With SIGGRAPH 2005 in full swing at the L.A. Convention Center, now would be a good time to get an update on the major announcements that have been made so far. For those of you not in the know SIGGRAPH is the annual conference for the computer graphics industry. Since many of the DV users out there will be using some of these applications for their next project I figured a rundown of the major announcements would be helpful.
Autodesk makers of 3ds Max have announced 3ds Max8 the latest update to their popular 3d modeling and animation software. Expect some nice new features to be included when the software is released in the fall.
Avid Technology has also updated its flagship 3d modeling and animation software SOFTIMAGE|XSI to version 5.0. Improvements include the ability for 64-bit processing and the software should hit store shelves in September.
Finally Alias has updated its popular Maya software to version 7, but you can read all about that a couple of posts down. SIGGRAPH 2005 runs until the 4th, so if you are in the L.A. area and you want to check out all the new software in person get yourself to the Convention Center.
DV.com has review of CineForm Inc's new HD plug-in for Adobe Premiere Pro. AspectHD is a plug-in which allows for capturing and editing of HDV in Premiere Pro. The plug-in also allows for real time viewing of the HD content while editing but the process is very CPU intensive and a top end system is needed for good results. AspectHD also captures the HDV footage at a higher quality by capturing HDV's native MPEG-2 files and converting them into its own codec which has a 4:2:2 color space as opposed to HDV's 4:2:0 color space making for a higher quality image. AspectHD is available now and will run you $500.
Alias has announced updates for its popular 3D modeling and animation software. Both the Maya and MotionBuilder software will receive and upgrade to version 7. Maya 7 adds a new shading feature as well as improved rendering functions. Along with these updates MotionBuilder’s “IK Solver” is will now be directly integrated into Maya. Both pieces of software are expected to ship this month and will run on you Mac, PC and Linux box. The new software ranges in price and with the cheapest option running nearly $2,000 this is definitely a piece of software aimed at the professional market.
MovieEditor Magazine is putting on The 2005 MovieEditor Conference this Wednesday, August 3rd in downtown LA. The conference is an all day event and will include a number of discussions as well as speakers from Disney, DreamWorks, Pixar, and the South Park TV show. There is a $59 fee for the conference but this includes two meals and all the different events throughout the day, which can be found on the website. If you are going to be in the LA area this week and are interested in computer based editing, this looks like a good event to attend.
For those of you who are still shooting on an old-school VHS camcorder or are looking for a simple way to digitize all of you're old analog footage the Pyro A/V Link may be the solution. DTVProfesioanl.com has a review of the Pryo A/V Link which is a piece of hardware that allows for the digitizing of analog video. The front of the box contains an S-Video port, composite video-in, left and right RCA audio inputs and a 4-pin FireWire port. The back of the unit contains the same connections as well as a 6-pin FireWire port and component video inputs/outputs. The unit captures the digitized video at a standard DV NTSC resolution of 720 x 480 at 30 frames per second. The box can also be used without a computer to transfer DV footage onto a analog format such as a VHS tape. The unit lists for $279 but can be found much cheaper if you shop around.
Sony has been showing off its new 4k digital projector the SXR-R110, which is the first commercially available projector capable of displaying 4k content. With the recent agreement on the new digital cinema specs by the large Hollywood studios, digital projectors look to be the future of the cinema. Sony's new projector is capable of displaying resolutions up to 4096 x 2160, but it can also display high definition footage as well as the current 2k digital projection standard. The switch to digital projectors promises to eliminate the imperfections which can be marked on film prints each time they are shown, and will allow each showing of the film to remain identical. Look for the new projectors to be arriving in your local multiplex's over the next few years.
Over the last week we have covered two external storage boxes with G5 inspired designs and Trans International looks to be following the trend with their MiniG series of storage devices. The MiniG systems come in a variety of designs and capacities and are available in one, two or four-drive configurations. The capacities of the enclosures vary in size; from just 300GB on the single-drive to 2TB on the four-drive system with nearly any size you could need in-between. The enclosures feature different connections depending on the model from FireWire 400 and 800 to an SATA connection on the larger drives. Prices are also across the spectrum and vary from $300 to $2,300 depending on capacity.
