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Newstips Electronic Editorial Bulletin Issue # 2008-02d
Like February, news that leaps to conclusions
CAR PAL NO-TUNNEL SYNDROME
Everybody hits at least one patch of highway where you might as
well be driving through a tunnel in terms of getting signal to
your cell phone. Wi-Ex can't eliminate every shard of cell hell
but they can eliminate a lot of them & make others smaller with
the new in-car zBoost ($300, but intro special is $239; works
with all carriers except Nextel). It ships in March but a few
review units are available now; ask. Contact: Sharon Cuppett,
WI-EX INC. (Norcross, GA) 770-239-5475x6380
mailto:scuppett@wi-ex.com http://wi-ex.com AGENCY CONTACT: Deanna
Anderson 404-759-1890 mailto:danderson705@comcast.net
LED PANELS CUT TV STUDIO LIGHTING POWER COSTS BY 50KW TO 3KW
Like an Al Gore dream come true, WPEC-TV in West Palm went to
100% LED panel lighting with Litepanels products, cut their
everything-on power consumption from 52KW to 3KW & they
calculated an air conditioning (it's Florida) energy cost drop of
50%. Those aren't the only savings; while tungsten lamps have a
roughly 250-hour life, LEDs last 100,000+ hours. (We should also
note that the EPA says if a fluorescent lamp breaks, the
appropriate response is to immediately abandon the room). Each of
the Litepanels light sources is an array of hundreds of
individual LEDs (fully dimmable without color temperature shifts)
so on-camera talent isn't dealing with point-source glare. The
station even put this LED lighting in the makeup rooms so talent
could see in the mirror what the cameras would see on the air.
Yes, Litepanels is the same company that makes the under-$300 LP
Micro that Marty loves for his camcorder. Take a few minutes on
the Web site & we know you'll find more than one something of
interest. Contact: Ken Fisher, LITEPANELS, INC. (North Hollywood
CA) 818-332-3070 mailto:ken@litepanels.com
http://LitePanels.com
NEW STUDIODOCK USB MONITORS COME TO PLAY IN MAY
Think of the sound of eggs frying in the distance while your
neighbor stands in the driveway & uses his electric razor; that's
close to the sound of analog floor noise you hear when you listen
to sounds from your PC. Some upscale PCs can source digital audio
& get you around that, but any PC with USB offers that as a
second option for digital audio. So what do you get when you
cross digital audio with monitor-grade speakers & an up-top iPod
charging, syncing & streaming dock? You get to wait until May,
when the new Samson StudioDock USB Monitors will debut. Drop a
message to Mark now to get on the list of its first reviewers.
Contact: Mark Wilder, SAMSON TECHNOLOGIES (Hauppauge, NY)
631-784-2200x142 mailto:mwilder@samsontech.com
http://SamsonTech.com
TERRORIZING TERABYTES & TERRIFYING INSIGHTS
Do you really need a Terabyte on the desktop? You may; Marty
likes to say that we never fail to outgrow our stuff. Would you
like it to fail way before its time? The terror of losing
irreplaceable photos, costly music collections or thousands of
hours of work drives many people to get big secondary storage
drives, but if they could see inside they'd be a lot more
cautious about their choices. Many have no cooling at all (heat
can bring early death to a drive); Apricorn EZ-Bus Desktop
eSATA/USB drives (250GB to 1TB, $125-359) put an emphasis on the
cooling abilities of their quiet-running fans. The slightly
convex aluminum case assures air flow (while looking marvelous).
The full-spec power supply doesn't wheeze when the drive is
working hard (we've heard competitors strain their power supplies
so much their spindles slowed down). They even bundle Mac & PC
backup & synch software. These are designed around 3.5" drives so
they offer more capacity at less cost per GB than solutions using
smaller drives. If it's been a while since you reviewed an
external drive, ask Michelle for an EZ-Bus, spoil yourself &
raise the bar on any competitor's hopes for a good write-up.
