VariZoom has announced the release of two new wide angle lens converters, the VZ-FX70, and the VZ-FX75. The adapters use a series of multi-coated lens elements to reduce chromatic aberration.

From a VariZoom Press Release:

VariZoom is proud to announce the release of the FX Series of Lens converters.
The VZ-FX70 and VZ-FX75 lenses are made with the finest precision quality materials to extend the range of your camera’s standard lens. Three multicoated elements aid in the capture of crisp, high definition images while reducing distortion and chromatic aberration. The FX series of lenses are compatible with the most commonly used cameras in the industry with 72mm front threading. For cameras such as the Panasonic HVX200 and the Sony PMW-EX1, step down rings are available. For more information call VariZoom at 888-826-3399 or visit us on the web at www.varizoom.com

From the standards body that brought you such hits as NTSC, ATSC, and drop frame time code… The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has announced that they’re starting work on a series of video standards for viewing 3D content in the home.

There will be a few high profile 3D films coming out to the theaters this year, and the technology has advanced significantly from the 50′s blue and red glasses variety. Those of us lucky enough to attend NAB in 2007, were treated to an astounding 3D video demo of an NBA basketball game in the Sony booth. The technology still requires special polarized glasses, but the results were very impressive.

So for those of you who were wondering what’s coming after HD? Looks like it’s 3D. Soon we won’t be asking how many chips your camcorder has, but how many lenses. We’ll worry less about depth of field and more about convergence. I suggest SMPTE should call the new acronym 3TSC.

From a SMPTE Press Release:

SMPTE TO ESTABLISH 3-D HOME ENTERTAINMENT TASK FORCE

Committee to Define Parameters of Stereoscopic 3-D Mastering Standard for Home Display

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) is establishing a task force to define the parameters of a stereoscopic 3-D mastering standard for content viewed in the home. Called 3-D Home Display Formats Task Force, the project promises to propel the 3-D home entertainment industry forward by setting the stage for a standard that will enable 3-D feature films and other programming to be played on all fixed devices in the home, no matter the delivery channel. The inaugural meeting of the Task Force is open to entertainment technology professionals interested in participating in the effort, subject to available space (SMPTE membership not required). It takes place on August 19, 2008 and will be hosted by the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) at the University of Southern California, near downtown Los Angeles.

“Digital technologies have not only paved the way for high quality 3-D in the theaters, they have also opened the door to 3-D in the home,” explained SMPTE Engineering Vice President Wendy Aylsworth. “In order to take advantage of this new opportunity, we need to guarantee consumers that they will be able to view the 3-D content they purchase and provide them with 3-D home solutions for all pocketbooks.”

The 3-D Home Display Formats Task Force will explore the standards that need to be set for 3-D content distributed via broadcast, cable, satellite, packaged media and the Internet and played-out on televisions, computer screens and other tethered displays. After six months, the committee will produce a report that defines the issues and challenges, minimum standards, evaluation criteria and more, which will serve as a working document for SMPTE 3-D standards efforts to follow.

The first 3-D Home Display Formats Task Force gathering will feature demonstrations of 3-D technologies. All technology professionals in content creation and distribution, consumer electronics and entertainment tools and services who are considering joining the group are welcome to attend. Non-members will be asked to pay a small fee for the meeting, and ongoing participation in the work requires membership in the SMPTE Standards Community. Register at: www.smpte.org.

One of the most anticipated camcorders announced at NAB 2008, was RED’s Scarlet. A 3K camera with a 2/3″ CMOS sensor, coming in at under $3,000. Rumors and discussions about Scarlet have been rampant since its debut was scheduled for “early 2009″.

Yesterday Jim Janard, released this mockup of the Scarlet Camcorder in its current stage of evolution. More details about Scarlet can be found at scarletuser.com

The Center for Social Media, has published a set of guidelines relating to fair-use practices and online video.

Is your mash-up, re-edit, or montage of 80′s TV shows legal? What rights do you have in using copyrighted material in your own works? Is some giant media conglomerate going to come after me?

