News posts from 2003 Q2

[Erik J Na]

thats very interesting news. its going to be ultra compact rig for remore recording engineer. can't wait to see the product and peformance. i always hated carrying bulky DAT or DAW. ^-^

[Robert Knecht Schmidt]

When I think of the kind of SNR such a rig must deliver, I am reminded of the TI-86 graphing calculator programs that allowed you to play sampled audio files that would be picked up by an adjacent FM radio...

[Dan Holly]

http://www.sonicfoundry.com/vegas90/

[Jeff Donald]

Sent to me by Panasonic. Enjoy.

From: Panasonic Broadcast Newsletter <PanasonicBroadcastNewsletter@list.panasonic.com>
Date: Fri Apr 18, 2003 10:42:48 AM US/Eastern
To: ProVideoNews <ProVideoNews@list.panasonic.com>
Subject: Chicago DP Shoots Concert with Panasonic DVX100

========================================
PANASONIC PRO VIDEO E-NEWSLETTER
========================================
April 18, 2003
========================================

CHICAGO DP DOCUMENTS BREAKTHROUGH CONCERT FOR ALTERNATIVE ROCK BAND WHEAT
WITH SIX PANASONIC AG-DVX100 24P DV CINEMA CAMCORDERS

When director of photography Dan Friedman wanted to show off the
capabilities of his new Panasonic's AG-DVX100 24P DV Cinema(TM) camcorder in
a concert environment, he approached Aware Records, a Chicago-based
recording company that specializes in discovering and promoting new talent.
The result was a six-camera AG-DVX100 shoot of the up-and-coming rock 'n
'roll band, Wheat, a Massachusetts-based trio who last month opened for the
band Toad the Wet Sprocket at Chicago's popular music venue, the Vic.

Steve Smith, Aware Record's Vice President A&R, said that the concert
footage, "amazing in quality," is slated to be used to create a music video
for MTV2, as well as an electronic press kit supporting the group's upcoming
album, "Per Second, Per Second, Per Second...Every Second," due out this
summer.

The breakthrough AG-DVX100 is a unique 3-CCD Mini-DV camcorder with
exclusive CineSwitch(TM) technology that supports 480i/60 (NTSC),
cinema-style 480p/24fps and 480p/30fps image capture.

Friedman, the Chicago-based principal of DSF Productions, is a veteran DP, a
film specialist who recently shot dozens of major sporting events with
Panasonic's other available 24p camera -- the AJ-HDC27 VariCam(TM) HD
Cinema(TM) camera. Since taking delivery of his own AG-DVX100 last fall,
he's used the mini-DV camcorder to shoot sit-down coach and player
interviews for the National Basketball Association (NBA), among other
high-profile assignments.

"I found the 24p aspect of the AG-DVX100 fascinating, and that coupled with
its image quality and ability to handle multiple lighting scenarios led me
to the purchase," said Friedman. "I've found that the camera excels in
interview and documentary situations such as the Vic concert -- the blacks
crush beautifully, you get rich, saturated colors, and the skin tones are
spectacular. You can record professional 16-bit/48kHz digital audio through
the AG-DVX100's two-channel, built-in XLR inputs and take sound feeds from
the board. The Wheat concert, the band's first major U.S. appearance, was a
great opportunity for me to present the camera to Aware, a joint venture
with Columbia Records."

For the full story, please visit:
http://www.panasonic.com/pbds/subcat/newsinfo/press_03/03_26.html

========================================

To learn more about the revolutionary DVX100, please visit:
http://www.panasonic.com/dvcinema

========================================

Feel free to forward this E-Newsletter to friends and colleagues.

To subscribe to our free E-Newsletters, please visit:
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[Steve Bell]

The article below signals the beginning of a revolution in movie projection -- I don't think that too many independent filmakers who are now planning to shoot with Varicam, HD10, or DVX will have to worry about the tremendous expense of transfering to film. Movies by these guys rarely ever make it beyond the arthouse theaters; actually in a great majority cases they are lucky to ever make it to the arthouses of the Landmark class.

Landmark Theatres and Microsoft Corp. announced that they are equipping 177 screens in all 53 Landmark Theatres across the United States with digital cinema playback systems based on Microsoft Windows Media 9 Series. This agreement represents the largest digital cinema theater circuit installation to date in the United States.

For the first time, a critical mass of the independent film industry's infrastructure will be wired for digital distribution. This helps address the escalating costs of releasing theatrical films, which weighs heaviest on the independent sector, as it must pay the same costs to release a film as the major studios. The creation of a complete digital alternative represents a major breakthrough in these economies that will help guarantee greater diversity and access to the marketplace for independent filmmakers and distributors alike.

