for version 11.x users. Download your copy today!

Imagine Products, Inc. develops high value, innovative digital logging tools, video analysis solutions, archiving systems and asset management software for video professionals. Imagine Products’ corporate headquarters is located at 1052 Summit Drive, Carmel, Indiana 46032, USA.  The company can be reached by phone at (317)-843-0706, by fax at (317)-843-0807, or on the web at http://www.ImagineProducts.com/

HD Log (tm) and TEP HD are trademarks of Imagine Products, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Vinten Offers Plug & Play Prompter for Election Coverage

Randy Boyes | 06/10- 12:45 PM

Vinten, a Vitec Group brand, now presents the Vision iScript portable prompting system, especially suited for busy political coverage.

Tailor-made for on-the-move campaign news coverage requiring multiple daily setups and dismantling, portable Vision iScript fits in one neat, custom-built, rolling case.

This smart fluid head and teleprompter combination is designed to work with the A/C or battery-powered GoPrompt 12 system from Autoscript. When combined with a Vision Ped Plus pedestal or two-stage Pozi-Loc tripod, it is ideal for studio or corporate applications and rugged, remote location work.

Autoscript’s GoPrompt differs from a traditional teleprompter because the computer, with a standard Windows XP operating system, is built into the prompting screen. GoPrompt 12 offers a high-brightness screen for outdoor work, network or USB connectivity, wired keyboard and mouse and integral prompting software.

The system employs a 900 MHz wireless scroll control, so the only cable necessary is the power cord that powers the prompters from mains or batteries.

Complementing this, the Vision iScript pan/tilt head offers a range of unique, practical features including preset counterbalance and a unique integral head/prompter platform interface.  This allows secure attachment or removal of the GoPrompt 12 and simple ENG set-up. A purpose-designed support bracket facilities quick set-up and breakdown.

For further information on the Vision iScript and the complete range of Vinten camera support systems and accessories, call 888-2Vinten or go to http://www.vinten.com

MAXON to showcase Cinema 4D’S capabilities at Promax|BDA 2008

Randy Boyes | 06/09- 02:46 PM

Motion Graphics Artists Around the World Rely On CINEMA 4D’s MoGraph Module to Create Award-Winning Content for Broadcast Industry Giants

MAXON Computer invites members of the press and all other Promax|BDA 2008 attendees to stop by the MAXON booth, #10 in the Networking Village, to see the latest versions of the company’s professional 3D modeling, painting, animation and rendering solutions. MAXON’s flagship software solution, CINEMA 4D, one of the fastest growing and most widely used 3D products for digital content creation, is used by artists around the world to create compelling motion graphics for some of the broadcast industry’s most widely recognized entities, including The Weather Channel, MTV, CMT, Comedy Central, BBC, Al Jazeera, NBC, FOX, NFL, Court TV, National Geographic Channel, Univision, and the BBC, to name just a few.

Recent high profile broadcast projects that have leveraged CINEMA 4D include TMZ TV, Dr. Who, ET/The Insider, Nike Power, the Academy Awards “80 Years of Oscars” montage, SoBe Life Water Superbowl’s “Thrillicious” commercial, NBC Sunday Night Football broadcast package, Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune openings, NBC’s identity rebranding, “Big Science” on the Discovery Channel and many more.

What: Promax|BDA North America 2008
When: June 17th – 19th
Where: Hilton New York – 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York City
Booth: #10 Networking Village
Booth hours: June 17th: 1:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., June 18th and June 19th: 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Promax|BDA is the world’s largest television marketing conference attracting industry leaders and executives from top television networks, cable channels, local stations, station groups, distribution, syndication, media and creative agency, design and emerging media. Through sessions, panels, exhibits and screenings, Promax|BDA brings together the world’s leading creative and strategic marketing professionals for three days of dialogue, debate and discussion about the international business of television marketing, promotion and design.

Booth Highlights

Visitors to the MAXON booth will see the company’s full range of motion graphics solutions and associated demonstrations, including MAXON’s popular MoGraph module, which provides artists with a broad palette of tools that make it easy to create everything from flying logos to abstract effects. Booth demonstrations will also highlight the significant workflow enhancements CINEMA 4D brings to creative professionals in the production of award-winning TV programming, commercials, motion graphics, broadcast graphics and promos, feature films, film/game/television pre-visualization, interactive gaming and video production.

