Category Archives: Information

Don Baine Interviews Niki Mustain from Schneider Optics



Schneider Optics logoNiki Mustain, from Schneider Optics, was interviewed by Don Baine. They discussed the new additions to the iPro Lens system.

Their iPro Lens system now includes the 6 and 6+ case. They teamed up with Element Case in order to create a more rugged case that is video and photo centric. Another reason they went with Element Case is because it is really critical that their lenses are being placed over the iPhone lens and that it stays perfectly centered.

The mini-input on the side of the case allows you easily screw in a handle. The handle is light and is where the lenses are stored when they are not in use. You can also add 1/4-20” threads on either side of the case. The cases for the 6 and 6+ range in price from $30.00 to $75.00.

They have five lenses to choose from, that range in price from $39.00 to $99.00. Those lenses include Macro Lens, Super Wide Lens, Wide Lens, Fisheye Lens, and 2X Tele Lens. You can buy the lenses individually and select the ones you need.

One of the cool things about the iPro Lens system is that as you upgrade your phones, you only need to buy the case. The lenses continue from phone to phone.


NewBlueFX Debuts new Titler Pro 4 application at NAB



NewBlueFX logoWhen it comes to video titling, special effects and enhancements, nobody does it better than NewBlueFX. The company has had a long standing with video producers across all platforms.

At this year’s NAB, Travis White from NewBlueFX sat down to have a chat with Don Baine about the company’s latest creation, Titler Pro 4. Travis said that the newest Titler Pro was built on an entirely new engine with much better performance. He also said that the application can run as a plugin and should be compatible with most major video editing suites (Apple, Avid, etc.). Titler Pro has many new features. For example, the program can now import PSD files to be used in animations. Titler Pro also now offers support for Open FX.

Titler Pro offers three different versions as varying price points, depending on the needs of video producers.


Fuji Has 4K 2/3 Lenses at NAB



Fuji Film LogoFujinon is a well respected manufacturer of camera lenses. Fujinon was recently tied more heavily to its parent company, Fuji Film. It’s a small change in name only. The Fuji folks are still hard at work creating new top of the line products.

Thom Calabro from Fuji Film stopped by to speak with Don Baine about Fuji Film’s latest 4K lenses. These lenses were designed with 2/3 sized camera bodies in mind. The company has developed both handheld and box lenses that were on display in the Sony, Hitachi and Grass Valley booths at NAB.

These new 4K lenses are built sturdy and will last for years. They also use Fuji Film’s new high transmittance encoding to ensure the best image reproduction.


MXL Shows Off Prototype Mini Mixer at NAB



MXL LogoOn-the-spot media production can be tricky. There’s a lot of moving parts to consider; cameras, microphones, mixers, and all of their accessories. Traditionally, crews would head out with all kinds of bags and cases to haul their gear. But more and more, people are producing with smaller rigs like mobile phones or tablets.

Perry Goldstein of Marshall Electronics stopped by Don Baine’s booth to talk about audio production. While he was there, he broke out a prototype device made by MXL called the Mini Mixer. The device has four independent 1/8″ TRS inputs for microphones with separate gain controls. Output options include a standard analog connector as well as USB for connecting to a computer or mobile device. The Mini Mixer can be powered by two AA batteries or the USB bus.

No information is available yet as to when this product will be available for purchase.

 


Livestream Brings an Array of Products to NAB



Livestream logoLivestream has been a leader in Internet broadcasting since the early days of the medium. The company’s continued success has been built on its willingness to respond to customer feedback and evolve with new trends.

Phil Worthington from Livestream had a chat with Don Baine about several of the company’s products. First up was the Broadcaster Mini and Broadcaster Pro. Both of these units are ideal for mobile video producers. At the simplest level, all you’d need to start live streaming is a camera and one of Lifestream’s Broadcasters. Of course, it’s entirely possible to expand from there depending on your needs.

Next up, Phil brought out the new Livestream Studio Surface Go control surface. This compact but rugged control surface is designed to handle all of the crucial functions included in Livestream’s Producer 3.0 production suite. Studio Surface Go is perfect for producers who need a compact but powerful setup for video switching and control.

Phil saved the best for the last with the impressive Livestream Studio HD550. The HD550 is an all-in-one video production system that includes all of the video and audio I/O you’ll need to handle multiple cameras and video sources. It’s also a self-contained switcher and full production suite that works with Livestream Studio 3.0 software. Check the above link for full details. There’s too much to try and list them all here!


Mike Dell talks Ham Radio and more at NAB



Podcast Help Desk artworkEver wonder what the first true digital medium of communication might be? Most of us probably think of something that involves old modems or maybe some kind of wireless communications system. But the truth is that it goes back much farther than that.

Mike Dell is host of Podcast Help Desk. He’s also a member of the Rawvoice/Blubrry support team. He stopped by Don Baine’s booth to talk about some of his experiences as a new media producer, as well as his love for a truly “old” medium, ham radio.

 


Brinno Brings Time Lapse Cameras to NAB



Brinno logoThis post kicks off a series of video presentations recorded at this year’s National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) trade show in Las Vegas. These videos showcase new products that may be of interest to professional media producers.

In this clip, Don Baine met up with Chris Adams from Brinno. Chris arrived with three different products to display.

The first is the PeepHole Viewer, or Front Door Security Cam. This camera mounts onto an existing door peephole. It uses a motion sensor to detect when someone’s at the door and it records time lapse video of whoever (or whatever) is there. This device would be great for anyone who wants to know if that parcel was really dropped off when the courier said it was or for anyone who just wants some added security on an exterior door.