Working with Microsoft and Landmark to deploy the network will be Digital Cinema Solutions (DCS). DCS will supply its solution, the Cinema System, which has powered the BMW Films Digital Cinema Series in 25 theaters since November 2002. The DCS Cinema System employs a networked PC architecture that integrates into existing theater infrastructure. Once the network is in place, Windows Media 9 Series allows films to be sent to theaters over private networks, on CD-ROM or on DVD-ROM, all protected with Windows Media Digital Rights Management technology.

[Steve Bell]

You'll also be able to release your movie soon on HD DVD:

APRIL 18 | While the DVD Forum ponders various red-laser and blue-laser proposals in an effort to come up with a unified high-definition DVD format, Microsoft Corp. is the first into the HD-DVD marketplace with two titles already released with its Windows Media 9 Series technology.

Artisan Home Entertainment on June 3 will release its "Extreme Edition" DVD set of Terminator 2: Judgment Day with a separate high-resolution DVD-ROM version of the film viewable on Microsoft Windows Media 9 Series-equipped computers.

T2: High-Definition, a complete theatrical version of the James Cameron sci-fi smash, will be playable in high-resolution with six-channel surround-sound audio directly from a personal computer.

It's the second Artisan title to include, in addition to the standard-definition DVD-Video version of the movie, a separate high-resolution DVD-ROM version. Standing in the Shadows of Motown, in stores this week, will be the first (VB, 3-24).

With the Windows Media 9 Series format actually capable of resolution six times greater than NTSC, they call these two titles the first HD-DVD releases.

"There's no one I know who could tell the difference between them and a good over-the-air [HD] broadcast," said Richard Doherty, director of research for consumer electronics analyst firm the Envisioneering Group, who has seen clips from both Artisan DVD-ROM versions.

"Shadows and T2 will be the first HD-DVDs to reach consumers without waiting for the DVD Forum to say, 'Yes, this is an authorized format.' That will make the Forum pretty annoyed but a lot of consumers happy."

The DVD Forum, a Japan-based standards body representing predominantly consumer electronics companies, is evaluating a number of conventional-patents-based red-laser HD-DVD formats as well as several next-generation blue-laser proposals. Its goal is to soon adopt one HD-DVD standard agreeable to studios and electronics manufacturers alike.

Doherty said that it's likely that Microsoft is talking to other studios besides Artisan regarding such releases.

Currently, the only HD packaged media content available to consumers are the 40 titles or so released in JVC's tape-based D-VHS format. Among those, Artisan will or already has put out not only T2 and Shadows of Motown in D-VHS but Young Guns, Stargate, Basic Instinct, Dirty Dancing, First Blood, Total Recall, Reservoir Dogs and Glengarry Glen Ross.

"Let's say Microsoft matches the D-VHS library by this summer," Doherty said. "That would certainly be a benchmark the industry would have to look at. Microsoft will push ahead despite the DVD Forum and look to get content out there."

[Joseph George]

The stand-alone players for the Microsoft HD DVD system are to be introduced soon. Toshiba and Warren Communications will soon be counteracting with the red laser HD DVD, which is basically a DVD with MPEG4 HD content. Samsung is about to release red laser HD player.

Sony is naturally heading the largest consortium -- of the high bit rate/capacity blu-ray HD DVD -- to be used in players / recorders / camcorders, which will encode with MPEG2. Toshiba is also pushing another, lower end, blue laser format HD DVD.

With the Microsoft introduction a war started! Whoever wins will make the most money in licensing fees. Example: If Microsoft's system prevails as the most popular, they'll get royalty on most HD DVD's -- on the ones released with their system. It's like with XBOX and Playstation 2. For each Playstation 2 software disc any company makes Sony collects $10 royalty fee; Microsoft is probably collecting the same on XBOX.

What this mean is that Sony will quickly move in with the introduction of blu-ray HD DVD players. (They are already selling in Japan blu-ray HD DVD recorders.) They'll use the enormous movie library of Columbia/Tristar to start things moving.

Toshiba will do the same with their red laser system, which is meant for players only, and will initially use Warner Brothers movie library.

Microsoft started a war and we have some heavyweight fighters out there. What does this mean for us? The HD era is about to start a lot sooner than anyone expected. Hold on to your seats. It will be a roller coaster ride straight to HD and beyond. The beyond will be 3D HD.

[Gary Bettan]

Our NAB2003 report is now posted.

http://www.videoguys.com/NAB2003.html

Lots of cool stuff at this years show. Hopefully our vendors will hit the target ship dates.

Gary
Videoguys.com

[Joe Carney]

The issue is also about content creation. It doesn't cost anything to get and use MS encoders. The current cost of Blue Ray is more than a PC with a large Harddisk capable of playing back dozens of titles. I saw something like that using Divx at Megacon earlier this year. They programmed a couple of Shuttle PCs hooked up to front projectors and let them play 12 hours at a time. I talked to the students running the place, they actually downloaded some titles directly from distribution places in Japan (no commericial showing allowed, Megacon was treated similar to a Film Festival).

