New Gear

by Wendy Nichols
April 2002

Itty Bitty
Sony's super small DCR-IP7BT camcorder uses the new MICRO MV format videotape and incorporates Bluetooth technology, an international wireless data transmission standard, to send MPEG e-movies and still images by e-mail and can even browse the Web. All you need is a compatible mobile phone or the included Bluetooth adapter. A 680,000-pixel CCD, 10x optical zoom, analog inputs and outputs, a Memory Stick slot and 2.5-inch LCD are among its other features.
(800) 222-SONY
www.sel.sony.com
Suggested retail price: $1,700

Packing Up

MoviePack Video Edition 4.0 editing software, developed by AIST Inc., targets the professional video editor. It includes customizable interface flexibility, dual-monitor support and is compatible with most Adobe Premiere plug-in software. The software features multiple format support for editing with different file extensions and it can output to DVD, MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and streaming files.
(866) 924-2478
www.aist.com
Suggested retail price: $399

I DVD Too

Apple recently released iDVD 2, an upgrade to its previously released DVD-authoring software. The new plug-in program includes menus to assist DVD project layout and organization, and uses a drag-and-drop interface. It also allows users to simultaneously MPEG-encode a DVD in the background as the project is building. iDVD 2 requires Mac OS X 10.1, a Power Mac G4, 256MB of RAM and a DVD SuperDrive.
(800) MY-APPLE
www.apple.com
Suggested retail price: $20

Studio in a Box

Mobile Video Studios' Eagleye portable production studio comes with four telescoping monopods, a Videonics MXProDV mixer, a 12-channel Mackie mixer and containers for transport. It also features the Power Control Center, which allows the user to select any one of four cameras for remote focus, pan, zoom or fade. The system includes three JVC or Sony monitors (your choice), Panasonic's AGDV digital deck and a Sensomatic Quad processor, which splits one screen into four sections.
(601) 605-0853
www.mobilevideostudios.com
Suggested retail price: $29,400

Vivid Star

The space-age design of the RS-121 highlights Vivastar's latest external DVD-R drive. The write-once drive connects to any PC via a SCSI-2 interface and writes to 4.7GB DVD-R discs at both 1x and 2x speeds. It can read 4.7GB DVD-R, DVD-Video and DVD-ROM.
(866) 699-8482
www.vivastar.com
Suggested retail price: $699

Power-Full

If your batteries run down and there's not an electrical outlet in sight, you're stuck, right? Not if you have Electric Fuel Corp.'s INSTANT POWER disposable batteries. They use zinc-air fuel-cell technology and provide up to 10 hours of continuous use. The batteries currently work with Sony and JVC camcorders and are non-toxic when thrown away.
(212) 529-5800
www.electric-fuel.com
Suggested retail price: $20

In the Business

Designed for the introductory-level producer, ArcSoft's ShowBiz Editor is an editing software package that promises to be user-friendly. It includes special effects, scene transitions, sound effects, titling, color correction, real-time previews and more. It outputs to tape, e-mail, the Internet or CD-ROM.
(510) 440-9901
www.arcsoft.com
Suggested retail price: $80

Burnin' CDs

With Click'N Burn Pro 2.0 CD burning software from Stomp Inc., users can produce CD-to-CD copies, create custom compilations from MP3, WMA, WAV, CD audio, data CD-ROMs and Video CDs. The software includes Click'N Edit Sound, which allows users to customize volume levels, trim, add effects to their music, and more.
(866) 713-7700
www.clicknburn.com
Suggested retail price: $50

Clamp On

The SunDog clamp-on mattebox/sunshade fits Canon XL1 and the new XL1S DV camcorder lenses. It has two filter stages (one rotating) and accepts standard 4x4 and 4x5.650 glass filters and low-cost resin filters. Options include a black molded plastic eyebrow and step-down adapter rings (79, 80 and 85mm).
(800) 825-MOVI
www.alangordon.com/sundog
Suggested retail price: $499
Adapter rings $35
Eyebrow $145

Before and After Effects

Version 5.5, the latest upgrade to Adobe After Effects, is available in two editions. The standard version provides core compositing, animation and effects tools. The Production Bundle contains these plus 16-bit color support, vector paint capabilities, network rendering, and additional keying, motion control, visual effects, 3D channel, audio tools and more.
(888) 724-4508
www.adobe.com
Suggested retail price:
Standard: $649
Production Bundle: $1,499

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