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High Definition Video for Independent Filmmakers
A How To Guide for Digital Filmmakers
Welcome all! This is my blog to share my latest research,
thoughts, etc. on utilizing HD for independent filmmaking.
YES, I am available for consulting
Contact me at mike@hdforindies.com
All content copyright 2004-2007 Mike Curtis.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Macworld: News: Twentieth Century Fox to release Blu-Ray movies
Macworld: News: Twentieth Century Fox to release Blu-Ray movies
No big surprise since they're on the board of Blu-Ray, but still...
No big surprise since they're on the board of Blu-Ray, but still...
Apple's Soundtrack Pro reviewed by Frank Moldstad
Apple's Soundtrack Pro
Generally very positive review of Soundtrack Pro, with it's easy integration with Final Cut Pro.
Generally very positive review of Soundtrack Pro, with it's easy integration with Final Cut Pro.
Retailers publish their Wish List for Next Gen High Definition DVDs
Retailers publish their Wish List for Next Gen High Definition DVDs
Retailers are so concerned with this HD DVD vs Blu-Ray brouhaha that they have published a wish list of what they want in next gen formats.
It's an interesting read on the retailers' perspective.
On the one hand, they want everything clearly labelled and differentiated from standard DVDs, in packaging of similar dimensions, in a scratch/stain resisistant disc, that is the same size as a CD or DVD. Image quality should equal or exceed high def cable/sattelite image quality.
On the other, they want robust copy protection, sturdy discs to to bypass the loophole of "I needed a backup in case it's damaged", and have upgradable security - things not necessarily in consumers' best interests.
-mike
Retailers are so concerned with this HD DVD vs Blu-Ray brouhaha that they have published a wish list of what they want in next gen formats.
It's an interesting read on the retailers' perspective.
On the one hand, they want everything clearly labelled and differentiated from standard DVDs, in packaging of similar dimensions, in a scratch/stain resisistant disc, that is the same size as a CD or DVD. Image quality should equal or exceed high def cable/sattelite image quality.
On the other, they want robust copy protection, sturdy discs to to bypass the loophole of "I needed a backup in case it's damaged", and have upgradable security - things not necessarily in consumers' best interests.
-mike
AMUG Addonics Disk Array 4SA 4 Bay SATA Enclosure Review
AMUG Addonics Disk Array 4SA 4 Bay SATA Enclosure Review
An interesting option - a 4 bay hotswap enclosure for $119, plus $60 for two external power supplies.
It cools well, but is fairly loud.
Ugly but cheap.
Starving indie valid if set as far from your ears as possible.
-mike
An interesting option - a 4 bay hotswap enclosure for $119, plus $60 for two external power supplies.
It cools well, but is fairly loud.
Ugly but cheap.
Starving indie valid if set as far from your ears as possible.
-mike
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Microsoft responds to the OPM controversy - Engadget - www.engadget.com
Microsoft responds to the OPM controversy - Engadget - www.engadget.com
This is why MS is going to allow DRM so severe it won't play content unless your MONITOR is a "secure device."
MS responds.
This is why MS is going to allow DRM so severe it won't play content unless your MONITOR is a "secure device."
MS responds.
Cinema Minima: Personal Digital Cinema. News service for movie makers � Conference on computer-based filmmaking Los Angeles 2005 August 3
Conference on computer-based filmmaking Los Angeles 2005 August 3
IN LA August 3rd? This could be fun.
-mike
IN LA August 3rd? This could be fun.
-mike
"The Microphone Book"
"The Microphone Book"
need to know more about sound? I certainly do, so I'm thinking about ordering this book...I'm a PICTURE post guy, not a sound guy...
need to know more about sound? I certainly do, so I'm thinking about ordering this book...I'm a PICTURE post guy, not a sound guy...
Creative Cow tutorial on de-interlacing
Tidbit - Decouple Your Speakers
Decouple Your Speakers
Want better sound? Decouple your speakers. What's that mean? Read this.
And if you're using the cheapies that came with your computer, hang your head in shame and start over.
-mike
Want better sound? Decouple your speakers. What's that mean? Read this.
And if you're using the cheapies that came with your computer, hang your head in shame and start over.
-mike
List of film laboratories
Cinema Minima: Personal Digital Cinema. News service for movie makers � List of film laboratories
A handy resource to keep around if you're still shooting on film...I'm very interested, BTW, if somebody's planning on shooting 16 or 35mm and interested in a Digital Intermediate process, I have some interesting thoughts on the matter...
-mike
A handy resource to keep around if you're still shooting on film...I'm very interested, BTW, if somebody's planning on shooting 16 or 35mm and interested in a Digital Intermediate process, I have some interesting thoughts on the matter...
-mike
Looking to buy Logic & a Mac? Save $500 doing so. Here's how...
Apple - Recording deal.:
When you buy Logic Pro 7 with a PowerBook, Power Mac, or Xservebetween July 25, 2005, and October 25, 2005, you%u2019ll save $500* %u2014 and get the jam-packed music toolkit the pros use to compose, arrange, produce, and record. Because every musician deserves a big break.
Sounds like a decent deal - buy a G5, Powerbook G4, or an XServe and Logic as well and save $500. Sweet! This is Apple taking advantage of their vertical integration - they make the hardware and the software, so it makes it a good deal.
-mike
When you buy Logic Pro 7 with a PowerBook, Power Mac, or Xservebetween July 25, 2005, and October 25, 2005, you%u2019ll save $500* %u2014 and get the jam-packed music toolkit the pros use to compose, arrange, produce, and record. Because every musician deserves a big break.
Sounds like a decent deal - buy a G5, Powerbook G4, or an XServe and Logic as well and save $500. Sweet! This is Apple taking advantage of their vertical integration - they make the hardware and the software, so it makes it a good deal.
-mike
Mastering Clips & Media in Final Cut Pro
Mastering Clips & Media in Final Cut Pro
Haven't played with this yet, but have requested a review copy, sounds interesting.
For all of the funky workflow stuff I've suggested in the past dealing with the media manager and transcoding options, this sounds like a handy thing to have to learn all the ins and outs of dedaling with clips.
-mike
Haven't played with this yet, but have requested a review copy, sounds interesting.
For all of the funky workflow stuff I've suggested in the past dealing with the media manager and transcoding options, this sounds like a handy thing to have to learn all the ins and outs of dedaling with clips.
-mike
Sony executive advocates new digital rights approach
informitv - Interactive TV - News - Sony executive advocates new digital rights approach
...but challenges remain:
The Sony Executive also suggested that the industry might need to rethink its policy of maintaining phased release windows for different forms of distribution. "I made a proposal to senior management saying that we need to move to all media release at the same time as theatrical, and I was almost thrown out of the building," he remarked.
Link/article found via CinemaMinima.com
...but challenges remain:
The Sony Executive also suggested that the industry might need to rethink its policy of maintaining phased release windows for different forms of distribution. "I made a proposal to senior management saying that we need to move to all media release at the same time as theatrical, and I was almost thrown out of the building," he remarked.
Link/article found via CinemaMinima.com
Sony demonstrates world's first commercially available 4K projector
Sony demonstrates world%u2019s first commercially available 4K projector
4K projector that matches the DCI 4K spec (4096x2160, so it's square pixels). If fed HD or 2K imagery, it upsamples it to 4K.
4K projector that matches the DCI 4K spec (4096x2160, so it's square pixels). If fed HD or 2K imagery, it upsamples it to 4K.
Wired News: Hollywood Plots End of Film Reels
Wired News: Hollywood Plots End of Film Reels
This is a nice summary article of the issues involved in the release of the DCI spec, which I've written about extensively in the past.
The DCI (Digital Cinema Initiative) specifications define how digital movies will be formatted. The exact nature of the projector and the server and the distribution model is left somewhat open and flexible, but the system is designed to be extremely secure - to the point that if someone videos the screen in the theater with a camcorder, it'll be possible to determine from unique watermarks which theater (and possibly what day and time) that recording was made in the theater.
Digital rights management, watermarking, content encryption, key management, and bread-crumb trails are all part of the equation - last I heard, the spec called for the movie to be decrypted on the fly during playback, so that there was never, ever, ever a decrypted copy sitting around on a hard drive.
The movie industry is deadly serious about controlling and securing their content. Dolby talked at NAB about their playback server being so secure, the unencrypted content never passed over a PCI bus - it existed only on a card deep in the guts of the system, where no probe could reach it.
There's also the risk of "dark screens" - movies might have problems and not play. Anecdotally, I've heard that when screening Star Wars films digitally, there would usually be some hangup or problem that delayed or caused problems showing the movie. But traditional film prints shown at the same time never had a problem. And that was before all of this keycheck, central server login, secure folderol.
Cory Doctorow in the article was quoted as saying:
Doctorow believes that provisions in the document that detail logging, checking and revoking the right to exhibit could mean that network problems at digital cinema facilities could impair exhibitors' ability to show movies for which they've bought rights.
"A theater's ability to screen a movie could become dependent on the reliability of their internet connection at the moment they plan to screen it," said Doctorow. "A widespread flash-worm attack that brings down or slows large chunks of the internet, or a targeted attack on the license server, could theoretically darken every movie screen in America -- or the world."
There would have to be ample financial guarantees on the part of the studios that if there were a snafu that prevented a screening, the theater owners would get some kind of financial compensation - dark screen insurance, perhaps?
Anyway, read this article, it's a good overview with some commentary about the viability of the system.
-mike
This is a nice summary article of the issues involved in the release of the DCI spec, which I've written about extensively in the past.
The DCI (Digital Cinema Initiative) specifications define how digital movies will be formatted. The exact nature of the projector and the server and the distribution model is left somewhat open and flexible, but the system is designed to be extremely secure - to the point that if someone videos the screen in the theater with a camcorder, it'll be possible to determine from unique watermarks which theater (and possibly what day and time) that recording was made in the theater.
Digital rights management, watermarking, content encryption, key management, and bread-crumb trails are all part of the equation - last I heard, the spec called for the movie to be decrypted on the fly during playback, so that there was never, ever, ever a decrypted copy sitting around on a hard drive.
The movie industry is deadly serious about controlling and securing their content. Dolby talked at NAB about their playback server being so secure, the unencrypted content never passed over a PCI bus - it existed only on a card deep in the guts of the system, where no probe could reach it.
There's also the risk of "dark screens" - movies might have problems and not play. Anecdotally, I've heard that when screening Star Wars films digitally, there would usually be some hangup or problem that delayed or caused problems showing the movie. But traditional film prints shown at the same time never had a problem. And that was before all of this keycheck, central server login, secure folderol.
Cory Doctorow in the article was quoted as saying:
Doctorow believes that provisions in the document that detail logging, checking and revoking the right to exhibit could mean that network problems at digital cinema facilities could impair exhibitors' ability to show movies for which they've bought rights.
"A theater's ability to screen a movie could become dependent on the reliability of their internet connection at the moment they plan to screen it," said Doctorow. "A widespread flash-worm attack that brings down or slows large chunks of the internet, or a targeted attack on the license server, could theoretically darken every movie screen in America -- or the world."
There would have to be ample financial guarantees on the part of the studios that if there were a snafu that prevented a screening, the theater owners would get some kind of financial compensation - dark screen insurance, perhaps?
Anyway, read this article, it's a good overview with some commentary about the viability of the system.
-mike
Studios Agree on Digital Cinema Specs - but who pays for the switch?
Studios Agree on Digital Cinema Specs - Yahoo! News
More coverage. This article doesn't mention the proposed plan to have a financing entity set up.
-mike
More coverage. This article doesn't mention the proposed plan to have a financing entity set up.
-mike
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Hollywood's Death Spiral - The secret numbers tell the story. By Edward Jay Epstein
Hollywood's Death Spiral - The secret numbers tell the story. By Edward Jay Epstein
Another great article by Epstein - this guy rocks.
Thinking about making a movie? Read this first to understand what your true market is.
Extremely informative is this chart here which purportedly spills the beans on Hollywood's income in the first quarter between last year and this.
VHS sales plummetted - from over $400m to under $90m.
The most interesting statistic to me was the fact that income from DVDs was nearly FOUR TIMES GREATER than that from theatrical releases.
Even income from movies shown on over the air (free) TV was about 2 1/2 times greater than theatrical income.
His prior point about theatrical releases are merely an advertising campaign and proof-of-market for the later DVD & TV markets is clearly shown here.
Where this really gets interesting, however, is where this leads - as the window (the gap between theatrical release and DVD release) gets tighter and shorter - studios first wanted summer movies available for Christmas, and then Thanksgiving movies available for Christmas - some percentage of the audience will decide to wait for the DVD rather than seeing it theatrically. Where does this lead? As he states in the article:
After Hong Kong collapsed its video window in 2002, there was a 70 percent reduction in theater attendance. And, as a top studio executive pointed out after studying the problem, "A 6% reduction in attendance in 2000-2001 led to half the movie theaters in the world going bankrupt." How will Hollywood get out of the death spiral? "That is the $64 billion dollar question," he replied. (Stay tuned for the answer next week.)
Interesting times, indeed.
Keep in mind, there's no fundamental need for movie theaters to exist. Think about horse stables and buggy whip manufacturers. I'm not at all advocating the death of movie theaters - I LOVE going out to a movie and sitting in the dark and watching a 50 foot screen - but that doesn't mean it'll last forever.
There's also a nice analysis/synopsis available here
-mike
Another great article by Epstein - this guy rocks.
Thinking about making a movie? Read this first to understand what your true market is.
Extremely informative is this chart here which purportedly spills the beans on Hollywood's income in the first quarter between last year and this.
VHS sales plummetted - from over $400m to under $90m.
The most interesting statistic to me was the fact that income from DVDs was nearly FOUR TIMES GREATER than that from theatrical releases.
Even income from movies shown on over the air (free) TV was about 2 1/2 times greater than theatrical income.
His prior point about theatrical releases are merely an advertising campaign and proof-of-market for the later DVD & TV markets is clearly shown here.
Where this really gets interesting, however, is where this leads - as the window (the gap between theatrical release and DVD release) gets tighter and shorter - studios first wanted summer movies available for Christmas, and then Thanksgiving movies available for Christmas - some percentage of the audience will decide to wait for the DVD rather than seeing it theatrically. Where does this lead? As he states in the article:
After Hong Kong collapsed its video window in 2002, there was a 70 percent reduction in theater attendance. And, as a top studio executive pointed out after studying the problem, "A 6% reduction in attendance in 2000-2001 led to half the movie theaters in the world going bankrupt." How will Hollywood get out of the death spiral? "That is the $64 billion dollar question," he replied. (Stay tuned for the answer next week.)
Interesting times, indeed.
Keep in mind, there's no fundamental need for movie theaters to exist. Think about horse stables and buggy whip manufacturers. I'm not at all advocating the death of movie theaters - I LOVE going out to a movie and sitting in the dark and watching a 50 foot screen - but that doesn't mean it'll last forever.
There's also a nice analysis/synopsis available here
-mike
Scanners film/video festival in NYC - video or film? Does it matter?
From Sex to Politics, All Captured on Video - New York Times
When one of the most successful movie directors in history hijacks a medium for world box office domination, as Mr. Lucas did by using high-definition digital video in his 'Star Wars' franchise, it renders the old celluloid-versus-video debate moot. Arguably, it also renders events like the New York Video Festival, which has been renamed Scanners and opens today at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center, moot. Does it matter? Not really.
To me, this is more proof that video (in any form) is a valid choice for film - excuse me - moviemakers these days. Best choice? Not always. Only choice? No. But often valid.
-mike
When one of the most successful movie directors in history hijacks a medium for world box office domination, as Mr. Lucas did by using high-definition digital video in his 'Star Wars' franchise, it renders the old celluloid-versus-video debate moot. Arguably, it also renders events like the New York Video Festival, which has been renamed Scanners and opens today at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center, moot. Does it matter? Not really.
To me, this is more proof that video (in any form) is a valid choice for film - excuse me - moviemakers these days. Best choice? Not always. Only choice? No. But often valid.
-mike
MacNN | RealViz launches SMART-enabled suite at Siggraph
MacNN | RealViz launches SMART-enabled suite at Siggraph
This is really here just for the benefit of the high end post/VFX folks out there - tracking software is software that can extract, from video footage, the motion of the camera or an object so that effects can be applied to the shot.
Good tracking software is essential to selling the believability of the shot - if the track is bad, the effects being put in will wobble or drift, blowing the illusion.
-mike
This is really here just for the benefit of the high end post/VFX folks out there - tracking software is software that can extract, from video footage, the motion of the camera or an object so that effects can be applied to the shot.
Good tracking software is essential to selling the believability of the shot - if the track is bad, the effects being put in will wobble or drift, blowing the illusion.
-mike
Studios' DCI Specification to be released today
Film studios reportedly agree on digital standards | CNET News.com
OK, you folks remember when I wrote about the DCI (Digital Cinema Initiative) Specifications ad nauseum last year? Looks like they are FINALLY getting close to announcing the finalized results.
