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Week
of Feb 1
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Feb
5
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PUBLICATION
Yesterday Mac Publishing LLC
announced the immediate suspension of
eMediaweekly, the weekly news
publication for digital content creation.
Formerly MacWEEK magazine,
eMediaweekly debuted on August 24, 1998.
The newsweekly will cease publication with
its Feb. 1, 1999, issue.
'Computer
publications across the industry had a
difficult year in 1998, and we have seen
indications 1999 will be no easier,' said
Mac Publishing LLC President/CEO and
eMediaweekly Publisher Colin
Crawford.
There
was no word on the future of the
eMediaweekly and MacWeek
websites.
[The
success of computers actually seems to
have impacted computer publications. As
computers have become even more
"maintstream" companies have begun
advertising in general purpose
publications rather than the computer
magazines. At the same time, general
computer users are less likely to read
dedicated
publications.-Ed]
<www.emediaweekly.com
notice "Emediaweekly
ceases
publication">
Canon has announced a new compact
DV camcorder, the Elura. The
camera features three shooting modes:
Video, Photo and Progressive Scan Digital
Motor Drive, a 12X optical zoom and
Canon's Optical Image Stabilization
System. Interestingly the press release
says that the camera will offer
"Optura-like performance" at a lower price
and in a more compact design. However the
list price for the Elura is $1799, and the
Optura is currently retailing at less than
$1,400.
The
Elura features a progressive scan CCD
image sensor with 380k pixels, and the
lens is comparable to the 39mm to 472mm
focal length of a 35mm camera. Other
features include a 48x digital zoom, IEEE
1394 I/O digital signal terminal, and
Audio/Video Insert and Audio Dubbing. A
first for Canon, the camera include Analog
Line-In so you can transfer video from
older video sources to DV.
Canon
will bundle a 45-day preview version of
the video editing software program, EditDV
Unplugged. Each Elura kit will include 2
CD-ROM discs which may be loaded on a Mac
or PC computer. The second disc will
include video footage captured by the
Elura, which can be used as source footage
for editing.
<www.canon.com>
 
RealNetworks third annual
RealNetworks Conference &
Exhibition will be held at the San
Francisco Marriott Hotel, May 5-7, 1999.
The standard registration fee for the
conference and exhibition is U.S. $995.
Register before April 15, 1999 and save
$100. To register online or get more
information about conference registration,
visit the RealNetworks Conference &
Exhibition '99 Web site at
<www.real.com/conference>
or call 800-632-5537. To register for free
to attend only the exhibits, visit:
<www.real.com/register/>
Aurora Design has posted new
drivers for their video card. The Version
1.7 drivers add a new Slow Motion Field
Control which allows the user to display
one field or both fields when paused or
scrubbing. Using the Single Field mode
eliminates the field interlace "shaking"
or "tearing" that occurs when pausing an
interlaced image.
<www.auroradsgn.com/Pages/Software.htm>
Kodak has started to roll
Picture CD out to a wider market.
The rollout will occur over the next few
months (after which a national advertising
campaign will commence.) The "where" page
at the Kodak site now lists some national
retailers outside the test markets of
Indianapolis, Salt Lake City and
Boise.
<www.kodak.com
web page "Picture
CD Where">
Lucent Digital Video will propose
the first closed-captioning
specification for digital
television (DTV) to the Advanced
Television Systems Committee (ATSC) for
standardization. The specification is an
open interface between the industry
standard EIA-708 caption server and MPEG-2
encoders, and will be submitted by Lucent
Digital Video in cooperation with ULTECH
Corporation and DiviCom.
In
November 1998, Lucent Digital Video
announced the first working on-air
closed-captioning solution for DTV with
ULTECH Corporation, WCVB-TV/Boston and the
WGBH Educational Foundation.
<www.lucent.com/ldv>
At PMA '99 FujiFilm will be
announcing several new products including
digital cameras:
Fujifilm
claims the MX-2700 is the world's
smallest super megapixel camera. It will
sport a 2.3 million pixel CCD sensor and a
2-inch color LCD monitor. Images are 1,800
x 1,200 and the camera weighs 8.5 ounces
and measures 3.1 (w) x 3.8 (h) x 1.3 (D)
inches. Small enough to fit into a shirt
pocket, it has a 2.5x (digital, not
optical) telephoto mode and automatic
playback function. It uses SmartMedia
cards, and with a 32MB SmartMdia card, the
camera can store up to 142 shots.
