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Windows Hardware & Software | HP Skyroom: Power & Simplicity for Remote Workgroup Tasks
In this article, Ron Lindeboom looks at the powerful HP Skyroom technology, which allows team members to interact in high definition video with one another, as they work on projects and approvals remotely. Highly powerful, yet priced within reach of many small to medium-sized companies -- nevertheless, the system is powerful enough for even major players like Dreamworks Animation, who used the system during the making of the blockbuster 'Monsters vs Aliens.' Powerful, elegant, simple to use.
Review, Feature 09/22/2009
Author: Ron Lindeboom |
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DaVinci - NEW ! | Cinefilm's Ron Anderson: da Vinci User Since 1986
In this article, Tim Wilson talks with da Vinci user Ron Anderson in his Part Three look at Blackmagic Design's acquisition of da Vinci Systems. Ron Anderson’s relationship with da Vinci has also taken places over several decades, starting as a customer, and evolving into demo artistry even while he continues working with da Vinci systems at Atlanta’s Cinefilm.
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview 09/08/2009
Author: Tim Wilson |
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DaVinci - NEW ! | Blackmagic Design Buys the Power of daVinci: Part 2
In this article, Tim Wilson continues his series with his Part Two look at the big news leaking from IBC 2009. Blackmagic Design has acquired da Vinci Systems and with that acquisition comes what Tim refers to as The Power of da Vinci. And for the many that have used da Vinci over the years, they know full well the power of which Tim writes. And for those who might need an introduction to this power, Tim offers these words...
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview 09/08/2009
Author: Tim Wilson |
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DaVinci - NEW ! | Blackmagic Design Buys DaVinci: Part 1
In this article, Tim Wilson begins his series on the big news already beginning to leak from IBC 2009. Blackmagic Design has acquired da Vinci Systems and yes, you read that right. BMD owns and will be developing and marketing da Vinci's award-winning colorgrading technology. What's in store? Here's Part One of Tim's look at the fast-breaking news...
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview 09/08/2009
Author: Tim Wilson |
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Broadcast Video | Broadcast Quality at Bargain Prices
Brand new to the market and loaded with high-end features, Flanders Scientific has introduced four high definition LCD panels specifically developed for the pro market. With the help of the COW's Walter Biscardi, Jr. and senior telecine colorist Ron Anderson, Nick Griffin offers a first look at these high definition broadcast monitors from FSI.
Review, Feature 04/10/2009
Author: Nick Griffin |
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DVD Authoring | ILY SpartanPro
Recently, CreativeCOW leader, David Roth Weiss purchased his very first CD and DVD duplicator. After a lot of research he chose the ILY SpartanPro, and it did not take him long to realize that he should not have gone so long without one.
Review 06/03/2008
Author: David Roth Weiss |
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Event Videographers | Stack Tracks: Layered Digital Music
In need of some high-end royalty free music that can fit any media professionals budget? Creative Cow Contributing Editor Stephen Smith explains why Digital Juices StackTraxx layered music library can be the perfect solution for your next project.
Review 05/20/2008
Author: Stephen Smith |
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Cinematography | Inside HBOs The Wire
Set in Baltimore, Maryland, The Wire will begin its fifth and final season in January 2008 on HBO. As different from standard TV as it gets, the show has received the highest levels of critical acclaim, being referred to by multiple reviewers as the best show on television. In its last issue of 2006 Time Magazine ranked The Wire first on its list of 10 Best TV Shows. And Finally recognized as the best series on TV. Sorry, Tony (Soprano), was Newsweeks description. Creative COWs Nick Griffin spent time on set earlier this year and interviewed one of the shows Producers. Heres his inside glimpse into The Wire and its production.
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview 12/12/2007
Author: Nick Griffin |
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Windows Hardware & Software | Evoluent Vertical Mouse
It starts as a slight twinge in the shoulder, or a prickle in the wrist, a dime-sized knot in the forearm or a tingling somewhere up and down the arm. Whatever the symptoms, the cause is usually the same - RSI or repetitive strain injury or its widely publicized brother, carpal tunnel syndrome. In this article, John David Hutton takes a look at the new Evoluent Vertical Mouse. It could be the answer to protecting yourself from carpal tunnel and other strains.