I haven't covered or heard peep about it in months, but it looks like today they'll announce the finalized DCI spec.
At this year's NAB, they were close to a finalized spec but still had work to do on encryption stuff. And man, are they ever serious about encryption.
For those who haven't been reading about all this:
-the Digital Cinema Initiative is a group formed by the seven major movie studios
-the goal of the group was to come up with a set of specifications that would allow for a consistent, secure, guaranteed, high quality digital projection of the movie that would play on any DCI compliant projector
-the specification was built to have room to grow, to hopefully be a good/useful/valid standard for decades
-the only potential week point that I've seen is in the compression - it had to be based on current compression technology and current computing horsepower, which will obviously change in a few years
-the specification called for both 2K (2048x1080) and 4K (4096x2160) resolutions. Note that these are square pixel resolutions, different from the anamorphic 2K & 4K used for film scanning today (2048X1556 for 2K and twice that for 4K)
-the movies will be compressed using the JPEG2000 specification
-the movies will be in the CIE XYZ color space, which is larger than the human eye can comprehend. With a bigger color space than human eyes can see, I think that's a safe bet that it'll work for some time
-the specification allows for 48 fps which will allow for stereoscopic 3D
-the data rates are pretty darn high, I can't remember off the top of my head
-there will be a standardized package format, packing list, etc., so files can be loaded and will know how to play themselves, trailers included
-it was specifically designed so that if assets are changed, deleted, altered, whatever, the thing won't play (prevents uninvited editing, as happened with Titanic when Winslet's breast was edited out by many Mormon theaters)
-anyway, I'll post more about it as it comes out
OK, you folks remember when I wrote about the DCI (Digital Cinema Initiative) Specifications ad nauseum last year? Looks like they are FINALLY getting close to announcing the finalized results.
I haven't covered or heard peep about it in months, but it looks like today they'll announce the finalized DCI spec.
At this year's NAB, they were close to a finalized spec but still had work to do on encryption stuff. And man, are they ever serious about encryption.
For those who haven't been reading about all this:
-the Digital Cinema Initiative is a group formed by the seven major movie studios
-the goal of the group was to come up with a set of specifications that would allow for a consistent, secure, guaranteed, high quality digital projection of the movie that would play on any DCI compliant projector
-the specification was built to have room to grow, to hopefully be a good/useful/valid standard for decades
-the only potential week point that I've seen is in the compression - it had to be based on current compression technology and current computing horsepower, which will obviously change in a few years
-the specification called for both 2K (2048x1080) and 4K (4096x2160) resolutions. Note that these are square pixel resolutions, different from the anamorphic 2K & 4K used for film scanning today (2048X1556 for 2K and twice that for 4K)
-the movies will be compressed using the JPEG2000 specification
-the movies will be in the CIE XYZ color space, which is larger than the human eye can comprehend. With a bigger color space than human eyes can see, I think that's a safe bet that it'll work for some time
-the specification allows for 48 fps which will allow for stereoscopic 3D
-the data rates are pretty darn high, I can't remember off the top of my head
-there will be a standardized package format, packing list, etc., so files can be loaded and will know how to play themselves, trailers included
-it was specifically designed so that if assets are changed, deleted, altered, whatever, the thing won't play (prevents uninvited editing, as happened with Titanic when Winslet's breast was edited out by many Mormon theaters)
-anyway, I'll post more about it as it comes out
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
G-TECH G-RAID Adds 1TB model-UPDATED
UPDATED-SEE BOTTOM
G-TECH G-RAID Professional Strength FireWire 800/400 RAID Storage
1TB made up of two 500 GB drives, $1300 list price.
So what's better, this or a LaCie 1TB drive?
They will probably both saturate the FireWire 800's throughput capacity on a G5.
The La Cie costs less ($949 list, $784 cheapest I've found online).
The G-Tech guys make nice looking, very solid, video oriented stuff, they're a spin-off from Medea.
-mike
UPDATE - However, I will have to say that if your project is living on it and you're depending on that thing working right, in an instant I'd go with G-Tech's tech support over LaCie's. G-Tech is a spinoff of a company that is used to a high level of customer service, and it shows in their behavior. Check the comments for this article for a link to a user's experience where G-Tech did EXACTLY the right stuff - they had a forum on Creative Cow, they paid attention, they called the customer up and OFFERED to switch out the 6 month old drive for a brand new one.
NICE.
G-TECH G-RAID Professional Strength FireWire 800/400 RAID Storage
1TB made up of two 500 GB drives, $1300 list price.
So what's better, this or a LaCie 1TB drive?
They will probably both saturate the FireWire 800's throughput capacity on a G5.
The La Cie costs less ($949 list, $784 cheapest I've found online).
The G-Tech guys make nice looking, very solid, video oriented stuff, they're a spin-off from Medea.
-mike
UPDATE - However, I will have to say that if your project is living on it and you're depending on that thing working right, in an instant I'd go with G-Tech's tech support over LaCie's. G-Tech is a spinoff of a company that is used to a high level of customer service, and it shows in their behavior. Check the comments for this article for a link to a user's experience where G-Tech did EXACTLY the right stuff - they had a forum on Creative Cow, they paid attention, they called the customer up and OFFERED to switch out the 6 month old drive for a brand new one.
NICE.
New iBooks released, tweaked/upgraded Minis announced today
macosXrumors.com has a nice synopsis of the specs on the new iBooks and tweaked Mac Minis.
By the way - I've heard reports that Minis will successfully cut HDV. It certainly wouldn't be my first choice, but hey, it WORKS if you're on total starvation budget (and upgrade the RAM).
-mike
By the way - I've heard reports that Minis will successfully cut HDV. It certainly wouldn't be my first choice, but hey, it WORKS if you're on total starvation budget (and upgrade the RAM).
-mike
9 drives in G5 installation notes, and comments on new SATA II card
Quick Takes on Real World Macintosh Performance
...and also there's a bit on the new Highpoint RocketRAID 2220 SATA II host adaptor - it's not gonna run any faster than a SATA I card, since you can still only connect one drive per cable.
As always, Rob-Art at BareFeats.com has the lowdown.
-mike
...and also there's a bit on the new Highpoint RocketRAID 2220 SATA II host adaptor - it's not gonna run any faster than a SATA I card, since you can still only connect one drive per cable.
As always, Rob-Art at BareFeats.com has the lowdown.
-mike
Dell 2405 for $803 (see top link)
Quick Takes on Real World Macintosh Performance
Dell 2405 for $803 w/code - only works for first 6000 buyers. So skeedaddle (sp?) if ya wanna.
Dell 2405 for $803 w/code - only works for first 6000 buyers. So skeedaddle (sp?) if ya wanna.
Nice looking aluminum enclosures, matches the look of your G5
OtherWorldComputing.com
Nice looking enclosures - match your G5's aluminum look, but does not appear to have a fan inside. They have single and double drive (RAID 0) units.
Nice looking enclosures - match your G5's aluminum look, but does not appear to have a fan inside. They have single and double drive (RAID 0) units.
CinemaTech: A Q&A with Mark Cuban - changing the paradigm
CinemaTech: A Q&A with Mark Cuban
A really interesting read about what Mark Cuban wants to do with HDNet, 2929 Productions, HDNet Films, etc.
Short version: He's making movies with name brand talent (Soderbergh) to release on HDNet, in theaters, and on DVD at the same time.
It discusses the Innovator's Dilemna, how once a business model is in place, there is a strong incentive to not rock the boat; to not take risks.
I think what Mark Cuban is trying to do is the most interesting thing going on for indie cinema right now.
Oh, and he specifically says they'll take movies made on HDV.
-mike
found from a link on the ever excellent CinemaMinima.com.
A really interesting read about what Mark Cuban wants to do with HDNet, 2929 Productions, HDNet Films, etc.
Short version: He's making movies with name brand talent (Soderbergh) to release on HDNet, in theaters, and on DVD at the same time.
It discusses the Innovator's Dilemna, how once a business model is in place, there is a strong incentive to not rock the boat; to not take risks.
I think what Mark Cuban is trying to do is the most interesting thing going on for indie cinema right now.
Oh, and he specifically says they'll take movies made on HDV.
-mike
found from a link on the ever excellent CinemaMinima.com.
Keeping Score: Who's backing which next gen DVD format
An HDBlog.net link led me to this, pages that list the backers for Blu-Ray Supporting Companies and also HD DVD Promotion Group Member List
Note that there are a bunch of companies in both lists, and a bunch of companies you've never heard of.
-mike
Note that there are a bunch of companies in both lists, and a bunch of companies you've never heard of.
-mike
Monday, July 25, 2005
Rackmount for G5 - they are NOT out of business as I'd heard elsewhere
Marathon Computer - G5 Rackmount
Need a rackmount for your G5, either tall (for liquid cooled) or flat (air cooled) mounting?
Dual 2.5 and dual 2.7's are NOT recommended to be run on their sides - if coolant leaks, it leaks on the motherboard. Liquid on the running motherboard? Hmm. Which would be Bad And Stuff.
-mike
Need a rackmount for your G5, either tall (for liquid cooled) or flat (air cooled) mounting?
Dual 2.5 and dual 2.7's are NOT recommended to be run on their sides - if coolant leaks, it leaks on the motherboard. Liquid on the running motherboard? Hmm. Which would be Bad And Stuff.
-mike
Audio drops out or has glitches at the beginning of a clip in Soundtrack Pro
Audio drops out or has glitches at the beginning of a clip in Soundtrack Pro
It's a crap problem with a crap workaround, but if you have the problem here's a fix.
It's a crap problem with a crap workaround, but if you have the problem here's a fix.
Compressor 1.x settings do not work with Compressor 2
Compressor 1.x settings do not work with Compressor 2
....or they may work, but look sucky. Somebody complained that Compressor 2.0 was slow and crappy results, perhaps they were using 1.x settings?
Anyway, beware and be careful - DON'T use your old 1.x settings if you have 2.x.
-mike
....or they may work, but look sucky. Somebody complained that Compressor 2.0 was slow and crappy results, perhaps they were using 1.x settings?
Anyway, beware and be careful - DON'T use your old 1.x settings if you have 2.x.
-mike
Apple's HD Gallery - I was wrong, new stuff adds to/doesn't replace others
Apple - QuickTime - HD Gallery
Hey all - there are now 11 or so HD things to check out in Apple's HD Gallery. As always, check the systems requirements or you'll be dissapointed.
ALSO - the V is for Vendetta hi-def trailer is up on the Warners page as well. In QuickTime format, but not on the Apple HD Gallery page.
-mike
Hey all - there are now 11 or so HD things to check out in Apple's HD Gallery. As always, check the systems requirements or you'll be dissapointed.
ALSO - the V is for Vendetta hi-def trailer is up on the Warners page as well. In QuickTime format, but not on the Apple HD Gallery page.
-mike
Netflix near launch of movie downloads - Yahoo! News
Netflix near launch of movie downloads - Yahoo! News
A modest test coming up soon. Downloads to a TiVo or similar device. Rentable, secured movies.
A modest test coming up soon. Downloads to a TiVo or similar device. Rentable, secured movies.
Pre-Release War between High Def DVDs and those wanting to watch them already starting
The Clicker: HDCP's Shiny Red Button - Engadget - www.engadget.com
Measure/Counter-Measure/Counter-Counter-Measure:
So HDCP (Hardware Device Copy Protection, the security tech in next gen DVD players) works by insisting that the DVD player and TV both have a "secure" connection. Secure as in approved, with no way to get data out of it to (GASP!) hackers or people wanting Fair Use.
Then there's this little DVI amplifier box that'll strip HDCP by playing middleman - telling the DVD player it's secure, but sending an insecure signal out the other side.
But cryptographic keys have to be sent to manufacturers of HDCP compliant gadgets. But key revocation lists can be distributed - if a device is deemed insecure after the fact, media, streaming content (aka broadcasts), or devices can include a list of "known not trusted" keys so that it won't work with such devices. These lists of "rogue devices" can be included in a broadcast, or DVD, or whatever....and your cable box or DVD player, once it receives an updated list, keeps it, thus your cable box or DVD player would forever not work with the rogue device again.
So basically, some yahoo in the Netherlands uses the same legitimate device you have to crack something, the Content Cops can make your device STOP WORKING FOREVER with the devices you care about - your cable box, DVD player, whatever.
Yuck.
Measure/Counter-Measure/Counter-Counter-Measure:
So HDCP (Hardware Device Copy Protection, the security tech in next gen DVD players) works by insisting that the DVD player and TV both have a "secure" connection. Secure as in approved, with no way to get data out of it to (GASP!) hackers or people wanting Fair Use.
Then there's this little DVI amplifier box that'll strip HDCP by playing middleman - telling the DVD player it's secure, but sending an insecure signal out the other side.
But cryptographic keys have to be sent to manufacturers of HDCP compliant gadgets. But key revocation lists can be distributed - if a device is deemed insecure after the fact, media, streaming content (aka broadcasts), or devices can include a list of "known not trusted" keys so that it won't work with such devices. These lists of "rogue devices" can be included in a broadcast, or DVD, or whatever....and your cable box or DVD player, once it receives an updated list, keeps it, thus your cable box or DVD player would forever not work with the rogue device again.
So basically, some yahoo in the Netherlands uses the same legitimate device you have to crack something, the Content Cops can make your device STOP WORKING FOREVER with the devices you care about - your cable box, DVD player, whatever.
Yuck.
HDTV: shows it all, warts included
The Sun Herald | 07/19/2005 | Warts and all? It will be with HDTV
Article about newscasters fearing the added level of detail that HDTV will show. For digital filmmakers, keep in mind that added clarity of HDTV will also show flaws in your actors' complexion, in wardrobe, and in sets especially.
Read this article with an eye as to what it means for your HDTV production.
-mike
Article about newscasters fearing the added level of detail that HDTV will show. For digital filmmakers, keep in mind that added clarity of HDTV will also show flaws in your actors' complexion, in wardrobe, and in sets especially.
Read this article with an eye as to what it means for your HDTV production.
-mike
Wiebetech offering prize to best under 5 minute video edited on a G5
Enter a video clip and win a free G5JamPak!:
Enter a video clip (up to 5 minutes long) of your video project edited on a G5, and the WiebeTech Panel of Judges will decide the winner based on creativity and editing. The winner will receive a G5JamPak, worth over $2,000. This bundle of our popular G5Jam and TrayDock eSATA will give your G5 ultimate capacity and highest performance.
The winner will be announced at Macworld Expo, Jan. 9-13, 2006 in San Francisco.
Enter a video clip (up to 5 minutes long) of your video project edited on a G5, and the WiebeTech Panel of Judges will decide the winner based on creativity and editing. The winner will receive a G5JamPak, worth over $2,000. This bundle of our popular G5Jam and TrayDock eSATA will give your G5 ultimate capacity and highest performance.
The winner will be announced at Macworld Expo, Jan. 9-13, 2006 in San Francisco.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Hitachi Deskstar 7K500 500GB SATA-II Hard Drive -= www.bigbruin.com =-
Hitachi Deskstar 7K500 500GB SATA-II Hard Drive -= www.bigbruin.com =-
Review of latest 500GB Hitachi hard drive (used in the G RAID I linked to the other day that is 1TB, it has two of'em)
The crucial stat for HD usage: "64.1-31 MB/sec sustained transfer rate" That's a touch low compared to the Maxtor Maxline III/Diamondmax 10 lineup, or the Seagate 7200.8 drives, which are my current favorites.
Review of latest 500GB Hitachi hard drive (used in the G RAID I linked to the other day that is 1TB, it has two of'em)
The crucial stat for HD usage: "64.1-31 MB/sec sustained transfer rate" That's a touch low compared to the Maxtor Maxline III/Diamondmax 10 lineup, or the Seagate 7200.8 drives, which are my current favorites.
Macworld: Review: Soundtrack Pro
Macworld: Review: Soundtrack Pro:
Soundtrack Pro isn't just an upgrade to Soundtrack it's an entirely new application with broader capabilities.
Review of the audio application that comes with Final Cut Pro & Studio. I'm not an audio guy, so I don't have much to say about this.
-mike
Soundtrack Pro isn't just an upgrade to Soundtrack it's an entirely new application with broader capabilities.
Review of the audio application that comes with Final Cut Pro & Studio. I'm not an audio guy, so I don't have much to say about this.
-mike
Tiger 10.4.2 Drive Performance and Utilities
Tiger 10.4.2 Drive Performance and Utilities
Some performance issues that the Arizona Macintosh User Group has brought up.
Some highlights of interest to HD editors:
-Existing RAID sets - if you set up a RAID using Disk Utility in 10.3.x, it'll work but be about 10% slower under 10.4.x. So you might want to re-stripe it under 10.4, which will require backing up all your data before re-striping.
-I haven't yet tested SoftRAID under 10.4
-repairing permissions is about twice as fast under 10.4.x than under 10.3.9
-Disk Warrior - use v3.0.3 with Tiger.
