Good news from our friends at SmartSound, looks like Hollywood is jumping on the Sonicfire Pro train, and scoring some recent features using their software, including the recent Ben Stiller hit Tropic Thunder. Of course independent video producers have known for years about SmartSound and the the cool mood-mapping features of it’s audio software. Now the pro’s have taken notice….

From A SmartSound Press Release:

Hit Films Tropic Thunder, The Bucket List Feature SmartSound Music

Music Quality and Creative Control Make SmartSound the Superior Library Choice for Feature Film Music Editors

NORTHRIDGE, CA ‘ August 27, 2008 ‘ SmartSound Software, Inc. is proud to announce the inclusion of seven SmartSound music tracks in the current DreamWorks’ hit ‘Tropic Thunder,’ starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black & Robert Downey, Jr., currently the #1 film in the nation.  SmartSound’s thousands of music tracks, coupled with its industry-leading scoring software, Sonicfire Pro 4.5, enables music editors to quickly and professionally customize music for films while achieving the artistic vision of the director.

Sonicfire Pro’s intuitive process is revolutionizing the production music library industry. No other music library offers the creative control and flexibility to automatically adjust the length, mix, mood, arrangement and timing of a prerecorded music track.  ‘I’ve worked with a lot of music libraries for films and SmartSound is unique because it gives us the ability to adjust the music to fit the scene with great detail and precision, using high quality, well-produced music,’ said Scott Stambler, a professional music editor and composer.

These unique customization features give editors and directors a dynamic new way to use library music.  The innovations in the SmartSound solution bring a level of creativity that has never been offered by another production music company. For example, SmartSound’s Mood Mapping technology, available exclusively in SmartSound’s Sonicfire Pro software, can be used to easily assign custom mixes and moods to the music as the scene progresses.  The result is a custom-fit score completed quickly and professionally.  In editing music for ‘The Bucket List,’ Stambler included three songs from the SmartSound music library.  ‘The ultimate compliment was when Rob Reiner told me on the dub stage that one of the SmartSound cues worked better than the pricey source cue we had in the temp.  Ultimately, SmartSound saved ‘The Bucket List’ thousands in licensing fees.’

‘We’re seeing a lot more film editors embrace the SmartSound solution,’ said Brian Dickman, vice president of Sales & Marketing for SmartSound Software, Inc.  ‘Our outstanding music quality, coupled with our innovative customization features for editors and filmmakers, has resulted in new creative options that redefine the role library music can play in a film.’

Stambler notes ‘I’ve seen SmartSound ads in the trade magazines, but I hadn’t researched it until a client asked about it.  Experiencing the SmartSound solution firsthand will do more for a professional editor than any recommendation or advertisement could do.’

SmartSound has a library of over 170 music discs with 3 to 4 new discs added every month.  Sample the music and learn more about Sonicfire Pro’s unique features at www.smartsound.com or call (800) 454-1900 to request a free on-site or online demonstration.

About SmartSound Software, Inc.

SmartSound Software, Inc. is the world-leading developer and marketer of the SmartSound’ family of music and scoring technology for visual content creators. The company has been at the forefront of technological innovations in the industry, such as the award-winning Mood Mapping’ feature introduced in SmartSound Sonicfire’ Pro 4. SmartSound technology is available for Windows XP/Vista and Macintosh OSX 10.4 or higher, including PowerPCs and Intel Macs. SmartSound products include: the Sonicfire Pro and Quicktracks’ for Adobe Premiere’ Pro and Premiere’ Elements software and the Strata’, Backstage, Film Score, Producer, Edge, Audio Palette, Sound Palette, and Movie Music collections of music and sound effects. The company is headquartered in Northridge, CA, and can be reached by phone at 818-920-9122, by fax at 818-920-9152 or on the Web at www.smartsound.com.

