Video News

Reprinted from a JVC press release:

The growing use of several different DV tape formats creates a need for a studio video tape recorder (VTR) that can accept a wide range of cassettes. The current economy mandates that any upcoming VTR be affordable and suitable for both nonlinear editing (NLE) and studio recording applications. JVC PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS COMPANY answered these demands with the release of the BR-DV3000U.

JVC’s new BR-DV3000U supports all sizes of DV and DVCam tapes without an adapter, covering almost 90 percent of the digital recording market today. It also records and plays back both NTSC and PAL video standards, and the BR-DV3000U lists for $1,995.

The BR-DV3000U’s IEEE-1394 (”Firewire”) compatibility, RS-422A interface and optional RM-G30U wired remote provide industry standard control for use in NLE suites as a program feed and record deck. The longer recording capability and higher quality of the large DV cassettes allows the BR-DV3000U to archive several digital masters on one tape for economical storage. Using LA-DV276PRO cassettes, over 4.5 hours of recording time may be obtained.

The BR-DV3000U’s dual tension, multi-motor system provides precise cueing and reliable tape handling. Variable speed playback is included with a noiseless slow motion range of -1/3 to + 1/3 normal (useful in NLE systems that cannot produce jitter-free “slow-mos”). Search speeds range up to 100 times normal.

Studio recording is enhanced by the BR-DV3000U’s “automatic start” feature, which triggers the VTR to automatically begin recording five minutes prior to the tape runout of any compatible JVC camcorder or another BR-D3000U. Its native 12-volt DC power source (120V/240V AC adapter included) even allows the deck to be used for fieldwork or to be powered by an automobile battery. The deck is designed for horizontal or vertical mounting and a vertical stand is included.

Unlike prosumer (high-end consumer) VTRs, the BR-DV3000 features 48kHz audio that is locked with the video. LED level indicators are provided on the front panel.

The BR-DV3000 will appeal to widest variety of users, regardless of which brand or style of DV camcorder they own. Camera owners who have been exhausting their cameras as NLE source and record decks while they waited for an affordable solution now have what they have been waiting for,” said Juan Martinez, JVC’s National Products Marketing Manager.

The BR-DV3000U is now shipping.

Reprinted from a Roxio press release:

Roxio, Inc. (Nasdaq: ROXI), the Digital Media Company, provider of the best selling digital media software in the world, announced today that Dell Computer Corporation, has chosen Roxio’s new complete video editing and DVD burning software, VideoWave Movie Creator, as part of Dell’s Movie Studio Essential and Movie Studio Plus bundles on Dimension PCs and Inspiron Notebook computers. Roxio’s VideoWave Movie Creator lets users automatically capture home video, add music and themed templates to create an entertaining movie, and then burn it to DVD or Video CD that can be played back in most DVD players.

“Roxio is very pleased to broaden our relationship with Dell by providing consumers an easy and quick solution for creating DVDs and Video CDs of their home movies,” said Chris Gorog, President and CEO. “Roxio’s VideoWave Movie Creator was specifically designed for the consumer and eliminates the complexities and time required to create quality movies from home video.”

Roxio’s VideoWave Movie Creator is available and shipping now with Dell PCs and Notebooks, in time for the 2002 holiday season.

Reprinted from a Condre press release:

Condre, Inc., a leading manufacturer of storage and interchange systems for audio, video and data applications, released the DVD Tracer Plus R Series, a new line of DVD + R / RW Duplication and Publishing Systems, available for immediate shipment. Utilizing cutting- edge technology developed by the DVD + R / RW consortium, Condre is now offering single and multi drive tower duplication systems and automated desktop publishing configurations featuring Ricoh DVD + RW drives. Manufacturer’s Suggested List Prices start at $1099.00 for a single drive unit.

“We’re delighted to be one of the first 120 mm optical Duplication and Publishing System Manufacturers to release a DVD + RW offering. Clearly, the DVD + RW format provides endusers with another complementary and cost effective method of exchanging and storing a variety of datasets. Duplication and Publishing of DVD + RW discs will undoubtedly become a growing requirement as the format increases in popularity, and we’re positioned to support that incremental demand,” commented Chuck Alcon, Jr., General Manager of Condre, Inc. Jim Filkins, National VAR Channel Manager, added, “DVD + RW has unique editing and recording features that will expand the acceptance of CD and DVD technology in the SMB, Institutional and Prosumer markets. The DVD Tracer Plus R Series presents yet another lucrative opportunity for our VAR and Dealer Partners to support the evolving requirements of their Enduser customers.”

