End User

Introducing the Panasonic TA-1

Technology innovator Panasonic enters the Shoot-and-Share Video segment with their newest camcorder, the TA-1. Shoot-and-Share camcorders are compact, easy-to-use devices that allow for quick video capture and upload to online sharing sites like YouTube and Facebook. Panasonic enters this space with a slick new camcorder that offers new features and capabilities unseen in competitors.

The Panasonic TA-1 is the first shoot and share camcorder to utilize Apple's iFrame video format to allow for compact recording of high quality video. The TA-1 features an LED illuminator to help out in low light situations because often image quality suffers because your subjects are only partially visible.  Another image capture benefit is resolution, the TA-1 records in full 1080P HD video and can also snap 8 MP still images.

Along with great capture technology, the TA-1 also allows for enhanced capabilities for users. The TA-1 has the essential of other shoot-and-share camcorders, like easy connectivity and video upload, but it also has the additional functionality to work as a webcam and microphone. You can use the TA-1 directly with Skype for face to face communication with friends and family anywhere with a data connection.

Panasonic's TA-1 combines a legacy of imaging expertise in a compact device you can take with you easily.

--Brandon M. Baker

Shoot And Show

Flip Video is at it again.  Their new SlideHD delivers awesome new capabilities for shoot and share shoppers.

One of the most noticeable features is the 3-inch touchscreen back.  The traditional big red button and other control buttons of a Flip are still there when you record. But now, when you want to replay footage you need only slide up the screen, scroll through video thumbnails on the camcorder’s slide strip and touch the screen to play footage. Along with better viewing, the new SlideHD allows for better listening. The camcorder features stereo speakers and a headphone jack for private viewing in noisy settings.

Like the UltraHD and 2nd gen MinoHD Flip camcorders, the SlideHD allows for direct connectivity to your HDTV via a mini-HDMI port. With the SlideHD you are able to record more than ever before, it can capture up to four hours of HD footage.

All Flip camcorders come equipped with FlipShare software to install on your home computer for sharing to Facebook or other sites, capturing still images and more. Specifically with the SlideHD, FlipShare software can save footage to Flip’s Space Saver format, allowing you to store up to 12 hours of video. This means you can share more Flip video footage than ever before with family and friends in a sleek compact device.

The new SlideHD is a cool new addition to Flip’s family of products. Letting you shoot and show your favorite memories for all to see.

--Brandon M. Baker

Eye-Fi Releases New Wireless-N Memory Card

Eye-Fi, maker of Wi-Fi-enabled Secure Digital memory cards, has introduced a new model to its lineup with the Pro X2. An upgrade to the previous Pro model, the new Pro X2 SDHC card doubles the memory to 8 GB and offers top-of-the-line Class 6 speed for fast read/write speed, but the real innovation is the inclusion of the faster Wireless-N standard--previous Eye-Fi cards have only been outfitted with 802.11b/g Wi-Fi connectivity.

In addition to lifetime geotagging, RAW compatibility and selective downloading, the Pro X2 includes a new feature called Endless Memory, which can automatically delete files from the card that have already been uploaded to either your PC or to a sharing site--thus saving you from having to switch cards. Gizmodo also notes that "you can choose how much of a storage buffer you'd like to leave at all times, in case you're away from a Wi-Fi connection for a while."

Additionally, Wi-Fi guru Glenn Fleishman reports that the Pro X2 comes with new software that owners of previous Eye-Fi cards can use:

Until now, Eye-Fi has relied on agent software that creates a local Web server for handling configuration. The new software is a desktop application, which among other features will let you publish photos to multiple online locations simultaneously instead of choosing a single photo or social-media site.

The Eye-Fi Pro X2 is available for pre-order now.

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

New MinoHD From Flip Video

Last night Flip Video launched the 2^nd generation of their MinoHD shoot-and-share camcorder. This second iteration delivers what many customers have been hoping for. The new Flip MinoHD has twice the recording time (8 GB) of the previous version. You can now record up to two hours of HD footage. Like with previous Mino’s you can directly connect to your computer via the built-in USB; with this new MinoHD you can also directly connect to your HDTV via the new MinoHD’s mini-HDMI connector.  Along with output enhancements, the camcorder’s display is now larger (2-inch) than previous versions.