Reprinted from a Roxio press release:

Roxio®, a division of Sonic Solutions® (NASDAQ: SNIC), the leader in digital media software, today launched Roxio Creator™ 2009, the latest version of the company’s market-leading suite of photo, video, and music authoring, burning, and online sharing applications. Creator 2009 introduces a range of pioneering audio features, integration of family-friendly online services, and advanced support for High Definition (HD) video. Creator 2009 also offers a streamlined workflow that enables consumers to complete a broad range of media creation, editing, sharing, and management projects more efficiently. Taking the guesswork out of evolving technologies and complicated formats and enabling users to take full advantage of all of Creator’s capabilities, Creator 2009 offers direct links to informative tutorials and how-to articles that provide guidance and creative inspiration. Roxio Creator 2009 is available today at www.roxio.com for $99.99 and will be introduced early next month in retail stores worldwide.

“Whether it’s the desire to edit hours of footage from a special family event, create a personalized photo slideshow of exotic travels or compose a perfect music playlist, consumers just want a straightforward solution that enables them to quickly and effortlessly create, preserve and enjoy their personal media content,” said Vito Salvaggio, vice president of consumer products, Roxio division of Sonic Solutions. “We listened to our customers and with Creator 2009 delivered a suite that is not only powerful, but also easy enough for family members of all skill levels to achieve great results.”

Roxio Creator 2009 introduces a variety of new features and enhancements to help both families and digital multimedia enthusiasts organize their digital world and express themselves through engaging movies, powerful multimedia stories and creative projects.
Roxio Creator 2009 Highlights:
Online and Mobile Sharing

Users will appreciate the direct access to Roxio Online, a new digital storytelling platform that enables families to turn their photos and videos into engaging slideshows that can be shared and enjoyed on PCs, DVDs, TVs, a range of handheld devices, and popular social networking sites. For added convenience, Roxio Online can be accessed from within Creator 2009’s product launcher and is available from within applications such as VideoWave®, CineMagic® or Media Manager. The Roxio Online service is available through a free subscription. Consumers can unlock additional creation and sharing capabilities by upgrading to Roxio Online’s premium service.
Ease-of-Use

The redesigned Creator 2009 product launcher provides quick access to all the tasks and creation tools available within Creator. Whether it’s editing video, creating a photo slideshow or burning an audio CD, Creator’s friendly and interactive design makes it easy to quickly accomplish a given task. Also easily accessible are a variety of helpful how-to articles and video-tutorials designed to guide consumers through the creative process.

Beyond the dozens of new workflow enhancements that make projects easier to complete, Creator 2009 also features SyncIt!™, a new desktop applet that automatically converts digital files to preferred formats for viewing on mobile devices, smart encoding technology for the quick authoring of HD video, and enhanced multi-core processor support for the latest CPUs.
Life in High Definition

Families and others can now create stunning HD projects using footage from AVCHD camcorders and favorite HD programming from TiVo® and other DVRs and burn it in HD, using DVD burners, onto standard DVDs for playback on a Playstation® 3 and other Blu-ray Disc players. This technology provides consumers with an affordable alternative to enjoy up to 60 minutes of video in HD. For even more impressive results, consumers may choose from a variety of new high definition menu themes and easily add them to their final productions. Enabled by a High-Def/Blu-ray Disc Plug-in, consumers can burn HD video to Blu-ray Disc, and enjoy more than three hours of HD movies on their HDTV using any Blu-ray Disc set-top player.
Superior Audio and Music

Headlining the new audio capabilities of Roxio Creator 2009 is Audiobook Creator™, an innovative technology that converts an entire audiobook into a single file with preserved chapter markers, making it easy for on-the-go readers to enjoy their favorite book on iPod®, iPhone® or other portable players like the Creative Zen®. Until now, users were only able to convert audiobook CDs into dozens of individual chapter files, making it difficult and often frustrating to manage on a portable device. Creator’s already impressive audio capabilities are enhanced by the new Beatmatching™ feature which enables users to create music compilations of perfectly synchronized cross fades for great sounding party mixes that are ideal for special occasions and gatherings.