[Joseph George]

1. The networks are all basically switching to HD production.
2. Large percentage of households has cable. The amount of HD programming on cable is growing at a fast pace; the same goes for satellite.
3. When companies do marketing research and want to know what are the U.S. consumers doing now, they do their research in Midwest. When they want to know what will the average American consumer buy a few years down the road, they do their research in California. I don't care if you go to Good Guys, Tweeter, Circuit City, Frys, Sears, etc., in Los Angeles, San Diego, or San Francisco; there is a lot more floor space devoted to HDTV than TV. And they sell some standard TV models that give them very good margins. You go to Target and K-Mart and there is no HDTV. There are also hardly any customers buying TVs at K-Mart or Target here, compared to the first mentioned stores. You can buy 27" HDTV ready set in Los Angeles for $600; wide-screen HDTV projection sets are sometimes on sale for $1000. A lot of zero interest financing. So after the average California resident buys his fancy car or an SUV on credit, and he goes shopping to Costco, where they have hardly any quality displays, and he passes through the TV section, where kids are watching HDTV, and he sees the difference in quality of $600 32" Toshiba TV and $850 32" Samsung HDTV, will he buy the TV set or the HDTV set? He gets bombarded on his cable by ads for $8 extra a month for HDTV service. The payments on his HDTV set will be 20x less than on his car or SUV. He will believe that his set will last at least 3x longer than he plans on keeping his SUV, or a car, that costs the same as the SUV. He will spend 1-1/2 hour in his vehicle each day but he, as any average American, will spend 5 hours a day watching TV. When he goes to Blockbusters next year, he'll see a good selection of HD DVDs. His kids will tell him how cool HDTV is. There will be HD DVD players for couple of hundred of dollars, that he will be able to charge on his Visa. The main material things in his life are house for $250,000, 2 to 3 cars in the family worth some $40,000, so why would not he buy an HDTV set for $1000? Of course he will. Very soon! Most of the upper middle class families here will have one soon. Their neighbors are going to buy one, their co-worker will tell them how great his HDTV set is, their kids have just watched HDTV at a friend's house. So he will definitely buy one, maybe next year for Christmas.
4. Then their daughter gets married in couple of years. While shopping for a videographer, one of the guys tells the bride and groom that the government is in a process of outlawing analog sets; will shows them side by side SD and HD tape (or DVD) and will tell them that they can have a longer 2-camera SD production or a shorter one camera HD production for the same price. The competition only has SD. This videographer looks like pro; he has both HD and SD. His SD costs the same as the competition's SD. Which videographer will the bride and groom choose?
5. The broom works in a company that is planning to produce some corporate videos. One video production company will explain to them the quality and longevity of HD, will claim that SD stuff will be obsolete in a few years, will explain that they can master in HD and provide them with SD tape for now and HD tape for the future. The internal A/V guy will confirm what the production company has to say; he's been telling them for a while that he would like to get HD gear. Will the company decide to make less corporate stuff in HD or more in SD, if they have a fixed budget, or will they request a budget increase?
6. One of the TV stations will no longer accept SD material. Will the other ones follow?
7. Should you replace your old SD gear with latest SD gear or should you wait a couple of years and buy HD gear for the same price that SD costs right now?

[Joe Carney]

to Joseph George....
As far as your points. None of them apply to most people in the real world.
Most people are getting DVD players and hooking them up to their existing TV sets, them complaining to Blockbuster about not getting a full screen of movie (not realizing the DVD player squeezes instead of crops the video).

Most peoples' eyes glaze over when you start to tell them about SD and HD.

Most people hesitate to buy a TV or computer from CostCo or Sams. No service at all, or they send if off and you don't see it for months or they direct you to some local fix it shop that may or may not have the parts. Or worse, they discontinue the model and plead ignorance when you need help. I will buy steaks from them though.

Most people are only recently getting into DVD (Less than 2 years using the format). Many are so impressed with DVD they aren't interested in upgrading. It's only those who are making the content who it really matters the most too.

Most people outside of CA think people in CA are looney. Most people ouside of LA in CA think everyone in LA is looney. Most people in LA don't have a clue about the rest of the country and how it lives and spends money. So talking to people in the LA area about SD and HD is not a good cross sample of the population. They are much more knowledgable than most other places. And they are looney. (just kidding).

Most people don't even have DVD burners in their PCs much less stand alone set top boxes. Most do still have VCRs capable of recording video straight from their DV or Hi8 camera(and can pruchase one for less than 100). At the time I am posting this...
there is no HD version of TIVO. I'm sure they can change that quickly though.