 

 

Hardware is not the only improvement with this new Flip camcorder. The pre-loaded FlipShare software has also been improved. With FlipShare’s Magic Movie feature, users can select a series of video clips, and the feature will edit the clips into a movie for uploading to the FlipShare Website (also viewable on your iPhone or iPod Touch with the FlipShare App), YouTube, and Facebook! Yes, Facebook. Within the next 2-3 weeks, FlipShare software will be able to upload directly to Facebook so you can shoot and share with all of your friends and fans. FlipShare will be the only shoot-and-share camcorder software with Facebook integration this holiday season.

--Brandon M. Baker

Non-iPod Apple Video News

Today, Apple announced their new video format, iFrame. According to the Apple site:

The iFrame Video format is designed by Apple to speed up importing and editing by keeping the content in its native recorded format while editing. Based on industry standard technologies such as H.264 and AAC audio, iFrame produces small file sizes and simplifies the process of working with Video recorded with your camera.

It looks like the big win here is the smaller file sizes so that you can upload footage to a computer quicker and that same footage will not take up nearly as much space. Because it is based on H.264, AAC, (therefore MP4 and QuickTime) iFrame files will work on both Mac and PC applications.

So far, only two camcorders shoot directly in iFrame. Both are from Sanyo: the VPC-HD2000A and the VPC-FH1A.

    

Along with the ability to shoot in iFrame, both Sanyo camcorders feature impressive optics, image stabilization, and other enhanced features to give you more control for the footage you shoot. This should allow you to enhance the footage quickly and easily in post-production.

This new video standard from Apple applies primarily to users of iMovie ’09 video software. As this standard grows and more camcorders adopt the new format, expect additional applications to embrace iFrame and take advantage of people shooting more video in a smaller more manageable file size.

--Brandon M. Baker 

The Final Countown?

If you take a look at the Amazon camera store you notice there is brief mention of a new Flip camcorder coming on Wednesday. We will find out soon enough, but feel free to comment on what you would like to see in the next generation of Flip.

 
 --Brandon M. Baker
  
  
  
  

Shoot, Share, Zoom!

Shoot-and-share camcorders are great. These small camcorders let you record quickly from a device that can fit in your pocket or backpack, and you can then upload it straight to YouTube or another site with just the camcorder and a computer: no installation CDs, no extra steps, the USB cable is usually built into the device itself. These camcorders have focused on capturing great images that look great. We finally have an entrant into this space that pays specific attention to audio: The Zoom Q3.

Zoom, best known for their audio recorders and devices for musical instruments, have entered the shoot-and-share camcorder space with a hot little camcorder that is the first to record in true stereo sound. Within the camcorder are two condenser microphones used in Zoom audio recorders to ensure perfect audio capture.  The Q3 even displays the audio levels as you record so you can adjust your position while shooting, so it sounds better when played online or elsewhere.

I wish my roommates in college had a Zoom Q3 the Sunday their band camped out in our basement for a multi-hour jam session. A song like “Infomercial Junkie” should have been captured so it could be reborn on YouTube. It is great to see a champion for audio quality in the camcorder space. I love what I hear on the video examples Zoom is providing for this product.

--Brandon M. Baker

1080p HD POV? OMG!

Sky-diving, snowboarding, dirt-biking, etc. There are all kinds of ridiculous activities humans can do against their own better judgment. However, if you are attempting the insane, you might as well capture the experience so you can re-live it while recovering. There is a select collection of wearable camcorders available today that are mountable to goggles, bikes, or whatever you need to record your point-of-view during an extreme endeavor. Today, wearable camcorder company VholdR launched the 1080p version of their popular ContourHD line, the ContourHD1080p, the first wearable camcorder to record in full HD video.

We all grew up watching television and video in standard definition. The world has since transitioned to High-Definition (HD). HD images hold more information than a standard-definition image. This means that HD can be up to six times clearer than what you grew up with. Most wearable camcorders record in standard definition. The few wearable HD camcorders available record at 720p resolution (1280x720 = 921,600 pixels). While 720p is great resolution, truly superior to a standard-def image, the latest HDTVs, monitors, and projectors are capable of even higher resolution: 1080p (1920×1080 = 2,073,600 pixels). VholdR’s ContourHD1080p is a professional grade wearable camcorder that allows for the ultimate video capture in 1080p with the single touch of a button.  Along with high-resolution recording, the ContourHD1080p allows you to configure your metering, contrast, exposure and microphone sensitivity to get the shot you want before you head down the mountain or hit the gas pedal.