The
Fujifilm megapixel MX-600 ZOOM
Digital Camera has a 1.5 million CCD and a
3X optical zoom and digital 2X telephoto
zoom feature. Instant image preview and
playback can be viewed on the built-in
1.8-inch color LCD monitor.
The
Fujifilm DX-10 XGA, 850,000 pixel
resolution digital camera, also equipped
with both a 1.8-inch LCD monitor and
optical viewfinder, features built-in
digital processing effects.
<www.fujifilm.com>
 
Outside our price range, but
Alias|Wavefront, a subsidiary of
Silicon Graphics, Inc. has announced
Maya Complete, a new animation and
effects solution for Windows NT or SGI
IRIX workstations.
Maya
Complete includes Alias|Wavefront's 3D
modeling, rendering, and animation
technology, an F/X particles system with
integrated soft-body dynamics, and Artisan
tools for sculpting and modeling with a
brush. Maya Complete has a SRP of $7,500
(US).
<www.aw.sgi.com>
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Feb
4
|
Aureal Semiconductor Inc. has
released via the Web its A3D Pro
sound design Plug-In for Digidesign Pro
Tools.
Using
A3D Pro, sound designers can create 3D
audio environments for use in cut scenes
or other pre-rendered content. Audio
professionals can construct simulated
aural venues ranging from cramped stony
dungeon corridors to echoing gymnasiums,
placing the listener directly in the
environment they are modeling.
"A3D
Pro is an excellent tool for creating
pre-rendered 3D sound modeling,'' says Rob
Wyatt, Software Engineer at DreamWorks
Interactive. "With advanced digital audio
imaging features such as reflections,
sound designers can create highly
realistic 3D effects to round out
non-real-time portions of video game
content.''
A3D
Pro evolved from Aureal's Protron plug-in
for Pro Tools, used in Hollywood films
such as Twister and The Cable
Guy.
Aureal
A3D Pro is available now for $399.00 list
(US$) on Aureal's online store. Existing
Protron users may upgrade to A3D Pro
directly through Aureal for $99.00 (US$)
by calling 510-252-4233.
<www.a3d.com/a3dpro>
Minolta says it will produce and
distribute a 3-D digital camera utilizing
MetaCreations' recently announced
MetaFlash technology. This camera
will enable Web developers to capture
photo-realistic 3-D images for interactive
use on the Internet and in other
applications.
MetaFlash
is the combination of a flash attachment
and software that reconstructs the digital
pictures into texture-mapped 3-D wire
frame models. These models are output in
the MetaStream 3-D file format designed
for Intel Architecture for transmission
over the Internet, and Web users can then
view and manipulate the models with the
MetaStream client-side engine.
<www.metastream.com>
The VRML code editing package
"Chisel" is now available for
Macintosh. Chisel is a Java App and
although useable on the Mac for sometime,
installation instructions were not.
Instructions have now been added for
Macintosh users.
There
is a free 15 day demo available. It does
the following: Cleans Code, Reduces File
Size,Validate VRMLs, Adjusts Resolution,
Compresses File, Reorganize Scenes.
(Chisel is not a modeling package.)
The
full version is 49.95 and is also
available online.
Trapezium
also offers Vorlon, a VRML
validator.
<www.trapezium.com>
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Feb
3
|
auto*des*sys, Inc. has released
form*Z 3.0. This major upgrade
offers objects with multiple parametric
personalities, a fully customizable
interface, and animation. According to the
company this version improves the general
purpose modeler and prepares the ground
for its next stage of evolution which is
modularity and open architecture.
form*Z
3.0 now merges the different types of
objects: NURBS, Bezier/Coons patches,
analytic primitives, polygonal objects,
and even metaballs can be separate
representations or they may coexist on the
same object. Each parametric type can
exhibit a distinct personality and
behavior when edited to be reshaped, thus
offering virtually unlimited possibilities
for sculpting 3D forms.
The
interface is no longer fixed. The user can
decide what tools will be available, how
they will be combined in tool palettes,
where in the tool bar they are positioned,
where on the screen they appear, and even
how they look.
form*Z
3.0 is compatible with the new iMac and G3
computers from Apple. It now supports the
USB port and can be installed from a
CD.
<www.formz.com>
VRML 99 is expected to be the most
successful in the four-year history of
this conference, which addresses the
direction, techniques, and impact of
three-dimensional (3D) interaction on the
World Wide Web.
It
takes place February 23-26 at the Heinz
Nixdorf Forum, in Paderborn, Germany. It
is still possible to register to attend
VRML 99, which costs $625 for the full
conference.
