By Andrew Liszewski

Designed to attach directly to your video capable DSLR’s hotshoe mount (though still requiring its own power source) the DP-SLR 5.6 inch HD monitor from SmallHD provides a better way to monitor what’s being recorded than your camera’s built-in LCD. The display’s 1200×800 resolution equates to a screen density of 270 pixels-per-inch, and a viewing angle of almost 180 degrees means multiple people on set, from the director to the DP, can huddle around and monitor what’s going on at the same time.

The DP-SLR’s chassis is made from a single piece of milled aluminum for strength and durability, but it only weighs in at about 10 ounces. As for connectivity, the standard unit, which sells for $899, includes HDMI, component and even a composite connection, while a more expensive $1,199 unit adds 3G/HD/SDI connections. (Apparently 3G-SDI is a new single cable serial link standard designed to replace dual link HD-SDI.)

[ SmallHD DP-SLR Monitor ] VIA [ Doobybrain ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Details are a little sparse since Redrock Micro hasn’t officially announced these at NAB just yet, but these two devices appear to be a couple of slick accessories for the company’s microRemote follow focus system. The microTape sonar autofocus unit (pictured on top) features an integrated rangefinder providing autofocus functionality for moving subjects, at what will hopefully be a relatively affordable price point. They’ll also be unveiling a wireless remote for the system that uses an iPhone or iPod Touch to provide a touchscreen interface, as well as a hardware focus wheel, for controlling an HD-video capable DSLR that’s inaccessible while on set.

[ ProLost - Best Monday Ever ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Canon just announced a couple of new prosumer video cameras that record directly to compact flash memory cards, but those already using the company’s HDV and Mini-DV camcorders don’t have to feel like they’ve been left out of the solid state storage party. Canon’s also announced the FS-CF and FS-CF Pro solid state video recorders which are actually made by a company called Focus Enhancements. They connect to the camera via its firewire port and are able to record up to 2.2 hours of 1080i HDV footage to a single 32GB CF card. Using a 64GB card will of course double your record time, but I assume Canon’s using a 32GB card as an example since the device’s removable Li-on battery pack is only good for about 3 hours of recording.

The FS-CF and FS-CF Pro both support HD framerates ranging from 24P up to 60i in both QT, M2T and MXF OP Atom formats, but can also generate MPEG-4 proxies which are easier to share online. You’re also able to review recorded footage on the device’s color back-lit LCD display, and browse through a thumbnail gallery of your videos using a convenient scroll wheel. (The Pro version also provides a web interface.) And when it’s time to edit, you can either remove the CF card in order to transfer the footage to your NLE, or simply connect the device to your workstation via USB 2 and use it as an external drive. The FS-CF and FS-CF Pro are expected to be available sometime in late April for $995 and $1,295 respectively.

[ PR - CF-Card Recording With Canon HDV Camcorders Through Focus Enhancements Solid State DTE Recorders ] VIA [ SlashGear ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Instead of lugging around a separate box for capturing HD/2K streams off of a digital video camera, the makers of the Cinedeck decided to incorporate that functionality into a playback monitor that can still be mounted on the camera itself. Via its HDSDI or HDMI inputs the device captures editable, platform agnostic, 10-bit 4:2:2 or 12-bit 4:4:4 CineForm digital intermediaries in MOV or AVI wrappers, MPG2 MXF, or whatever codec you happen to prefer.

Footage is captured to solid state hard drives for added security and reliability, and the 3 1/2-inch thick recorder is essentially a compact PC powered by an Intel Core2 Extreme quad qx9300 processor, allowing you to install and use your favorite Windows-based NLE editing software with a dual-boot OS option. Now you’re probably thinking to yourself that the Cinedeck seems targeted at professional cinematographers and videographers and probably comes with a professional-grade price tag, but just keep in mind that your $7,995 investment doesn’t cost money, it makes money!

