Transferring Analog to Digital
Videotapes degrade over time and now need to be converted to computer files or transferred to mobile devices such as iPods, so they can be viewed by family and friends. There are also millions of hours of professionally videotaped programs that need to be moved to computers so they can be sold to customers online, or used in IPTV applications.
The Blackmagic Video Recorder has a high quality analog component, NTSC, PAL and S-Video input, and allows capture from any analog source, such as VHS, Video-8, DVD, Set top boxes etc. The H.264 file format used with the Video Recorder allows direct capture to files compatible with mobile devices such as iPods, so users don’t need to do time-consuming rendering. The Blackmagic Video Recorder SDI features standard definition SDI input and RS-422 deck control for connection to any broadcast deck.
Included with the USB hardware is the Video Recorder software which lets customers capture video with easy to use controls. The Video Recorder software allows users to set video scaling to reduce the resolution for mobile devices and interactive cropping of the video edges, so analog blanking, VHS switching marks and VITC timecode artifacts can be cropped out. The Blackmagic Video Recorder (www.blackmagic-design.com) will be available in mid July for $119, SDI version $299.
New Site for MIT Press
MIT Press has signed an agreement with Tizra to use the company’s Agile PDF software platform to create a website that will enable users to find, buy and view online versions of books published by the press. The site is scheduled to go live next month with books from the press’ world-renowned Computer Science and related collections. Because the new service will be available to individuals as well as university and institutional customers, it represents a significant step toward broader online access to MIT Press content. The service also represents the first time the press has sold online versions of its computer and information science books. Track the launch through http://mitpress.mit.edu.
Remove Harmful Bacteria From Screens
Monster, a company known for its high-end cables, has begun shipping improved Monster ScreenClean products. The new products feature anti-microbial cleaning cloths enhanced with AEGIS Micro Shield Technology to clean and polish touch screens, and control potentially harmful micro-organisms at the same time. Monster claims that ScreenClean inhibits the growth of a broad spectrum of bacteria, fungi, mold, mildew, yeast and other one-celled organisms. There are five new ScreenClean products for use with portable electronics, including laptops, camera/camcorders, cell phones/PDAs, GPS devices and iPods.
An iPhone Wanna Be
From HTC comes the Touch Diamond which functions with a 3D touch interface and a Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional OS. Connectivity is HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA. The handset features a 2.8 inch display and 3.2MP camera with an optical auto-focus lens.
The phone has a customized mobile web browser that enables easy viewing and navigation of websites in the way they were designed. As part of this browsing experience users can zoom and pan websites with one-hand and automatically view optimized content that has been specially created to fit the display. Turning the device sideways rotates the web page view from a portrait to landscape view. The Touch Diamond includes a YouTube application for watching user generated video content as well as utilizing Google Maps for Mobile.