-Carbon Copy Cloner - OS X 10.4.2 now lets CCC work correctly
-Retrospect - there's a specific build to work with Tiger - v6.0.212. If running 10.3.x, use 6.0.204. Yeah. Complicated.
Some performance issues that the Arizona Macintosh User Group has brought up.
Some highlights of interest to HD editors:
-Existing RAID sets - if you set up a RAID using Disk Utility in 10.3.x, it'll work but be about 10% slower under 10.4.x. So you might want to re-stripe it under 10.4, which will require backing up all your data before re-striping.
-I haven't yet tested SoftRAID under 10.4
-repairing permissions is about twice as fast under 10.4.x than under 10.3.9
-Disk Warrior - use v3.0.3 with Tiger.
-Carbon Copy Cloner - OS X 10.4.2 now lets CCC work correctly
-Retrospect - there's a specific build to work with Tiger - v6.0.212. If running 10.3.x, use 6.0.204. Yeah. Complicated.
Friday, July 22, 2005
Macworld: News: LCD specs: Not so swift
Macworld: News: LCD specs: Not so swift
Short version: response times from one LCD panel aren't necessarily measured the same way as those from another. As in there's no such thing as a "true" 4ms panel.
This article points out the shortcomings of how response times are measured in LCD panels. Response time is an important criteria for editors because it affects whether the video is smearing or ghosting or not.
There are different methods used to determine response times, and most of them are misleading.
The "used to be" spec that was pretty useful measured the amount of time to go from black to white back to black. Now some vendors are reporting just black to white - half the cycle. And some are quoting grey to grey responses times, the time to get from one gray value to another. Which starting grey? Which ending grey? How far apart were they? A very very vague specification.
In any case, worth the two minute read so you'll know how to read the lies, damn lies, and benchmarks quoted in the ads.
-mike
Short version: response times from one LCD panel aren't necessarily measured the same way as those from another. As in there's no such thing as a "true" 4ms panel.
This article points out the shortcomings of how response times are measured in LCD panels. Response time is an important criteria for editors because it affects whether the video is smearing or ghosting or not.
There are different methods used to determine response times, and most of them are misleading.
The "used to be" spec that was pretty useful measured the amount of time to go from black to white back to black. Now some vendors are reporting just black to white - half the cycle. And some are quoting grey to grey responses times, the time to get from one gray value to another. Which starting grey? Which ending grey? How far apart were they? A very very vague specification.
In any case, worth the two minute read so you'll know how to read the lies, damn lies, and benchmarks quoted in the ads.
-mike
Nattress releases Film Effects v2.5 for Final Cut Pro
New version of Film Effects is out from Nattress, version 2.5.
-high quality 60i to 24p conversion
-filmlook effects with adjustments with over 20 presets
-8 other plugins "to make your video look more filmic"
-9 new plugins that include 4 new optimized de-interlacers and 3 new gamma control plugins, 2 new plugins for reduced resolution chroma sampling
-$100, free upgrade for all users
From the press release:
24p Simulation now renders faster and includes an anti-aliasing control and improved de-interlacing
G Chroma Sharpen plugins for improving chroma resolution quality in all video sources including DV, HDV, and all high definition formats
Four fast de-interlacers optimized for speed
New gamma control plugins featuring a new and unique gamma curve are designed especially for making video look more like film
and many more new features and improvements!
Reviews:
Nigel Cooper of DVUser.co.uk reviews Film Effects:
http://www.dvuser.co.uk/Reviews/Software/Apple%20software%20reviews/nattress%20film%20fx%20filters.html
Industry expert Ned Soltz reviews Film Effects for the LAFCPUG:
http://www.lafcpug.org/reviews/review_plethora_plugins.html#anchor400414
This is one of the 60i to 24p processes that I'll be testing soon.
-high quality 60i to 24p conversion
-filmlook effects with adjustments with over 20 presets
-8 other plugins "to make your video look more filmic"
-9 new plugins that include 4 new optimized de-interlacers and 3 new gamma control plugins, 2 new plugins for reduced resolution chroma sampling
-$100, free upgrade for all users
From the press release:
24p Simulation now renders faster and includes an anti-aliasing control and improved de-interlacing
G Chroma Sharpen plugins for improving chroma resolution quality in all video sources including DV, HDV, and all high definition formats
Four fast de-interlacers optimized for speed
New gamma control plugins featuring a new and unique gamma curve are designed especially for making video look more like film
and many more new features and improvements!
Reviews:
Nigel Cooper of DVUser.co.uk reviews Film Effects:
http://www.dvuser.co.uk/Reviews/Software/Apple%20software%20reviews/nattress%20film%20fx%20filters.html
Industry expert Ned Soltz reviews Film Effects for the LAFCPUG:
http://www.lafcpug.org/reviews/review_plethora_plugins.html#anchor400414
This is one of the 60i to 24p processes that I'll be testing soon.
Less than 5% American films made from spec scripts
Less than 5% American films made from spec scripts
Think about that.
Only 5% of American movies made over the last 5 years have come from spec scripts. Now think about how many movies are released theatrically each year (around 550? According to my lazy 30 second Google quest). That's some pretty tight competition.
And only 3% were made from pitches. And how many of those pitches were from industry outsiders, or beginners?
Choose wisely, my friends.
-mike
Think about that.
Only 5% of American movies made over the last 5 years have come from spec scripts. Now think about how many movies are released theatrically each year (around 550? According to my lazy 30 second Google quest). That's some pretty tight competition.
And only 3% were made from pitches. And how many of those pitches were from industry outsiders, or beginners?
Choose wisely, my friends.
-mike
OT but great: There's Sex In My Violence! / What's this lame soft-core porn doing in my ultraviolent "Grand Theft Auto"? I am outraged!
There's Sex In My Violence! / What's this lame soft-core porn doing in my ultraviolent "Grand Theft Auto"? I am outraged!
From the SF Gate, a great perspective on sex 'n violence in videogames.
-mike
From the SF Gate, a great perspective on sex 'n violence in videogames.
-mike
HD playback on today's DVD discs-UPDATED
UPDATED - SEE BOTTOM
HDV@Work
Steve Mullen has this interesting article on putting bits and pieces together:
1.) Flip4Mac offers a Windows Media 9 encoder and decoder that will do high definition content, including encoding (but not playback) of 5.1 channel surround sound.
2.) Final Cut Pro HD can't "really" output a 5.1 surround sound encoded master, but you can fake it to feed into the WM9 encoder from Flip4Mac.
3.) There are $250 DVD decks that will play back HD content on standard, red laser (what you're used to) DVDs. See here for one model. It has it's limitations, so read Mullen's article to get it all.
But hey! High def DVDs now, even if not quite right.
-mike
UPDATE -
A reader sent this in:
I have an update on a version of the Avel LinkPlayer.
JVC is coming out with their own branded version of the player at the end of August. Not sure if they are making any changes to the player though they say it will have analog hd component outputs. The version I saw at DV Expo today was a japanese version that uses what is called a D4 connector that then splits out into component plugs.
The interesting thing is that the JVC guys edited some footage in FCP and then layed it back to HDV tape. They then used the DVHSCap program to capture an mpeg transport file (.m2v). They then used Toast to burn it to an Iso DVD-R disc. This disc can then be played on the JVC/Avel player. The stuff that they had playing looked great. you can't really do menus or anything though if you have several files on the disc, the player will show you a list of the files on the disc and then let you choose which one to play. You can also have the files loop if you like. This would be useful for a tradeshow.
The player will do 720p or 1080i. It has DVI, component HD and composite output on it.
Dan Weber
There's also a bunch of interesting comments in the uh, comments. Worth reading as people try to figure all this stuff out.
-mike
HDV@Work
Steve Mullen has this interesting article on putting bits and pieces together:
1.) Flip4Mac offers a Windows Media 9 encoder and decoder that will do high definition content, including encoding (but not playback) of 5.1 channel surround sound.
2.) Final Cut Pro HD can't "really" output a 5.1 surround sound encoded master, but you can fake it to feed into the WM9 encoder from Flip4Mac.
3.) There are $250 DVD decks that will play back HD content on standard, red laser (what you're used to) DVDs. See here for one model. It has it's limitations, so read Mullen's article to get it all.
But hey! High def DVDs now, even if not quite right.
-mike
UPDATE -
A reader sent this in:
I have an update on a version of the Avel LinkPlayer.
JVC is coming out with their own branded version of the player at the end of August. Not sure if they are making any changes to the player though they say it will have analog hd component outputs. The version I saw at DV Expo today was a japanese version that uses what is called a D4 connector that then splits out into component plugs.
The interesting thing is that the JVC guys edited some footage in FCP and then layed it back to HDV tape. They then used the DVHSCap program to capture an mpeg transport file (.m2v). They then used Toast to burn it to an Iso DVD-R disc. This disc can then be played on the JVC/Avel player. The stuff that they had playing looked great. you can't really do menus or anything though if you have several files on the disc, the player will show you a list of the files on the disc and then let you choose which one to play. You can also have the files loop if you like. This would be useful for a tradeshow.
The player will do 720p or 1080i. It has DVI, component HD and composite output on it.
Dan Weber
There's also a bunch of interesting comments in the uh, comments. Worth reading as people try to figure all this stuff out.
-mike
Thursday, July 21, 2005
LaCie intros 2 new 5 bay hot swap SATA enclosures, comments
LaCie - Biggest S2S - 5-Disk RAID System Tower
In 1.25 TB (5x250 GB disks) or 2.5 TB (5x500 GB disks) capacities.
Not shipping yet, just announced, expected to ship mid-August.
2.5TB - $3500
1.25TB - $2000
Key features:
Can be configured as RAID 0, 1, or 0+1.
SATA II - 3GB/sec bus (which no drive can use, so whatever)
The other part of this that caught my eye is their announcement of a 3 GB/sec PCI-X Card 4E, a SATA II host that is PCI-X, transfer rates up to 187 MB/sec. This to me suggests that it's a port multiplier - 187 MB/sec is far below what 5 single drives can do (well over 300 MB/sec). But one cable simplicity is nice to have.
So the big question - is this good enough for HD?
Well, mostly, but not always.
Taking that 187 MB/sec #, which sounds like the MAXIMUM, not the guaranteed, that 187 MB/sec would work for:
(as a RAID 0, it should be capable of in theory, untested):
All flavors of SD - YES
All flavors of compressed HD - YES
Uncompressed HD: depends! But mostly yes...
(these are all uncompressed below)
720p24 of all types - YES
720p30 8 & 10 bit 4:2:2- YES
720p60 8&10 bit 4:2:2 - YES...or at least it should
1080p24 8 bit 4:2:2 (HDCAM) - YES
1080p24 10 bit 4:2:2 (D-5 & HDCAM SR in 4:2:2 mode): YES
1080p24 10 bit 4:4:4 (HDCAM SR in 4:4:4 mode): NO
1080i60 8 bit 4:2:2 (broadcast HDCAM)- YES
1080i60 10 bit 4:2:2 -(D-5 or HDCAM SR in 4:2:2 mode) RIGHT ON THE EDGE - maybe yes, maybe no
1080i60 10 bit 4:4:4 (very rarely used, only possible on HDCAM SR in 4:4:4 mode) - NO
But that 187 MB/sec # is purportedly the "up to" throughput - the max.
Now they say this was developed for uncompressed HD. MOST production is done with 8 bits/channel footage - DVCPRO HD or HDCAM. Only the pricier decks - D-5 and HDCAM SR - can capture and play back 10 bit footage in a meaningful way. And you have to have recorded to that format in the first place for it to matter - shooting HDCAM and dubbing to D-5 does you now good, you never had 10 bits of data in the first place.
So assuming that 187 MB/sec is what it's capable of SUSTAINING, across the entire capacity of the array (and that's an unproven maybe), this array would work for most folks in most circumstances.
-mike
In 1.25 TB (5x250 GB disks) or 2.5 TB (5x500 GB disks) capacities.
Not shipping yet, just announced, expected to ship mid-August.
2.5TB - $3500
1.25TB - $2000
Key features:
Can be configured as RAID 0, 1, or 0+1.
SATA II - 3GB/sec bus (which no drive can use, so whatever)
The other part of this that caught my eye is their announcement of a 3 GB/sec PCI-X Card 4E, a SATA II host that is PCI-X, transfer rates up to 187 MB/sec. This to me suggests that it's a port multiplier - 187 MB/sec is far below what 5 single drives can do (well over 300 MB/sec). But one cable simplicity is nice to have.
So the big question - is this good enough for HD?
Well, mostly, but not always.
Taking that 187 MB/sec #, which sounds like the MAXIMUM, not the guaranteed, that 187 MB/sec would work for:
(as a RAID 0, it should be capable of in theory, untested):
All flavors of SD - YES
All flavors of compressed HD - YES
Uncompressed HD: depends! But mostly yes...
(these are all uncompressed below)
720p24 of all types - YES
720p30 8 & 10 bit 4:2:2- YES
720p60 8&10 bit 4:2:2 - YES...or at least it should
1080p24 8 bit 4:2:2 (HDCAM) - YES
1080p24 10 bit 4:2:2 (D-5 & HDCAM SR in 4:2:2 mode): YES
1080p24 10 bit 4:4:4 (HDCAM SR in 4:4:4 mode): NO
1080i60 8 bit 4:2:2 (broadcast HDCAM)- YES
1080i60 10 bit 4:2:2 -(D-5 or HDCAM SR in 4:2:2 mode) RIGHT ON THE EDGE - maybe yes, maybe no
1080i60 10 bit 4:4:4 (very rarely used, only possible on HDCAM SR in 4:4:4 mode) - NO
But that 187 MB/sec # is purportedly the "up to" throughput - the max.
Now they say this was developed for uncompressed HD. MOST production is done with 8 bits/channel footage - DVCPRO HD or HDCAM. Only the pricier decks - D-5 and HDCAM SR - can capture and play back 10 bit footage in a meaningful way. And you have to have recorded to that format in the first place for it to matter - shooting HDCAM and dubbing to D-5 does you now good, you never had 10 bits of data in the first place.
So assuming that 187 MB/sec is what it's capable of SUSTAINING, across the entire capacity of the array (and that's an unproven maybe), this array would work for most folks in most circumstances.
-mike
LAFCPUG Next Meeting - if in LA and interested in Boris and Automatic Duck
LAFCPUG Next Meeting
Wes Plate from Automatic Duck and Ann Renhan from Boris FX will be showing their latest.
Automatic Duck is of particuar interest for those into maximum quality color correction for Final Cut Pro, it can be used to get footage into After Effects for higher quality and precision color correction.
-mike
Wes Plate from Automatic Duck and Ann Renhan from Boris FX will be showing their latest.
Automatic Duck is of particuar interest for those into maximum quality color correction for Final Cut Pro, it can be used to get footage into After Effects for higher quality and precision color correction.
-mike
Macworld: Review: DVD Studio Pro 4
Macworld: Review: DVD Studio Pro 4
MacWorld Reviews DVD Studio Pro 4.
Highlights:
-beware that installing v4 replaces (& deletes) any prior installed DVD Studio Pro version
-text is handled differently, so look out for upgrading projects from v3 to v4 - menu text may need reformatting or touching up
-high def DVDs can be made, but today only play back on Power Mac G5s (not G4s or PowerBooks), with QuickTime 7 and DVD Player 4.6 or later installed.
-better control of asset locations on disk (high end feature to minimize skipping during transitions)
-mike
MacWorld Reviews DVD Studio Pro 4.
Highlights:
-beware that installing v4 replaces (& deletes) any prior installed DVD Studio Pro version
-text is handled differently, so look out for upgrading projects from v3 to v4 - menu text may need reformatting or touching up
-high def DVDs can be made, but today only play back on Power Mac G5s (not G4s or PowerBooks), with QuickTime 7 and DVD Player 4.6 or later installed.
-better control of asset locations on disk (high end feature to minimize skipping during transitions)
-mike
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Macworld: Review: Motion 2
Macworld: Review: Motion 2
....and they confirm what I've said all along - not an After Effects killer. Motion graphics, not compositing.
But in the marketplace, motion graphics is a far, far more common need than compositing...
-mike
....and they confirm what I've said all along - not an After Effects killer. Motion graphics, not compositing.
But in the marketplace, motion graphics is a far, far more common need than compositing...
-mike
Video iPod? No, but yes, only maybe
AppleInsider | Apple looking to license Disney content for video iPod
These guys have a long rep for being off base, but it's a good launching point to discuss this:
There won't be an Apple video iPod.
As in, there will not be an iPod form factor device with a screen for watching stuff extra tiny.
But I think there WILL be a vPod of some sort, and it may be portable, but it won't be an iPod like gadget. Think Mac Mini with video out ports, or my favorite idea I've discussed with Robert Cringely - an Airport Express like device that adds HDMI or DVI and component/s-video/composite outputs. It'd have H.264 (and possibly MPEG-2) hardware decoding. So picture what you can already do with an Airport Express - stream audio from a Mac to this tiny little block, barely bigger than a laptop's power brick, and it plugs into your stereo to stream digital audio right into your receiver.