Contact: Michelle Fischer, APRICORN INC. (Poway, CA) 858-513-4480
mailto:mfischer@apricorn.com http://apricorn.com AGENCY CONTACT:
Jennifer Olson 415-402-0230 mailto:jennifer@atomicpr.com
JVC SHOWS ITS GADGET SIDE
Just about anything that can drive earphones (media players, PCs,
phones, etc.) can do that out loud with JVC SP-A120 portable
speakers ($30, black or white), either in passive mode or active,
kicking in about a third of a watt of their own audio power;
they're pocket-size, 0.75" thick & smaller than a 3x5 card. Is it
too noisy for speakers? The JVC HA-NCX77 ($80) puts active noise
canceling into earbuds & gets 70 hours of use from one AAA cell.
As long as you're listening that way, consider the JVC SU-DH1
Surround Sound Headphone Adaptor ($130) that uses Dolby magic to
let you perceive 5.1-channel surround sound from stereo
headphones. Ask Chelsea. Contact: Chelsea Vander Groef, JVC
COMPANY OF AMERICA (Wayne, NJ) 973-317-5000x5312
mailto:cvandergroef@jvc.com http://jvc.com
DAPTER SURVIVES INTERNATIONAL JACK ATTACK
It was Jack who told us the horror stories about short Bluetooth
USB plug-ins breaking slots or notebook cases or getting broken
themselves when the notebook got stuffed into a bag then
subjected to the rigors of travel, so that may have influenced
him. When he first got his Dapter ($30) Bluetooth 2 USB adapter
in from manufacturing, he babied it at first; pretty soon, travel
exigencies being what they are, he was forgetting to do that.
Next thing you know, he's traveling Europe & thinking, uh-oh,
what if I was too careless & something bad happened. Nothing did;
unlike those competing stubbles, Dapter doesn't damage ports or
cases or itself when you leave it in, throw the notebook in a bag
& take off for wherever. While we'd never invite you to let
somebody else's something damage your notebook just for the sake
of a story, now that Jack is back, he'd be happy to have you
write about no harm done with a Dapter. Contact: Jack Corrao,
NEWTON PERIPHERALS (Natick, MA) 858-792-0944
mailto:jack.corrao@newtonperipherals.com
http://NewtonPeripherals.com
RETRACTABLES WINDOW OPEN AT DATA DRIVE THRU
The Data Drive Thru Web site now lists all of their retractable
products, from cables to mice to ear buds to universal notebook
power supplies & more. It also tells you all about the Tornado &
iTornado, their utility software & we have word that there will
be some surprising new devices & offerings by mid-year. Contact:
Clint Hughes, DATA DRIVE THRU (Dallas, TX) 972-897-7057
mailto:chughes@datadrivethru.com http://TheTornado.com
MEASUREMENTS IN PHOTOS FROM INNER & OUTER SPACE
If you're a diver with an underwater camera & find something down
there you want to tell others about, put anything you have with
you of known size in the photo (we don't recommend your air
tanks) & iPhotoMeasure can give you a hard copy with measurements
overlaid. You can do the same with aerial or even satellite
photos if (again) you know the dimensions of anything in the
shot. Call Paul to try. Contact: Paul Minor, DIGICONTRACTOR INC.
(Tarzana, CA) 818-888-3687 mailto:paul@iphotomeasure.com
http://iPhotoMeasure.com
WHERE EUBIQ STRIPS WILL SPREAD THEIR POWER
Once UL approvals arrive & those innovative power strips with the
twist-to-add sockets become available in the US, there are
several places they'll be heading. One, of course, is retail,
with a kit of installation options from none (on the floor behind
the gear, like lesser power strips) to walls, desk tops
(especially as back rails) desk bottoms, etc. Another destination
is commercial electrical distributors with wire-in as well as
plug-in models for build-in home (especially kitchen) or office
applications; anticipate a strong presence in data centers & rack
cabinets as well. That market will also see some combo units with
extra channels in the track for carrying phone, network, signal
or data cables. Still another is as an OEM component for modular
office furniture & equipment builders, especially nothing else
affords this level of post-purchase flexibility. Prep yourself
with a little time on the Web site or drop a note to Kee.