The most desired DVD players among consumers are the ones combined with VHS playback in a single unit.

Most people still have computers running at less than 1ghz.

Most people think a TV over 300.00 is too expensive.

Most people don't have their DVD player hooked up to a 5.1 surround system. And they get supicious when a saleperson tries to sell them one.

Most surround systems sold are part of a combined player/receiver/speaker package. Most of those sound awful. But are better than Stereo, so people still buy them when they finally decide to upgrade.

Many are buying cheap DVD players as gifts for someone else without thought about system matching and setup. Most don't know what DTS stands for.


Until the recording and playback/distribution/display process for any format falls into a price that most consumers will consider, that format will not be important to the vast majority of people. DVD players took off because of high quality and low prices, same for the content. The average price for a new DVD at bestbuy is 19.95. On their sales rack, you can get them for around 8. WalMart has Canadian versions of US syndicated shows for 6.00 a piece. (just showing examples here...). (Special Operations Force was R rated outside of US for breif nudity not shown on US television).

When you can get a HD TV for 300.00, a player for under 300 with all the latest greatest audio format support (DVD-A,SACD,MP3,WMA.....), and prices at 19.95 for the content. Then HD might take off. But....DVD is just too succesful for the industry to abandon it. So we shall see. SD DVD really is good enough for most people. Just ask them. Not the AV geeks like me, but the typical family. They think we all watch too much TV as it is.

So, investing in good SD equipment is not so bad. Getting a firewire HardDrive instead of a DV VTR would probably make sense, since the disk can/will support different formats.

Other than that, DVD like VHS is going to be around for years and years to come. If for no other reason than inertia.

IF videographers can afford HD equipement, then good. Becuase HD video source makes the best SD DVD content. Thats how they do SuperBit DVDs. (Film to HD masters).

But if you can't afford HD, don't sweat it, Get a PAL DVX100 with 100 additional vertical lines, use an anomorphic adapter and uprez it if needed (tongue in cheek,hehehe). That new pana HD cam is only 480p anyway isn't it?

Heck, Blockbuster is still rying to explain to people that widescreen video on a DVD is not cropped. You would be surprised at how many people think 16x9 DVD is the same a cropped widescreen VHS. HD? naw. not for awhile at least for the vast majority of people.

The reason I think the Windows Media HD is imortant right now is becuase it's the only affordable HD format around. And with the deal with LandMark theaters, they will be in more theaters than the system used for Star Wars. And independents will be able to afford the creation/distribution costs. If you haven't already, downlad the stepintoliquid HD demo from MS. It's a trailer for a new surfing movie by the people who made Endless Summer. Stunning.


Most people will upgrade their PC when 2+ gigahertz PCs from Dell or Gateway fall below 1000.00 with a nice big monitor and dvd-r and a gig of ram and surround speakers......hehehe.

[Kai Leibrandt]

For those interested in what hd actually looks like, head on over to http://windowsmedia.com/9series/DemoCenter/Default.asp, and go see those deom clips.
Be warned; you _will_ need a fast computer (MS say 2.4GHz but my 2GHz PIV plays them too), and a good pipe onto the internet (a few clips are larger than 100Mb).
I for one am very impressed, especially the liquid clips are very good (in terms of image quality that is).

Kai.

[Joe Carney]

the liquid clip was awesome. I will have to go and see the movie. Made by the folks who did the original endless summer.

[Ken Tanaka]

I just received an email notice from B&H Photo that they are dropping the prices on a variety of DV gear. This is typically a signal that (a) the gear is moving slowly through inventory and/or, (b) that successor products are coming.

I post this not to advertise for B&H but as a general heads-up. Here's an abstract of the message I received.

We are VERY excited to announce some spectacular price drops on several of our most popular video products from major brands including Sony, JVC and Panasonic.

Sony
DSR-11 DVCam Recorder was: 1999.95 now:1649.95
DSR-25 DVCam Recorde was: 3199.95 now: 2699.95
DSR-45 DVCam Recorde was: 4349.95 now: 3599.95
DSR-PD150 3-CCD DVCamcorder was: 3399.95 now: 2999.95
DSR-PDX10 3-CCD DVCamcorder was: 2399.95 now: 1999.95

JVC
GY-DV300U DV Camcor w/KA300U Adap. was: 2699.95 now: 2399.95
GY-DV300U DV Camcorder was: 3499.95 now: 3199.95

Panasonic
AG-DV2000 DV VCR was: 1999.95 now: 1739.95

[Nick Kerpchar]

Ken,
That is interesting news, especially with respect to the Sony PD-150 and the PDX-10. Maybe this is the beginning of the good news that never came out of the NAB this year. Let's hope so.

Thanks for the good news! Nick