About CINEMA 4D
CINEMA 4D’s core application contains everything needed to quickly and easily create high-end 3D images and animations. Additional modules provide added functionality and customization to suit a wide array of industries. Modules can be purchased individually or in bundles. CINEMA 4D renders scene files directly to popular editing and compositing applications including After Effects, Final Cut, Shake, Combustion, etc., and is completely cross-platform for Windows and Mac.

How: To schedule a booth visit with Paul Babb, president of MAXON USA, please contact Vicky Gray-Clark, Ambient Public Relations, (408) 243-8880, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), or Laurie Guarino, (408) 876-7064, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), or feel free to stop by the MAXON booth. Additional information on MAXON can be obtained on the Web at http://www.maxon.net.

HP technology helps DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda soar to new heights

Randy Boyes | 06/09- 01:29 PM

Moviegoers worldwide are sure to be delighted by the breakthrough animation achieved through the combination of HP technology and DreamWorks Animation’s creativity as DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc.’s (NYSE: DWA) highly anticipated summer movie, Kung Fu Panda, hits theaters today.

HP also partnered with DreamWorks Animation, Nickelodeon and McDonald’s to bring Kung Fu Panda to life outside the movie theater in fun, interactive ways, including an HP “The Computer Is Personal Again” TV spot featuring Po the Panda, downloadable activities and crafts, and a choreographed “The Panda” dance that the whole family can learn.

“We’ve been working with HP for years to develop and implement technology that enhances our creativity,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, chief executive officer and director, DreamWorks Animation. “With the help of HP technology, our animators are now creating movies that were simply impossible to make even last year.”

The technology and marketing behind the film is the latest example of the ongoing collaboration between HP and DreamWorks Animation that continuously delivers “the next big thing” in the media and entertainment industry. More information on HP and Kung Fu Panda is available at http://hp.com/kungfupanda.

“HP has always been committed to bringing innovations to market that help all types of customers unleash their creative genius, whether they are high-profile studios or everyday people,” said Satjiv S. Chahil, senior vice president, Global Marketing, Personal Systems Group, HP. “By partnering with other leading consumer brands like McDonald’s and Nickelodeon to tell the story of Kung Fu Panda, we can bring DreamWorks Animation’s creativity to life.”

HP technology behind the scenes

HP has helped DreamWorks Animation create groundbreaking animation features from Shrek to Bee Movie. For this latest project, HP technology helped animators solve artistic challenges to bring the story of Po the Panda to life. Audiences will see a wide variety of deeply intricate, organic environments that only exist because of the unprecedented power of HP workstations with multi-core processors.

HP technology allowed DreamWorks Animation to utilize the largest number of moving cameras on any of its films to date. With 400 HP workstations and the largest and most powerful render farm ever used – also powered by HP technology – DreamWorks Animation was able to take creative elements in Kung Fu Panda to new heights. In fact, the film required more than 24 million render hours – four times as many as Shrek.

Kung Fu Panda outside the theater

HP’s latest commercial featuring Po the Panda is currently airing in the United States.

Nickelodeon, along with HP and DreamWorks Animation, created “The Panda” dance so kids and parents can learn to dance like the characters in the film. HP also created a wide variety of fun, downloadable projects and crafts, including 3-D characters, customizable backpack tags and puzzles.

A how-to video with step-by-step instructions to help learn the dance, along with various printable projects are featured on HP’s Kung Fu Panda website, Nickelodeon’s website and McDonald’s website. The video also is being featured at local McDonald’s restaurants and Best Buy and Circuit City retailers.

“The Panda” dance additionally will be featured for the month of June on McDonald’s Global Happy Meals website and Kung Fu Panda will be on McDonald’s tray liners.

On Nickelodeon’s kid-friendly website, kids can create a personalized, mash-up Kung Fu Panda video that incorporates music and video, which they can share with their friends and family or post to the Kung Fu Panda Great Wall, where others can vote on their favorites.

In addition to the web experience, HP has created an HP/Kung Fu Panda Activity CD. More than 1 million discs will be distributed in retail outlets, as a gift with purchase and at a variety of consumer events. Scholastic will be distributing 100,000 educational kits to teachers across the United States and Canada. These kits will include teacher activities to help children learn about Asian culture, a “The Panda” dance how-to video, and special Kung Fu Panda ring tones and screensavers.