Now imagine adding digital video, in the extremely efficient H.264 format, to the equation. And instead of buying songs online from Apple, you'd be buying video content - music videos as Apple is dabbling with now, and movies and other content later. Broadband required, of course - 2 megabits/sec for standard def, and perhaps 5 or 6 for 720p24 content.
Do I have any special insider knowledge? No. Is it a sure thing? No. But I think it's the smart move.
And with the increasing debacle of HD DVD and Blu Ray not looking to resolve, or be consumer friendly, any time soon, this tech could scoop those hardware formats to market.
Could you play DVDs through this thing? Maybe, if it supported MPEG-2 decoding.
Could you transcode video on the fly? Probably not, or if so, not at great quality, and depending on the speed of your computer.
If Apple isn't doing this, I think they should. The hoopla over a video iPod is a great distraction, too - portable video is a much, MUCH smaller market than portable audio. But home video, playing through a low cost gadget from your computer with broadband (be it Mac or PC) is a much more interesting thing.
-mike
These guys have a long rep for being off base, but it's a good launching point to discuss this:
There won't be an Apple video iPod.
As in, there will not be an iPod form factor device with a screen for watching stuff extra tiny.
But I think there WILL be a vPod of some sort, and it may be portable, but it won't be an iPod like gadget. Think Mac Mini with video out ports, or my favorite idea I've discussed with Robert Cringely - an Airport Express like device that adds HDMI or DVI and component/s-video/composite outputs. It'd have H.264 (and possibly MPEG-2) hardware decoding. So picture what you can already do with an Airport Express - stream audio from a Mac to this tiny little block, barely bigger than a laptop's power brick, and it plugs into your stereo to stream digital audio right into your receiver.
Now imagine adding digital video, in the extremely efficient H.264 format, to the equation. And instead of buying songs online from Apple, you'd be buying video content - music videos as Apple is dabbling with now, and movies and other content later. Broadband required, of course - 2 megabits/sec for standard def, and perhaps 5 or 6 for 720p24 content.
Do I have any special insider knowledge? No. Is it a sure thing? No. But I think it's the smart move.
And with the increasing debacle of HD DVD and Blu Ray not looking to resolve, or be consumer friendly, any time soon, this tech could scoop those hardware formats to market.
Could you play DVDs through this thing? Maybe, if it supported MPEG-2 decoding.
Could you transcode video on the fly? Probably not, or if so, not at great quality, and depending on the speed of your computer.
If Apple isn't doing this, I think they should. The hoopla over a video iPod is a great distraction, too - portable video is a much, MUCH smaller market than portable audio. But home video, playing through a low cost gadget from your computer with broadband (be it Mac or PC) is a much more interesting thing.
-mike
Wired News: Bigwigs Seek Short-Form Scorseses
Wired News: Bigwigs Seek Short-Form Scorseses
Internet success CAN lead to bigger things...sometimes.
-mike
Internet success CAN lead to bigger things...sometimes.
-mike
Apple updates their H.264 HD trailers page
Good news - new trailers:
The Brothers Grimm
and
IMAX - Magnificent Desolation
are up.
Bad News:
...and all the other old ones are apparently gone, or at least the links were pulled (so always a good idea to hold high def copies locally if ya want'em around)
480p, 720p, and 1080p versions available for both.
As always, don't forget the minimum specs required for each size:
For 852x480 (480p) video at 24-30 frames per second:
QuickTime 7 for Mac OS X:
1.25 GHz PowerMac G4 or faster Macintosh computer
At least 128 MB of RAM
64 MB or greater video card
QuickTime 7 for Windows Public Preview:
2.8 GHz Intel Pentium 4 or faster processor
At least 256 MB of RAM
64 MB or greater video card
For 1280x720 (720p) video at 24-30 frames per second:
QuickTime 7 for Mac OS X:
1.8 GHz PowerMac G5 or faster Macintosh computer
At least 256 MB of RAM
64 MB or greater video card
QuickTime 7 for Windows Public Preview:
Dual 2.8 GHz Intel Xeon or faster processor
At least 1 GB of RAM
64 MB or greater video card
For 1920x1080 (1080p) video at 24-30 frames per second:
QuickTime 7 for Mac OS X:
Dual 2.0 GHz PowerMac G5 or faster Macintosh computer
At least 512 MB of RAM
128 MB or greater video card
The Brothers Grimm
and
IMAX - Magnificent Desolation
are up.
Bad News:
...and all the other old ones are apparently gone, or at least the links were pulled (so always a good idea to hold high def copies locally if ya want'em around)
480p, 720p, and 1080p versions available for both.
As always, don't forget the minimum specs required for each size:
For 852x480 (480p) video at 24-30 frames per second:
QuickTime 7 for Mac OS X:
1.25 GHz PowerMac G4 or faster Macintosh computer
At least 128 MB of RAM
64 MB or greater video card
QuickTime 7 for Windows Public Preview:
2.8 GHz Intel Pentium 4 or faster processor
At least 256 MB of RAM
64 MB or greater video card
For 1280x720 (720p) video at 24-30 frames per second:
QuickTime 7 for Mac OS X:
1.8 GHz PowerMac G5 or faster Macintosh computer
At least 256 MB of RAM
64 MB or greater video card
QuickTime 7 for Windows Public Preview:
Dual 2.8 GHz Intel Xeon or faster processor
At least 1 GB of RAM
64 MB or greater video card
For 1920x1080 (1080p) video at 24-30 frames per second:
QuickTime 7 for Mac OS X:
Dual 2.0 GHz PowerMac G5 or faster Macintosh computer
At least 512 MB of RAM
128 MB or greater video card
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Act quick (by the 20th) - Dell 2405 for $779
Quick Takes on Real World Macintosh Performance
Read the top "Hot Deal" on the Dell 2405 to get it for $779. Grumble! Much much less than I paid.
But you'll probably be buying it through the home office group, with Indian tech support! Consider yourself warned....
-mike
Read the top "Hot Deal" on the Dell 2405 to get it for $779. Grumble! Much much less than I paid.
But you'll probably be buying it through the home office group, with Indian tech support! Consider yourself warned....
-mike
Overview of HD DVD vs Blu Ray from PCWorld.com with Mike's comments
PCWorld.com - Burning Questions: The Next-Generation Disc
This is a pretty good overview of the current status and issues involved in what will be the market leader for high def DVDs.
It addressses the mutual incompatibilities of the two formats, the pros and cons of each, the status of the talks, etc.
Mike's Comments:
After a lot of excitement and anticipation, the news of the last few months has been very disheartening. With the studios split as to which format to back, and incompatible formats, and pricey players, and HDMI only high def playback (no component analog HD output on HD DVD according to Toshiba), it's starting to look pretty grim for consumers. Not only will a new player be required ($500-$1000 I'm sure for the first units), but quite likely a new HDTV is yours doesn't have HDMI with HDCP support. And then it's quite likely that a bunch of movies that you want to see will only be released in the "other" format, which high def format you buy. Even worse, if you go out and buy an HD DVD player and plug it into your component inputs on your HDTV, it'll get downrezzed to 480i...so your $1000 player and $200-$5000 TV will look exactly the same as if you had a $50 DVD player and $500 TV. Folks aren't going to like that at ALL.
All of which adds up to make me think HD DVD and Blu Ray will both be the next laserdiscs - expensive players, limited movie selection, expensive movies, hard to find, and not an industry changer. Much as VHS marched happily on whilst laserdisc was there but stagnant and only noticed by the technophiles, I think this is a likely outcome if things continue the way they have been looking.
Unless analog component outputs are supported, and ALL movies are released on BOTH formats, I think the high def DVD market won't take off.
And I don't think all studios will release in all formats. I could see those with no skin in the game, like Disney, releasing on HD DVD and Blu Ray, but for companies like Sony, with ownership of movie studios and Playstation 3 and the Blu Ray format, it would be inconceivable for them to release any films on HD DVD. So if you bought an HD DVD player, no Sony movies for you.
Just my cynical $0.02 for today.
-mike
original link found via Cinema Minima
This is a pretty good overview of the current status and issues involved in what will be the market leader for high def DVDs.
It addressses the mutual incompatibilities of the two formats, the pros and cons of each, the status of the talks, etc.
Mike's Comments:
After a lot of excitement and anticipation, the news of the last few months has been very disheartening. With the studios split as to which format to back, and incompatible formats, and pricey players, and HDMI only high def playback (no component analog HD output on HD DVD according to Toshiba), it's starting to look pretty grim for consumers. Not only will a new player be required ($500-$1000 I'm sure for the first units), but quite likely a new HDTV is yours doesn't have HDMI with HDCP support. And then it's quite likely that a bunch of movies that you want to see will only be released in the "other" format, which high def format you buy. Even worse, if you go out and buy an HD DVD player and plug it into your component inputs on your HDTV, it'll get downrezzed to 480i...so your $1000 player and $200-$5000 TV will look exactly the same as if you had a $50 DVD player and $500 TV. Folks aren't going to like that at ALL.
All of which adds up to make me think HD DVD and Blu Ray will both be the next laserdiscs - expensive players, limited movie selection, expensive movies, hard to find, and not an industry changer. Much as VHS marched happily on whilst laserdisc was there but stagnant and only noticed by the technophiles, I think this is a likely outcome if things continue the way they have been looking.
Unless analog component outputs are supported, and ALL movies are released on BOTH formats, I think the high def DVD market won't take off.
And I don't think all studios will release in all formats. I could see those with no skin in the game, like Disney, releasing on HD DVD and Blu Ray, but for companies like Sony, with ownership of movie studios and Playstation 3 and the Blu Ray format, it would be inconceivable for them to release any films on HD DVD. So if you bought an HD DVD player, no Sony movies for you.
Just my cynical $0.02 for today.
-mike
original link found via Cinema Minima
1080p: Time for a Reality Check UPDATED
HDTVexpert :: FRONT LINE: JUNE 23, 2005 %u2014 1080p: Time for a Reality Check
A nice article on why all those 1080p HDTV sets are....useless.
It explains a bunch of the shortcomings and pitfalls and suckiness of the current HDTV market.
UPDATED TUESDAY 2:20PM - after a bunch of complaints in the comments, let me clarify why I linked to this:
1.) It points out that a lot of HDTVs take the quick'n dirty approach to handling some formats, throwing away a lot of the visual information, or taking the quick/cheap, non-optimal solution from a quality perspective.
2.) 1080p imagery sounds good, but there is no 1080p (progressive) 60fps broadcast format. There's barely a tape format or camera format for them, and they certainly aren't industry standard by a long shot. As in, it's only been in the last few months that decks and cameras were even capable of capturing this. Oh, and most HD editing hardware can't even handle 1080p60 anyway.
3.) 1080p24 is of interest from a movie perspective - it'd be great to watch 1920x1080, 24 fps progressive movie frames on an HDTV. But there is no 1080p24 broadcast standard, the closest we've got is 1080i60, which uses 3:2 pulldown to display 24 progressive fps over a 60 fps field-based medium. This is how you watch movies now with regular DVDs. And if the HDTV set cheaps out in it's approach, you end up with less than 1080 vertical lines
4.) CRT based displays don't display anywhere close to 1080 lines of detail. LCD and plasma CAN, but rarely DO, unless the panel itself has 1920x1080 individual pixels.
5.) It's great that we have HDTV standards, but we don't have good display, editing, or capture solutions that are affordable to really take advantage of the medium.
-mike
-mike
A nice article on why all those 1080p HDTV sets are....useless.
It explains a bunch of the shortcomings and pitfalls and suckiness of the current HDTV market.
UPDATED TUESDAY 2:20PM - after a bunch of complaints in the comments, let me clarify why I linked to this:
1.) It points out that a lot of HDTVs take the quick'n dirty approach to handling some formats, throwing away a lot of the visual information, or taking the quick/cheap, non-optimal solution from a quality perspective.
2.) 1080p imagery sounds good, but there is no 1080p (progressive) 60fps broadcast format. There's barely a tape format or camera format for them, and they certainly aren't industry standard by a long shot. As in, it's only been in the last few months that decks and cameras were even capable of capturing this. Oh, and most HD editing hardware can't even handle 1080p60 anyway.
3.) 1080p24 is of interest from a movie perspective - it'd be great to watch 1920x1080, 24 fps progressive movie frames on an HDTV. But there is no 1080p24 broadcast standard, the closest we've got is 1080i60, which uses 3:2 pulldown to display 24 progressive fps over a 60 fps field-based medium. This is how you watch movies now with regular DVDs. And if the HDTV set cheaps out in it's approach, you end up with less than 1080 vertical lines
4.) CRT based displays don't display anywhere close to 1080 lines of detail. LCD and plasma CAN, but rarely DO, unless the panel itself has 1920x1080 individual pixels.
5.) It's great that we have HDTV standards, but we don't have good display, editing, or capture solutions that are affordable to really take advantage of the medium.
-mike
-mike
Dell UltraSharp 2405FPW 24-inch LCD Display-Charlie White reviews
Dell UltraSharp 2405FPW 24-inch LCD Display
If you've been reading my experiences with the Dell 2405 1920x1200 24 inch LCD panel, you'll know Dell's quality control and tech support aren't as grand as this article implies. But I do agree it's the best looking monitor I have. (If you're curious, use the Google bar at the top of this page to search for 2405)
I hear the price on these should drop down to around $600 by year end, as well.
-mike
If you've been reading my experiences with the Dell 2405 1920x1200 24 inch LCD panel, you'll know Dell's quality control and tech support aren't as grand as this article implies. But I do agree it's the best looking monitor I have. (If you're curious, use the Google bar at the top of this page to search for 2405)
I hear the price on these should drop down to around $600 by year end, as well.
-mike
Apple Updates DVD Studio Pro to v4.0.2
Apple - Support - Downloads - DVD Studio Pro 4.0.2 Update :
Apple's updated DVD Studio Pro to version 4.0.2 to fix some minor bugs. From the Apple web page:
DVD Studio Pro 4.0.2 Update addresses isolated stability issues. Most significant areas addressed are:
- Font size in PAL templates
- Menu duplication when Text Objects are active
- Simulation of long PAL MPEG2 stream with MP3 audio
- Isolated issue with recognition of certain media
Apple's updated DVD Studio Pro to version 4.0.2 to fix some minor bugs. From the Apple web page:
DVD Studio Pro 4.0.2 Update addresses isolated stability issues. Most significant areas addressed are:
- Font size in PAL templates
- Menu duplication when Text Objects are active
- Simulation of long PAL MPEG2 stream with MP3 audio
- Isolated issue with recognition of certain media
Monday, July 18, 2005
HDMI Interface - A Beginner's Guide
HDMI Interface - A Beginner's Guide
More homework-(mostly for me) - all about what HDMI is, which we'll need on our HDTVs for HD DVD players to show full res.
-mike
More homework-(mostly for me) - all about what HDMI is, which we'll need on our HDTVs for HD DVD players to show full res.
-mike
Lowry Prefers Blu Ray over HD DVD, and a useful primer on compression
This article starts off with Lowry Digital saying they like Blu Ray over HD DVD, and then explains why. Here's a nice, fairly short description of some of the issues in compression. If you haven't done much DVD compression, read this. Now.
Macintosh G5 Vertical Rackmount Frame-Redco
Macintosh G5 Vertical Rackmount Frame
$150.
Need to rackmount a G5? And you want to do it vertically? Here's how. The only other rackmount solution I knew of is out of business, and it mounted horizontally and required sawing off those lovely aluminum handles. Forget that.
What's wrong with horizontally mounting a G5? Because if you have a dual 2.5 or dual 2.7, it's liquid cooled, and if it leaks coolant, it leaks onto your motherboard. Woops.
-mike
$150.
Need to rackmount a G5? And you want to do it vertically? Here's how. The only other rackmount solution I knew of is out of business, and it mounted horizontally and required sawing off those lovely aluminum handles. Forget that.
What's wrong with horizontally mounting a G5? Because if you have a dual 2.5 or dual 2.7, it's liquid cooled, and if it leaks coolant, it leaks onto your motherboard. Woops.
-mike
MaxConnect for G5s- you can add 7 more drives in your G5 (but don't)
MaxUpgrades.com: MaxConnect for G5 PowerMacintosh
Internal Storage Expansion
OK, for the sake of thoroughness I'm including this, but as usual, I don't recommend installing a crapload more drives internally.
Here's why:
1.) Heavier thermal load. YES, the fans can probably cope with it, BUT then you end up listening to your fans all the time. Who wants that?
2.) Internally mounted drives can't be moved readily to another system. Externals can in seconds.
3.) Can't have hotswap unless you're external.
4.) Because who wants a 70 pound G5....
Internal Storage Expansion
OK, for the sake of thoroughness I'm including this, but as usual, I don't recommend installing a crapload more drives internally.
Here's why:
1.) Heavier thermal load. YES, the fans can probably cope with it, BUT then you end up listening to your fans all the time. Who wants that?