In addition to providing users with new DVD + RW capability, the DVD Tracer Plus R Series also features industrial style enclosures with multiple fans for maximum cooling. High performance power supplies result in 100% duty cycle performance. Condre systems are backed by a one year parts and labor warranty, and life long on-line Technical Support.

For additional information, pricing, and availability on the DVD Plus R Series and other Condre products, please contact Condre directly at 952-943-2863, or visit www.condre.com .

Reprinted from an OSTA press release:

The Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA) announced today the availability of the MultiPhoto/Video (MPV) 1.0 specification. The new royalty-free MPV enables a fast, easy-to-use, highly-interactive user experience for access and playback of multimedia collections of digital photos, videos, and music created in PCs and enjoyed in consumer electronics products.

MPV has been developed through OSTA’s open specification development process. Companies supporting the development of MPV include Alera Technologies, ACD Systems International, Inc., ArcSoft, Inc., Eastman Kodak Company, ESS Technology, Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, Imation Corporation, LSI Logic Corporation, MUSICMATCH, Inc., Oak Technology, Inc., Royal Philips Electronics, Pixel Magic Imaging, Inc., Planetweb, Inc., Plasmon, Inc., Rimage Corporation, Roxio Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Sonic Solutions, Inc., Ulead Systems, Inc., Verbatim Corporation, and Zoran Corporation.

“HP is pleased to support MPV because it moves the market one step closer to making digital imaging radically simple for consumers,” said Mary Peery, senior vice president, HP Digital Imaging Organization. “With the ability to store and access original high-resolution content for photos and videos along with the screen and thumbnail resolution content that accelerates viewing on consumer electronics devices, MPV enables consumers to share and print memorable moments easily, which furthers HP’s goal of delivering capture-to-share and -print simplicity for the consumer.”

MPV solves real problems that consumers face today when creating CDs or DVDs on their personal computer. Today’s solutions for playing PC-created discs in a DVD player, car stereo, or other consumer electronics device can provide a slow, hard to navigate, and unusable consumer experience. MPV solves these problems by creating a table of contents that describes the organization of the content on the disc, including photos, music, video, still photos with audio, panoramas, and text. As digital cameras add more features and users create thousands of digital files, MPV provides a fast access method and a consistent, intuitive user playback experience.

Another problem consumers face today is getting all of the different file associations to playback in the way the creator of the collection intended. MPV maintains the relationships as the user creates new albums and custom playlists. MPV works on top of any file system or operating system by adding an XML metadata file that is recognized by the playback device.

“There is a clear requirement to represent collections of compressed multimedia content on CD and DVD in a standardized manner” said Eggert Gudmundsson, Business Development Manager of Philips Optical Storage North America. “MPV meets this requirement with a clear and technically solid specification to enable a much improved user experience.”

MPV includes support for the following file types: JPEG, MP3, Windows Media Audio, Windows Media Video, MPEG 1, 2 and 4, plus popular digital camera formats AVI and QuickTime MJPEG video. MPV is compatible with CDs and DVDs, memory cards, hard disks, and the internet.

“MPV makes it easy to move digital media content across platforms,” said Vito Salvaggio, Roxio’s Vice President of Product Management. “Our goal is to continue to make it easier for consumers to take advantage of growing digital media capabilities, from the PC to the living room. We are committed to supporting MPV throughout our leading CD and DVD burning and imaging products.”

MPV-enabled discs will also be available through retail and professional outlets. Dave Suden, CTO of Rimage Corporation stated, “Rimage will offer solutions that allow MPV compliant discs to be created in high volumes by retail, wholesale and professional photofinishers. MPV further solidifies CDs and DVDs as part of the ongoing and future landscape of digital photography. We recognize that MPV is an important technology and we are very excited to support it in our systems.”

MPV will continue to evolve through OSTA’s open standards development process. MPV will make it easy to create long-lasting CD and DVD archives of personal digital content for playback in a home entertainment center and personal computer, or support printing of original high-resolution images at home, in retail kiosks, and on-line photo print services.

The MPV 1.0 Specification is available today on the OSTA website (www.OSTA.org/mpv). OSTA does not charge a license or royalty fee for access to and use the MPV specification.

For software developers, a multiplatform open source SDK is available today that includes a MPV reader and writer for consumer electronics devices and software applications, a Microsoft Windows-based player applet and sample data sets. A compliance test suite and logo program will be available by the end of the year.

