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Archive for January, 2008

Don’t install QT 7.4 on your production machines!

[Via Slashdot: Apple QuickTime DRM Disables Video Editing Apps]

According to numerous posts on Apples discussion forums several threads of which have been deleted by Apple, as well as a number of popular video editing blogs, Apples recent QT 7.4 update does more than just enable iTunes video rentals — it also disables Adobes professional After Effects video editing software. Attempting to render video files after the update results in a DRM permissions error. Unfortunately, it is not possible to roll back to a previous version of QT without doing a full OSX reinstall. Previous QT updates have also been known to have severe issues with pro video editing apps.

Of course, you knew never to install any software or OS update (mac or windows) without first waiting to see if there were any reports of problems, right?

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recreating Omaha Beach with 3 people

[via Stu Maschwitz]

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New Mac Pros… Finally!

The Mac Pro line has been ignored for a while, but today Apple has announced the new towers features dual quad-core penryn chips and new high-end graphics cards including the ATI 2600 and NVidia 8800 GT. I’m wondering why not the 8800 GTX or Ultra, but they are certainly long overdue upgrades.

For the creative pro market, this is a very exciting day. The timing is a bit odd though. Given that MacWorld is next week, one might wonder why this upgrades wouldn’t be announced in the keynote. It may mean that there will be some even more exciting things in the keynote.

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final nail in the coffin of HD DVD?

FT.com / Home UK / UK – Paramount in HD DVD blow

Paramount is poised to drop its support of HD DVD after Warner Brothers’ recent backing of Sony’s Blu-ray technology, in a move that will sound the death knell of HD DVD and bring the home entertainment format war to a definitive end.

Paramount and DreamWorks Animation, which makes the Shrek films, came out in support of HD DVD last summer, joining General Electric’s Universal Studios as the main backers of the Toshiba format.

However, Paramount, which is owned by Viacom, is understood to have a clause in its contract with the HD DVD camp that would allow it to switch sides in the event of Warner Bros backing Blu-ray, according to people familiar with the situation.

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Gizmodo has a hands-on with the Canon HD Vixia HF10

Hands On: Canons HD Vixia HF10 and HF100 Need No Tape

The announcements from Canon are very exciting, an update to the HV20 and the new tapeless HF10 and HF100. Especially for south of $1000. One thing conspicuously missing  from the announcement are the compression format. They do say that you will be able to record 16 hours in 16 GB… Are they using that crappy H.264 that all the solid state camcorders use? Also sucky is the non-standard accessory shoe, although better none certainly.

If we can get a very minor compression, an adapter to a standard accessory shoe, and a lens adapter like for the HV20, this could be very exciting indeed for the price.

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Warner switches to Blu-ray exclusively, end of HD DVD?

Maybe the studios are starting to realize that continuing the war between the formats is only succeeding in slowing DVD sales (which were down for the first time year-to-year in 2007). Maybe they are afraid that without a successful HD-format story, both formats will lose to downloading. For whatever reason, the US’s largest seller of DVDs has now endorsed Blu-ray. Can the HD DVD consortium reverse this decision? Does anyone even care anymore?

Warner Backs Blu-ray, Tipping DVD Scales

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Big day in music news

U.S. Album Sales Fell 9.5% in 2007 (New York Times): when the year’s top albums are Josh Groban’s Christmas music album, a High School Musical soundtrack and the Eagles, why is anyone surprised that sales are down?

Sony BMG Plans to Drop DRM (Business Week): The last major label hold-out on DRM has finally realized that punishing your customers is not a good business strategy.

Trent Reznor releases numbers on his Saul Williams download experiment (nin.com): Trent is not only willing to show the data from his experiment, but also to talk about the notion of allowing a pay-what-you-will strategy as a business model

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Pocketable Red camera at NAB?

Jim Jannard posted something interesting on the Red forum…avatar9_11.gif

The name is… – Reduser.net

Scarlet. Our Pocket Professional camera.

We know that the name has leaked out, so we want to avoid any postings and speculation.

Prototypes will be shown at NAB. It is not a competitor or replacement for the RED ONE.

Jim

“Scarlet” is a Trademark of RED Digital Cinema Camera Company.

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