[ Cinedeck ] VIA [ DVICE ]

By Andrew Liszewski

You won’t be able to get your hands on one until June or July, and presumably this mish-mash of a product shot isn’t what the final version will look like, but if you need a rugged, compact, professional-grade H.264 video encoder, the VideoTank HD should suit your needs. At just 3.3 x 3.3 x 1.6 inches in size it’s perfect for field work, with video being captured/saved to swappable compact flash cards, and capacities up to 32GB in size being supported which is enough for 2 hours of 1080i material.

There’s a basic LCD display on board for adjusting settings, though the recorder can also be controlled via RS-485 or USB if you happen to have a laptop on hand, and other notable features include a headphone jack, mic inputs and even high-end outputs like HD-SDI, but the most important feature, the price, has yet to be revealed.

[ DVEO VideoTank HD ] VIA [ Ubergizmo ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Flip took an early lead in the compact & dead-easy-to-use camcorder market, but a lot of companies, including Creative, have caught up and even surpassed what the Flip is capable of with their own products. The latest version of their Vado HD camcorder features a vastly improved and sleeker design that comes in various colors, patterns and finishes that will definitely appeal to the average consumer.

But the Vado HD will also appeal to those who care more about functionality than flash. It captures video at 720P ‘HD’ which equates to about 2 hours of footage on it’s 4GB of built-in memory. It’s also got a standard-sized HDMI port (since requiring an uncommon HDMI to mini-HDMI cable is lame) and a swing out USB connection with a flexible rubber arm with I find more convenient to use. But anyone who uses a device like the Flip for interviews will appreciate the Vado’s audio port on top which can either accept a pair of headphones, or an external microphone for improved audio quality. $179.99 available sometime this year.

[ Creative Vado HD 3rd Gen ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Because of their compact size and light-weight designs, video-capable smartphones and pocket-friendly camcorders can be rather difficult to keep steady when filming. But that won’t be an issue any longer since Steadicam-Tiffen, the company that pretty much wrote the book on camera stabilization, has revealed their new Smoothee stabilizing device initially designed for the iPhone 3GS, the Droid and the Flip. Now in order to use one of the devices with the Smoothee you have to place them in a special case, but besides providing a quick-release mount, the cases are actually strategically weighted for each device ensuring the setup is always in proper balance.

What that means is that you don’t have to go through the calibration and tweaking process like you would with larger Steadicam rigs, making the Smoothee extremely consumer-friendly. Of course there will always be slight adjustments needed, but those are done with a couple of easy to use knobs that really only require the slightest of turns to put the Smoothee back in perfect balance. At this point there’s no pricing info for the Smoothee or even an ETA since it was just unveiled at CES this morning, but all you cellphone cinematographers no longer have an excuse for posting poorly shot videos to YouTube.

By Andrew Liszewski

While I wouldn’t rely on it for any professional work, the fact that the iPhone gained video recording capabilities with the 3GS has occasionally come in handy. But image quality issues aside, the hardest part about using it to capture video I find is keeping the phone steady, though I can’t say I’m willing to shell out $129.99 for this slightly over-engineered solution.

The OWLE mount provides a more ergonomic solution for holding your iPhone while capturing video, and the fact that it’s made from anodized aluminum should provide enough weight to make it easier to keep steady. The phone fits inside a silicon case, which then slips into the mount itself, and there’s even a boom mic which attaches to the iPhone’s headphone jack for capturing slightly better audio. It comes with a 0.45x wide angle/macro lens, but it also accepts any 37mm mount lenses if that doesn’t suit your grand cinematic vision.

[ OWLE iPhone Video/Audio Rig ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Technology is both a wonderful and frustrating thing. On one hand, it is always evolving and bringing us new features in a better, smaller package. Unfortunately as the new comes out, the old becomes obsolete. The easiest example of this would be movies. When the DVD came out it had far superior quality to the older VHS. Now it’s difficult to even find a VCR to play those old tapes. Thankfully Blu-ray players are backwards-compatible, but what about the next leap in technology? Well Disney and Apple think they have a solution.

Eventually we are going to get to a point where media is almost completely distributed digitally. Music is slowly getting there, and movies will begin catching up. But when you start distributing movies digitally, there becomes an issue of licensing and DRM. Apple and Disney have teamed up to create “Keychest.”

Read the rest of this entry »