Over at Digital Producer there is a new review up of Serious Magic's latest chromakeying application ULTRA 2. The application is an update to the original ULTRA 1 software which was released in 2003. ULTRA 2 features many new upgrades including HDV support and a live preview function. The new software also includes some familiar features such as virtual sets and a simple interface for ease of use. The application is Microsoft only but it works just fine with QuickTime files for all the Mac users with a spare PC. The new software will run you $495 and is availible now.
If you are in the market for cheap tape less camcorder from an obscure Japanese manufacturer, the Evergreen DN-DV320 may be for you. The camera records XviD/MPEG-4 formatted video at either 640 x 480 or 320 x 240. The camera also has the ability to take JPEG stills with its 3 megapixel CMOS sensor. But for roughly $160 (17,800 yen) you should expect to forgo some of the finer features found in other cameras such as a viewfinder, optical zoom and stereo sound. Additionally the camera only packs a measly 16MB of flash memory but with its on-board SD card slot it can be expanded up to 1GB. The camera is both PC and Mac compatible and for anyone looking to add simple video to their website this camera may be cheaper alternative to its MiniDV counterparts.
Canon USA has announced two new MiniDV cameras the Optura 600 and Optura S1. (pictured above) The Canon Optura S1 features a 2.2 megapixel CCD and a 10x optical zoom with a 2.5" LCD screen and should be available in mid-September at a price of $799.
Right on the heels of the release of G-Tech's new 1TB RAID drive, Other World Computing has released its own G5 inspired enclosure. The Mercury Elite Pro Aluminum Dual RAID packs 1TB of total storage though two 500GB hard drives. The drive also features both firewire 800 and 400, and will look right at home next to your G5. The drive is both Mac and Windows compatible and will run you just under 1k.
Digital Video Editor has a new review up of the Dell UltraSharp 2405FPW. The monitor features a large 24" widescreen as well as a native resolution of 1920x1200. The high resolution of the screen makes it perfect for all of your Hi-def editing needs. The monitor also features a 9 in 1 flash reader and the ability to be rotated 90 degrees for a portrait-orientated display. The review gives the monitor a score of 9.7 out of 10, which is an exceptional mark. The monitor is a great alternative to the more expensive Apple 23" cinema display and even with its cheaper price tag it still gives you the resolution and image quality needed to work with Hi-def footage.
VASST has released an update to its Ultimate S series of plug-ins for Sony Vegas. Version 2.0 of the software offers real time multi-cam switching as well as a photo montage feature. Also included in the plug-in is a feature which allows for the simple creation of lower thirds graphics, a nice addition especially for someone who in not too familiar with motion graphics but wants to add a nice touch to their video. The web site is packed with tutorials and resources for newcomers who are unfamiliar with the plug-in. The software will run you either $150 for the full package or $50 for the upgrade and is available now.
The Friday Feature is a weekly column which will focus on a newly
released or soon to be released DV project that is worth a closer look.
This week's featured project is the new psychological thriller November. The low budget film features Courtney Cox of Friends, and even with its big name actors the film only had a $150,000 budget and 15 days to shoot which lead to the decision to shoot entirely on MiniDV. The film won the "excellence in cinematography" award at this year's Sundance Film Festival which is an impressive achievement considering it was shot digitally. The film is being released in both LA and NYC this weekend and will be expanding to theaters throughout the country in the coming weeks.
With SIGGRAPH 2005 in full swing at the L.A. Convention Center, now would be a good time to get an update on the major announcements that have been made so far. For those of you not in the know SIGGRAPH is the annual conference for the computer graphics industry. Since many of the DV users out there will be using some of these applications for their next project I figured a rundown of the major announcements would be helpful.
For those of you who are still shooting on an old-school VHS camcorder or are looking for a simple way to digitize all of you're old analog footage the 
Sony has been showing off its new 4k digital projector the SXR-R110, which is the first commercially available projector capable of displaying 4k content. With the recent agreement on the 
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Right on the heels of the release of 
The Friday Feature is a weekly column which will focus on a newly
released or soon to be released DV project that is worth a closer look.