Avid ships next-generation editing and storage systems

Randy Boyes | 06/09- 01:05 PM

Tewksbury, Mass., June 9, 2008 — Avid Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVID) today announced the worldwide availability of its new HD editing systems and VideoRAID® solutions. The new lineup, which delivers on a commitment to customers of improved quality, value and performance, includes next-generation versions of Avid® Media Composer® (v3.0), NewsCutter® (v7.0), and Symphony™ (v3.0) software, as well as new hardware configurations, Avid Mojo® DX and Nitris® DX. The products are designed to deliver the ultimate HD editing experience to media professionals by offering greater speed, responsiveness and reliability. On the heels of this availability, Avid is rolling out aggressive pricing on support packages for its new editing products and existing DS Nitris product line. Additionally, the company is announcing upgrades to its Avid Unity™ MediaNetwork, Unity ISIS® and Interplay® product lines.

To see and hear customer reaction to the new products from Avid, see “Customers React to New Products” press release issued today.

Pricing and Configuration of Next-Generation Editing Systems
Avid’s new lineup of HD editing systems offers customers flexible software and hardware configurations designed to meet a range of professional production needs. All Media Composer and NewsCutter systems offer the same software toolset across their respective configurations – with further capabilities coming from different hardware options.

In addition to the previously-announced features, Avid has added a timestamp export tool for Broadcast WAV (BWF) that is available on all Media Composer and NewsCutter configurations.  The timestamp export feature enables customers to insert sequence timecode based on the project type when exporting the timeline audio tracks as BWF, providing fast and easy sync reference.

New editing and storage configurations available today include:

  * Media Composer software – priced at $2,495 USMSRP.
  * Media Composer Mojo DX - priced at $9,995 USMSRP.
  * Media Composer Nitris DX – priced at $14,995 USMSRP (also available with an 8-core MacPro or HP xw8600 workstation starting at $21,995 USMSRP).
  * Symphony Nitris DX – priced at $35,995 USMSRP including an 8-core MacPro or HP XW8600 workstation.
  * NewsCutter software – priced at $4,995 USMSRP.
  * NewsCutter Mojo DX – priced at $19,995 USMSRP including an 8-core HP xw8600 workstation.
  * NewsCutter Nitris DX – priced at $24,995 USMSRP including an 8-core HP xw8600 workstation.

  * VideoRAID ST and VideoRAID SR - pricing begins at $4,795 USMSRP for 2.5TB configurations.

New Support Pricing
Avid is now offering aggressive new support pricing on all of its next-generation HD editing systems as well as its DS Nitris system. The new support packages are designed to deliver greater value to customers with the addition of new features such as technical alerts, monthly quicktips and advanced parts replacement on hardware. Further, customers who purchase a support contract when they purchase any new Media Composer, NewsCutter, Symphony or DS Nitris product will receive a 15% savings on the price of the contract. To be eligible, contracts must range from one to three years and be purchased between June 1 and December 31, 2008. Avid has also designed a number of specially-priced support packages for educational institutions, which begin as low as $99 USMSRP, per year. For more information on support packages and pricing, contact Avid sales or a local reseller.

“The new pricing has certainly helped Avid put their products into the reach of more professionals and aspiring professionals,” said Avid customer Kevin Tate, creative director of Mossy Oak Productions. “However, the customer support from Avid is always the deciding factor in my purchase decisions, and has been our lifeline far too many times to count. We turn out more than 100 original episodes of TV a year and have for many years now. We couldn’t do what we do, where we do it, the way we do it, without Avid products and support.”

Avid Unity and Interplay Upgrades
In addition to the new editing lineup and VideoRAID offerings, Avid has also announced as upgrades to the following systems:

  * Avid Unity MediaNetwork v5.1 which now delivers greater capacity to customers with 1TB drive support and additional add-on chassis support (from 5 to 8), increasing the overall capacity to 128TB. Now shipping on Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard;
  * Avid Unity ISIS v1.5 which now offers higher client bandwidths up to DNxHD 220 and is now shipping on Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP and Mac OS X 10.5 “Leopard”; and
  * Avid Interplay 1.4 which now offers a full-screen media player window and increased metadata capabilities such as customized drop down menus as well as a new 64 bit Media Indexer for higher performance indexing.