Contact: NG Kee Haur, EUBIQ PTE LTD (Singapore) +65-6372-9393x380
mailto:keeng@eubiq.com http://eubiq.com
WEB KOMFORT ZONE GETS UPDATES
We know what got Bob to weave a new Web site for Komfort Pets:
with the new Medium size & new accessories now available, it
needed updating anyway. There's info there now on the new
electronically heated/cooled medium-size Komfort Pets carrier
(shipping by May), the new stacking adapter ($20), the new 3-hour
rechargeable battery pack with carry bag & their newest awards
(like SPCA 2008 Best of the Best Award). For you, we think the
product tour with its cutaway views & callouts of the
heating/cooling system is the click to start with. For a video
view, we hear it will be on Good Morning America Saturday
morning; for a hands-on view, buzz Bob. Contact: Bob Inello,
KOMFORT PETS (Revere, MA) 781-485-0077
mailto:rinello@komfortpets.com http://KomfortPets.com
WON'T POWER SHIPS
See http://wont-power.com for info about Won't Power ($15, 3 for
$39), the intriguing aromatic in a pocket-size vial that somehow
puts hunger pangs on snooze for 10-20 minutes at a time. The
production release is shipping now with an important improvement:
the vial has a soft plastic spice-shaker type inner lid which
lengthens the effective life of the product by improving the seal
when closed while reducing the amount of aromatic you get in a
sniff (some people were overdoing it & the aroma is unpleasant in
larger doses). The aromatic fluid is held in a foam sponge
attached to the bottom of the vial, so the inner lid also helps
prevent curious kids from unpleasant direct exposure. Beyond will
power, when it's time to eat & those hunger pangs hit but you
can't yet get to your meal, Won't Power gives you a way to delay
that pesky distraction & get on with what you're doing. Marty
tried it & it works for him; tell Dan that you're ready to try
it, too. Contact: Dan Llewellyn, LDP LLC (Carlstadt NJ)
201-882-0344 mailto:dan@maxmax.com Http://MaxMax.com
SMALLER CAMERAS + BIGGER BAGS = INSPIRATION
The idea for Domke bags sprang from a pro photographer who wanted
to protect his gear while making it less of a pain to haul. In
the decades since, the Domke line & its modular padded inserts
have changed; cameras & gear also got a lot smaller. These days,
pros use Domke bags to carry a lot more than just a camera & a
couple lenses; you're likely to find them holding a camera & a
camcorder plus spare batteries, lights, a notebook PC, a media
player, a mike, a notebook, even lunch. Ask Hilary. Contact:
Hilary Araujo, TIFFEN COMPANY (Hauppauge, NY) 631-273-2500x1216
mailto:haraujo@tiffen.com http:/.tiffen.com
SPECIAL REPORT: PRO TV NEWS TECH
We're not going to attempt a complete survey of broadcast tech in
a paragraph, but at just about a month short of NAB, we can take
a look at some of the disappearing differences between consumer &
pro gear, especially in reporting environments. In video cameras
that are designed to record (versus those that are designed for
live work or for switched feeds to separate recording gear), the
biggest differences are within power, connections, real
resolution, control & (though all are shrinking) size & weight.
Pro gear tends to use "brick" power packs (a source of complaints
over life per charge, life before failure & cost) that may also
be pressed into service to power lighting, wireless mikes &
accessories. Pro gear tends to offer multiple XLR mike connectors
with full phantom power; only some consumer gear offers external
mike connectors at all & those are usually unbalanced jacks with
less robust plug-in power. Only a very few consumer camcorders
offer headphone jacks or any kind of audio level metering. Pro HD
gear offers one sensor pixel per frame pixel; many HD consumer
camcorders use pixel shifting or other tricks to get away with
half or fewer total sensor pixels (though to be fair, few viewers
will perceive any difference). Pro gear offers more extensive &
immediate manual control over exposure, white balance & focus
(among other attributes) than consumer gear. While better lenses
have led to more pro gear with consumer-style integrated zoom
lenses, only pro gear offers users any option for changing
lenses. Lighting is beginning to shift in the pro camp, with more
use color-selected CFL lamps & some early usage of LED arrays (at
a generally higher initial cost), but most gear still runs with
tungsten lighting & bricks because it's cheaper (or less
questioned by management) to keep buying bulbs, bricks &
replacements for those than to jump into newer technologies.
