Video News

reprinted from a KRK Systems press release:

May 15th, 2008 - Chatsworth, CA - KRK Systems, the world’s leading manufacturer of powered recording monitors, launched the second generation of their industry-standard Rokit monitor. The second generation Rokit incorporates several technologies from the company’s flagship VXT and E8B lines, including radically radiused edges along the front of the cabinet. The new Rokits replace the current Rokit 5”, 6” and 8” models.

Since 2004 Rokit monitors have provided thousands of musicians, songwriters, producers and remixers with a value-priced monitor that delivered meaningful mixes that translate to all listening environments. The new Rokit remains true to this legacy while providing a sleeker, more modern look that is as functional as it is beautiful. A key component to the new look is the molded front baffle. This design feature virtually eliminates diffraction distortion caused by standard flat baffles.

The Rokits leverage KRK’s research and development into baffle design and fabrication. The Rokit G2’s curved front baffle was engineered to minimize diffraction of high-frequencies, resulting in a sweet spot that is significantly larger than products with square or lightly rounded baffles. The baffle also houses a molded front-facing bass port that minimizes low-frequency phase distortion and unwanted frequency emphasis typical of rear-facing bass ports. The end result is a harmonious yet accurate blend of low and high-frequency components that result in a more accurate speaker. Additionally, the Rokit G2’s voicing has been slightly enhanced to provide even better mix clarity and precision.

“KRK has always been respected for engineering monitors that accurately reflect what is going on in the mix” said Tony Rodrigues, Vice-President of Marketing for KRK Systems. “Even in this day of ‘sweet’ sounding monitors that demo well in the store but fall down in a mixing environment, KRK has stayed true to its commitment of providing accurate, honest tools for home, project and professional studios,” added Rodrigues.

The new Rokit G2’s have a MAP price of $149, $199 and $249 for the 5, 6 and 8 inch versions, respectively. They are available now at leading music retailers around the world.

(CHICO, Calif. May 14, 2008) Video enthusiasts will refine their video production skills by attending a weekend of classes at the 2008 Videomaker Conference. The event will be held in Portland, Oregon from May 31st - June 1st, 2008.

For the weekend, videographers and video enthusiasts can choose from a Video Production Workshop, Presentations on Specialty Video Topics and even a new Sunday Conference offering that involves a full day of Hands-on Editing with Adobe Premiere Pro. Working with the editors and writers of Videomaker magazine, Videomaker Conferences provide you with the opportunity to meet the pros and explore all elements of video production. Whether you’re a beginning-to-intermediate videographer, an advanced user looking to brush up on your skills, or just someone who wants to gain a solid understanding of the basics of video production, attending this event is a must!

Videomaker Conference Weekend Details:
The Basics of Video Production - This 1-Day Course takes place on Saturday May 31st and will cover Camcorder Techniques, Choosing and Using the Right Microphone, Editing Techniques and Lighting Techniques in detail.

Specialty Topics - This 1-Day Course is the other Saturday May 31st option and will cover topics such as Wedding Videography, Creating Video for Online Sharing Sites, Tips for Shooting High Definition Formats, and Producing Videos for Schools.

Hands-On Lesson, Basic Editing - This is our 1-Day Hands-on Course only offered on Sunday after participating in 1 of our 2 Saturday Conference Courses. This is a full day of hands-on basic editing! If you’re new to video production, or just want to brush up your skills, you’ll benefit from this intensive lesson taught by one of Videomaker’s instructors. Techniques covered include editing theory, transitions, media management, audio track creation, and more. The class will follow the completion of a project from raw footage to polished final cut. Students each have their own computer running Adobe Premiere Pro, and the class size is limited to eight people.

Space is limited for these Videomaker Conferences so sign up today! Register online at www.events.videomaker.com/conferences If you have any questions, please contact Videomaker at 1-800-A-VID-CAM.
Since 1986, Videomaker Magazine has been the only national monthly publication that informs amateur, advancing and semi-professional consumers about products, techniques and trends in producing quality video.
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Reprinted from an iStockphoto press release:

Today, iStockphoto, the company that revolutionized the stock photography market by offering images online for prices as low as $1, announced it will add royalty-free audio tracks to its collection of downloadable stock content in September 2008. In so doing, iStockphoto will become the first company to offer stock imagery, video footage, vector illustrations, Flash files and audio for purchase under one payment model, on one convenient site.

iStockphoto is currently looking for composers, performers, musicians and audio technicians to submit music, spoken word/voice, instrumental, ambient and sound-effect audio track submissions. The iStock user community of more than three million members will be able to purchase audio tracks for one to 25 credits each depending on complexity and can be used in Web site production or to complement video footage and presentations. Every time an audio track is downloaded, 20–40 percent of the revenue will go to the contributing sound artist.