The lawyers and scholars at the CSM have tread the murky waters of fair use, and come up with a set of guiding principals to “keep on the windy side of the law” (Quoting Shakespeare is public domain for example). This is a companion piece to their very thorough Documentary Filmmakers’ Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use, which is also worth a read.

Focus Enhancements today announced their new DTE recorder, the FS-5. Essentially it’s a 100 gigabyte portable harddrive recorder that connects to your DV or HDV camcorder via Firewire. When you press the record button on your camcorder, the video goes to tape, but it’s also captured to the hard drive as well. This allows you to connect the DTE directly to your computer for editing  (DTE actually stands for Direct to Edit) instantly, and have a tape back-up archive as well. So you get the best of both worlds, the longevity and security of tape, with the instant access capabilities of a hard drive camcorder.

The most novel feature of the FS-5 release is the ability to use a wireless device, such as a laptop or PDA, to add metadata to the video clip as it’s being recorded. For example while the camera man is shooting, the director could mark each take good/no good, quick comments on an interview, or location and wardrobe notes.  This metadata is saved with the individual video files, and is available when their imported back into the computer.

From a Focus Enhancements Press Release:

Focus Enhancements Announces Availability of Fifth Generation DTE Recorder

New FS-5 Direct To Edit Recorder introduces groundbreaking wireless metadata technology

Campbell, Calif. – July 1, 2008 — Focus Enhancements Inc (NASDAQ: FCSE), a worldwide leader in media management and ultra wideband (UWB) wireless technology, today announced the general availability of the FS-5 Direct To EditÆ (DTE) recorder, the fifth generation in the company’s award-winning line of DTE recorders.

First announced at NAB 2008, the ultra-portable FS-5 introduces the groundbreaking ability to wirelessly log custom metadata in the field while shooting – enabling a new real-time metadata-based workflow for broadcast and video professionals and ensuring the seamless continuity of metadata through all phases of production and post-production for easier identification and management of media.

With a wireless (or wired) mobile device or laptop, users can access the FS-5 via a web browser, define metadata, and assign it to the video while recording. As a result, clips are labeled, categorized, and organized as soon as the shoot is over – eliminating the need to tag footage at a later time. Additionally, Focus Enhancements’ Universal Metadata Engine™ (UME) ensures that metadata is compatible with Final Cut Pro and the ProxSysÆ Media Asset Management product line.

“Since its launch at NAB, the FS-5 and our new metadata-based workflow have generated tremendous interest among video and media professionals,” said Matt McEwen, Director of Product Alliances for Focus Enhancements. “Our Direct To Edit technology helped spark the tapeless revolution in broadcast and other video production markets. And now, the ability to wirelessly log metadata brings a new level of efficiency to the tapeless end-to-end workflow.”

“We’ve relied on Focus Enhancements’ DTE recorders for many years and have been eagerly anticipating the new advancements introduced in the FS-5,” said Brian Critchlow, partner and CTO of Digital Media Factory. “During our beta deployments, we’ve been impressed by the ease of use of the FS-5’s wireless metadata functionality. This key innovation will save us significant time and improve the way we manage our media assets in post-production. In addition, the FS-5′s Universal Disk Format (UDF) file format support further increases our productivity when dealing with multiple clips in Final Cut.”

Along with its unprecedented metadata capabilities, the FS-5 features the following key enhancements:
–  Increased Direct To Edit file format support with the addition of MXF HDV 720p30 and 1080i
50/60 to give Avid editors the ability to work natively with HDV files using the Avid Media Tool
–  25% weight reduction and a 60% reduction in size when compared to the entry level FS-4
model
–  1.8” internal disk drive which features a very rugged, ultra-portable, and shock resistant design
–  Fanless design for very quiet operations
–  Support for UDF to enable recording up to 1.5 hours in a single DV/HDV file
–  Newly designed user interface with new scroll wheel and color LCD
–  USB 2.0 computer interface to provide flexible file transfers to the computer

The FS-5 100 GB model is priced at $2,195 MSRP US and is immediately available through Focus Enhancements’ worldwide dealer and distributor network. FS-5 customers will receive a free camera mount with their order. For more information, please visit www.focusinfo.com.