In support of the launch of Creator 2009, Roxio is extending MyMoments™, its educational portal that offers consumers a wealth of digital media resources including how-to videos, informative tutorials and blogs. Included in the latest additions is Extreme Digital Makeover™, a web-based video series dedicated to helping users make the most of their digital lives. To view the series or to learn how you could become a makeover candidate visit: http://www.roxio.com/go/digitalmakeover.
Pricing and Availability

Roxio Creator 2009 will be available in retail stores worldwide this month and is available today directly from Roxio at www.roxio.com for $99.99. The High-Def/Blu-ray Disc plug-in will be sold as a downloadable component from roxio.com for $29.99. Roxio will offer the High-Def/Blu-ray Disc plug-in for free for customers who purchase from roxio.com through September 30, 2008.

For enthusiasts who want even more capabilities and control, Roxio is releasing Roxio Creator 2009 Ultimate for $129. The Ultimate version includes everything available in Creator 2009 and, in addition, includes the High-Def/Blu-ray Disc plug-in and a comprehensive set of audio and backup tools, which would cost over $300 if purchased separately.*

Reprinted from an Adobe press release:

Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 7 software with new Photoshop.com membership, a milestone release of the No. 1 selling consumer photo-editing software*. Available for Windows®, Photoshop Elements 7 makes it quick and easy to organize, edit, create and share amazing photos with others by leveraging the editing power of Photoshop software, the professional standard for image editing. For the first time, Photoshop Elements 7 customers will have the option to sign-up for one year of membership on Photoshop.com, extending the capabilities of the software by providing helpful templates and creative tutorials delivered on a regular basis. Other benefits include: automatic online backup and storage of photos and videos, access to photos and videos from virtually anywhere, and interactive options to share memories with great impact.

In addition, Adobe today announced Adobe Premiere® Elements 7 software, a complete video-editing solution (see separate press release). Available separately or together in a single retail bundle package, Adobe Photoshop Elements & Adobe Premiere Elements bundle give photo and video enthusiasts everything they need for a complete digital imaging experience.

“With Photoshop Elements our ultimate goal is to give people the ability to tell personal and high-impact stories with their photos,” said Doug Mack, vice president and general manager of Consumer and Hosted Solutions at Adobe. “We strike a balance between editing punch and ease, so a user doesn’t have to be a pro to produce impressive results. The new Photoshop.com membership takes Photoshop Elements to the next level - extending beyond the desktop - by giving our customers access to their photos and videos from virtually anywhere, providing secure backup, delivering inspiration to fuel creativity and enabling users to keep the photos and creations they share fresh and exciting.”
Create Picture-perfect Photos with Powerful yet Intuitive Editing Tricks

Photoshop Elements makes it easy to tell amazing stories through memorable photos. The new Scene Cleaner, based on Adobe’s innovative Photomerge® technology, creates the ideal photo by letting users simply brush away unwanted subjects, such as tourists in a vacation shot who may be impacting the main subject of the photo. The new Smart Brush helps users apply incredible effects to a specific area of a photo with a single stroke, making it a snap to improve lighting and add rich textures with access to more than fifty sophisticated effects. Common editing tasks, such as whitening teeth or brightening blue skies, are a breeze to fix with the one-step Quick Fix tools. Surfaces can be softened while retaining edges and details crisp with a new filter ideal for portrait shots. Also, a new selection of Online Albums, based on Adobe Flash® technology, offers users a richer interactive experience.
New Membership on Photoshop.com Inspires Users and Keeps Them Connected

Users can push their creativity even further with Photoshop.com membership, offered in two levels, Basic1 and Plus2. For those who want fresh, creative project ideas delivered straight to the desktop, the option to purchase an annual Photoshop.com Plus membership guarantees inspiration will come on a regular basis in the form of new tutorials, seasonal artwork, themed templates and more. In addition, Photoshop.com Plus membership provides 20GB of storage - enough for 15,000 photos, four hours of DVD-quality videos or a combination of both. Online back-up keeps memories safe from computer failure or natural disaster, with access from anywhere, via a personal account linked to the software. Photoshop.com Basic membership can be experienced for free, providing 5GB of storage, access to photos and videos virtually anywhere and online photo sharing in a fun interactive environment.

