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First pics of RED "Spike" camcorder prototype surface
It's been quite awhile since a single camcorder, of all things, got as much hype as the elusive RED machine from Oakley founder Jim Jannard, but this mysterious beast is escaping the treacherous realm of vaporware and emerging into reality according to the man himself over at DVXuser. Aside from shooting HD footage at 60fps with those fine 11.4-megapixels, the all-aluminum cam is finally making its debut, and a few glamour shots of the first prototype, dubbed "Spike," have now been released. It's noted that actual production units will not sport a shiny finish (sorry, blingsters), and the official forums will open up tomorrow at RedUser.net. Ole Jim also mentioned that the machined prototype "should be operational" within days, and hopes to garner a good bit of attention at the next NAB expo. While the initial batch of $17,000 pre-orders are long gone, the firm just might take more orders for a small window of time in "early 2007," but it's shakily committing to a "May 31st" or earlier ship date for those lucky (and loaded) individuals already on that coveted list. Be sure to tag the links below for more very-not-fuzzy sneak peeks.[Via DVGuru]
Manufacturers, broadcasters heart DTV set-top boxes
Two major manufacturing and broadcasting trade associations both endorsed a plan to help the government ensure an easy transition to over-the-air Digital TV today, drafting a resolution to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA -- yeah, we hadn't heard of them either) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), which counts as its members basically every manufacturer of electronics; and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), who has representatives from almost every television broadcaster; combined with the Association for Maximum Service Television, Inc. (MSTV), a more technically-focused group of local stations. The three organizations submitted a proposal for the NTIA to take into consideration as it attempts to make rules for providing digital converter boxes to the American public for receiving DTV after the February 2009 cut-off date for analog broadcasts.Some interesting sections of their proposal include not limiting digital-to-analog box coupons to strictly those who get their programming over-the-air (which should include those with satellite and an OTA antenna for local channels), and calls for both simplicity in the program, and the availability of low-cost, high-quality components. Waaait a minute, a call for plainly-marketed, well-built electronics at a low cost? What are we missing here? Oh right, Congress authorized five million dollars for educational campaigns, might as well get in on that now and put it to some good use. As an owner of an OTA set-top box, I can say they have huge potential for making the transition to DTV painless for even the most ancient of televisions, and will hopefully spur most Americans to buy a real HD-capable set, which in turn will push broadcasters and networks to produce all their content in HD so we don't have to worry about turning off channels during football.
NAB speaks out against downconverting
The National Association of Broadcasters has joined the Big Four in petitioning Congress to stop a bill that would include provisions allowing cable television providers the right to downconvert HDTV broadcasts to DTV. Between this new article and a note on TV Predictions, we were also able to better understand what all the fuss is about. If you're as confused as I was, the point of contention here are "must-carry" laws, that would require cable companies to carry multiple HDTV streams that the local affiliates broadcast. The cable companies say this would use up their valuable bandwidth, while the affiliates fear that cable companies could refuse to carry their high definition broadcast unless the affiliates paid them to.That still seems to be a longshot, as we all know the most desirable HD programming is on the network stations, if cable companies limited that then why would their subscribers pay extra for HD? Additionally, if the reason I can't get HGTV-HD is because there are three ABC affiliates in my area, that would really suck. Of course in some areas cable is all there is and if they refused to carry an HD Super Bowl or other event without payment, customers would be stuck with HDTVs and no HD. Worse yet, they are still trying to force Broadcast Flag legislation through that could prevent you from recording high-def broadcasts. All this government talk makes me want to turn to C-SPAN, why aren't they in 720p yet?Read - Broadcasting & CableRead - TV Predictions
17 inch MacBook Pro: a video pro's dream
Philip Michaels thinks that the new 17 inch MacBook Pro is aim squarely at video/design professionals, and I have to agree. He notes the release date coincided with NAB (the National Association of Broadcasters conference) which is a good start. The larger screen is of obvious appeal to folks working with video, as is the Firewire 800 port (absent in the 15 inch MacBook Pro).So, video people, is this the MacBook Pro that you have been waiting for?
Apple unveils 17-inch MacBook Pro
As expected, Apple has unveiled the new flagship of the MacBook Pro line, a 17-inch, 1680x1050, 2.16GHz Core Duo model. The new model comes standard with 1GB of RAM, an 8X dual-layer burner and a 120GB 5400 RPM hard drive, along with a FireWire 800 port, for $2,799. Maximum RAM is 2GB, and Apple also offers a 100GB 7200 RPM drive as an option. At the same time, Apple has removed the 17-inch PowerBook G4 from its lineup, leaving the 12-incher as the sole remaining option for customers willing to settle for last year's model (or who want a smaller-footprint portable). The pricing on the 17-incher actually matches that of the 2.16GHz 15-inch model, which makes this one a relative bargain -- especially given its larger hard drive, FireWire 800 and dual-layer burner. As previously noted, the launch was timed to coincide with the opening of the National Association of Broadcasters conference, which begins today. More pictures on the flip side.
Apple said to be planning 17-in MacBook Pro for NAB launch
If you've been hankering for one of Apple's $2,500, 17-inch G4 PowerBooks, you may just want to put your wallet away for a little while. According to AppleInsider, the company is due to roll out a 17-inch version of the Core Duo-powered MacBook Pro at the National Association of Broadcasters conference next week. According to the report, the 17-inch MBP would include a faster processor than the 2.16GHz version currently available in the 15-incher's top configuration. That could put pricing for the model well above $3,000, given the $2,800 price for the 2.16GHz version -- which may explain why Apple's choosing to show it off for TV pros, who may be willing to splurge for a high-end box, especially if they can run an Intel-native version of Apple's Final Cut Studio on it for a mere $1,300 more. Hmm, maybe that G4 isn't such a bad deal after all.[Thanks, Adam]
Will the analog shutoff affect you?
It's estimated that 20 million households rely solely on free OTA television, the rest of Americans have either cable or satellite. The digital transition will only affect people who don't have cable or satellite right, or will it? I wonder how many Americans have cable TV, but don't use a STB or how many satellite subscribers don't pay extra for locals. If you consider the expensive bandwidth the analog SD (38Mbps) channels take up on cable networks, it would be surprising if the cable companies will want to continue to carry the analog versions. That is assuming that the local affiliates allow them to convert the digital feeds to analog. Most of this has not been decided and is already starting to spark up heated debates between cable companies and members of the NAB. Would the cable companies force all their customers to subscribe to digital cable? Will the government-subsidized STBs be available to cable and DBS subscribers? This is starting to look like it's going to affect more people than just those who rely solely on free OTA TV. At this point you are either saying wow or this won't effect me, but have you thought about portable TVs, or TVs in your car or RV, the TV in the garage or the one you take to tailgate? I would think that everyone who loves HD is anxiously waiting for the analog shutoff, but there are many questions to answer in the next three years.
