Sony HDR-HC3 review
The release of the HDR-HC3 has probably been the subject of more buzz than that of any other camcorder this year. Significant changes from the HDR-HC1, the camera the HC3 replaced, demonstrate the evolution in the HD market over the past year. While the HC1 targeted early adopters who demanded prosumer features, now consumers everywhere want their new camcorders to have HD. The HC1 demonstrated Sony's ability to make high-end camcorders with excellent video quality; now, in the HC3, Sony combines this expertise with its skill at producing easy-to-use camcorders for lower-end consumers. (more)
What is video?
The term video (from the Latin for "I see") commonly refers to several storage formats for moving pictures: digital video formats, including DVD, QuickTime, and MPEG-4; and analog videotapes, including VHS and Betamax. Video can be recorded and transmitted in various physical media: in celluloid film when recorded by mechanical cameras, in PAL or NTSC electric signals when recorded by video cameras, or in MPEG-4 or DV digital media when recorded by digital cameras.Quality of video essentially depends on the capturing method and storage used. Digital television (DTV) is a relatively recent format with higher quality than earlier television formats and has become a standard for television video. (See List of digital television deployments by country.)3D-video, digital video in three dimensions, premiered at the end of 20th century. Six or eight cameras with realtime depth measurement are typically used to capture 3D-video streams. The format of 3D-video is fixed in MPEG-4 Part 16 Animation Framework eXtension (AFX).In the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, the term video is often used informally to refer to both video recorders and video cassettes; the meaning is normally clear from the context. (more)
HD DVD
HD DVD (High Definition DVD) is a digital optical media format which is being developed as one standard for high-definition DVD. HD DVD is similar to the competing Blu-ray Disc, which also uses the same CD-size (120 mm diameter) optical data storage media and 405 nm wavelength blue laser. HD DVD is promoted by Toshiba, NEC, Sanyo, and, most recently, Microsoft, HP[1], and Intel. HD DVD may be non-exclusively backed by three major studios: Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios and Warner Bros. Toshiba announced the first sales of HD DVD players set for March 2006 with models priced at $499 and $799, though studios are not planning movie releases until April. [2] At CES 2006, Microsoft announced that there will be an external add-on HD DVD drive for the Xbox 360 game console, due sometime this year. (more)
Sanyo VPC-HD1 Review
The Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD1 promises a great many things, and not just the technical promise of high definition video for under $800. HD at this price promises something greater – state of the art technology for the masses. HD has become a buzz phrase, from the marketing boardrooms of tech companies, though the halls of Congress, right down into the consciousness of every aspiring consumer. But up to this point the price of producing high definition content has been out of reach for many. With Pavlovian response, Sanyo is expecting you to come salivate at their door for the VPC-HD1. We have one message: don’t get suckered. (more)
Video Editing Process
Film editing evolved from the process of physically cutting and taping together pieces of film, using a viewer such as a Moviola or Steenbeck to look at the results.
All initial editing is done with a positive copy of the negative called a workprint. This allows the editor to do as much experimenting as he or she wishes, without the risk of damaging the original.
When the workprint has been cut to a satisfactory state, it is then used to make a negative cutting list. The negative cutter refers to this list while processing the negative, splitting the shots into A and B rolls, which are then optically printed to produce the final film print.
Since the film was physically cut and pasted, a 'nonlinear' style of editing evolved. At the workprint stage, strips of film could be placed in any order. This approach is generally considered superior to the strictly linear approach that was necessary in video editing through the 1970s. A video 'cut' is really the copying of scenes from various camera tapes onto a master. Before the development of powerful computer systems that could store large amounts of visual data for transfer, it was necessary to make the transfer in strictly linear order. Trying to insert a shot between two shots already on the master tape would create noise, etc. A system such as Avid allows the creation of a workprint. (more)
