Video

Panasonic reveals DMC-ZR3 super slim versatile compact

By Paul Ridden

18:26 February 2, 2010 PST

Panasonic has revealed a new addition to its LUMIX family of cameras, the DMC-ZR3 slim compact digital. The successor to the ZR1, optical zoom has been boosted to eight times, the addition of AVCHD Lite video should extend recording time, the pixel count now stands at 14 megapixels and it supports the new SDXC card format. Read More

VESA announces DisplayPort v1.2

By Mick Webb

20:16 January 22, 2010 PST

The Video Electronics Standard Association (VESA) has unveiled the long awaited DisplayPort Version1.2 digital display interface that brings with it a host of enhanced features. Aside from a doubled data rate of 21.6Gbps and bi-directional USB data transfer of an impressive 720Mbps, the upgrade also offers multi – monitor support from a single plug, improved audio synchronization and support for Full HD 3D Stereoscopic displays. Read More

Capture sliding dolly shots with the UKP175 GlideTrack SD

By Loz Blain

21:15 January 17, 2010 PST

Prosumer-level video equipment is getting cheap enough that serious image quality is well and truly within the reach of the hobbyist. And thus, you've got a whole new market of amateur videographers trying to work out how to get pro effects like sliding dolly shots into their work. Devices like the UKP175 GlideTrack SD strike an excellent balance between smoothness, quietness, portability and low cost - and the results look amazing, as you'll see in the demo video after the jump. Read More

US$699 Optoma HD66 - 300 inches of 720p 3D projection for the home theatre

By Loz Blain

00:18 January 13, 2010 PST

No matter how much you spend, there just doesn't seem to be any clear way to future-proof your home theatre system. You can have the biggest HD screen on the block, but suddenly, if it can't do 3D, it's all but obsolete. With the rush of 3D content that's under development in the gaming, TV and cinema worlds, 3D is set to become the new HD within the next couple of years - and with that in mind, Optoma has pulled the covers off its HD66 digital projector at CES - a US$699 home theatre projector capable of showing 720p content in 3D with a max image size around 300". Read More

World's biggest TV: Panasonic's 4K2K 3D 152-inch Plasma

By Ben Coxworth

14:59 January 11, 2010 PST

If you’re a fan of movies like Poltergeist or Videodrome, in which people get really “immersed” in their television-viewing experiences, then you’ll probably like the latest news from Panasonic - it’s developed the world’s largest full-HD 3D plasma display TV. As presented at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the one-off behemoth sports a 152-inch, 4K x 2K (8.84 million pixel) screen, plus a host of other complicated-sounding technical marvels. Read More

Next-gen video technology lets you look around - inside a movie

By Loz Blain

13:21 January 11, 2010 PST

Now that 3D is finally taking off again at the movie theatre - thanks in large part to James Cameron's evangelism in the leadup to his groundbreaking Avatar film, it's clear that immersive video technologies are big business again. And if the latest 3D stuff doesn't put you in the picture enough, how's this: Immersive Media has adapted the same 360-degree cameras used by Google's Street View cars to shoot video. That means you can actually look around as you watch the video... Which can feel absolutely bizarre, as in the case of the BASE jumping video after the jump. Extraordinary. Read More

Monster debuts world's fastest HDMI cable and 3.5mm superthin cable

By Karen Sprey

13:43 January 10, 2010 PST

Monster announced two additions to its cable products and a new home networking solution at CES this week. On the cable front, the “future ready” M Series M2000 Hyper-Speed Cable for HDMI is the world’s fastest at a blistering 21 Gigabits per second, while the near invisible 3.5mm SuperThin Cable for Mini HDMI has been specifically designed for use with the latest HDMI enabled digital cameras and camcorders. The Powernet 1G with PowerLine Communication (PLC) technology

instantly turns a home's electrical wiring system into a high speed Ethernet network. Read More

Advantages of USB 3.0 highlighted at CES 2010

By Darren Quick

13:00 January 8, 2010 PST

With its promise of data transfer rates 10x greater than current USB 2.0 devices USB 3.0 is a technology much anticipated by those of us regularly dealing with the transfer of huge files. Symwave’s VP of Marketing, John O’Neil, provided Gizmag with a first-hand demonstration of some of the USB drives utilizing the company’s technology starting to appear on store shelves from the likes of LaCie, OCZ and Super Talent. The peripherals impressed with not only their transfer speeds, but also their low demands on a PCs CPU. Read More

