Archive for April 19th, 2009

Also a bit light on product introductions—especially smaller camcorders—was Sony‘s Sunday press conference. In the company’s defense, it’s unleahed a whole bunch of handheld HDV and XDCAM EX models in the past 12 months, so evidently the company has extracted itself from the industry’s traditional NAB-centric product release cycle.

So, what is new for Sony at NAB 2009? First, the SRW-9000 is the first camcorder based on the HDCAM SR format. It’s intended as a mobile, Steadicam-friendly B-camera to the Sony F23. The SRW-9000 has 2/3in. CCDs and a 14-bit A/D converter. As standard, the camcorder does 4:2:2 10-bit recording at 1080/23.98P, 24P, 25P, 29.97P, and 1080/50i/59.94i. It can also record 4:2:2 1080/50P/59.94P. Full 4:4:4 recording and output is possible via the optional HKSR-9003 RGB 4:4:4 processing board. The SRW-9000 will be available in December; pricing has not yet been determined. more

Autodesk brings to NAB a host of new product releases. Before getting into the gritty details, Bruno Sargeant, film and television industry manager for Autodesk, gave an overview of the company’s current position in the content-creation industry, which, of course, includes not just TV and film but CAD modeling of buildings and cars and such. Today, however, the worlds of engineering and entertainment are not as separate as they once were. Sargeant explained the “CAD to AD” paradigm, wherein computer-aided design models are repurposed for the development of 3D-animated representations that end up in advertisements and video games. These “intelligent assets” would seem to support the level of productivity that’s necessary in today’s business world. more

As mentioned in the post about Panasonic‘s new AVCCAM model, the HMC40, Panasonic announced a lot of its new gear a couple months ago in advance of the NAB show. That includes the around-$10K, shoulder-mounted P2 HD / AVC Intra-shooting HPX300, which Barry Braverman reviewed for the current issue of millimeter.

Then there’s a pair of products, available later this year, that seem to be made for each other. The AG-HMR10 AVCCAM recorder (battery-powered, 3.5in. LCD screen, HD-SDI I/O, $2,650) connects to the AG-HCK10 camera head (newly developed 1/4in. 2Mpixel 3MOS imagers, 12X zoom, $2,100) via a cable up to 10 meters long. The HMR10 recorder controls the camera head’s iris, focus, and zoom and records 1080i/720p HD to SD cards, like one of Panasonic’s more traditional AVCCAM cameras. (The setup recalls Sony‘s new HXR-MC1, reviewed by D.W. Leitner in February.) more

In the theater within its booth space, Panasonic hosted its annual press conference this afternoon. Like Sony‘s that followed, it was scaled down compared to press conferences of years past, both in terms of venue and product launches. (To be fair, Panasonic announced quite a bit before the show.)

The big product news for Panasonic is the AG-HMC40, a compact handheld AVCCAM model that features three 1/4″ CMOS chips and a built-in 12X zoom in a 2.2lb. chassis. According to the press release, here are the flavors of MPEG-4-based AVCHD that it shoots: more

Press Release

The Final Cut Pro User Group Network (FCPUG Network) have announced a sneak peak at the agenda for the 8th Annual NAB FCPUG SuperMeet, to be held in the Amazon Ballroom at the Rio Hotel (Las Vegas) on Tuesday, April 21, 2009, beginning at 4:30 p.m. It is expected this event will be the largest gathering of Final Cut Pro users and digital content creators and filmmakers during the 2009 NAB Show. Read on at The Briefing Room

More 2009 NAB Show news from The Briefing Room

Press Release

An Avid-hosted presentation at NAB 2009 with this year’s Academy Award-winning Editor Chris Dickens and Academy Award-winning Composer/Performer A.R. Rahman of Slumdog Millionaire will offer an engaging look at their collaborative efforts and the creative process behind the audio and video workflows for one of 2008’s most watched and loved films in the world Monday, April 20, 2009, at 4:00 p.m. Read on at The Briefing Room

More 2009 NAB Show news from The Briefing Room

The Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California (ETC-USC) has set up a laboratory where manufacturers and content creators can put stereoscopic 3D to the test. In fact, they can test any and all combinations of content (live action vs. animated), display devices, format, distribution paths, and glasses types. Called the Anytime/Anywhere Content Lab (AACL), the arena is a neutral ground that focuses especially on the consumer experience in the home.

At the Digital Cinema Summit at NAB today, ETC executive director David Wertheimer acknowledged that the industry needs to keep its stereoscopic eyes on the prize of the home market. For the entertainment industry as a whole, he said, “Home video is the tail that wags the dog.” (In theaters, the battle has in many ways been won; all major U.S. media markets have at least one 3D-enabled theater for a total of about 8,000, and all DreamWorks releases are now getting a stereoscopic theatrical release.) more