Quick Focus

Microsoft Corp. is staging an aggressive bid to help Windows NT land the plum role as the video editing platform of choice. Not content to be typecast in corporate environments, Microsoft turned in a stellar performance with NT at a recent broadcasting trade show. The traditional marquee stars in this field are the Macintosh and high-end workstations from Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI).

At the National Association of Broadcasters conference held in April in Las Vegas, 93 nonlinear editing systems were unveiled. Fifteen of those were NT-based, 10 were based on the Macintosh, and 16 were centered on SGI wares.

In 1995, Sony held the top rank in camcorder market share with 26%, while Matsushita (Panasonic) held second place at 17%. In third and fourth place were RCA (15%) and Victor Company of Japan (JVC, 12%).

A handful of companies dropped out of the camcorder race entirely. Among these were Sanyo, Fisher, Philips and Zenith.

The top four companies divided a portion of the absent companies' share of the market, gaining 1-2 percentage points each over their 1994 rankings. The fifth-place company, Sharp (8%), lost half a percentage point of its market share; this is perhaps due to the company's focus on high-end ViewCam models.

DraCo Systems, makers of a high-end Amiga-based nonlinear editor of the same name, is putting the finishing touches on its latest product: Casablanca, a stand-alone, single-box nonlinear editing solution. The device will include composite and S-Video inputs, digitizing hardware, a SCSI-II drive bay and simple controls, all in a portable VCR-style box. The editing interface will appear directly on the monitor screen; no additional hardware is necessary for full nonlinear operation. It supports three stereo tracks of audio, and an optional IEEE 1394 "Firewire" serial interface. The unit is scheduled for release in late 1996 in the United States; the Firewire option should be available in early 1997. Suggested retail price (without drives): $2995.

Minolta has introduced eight new camcorders--four each in the 8mm and VHS-C formats. Palm-sized VHS-C models start with a 14:1 zoom, 270,000-pixel, B&W viewfinder version at $833; a 12:1-zoom model with color viewfinder goes for $902; a 14:1 with color viewfinder is $1038; the top-of-the-line model with 14:1 optical zoom, 2x digital zoom and color viewfinder lists for $1217.

On the 8mm front: a basic 12:1-zoom model with 2x digital enlargement plus 1.5x instant zoom, color viewfinder and fuzzy logic system goes for $970; the same with image stabilization is $1217; a Hi8 with similar features (but with B&W viewfinder) and 410,000-pixel CCD sells for $1361; the same with color viewfinder is $1548.

"Print-it," a digital video printer that uses photographic paper to print from a camcorder, has been introduced by Fuji Photo Inc. Priced at $700, the unit comes bundled with Adobe Photo Deluxe software for on-screen image manipulation before printing. The device will print and manipulate images from any video source, including PCs and Tvs.

Packard Bell Systems, makers of multimedia computer solutions, will be offering VDOnet's VDOPhone Internet video telephone system on its upcoming Platinum series of computers. This will enable people to contact other VDOPhone users worldwide and carry on audio/visual conversations in real-time. The VDOPhone uses VDOnet's unique technology which offers video compression for use on regular phone lines and which is optimized for the Internet, since it adjusts to the available bandwidth on-the- fly.

Web Watch

Cyber Film School
http://www.cyberfilmschool.com

This delightful site contains a wealth of information on the topic of film/video production, from contract-winning screenwriting tips to plans for making a simple dolly out of a skateboard. Includes a wide range of media-related links and a comprehensive bibliography of movie-making materials in print. This first-class, award-winning Web site provides plenty of information and entertainment for hobbyists and experienced videomakers alike.

DV Update

Sony's Business and Professional Division has released two complete digital production systems for the business and industrial markets--the EditStation ES-7 and the EditStation ES-3. The former runs on Microsoft's Windows NT operating system, while the latter is a Windows '95-based product; both are complete Pentium-based nonlinear systems incorporating the DVCAM format, Sony's downward-compatible professional version of the consumer DV format.

Incorporating DVCAM VTRs with 4x video loading, two to four input channels, true hybrid design and (in the near future) 1394-based DV I/O, the EditStation systems will offer all-digital, broadcast-quality editing at a much lower cost than existing broadcast equipment.

For the consumer/prosumer videomaker, this means that footage from a $2500 home camcorder will be easier than ever to incorporate into industrial or broadcast productions.

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