CastOven microwave provides bite-sized YouTube entertainment based on your cooking time

By Darren Quick

23:35 December 21, 2009 PST

There’s no doubting the time saving convenience of microwave ovens. But what about the time wasted because of them? Their super fast cooking means there really isn’t enough time to go and do something else while we wait for our food, so we find ourselves loitering around watching the seconds tick down. A couple of researchers from Japan’s Keio University have come up with the perfect solution for those of us who need to be entertained at every minute of every day in the form of the CastOven, which lets users enjoy a bite-sized piece of YouTube goodness while they wait for their food. Read More

JVC's Super LoLux analog CCTV cameras let you see in the dark

By Alan Brandon

20:46 November 18, 2009 PST

JVC has announced four new analog high-res CCTV cameras that it claims can produce accurate colors under extremely low light conditions. The new surveillance cams feature the company’s Super LoLux technology for sensitivity as low as 0.05 lux in color mode and 0.006 lux in black-and-white mode. JVC also claims these models use 40% less power making them more eco-friendly and cheaper to operate. Read More

Preschooler’s digital camera: sophisticated features in a kid-sized package

By Jude Garvey

22:58 November 17, 2009 PST

I’d love to be a kid again. Seriously. The technology age has delivered children all manner of sophisticated toys and games, think Nintendo, Playstation and Wii ... just to name a few. Now, they even have a variety of mini digital cameras to choose from, including the Kid Tough camera and the Preschooler’s digital camera. The Preschooler’s camera is a kid-tough unit that is suitably sized for small hands, can take photographs and video, and has a fixed-focus lens - so kids simply line up their shot and press a button. Read More

The Vega touchscreen tablet from ICD

By Paul Ridden

14:21 November 17, 2009 PST

Innovative Converged Devices (ICD) has unveiled its new Vega 15 inch touchscreen tablet, an Android-powered communication and media device that features wireless 802.11b/g, Bluetooth and 3G connectivity, a Tegra combined application and graphics processor from NVIDIA, an ambient light sensor and accelerometer. Read More

ZMS-08: world's first Blu-ray quality media processor for handheld devices

By Paul Ridden

19:05 November 11, 2009 PST

With the development of the ZMS-08 system on a chip, ZiiLabs is aiming to bring high performance media processing to low power devices. As well as allowing full Blu-ray quality 1080p video playback, the chip supports simultaneous HD encode and decode, 3D and 2D image processing and advanced audio. Read More

iSteady Shot takes the shakes out of iPhone video

By Jeff Salton

02:53 November 11, 2009 PST

Is your iPhone movie-making prowess giving your viewers motion sickness? Are your carefully planned, in-your-face action sequences of your friends’ skateboarding accidents, or grandma’s 80th birthday party antics not making it to Funniest Home Videos because of your inability to hold your iPhone still while you capture potential money-making footage. Fear not! If what the manufacturers say is true, the iSteady Shot camera stabilizer will soon have you cashing in. For roughly US$100, you can attach you iPhone or iPod nano to device and have your very own Hollywood-style “steady-cam” – check the video below to see what a difference the iSteady Shot makes to everyday filming. Read More

Software to detect objects inside videos

By Jeff Salton

23:57 November 3, 2009 PST

Researchers at the University of Missouri (MU) are developing software that would enable computers to perform video analysis tasks, such as alerting emergency services if a video surveillance camera detects a person falling and not getting up. The software could also be used to search inside videos and look for certain objects, such as basketballs or footballs, hence reducing the time taken to locate a certain game or scene. Read More

Portable power - the Bose SoundDock 10 digital music system

By Mick Webb

17:55 October 26, 2009 PDT

As the number of music-lovers who find their collections bundled snugly into the confines of an iPod continues to grow, so too does the number of increasingly more powerful docking stations that appear on the market to play those tunes aloud. One of the latest additions to the party, the SoundDock 10, comes with a promise from Bose that it delivers quality sound from a minimalist package. The SoundDock 10 features a newly-designed subwoofer, audio input and video output as well as optional Bluetooth capability. Read More

Canon bounces back with the EOS 1D Mark IV

By Paul Ridden

16:21 October 21, 2009 PDT

Canon didn't allow Nikon to enjoy the limelight for too long after all, announcing the forthcoming release of its new EOS 1D Mark IV professional D-SLR camera before the fanfare that accompanied Nikon's D3S had even died down. As well as slightly improving the huge ISO range of the D3S, Canon looks to have seized the opportunity to further raise the standard a little by opting for a 16.1 Mp sensor and 1080p high definition video. Read More