For additional information, please visit http://www.avid.com or contact your local Avid salesperson or reseller.

HDTV pioneer David Niles selects Panasonic AJ-HPX3000 1080P P2 HD for video

Randy Boyes | 06/06- 02:09 PM

SECAUCUS, NJ (June 6, 2008) – The new Comcast Center, Philadelphia’s tallest and one of its most stunning buildings, features an enormous public lobby with a breakthrough video installation designed and produced by HDTV trailblazer David Niles.

Niles chose Panasonic’s AJ-HPX3000 native 1080p one-piece P2 HD camcorder to shoot the video for the lobby’s 80’ by 30’ screen, which engages passers-by with spectacular and inspiring imagery including life-sized images of ordinary business people performing extraordinary feats, such as flying through the air with a cup of coffee.

Today marks the official opening of Comcast Corporation’s new corporate headquarters, designed by world-renowned architect Robert A.M. Stern. The 57-story, 975 ft. building is built on top of the city’s Suburban Railroad Station.  The lobby installation was conceived by Comcast Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts as a gift to the people of Philadelphia.

Niles, director/DP/designer/editor and principal of Niles Creative Group (New York, NY), enumerated the imposing challenges he faced on the project. “First of all, we knew the Comcast Center would be an instant landmark, demanding the highest level of creative achievement on our part,” he said. “Our audience, which consists of commuters literally in transit to and from the train station, has an attention span of 20-40 seconds at best. The display, an 80’ by 30’ LED screen, larger than an IMAX screen, is built into the lobby architecture and has 10 million pixels. There aren’t any cameras that shoot 10 million pixels!”

“From the onset, we understood that this would not be your typical lobby display flashing the time, temperature and local ads,” Niles continued. “Our mandate was to create original, emotional and ever-changing content—on a reasonable budget—that would be totally integrated into the lobby’s design. Essentially, the video itself would be virtual bricks and mortar—part of the environment yet kinetic.”

“Our screen has 10 million pixels – but a life-size person who appears on the screen doesn’t require 10 million pixels for video capture, two million suffice,” Niles explained. “Thus, the HPX3000, with its 2.2-megapixel CCDs, gave us a 1:1 pixel ratio and, consequently, an utterly photorealistic effect when shooting the actors and acrobats for the Comcast video. That was the paramount reason I chose the Panasonic camera.”

Niles and his production team, including director/choreographer John Dietrich and producer Emmora Irwin, staged three separate week-long shoots last fall in studios in New York and New Jersey. Their subjects, predominantly shot against blue and green screen, comprised up to 22 performers, but with 10 main characters. Niles used the HPX3000’s HD-SDI capability to record to 10-bit uncompressed computer RAIDS, with back-up recordings to DVCPRO HD tape.

“The HPX3000 demonstrates incredible dynamic range, signal-to-noise and colorimetry,” said Niles. “The response of the camera was phenomenal and afforded us the highest quality attainable.”

“I consider the HPX3000 one of the top two HD cameras on the market, and the fact that it shoots master-quality 1080p makes it that much more valuable a tool for me,” he added. “It’s capable of a wide range of applications, from run-and-gun capture to gorgeous filmmaking.”

Niles edited the material using proxies in Final Cut Pro. Then the original footage was laid out on an Adobe After Effects 10 million pixel canvas. This way the content maintains a 1:1 pixel ratio from camera to screen.

“Our workflow was somewhat elaborate but bulletproof,” noted Niles.

It is at the point of delivery that the video becomes a seamless element of the Comcast Center’s architectural artistry. The Niles Creative Group has designed a unique delivery system with Artificial Intelligence (AI) built-in. The delivery system is unmanned, with 30+ HD servers feeding the screen. The wall runs 18 hours a day, seven days a week, with no repeating or looping of video. Instead, with AI control, isolated elements of content are brought together at the time of delivery to create playful and awe-inspiring vignettes.

The display system can run for 45 days without a sequence ever being repeated. Moreover, it’s estimated that it would take a typical Philadelphia commuter two years of hustling through the Comcast Center lobby before he would see all the permutations of images the system can conjure.