This business model, known as micropayment, was created by iStockphoto in 2001. It not only fueled the tremendous growth of the company, but has also proven itself to be a great way to provide supplementary and sometimes full-time income for contributing artists. In 2007, the company paid more than $20 million in royalties to its contributors.

“Our customers are looking for something that helps them effectively communicate ideas in new and exciting ways,” said Bruce Livingstone, founder and CEO of iStock. “By adding audio to the mix, we are now able to offer customers a complete palette of multimedia tools from which they can work.”

Becoming an iStock Sound Artist:
Sound artist applicants can review a tutorial and take a brief quiz at http://www.istockphoto.com/audio_1.0_intro.php. The artists will then be asked to submit three 5–30 second audio tracks for review and approval. Once accepted as artists, contributors may submit tracks that range from five seconds to four minutes in length. All tracks will be individually reviewed for quality and legality before being approved for sale. If you are a member of a performing rights organization, (e.g., SOCAN, ASCAP, BMI etc.) anywhere in the world, you are not eligible to submit audio content to iStockphoto, as this precludes the content from being royalty-free. Those who are members of a performing rights organization are welcome to submit to our sister site, Pump Audio, at http://www.pumpaudio.com.

Sound artists can choose to be exclusive immediately and will earn 20–­­­­­­­­40 percent on the sale of each track depending on the number of downloads they have achieved. For more information on the process or music and sound categories, please visit: http://www.istockphoto.com/audio.php

Track Size and Price Points

Avid Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVID) today announced the next-generation of its high-performance storage disk arrays – Avid® VideoRAID® ST and Avid VideoRAID SR solutions – which combine real-time performance, cost-effective SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) drive technology, and the security of fail-safe data protection in the event of a disk drive failure. Unlike other RAID solutions that may be unusable during a drive rebuild, Avid VideoRAID solutions help customers keep up with the fast pace of digital content creation by maintaining full performance and data protection, while rebuilding the drives in the background. Customers will also be able to take advantage of real-time playback of up to two streams of uncompressed HD on as few as eight Avid VideoRAID drives. Additionally, Avid is offering all new VideoRAID ST and SR customers a three year warranty on drive mechanisms and enclosures, providing advanced exchange of replacements parts at no additional cost.

“This is just another example of how Avid continues to drive high-quality products to market that offer great performance and value to our customers,” said Kirk Arnold, executive vice president and general manager of Avid Video. “By offering real-time parity with these new solutions, Avid is able to help eliminate the headaches and loss of valuable hours and money associated with downtime. This news, coupled with the new editing lineup we announced last month, is just another example of how Avid is continuing to innovate and deliver on its New Thinking.”

Available in a 5-drive tower (ST) or a 16-drive rack mount (SR) configuration, Avid VideoRAID ST/SR disk arrays support a wide range of Avid editing systems, including the recently announced Media Composer®, Symphony™ Nitris® and NewsCutter® family of products, as well as third-party applications, via an industry-standard SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) interconnect. The products provide the protection of parity through the use of RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) which can handle multiple streams of uncompressed SD and HD media with ease and offer a capacity ranging from 2.5TB to 16TB per editing system.

New Features of Avid VideoRAID ST/SR

Avid’s new VideoRAID ST/SR storage configurations offer a number of new features and benefits to customers, including:

Pricing and Availability

The new Avid VideoRAID solutions are expected to begin shipping in Q2 2008. Pricing begins at $4,795 USMSRP for 2.5TB configurations. For more information on Avid’s new VideoRAID offerings, please visit: www.avid.com/videoraidST.

reprinted from a Schneider press release:

Schneider Optics’ new HD Classic Soft filters were created in response to requests for a high-quality softening filter to complement the new high- resolution, smaller chip HD cameras. This new family of professional filtration tools is based on the company’s renowned Classic Soft filters for cine and broadcast cameras. HD Classic Softs deliver the same subtle, effective softening performance for shooting in the 1/4″, 1/3″, 1/2″ and 2/3″ HD formats.