Pro-side miking tends to be either long-cord lavaliere or
long-cord handheld for single MOC (man on camera) or on-scene
interview shots, with wireless playing a role when it's either
tougher to reach with a wire or when there's a little more prep
time; "walk & talk" shots generally put wireless on both parties.
Wireless mikes for news are traditionally from brands like Azden
or Sennheiser, though many operations are actively looking at
lower-cost full-performance alternatives from brands like Audio
Technica & Samson. All of the pro gear up to here refers to what
real crews use, but there's a continuing emphasis on equipping
field news producers (the people who arrive first to check out a
scene, often characterized as arriving with just a rented car & a
carry-on bag) with enough of the better consumer gear to be able
to get credibly good reports back to the newsroom before a crew
can get there; we'll talk about the next time.
SPECIAL REPORT BONUS REVIEW: MOBILE GOOGLE MAPS 2
We just downloaded version 2 (Beta) of Mobile Google Maps on our
cell phone (Blackberry Pearl with 4.2 OS on AT&T) but hadn't
expected much more than the kind of map library we see on Google
Maps online; it surprised & delighted us with more. The first
surprise was that it had a fairly good idea of our location, even
though we weren't running any kind of GPS over Bluetooth (there
isn't GPS hardware in a Pearl) & there is no GPS-like service
through AT&T (as there is, for example, with Sprint). Google uses
the cell tower's location to venture a pretty fair guess, off by
an average of about a quarter mile in our trials. It lets us
search & store favorite locations, shows both map & satellite
views, finds points of interest (with click-to-call) & offers
driving directions. In many major metro areas, it can show
real-time traffic data. It's easy to pan the map display & you
can tap 1 or 3 to zoom out or in; when zooming in, you see an
outline of the map area it's about to redraw before beginning the
new map load. If you do use or add GPS Bluetooth hardware, a menu
option lets it take advantage of that for an even more accurate
fix on your location. The download is free. Bottom line: useful,
cool & fun.
SPECIAL REPORT BONUS REVIEW 2: OFFICE MAC 2008
We get it that a new version of Office takes longer to bring to
the Mac platform, especially in today's era of Microsoft
developing platform-happy code instead of bolting on adaptations.
So it's not surprising that the new release of Office (2008) for
the Mac is a doppelganger for Office (2007) for Windows in terms
of the user experience with no hint of Frankenstein in its DNA.
It makes little sense to compare it with previous versions for
the Mac, since it's been such a long time since their development
& because Mac hardware & operating systems have improved so much
in that time. So what is noteworthy (beyond the layers of cool we
already experiences with Office 2007 on Windows) is that document
files seem much more resistant to the bloating they could suffer
in earlier releases. In Word, since Marty's Dad was a
typographer, there's a special joy in its support for ligatures
between characters (for type fonts that support it). Microsoft
managed to evolve Office into a diplomat that goes farther than
anything we've seen before at making applications not only
interoperable but also inter-usable between PC & Mac (Intel or
PowerPC) platforms. This platform transparency brings a
significant loss of annoyance in those frequent real-world
scenarios that see devotees of separate platforms orchestrating
their separate work into common projects. On its own, it's a
significantly improved offering among top Mac software packages;
in the context of work overall, it tears down fences. Bottom
line: we applaud what Microsoft has accomplished here.
