Archives for the 'Product Reviews' Category
Say Hello to Online Video Editing!
Have you ever found yourself at a friends house with some footage that needs to be instantly seen by the world but find that your friend has no editing software installed? Have you ever wanted to do a spur-of the moment remix while using the computers at the public library? know someone with a camera who can’t afford editing software? Well this may be a solution to all those problems.
I have stumbled across two services that offer online video editing software for free! Both Eyespot and One True Media allow users to import clips, rearange, trim clips, add music and publish to your blog. This could be a quick and simple way to get people vlogging without needing really any knowledge of editing software. Another nice feature of these services is that you don’t need to worry about compression or hosting, since the video is already online!
I tested both of these services using the stock video and music provided on their sites. Read the rest of the most for my review
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Published by Josh Leo on March 27 .
9 Comments.
Testing Grounds
Deirdre and Devlon and Anne have partnered on a project called “Testing Grounds.” This blog features a growing list list of video-sharing services. (currently 30) The blog offers comparisons of each service and allows visitors to supply their own reviews and comments
“I used the same video (the trailer for my videoblog) throughout, starting from the same WMV version wherever possible, to level the playing field.”
For people who are still deciding how they want to share video on their blog, the Testing Grounds is a valuable resource!
Published by Josh Leo on March 20 .
2 Comments.
Easy Software for Making Vlogs realtime
Ever since I did a presentation at the meet the vloggers gathering in SoHo this summer, people have kept asking what software I use to do my vlogs. I’ve been using Wirecast from Vara Software. It’s rather pricey, but it allows for simple changes of precomposed shots with videos, titles, and 2 cameras. It saves the videos right to the desired QuickTime format, or even sets up a video stream. Wirecast is available for the Mac and Windows platforms.
Vara Software has released a lighter version called VideoCue for Mac platform. It is really great as it allows for simple drag and drop of videos, pictures and live camera into a storyboard cue. It also has direct support for adding it to your blog. There is a free trial download to get your feet wet and to see if it is something for you.
Published by GabeMac on January 16 .
5 Comments.
Avid Free DV
Looking to move beyond Window’s Movie Maker? Try Avid Free DV which is Avid’s answer to Apple’s iMovie. Although it is lacking in some features that you would expect from other (ie pay) editors (2 Track Max. No real-time Out without rendering. Quicktime only.) it is a good way to learn the Avid interface if you hope to later move up to one of their full featured programs.
Comes in both Mac and Window version
Published by Graham Walker on November 15 .
No Comments.
More Video Sharing Sites
Video sharing sites are cropping up like weeds these days. 25th Dimension blog has posted a nice quick feature list and review of a number of clip-sharing sites most of which I had never heard of before.
I doubt that most vloggers will be interested in any of these sites beyond curiosity since a number of them will transcode your video into another format (sometimes poorly) and/or don’t allow you to directly link to the video, but it is good to know what else is going on out there.
Published by Graham Walker on November 3 .
No Comments.
Typepad Focuses on Video
Recently, Six Apart, Inc., the owners of such blog publishing tools as Typepad (used and loved by yours truly) and Livejournal, has partnered up with internet start-up New Haven, CT based VideoEgg to make publishing video media as easy as the click of a record button.
If you’re a Typepad user, you now have the opportunity to visit typepad.videoegg.com, log in as you would at Typepad.com, and upload video that will be saved to your Typepad vlog. The interface is set-up just like the normal Typepad interface, except there are several options on how you can import video directly into your post. VideoEgg software accomodates uploading of videos from your computer’s harddrive, directly from an attached video source, a webcam, or a mobile device.
Currently VideoEgg is in it’s beta testing phases which means a couple of things. One - PC users only (sorry guys!). Two - in their own words, “While there’s no technical limit to the length of video the Publisher can post, long videos are expensive to store and stream.” That means no videos over two minutes until they figure out how to pay for bandwith.
Overall, the program itself seems to work well, especially if you aren’t interested in storing your videos on large public archives. It took about 3 minutes to completely upload a 1min. 47sec. movie clip. Not bad at all. VideoEgg has a great deal of potential, and I look forward to seeing it grow.
For more specific information, check out the VideoEgg FAQ.
Published by Tim on October 26 .
2 Comments.
The Cameras Behind LBV
Watch the video
Personally I’m biased and loyal to Canon cameras. Whenever anyone asks which camera they should buy, these two models are recommended before their needs are even explained. Of course, these two cams are not meant for professional quality production, but my needs are strictly Web-based (and the occasional DVD). The specific Canon models we use on Lean Back Vids are the Optura 400 and the PowerShot SD300. Matter of fact, I was so convinced after seeing Pete’s Optura 400 that I went out and bought my own.