Review 08/28/2007
Author: John David Hutton |
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Digital Photography | Dean Collins On Lighting
CreativeCOW leader, Mike Gondek examines Dean Collins On Lighting: Live at Brooks Institute of Photography 1991 and published by Software Cinema. Although, this was presented in 1991, Mike believes the content is timeless material.
Review 08/25/2007
Author: Mike Gondek |
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HDV Format | Demystifying HDV Workflows
Creative COW Leader Tim Kolb uses his HDV expertise to explore the technology behind HDV, and show how it applies inside Final Cut Pro and other NLEs, with a special focus on longer projects. As Tim notes, this is a modified version of a post he made in the HDV forum responding to a question about FCP, but anyone who wants to know about editing HDV needs to check this out.
Tutorial, Feature 07/28/2007
Author: Tim Kolb |
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Apple Final Cut Pro | SAS RAID from Dulce Systems
Creative COW Contributing Editor Bob Zelin talks about the latest step in the Serial Attached Storage revolution: full RAID 5 protection with read speeds over 350 mb/sec. from Dulce Systems. At least that's what Dulce claimed. When he heard the rest of what Dulce had to say, Bob simply didn't believe them. When he put those claims to the test, he got a lot more than he bargained for. Will you?
Review 07/19/2007
Author: Bob Zelin |
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Business & Marketing | Client Management Strategies
CreativeCOW.net business leaders Nick Griffin, Walter Biscardi and Aharon Rabinowitz join Creative COW Magazines co-publishers, Tim Wilson and Ron Lindeboom, to discuss choosing clients wisely, managing their expectations with the goal of successful, and enjoyable collaboration, while striving for equitable profits.
Tutorial, People / Interview, Business 06/28/2007
Author: Business Roundtable |
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Cinematography | The Easy Slate System
In this article, CreativeCOW.net contributing editor Jim Harvey takes a look at the Easy Slate Professional Slating System. Jim likes the way it looks, and thinks that it makes him more attentive to the small details that he used to let slip past. It's a simple idea with a clever implementation.
Review 06/15/2007
Author: Jim Harvey |
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Motion Graphics - How Do I?
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AJA Kona | Cal Digit S2VRHD
CreativeCOW's Bob Zelin tests a Cal Digit S2VRHD with a host card for a PCI-X computer, and a PCI-E computer. He used the incredible AJA Kona System Test, to evaluate the drive speeds. He was determined to 'break it.' Did he? No. He determined that...''If you want to do uncompressed HD, for a fraction of the price of an Apple Xserve RAID, or other hi end SCSI or Fibre Channel drive arrays, THIS IS YOUR BOX.'' Read the rest to find out why.
Review 01/16/2007
Author: Bob Zelin |
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Corporate Video | Media 100 Producer: Media 100's software-only editor
Creative Cow's Nick Griffin, a longtime Media 100 user, switched to Final Cut Pro a few years ago. Here, he explores Media 100 Producer, a new software-only editor from Media 100. Media 100 Producer offers a mobile and scalable editing environment as well as FireWire I/O and Panasonic P2 acquisition capabilities. Ideal for in-the-field or mobile editing, editors using Media 100 Producer can shoot using their Panasonic P2 camera and immediately begin editing. In addition, Media 100 Producer can use media captured by Apple Final Cut Pro and Media 100 and output via FireWire or export to DVD or web. Nick explores this latest offering from Media 100 and gives it 4-1/2 Cows out of five. Why? read on...
Review 01/10/07
Author: Nick Griffin |
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AJA Kona | AJA HD10AVA Converter
CreativeCOW's Bob Zelin discusses how to turn your HDV VTR into a professional product using the amazing AJA HD10AVA converter. It takes the analog component HD signal from your Sony or JVC HDV VTR, and converts it to an HD-SDI signal that can go right into the HD-SDI input of your capture card.
Review 12/19/06
Author: Bob Zelin |
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Adobe Premiere Pro | Creating Custom Client Review Systems
In today's rapidly moving editing and post-production world, faster methods of client review have become an absolute necessity. In this article, CreativeCOW leader Aanarav Sareen demonstrates how to create custom client review systems using Adobe Captivate.
