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Apple iPhone 4S Battles Canon 5D Mark II in HD Video Shootout

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October 24, 2011
  • Apple’s new iPhone 4S touts an 8-megapixel camera sensor capable of recording HD video at full 1080p resolution.
  • As an experiment, Robino Films recently posted a video comparing HD video shot with the new iPhone against video from the $2,400 Canon 5D Mark II. The two devices were mounted side-by-side on a camera rig, with similar exposure settings, shooting 1080p video at 30 frames per second.
  • “This test is really only to show that the 4S is coming close to the 5D but in NO WAY is it better,” comments Robino Films. “The iPhone is a great 1080p pocket camera and shows us where technology is heading. Give it two three years and we should see some interesting micro high performance cameras.”
  • ETCentric staffer George Gerba comments: “Add a professional connected app for news production and the white iPhone 4S might be more like a white news van than a phone…”

CinemaNow Introduces Availability of HD Movies from Fox and Warner Bros.

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October 12, 2011
  • CinemaNow — the online video service launched by electronics chain Best Buy in 2010 — has announced it will offer 1080p HD movies from Fox and Warner Bros. on personal computers. “Until now, only standard-definition movies were available from CinemaNow on the PC,” writes Carolyn Giardina in The Hollywood Reporter.
  • Thomas Gewecke, president of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, indicates that CinemaNow is using Intel technology to make secure HD content available. “Intel Insider is a hardware-based security technology in second-generation Intel Core processors,” reports THR, “which is the fastest-shipping Intel product with more than 75 million units shipped to date.”
  • “The partnership with Intel and Best Buy’s CinemaNow to bring HD digital downloads of our movies to the PC will expand our reach to millions of devices in the U.S. and potentially more around the world,” adds Mike Dunn, worldwide president at 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
  • CinemaNow currently offers approximately 15,000 movies and TV shows.

Hands-On Reviews: Striking New Sony DSLRs and Mirrorless Digicams

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September 27, 2011
  • Digital Trends takes four of Sony’s new digicams for a test drive — a pair of 24-megapixel DSLRs (the SLT-A77 and SLT-A65) and two compact mirrorless cameras (the NEX-5N and NEX-7).
  • The 3-day test period was conducted by recording more than 1,200 stills and dozens of short videos in rugged Southern California exteriors.
  • The review speaks highly of the DSLRs: “Sony really leaped ahead with this new pair by upping still resolution, the frame rate, video quality and incorporating a high-quality OLED viewfinder. Resolution is now 24.3 megapixels, the most of any consumer camera. Even with all the pixels, the A77 cranks off 12 frames per second at full resolution; the less expensive A65 does 10. Both also capture AVCHD Progressive movies, which are a beautiful 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second, rather than 1080i.”
  • In terms of cost: “The A77 costs $1,399 for the body only and is sold with an extremely sharp constant-aperture f/2.8 16-50mm lens for around $2,000. The A65 costs $999 with a more traditional 18-55mm lens. As a comparison, the 3.7 fps 18-megapixel Canon EOS Rebel T3i is $899 with an 18-55mm lens.”
  • Regarding the mirrorless cameras, Digital Trends comments: “Although the NEX-7 still requires a final production sample test, the early taste was quite fine. This could easily be the camera of the year given our hands-on experience. The buzz among the reviewers was pretty intense. As for the NEX-5N, although it’s a nice camera, it really paled in comparison to its big brothers and sisters.”
  • Pricing for the mirrorless models: “The NEX-7 has the high-quality finder built-in on the rear top left; the view is very good. We used the camera with an f/2.0 24mm prime lens, which added a cool $1,200 to the basic $1,149 price for the body. The NEX-7 will be sold with a cosmetically-matching black 18-55mm lens for $1,349. This outfit has a very Leica-like vibe and takes some pretty spectacular images… The NEX-5N has a 16-megapixel APS-C sensor (up from 14) and costs $699 with an 18-55mm kit lens.”

Sony NEX-VG20: Focus on Sensor, Sound, Interchangeable Lenses

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August 29, 2011
  • Sony has unveiled its much anticipated NEX-VG20 camcorder, the next-gen version of its popular VG10. The company explains that four key value propositions were considered when developing the VG20: the sensor, sound, lenses and design.
  • Notable features include: interchangeable lens capability, new Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor and BIONZ processor, recording in 1080p (1920×1080), 16 megapixel sensor, ability to save images in JPEG and RAW formats, and recording at frame rates of 24p or 60p.
  • “What really sounds like it’s been improved is the VG20’s audio recording capabilities,” reports Digital Trends. “It includes a Quad Capsule Spatial Array Mic that supports stereo and 5.1 channel surround sound and has a new audio level control.”
  • In its Hands-On Impressions section, Digital Camera Review praised the “comfortable design and smart ergonomics” of the VG20, although expressed some issue with the camera’s heft. The review spoke highly of the LCD screen’s TruBlack technology and ability to rotate 270 degrees, but had issues with the viewfinder: “I appreciated the fact that it displayed plenty of helpful information including resolution, video format, battery life, remaining memory, etc., and I thought that the picture looked pretty crisp. But after having spent some time with the outstanding OLED viewfinders on the Alpha cameras (and enjoyed how closely it projected the image to the eye, so there was little to no border) I felt like I was looking down an extremely long hallway when using the viewfinder on the VG20.”
  • The NEX-VG20 is scheduled for a November release. Price: $1,599 (or $2,199 with the lens mount kit).

Runco LS-1: Affordable DLP Projector Hits Shelves Next Week

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August 12, 2011
  • Runco has unveiled a single-chip 1080p projector based on the DLP chip from Texas Instruments.
  • The LS-1, the latest addition to Runco’s LightStyle Series, will be available this month for $3,995 (MSRP).
  • The company claims the unit offers “exceptional color and detail,” due largely to the Digital Light Processing technology.
  • The projector also features Runco’s SuperOnyx with ConstantContrast, ViVix digital video processing, and the ISF calibration suite for adjustments based on room and lighting conditions.
  • The unit’s exterior can be customized via Runco’s FinishPalette, offering a wide range of custom prints and colors. Additionally, with a simple touch of a button users can switch from 16:9 content to 2.35:1 content, without black bars.

New Olympus LS-20M Camcorder Features Dual Mics and 1080p Video

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May 6, 2011

This week, Olympus announced its new LS-20M pocket camcorder that boasts 1080p HD video recording and 24 bit/96 hHz linear PCM audio recording using two condenser mics. Engadget reports that the handheld’s “relatively high-end audio specs should help it go toe-to-toe with Zoom.” (The $300 Zoom Q3HD Handy Video Recorder was introduced late last year.)

According to the Olympus press release: “The HD video compression format makes it easy to upload videos to Facebook, YouTube, iTunes, Vimeo and other web-based content sharing sites, and the resolution offers remarkable detail on modern home theatre systems.” The LS-20M can record audio in stereo as WAV and MP3 formats. It is 5.3 inches in length and weighs 5.4 ounces.

The new camcorder also includes “Magic Movie” special effects settings such as Rock, Sketch, Pinhole and Pop.

In the wake of Cisco’s announcement to discontinue the Flip camera line, the Olympus LS-20M is a potential replacement for consumers and a possible new tool for mobile reporting. The device will be available by June 2011 for MSRP of $300.

Related Olympus press release: “New Olympus LS-20M Unites High-Definition Video and PCM Audio to Capture Sights and Sounds Like Never Before” (5/3/11)

Related Engadget post: “Zoom’s dual mic-equipped Q3HD camcorder now available for $300” (11/2/10)

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