2.) Internally mounted drives can't be moved readily to another system. Externals can in seconds.
3.) Can't have hotswap unless you're external.
4.) Because who wants a 70 pound G5....
Microsoft Courts Hollywood Allies - "and all that that implies"
Microsoft Courts Hollywood Allies :
This article is mostly about how Microsoft wants in the living room, but also casually mentions all that the Hollywood guys are doing to make sure that they COMPLETE...TOTAL...CONTROL....
The system would also allow the AACS group to reach into the house and change software if the system got hacked to produce unauthorized copies. That's a level of control rarely seen before the latest video game consoles. But such control may alienate customers, analysts warn. Indeed, some consumer advocates complain that Microsoft is giving veto power over new technology to the risk-averse entertainment industry. Especially disturbing, they say, is the idea of buying a device that does something, only to have a piece of restricted content disable that feature later with a forced software 'upgrade.' 'The warning I'd like to see is: 'Here are all the things that can be removed from this device if someone somewhere does something naughty, and the studios decide to punish the innocent,' ' said Cory Doctorow of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. 'Microsoft and other technology companies are saying that the person who makes the record should be able to design the record players, and we have never given that power to copyright holders.' Gates said that such compromises were essential for drawing more content into the digital realm and that standard practices would emerge. 'Can I use it, can I lend it to my friend, can I use it in my summer home, what can I do with it? That's got to be clear,' he said. Controversy or no, AACS will be included in HD DVD, one of the two high-definition successor formats to DVDs. The competing format, Blu-ray, may follow suit.
This article is mostly about how Microsoft wants in the living room, but also casually mentions all that the Hollywood guys are doing to make sure that they COMPLETE...TOTAL...CONTROL....
The system would also allow the AACS group to reach into the house and change software if the system got hacked to produce unauthorized copies. That's a level of control rarely seen before the latest video game consoles. But such control may alienate customers, analysts warn. Indeed, some consumer advocates complain that Microsoft is giving veto power over new technology to the risk-averse entertainment industry. Especially disturbing, they say, is the idea of buying a device that does something, only to have a piece of restricted content disable that feature later with a forced software 'upgrade.' 'The warning I'd like to see is: 'Here are all the things that can be removed from this device if someone somewhere does something naughty, and the studios decide to punish the innocent,' ' said Cory Doctorow of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. 'Microsoft and other technology companies are saying that the person who makes the record should be able to design the record players, and we have never given that power to copyright holders.' Gates said that such compromises were essential for drawing more content into the digital realm and that standard practices would emerge. 'Can I use it, can I lend it to my friend, can I use it in my summer home, what can I do with it? That's got to be clear,' he said. Controversy or no, AACS will be included in HD DVD, one of the two high-definition successor formats to DVDs. The competing format, Blu-ray, may follow suit.
MacWorld reviews Final Cut Pro 5, Compressor 2
MacWorld finally gets around to reviewing Final Cut Pro 5 and Compressor 2 in these two articles.
A few bugs, such as improper Media Manager behavior, existed in Final Cut Pro 5.0 (which was reviewed), perhaps the 5.0.2 version released last week has addressed these problems.
Big improvements in Compressor 2.0:
The big news is additional formats - can now encode for high def DVDs using H.264; you can also convert NTSC to PAL footage (or 24fps) with the Optical Flow stuff, and can batch encode with distributed rendering.
Distributed rendering - you can now use multiple Macs to encode a single or multiple files. In short, use a pool of Macs to compress files, but control it all from one Mac.
Compressor’s transcoding capabilities have also been improved with the addition of optical flow image analysis. You can now transcode NTSC video to the European PAL format and get very good, though slow, results.
(...I'm assuming this is stolen from Shake 4 -mike)
(I'm still working on Big Thing About HD movies, not ready to post yet....)
-mike
A few bugs, such as improper Media Manager behavior, existed in Final Cut Pro 5.0 (which was reviewed), perhaps the 5.0.2 version released last week has addressed these problems.
Big improvements in Compressor 2.0:
The big news is additional formats - can now encode for high def DVDs using H.264; you can also convert NTSC to PAL footage (or 24fps) with the Optical Flow stuff, and can batch encode with distributed rendering.
Distributed rendering - you can now use multiple Macs to encode a single or multiple files. In short, use a pool of Macs to compress files, but control it all from one Mac.
Compressor’s transcoding capabilities have also been improved with the addition of optical flow image analysis. You can now transcode NTSC video to the European PAL format and get very good, though slow, results.
(...I'm assuming this is stolen from Shake 4 -mike)
(I'm still working on Big Thing About HD movies, not ready to post yet....)
-mike
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Review of DVD Studio Pro 4
Saturday, July 16, 2005
New Intel-backed company eyes Web movie downloads-why Apple went Intel?
Macworld UK - New Intel-backed company eyes Web movie downloads
...and I think that may be why Apple went with Intel - because, aside from the other differences Apple had with IBM (see prior article from Ars Technica), one of the things Intel will offer is a system of DRM that hooks into the unique ID of the machine.
Hollywood is really, Really, REALLY serious this time around about security and copyright protection. Intel will offer a DRM based on the unique ID of the computer. What if, and this is thinking out loud, Apple plans on having strong DRM'd stuff that is sharable only within your group of authorized machines, identified by this unique signifier? Having an all Intel lineup makes this easier. Of course, Apple's already doing this with iTunes Music Store content, so why, if that's effective as is, do they need to go to this Intel stuff?
The article states:
He denied that Intel's forthcoming LaGrande technology would be required for the ClickStar service. LaGrande is embedded security technology built into processors that Intel says will help consumers and business users secure their PCs, but some consumer advocates also believe the technology might be used to implement restrictive DRM policies. Intel has not released many details about LaGrande, which is expected to appear in Intel products next year.
so perhaps not.
I get the gut feeling there's some advantage to this setup with Intel. Actually, more than gut advantage - with a high level Intel exec (Otellini) hinting that if you wanted to avoid viruses/malware/spyware, "another platform" was the way to go, to the article at the top of this page that started this whole discussion, Apple wants in on this deal, and Intel is down with that. With the popularity of iTunes, Apple's reputation for making technology easy, etc. etc. etc., I see an Apple Online Movie Store of some sort coming our way. Using H.264 as the efficient delivery medium of choice.
The article states:
Some users might be able to download and play ClickStar movies using today's Intel-based PCs, but the experience will be improved with technology available next year from Intel, Corbett said. Corbett declined to elaborate on the specific technology that Intel will use in its products for the digital home next year.
...and that times up with Apple's first consumer Intel based Macs. We'll see, we'll see...
More on this later, I've been organizing my thoughts....
...and I think that may be why Apple went with Intel - because, aside from the other differences Apple had with IBM (see prior article from Ars Technica), one of the things Intel will offer is a system of DRM that hooks into the unique ID of the machine.
Hollywood is really, Really, REALLY serious this time around about security and copyright protection. Intel will offer a DRM based on the unique ID of the computer. What if, and this is thinking out loud, Apple plans on having strong DRM'd stuff that is sharable only within your group of authorized machines, identified by this unique signifier? Having an all Intel lineup makes this easier. Of course, Apple's already doing this with iTunes Music Store content, so why, if that's effective as is, do they need to go to this Intel stuff?
The article states:
He denied that Intel's forthcoming LaGrande technology would be required for the ClickStar service. LaGrande is embedded security technology built into processors that Intel says will help consumers and business users secure their PCs, but some consumer advocates also believe the technology might be used to implement restrictive DRM policies. Intel has not released many details about LaGrande, which is expected to appear in Intel products next year.
so perhaps not.
I get the gut feeling there's some advantage to this setup with Intel. Actually, more than gut advantage - with a high level Intel exec (Otellini) hinting that if you wanted to avoid viruses/malware/spyware, "another platform" was the way to go, to the article at the top of this page that started this whole discussion, Apple wants in on this deal, and Intel is down with that. With the popularity of iTunes, Apple's reputation for making technology easy, etc. etc. etc., I see an Apple Online Movie Store of some sort coming our way. Using H.264 as the efficient delivery medium of choice.
The article states:
Some users might be able to download and play ClickStar movies using today's Intel-based PCs, but the experience will be improved with technology available next year from Intel, Corbett said. Corbett declined to elaborate on the specific technology that Intel will use in its products for the digital home next year.
...and that times up with Apple's first consumer Intel based Macs. We'll see, we'll see...
More on this later, I've been organizing my thoughts....
Cringely has some good insight, and some not so good insight this week - Mike Comments
PBS | I, Cringely . July 14, 2005 - More Shoes
More on the Apple/Intel deal and Apple/IBM split. Although he makes it sound revelatory that Apple will use the dual core G5 chips - of course they will! It's always been the plan, and I don't expect to see an Intel based PowerMac replacement (full size top end desktop, expansion slots, etc.) until 2007 sometime.
But he draws a very, very nice detail out of the recent news that I never got around to linking to:
Intel invested in Morgan Freeman's online downloadable movie service, ClickStar.
And Intel is in bed with Apple now, who has the leading music download service. And Apple has H.264 working, and will be shipping final QuickTime 7 for PC's by the end of the summer. And Apple owns a chunk of Akamai, a high speed Internet distribution company for high bandwidth needs.
Cringely then goes on to continue to predict an iTunes Movie Store (or an iMovie Store?), which I believe to be happening, but then goes out on a limb about a video iPod and an HD wearable display.
...and here I punt. Once again, portable video isn't anything like portable audio. You can listen to music while you jog, drive, even work. Video is immersive, it doesn't work like that. Just because the technology makes it possible does NOT mean people will want it in large numbers. Think of it this way - remember when portable TVs were kinda cool, like 10-20 years ago? Little black and white or color sets, so you could watch replays at the game, or watch in the backyard or while camping? When was the last time you saw anything like that advertised? Remember Sony's portable TVs with the 2 or 3 inch screens? These were 15 years or more ago I think. It's a dead market.
Now look at audio - almost everyone you know has SOME kind of portable music device, right? Even if it's just a portable CD player, not necessarily an iPod.
I rest my case.
People don't want portable video in large enough numbers yet.
Sony's PSP is cool, but cool for coolnesses sake for portable video, not terribly useful. If I had to ride a bus or train everyday, yes I'd want one. But most of America doesn't have enough time out of the house while they are sitting still and NOT supposed to be working to pop for a device like the PSP (or other portable video playback devices). I also think that most video content isn't a good match for the format - you're not going to sit still and watch all of, or a goodly chunk of, or many small slices of, a feature length movie on one of these things.
Maybe kids in the back of cars will. Oh, wait, there are already tons of in car DVD players, nevermind.
I think different content will be appropriate for these things - short films, comedy bits.
I'd watch chunks of The Daily Show on a PSP. I wouldn't watch Lord of the Rings.
-mike
More on the Apple/Intel deal and Apple/IBM split. Although he makes it sound revelatory that Apple will use the dual core G5 chips - of course they will! It's always been the plan, and I don't expect to see an Intel based PowerMac replacement (full size top end desktop, expansion slots, etc.) until 2007 sometime.
But he draws a very, very nice detail out of the recent news that I never got around to linking to:
Intel invested in Morgan Freeman's online downloadable movie service, ClickStar.
And Intel is in bed with Apple now, who has the leading music download service. And Apple has H.264 working, and will be shipping final QuickTime 7 for PC's by the end of the summer. And Apple owns a chunk of Akamai, a high speed Internet distribution company for high bandwidth needs.
Cringely then goes on to continue to predict an iTunes Movie Store (or an iMovie Store?), which I believe to be happening, but then goes out on a limb about a video iPod and an HD wearable display.
...and here I punt. Once again, portable video isn't anything like portable audio. You can listen to music while you jog, drive, even work. Video is immersive, it doesn't work like that. Just because the technology makes it possible does NOT mean people will want it in large numbers. Think of it this way - remember when portable TVs were kinda cool, like 10-20 years ago? Little black and white or color sets, so you could watch replays at the game, or watch in the backyard or while camping? When was the last time you saw anything like that advertised? Remember Sony's portable TVs with the 2 or 3 inch screens? These were 15 years or more ago I think. It's a dead market.
Now look at audio - almost everyone you know has SOME kind of portable music device, right? Even if it's just a portable CD player, not necessarily an iPod.
I rest my case.
People don't want portable video in large enough numbers yet.
Sony's PSP is cool, but cool for coolnesses sake for portable video, not terribly useful. If I had to ride a bus or train everyday, yes I'd want one. But most of America doesn't have enough time out of the house while they are sitting still and NOT supposed to be working to pop for a device like the PSP (or other portable video playback devices). I also think that most video content isn't a good match for the format - you're not going to sit still and watch all of, or a goodly chunk of, or many small slices of, a feature length movie on one of these things.
Maybe kids in the back of cars will. Oh, wait, there are already tons of in car DVD players, nevermind.
I think different content will be appropriate for these things - short films, comedy bits.
I'd watch chunks of The Daily Show on a PSP. I wouldn't watch Lord of the Rings.
-mike
Another example of the lethal goofiness of obtaining rights in filmmaking
JON CARROLL has an article that starts out by pointing out that the makers of the film "Bewitched" (which I am not recommending) removed the TransAmerica building from skyline shots of San Francisco for fear of legal reprisals since it is a registered trademark.
Well, that seems silly. I mean, there it is, big as sin and taller than Coit Tower. Do we have to pay Transamerica every time we glimpse it? Do I have to pay Transamerica every time I type "Transamerica Pyramid"? Here's a more relevant question: What are the chances the Transamerica would use its high- priced lawyers to sue a major film studio over a skyline shot?
(and does this mean that I, Mike, will be sued for quoting references without permission? I mean, I am sending traffic to his site, but technically I might be in trouble here, right?).
He then goes on to talk about rights clearances in general, and the ironies of the digital age making content production so easy, but the legal reality making it so hard.
Worth a read if you're going to go shoot anything out "in the wild" of society. Perhaps this will drive more stuff to be shot out in wheat fields in the mid-West? Unless, of course, it's that copyrighted, genetically engineered wheat that farmers have to buy seeds for every year and can't replant...
OK, this is a great idea for a short, and I'm giving it away for somebody out there to make (you have to credit me with the idea though, OK?):
Make a short film that is intentionally shot in places where you can't shoot, hearing things you can't hear, seeing things you don't have clearances for.
Do a street interview in Times Square, or with the Transamerica building in the background, people wearing Nike swooshes etc. Then blur out all of the illegal bits. Then talk around it.
"Here we are in New York City, in....a timely place that's orthogonal...that big blurred blob is...something famous..."
or
"Here we are in San Francisco, and there's this amazingly striking building that is....like four triangles leaned up against each other.." (all blurred out of couse).
This would be a great little example of what our world is like.
Show a birthday party with no audio during Happy Birthday.
Show people singing "God Bless America" with no audio playing.
Show an interview in a mall (blur all those logos) with Muzak playing (gotta cut out the audio and do subtitles).
You get the idea...
-mike
(I found the original link to this article on Cinema Minima.
Well, that seems silly. I mean, there it is, big as sin and taller than Coit Tower. Do we have to pay Transamerica every time we glimpse it? Do I have to pay Transamerica every time I type "Transamerica Pyramid"? Here's a more relevant question: What are the chances the Transamerica would use its high- priced lawyers to sue a major film studio over a skyline shot?
(and does this mean that I, Mike, will be sued for quoting references without permission? I mean, I am sending traffic to his site, but technically I might be in trouble here, right?).
He then goes on to talk about rights clearances in general, and the ironies of the digital age making content production so easy, but the legal reality making it so hard.
Worth a read if you're going to go shoot anything out "in the wild" of society. Perhaps this will drive more stuff to be shot out in wheat fields in the mid-West? Unless, of course, it's that copyrighted, genetically engineered wheat that farmers have to buy seeds for every year and can't replant...
OK, this is a great idea for a short, and I'm giving it away for somebody out there to make (you have to credit me with the idea though, OK?):
Make a short film that is intentionally shot in places where you can't shoot, hearing things you can't hear, seeing things you don't have clearances for.
Do a street interview in Times Square, or with the Transamerica building in the background, people wearing Nike swooshes etc. Then blur out all of the illegal bits. Then talk around it.
"Here we are in New York City, in....a timely place that's orthogonal...that big blurred blob is...something famous..."
or
"Here we are in San Francisco, and there's this amazingly striking building that is....like four triangles leaned up against each other.." (all blurred out of couse).
This would be a great little example of what our world is like.
Show a birthday party with no audio during Happy Birthday.
Show people singing "God Bless America" with no audio playing.
Show an interview in a mall (blur all those logos) with Muzak playing (gotta cut out the audio and do subtitles).
You get the idea...
-mike
(I found the original link to this article on Cinema Minima.
Did I mention Mac OS X 10.4.2?
OS X 10.4.2 came out on Tuesday, I said what the hell and installed it, and all of the attendant Final Cut Suite & iLife upgrades.
