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Week
of Jan 11
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Jan
15
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There's a little more information
available about Sony's new
Digital8 camcorders. These
camcorders use Hi8 tape, but record in a
digital format. They can also record and
play regular analog tapes, and can be used
with Sony's iLink (Firewire) connection.
Sony has created a special web section
(see below) which includes some
specifications as well as a Frequently
Asked Questions section:
What
is the difference between Digital8 and
DV?
Bascially, Digital8 and DV share the
same picture quality, sound quality and
PC interfacing capabilities. Digital 8
Handycam camcorders also offer playback
compatibility for 8mm analog
recordings...Mini DV...on the other
hand, incorporate exclusive devices
such as Zeiss lenses and features such
as Cassette Memory....are also
extremely compact.
So
it seems that Mini DV will be in more
expensive - but smaller - cameras. Five
Digital8 models are listed, ranging in
price from $899 to $1,399. When recording
in digital mode the Digital8 cameras
record only an hour on a 120 minute Hi8
tape. While Digital8 is supposed to have
the same image quality, the Digital8
cameras so far announced seem to have
lower resolution CCDs than the TRV9 (which
has a 680K chip, versus 460K in the new
DCR-TRV510) and there is no three chip
camera, so it may be difficult to compare
video quality with these first generation
cameras.
<www.sel.sony.com
web section "Digital8">
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
has released the "Namespaces in
XML" specification as a W3C
Recommendation. This new specification
allows authors to mix two or more
XML-based languages in one document
without conflict or ambiguity.
Every
XML document contains elements just as
every HTML document contains elements
(such as the familiar "P", "TABLE", etc.).
XML, unlike HTML, allows people to create
their own elements to meet their
particular needs. A collection of elements
is called a "namespace" and this W3C
Recommendation describes how to mix two or
more of these namespaces.
The
"Namespaces in XML" specification resolves
potential name clashes by using the Web
addressing infrastructure. Each element
name in a document may be prefixed with a
unique address qualifying the
name.
Further
information about upcoming developments of
XML are available at the website:
<www.w3.org/XML/Activity>
GRAPHICS
Ulead Systems has released Ulead
GIF-X.PLUGIN, a set of Adobe
Photoshop 32-bit compatible plug-ins
designed to create special effects for GIF
animations.
Packing
twelve effects into one plug-in tool,
GIF-X.Plugin includes amazing movement
oriented effects such as Rotation &endash;
for creating spinning images, 3D Map
&endash; for mapping images around
revolving globes, Bounce &endash; which
animates images with an effect resembling
a bouncing ball, and Flag &endash; which
creates a waving flag effect.
As
an Adobe Photoshop (APS) 32-bit compatible
plug-in, GIF-X.PLUGIN will work in any
program that accepts APS plug-ins such as
Adobe Photoshop, Ulead PhotoImpact, Ulead
GIF Animator and Jasc Paintshop Pro. Ulead
GIF-X.PLUGIN will sell for a suggested
price of $29.95. It may be purchased from
major online resellers or through the
Ulead WebUtilities Web site at
<www.webutilities.com>
FlashPoint Technology has appointed
David B. Pratt president and chief
executive officer. Most recently Pratt was
executive vice president and chief
operating officer of Adobe Systems. He has
been a member of FlashPointís board
of directors since June 1998.
FlashPoint
is the creator of Digita, the
software operating environment for digital
cameras and printers used in the Kodak
DC220 and DC260, and the Minolta Dimage EX
ZOOM 1500.
<www.flashpoint.com>
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Jan
14
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Version 3.0 of a Mac 3D program I've never
heard of before, Pixels:3D, will be
available January 15. Version 2.1.4 is
currently available for free.
<www.pixels3d.com>
 
Digidesign, a subsidiary of AVID
Technology, has announced their ToolBox
for Windows bundle, an all-in-one
package of audio production tools for
creating professional-sounding audio
recordings. The ToolBox includes
Digidesign's Audiomedia III PCI digital
audio card and Session software, and
Emagic's Logic Audio AV software. Sonic
Foundry says ``lite'' version of its Sound
Forge and ACID software have been selected
for inclusion in Digidesign's ToolBox for
Windows.
DigiDesign
already sells a Macintosh version of the
same product. At the moment their website
hasn't been updated to reflect this new
release.
<www.digidesign.com>
<www.sonicfoundry.com>
While the new G3 Macs Apple just
released include FireWire, the
Radius (now DigitalOrigin) EditDV
product currently only works with their
PCI FireWire card. As of RDius 1394 driver
version 1.6b1, EditDV Unplugged is the
only product that can use the onboard 1394
ports.
<www.digitalorigin.com>
Sun Microsystems says key companies
involved in the digital television
industry including Matsushita, Motorola,
OpenTV, Philips, Sony, and Toshiba have
joined in the development of the Java
TV Application Programming Interface
(API). The first draft of the Java TV API
is expected to be released for public
review by end of first quarter, 1999.