Photoshop.com members also will be able to upload photos directly from a mobile phone. The addition of Photoshop.com Mobile beta, a rich Adobe Flash® based mobile application, offers camera phone users the easiest way to upload, share and access photos using their Photoshop.com account. Photoshop.com Mobile runs in the background and allows consumers to take photos, send messages and run other applications while pictures are being uploaded to their Photoshop.com account. To learn more about Photoshop.com Mobile and for a list of supported phones, visit mobile.photoshop.com

More information about Photoshop.com membership can be found at:
www.adobe.com/products/photoshopelwin/membership/ .
Pricing and Availability

Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 and Adobe Premiere Elements 7 for Windows will be available in local retail outlets such as Best Buy, Circuit City, Costco (Photoshop Elements 7 only), Office Depot, Office Max and Staples in October 2008. Consumers can pre-order the products at www.adobe.com , www.amazon.com , www.bestbuy.com and www.costco.com . The products will be available separately for US$99.99. Photoshop Elements 7 & Premiere Elements 7 bundle also will be available for US$149.99.

Photoshop.com Plus membership will be available for purchase from within the products for US$49.99 and Basic membership can be experienced for free. Information about other language versions, as well as pricing, upgrade and support policies for other countries is available at www.adobe.com/go/photoshopelements . Photoshop.com membership is available in the U.S. only.

*Source: The NPD Group / Retail Tracking Service (April 2002 to April 2008) based on units sold (North America).

1. Photoshop.com Basic membership does not require the purchase of any Adobe product, including Photoshop Elements 7 and Premiere Elements 7.

2. With Photoshop.com Plus membership, annual membership terms apply.

Over at ArsTechnica, there’s a great writeup on the FCC’s proposed ban on wireless microphones that operate between the 698-806MHz frequencies.

The FCC recently auctioned this space off due to the end of terrestrial analog broadcast in February of 2009, and the telecom companies that bought this spectrum, don’t want wireless mics interfering with their new frequencies.

“In July, a consortium of public interest groups warned the FCC that unlicensed wireless mic use in the area poses a threat that will become more pronounced after the DTV deadline. The Public Interest Spectrum Coalition’s (PISC) petition estimates that between 500,000 to 1 million unauthorized wireless mic systems operate in the 700MHz channels, “creating pools of potential interference that could undermine the reliability of these new public safety and commercial wireless systems.”

Most manufacturers stopped selling mics in this range last year, but if you have an older wireless system it’s possible that your wireless mic could soon be illegal to use in the United States, if it falls within those frequency ranges.

The complaint specifically targets these manufacturers:

Complaint of Public Interest Spectrum Coalition (PISC) Against Shure, Inc., Nady Systems, Inc., VocoPro, Audio2000, Sennheiser Electronic Corporation, Audix Microphones, Electro Voice, Hisonic International, Inc., Pyle Audio, et al.

Check out the the full article at Ars.

The 2008 Videomaker/Canon Short Video Contest is underway! The first entries are beginning to arrive and are being captured into our system. We can’t wait to see your entries, so don’t delay!

Over the course of this contest, we will be testing out TMPGEnc 4.0 Xpress to conform all of the entries to a standard format for judging. The first look at this encoding software shows that it can import pretty much any file format that you can throw at it, and the resulting video output is very clean. It can’t directly handle ripped VOB files from a DVD, though, but it’s easy enough to import DVDs directly into the program for further processing. The program also makes cut-editing very easy to perform, the encoding is as quick as we could hope for on the system we’re running it on, and the batch encoding features work as advertised. It’s a very strong contender as far as encoding software goes.

Panasonic has given Videomaker the scoop on the HMC-150, and we thought it would be selfish to keep it to ourselves. So we’re going to be doing a live review of the first HMC-150 in the USA on Tuesday August 19th, at 11am pacific / 2pm eastern.

We’re taking it out for a test drive this week, and will report our impressions live at http://www.videomaker.com/live.

There will be footage from the HMC-150 to download, and the chat room will be active, so if you have a question about the HMC-150’s functions or features,  join the live show and we’ll try to answer it for you right there.

P.S. If you can’t make the live show, the review will be looping on our channel afterwords at: videomaker.com/live

Get notifications/reminders for Videomaker live events