Since I've done so, all of my Final Cut Studio apps need to be re-serialized - that is, I needed to type in my serial numbers again, and dig out the previous version's serial numbers I upgraded from. A pain.
Since the update also included an update to the Pro Apps support thingy, I'm betting that once again, a bunch of bootleg serial numbers will suddenly no longer work. I have some sympathy for the starving artists among us, but educational discounts are readily findable and accessible. If you can't scrounge a few hundred bucks to edit your masterpiece, you're really on the thin edge of the curve, folks, and editing would clearly be the least of your many worries.
In any case, just keep that in mind, and have your (valid) serial numbers handy.
Oh, and here's a page at the ever useful MacinTouch on 10.4.2 issues.
-mike
Since I've done so, all of my Final Cut Studio apps need to be re-serialized - that is, I needed to type in my serial numbers again, and dig out the previous version's serial numbers I upgraded from. A pain.
Since the update also included an update to the Pro Apps support thingy, I'm betting that once again, a bunch of bootleg serial numbers will suddenly no longer work. I have some sympathy for the starving artists among us, but educational discounts are readily findable and accessible. If you can't scrounge a few hundred bucks to edit your masterpiece, you're really on the thin edge of the curve, folks, and editing would clearly be the least of your many worries.
In any case, just keep that in mind, and have your (valid) serial numbers handy.
Oh, and here's a page at the ever useful MacinTouch on 10.4.2 issues.
-mike
Inside the big switch: the iPod and the future of Apple Computer : Page 1
Inside the big switch: the iPod and the future of Apple Computer : Page 1
More Hannibal commentary (LOTS more) on why the Apple/Intel switch.
Some quotes:
For the real reason behind the switch, you have to look to the fact that it's the iPod and iTMS—not the Mac—that are now driving Apple's revenues and stock price. As I stated in my previous article on the switch, Apple is more concerned with scoring Intel's famous volume discounts on the Pentium (with its attendant feature-rich chipsets) and XScale lines than it is about the performance, or even the performance per Watt, of the Mac.
So because Apple is going to become an all-Intel shop like Dell, with Intel providing the processors that power both the Mac and the iPod, Apple will get the same kinds of steep volume discounts across its entire product line that keep Dell from even glancing AMD's way.
More Hannibal commentary (LOTS more) on why the Apple/Intel switch.
Some quotes:
For the real reason behind the switch, you have to look to the fact that it's the iPod and iTMS—not the Mac—that are now driving Apple's revenues and stock price. As I stated in my previous article on the switch, Apple is more concerned with scoring Intel's famous volume discounts on the Pentium (with its attendant feature-rich chipsets) and XScale lines than it is about the performance, or even the performance per Watt, of the Mac.
So because Apple is going to become an all-Intel shop like Dell, with Intel providing the processors that power both the Mac and the iPod, Apple will get the same kinds of steep volume discounts across its entire product line that keep Dell from even glancing AMD's way.
IBM announces dual-core and low-power G5s
IBM announces dual-core and low-power G5s
Hannibal from Ars Technica talks about the new IBM chips announced the other week.
-mike
Hannibal from Ars Technica talks about the new IBM chips announced the other week.
-mike
Detroit Is So Hollywood, and Vice Versa - New York Times
Detroit Is So Hollywood, and Vice Versa - New York Times
aka why Hollywood is broked - more reasons to not peg your goals exclusively on theatrical release.
This is useful background for a big analysis piece I'm working on.
So do your homework...
: )
-mike
aka why Hollywood is broked - more reasons to not peg your goals exclusively on theatrical release.
This is useful background for a big analysis piece I'm working on.
So do your homework...
: )
-mike
Friday, July 15, 2005
OT: What if every key were a tiny screen showing what it did at the moment? Optimus keyboard
Optimus keyboard
This is a really cool idea (not a real product) - what if every key were a tiny OLED screen, able to display, contextually, what it's function was at the moment? At the simplest, it could show caps when shift or Caps Lock was down.
But what about when option, Control, or Command is held down? What about keyboard shortcuts from one app to the next?
I'm guessing the smart way to do this would be to have a little RAM and processor in the keyboard that could cache key images, both for different running apps as well as modes (shift, option, command, control, and all combinations).
Fun!
Would certainly make learning all your keyboard shortcuts easier.
Hell, if Apple offered one for $300 I'd buy it...
This is a really cool idea (not a real product) - what if every key were a tiny OLED screen, able to display, contextually, what it's function was at the moment? At the simplest, it could show caps when shift or Caps Lock was down.
But what about when option, Control, or Command is held down? What about keyboard shortcuts from one app to the next?
I'm guessing the smart way to do this would be to have a little RAM and processor in the keyboard that could cache key images, both for different running apps as well as modes (shift, option, command, control, and all combinations).
Fun!
Would certainly make learning all your keyboard shortcuts easier.
Hell, if Apple offered one for $300 I'd buy it...
Wired News: Tools Give Video Freaks the Power (PopCast & it's video distro software)
Beware! Don't install Tiger whilst decks and FireWire drives attached...
Final Cut Studio
Arr, mateys, read this and be aforeworned..argh...my job credentials are that I have a parrot on my shoulder and all I can say out loud is "Arrrgh..."
d;)
(me in my pirate hat & eyepatch)
Seriously - don't install Tiger with decks, camera, or extraneous FireWire drives attached.
The cleanest approach I've heard of late - install a CLEAN (not install over) Tiger, then use the combo updater to 10.4.2.
Apple hopes 10.4.2 is pretty stable - they are prepping it for retail packaging, a high sign of confidence.
-mike
Arr, mateys, read this and be aforeworned..argh...my job credentials are that I have a parrot on my shoulder and all I can say out loud is "Arrrgh..."
d;)
(me in my pirate hat & eyepatch)
Seriously - don't install Tiger with decks, camera, or extraneous FireWire drives attached.
The cleanest approach I've heard of late - install a CLEAN (not install over) Tiger, then use the combo updater to 10.4.2.
Apple hopes 10.4.2 is pretty stable - they are prepping it for retail packaging, a high sign of confidence.
-mike
Hints of ugly things to come...
The Clicker: Microsoft%u2019s OPM for the masses - Engadget - www.engadget.com
Microsoft's Longhorn will offer the ability (based on content creator's wishes) to downsample high def content to your non-secure monitor (e.g. VGA or DVI lacking HDCP, Hardware Device Copyright Protection). That's if your lucky. Otherwise, you get a black screen.
So for the first time, an OS upgrade will require an upgrade to your monitor to see software content. Crazy.
This, along with Toshiba's HD-DVD policy of "no analog HD support" (see link a few days ago, if it doesn't have an HDMI connector, only get 480 not 1080 lines of resolution) is painting a dark, dark picture of our digital content future.
I think the tech companies are shooting themselves in the foot in order to appease the content providers whilst hosing the consumers.
That beautiful HDTV you bought that has HD component analog inputs? It won't show HD-DVDs in anything better than SD res...so you might as well be watching a regular DVD on a regular SDTV.
Suxors.
-mike
PS-Thanks to my favorite anonymous tipster for sending this in!
Microsoft's Longhorn will offer the ability (based on content creator's wishes) to downsample high def content to your non-secure monitor (e.g. VGA or DVI lacking HDCP, Hardware Device Copyright Protection). That's if your lucky. Otherwise, you get a black screen.
So for the first time, an OS upgrade will require an upgrade to your monitor to see software content. Crazy.
This, along with Toshiba's HD-DVD policy of "no analog HD support" (see link a few days ago, if it doesn't have an HDMI connector, only get 480 not 1080 lines of resolution) is painting a dark, dark picture of our digital content future.
I think the tech companies are shooting themselves in the foot in order to appease the content providers whilst hosing the consumers.
That beautiful HDTV you bought that has HD component analog inputs? It won't show HD-DVDs in anything better than SD res...so you might as well be watching a regular DVD on a regular SDTV.
Suxors.
-mike
PS-Thanks to my favorite anonymous tipster for sending this in!
Joys of Technology...not.
My posting behavior had already slowed due to APFTW (Actual Paying Full Time Work) as I've been on site at a client's for a few weeks.
But today I'm home....but not for great reasons - my AC unit broke it's coil and leaked water all over my house. So I'm sitting here with drying fans raging 10 feet away, and I need to clear out two rooms of stuff so they can pry up wood floors...UGH!
This on top of the fact that my laptop is in the shop and I don't know for sure when I'll get it back, so I'm off my hdforindies.com email.
So I don't know how much I'll be posting for the next few days, as I probably won't even be staying in my house.
-mike
But today I'm home....but not for great reasons - my AC unit broke it's coil and leaked water all over my house. So I'm sitting here with drying fans raging 10 feet away, and I need to clear out two rooms of stuff so they can pry up wood floors...UGH!
This on top of the fact that my laptop is in the shop and I don't know for sure when I'll get it back, so I'm off my hdforindies.com email.
So I don't know how much I'll be posting for the next few days, as I probably won't even be staying in my house.
-mike
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Useful article on BlackMagic cards, FCP, and OS X
This article gives the lowdown on what BlackMagic Design recommends for their DeckLink series of cards if you want to run Final Cut Pro, for both hardware and software.
The software lowdown: Final Cut Pro 5.0.2, OS X 10.4.2, QuickTime 7.0.1, and BlackMagic drivers version 5.0.
The article also discusses minimal specs for standard def (dual 1.25 G4 or better w/1 GB of RAM) and high def (dual G5 with PCI-X slots, 1.5 GB RAM).
This will answer a lot of questions people have and keep things simple, direct, and easy.
-mike
The software lowdown: Final Cut Pro 5.0.2, OS X 10.4.2, QuickTime 7.0.1, and BlackMagic drivers version 5.0.
The article also discusses minimal specs for standard def (dual 1.25 G4 or better w/1 GB of RAM) and high def (dual G5 with PCI-X slots, 1.5 GB RAM).
This will answer a lot of questions people have and keep things simple, direct, and easy.
-mike
Barefeats articles of interest
Barefeats has two articles of possible interest:
The Seritek 1VE2+2 is a PCI-X card with two internal and two external ports, can hot swap and be booted from. Here's a link to info on card on the Seritek site. Handy for two disk RAID 0 or RAID 1 setups. I still don't recommend mounting more than the stock two internal SATA drives.
An updated article on the fastest single SATA drives for a G5. RAID performance varies a bit from single drive performance, so this kind of review is not the end all be all.
-mike
The Seritek 1VE2+2 is a PCI-X card with two internal and two external ports, can hot swap and be booted from. Here's a link to info on card on the Seritek site. Handy for two disk RAID 0 or RAID 1 setups. I still don't recommend mounting more than the stock two internal SATA drives.
An updated article on the fastest single SATA drives for a G5. RAID performance varies a bit from single drive performance, so this kind of review is not the end all be all.
-mike
Plenty of Filmmakers, not enough jobs
Wired is running an article on the surplus of wannabe moviemakers and how the film schools are churning out far more graduates than there are positions in the industry.
The article also discusses how Final Cut Pro is rising as a threat to the traditional Avid base, and that older editors are either threatened by or poo-poo Final Cut as a serious tool.
-mike
The article also discusses how Final Cut Pro is rising as a threat to the traditional Avid base, and that older editors are either threatened by or poo-poo Final Cut as a serious tool.
-mike
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
New Toyz...Final Cut 5.0.2, OS X 10.4.2, etc.
Final Cut 5.0.2, OS X 10.4.2, LiveType 2.0.2, Cinema Tools Update 3.0.2, Sountrack 1.0.1, iSync 2.1, Pro Applications Update 2005-01, are all available via Software Update.
Here's the text from the update boxes:
OS X 10.4.2:
The 10.4.2 Update delivers overall improved reliability and compatibility for Mac OS X v10.4 and is recommended for all users. It includes fixes for:
file sharing using AFP and SMB/CIFS network file services
single sign-on authentication and reliable access to Active Directory servers
autologin for managed user accounts
AirPort and wireless access
Core Graphics, Core Audio, Core Image, including updated ATI and NVIDIA graphics drivers
Finder updates including finding on Kind and using Slideshow
synchronizing your iDisk with .Mac
installation reliability
managing Dashboard widgets
Address Book, Automator, iCal, iChat, Mail, Safari, and Stickies applications
compatibility with third party applications and devices
For detailed information on this Update, please visit this website: http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n301722
For detailed information on Security Updates, please visit this website: http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n61798
Final Cut Pro 5.0.2 Update
Final Cut Pro Update 5.0.2 delivers improved reliability. This update is recommended for all Final Cut Pro 5 customers.
For more detailed information, please visit: http://www.apple.com/support/lbn/?product=FinalCutPro&version=5.0&language=z
LiveType update
LiveType 2.0.2 addresses certain missing LiveFont characters in LiveType 2.0 and 2.0.1.
Cinema Tools update
Cinema Tools Update 3.0.2 delivers improved reliability. This update is recommended for all Cinema Tools 3 customers.
For more detailed information, please visit: http://www.apple.com/support/lbn/?product=CinemaTools&version=3.0&language=z
Soundtrack Update
Soundtrack Pro 1.0.1 addresses certain reliability and performance issues of Soundtrack Pro 1.0.
iSync Update
iSync 2.1 supports compatibility for more devices such as the latest Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic and Sony Ericsson phones. For a complete list of supported devices, please check http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/isync/devices.html
Pro Apps Update
Pro Application Update 2005-01: This update addresses several issues with underlying frameworks and shared components for Apple's professional applications and is strongly recommended for all users of Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Pro 5, Motion 2, Soundtrack Pro, DVD Studio Pro 4, Shake 4 , LiveType 2, Compressor 2 and Apple Qmaster 2.
This update is also recommended for users who have previously installed the FxPlug SDK.
For more detailed information about this update, visit http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n301888.
---------------
I haven't installed any of it, but that ought to keep you busy for a bit...
-mike
Here's the text from the update boxes:
OS X 10.4.2:
The 10.4.2 Update delivers overall improved reliability and compatibility for Mac OS X v10.4 and is recommended for all users. It includes fixes for:
file sharing using AFP and SMB/CIFS network file services
single sign-on authentication and reliable access to Active Directory servers
autologin for managed user accounts
AirPort and wireless access
Core Graphics, Core Audio, Core Image, including updated ATI and NVIDIA graphics drivers
Finder updates including finding on Kind and using Slideshow
synchronizing your iDisk with .Mac
installation reliability
managing Dashboard widgets
Address Book, Automator, iCal, iChat, Mail, Safari, and Stickies applications
compatibility with third party applications and devices
For detailed information on this Update, please visit this website: http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n301722
For detailed information on Security Updates, please visit this website: http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n61798
Final Cut Pro 5.0.2 Update
Final Cut Pro Update 5.0.2 delivers improved reliability. This update is recommended for all Final Cut Pro 5 customers.
For more detailed information, please visit: http://www.apple.com/support/lbn/?product=FinalCutPro&version=5.0&language=z
LiveType update
LiveType 2.0.2 addresses certain missing LiveFont characters in LiveType 2.0 and 2.0.1.
Cinema Tools update
Cinema Tools Update 3.0.2 delivers improved reliability. This update is recommended for all Cinema Tools 3 customers.
For more detailed information, please visit: http://www.apple.com/support/lbn/?product=CinemaTools&version=3.0&language=z
Soundtrack Update
Soundtrack Pro 1.0.1 addresses certain reliability and performance issues of Soundtrack Pro 1.0.
iSync Update
iSync 2.1 supports compatibility for more devices such as the latest Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic and Sony Ericsson phones. For a complete list of supported devices, please check http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/isync/devices.html
Pro Apps Update
Pro Application Update 2005-01: This update addresses several issues with underlying frameworks and shared components for Apple's professional applications and is strongly recommended for all users of Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Pro 5, Motion 2, Soundtrack Pro, DVD Studio Pro 4, Shake 4 , LiveType 2, Compressor 2 and Apple Qmaster 2.
This update is also recommended for users who have previously installed the FxPlug SDK.
For more detailed information about this update, visit http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n301888.
---------------
I haven't installed any of it, but that ought to keep you busy for a bit...
-mike
Blackmagic ships v5.0 drivers - full FCP 5 support
Blackmagic Design: Software Downloads:
This release version adds: Full support for Final Cut Pro HD v5, Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) and QuickTime 7.0; standardization on Apple's 4:2:2 codecs for SD and HD; HDV playback via HD-SDI outputs; Multi-Cam editing; Vari-Cam easy setup for 720p/23.98; 12 channels of audio capture and playback; Support for mixed formats of 8 or 10 bit uncompressed media in the same Final Cut Pro timeline; Dynamic RT Effects and VariCam; Gamma correction with custom lookup tables during RGB 4:4:4 capture; Genlock timing adjustment on standard definition DeckLink cards; new FrameLink utility for instant access to any frame in a movie. Compatible with Final Cut Pro HD v5.0 (not v4.5)
Mike's Comments - hooray! They shipped it.
Good news:
-mix and match 8 & 10 bit footage on the same timeline.