The
Java TV API will will support interactive
television content such as enhanced
television, Video-On-Demand (VOD),
Electronic Programming Guides (EPGs), and
interactive multi-camera-angle sporting
events. The API will also address other
functions such as audio/video streaming,
conditional access, and access to in-band
and out-of-band data channels. In
addition, the Java TV API will provide an
independent software platform to access
the hardware features that are unique to
televisions, such as tuner control for
channel changing and on-screen graphics,
while maintaining portability across
operating systems and microprocessors.
<java.sun.com>
STORAGE
Iomega Corporation has entered into
a definitive agreement to purchase certain
assets of SyQuest Technology, Inc.,
including all of its intellectual
property, and its inventory and fixed
assets in the U.S., for $9.5 million in
cash, subject to certain closing
conditions and adjustments.
Iomega
will not assume any material obligations
or liabilities of SyQuest. Warranty
service and customer support obligations
for products sold by SyQuest will remain
the responsibility of SyQuest. SyQuest
announced that it has commenced limited
sales and support operations, including
online technical support via the World
Wide Web, warranty returns and product
service operations.
<www.iomega.com>
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Jan
13
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Aurora Design, Inc. has reduced the
price of the Aurora Fuse digital
video capture card from $649 to $499
effective immediately.
<www.auroradsgn.com>
If you're going to be in Boston January 19
or San Francisco January 21 you might want
to see if you can get into Kodak's
Developer Conference '99 (KDC
'99).
Kodak
executives, including James R. Milch,
manager and chief architect of Kodak's
Image Data Systems Program, and Phil
Garfinkle, president and CEO,
PictureVision, Inc., and general manager
of Kodak's Network Services, will outline
Kodak's technical and marketing visions
and introduce the co-branding
program.
Development
and product managers from Kodak Picture
CD, Kodak PhotoNet Online, and Kodak's
digital camera, scanner, thermal and
inkjet printer programs will provide
guidelines and implementation specifics in
a series of break-out sessions throughout
the day.
KDC
'99 will be held on January 19 at the Ritz
Carlton in Boston, and on January 21 at
the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco.
Developers will be presented with:
- Technical
tracks with the latest information on
professional and consumer/business
products and toolkits.
- A
showcase of Kodak products and
technology.
The
full conference agenda and on-line
registration are available at
<fcweb.asmcorp.com/kodak>
Darrel Plant has posted version 0.8 of his
PostScript to VectorShape
converter. This Director Xtra
converts Adobe Illustrator EPS and AI
files into Director 7 vectorshapes. Each
path in the Illustrator file is converted
into a separate vectorshape.
<www.moshplant.com/direct-or/ps2vs/>
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Jan
12
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HEURIS has announced version 1.4 of
their MPEG Power Professional. With
this upgrade users of Adaptec Toast and
Easy CD Creator are now able to create
MPEG videos using MPEG Power Professional.
The MPEG Export Engine-Professional is
included to enable exporting directly to
MPEG from other applications that utilize
QuickTime 3 export, including Apple's
MoviePlayer Pro and Media Cleaner Pro 3.1.
Media Cleaner Pro 3.1 from Terran
Interactive has additional built-in
support for the MPEG Export
Engine-Professional.
This
version also supports applications that
utilize QuickTime 3 export on both Mac OS
systems and Win95 and WinNT systems.
Customers who have previously purchased
MPEG Power Professional may upgrade to 1.4
free of charge.
<www.heuris.com>
HEURIS has also announced that it
joined the MPEG LA Licensing Program. MPEG
LA, the licensing authority for the Moving
Pictures Experts Group of the
International Standards Organization, has
assembled a pool of over 200 patents and
sub-patents used in the digital
compression standard MPEG-2. This pool,
known as the MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio
License, makes worldwide MPEG-2
essential patent rights available at fixed
rates under a single license.
Accoprding
to Heuris, by joining MPEG LA it is
freeing itself from the risk of costly
patent infringement litigation down the
road.
Viewpoint DataLabs has got a jump
on Valentine's day with the LiveArt 3D
Valentine Collection. The collection
comes with dozens of 3D digital sculptures
and a selection of artistic styles to help
users create personalized romantic images
- for use in everything from greeting
cards and Web sites to love letters and
other documents.
Using
Viewpoint's LiveStyles technology, the
Valentine Collection lets users turn 3D
objects into artistically drawn
illustrations of winged hearts,
arrow-pointing cupids, cherubs, flowers,
teddy bears and more. A fully functional
demo version of Viewpoint's LiveArt 98
interactive illustration software, the
Valentine Collection contains a sample of
the 3D models and artistic styles
available in the full version of
LiveArt 98 as well as additional
models and styles created specifically for
Valentine's Day. The Collection may be
downloaded for free. The holiday special
price of $49.95 for the full version of
LiveArt 98 has been extended through
Valentine's Day.