Tutorial 11/28/2006
Author: Aanarav Sareen |
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Art of the Edit | Exploring the Workflow of Good Eats
No matter what a television series is about, producing a series is all about workflow. The credits at the end of an episode list who did a particular task, but how they all work together is a story in itself. For a small part of that story on one show, meet -Good Eats-, the top-rated Food Network series.
Feature, People / Interview 10/13/2006
Author: Tim Wilson |
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Corporate Video | MediaFiler 2.0
MediaFiler 2.0 is a professional database software designed for the video production industry. It's an easy way to catalog, track, label, and organize your whole library of tapes and disks. In this article, Creative Cow Leader Aanarav Sareen takes a look at the software for use in his own production environment and determines that it is everything they say it is.
Review 07/18/2006
Author: Aanarav Sareen |
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Business & Marketing | Becoming Your Client's Voice
Creative Cow's Tim Kolb takes a look at the concept of 'voice' -- not the narrator's voice but the actual tone in which people and organizations communicate and how to relay that 'personality' to better convey your message.
Feature, Business 07/15/2006
Author: Tim Kolb |
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Lighting Design Pros | HandsOnHDV: How to Setup, Light & Shoot Great Looking Interviews
In this article, CreativeCOW.net contributing editor Jim Harvey takes a look at one of the newest titles from HandsOnHDV called How to Setup, Light & Shoot Great Looking Interviews and has determined that this is a 5 cow instructional DVD that you really can't be without.
Review 07/05/2006
Author: Jim Harvey |
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Adobe ULTRA | Serious Magic's Ultra2
CreativeCOW.net contributing editor Joaquin 'Kino' Gil writes a review on Serious Magic's ULTRA 2 Professional Keying Software with Vector Keying Technology and tells readers, ''[Before ULTRA2] each matte had to be calibrated separately and the values adjusted almost on a frame by frame basis in order to get details like loose strands of hair, bluish shadows and reflections, grains of sand and other minutiae. Yes, it took forever [and] no motion tracking software, either. All of that effort, [and hours of work] very seriously done, is made moot today with this software tool from Serious Magic. ... The key is perfect to the extreme of perfectly keyed fine strands of hair, transparency and translucency.''
Review 09/30/2005
Author: Joaquin Gil |
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HDV Format | High Definition for the Road
Thanks to formats like DVCPro HD and HDV, High Definition can now be edited pretty much anywhere on just about any computer. Yeah, this is cool and you can really make your friends jealous just cutting away with your super slick laptop. But you know what's really slick? Editing Uncompressed High Definition anywhere. How about an Uncompressed editing workstation in a 25'' square box? No way? Way! Read on to find out about Wally's Traveling Box of Mystery and Intrigue...
Tutorial, Feature 07/29/2005
Author: Walter Biscardi |
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Cinematography | First Look: AspectCorrect(TM)
We've all done this at least once in our careers. You're shooting with a standard camera but you know you're going to letterbox later so you tape two pieces of paper to 'crop' the field monitor. Or you're trying to make sure an element in the shot is in safe title, so you use a grease pencil and approximate where safe title will be. You do what you have to do when you're out in the field, but of course you're never quite sure if it's accurate until you get back into the edit suite. In this article, Creativecow leader Walter Biscardi takes a first look at a handy 'widget' developed by Cinematographer and fellow COW leader, Clay Walker called AspectCorrect and determines that ''...This is just one of those cool little things that should make camera operators lives easier.''
Review 07/04/2005
Author: Walter Biscardi |
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G-Tech | The G-Tech G-Raid
For years Medea Corporation has been the hallmark of reliability when it comes to storage for the media industry. If you wanted big, fast storage with mission critical reliability, Medea was the drive array for you. Now comes its little brother, G-Technology Corporation. In this article, Creativecow leader reviews the G-Tech G-Raid and concludes...''This is the most versatile unit I've ever used with its ability to work seamlessly with anything up to 10bit uncompressed and just remain solid no matter the situation or machine it's connected to. '''
Review 06/27/2005
Author: Walter Biscardi |
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HDV Format | HDV vs HD: A Primer
Emmy Award winner, Tim Kolb discusses HDV and its place in the greater scope of HD production formats. Since the inception of the HDV format, we have seen many responces regarding the HDV format and how it fits alongside HDCam, DVCProHD, XDCam and other formats in the greater scope of the HD picture. In this article (which is taken from an HDV Format forum responce), Creative Cow's Tim Kolb gives what we feel is an exemplary job of dissecting the subject and clarifying the many components of the HD universe, HDV being one of those parts....