Next up, Chris showed off the Brinno TLC200Pro. This is a small but powerful time lapse camera capable of recording short bits of HDR video over extended period of times. It’s optimized to run for months off of one set of AA batteries. The TLC200Pro would be a great way to capture time lapse footage of something like a construction site. The device has an articulating lens and can be used with an optional weatherproof acrylic case so it can be left outside in any environment.

Chris’s final demonstration came in the form of Brinno’s latest version of the TLC200Pro. The new version is smaller and the camera itself is weatherproof, meaning it doesn’t need a case like the TLC200Pro. This new version of time lapse camera works with a smartphone app to set up shots and control the camera. Media recorded by the camera is then sent via Wi-Fi to the smartphone where it can be further transferred and manipulated. Like the TLC200Pro, this camera can run for months at a time on a single charge. This camera would be perfect for anyone who wants to record nature scares over an extended period of time.

The TLC200Plus is expected ro retail for $269.00 while the newer version is expected to sell for $299.00.


USB-C is the new Thunderbolt?



Thunderbolt LogoThunderbolt is seen by many as the latest and greatest protocol for things like high speed data transfer and HD video production. And while Apple has included Thunderbolt inputs on many of its desktop computers for awhile, the technology has been somewhat slow to catch on. Of course, the progression of technology waits for no one, and despite its lack of ubiquity in the wider world, development of newer and faster Thunderbolt technologies has carried on.

This week, Intel announced that Thunderbolt 3, the next version of the Thunderbolt protocol, will use USB-C style connectors instead of the connector types previously found on Thunderbolt cables and devices. USB-C made a splash earlier this year when it was implemented as the lone connection jack on Apple’s new MacBook, eschewing individual ports for USB, power, and audio/video. USB-C works with a “breakout” style cable that has multiple connectors for all of the different protocols typically used by modern computers.

If you’re confused by this development, don’t feel bad. It left me scratching my head, too. The Verge explained it like this (article linked above):

A Thunderbolt 3 cable will look like the current USB-C cables and will support the same power and data transfers, but it will also be capable of much higher throughput (40Gbps) in Thunderbolt mode. The only distinguishing mark? That small lightning logo on the connector itself. This is important because Thunderbolt works by integrating electronics directly into the cable itself — regular USB-C cables obviously won’t be able to carry out transfers at Thunderbolt 3 speeds.

Legacy Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt 2 devices will still work with Thunderbolt 3 thru the use of an adapter. What’s unclear is exactly how computer makers will label ports in the future. Will it be “USB-C/Thunderbolt 3” or just “Thunderbolt 3?” It’s important to recognize that a standard USB-C connection won’t be as fast a Thunderbolt connection and for the most part, USB-C probably won’t even support Thunderbolt devices. Understanding this difference will be crucial for anyone using Thunderbolt devices.

Overall, this change makes sense. After years of dealing with many different types of connectors for cables and peripherals, it could be a real convenience for consumers and manufacturers to have one connection type. But it’s going to be a rocky changeover, especially for those who’d like to keep using older Thunderbolt devices.


GoPro HERO + LCD Camera has Touch Screen Convenience



HERO_LCDsmGoPro has announced the availability of its new HERO + LCD camera. It can capture life-like high definition 1080p60 video and 8MP photos. It also has a convenient touch display that makes it easy for shot framing, settings control, and access to an all new in-camera video trimming feature.

The HERO + LCD is rugged and has housing that is waterproof to 131′ (40 m). Built in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connect the HERO + LCD to your GoPro App-enabled smartphone or tablet for easy camera control and shot preview when your camera is out of reach. The GoPro App allows for easy content sharing to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and more and it combines with the new in-camera video trimming feature to form a convenient content sharing solution.

The HiLight Tagging and in-camera video trimming make it easier to identify and share your favorite moments. HiLight Tagging lets you mark key moments while recording and during playback so you can easily find them later. The all new video trimming feature allows you to create short clips in-camera for easier sharing without a computer.

HERO + LCD will be available for purchase in the United States at authorized GoPro retailers and GoPro.com beginning June 7, 2015. HERO + LCD will sell for $299.99 MSRP. International availability will begin July 12, 2015.

https://youtu.be/IjszDEByTgo


Nvidia Brings Improved 4K to its Flagship Video Processor



Nvidia logo4K video is old news to media professionals. And even tho there have been plenty of products built from the group up with 4K in mind, there are still a lot of legacy manufacturers that need to catch up. Nvidia is a leader in the video processing world. And while they’ve offered some 4K products already, the company believes they still have some improvements to make in how their products handle ultra HD signals.

This week, Nvidia unveiled what is soon to become its next flagship video processor, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti. This new card will deliver better support for 4K resolution, allowing for 45 frames per second, compared to 19fps on the older GTX 680. In heavy graphics intensive situations, Nvidia says its new card can go even higher, all the way to 47fps at 4K on the GTX 980 Ti compared with 18fps on the GTX 680.

This new video processor is powered by Nvidia’s Maxwell microarchitecture, which supports the latest DirectX 12 effects. Video RAM has been upgraded to 6GB of memory compared with the previous card’s 4GB. This new Maxwell chips allow for high-resolution performance and lighting with better frame rates combined with better power efficiency. The GTX 980 requires half the power consumption of Nvidia’s GTX 750, which was powered by the first version of the Maxwell chipset.

The new version of Nvidia’s card will retail for $649 and the introduction of the GTX 980 Ti has also caused the price of the former flagship model, the GTX 980, to drop to $499.