“OSTA’s MultiRead committee has a long history of creating widely adopted compatibility specifications for CD and DVD discs and devices,” said Felix Nemirovsky, Chairman, OSTA MultiRead Committee and General Manager, Optical Media Software Group, Oak Technology. “MPV provides a better consumer experience with collections of digital photos, video and music.”

from COMDEX reports

Famous for its MPEG-2 encoding technology, MainConcept announces the imminent release of MainActor 5.0, now available as a public Beta. With a slick and highly customizable user interface and extensive keyboard shortcuts, MainActor is looking to take on the big boys in the video editing market. Besides standard features like video capture, storyboard and timeline editing, multitrack compositing and dozens of effects and filter, MainActor has an innovative keyframe animation controller and, of course, great encoding.

from COMDEX reports

In addition to output back to DV tape, AVI and VCD MPEG-1 formats, muvee autoProducer DVD Edition now lets users save finished productions to DVD-ready MPEG-2 files. MPEG-2 files can then dragged to any DVD-authoring program to be authored onto DVD-/+R or DVD-/+RW media. DVD Edition also supports SVCD-ready MPEG-2 formats, allowing users to print their muvee productions onto low-cost CD-R/RW media that is compatible with many consumer DVD players. muvee Founder, Pete Kellock said, “muvee has redefined the video landscape, radically simplifying the creation process and unlocking casual video production for everyone. With the introduction of muvee autoProducer DVD Edition, we have taken yet another step towards streamlining the whole process further by bringing together all the pieces to provide a seamless end-to-end path from capture to high-quality delivery in the DVD format.”

from COMDEX reports

Intervideo has announced the immediate availability of WinDVD Creator Plus this week at COMDEX in Las Vegas, touting it as “fast and easy-to-use” DVD and VCD creation software for consumers who want to create their own DVD movies.

“InterVideo’s WinDVD Creator Plus is a fast and easy way to make your own DVDs,” said Steve Ro, CEO and founder of InterVideo. “WinDVD Creator Plus adds unique features like UniPass, Direct Recording and OnDiscEditing to its capturing, editing, authoring and burning capabilities and the result is an easy-to-use product for novices and experts alike.”

Direct Record allows users to transfer video from camcorder to disc without editing. UniPass[TM} is InterVideo’s patent-pending technology that integrates DVD creation and editing together, so that multiple rendering passes are not needed and simple editing fixes do not take hours to re-render. OnDiscEditing lets users delete, append or record over titles on an already-burned DVD without writing, rendering and re-writing the entire disc.

InterVideo also introduced WinDVD Recorder, PC software that enables users to play DVDs and to record video from analog camcorders, DV cameras or TV straight to CD or DVD.

from COMDEX reports

TDK announced a new Indi DVD Multi-format Burner at COMDEX this week. The Multi-format Indi DVD burner is targeted at home videographers who would like to create professional-looking home movies on DVD. Indi DVD allows users to put up to two hours of DVD-quality video on a single 4.7GB DVD disc, or up to four hours of better-than-VHS quality footage. The Indi DVD package includes a software bundle from Pinnacle Systems, including Studio 8 SE for video editing and DVD authoring.
The Indi DVD AID+0402 12N writes to the following formats at these speeds: DVD+R (4x), DVD+RW (2.4x), DVD-R (2x), DVD-RW (2x), CD-R (16x), CD-RW (10x); and reads at the following speeds: DVD (12x), CD (40x), CD Audio Rip (32x). The DVD Multi-format model will be available in January 2003. Price TBA.

from COMDEX reports

Today at COMDEX, Serious Magic announced two new versions of its Visual Communicator software which enables users to share professional-looking video presentations. The versions, Visual Communicator Deluxe and Visual Communicator Pro, will be available in December.

While the original Visual Communicator was designed for sharing video presentations via email, Web sites, company networks and PowerPoint, Visual Communicator Pro adds an expansion pack that adds the ability to record and output videos in DV resolution for output to tape or playback on a TV.

Mark Randall, Serious Magic’s president and CEO said, ” Visual Communicator’s new creation process has enabled people with no video experience to create professional-looking video presentations in 20 minutes for business, school or personal use. The new Pro version brings this new process to new markets, such as traditional video producers, in-house video departments and even broadcasters who need to output their videos in high resolution on DVD and videotape. At the same time, it packs plenty of new features that will save users even more time and achieve even more professional results.”

Visual Communicator Pro will be avaialable for $349 on www.seriousmagic.com in December. Video Communicator Deluxe, for sharing video presentations via email, Web sites, company networks and PowerPoint, will be available for $199.

by D. Eric Franks

Vinpower, an early innovator in the disc duplication market, has announced a format-agnostic disc duplicator based on the Sony DRU500A burner. Supporting DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW and CD-R/RW formats, this duplicator can copy from any format to any format. Units are available in a number of sizes, for example from a single source disc to a three Sony destination drives. Although slightly more expensive than Pioneer DVD-R solutions (also available from Vinpower), you can avoid the DVD format war altogether with this first-of-its-kind solution.