SPECIAL REPORT BONUS REVIEW 3: SONY SOUND FORGE 9.0C
We've been fans of Sound Forge for some time, but somehow never
got around to getting a Vista-compatible update to it when we
made our move a year ago. We just got in the newest release - 9.0
- which already has a "C" update to install (which takes less
time than a game of Spider Solitaire). We like what they've done
with the user interface; it isn't dramatically different but it's
cleaner, the channel level meters are much easier to read &
there's a single click to maximize your desktop workspace for a
track. There are more processing options, including a very handy
ability to reduce bit-depth. The effects choices (chorus,
wah-wah, flange, pitch bend, noise gate & plenty more). It comes
with Izotope Vocal Eraser; we tested & it works as described, but
we did hit an authorization glitch that let its authorized status
be recorded in the registry (the default) but not on the disk (an
option under Advanced). When working with sound tracks on video
projects, it offers enough video support to be quite useful. For
video pros, it supports SMTPE time coeds at 24, 25, 29.96 or
30fps; for musicians, it can frame the audio in measures & beats.
For absolutely everybody at every experience level, one of our
favorite things is the "Show Me How" button that launches any of
16 tutorials when you find yourself in unfamiliar territory.
Bottom line: Sound Forge gives us more control over audio than we
had with pro studios in the 16-track tape days; we like it a lot
& feel intimidated a little, but undo works fine, so what the
heck!
SPECIAL REPORT BONUS REVIEW 4: SONY VEGAS
We're well established fans of Song Vegas for video editing but
had fallen a generation behind until we upgraded to Vegas Movie
Studio 8 Platinum Edition. Among the most welcome improvements:
more direct compatibility with more native HD video formats on
more camcorder brands plus surround sound mixing & encoding. In a
dual-monitor set-up, it will display a preview full-screen on the
second monitor (just like the pro shops in Hollywood). Adding
things like titling, credit rolls, backgrounds, textures &
transitions are easier than ever. We were impressed by how much
this most recent version cleaned up the previous version's
problems in displaying JVC HD camcorder video (TOD format files);
previewing those clips on the big second screen even helped us
learn about some mistakes we had made when first using the
camcorder. The new features are very cool, but even better the
basic underlying program is now more fully compatible with Vista
& with our HD gear. Bottom line: our old favorite is our new
favorite & we continue to recommend it over all comers.
WHY WE QUIT THE MICROSOFT PARTNERS PROGRAM
There aren't many of us left who will build PCs from scratch to
test out various elements against relevant contexts, nor are
there many of us left who will test software on multiple
platforms (desktops & notebooks of varying vintage) & doing so
creates complications. Part of that lies in the "test suite" of
baseline elements with which everything else must coexist; for
us, in empirically pragmatic terms, we interpret that to mean
Vista & Office on our systems. So each year, we burn through 5-10
licenses for each; did you ever try getting even one copy of each
of these at a time from Microsoft? A few years ago, a colleague
told us he had given up on getting that kind of support from the
Microsoft PR program; instead, he joined the Microsoft Partner
Program, which let him buy their Action Pack, a quarterly package
that included 10 licenses each for Windows & Office (plus a lot
of server-side software that didn't interest any of us). Last
year, Microsoft announced a training requirement, meaning we
would have to pass an online exam in any of several subject areas
in order to qualify for the Action Pack. They offer online
training in tons of server-side software, in their business
accounting package for Office, in SQL, in selling whole-office
solutions to small & mid-size businesses; none of that training
holds any value for what we do & our time is not so valueless
that we're willing to endure it anyway. Marty made the call to
the regional (translation: US) Partner Program support people to
see if a waiver might be available; it turns out that this
operation is contracted out to a third party with absolutely no
authority to provide any special treatment at all to journalists.
There was no choice; we quit the Partner Program. We're sending
an advance copy of this write-up through to the Microsoft PR
forces along with a request for copies of Vista & Office with 10
license keys each; while we fully expect the response to be
rationales instead of software, we'll share our results either
way whenever they occur. Contact: Martin Winston, NEWSTIPS
(Novelty, OH) 440-338-8400; mailto:marty@newstips.com
http://Newstips.com
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Newstips Bulletin [Novelty, OH] +1.440.338.8400 http://Newstips.com
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