-FrameLink (instantly access frames as DPX files)
-all the FCP 5 stuff works - HDV, Dynamic RT, etc.
Bad News:
-unless Apple has made substantial changes to their 4:2:2 codec, the BlackMagic codec was better. Further issues involved, more later.
-mike
This release version adds: Full support for Final Cut Pro HD v5, Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) and QuickTime 7.0; standardization on Apple's 4:2:2 codecs for SD and HD; HDV playback via HD-SDI outputs; Multi-Cam editing; Vari-Cam easy setup for 720p/23.98; 12 channels of audio capture and playback; Support for mixed formats of 8 or 10 bit uncompressed media in the same Final Cut Pro timeline; Dynamic RT Effects and VariCam; Gamma correction with custom lookup tables during RGB 4:4:4 capture; Genlock timing adjustment on standard definition DeckLink cards; new FrameLink utility for instant access to any frame in a movie. Compatible with Final Cut Pro HD v5.0 (not v4.5)
Mike's Comments - hooray! They shipped it.
Good news:
-mix and match 8 & 10 bit footage on the same timeline.
-FrameLink (instantly access frames as DPX files)
-all the FCP 5 stuff works - HDV, Dynamic RT, etc.
Bad News:
-unless Apple has made substantial changes to their 4:2:2 codec, the BlackMagic codec was better. Further issues involved, more later.
-mike
Monday, July 11, 2005
LIVID
....so I spent a goodly chunk of Friday and Sunday installing software on my laptop drive-to-be (in an external FireWire case). Sunday afternoon I took it up to the local Apple Store to get them to install it....which they won't. Oh....shit. They said they won't install non-Apple purchased parts, which makes a vague profit oriented kind of sense. But mostly, it's just irritating as hell. They recommended a Mac authorized service shop, or doing it myself.
So I started cracking open my laptop based on a PDF found by praying to Google. And I broke one of the tiny, mouse toe bone sized plastic wishbone looking pieces under the keyboard. God dammit! When I broke a similar thing working on my Mom's ancient iBook, it was $400 to fix it by replacing the ENTIRE keyboard. Hell.
So if anyone knows where I can get one of these tiny pieces (from under one of the function keys) from a 12" PowerBook keyboard, I'd really appreciate it. Even an eBay partially broken keyboard would be great.
This, in conjunction with the ever ongoing problem with my Maxtor hard drives (on PC only, must boot from a floppy, must upgrade through THREE ROM versions, meaning 48 reboots from floppy from a PC), just pissed me off.
So I gathered up ALL the computer crap in the house, shoved it in the studio, and shut all the doors in there. It's impossible to walk in there, and I don't plan on doing so for a few days.
I'm just sick of this obnoxious crap.
Disgusted, is more like it.
LIVID.
-mike
So I started cracking open my laptop based on a PDF found by praying to Google. And I broke one of the tiny, mouse toe bone sized plastic wishbone looking pieces under the keyboard. God dammit! When I broke a similar thing working on my Mom's ancient iBook, it was $400 to fix it by replacing the ENTIRE keyboard. Hell.
So if anyone knows where I can get one of these tiny pieces (from under one of the function keys) from a 12" PowerBook keyboard, I'd really appreciate it. Even an eBay partially broken keyboard would be great.
This, in conjunction with the ever ongoing problem with my Maxtor hard drives (on PC only, must boot from a floppy, must upgrade through THREE ROM versions, meaning 48 reboots from floppy from a PC), just pissed me off.
So I gathered up ALL the computer crap in the house, shoved it in the studio, and shut all the doors in there. It's impossible to walk in there, and I don't plan on doing so for a few days.
I'm just sick of this obnoxious crap.
Disgusted, is more like it.
LIVID.
-mike
Sunday, July 10, 2005
AJA Video - Serial Digital Video Interface and Conversion, KONA Support
AJA Video - Serial Digital Video Interface and Conversion, KONA Support:
For OS 10.4 Tiger and Final Cut Pro 5 compatibility with KONA 2 and KONA LS, you must install Version 1.1.1 or newer KONA software (version 1.1.2 is recommended). Links to the software updates are provided below.
This software fixes an incompatibility that prevented some tape decks from properly disembedding audio from KONA 2 HD-SDI outputs. It also offers improvements to DVCProHD captures—and captures with upconverter on input. AV Sync on batch capture now works properly in this release.
For OS 10.4 Tiger and Final Cut Pro 5 compatibility with KONA 2 and KONA LS, you must install Version 1.1.1 or newer KONA software (version 1.1.2 is recommended). Links to the software updates are provided below.
This software fixes an incompatibility that prevented some tape decks from properly disembedding audio from KONA 2 HD-SDI outputs. It also offers improvements to DVCProHD captures—and captures with upconverter on input. AV Sync on batch capture now works properly in this release.
Bunch of Apple Final Cut Pro Tutorials
Apple Final Cut Pro Tutorials
(Found this from a link on the excellent Philadelphia Final Cut Pro User Group site)
(Found this from a link on the excellent Philadelphia Final Cut Pro User Group site)
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Latest on HD DVD vs Blu Ray (next gen high def DVD formats)
The Seattle Times: Business & Technology: DVD format duel heating up
Movie buffs, brace yourselves for another round of Betamax vs. VHS.
Two decades after the competing video formats battled for space in American living rooms, a new war is looming between two incompatible types of high-definition video discs scheduled to hit the market later this year.
---
"The train is going to start leaving the station shortly," said Josh Petersen, director of strategic alliances for Hewlett-Packard, which backs Blu-ray. A format war "looks more and more inevitable every day. We're approaching the point of no return."
----
The worst casualties could be the video enthusiasts who spend close to $1,000 on a new disc player only to have it become quickly obsolete. Analysts say a format war would also slow the transition to high-definition discs, reducing sales for consumer-electronics manufacturers and studios alike.
---
"Ultimately, we believe one standard is far preferable to multiple standards," said Circuit City spokesman Jim Babb.
Sigh. And with HD DVDs going going into production shortly, the train is definitely leaving the station, as the sub-head says it all:
Disc Replicators and Equipment Manufacturers Prepare for Mass Production to Support Upcoming Launch of the HD DVD Next Generation Disc
Blu Ray is planning on using Java, a nice open standard, to develop all of the interactivity on the discs. Meanwhile, Microsoft & Toshiba may tie Windows CE and HD-DVD:
Microsoft and Toshiba have reached an agreement under which they will explore ways to use Microsoft Windows CE technology in new high-definition optical disc players, according to top executives of both companies.
It allllll keeps on rolling.
Microsoft is also pushing quietly forward with making more and more movies available in high definition on standard DVD media, but using the Windows Media 9 based VC-1 codec. As Microsoft has stated that they'll be using a red laser DVD (normal, current standard) in their upcoming XBox 360 next gen game box, I can't imagine those won't play VC-1/Windows Media 9 encoded high def movies on a traditional red laser DVD. The stealth high def disc player that also plays games.
Similarly, Sony plans on using a Blu Ray disc in their next Playstation, so it will also play high def movies. Sony gets to take advantage of the fact that they make the game player, the Blu Ray technology, and the movies themselves - they have a nicely integrated vertical business model there, and don't have to rely on anyone else to get their content (movies and games) on their players, while Microsoft has to convince others to put movies on HD DVD or red laser XBox 360 compatible stuff.
I think the thing to do will be to NOT buy an early, expensive HD DVD or Blu Ray player unless you have LOTS of disposable income, otherwise you'll end up unhappy with the results.
-mike
Movie buffs, brace yourselves for another round of Betamax vs. VHS.
Two decades after the competing video formats battled for space in American living rooms, a new war is looming between two incompatible types of high-definition video discs scheduled to hit the market later this year.
---
"The train is going to start leaving the station shortly," said Josh Petersen, director of strategic alliances for Hewlett-Packard, which backs Blu-ray. A format war "looks more and more inevitable every day. We're approaching the point of no return."
----
The worst casualties could be the video enthusiasts who spend close to $1,000 on a new disc player only to have it become quickly obsolete. Analysts say a format war would also slow the transition to high-definition discs, reducing sales for consumer-electronics manufacturers and studios alike.
---
"Ultimately, we believe one standard is far preferable to multiple standards," said Circuit City spokesman Jim Babb.
Sigh. And with HD DVDs going going into production shortly, the train is definitely leaving the station, as the sub-head says it all:
Disc Replicators and Equipment Manufacturers Prepare for Mass Production to Support Upcoming Launch of the HD DVD Next Generation Disc
Blu Ray is planning on using Java, a nice open standard, to develop all of the interactivity on the discs. Meanwhile, Microsoft & Toshiba may tie Windows CE and HD-DVD:
Microsoft and Toshiba have reached an agreement under which they will explore ways to use Microsoft Windows CE technology in new high-definition optical disc players, according to top executives of both companies.
It allllll keeps on rolling.
Microsoft is also pushing quietly forward with making more and more movies available in high definition on standard DVD media, but using the Windows Media 9 based VC-1 codec. As Microsoft has stated that they'll be using a red laser DVD (normal, current standard) in their upcoming XBox 360 next gen game box, I can't imagine those won't play VC-1/Windows Media 9 encoded high def movies on a traditional red laser DVD. The stealth high def disc player that also plays games.
Similarly, Sony plans on using a Blu Ray disc in their next Playstation, so it will also play high def movies. Sony gets to take advantage of the fact that they make the game player, the Blu Ray technology, and the movies themselves - they have a nicely integrated vertical business model there, and don't have to rely on anyone else to get their content (movies and games) on their players, while Microsoft has to convince others to put movies on HD DVD or red laser XBox 360 compatible stuff.
I think the thing to do will be to NOT buy an early, expensive HD DVD or Blu Ray player unless you have LOTS of disposable income, otherwise you'll end up unhappy with the results.
-mike
Friday, July 08, 2005
MacNN | IBM debuts dual-core 2.5GHz G5 chip
MacNN | IBM debuts dual-core 2.5GHz G5 chip
Mike's Comments: Likely to appear in new PowerMacs in a few months. The question is whether Apple will offer as single or dual chips with dual cores (2 or 4 processors total). It's my amateur understanding that OS X currently can only handle two processors max. One dual core 2.5 GHz chip should be faster than two single core 2.5 GHz chips due to faster communication between the two chips.
A low power chip at up to 1.6 GHz was also announced, which one would think might be applicable for a PowerBook G5, but Apple's announced move to INtel may not let that come to pass. Perhaps this low power unit was still too hot for portables...I'm just guessing.
Even further into the pure, raw, out-there speculative conjecture (is that enough disclaimering?): perhaps the migration to Intel has more to do with Steve getting cranky than with IBM not really being able to deliver. The interesting thing is to see what Apple does over the next two years and compare what IBM could have provided to what Apple gets from Intel.
-mike
Mike's Comments: Likely to appear in new PowerMacs in a few months. The question is whether Apple will offer as single or dual chips with dual cores (2 or 4 processors total). It's my amateur understanding that OS X currently can only handle two processors max. One dual core 2.5 GHz chip should be faster than two single core 2.5 GHz chips due to faster communication between the two chips.
A low power chip at up to 1.6 GHz was also announced, which one would think might be applicable for a PowerBook G5, but Apple's announced move to INtel may not let that come to pass. Perhaps this low power unit was still too hot for portables...I'm just guessing.
Even further into the pure, raw, out-there speculative conjecture (is that enough disclaimering?): perhaps the migration to Intel has more to do with Steve getting cranky than with IBM not really being able to deliver. The interesting thing is to see what Apple does over the next two years and compare what IBM could have provided to what Apple gets from Intel.
-mike
HDV workflow: to 50i or not, 'tis the question...
So I was talking the other day to an editing friend of mine - he's getting ready to edit an HDV feature that has yet to begin shooting.
We were talking about workflow issues: whether to shoot 50i or 60i.
The 50i Pitch:
Shooting 50i allows you to software de-interlace to 25p at a partial loss of resolution. This can be conformed to 24p with a sligth speed change.
The benefits: 50i converts to 24p more cleanly than 60i by far.
The Cons: you'll need something that can monitor a 50i HD signal - not an easy task. 50i is also a pain to make a standard def DVD if you're in a hurry or need to make them often. There's also significant extra steps to get your 50i master to a 24p master.
Options: either have a world capable HD monitor (24p, 50i, 60i capable, not cheap or easy to come by), or if on a budget, consider capturing your footage as DV via your HDV camera (the realy cheap path) or an HDV deck (preferably after cloning all your tapes with timecode intact).
But wait, this is just your editorial process - do you really need to watch it on a video monitor, or will a computer monitor do?
For the budget minded, perhaps on computer screen viewing will suffice...
DV allows for smiple machines to edit the footage, and more realtime effects. You can recapture as HDV at your convenience once you're ready for online.
Once you're ready to go online, recapture the footage, process the 50i to 25p (but that's a whoooooooole other article to write). Conform it to 24p, adjust your audio speed accordingly. Yeah yeah yeah, it's 4% slower, but an audience will never tell the difference.
The 60i approach
Capture your footage as HDV or DV, depending on:
-the hardware available (can you monitor HDV on an HD or SD video monitor? Can you do realtime color & transitions?)
-whether it's more important to have speedier effects or higher resolution
-whether it's more important to you to be able to quickly produce an SD DVD
The workflow: capture as DV or HDV (depending on your needs & equipment), edit edit edit, recapture as HDV as necessary, then do a 60i to 24p conversion...which won't look as clean, clear, sharp & smooth as a 50i to 24p conversion.
Benefits: Easy workflow, easy to monitor (either SD or HD), easy to make a DVD as you go
Cons: won't look as good as a 50i to 24p conversion, and certainly will cost more/take longer to get results as good as you could have done yourself from 50i.
Incomplete Conclusions
If quality is tantamount, shoot 50i (if shooting HDV, since no 24p HDV cameras are available...yet), but be ready to deal with the hassles involved.
If it's for broadcast, or you don't feel comfortable dealing with post complexity, or it's just a "for funsies" project, consider shooting 60i and delivering as 60i. Yes, it won't have that 24p cinematic timing, so you'll have to live with that.
When exactly do you do this 50i to 24p conversion? Definitely after picture lock (or very close to it). What's the best tool or technique? I don't have a recommended workflow for that yet. What's the step by step on all this?
It's coming, it's coming...
-mike
We were talking about workflow issues: whether to shoot 50i or 60i.
The 50i Pitch:
Shooting 50i allows you to software de-interlace to 25p at a partial loss of resolution. This can be conformed to 24p with a sligth speed change.
The benefits: 50i converts to 24p more cleanly than 60i by far.
The Cons: you'll need something that can monitor a 50i HD signal - not an easy task. 50i is also a pain to make a standard def DVD if you're in a hurry or need to make them often. There's also significant extra steps to get your 50i master to a 24p master.
Options: either have a world capable HD monitor (24p, 50i, 60i capable, not cheap or easy to come by), or if on a budget, consider capturing your footage as DV via your HDV camera (the realy cheap path) or an HDV deck (preferably after cloning all your tapes with timecode intact).
But wait, this is just your editorial process - do you really need to watch it on a video monitor, or will a computer monitor do?
For the budget minded, perhaps on computer screen viewing will suffice...
DV allows for smiple machines to edit the footage, and more realtime effects. You can recapture as HDV at your convenience once you're ready for online.
Once you're ready to go online, recapture the footage, process the 50i to 25p (but that's a whoooooooole other article to write). Conform it to 24p, adjust your audio speed accordingly. Yeah yeah yeah, it's 4% slower, but an audience will never tell the difference.
The 60i approach
Capture your footage as HDV or DV, depending on:
-the hardware available (can you monitor HDV on an HD or SD video monitor? Can you do realtime color & transitions?)
-whether it's more important to have speedier effects or higher resolution
-whether it's more important to you to be able to quickly produce an SD DVD
The workflow: capture as DV or HDV (depending on your needs & equipment), edit edit edit, recapture as HDV as necessary, then do a 60i to 24p conversion...which won't look as clean, clear, sharp & smooth as a 50i to 24p conversion.
Benefits: Easy workflow, easy to monitor (either SD or HD), easy to make a DVD as you go
Cons: won't look as good as a 50i to 24p conversion, and certainly will cost more/take longer to get results as good as you could have done yourself from 50i.
Incomplete Conclusions
If quality is tantamount, shoot 50i (if shooting HDV, since no 24p HDV cameras are available...yet), but be ready to deal with the hassles involved.
If it's for broadcast, or you don't feel comfortable dealing with post complexity, or it's just a "for funsies" project, consider shooting 60i and delivering as 60i. Yes, it won't have that 24p cinematic timing, so you'll have to live with that.
When exactly do you do this 50i to 24p conversion? Definitely after picture lock (or very close to it). What's the best tool or technique? I don't have a recommended workflow for that yet. What's the step by step on all this?
It's coming, it's coming...
-mike
Final (almost) chapter on laptop drive and Dell 2405 monitor...