For
more information, or to register to attend
VRML 99, visit the VRML 99 web site.
<www.c-lab.de/vrml99>
Vegas FX, Inc., has released of
TOPS Video, a lower end companion
to the company's existing TOPS ProVideo
product. TOPS ProVideo, introduced last
year, is a vector-based videographics
application for Windows
95/98/NT.
TOPS
Video is free for non-commercial and
educational users, who can download the
product beginning today from the Vegas FX
web site. For commercial use, TOPS Video
is priced at $149. Commercial users can
also download the educational version to
evaluate the product.
Also
announced, Vegas FX has appointed L&S
Marketing, Inc. in Albuquerque, NM as the
exclusive distributor for both TOPS Video
and TOPS ProVideo.
<www.vegasfx.com>
<www.lsmarketing.com>
Kodak has a couple of special
offers underway:
Buy
a Kodak DC220 Zoom Digital Camera,
between January 15, 1999 and March 15,
1999, and you are eligible to receive a
free parallel port Card Reader for
Windows-compatible computers. All coupons
must be postmarked by April, 15 1999.
Offer valid in the U.S. only.
<www.kodak.com
web page "DC220
Promotion">
Purchase
any five packs of KODAK Inkjet
Media (any size) between January 15,
1999 and April 30, 1999 and they'll send
you one pack free. All requests must be
postmarked by May, 4 1999. Offer valid in
the U.S. only.
<www.kodak.com
web page "Inkjet
Promotion">
Pinnacle Systems ReelTime NITRO
DVE Factory is a new tool that enables
NITRO users to extend NITRO's bundled 3D
effects, and create customized 3D
keyframed effects of their own. NITRO DVE
Factory provides users full X, Y, and Z
control over 3D perspective tools such as
placement, size, rotation, cropping, among
others. It also allows user to create 3D
warp shapes including page scroll and
fold, splash, ball, slats, arrow, burst,
saw tooth, sine wave, bumps, hexagon, and
balloon. Users can easily design new
effects from scratch or by modifying the
included 3D NITRO Magic 3D effects. To use
their custom effects, users simply save
them, and then the new effects are
instantly available directly inside of the
Adobe Premiere RT 5.1 application. NITRO
DVE Factory also gives user complete
control over keying and border
creation.
ReelTime
NITRO DVE Factory is available free of
charge to registered ReelTime NITRO
customers, and be downloaded from Pinnacle
Systems' website at. ReelTime software
2.03 is also available free of charge, and
must be installed prior to the
installation of NITRO DVE factory.
<www.pinnaclesys.com
web page "ReelTime">
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Feb
2
|
MetaCreations Corporation has
announced new software for creating
animated Web advertising banners.
Headline Studio will create
animated GIF banner ads for the Web that
can be viewed on any browser at multiple
bandwidths. It's planned to be available
for the Windows and Macintosh platforms
via e-commerce and electronic distribution
later this month and on retail shelves in
March.
Headline
Studio 1.0 will include video effects such
as walk-ins, dissolves and fades for
images and text (either lines, words or
individual letters). It includes
customizable, Web-safe color palettes,
unlimited undo, and the ability to
determine GIF animation size and frame
rate after the animation has been
designed. Features include:
- Split
text: Divide text into individual
lines, words or characters
- Instant
preview of GIF animations
- Dozens
of animation parameters
- Color
palettes: choose from preset "Web-safe"
color palettes, create custom palettes
within Headline Studio, or import
palettes from MetaCreations' Painter
5.5 Web Edition, or Adobe Photoshop.
The
MSRP is expected to be US$249 with an
average selling price of US$199.
<www.metacreations.com/products/hls>
Asymetrix Learning Systems, Inc.
has announced ToolBook II Object
for RealSystem G2. This new object
provides ToolBook users with a method for
integrating G2 streaming media system into
online learning applications created with
Asymetrix ToolBook II authoring products.
The ToolBook II Object for RealSystem G2
is available free of charge to both
Asymetrix and RealNetworks customers by
download from the Asymetrix Web site and
the RealNetworks Web site.
The
ToolBook II Object for RealSystem G2
supports the recommended World Wide Web
Consortium (W3C) standard, Synchronized
Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL).
This support allows the integration and
synchronization of many media types
including RealAudio, RealVideo, RealPix
(JPEGs & Gifs), RealText, RealFlash
animation by Macromedia, and MPEG-1 by
DBC.
