Category: video
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Really Free Video Editing
For the independent video/movie maker, Linux-based video editing apps are a holy grail of sorts. That’s because the truly pro-level apps like Premiere, Final Cut and Vegas all cost a good few hundred bucks to start, and even the “free” apps like iMovie and Windows Movie Maker require that you first buy a brand-name computer…
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Lame Retro-Geek Mash Note
Tonight I’m watching a laserdisc. Despite what many people think, even though it uses a laser to read the video information on the massive 12-inch disc, laserdisc isn’t digital. It’s analog, like a vinyl LP record. But, I’m afraid, not nearly as cool. Laserdisc was the videogeek aficionado’s format of choice through the 1980s and…
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Macrovision Trying To Plug the Analog Hole with a Suit, Attacking Our Fair Use Rights
I don’t know how I missed this story. The CamcorderInfo blog alerts me that Macrovision has sued Sima Products, which manufactures so-called video enhancers that do a pretty good job of fixing Macrovision’s analog copy protection scheme. Using the Digital Millenium Copyright Act as its weapon Macrovision won a preliminary injunction against Sima back in…
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Wired News on “Get Lamp”
Wired News has a short article on Jason Scott‘s upcoming documentary on text adventures, “Get Lamp.” Jason’s one of the few independent filmmakers really using the communications reach of the internet to his best advantage to create interesting documentaries without bankrupting himself. He knows his subject matter, he knows his niche, and he knows his…
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One Woman’s Film Preservation Journey
Yesterday was Home Movie Day where people attended events all over the country to view old home movies, and have their own films evaluated for damage and to learn about restoration. As local home movie enthusiast Jimi Jones put it to me on Friday’s radioshow, film is one of the best preservation media because you…
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Making Waves at Chicago Underground Film Fest
Michael Lahey’s documentary Making Waves is unflinching look at the politics and personalities behind the pirate radio scene of Tuscon Arizona. If you haven’t had a chance to see it, the film will be making an appearance at the Chicago Underground Film Festival at 1 PM on Aug. 19 and 6 PM on Aug. 21.…
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Making Sense of the New Hi-Def Camcorder Format
The new PC World column from Richard Baguley, also my guest on today’s radioshow, is about the new AVCHD format for recording HD video to DVD-R and hard drives. I mentioned the new format as part of Sony’s announcement of two new HD camcorders last week. The main point of functionality I wonder about is…
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Indie Beer Garden Movies
For my Champaign-Urbana readers: Micro-Film’s Jason Pankoke is presenting independent movies in the beer garden at Mike N Molly’s (105 N. Market St, right down the block from WEFT). The next showing is tonight at 9:30 PM when you can see the low-budget horror flicks UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS VS. A MUMMY and THE MONSTER OF…
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From Today’s Radioshow: Net Neutrality Debate and Daily Show Segments
On today’s radioshow we listened to excerpts from a debate on Net Neutrality between two founders of the internet, Vint Cerf, in defense of net neutrality, and Dave Farber, speaking against it. The debate was sponsored by the Center for American Progress, and you can find an mp3 of the whole debate at the Public…
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HD Direct to Hard Drive & DVD — But Will It Edit?
Sony’s got the videogeeks all aflutter today with the announcement of new high-definition camcorders that record directly to mini-DVDs and hard drive. They’re basically a melding of existing DVD and hard drive cams with Sony’s entry level HDV camcorder. The hi-def part is made possible by the new AVCHD format/codec that Sony co-developed with Panasonic.…