The reason Canon is our brand of choice is because of their focus on optical technology and their case construction. Pickup either of these cameras and you can feel that they are made of higher quality materials than most Sony handhelds.
As for digital video, these two cameras are great. The Elph provides the ability to capture spontaneous moments since you can easily carry it in your pocket all the time, and the Optura can be fit into a cargo pants pocket. My favorite feature of the Optura 400 is the ability to shoot in 16:9 widescreen mode. To make things even more dramatic, I also use a wide-angle converter lens. This distorts the view around the edges, but there are no more problems getting up close and maintaining the setting.
Here is a quick statistical comparison:
| Specifications | Optura 400/500 |
PowerShot SD300 |
| CCD Type | 1/3.4 inch | 1/2.5 inch |
| Video Length | SP: 80 min. LP: 120 min. |
Variable |
| Photo Pixels | 2,000,000 | 4,000,000 |
| LCD Size | 2.5 inch | 2.0 inch |
| Physical Size | 2.1 x 4.2 x 4.0 in | 3.39 x 2.09 x 0.82 in |
| Weight | 1.2 lb. (530g) | 4.59 oz./130g |
| Approx. Price | $525 | $260 |
Note, the video captured from a mini-DV tape is interlaced and needs to be de-interlaced using software. The drawback is that the de-interlace feature is not available in iMovie or Movie Maker. Another thing to note is that it is harder to compress full, rich colors and maintain quality versus the washed out video from a point-and-shoot camera. Oh, and let this video be yet another lesson in videoblogging 101 - look into the lens and not the viewer.
Published by Matt Savarino on October 11 .
2 Comments.
Heartfelt Widget for New Vloggers
Watching vlogs has gotten exponentially easier due to the great innovations by vloggers; aggregators such as Mefeedia, video blogging services such as Blip.tv, automatic caches such as FireAnt, tutorials such as those at Freevlog, and the up-and-coming Flock browser have made viewing vlogs as easy as the click of a button. FireAnt in particular has made it convenient to download your favorite videos easily without even having to visit the site. However, with all of this convenience, coupled with the increasing popularity of vlogging, it has become more difficult to easily find new vloggers to watch and support.
So how does someone find new vloggers to view and support? Answer: The Widget.
Peter Van Dijck over at Mefeedia has joined forces with Ryanne Hodson at Freevlog to create a software “Widget” that identifies new videobloggers for you by listing the site names right on the Widget. This heart-shaped icon sits on your desktop or dashboard and tells you how many new vloggers it contains at any one time. The icon was designed by Hodson and inspired by the work of the Lisa Frank Sticker Company and Paper Rad. The Widget is powered by Mefeedia and is compatible with both Macs and PCs (Please note: to install the Widget on a Mac you need Mac OSX Tiger).
The idea behind the Widget is twofold: to enable viewers to find fresh new material and to encourage viewers to support new vloggers. This is great news for us over at WATM because we are always looking for new and interesting material; it is even better news for new vloggers, as they now have a way to be featured artists with a much higher profile than before the Widget.
One last note: Van Dijck and Hodson designed the Widget to be open source, so feel free to change it as you like; just make sure to credit Mefeedia and Freevlog. So get on over to Freevlog to download the Widget and start watching new vloggers–and don’t forget to leave supportive comments on their sites!
Published by Jennifer Rundle on October 8 .
3 Comments.
Kodak goes Wi-Fi
Are you a fan of instant gratification? Are you tired of sending low quality cameraphone photos and videos to your friends everytime a guy in a hotdog suit walks by? You’re in luck! The next generation of digital cameras is upon us. Kodak has recently released a wi-fi enabled digicam that will help you share those exciting moments with people hundreds of miles away all while sitting at the local coffee house. The Kodak Easyshare-One Zoom Digital Camera is 4 megapixels of information superhighway surfing goodness. At $600, this is an expensive piece of hardware. However, perhaps it’s inception will lead to other companies creating similar products and, in turn, some healthy competition. How will this effect you? That’s for you to decide. Afterall, you are the media now.
Published by Tim on October 3 .
No Comments.
Panasonic SDR-S100 Camcorder: A Huge Mistake
David Kender of Camcorderinfo.com reviews the new Panasonic SDR-S100 Camcorder:
“The SDR-S100 has hints of Panasonic’s stellar MiniDV line: the great normal light performance from 3 CCDs, the great manual control. But the similarities end there. The first warning sign that this isn’t a camcorder like a Panasonic 3 CCD MiniDV model comes with the non expandable battery. No camcorder user, I don’t care if they are point and shoot, or an expert videographer for NBC Nightly News, is going to seriously consider a camcorder with a non expandable battery. When you add that with no audio input at all this becomes a camcorder with a completely closed system that is a huge mistake.”
Published by Steve Garfield on September 10 .
1 Comment.