<www.3dvalentine.com>
While the DVD-Video standard has
been approved and adopted, it was only
recently that a DVD-Audio standard
came into being. That's the good news. The
bad news is that not everyone think's it's
the right way to go.
Sony
is pushing the Super Audio CD. It
not only promises higher sound quality
than a CD, it incorporates advanced copy
protection and anti-piracy features
through the use of visible and invisible
watermarking technologies and offers a
hybrid disc that can be played in existing
CD players.
At
CES Sony promoted the system and
demonstrated a player.
Last November Be Here Corporation
announced new imaging software for there
Be Here Portal lens. The Be Here
lens captures a 360 degree image as an
annulus (doughnut) image. Be Here already
provided software with the lens that
converted the captured images into a flat
image, but the software was very basic in
nature. (see our review
<Be
Here Portal
lens>.)
The
ImmersiveNow! software adds Script
and Batch features which allow the user to
compose a series of commands for the
application to execute. The software,
which currently runs on Windows 95, 98,
and NT systems, is priced at $1,995 and is
included with the purchase of a Be Here
lens. A version for Macintosh systems will
be available in the first quarter of
1999.
<www.behere.com>
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Jan
11
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Superscape has announced version
5.60 releases of their Superscape VRT,
Superscape SDK, Superscape 3D Control and
Superscape Viscape Universal products. New
features include shiny surfaces using
specular highlights, realtime shadows
across objects and 255 levels of true
transparency.
Release
5.60 is available immediately.
<www.superscape.com>
In Fridays' news we incorrectly marked
StageTools OnStage! as a Macintosh
tool. Infact it's a Windows application.
OnStage!, is a previsualization
tool designed for motion picture and video
producers.
<www.stagetools.com>
Last week Steve Jobs showed a DV to analog
box made by Sony; the
DVMC-DA1. He said it cost about
$300. As far as I know, at the moment Sony
isn't selling these in the States
officially yet. They were supposed to
start bringing them into the country, but
I haven't seen any announcement about that
yet.
Akiba
Exports <akiba.giganet.net>
is bringing them into the country but will
only sell them in lots of five or more.
Promax <www.promax.com>
and Berger-Bros.<www.berger-bros.com>
are selling them in individuals lots
(Berger Brothers quoted a price of
$379.99) These are probably consider "gray
market" so there may be no warranty; but
since there's no moving parts in this box
it's probably not a big
consideration.
Akiba's
website says that the DVMC-DA1 is a
"special use" item and production is
slated for 2,000 units per month. There
were plans for an official US release (by
Sony) of the product for PRE-CHRISTMAS 98,
but it didn't happen. They say that they
think the Sony USA MSRP will be $499.99.
That report is one month old and
converting the Japanense price in the
original press release for the product to
US$ makes for a price of $280 plus
whatever mark up Sony would
add.
The
unit was thought to support PAL, but that
does not appear to be the case.
<www.sony.co.jp
product press release "DVMC-DA1"
Sony announced at CES a new line of
"Digital8" camcorders, which
combine the Hi8/8mm camcorder format with
digital video technology. Digital8 records
digitally, with up to 500 lines of
resolution using video inputs on Hi8 video
cassettes. It is also backward compatible,
meaning that Hi8/8mm tapes can also be
played back in a Digital8 Handycam.
However, Sony recommends using Hi8 Metal
Particle or Metal Evaporated tapes for
recording.
The
full 1999 Sony Handycam camcorder line
includes four Digital8 camcorders,
starting at a suggested retail price of
$899.
The
Sony Digital8 camcorders (models
DCR-TR7000, DCR-TRV103, DCR-TRV310,
DCR-TRV510) include analog connections and
can connect to computers with i.LINK
(IEEE-1394) DV interface.
The
question is; how do these fit with the DV
product line, and will this cause
confusion for customers?
<www.sel.sony.com>
QuickEditor 6.0 for Macintosh is
shipping. QuickEditor is a shareware
QuickTime movie editor. It offers features
such as support for titling, transitions,
video effects and video/audio sequence
grabbing.
QuickEditor
is available for Macintosh (Mac OS) and
Windows (95/98/NT) Computers with
QuickTime 3 or better, and is priced at
$35 US.
<wild.ch/quickeditor/>
Synthetic Aperture last week
released a Windows 9x/NT compatible
version of its Video Finesse video
filter plug-ins for Adobe Premiere.
Previously available for Macintosh, Video
Finesse is a collection of plug-in filters
which work in conjunction with Adobe
Premiere, giving video professionals
finely nuanced control over their video
image.
Filters
include: Levels Adjustment Filter, Skin
Detail Filter, Gamut Limit Filter,
Bandwidth Limit Filter and Dropout Filter.
Video Finesse for Windows is compatible
with Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows
NT 4.0, and with Adobe Premiere 4.2, 5.0
and 5.1. List price for Video Finesse is
US $195.
<www.synthetic-ap.com>
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