I wouldn’t be surprised if Sony would offer a version of Vegas for this. Recently Sony announced that the original built of the PS3 was able to do two H.264 streams at 40MBPS each at the same time. Since they claim the retail version is more powerful, I suspect you are able to easily edit the 50MBPS AVC-Intra codec of Panasonic’s new cameras. Even without Vegas, I expect the machine to easily allow you to hook up an AVCHD or HDV camcorder to this and burn directly to a Blu-Ray discs or the hard drive.

The fact that you have a full media center, with the ability to play PS3 games and Blu-Ray movies and the potential to easily put your AVCHD or HDV videos onto a Blu-Ray disc makes this a very attractive system to get. Just please keep in mind that this unit is obviously aimed at high-end video enthusiasts.

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Originally Posted by Paulo Teixeira

I know a lot of you will find it hard to comprehend the reasons for Sony releasing a PS3 of this magnitude but I see a lot of potential. For one thing there are Windows Media PC boxes that cost a lot more than 2500 dollars and Sony have not officially announced the price for this machine yet so it no point saying that’s its going to be expensive when its expected to have a Blu-Ray burner and maybe over 500 gigs of storage. Besides, the Pioneer Elite stand alone Blu-Ray player is 1500 dollars and that’s without a burner and a hard drive and it will still sell very well.

Yep... If Sony releases such a thing -- a media center computer / BluRay player that can also play PS3 games, that could be a winner. If it has 500GB or even 1+TB of internal storage with a few options (gigabit ethernet, FW, etc..) for connecting external storage and allows ingesting of BD and DVD discs so they can be played off of hard drive. I'm definitely interested... BluRay and HD-DVD both support "Managed Copy" DRM to allow this.

As long as Sony offers it at a reasonable price and actually does something beyond the regular PS3 and/or what can be accomplished with a cheap Windows MC PC, then they'll do OK.

[Paulo Teixeira]

Here is the watch.impress.co article.
http://babelfish.altavista.com/babel...Fmobile360.htm

[Yi Fong Yu]

unfortunately, sony isn't a software-centric company. it's just not their core-compentency (they outsource or buy-in programmers through acquisitions, like sonic foundry). while the hardware looks great, without good software to back them up, they're up a creek without a paddle.

that's why XB is going to kick some major ass. MS's core compentency is software. that's why their 'hardware' business is very successful, because it's the drivers/software that builds a platform, not hardware spex.