<www.asymetrix.com
product page "ToolBook
II">
At this years 99 NAMM show MIDIMAN
announced its new digital audio division,
M Audio, which will focus on
products for the PC and Mac based digital
recording market. The M Audio division
expects to introduce over a dozen products
in 1999 and several of these were on
display at the NAMM show
including:
DMAN
PCI -- Stereo Audio PCI Card: A
relatively low cost, PCI compliant stereo
sound card with 90 dB dynamic range. The
DMAN PCI has stereo line-level inputs and
outputs on gold-plated RCA jacks and MIDI
in and out on 9-pin DIN connector (MIDI
break out cable included). The DMAN PCI is
fully Windows 95/98 Plug-and-Play
compatible and requires only one IRQ and
no DMA channels.
USB
MidiSport 2x2 -- USB 2 in/2 out MIDI
Interface: A 2-in 2-out USB MIDI interface
(32x32 MIDI channels) for USB-equipped
PC's or Mac's. The MidiSport is
self-powered with MIDI-activity indicators
for each port and a "MIDI Thru" pushbutton
that allows gear to be accessed even when
the computer is turned off.
BiPort
2x4s -- Mac/PC MIDI Interface with
SMPTE: A cross-platform, high-speed serial
bus interface that works with both PCs and
Macs. The BiPort has 4 independent MIDI
outs (64 channels) and 2 independent MIDI
ins (32 channels).
<www.midiman.net>
Living Album 99 for Windows
95/98/NT is an electronic photo album that
enables users to manage, organize and
electronically share their images on the
Internet or the desktop. Once the user
imports the pictures and organizes them
into their desired layout, Living Album
uploads the photo album via the Club Photo
Network which provides a free photo Web
site that houses completed albums for
customers to publish their images. Living
Album features templates to organize each
album. The software also offers desktop
presentation and slide show capabilities.
In addition, the album can be archived on
the desktop, modified, reorganized and
shared again and again.
<www.clubphoto.com>
Sierra Imaging's Image Expert
CE software is the first imaging
application supporting the new color,
Palm-size PC devices powered by the
Microsoft Windows CE operating system.
It's expected to be available by the end
of April 1999
Image
Expert CE can act as the interface between
digital cameras and Windows CE devices
allowing users to view JPEG images,
annotate them with voice, ink or text, and
distribute them via email. Groups of
images can also automatically run as a
slide show. Image Expert CE users can also
share images with their desktop PCs by
synchronizing to the Windows 95, Windows
98 or Windows NT version of Image Expert.
Image
Expert CE 1.0 is available for sale
directly from Sierra Imaging. An
electronic download version retails for
$49.95. A CD-ROM version can be purchased
for $69.95.
<www.sierraimaging.com>
The website Streaming Media World
features news, tools, tutorials, resource
links, and discussion forums for
Webmasters who are developing and managing
Internet multimedia content.
<www.streamingmediaworld.com>
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Feb
2
|
A couple of weeks ago I attended the
Kodak Developers Conference. There
was lots of interesting information about
Digita, DPOF and Meta Data. If you're
interested in digital cameras or digital
imaging, check this out.
<Kodak
Developers Conference
Report>
Joel Cannon has written an
interesting user report on the multimedia
authoring tool iShell.
<iShell
user
report>
I'm currently writing a book about
digital cameras. I've added a web
page for the book, though at the moment it
is very rudimentary. More information will
be added soon.
<The
Complete Guide To Digital
Cameras>
QuickEditor 6.1 for Macintosh is
shipping. QuickEditor is a shareware
QuickTime movie editor. It offers features
such as 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
35 US $.
What's
new in version 6.1 for
Macintosh:
- The
Titling Tool has been dramatically
improved, and can now handle up to 10
Titles simultaneously, with previewing
for animated titles.
- 100
levels of Undo/Redo available for all
registered users
- Bug
fixes
QuickEditor
is shareware ( 35 $ Registration Code for
unlimited access to every feature), or
available on CD for 75 $ ( Full
documentation, enhanced version of the
program, more than 400 audio samples
).
<wild.ch/quickeditor>
I am, by nature, a pessimist. And nothing
has me more pessimistic than the current
value of Internet stocks. Don't get
me wrong, I think the Internet is
incredible, and has great potential, but I
just can't figure out the valuation of
companies such as Yahoo! and
Amazon.com.
But
then maybe I'm just pissed because I never
got in on a good IPO.
It's
therefore a relief to me when I find an
article in the Economist which sums up
everything I've been saying. Of course,
they're probably annoyed they didn't buy
those companies early too
<www.economist.com
article "When
the bubble
bursts">
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