Tutorial, Feature 06/06/2005
Author: Tim Kolb |
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Cinematography | Vortex Media Warm Cards
In this article, CreativeCOW.net contributing editor Jim Harvey reviews Vortex Media Warm Cards and states, ''You know you do it. We all do it. It's not something that we brag about. It's not even something that we think about too much. White Balancing. Sure some guys carry a worn out piece of white paper, or they use the foamcore to set the camera. We've balanced on walls, notepaper, even the fat guy's t-shirt. It gets us by and we get on with the show. But as we are all professionals, shouldn't we have a professional system to white balance out gear and do it consistently? Well, we do and we can.'' Read on to discover an effective answer to your white balancing dilemmas.
Review 05/17/2005
Author: Jim Harvey |
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Adobe Premiere Pro | TBC Crossfire X-K3 Non-linear Editing Console
DESCRIPTIONWith people continually asking, "what edit desk do you use?" here at the COW forums, Creative Cow forum leader, Marco Solorio hopes to settle this question once and for all with his in-depth review of TBC's Crossfire X-K3 edit console. If you're in the market for a new editor's console or are just curious to know what's "out there", this should give you all the information you need to base your own judgment.
Review 02/25/2005
Author: Marco Solorio |
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Adobe Premiere basics | Great Titles with the DV Codec
In this article, Philip Hodgetts gives us a few hints on how to make great titles with the DV Codec. In most cases, if you're using the DV Codec, you'll find that your titles at best will be good. If you want great quality, then you will need to follow most of these guideliness that Philip discusses but NOT compress to the DV Codec.
Tutorial 06/17/2003
Author: Philip Hodgetts |
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Broadcast Video | A Primer on NLE Video Quality
In this article, Ron Shook attempts in a relatively non-techy way to put some perspective on a range of quality issues inherent in today's Non-Linear Editing technology. Perhaps as you shop for your next NLE or the services of an NLE/editor, you will have a better background for asking significant questions and separating the important stuff from the selling hype.
Editorial, Tutorial 04/01/2003
Author: Ron Shook |
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Business & Marketing | What is Value?
Creative Cows Tim Kolb takes a look at the concept of value -- Its a topic that comes up over and over on the many forums in which Tim participates. In this article, Tim discusses the various factors involved in determining value and how to know if were getting our moneys worth.
Feature, Business 03/18/2003
Author: Tim Kolb |
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FireStore | Creative Cow looks at the FireStore from Focus Enhancements
Tim Kolb explores the FireStore system from Focus Enhancements. The FireStore allows camera operators to shoot directly to FireWire harddrives, allowing longer shoot times and also giving users the ability to hook the drive directly to their computers, avoiding the capture process. A real time saver.
Review 10/06/2002
Author: Tim Kolb |
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Corporate Video | Corporate Clients: What do they want?
Tim Kolb of Creative Cow gives some tips on how to really understand what your Corporate Client wants and how to deliver. He points out that: There are very few of us in this industry who can purchase a piece of equipment and have customers approaching us because of it. We must understand how to deliver a usable video/CD/etc., as most of us base our livelihood on our ability to provide a finished project that is successful. This is not a difficult premise, until you ask the question, What does the CLIENT see as being a successful project?
Tutorial, Feature, Business 01/05/2002
Author: Tim Kolb |
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Corporate Video | Entering the Age of Expertise
Creative Cow's Tim Kolb, looks at our changing profession and offers some insights he's gained in his thirteen year career that has won him multiple ITVA, Telly, American Advertising, and Emmy Award honors. In the end, Tim concludes it isn't the kitchen that makes the cook.
Feature, Business 06/03/2001
Author: Tim Kolb |
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