Nikon D3S DSLR - fast autofocus, HD video and six figure ISO sensitivity

By Paul Ridden

10:30 October 16, 2009 PDT

Nikon seems to have once again raised the professional digital photography bar with details emerging of the upcoming D3S DSLR. Rather than try to wow with megapixels, the company hopes that excellent noise reduction and a huge ISO sensitivity range will better serve its customers. The new camera also boasts low light capable HD video, fast and accurate autofocus, a burst frame rate of 9fps and in-camera RAW image editing. Read More

CyberLink TrueTheater Enhancer gives YouTube videos a spit and polish

By Darren Quick

01:10 October 16, 2009 PDT

I’ve always considered YouTube an example of “two steps forward, one step back.” Although it has provided a seemingly endless supply of video to keep us entertained, if not informed, it does so with often low quality video at a time when television services around the world have shifted to digital broadcasts offering improved high definition (HD) picture and sound. CyberLink is looking to bridge the divide with its TrueTheater Enhancer software that is designed to give YouTube content a spit and polish. Read More

New Flip MinoHD announced

By Paul Ridden

15:08 October 15, 2009 PDT

Of Amazon's top five selling camcorders, versions of the Flip take four of the slots. The 4Gb MinoHD holds fourth position, but things never stand still for too long in the world of gadgetry and the MinoHD has just been supercharged. The second generation model features more memory, a bigger viewing screen with better resolution and a more powerful lens. Read More

Austrian composer simulates speech using... A piano?

By Loz Blain

23:54 October 7, 2009 PDT

Remember back in the 80s when Steve Vai used to make his guitar "talk" to David Lee Roth? That video clip is here, but be warned, Roth's bare butt peeking through the holes in his leather chaps is one of the LEAST offensive things in the clip. It seems things have become more refined in the last 20-odd years. This fascinating clip shows how Austrian composer Peter Ablinger has programmed a mechanically-actuated piano to reproduce recorded human speech. And yes, you can somehow understand it. Read More

Take your iPod nano videos to a wider audience with the VideoBuddy AV out adapter

By Darren Quick

18:27 October 7, 2009 PDT

Owners of the new iPod nano 5G will no doubt be racking up hours of video footage by now and looking to inflict - I mean, share - their videos with all and sundry. While the nano’s 2.2-inch display might be ok “on the set”, nothing beats a TV to demand everyone’s attention. If you don’t have Apple TV, or don’t want to waste time turning on your computer to go through iTunes lest your audience disappear, GEAR4 have the perfect solution in the form of the VideoBuddy – a compact Audio Video (AV) kit that connects to the iPod nano dock connector and links to a TV via an RCA cable. Read More

Go live! Livestream Livepack puts a satellite truck in your backpack

By Jeff Salton

22:50 September 30, 2009 PDT

A new backpack from Livestream called the Livepack puts a broadcast TV truck on your shoulders without the weight or cumbersome dimensions – but with the same broadcast capabilities. If you get A-list invitations that put you up close and personal with celebrities, or just fancy yourself as part of the paparazzi, this is a must-have device. The Livestream Livepack crams into a backpack the hardware unit to encode and transmit HD video, a Firewire cable, and six load-balanced built-in 3G modems in order to get the highest possible available bitrate. The system even comes with a dedicated IP address to stream to your Livestream channel - you’ll be a professional roving reporter before you know it (as long as you can provide your own Firewire DV camera). Read More

BEAR-4: The first amateur HD video in (near) space

By Paul Ridden

19:30 September 30, 2009 PDT

After receiving an email from a Japanese enthusiast, a group of amateur radio high altitude balloon buffs jumped at the chance to help record the first ever non-professional near space high definition video, and maybe set a new altitude record on the way. After squeezing the HD camcorder and tracking hardware into a styrofoam box, and a couple of false starts, the 1500g high altitude, hydrogen-filled balloon was away. Read More

Creative gets in touch with ZEN X-Fi2 PMP

By Mick Webb

10:32 September 29, 2009 PDT

Creative's latest personal media player - the ZEN X-Fi2 - is the company's first full touch screen offering and features a 3” screen with a simplified navigational menu in landscape format, X-Fi sound enhancement and a TV-out connection for viewing video and photos on the big screen in a package that weighs just 75g. Read More