mediageek

Category: video

  • What Makes for Compelling Educational Video, and Predictions for 2009

    I have two recent columns on educational media posted over at Streaming Media Magazine. The most recent one is the “Futurewatch” for education in 2009, which will be published in the upcoming Industry Sourcebook 2009 issue. I’m predicting a greater emphasis on mobile-accessible media along with greater convergence between communication platforms like videoconferencing with streaming…

  • Is The End of Television The Beginning of a New Resistance?

    I’ve discussed the idea of reclaiming the analog TV spectrum when the digital changeover happens in February, and talked to Free Radio Berkeley’s Stephen Dunifer about his unlicensed TV transmitter kits. Now it looks like someone is ready to put the idea into action with The End of Television project. The project is accepting video…

  • Flip weighs in with pocket-size HD

    The folks who brought you the original pocket-size, one-button Flip camcorder have now released their high-definition version. For the last couple of years I’ve expressed skepticism at both tape-less video recording and the true viability of HD in inexpensive cameras. But recently I’m coming around to the idea, primarily because the cost (under $250) is…

  • Watch Those VHS Tapes!

    It was only ten years ago when DVD players cost over 500 bucks. And it seems like only yesterday that people were trampling each other in Wal-Mart on Black Friday to buy up $25 DVD players. At this point we’ve probably all taken for granted the inevitable obsolescence of the VHS video tape. Yet, how…

  • HD Video for under $200?

    Last month Kodak announced its entry into the hot mini-camcorder market, obscurely named the Zi6. Kodak’s big splash with the Zi6 is that it offers HD video for just a little bit more than the standard-def Flip camcorders. Now, Sanyo has had an “HD” flash memory camcorder on the market for a while, though reviews…

  • Wired Gadget Lab on Flip Mimo: Good, maybe not work extra bucks

    Those of you following these little flash-memory pocket-cams like I am might be interested in Wired’s Gadget Lab review of the new Flip Mimo, which is a smaller, slightly more feature-rich version of their signature $150 Flip camcorder. Though slimmer and prettier the Gadget Lab concludes: It’s a solid little cam that’s easier to transport,…

  • Reconsidering Solid State Video

    The face of digital photo and video is changing as we speak. Well, not really the face, so much as the skin and innards. Until very recently video = tape and photo = memory card. Now, tape is on its way out, and digital still cameras are getting much better at doing video, too. One…

  • DIY Spiderlite and Softbox

    This one’s for the video/photo geeks. Back at my last gig we used a pile of Spiderlites, which are pretty easy to use and relatively inexpensive lights that accommodate five bulbs, switchable in banks, that can be either incandescent or fluorescent. They’re not super-cheap–several hundred dollars–but for flexible continuous lighting they’re not bad. Lighting is…

  • Radioshow 2007 Highlights

    There were actually more than two highlights from the radioshow in 2007, but for this last show in 2007 I wanted to focus on just two interviews to that if you missed them the first time around you’d still get some good info and context. I think both of these interviews will have continuing relevancy.…

  • Free DivX Pro for the Holidays

    I’m not the biggest fan of DivX because it’s not terribly useful for web distribution of video — especially if your audience isn’t particularly computer savvy. Nevertheless, DivX Pro is not a bad tool for compressing videos into the DivX codec, which is good for getting pretty high near-DVD quality video onto CD-Rs and such.…