About Niles Creative Group

David Niles pioneered commercial applications of high definition television and today is recognized as a foremost authority on HDTV production. He produces, directs and edits original programming for numerous on air networks, consults for Fortune 500 companies, develops new technologies and conceives, designs and executes large format projects from start to finish for companies including Comcast, Radio City Music Hall, Federated Department Stores, Walt Disney / Imagineering and Madison Square Garden. For more information, visit http://www.nilescreative.com.

About the AJ-HPX3000

With three 2/3” high-density 2.2-megapixel CCDs, the HPX3000 captures cinema-quality images in full-raster 1920 x 1080 resolution with 4:2:2 10-bit sampling, utilizing the powerful, new AVC-Intra codec.  The HPX3000 offers intuitive film camera-like operation with advanced gamma settings, including Film-Rec mode (made popular by the VariCam). Designed for episodic television, filmmaking and commercial production where mastering quality is essential, the HPX3000 records in industry-standard DVCPRO HD at 1080 in 24p, 25p, 30p, 50i and 60i, and in AVC-Intra. AVC-Intra, the industry’s most advanced compression technology, provides high-quality 10-bit intra-frame encoding utilizing the Hi-10 and Hi-422 profiles of H.264 in two modes: AVC-Intra 100 for full-raster mastering video quality and AVC-Intra 50 Mbps for DVCPRO HD quality at half the bit rate, thereby doubling the record time on a P2 card. For added flexibility, the HPX3000 can also produce standard definition recordings in DVCPRO50, and is 60/50-Hz switchable for worldwide use. For more information on the HPX3000, visit http://www.panasonic.com/broadcast.

About Panasonic Broadcast  

Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Co. is a leading supplier of broadcast and professional video products and systems.  Panasonic Broadcast is a unit company of Panasonic Corporation of North America. The company is the North American headquarters of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC) of Japan, and the hub of its U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations.  For more information on Panasonic Broadcast products, access the company’s web site at http://www.panasonic.com/broadcast.

Hundreds of thousands in cash and prizes up for grabs at NVISION 08

Randy Boyes | 06/06- 02:00 PM

NVIDIA ups the ante at NVISION 08 by throwing down hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and hardware and giving you a chance to win part of the largest prize package in North America this year. All you need to do for your chance to win is participate in one of NVISION’s marquee consumer events: GeForce LAN and NVScene. And you can watch the best video game players in the world battle it out for their share of the prize money at the Electronic Sports World Cup. All this happens this August in San Jose, California.
GeForce LAN, the legendary LAN party that has been five years in the making, features three days of non-stop, adrenaline-pumping, Guinness World Record-setting, fun. For the first time ever, GeForce LAN will be offering over $40,000 in cash in addition to hardware prizes for its tournaments and case-mod competition. Another $60,000 in sponsor prizes is up for grabs in its competitions, raffles, and contests within the BYOC.
NVScene will be the largest-ever US gathering of creative minds in demoscene, machinima, and digital art. Over $40,000 in cash and hardware will be awarded to the best artists and coders as they compete to wow the world with their mind-blowing masterpieces.
Electronic Sports World Cup, the world’s most exciting electronic sports competition, will be hosting its world finals at NVISION 08. Watch the nail-biting competition as the world’s best video game players, representing 53 countries, battle it out for glory and a cash pot worth $200,000.
You can also attend the NVISION 08 keynotes to hear about the state and future of visual computing from leaders and celebrities in the industry, including NASA astronaut and space shuttle commander Eileen Collins, “Battlestar Galactica” star Tricia Helfer, and more to be announced.
And you can learn practical tips and tricks on everything from photo and video editing to building and optimizing PCs at the NVISION 08 workshops. Visit leading companies in the expo hall and witness how they are advancing visual computing. Experience amazing 3D films and video in the HD theater.
Taking place on August 25-27, 2008 in San Jose, California, NVISION 08 is a three-day mega-event for professionals and enthusiasts who are passionate about visual computing.  Thousands of engineers, designers, developers, researchers, artists, enthusiasts, gamers, film makers, business professionals, and consumers from around the world are expected to attend.
For your chance to win these great prize packages, you must sign up for a GeForce LAN or NVScene ticket at NVISION 08. For more information, including the prize breakdown, visit http://www.nvision2008.com