A busy busy week, sorry I haven't been posting - full time gig for a client, and my laptop hard drive sh*t the bed. It's essentially on a heart/lung machine now - I'm running my new 100GB external drive in a small FireWire enclosure, and I blanched at the instructions I found online to install it - a bit beyond even my comfort level, and I feel pretty comfortable diving into any Mac desktop. It's 3am, I've got all my software installed, and my email/address book/etc. working again, I may drop the drive and laptop off and get somebody else to install it for me.
My upgrade didn't go as I'd hoped with my failing laptop drive - I couldn't use the migration functions of 10.4 as I'd hoped - when installing OS X 10.4 (Tiger), it asks if you want to install data from another partition or computer. Unfortunately, another FireWire drive with my User folder copied over didn't count - it wasn't a listed option (no valid installed OS probably why).
In the end, I got all my files off safely, and had to reinstall all software. Time consuming, but no "work" was lost. Software can be reinstalled exactly as was, but you can't easily re-write months of research.
Backups, people, backups. Bad Things can happen anytime...
As for the Dell 2405 1920x1200 LCD monitor, I'm calling this one Good Enough and returning the previous one tomorrow, and calling the whole thing a day and living with this one.
My upgrade didn't go as I'd hoped with my failing laptop drive - I couldn't use the migration functions of 10.4 as I'd hoped - when installing OS X 10.4 (Tiger), it asks if you want to install data from another partition or computer. Unfortunately, another FireWire drive with my User folder copied over didn't count - it wasn't a listed option (no valid installed OS probably why).
In the end, I got all my files off safely, and had to reinstall all software. Time consuming, but no "work" was lost. Software can be reinstalled exactly as was, but you can't easily re-write months of research.
Backups, people, backups. Bad Things can happen anytime...
As for the Dell 2405 1920x1200 LCD monitor, I'm calling this one Good Enough and returning the previous one tomorrow, and calling the whole thing a day and living with this one.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Monday's Updates on Dell 2405 and laptop drive replacement
Busy weekend having fun, so not a whole lot happened.
Dell 2405 Update: found one stuck ("1/3 dead") pixel on the newest (3rd) monitor, three inches down and a half inch from the top right corner. Feh. I'm thinking if the HD component input works, I'm gonna live with this one, too much hassle otherwise. And yeah, the component inputs seem to be working fine, so I'm going to just live with this one. They tuycked the shipping labelin with the packing list, so the 2nd one goes back tomorrow.
If I have time tonight, I'll doodle some more with the HDLink vs AJA HDP and see how they compare in terms of image quality/characteristics.
Laptop hard drive upgrade - I hate to admit it, but something is wrooooooooooong with my laptop's operation. It's gotten super ultra slow since the hard drive got so full I got a warning message about it's fullness. I now have 6GB free on a 60GB drive, but performance is horrifically slow - it takes a minute or more to switch apps, open windows, etc. Within a document I'm usually OK, but something is just bad, bad, bad slow. Something got fubared during that "too full" episode I think. I'd already been meaning to get a bigger laptop drive, but this has been the impetus to get it done quickly. My consulting client called me as I was driving in and said to take the day off, which is a good thing since that'll let me catch up on other stuff.
I've been running SuperDuper (latest version downloaded over the weekend) for nearly 11 hours. This can't possibly be right - 11 hours to back up 50GB of data? This should take less than an hour under normal copying circumstances. Technically, it's still making progress - (I parked the cursor on the progress bar's end (where the blue line had been drawn to), and it's moved a few pixels further since then, so it's working. But CPU utilization is about 4% for SuperDuper, and Activity Monitor's Disk Activity graph shows a burst every few seconds of about 1 MB/sec. Quite woeful indeed - a previous copy ran at about 25 MB/sec to the same FireWire drive.
I'm inclined to gut it out and let it finish, it's just really annoying to have to wait that long.
Updated 3pm - At this point I've booted from a FireWire drive, and I'm making a Super Duper disk image so I have a backup if all goes to hell. It's slowly chugging along - an hour and a half in, it appears to be about 25% done. When this gets done, I'll try a clone to an empty FireWire drive. If that doesn't work, or looks like it'll take 3 days, I'll just copy files over manually to the FireWire drive, install the 100 GB drive, and specify the cloned FireWire drive as the old install to snag mail/prefs/pictures/audio/etc. from. Eek. This'll be an all day thing.
This is another great example of why backups are such a good idea - even where you're careful and know what you're doing (or at least think so), Bad Things can happen to Nice Computers.
This is also why I haven't responded to any emails in about 24 hours, and won't until tonight/tomorrow - my PowerBook/email box is DOWN.
-mike
Dell 2405 Update: found one stuck ("1/3 dead") pixel on the newest (3rd) monitor, three inches down and a half inch from the top right corner. Feh. I'm thinking if the HD component input works, I'm gonna live with this one, too much hassle otherwise. And yeah, the component inputs seem to be working fine, so I'm going to just live with this one. They tuycked the shipping labelin with the packing list, so the 2nd one goes back tomorrow.
If I have time tonight, I'll doodle some more with the HDLink vs AJA HDP and see how they compare in terms of image quality/characteristics.
Laptop hard drive upgrade - I hate to admit it, but something is wrooooooooooong with my laptop's operation. It's gotten super ultra slow since the hard drive got so full I got a warning message about it's fullness. I now have 6GB free on a 60GB drive, but performance is horrifically slow - it takes a minute or more to switch apps, open windows, etc. Within a document I'm usually OK, but something is just bad, bad, bad slow. Something got fubared during that "too full" episode I think. I'd already been meaning to get a bigger laptop drive, but this has been the impetus to get it done quickly. My consulting client called me as I was driving in and said to take the day off, which is a good thing since that'll let me catch up on other stuff.
I've been running SuperDuper (latest version downloaded over the weekend) for nearly 11 hours. This can't possibly be right - 11 hours to back up 50GB of data? This should take less than an hour under normal copying circumstances. Technically, it's still making progress - (I parked the cursor on the progress bar's end (where the blue line had been drawn to), and it's moved a few pixels further since then, so it's working. But CPU utilization is about 4% for SuperDuper, and Activity Monitor's Disk Activity graph shows a burst every few seconds of about 1 MB/sec. Quite woeful indeed - a previous copy ran at about 25 MB/sec to the same FireWire drive.
I'm inclined to gut it out and let it finish, it's just really annoying to have to wait that long.
Updated 3pm - At this point I've booted from a FireWire drive, and I'm making a Super Duper disk image so I have a backup if all goes to hell. It's slowly chugging along - an hour and a half in, it appears to be about 25% done. When this gets done, I'll try a clone to an empty FireWire drive. If that doesn't work, or looks like it'll take 3 days, I'll just copy files over manually to the FireWire drive, install the 100 GB drive, and specify the cloned FireWire drive as the old install to snag mail/prefs/pictures/audio/etc. from. Eek. This'll be an all day thing.
This is another great example of why backups are such a good idea - even where you're careful and know what you're doing (or at least think so), Bad Things can happen to Nice Computers.
This is also why I haven't responded to any emails in about 24 hours, and won't until tonight/tomorrow - my PowerBook/email box is DOWN.
-mike
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Saturday - Lab Day! Dell 2405 & laptop hard drive updates
So Thursday or so I got my replacement Dell 2405 1920x1200 LCD panel in. It appears to be a new one, different packaging than the one clearly labelled "Refurbished" last time.
My 100 GB Seagate Momentous 5400.2 replacement laptop hard drive came in, and I'm working on the swapover, which is not a task to be undertaken lightly.
Torrey Loomis over at Silverado Systems gave me a bunch of advice after I ran off and bought something without asking him first. "Duh" on my part - Torrey has been incredibly helpful and generous with time and favors with me, and I'd recommend him as a VAR (value added reseller) to anybody out there needing to get a system. He's also in southern California if that's useful for anybody. Last I heard, he also has a Panasonic 1200A deck (that's the DVCPRO HD deck with FireWire) that he rents out for $1000/wk. Mention I sent you, and I get a little luv back. So please do.
How to replace a laptop hard drive and keep all your info?
Anyway, Torrey had suggested a Wiebetech ComboDock with a 2.5" drive adaptor. Then I could dupe the drive to the 100 GB, then swap the drives out. A perfectly workable solution, and a good piece of gear to have around, but I decided I just want to get an external enclosure for the 60GB drive. Of course, I don't have one yet, I'm looking at a few different vendors.
So what I decided to do instead in the meantime was to clone the drive to an external FireWire drive. The plan is to clone to a FireWire drive, be sure I can boot off of it, swap the old 60GB for the new 100GB internal drive, then clone the FireWire drive to the new 100 GB drive. Basically, copy and stash my hard drive contents on a FireWire drive while I swap stuff out.
This isn't as simple as a Finder copy - there are Special Things that don't let that work. So you have to make a clone so that it'll boot, apps will run, and permissions get handled correctly (a big deal in OS X world). My usual favorite, Carbon Copy Cloner, doesn't work under OS X yet,so I'm trying Super Duper, a similar tool that's been around for awhile.
Right now I've emptied out a FireWire drive, zeroed it out (using the Write Zeroes option to make sure all bad sectors on the drive are mapped out) and am doing a straight clone to it.
I'll update this more tomorrow.
-mike
Update - last note - I just spotted it - I have one "stuck" pixel - the green doesn't work - on one pixel at the top right corner. Crap crap crap - oh, hell - if the component HD analog works, I'll probably just stick with this one. I need to test the analog HD component inputs still, gotta set up a test.
Tomorrow - off to make dinner.
-mike
My 100 GB Seagate Momentous 5400.2 replacement laptop hard drive came in, and I'm working on the swapover, which is not a task to be undertaken lightly.
Torrey Loomis over at Silverado Systems gave me a bunch of advice after I ran off and bought something without asking him first. "Duh" on my part - Torrey has been incredibly helpful and generous with time and favors with me, and I'd recommend him as a VAR (value added reseller) to anybody out there needing to get a system. He's also in southern California if that's useful for anybody. Last I heard, he also has a Panasonic 1200A deck (that's the DVCPRO HD deck with FireWire) that he rents out for $1000/wk. Mention I sent you, and I get a little luv back. So please do.
How to replace a laptop hard drive and keep all your info?
Anyway, Torrey had suggested a Wiebetech ComboDock with a 2.5" drive adaptor. Then I could dupe the drive to the 100 GB, then swap the drives out. A perfectly workable solution, and a good piece of gear to have around, but I decided I just want to get an external enclosure for the 60GB drive. Of course, I don't have one yet, I'm looking at a few different vendors.
So what I decided to do instead in the meantime was to clone the drive to an external FireWire drive. The plan is to clone to a FireWire drive, be sure I can boot off of it, swap the old 60GB for the new 100GB internal drive, then clone the FireWire drive to the new 100 GB drive. Basically, copy and stash my hard drive contents on a FireWire drive while I swap stuff out.
This isn't as simple as a Finder copy - there are Special Things that don't let that work. So you have to make a clone so that it'll boot, apps will run, and permissions get handled correctly (a big deal in OS X world). My usual favorite, Carbon Copy Cloner, doesn't work under OS X yet,so I'm trying Super Duper, a similar tool that's been around for awhile.
Right now I've emptied out a FireWire drive, zeroed it out (using the Write Zeroes option to make sure all bad sectors on the drive are mapped out) and am doing a straight clone to it.
I'll update this more tomorrow.
-mike
Update - last note - I just spotted it - I have one "stuck" pixel - the green doesn't work - on one pixel at the top right corner. Crap crap crap - oh, hell - if the component HD analog works, I'll probably just stick with this one. I need to test the analog HD component inputs still, gotta set up a test.
Tomorrow - off to make dinner.
-mike
Article on Digital Intermediate Colorists
Seven Questions: Is HDV Good Enough?
Seven Questions: Is HDV Good Enough?:
DMN: Is it just as good[as HDCAM]?
Proulx: I would never say just as good, that%u2019s dangerous. It's good enough.
Yeah, I concur. And to qualify that, he's saying it's good enough for ENG, NOT for high end docs etc. It's all about removing barriers to entry when HDCAM or Varicam is overkill.
-mike
DMN: Is it just as good[as HDCAM]?
Proulx: I would never say just as good, that%u2019s dangerous. It's good enough.
Yeah, I concur. And to qualify that, he's saying it's good enough for ENG, NOT for high end docs etc. It's all about removing barriers to entry when HDCAM or Varicam is overkill.
-mike
Inlet Announces Fathom 2.0, Real-Time VC-1 Encoding
Inlet Announces Fathom 2.0, Real-Time VC-1 Encoding
Realtime encoding of VC-1 content, which is one of the three codecs (COmpressor/DECompressor) approved for use in both HD DVDs and Blu Ray discs, the two competing standards for high definition DVD formats.
Just another tool in the toolbox.
Realtime encoding of VC-1 content, which is one of the three codecs (COmpressor/DECompressor) approved for use in both HD DVDs and Blu Ray discs, the two competing standards for high definition DVD formats.
Just another tool in the toolbox.
Sony HDR-HC1 HDV Camcorder Review
Sony HDR-HC1 HDV Camcorder Review on camcorderinfo.com
I've heard this site described as very consumer oriented, so keep in mind when they say how great it looks...that it's great for a consumer camera.
Salient points:
Achieving a resolution nearly triple to most MiniDV camcorders, the new HD Sony showed 656.1 lines of horizontal resolution and 480.9 lines of vertical resolution. These numbers yield a real resolution score of 315518.49.
The resolution that the DCR-HC1 is producing is double to triple that of MiniDV camcorders.
...and then it goes into detail about the controls.
My takeaway - a nice consumer HDV camera, perhaps the first real consumer HDV camera. Even at $1800 (lowest price online), it's still pretty expensive. But HDV cameras will be under $1000 in a couple of years I'd bet.
Would I shoot a little indie film on it? Hell no.
But it'd be a good doodle/get used to it/student camera.
I guess the salient question is if I only had $2000 for a camera, would I pick it over something else? Probably, assuming it handled the exposure lattitude I needed.
-mike
Article on Digital Intermediate Colorists
Friday, July 01, 2005
Automatic Duck's Pro Export v3.0 now shipping
Quick PR regurgitation as I head out to see War of the Worlds:
Quoting from their press release with my bold added for emphasis:
--------------------------------------------
I. Pro Export FCP 3.0 now shipping
--------------------------------------------
From the buzz we're hearing, people have been anxiously awaiting this release. Wait no more, Pro Export FCP 3.0 is now shipping!
In this new release, not only will you be able to send FCP rought cuts to Avid editing systems for finishing, now you can finally send your rough audio mix as OMF to Digital Audio Workstations like Pro Tools, Nuendo and Digital Performer.
Clip gain, volume automation, pan, they are all exported to OMF from FCP!
Existing users of ASE Pro or Pro Export FCP 2.0 can update to Pro Export FCP 3.0 for $195. Order from this page...
http://www.automaticduck.com/online_store/upgrade_pefcp.html
If you purchased Pro Export FCP 2.0 on April 12 or after, you can upgrade to Pro Export FCP 3.0 at no charge here...
http://www.automaticduck.com/online_store/upgrade_pefcp_free.html
Mike's Comments: A handy tool for moving from FCP offline to Avid online, if you want to do that. Keep in mind media needs to be compatible, or recapturable, to take advantage of that. I think the bigger, more practical application will be the ability for editors to hand off their rough audio work to somebody using Pro Tools etc. and be the audio guy won't have to start from scratch, the editor's rough audio work will be there as a guide...but that work won't be "burned in", it'll be adjustable settings. OK, on to WoW.
-mike
Quoting from their press release with my bold added for emphasis:
--------------------------------------------
I. Pro Export FCP 3.0 now shipping
--------------------------------------------
From the buzz we're hearing, people have been anxiously awaiting this release. Wait no more, Pro Export FCP 3.0 is now shipping!
In this new release, not only will you be able to send FCP rought cuts to Avid editing systems for finishing, now you can finally send your rough audio mix as OMF to Digital Audio Workstations like Pro Tools, Nuendo and Digital Performer.
Clip gain, volume automation, pan, they are all exported to OMF from FCP!
Existing users of ASE Pro or Pro Export FCP 2.0 can update to Pro Export FCP 3.0 for $195. Order from this page...
http://www.automaticduck.com/online_store/upgrade_pefcp.html
If you purchased Pro Export FCP 2.0 on April 12 or after, you can upgrade to Pro Export FCP 3.0 at no charge here...
http://www.automaticduck.com/online_store/upgrade_pefcp_free.html
Mike's Comments: A handy tool for moving from FCP offline to Avid online, if you want to do that. Keep in mind media needs to be compatible, or recapturable, to take advantage of that. I think the bigger, more practical application will be the ability for editors to hand off their rough audio work to somebody using Pro Tools etc. and be the audio guy won't have to start from scratch, the editor's rough audio work will be there as a guide...but that work won't be "burned in", it'll be adjustable settings. OK, on to WoW.
-mike