At this time most video sharing websites are only able to share 720p video. That’s why the VholdR.com video sharing site has been enhanced to accept 1080p video -- so you can show off your point-of-view from recent exploits online, as well as through a direct connection.

Now with a ContourHD1080p I get to pseudo-experience what it is like to go down a double black diamond, or jump off a cliff. And this way, there’s no screaming or crying in terror.

--Brandon M. Baker

Can you Picture That?

Digital photo frames have come a long way since they first appeared in the marketplace. The first models were behemoths with noisy fans that could burn your hands if left on too long, and had a 3x5" screen with lackluster image display. Current frames have awesome resolution, slimmer size and weight, quieter processors and are capable of storing more images or connecting to your home network wirelessly. Now, that wireless functionality is allowing for new capabilities beyond just pulling images from your desktop.

Hewlett-Packard is the newest entrant to these enhanced digital frames with their HP DreamScreens. Not only does the frame connect to your home network for images, music or video, but it also can connect to Facebook, Snapfish, Pandora, and other sites for content or data. Along with this, the new HP frame also functions as an alarm clock, calendar, and weather station. These first HP DreamScreens are available in both 10- or 13-inch dimensions.

The DreamScreen is not the only player in this next evolution of digital frames. Pix-Star,  InTouch, and other manufacturers offer frames with comparable features and capabilities. However, HP is the first high-profile brand to enter the enhanced digital frame space. Expect additional entrants as this sub-category grows.

I like the idea of getting images out of a camera and into a larger display. You hardly need to shoot in high-resolution if you are only going to view on a display smaller than a deck of cards. Moreover, now that we are no longer bound by the number of exposures in a roll of film, people are taking more and more pictures that could fill a library of photo albums, if printed out.

The additional features of these frames appeal to more than just a gadgetophile. With one of these frames you would be replacing you nightstand alarm clock with an elementary internet terminal. A frame like the DreamScreen could create a reason for my mother to open a Facebook account. I would just need to make certain none of my friends tag photos of me in any embarrassing situations.  

-- Brandon M. Baker

New FlipShare Software

Flip Video’s FlipShare software comes pre-loaded on Flip camcorders and launches automatically when you connect the camcorder to your laptop or desktop. The software allows you to manage your videos. There’s no extra software disc needed. Plus, FlipShare works on both PCs and Macs.

FlipShare's intuitive design lets you view your videos in full-screen mode. You can save and organize your videos on your computer by creating folders of your choosing and simply dragging and dropping your videos into the desired folders. FlipShare also features instant uploads to YouTube, MySpace and other sites. And FlipShare lets you email links to your videos to your family and friends. This is much more convenient than trying to send an e-mail with a massive attachment which usually just stays in the outbox, never sending.

In mid-June, Flip announced an update to the FlipShare software. The newest version of FlipShare was recently released, and it offers several new features that make it an even better tool for sharing your videos:

• FlipShare now lets you create Flip Channels to share your Flip videos with specific groups of family and friends. So if you’ve just gone on vacation with a group of friends, you can create a Flip Channel for that group of friends and share your vacation videos with them—and only them. If you perhaps want to share one or two of your vacation videos with your coworkers, you can create a different Flip Channel for that group.
• If you like to frequently share videos with a parent or a good friend, create a Flip Channel for them too; when you have new content you want to share, simply drag and drop those videos into the Flip Channel, directly on your FlipShare desktop. Flip Channel members will receive an e-mail notifying them they have new videos to watch.
• Videos sent via Flip Channels can now be viewed anytime, anywhere at FlipShare.com. Members of Flip Channels will have an online library allowing them to access all the content you’ve chosen to share with them.
• The snapshot capture feature, which lets you grab a still image from your video, has been vastly improved too. Now, enhanced freeze-frame capabilities let you grab a snapshot from any of the thirty frames that comprise each second of your video—meaning it’s now easier than ever to get that perfect snapshot with no blurring.

There is talk of a forthcoming FlipShare iPhone application. Eventually, you’ll soon be able to view your Flip Videos totally on-the-go.

Download the new Flipshare

--Brandon M. Baker