Schneider HD Classic Soft filters are designed specifically for work with today’s leading HD digital cameras. Available in strengths of 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1, and 2, they produce the same rich In-Focus Diffusion as the standard Classic Soft series. Each features a carefully calculated amount of precisely positioned Micro-Lenslets. These provide a precisely controlled soft image that is overlaid on a sharp, in-focus image, creating In-Focus Diffusion. This effect blends small wrinkles and blemishes, while maintaining an overall sharp focus that conceals the fact that a softening filter has been used. In the normal range of exposure, HD Classic Softs impart only a closely confined, very subtle glow to highlights. If large amounts of overexposure exist in a scene — like a “blown” window - they produce a stylish glow that keeps the scene’s contrast under control, while adding a “romantic” look. What’s more, these new filters are designed to allow shooting in all digital HD formats, without fear of artifacts.

Like all Schneider professional filters, the new HD Classic Soft line is manufactured from crystal clear, water white optical glass that is diamond cut, precision ground and polished to the most exacting tolerances, to ensure absolute uniformity and consistency. Schneider HD Classic Soft filters are offered in 4×4, 4×5.65, 5×5, 5.65×5.65, and 6.6×6.6 sizes. For more information, contact: Schneider Optics, 7701 Haskell Avenue, Van Nuys, CA 91406, telephone (818) 766-3715

G-Technologies was busy this NAB introducing a new drive and updating a few others. The new G-RAID Pro drive is a triple interface (FW 800, FW 400, USB 2.0), RAID 0/5, 4-slot hot-swappable hard drive with up to 4TB of capacity. The G-RAID Pro will be available in June for $999 (MSRP).

The G-RAID mini 2 (pictured above) improves upon the previous model by offering both RAID 0 and RAID 1 configurations. Now, the choice of performance or data protection is yours. The G-RAID mini 2 also features an eSATA connection rounding off it’s impressive set of connectors. Capacities include 500GB, 640GB, and 1TB. The G-RAID mini 2 ships in June starting at $599 (MSRP).

Last, but certainly not least, the G-RAID 3 was given additional connections, boosting it to a quad interface (eSata, FW 800, FW 400, USB 2.0). The G-RAID 3 touts throughput performance of 120 MB/sec. Configurations include 1TB, 1.5TB, and 2TB. It’s also available in June, starting at $499 (MSRP).

Disc Makers blandished their sub-$500 disc duplicator at NAB this year. It’s the first automated disc duplicator in its class to reach such a low price point at $499. We witnessed the Forte at work while we got the run through on the specs, but we missed the chance to get some video. We’ll put some pics up real soon.

In the meantime, the Forte utilizes a unique design to minimize desk space (you don’t even need a computer to run it). It has a 160 GB hard drive to store disc images and is controlled by a simple button/LCD user interface. The Forte has a 25 disc input/output capacity and burns DVDs and CDs at 7 discs per hour and 14 discs per hour, respectively.

Other than it’s small size and simple operation, we were impressed with the Forte’s industrial strength robotic arm that will help insure more consistent performance.

The Disc Makers Forte is available now. For more information visit Disc Makers.

Lite Panels showed us a cool little wireless camcorder light that packs a powerful punch at this week’s NAB show.

The little Micro LED light runs on 4 standard AA batteries and weighs in at less than 4 ounces. It has a hotshoe adapter and is tilt-able and focus-able and holds about 1.5 hours of running time.

MSRP price is $349, and includes batteries, gels and diffusers along with filter holders. Watch for a review in Videomaker soon.

Videomaker was the first to hear about it at NAB: Boris, one of the first software effects companies, has a new released Version 5 of its popular effects plugin that works with Adobe After Effects CS3 and will be compatible as an FXPlug  for Apple Pro applications and Avid.

This new version will allow some cross-platform collaboration, allowing Final Cut editors to share their saved personal preset effects with Avid or Adobe editors.

Boris also announced Boris Blue 2.5, update to its 3D program that can now be applied directly within
Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects timelines.

Go to their website for more: http://www.borisfx.com/ 

SmartSound demonstrated some new features to it’s latest SonicFire Pro 4.5 customizable music library program at this year’s NAB show.

Designed with a video editor in mind, not a programmer, an engineer or a musician; the new search engine program was very intuitive, allowing the editor to search for several key words like themes, and then narrow the search down even more to fine-tune instrument type, music genre, music bed length, and “sting” points.

Once the bed is in the timeline, you can make easy keypoints to add stings, punches, or lower the audio level for a voice track, for instance, and you can adjust the key points to move along the track with ease.

Music addition used to be the bane of the one-man-band editor,  as most of us are video editors, not music composers. With the multi-level Mood Mapping and sensory search, the fun is back in editing. As our demo rep said, “It’s how editors edit”.

Some current users of SonicFire Pro can get a free upgrade, check SmartSound’s site for more details.

SonicFire Pro 4.5 will be available in June.