Yet again, more additions to Nintendo‘s current line up as it looks like the Nintendo DSi has received a face lift. The new design points to the inclusion of a VGA camera andthe ability to playback music. As well as on-board memory, a built-in Web browser and SD slots enabling the transfer of images to the Wii Photo Channel.

With the recent announcement that the Wii will soon be featuring Video On Demand what else is next for Nintendo? Video Capture? Blu Ray? It’s to soon to say, but it is clear that originally Nintendo did not want to jump into the multimedia market, however it seems that now they are ready to take the leap… And so am I.

The unit is already selling out in Japan, which means that it should land in the states by next Christmas.

I recently came across a website that I think each and every one of you should go check out called ON Networks. Which according to their website is generally considered a “new media company.” Which basically means that they provide a new way for people to watch shows they want to see. Essentially giving the audience another choice to check up on their favorite topics without having to get cable.

All of the episodes for their programming are shot in HD and the site offers multiple options to capture whatever peaks your interest. Among the many categories, such as family& home, eat & drink, mind & body, fun& gaming, sports & adventure, there is also a submission syndication portion if you have a show of your own you want to see make it to the site!

Don’t just take my work for it, go check it out!

It’s already the hardest to find item this season, and for the past two seasons as well… but now Nintendo’s Wii will have even more reasons to reign supreme with the announcement that soon Nintendo will be adding video to its offering in the form of a video on demand service similar to Xbox Live.

Plans looks to be slated from some original programs to make the service, some free and and some that will be purchased. Nintendo will be teaming with advertising firm Dentsu who claimed, “Nintendo and Dentsu shall use the environment surrounding the Wii so that living rooms with Wii-ready TVs would become more of a fun area for communication among families and friends.”

With a market that already includes the PS3, and the Xbox 360 the Wii generally stands out due to it’s landmark interactive platform. With the capitalization on the video service, Nintendo looks to be taking the Wii into a more universal level that both Sony and Microsoft have already played in.

Android phones are well on their way to dominating the consumer market in 2009.  Sony Ericsson and HTC are planning new Android phones in time for summer next year; Huawei has an Android smart phone; and Samsung has revealed plans for a “full touch screen” Android handset by next year as well. T-Mobile is the first to jump in the loop with a new Android-powered handset that will be revealed on January 26.

Of the new features for the T-Mobile G1, one of the most pleasing to all of us cinemanias will be video capture and playback.  Other things in the the features department making debuts are a 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus and flash, and a front-facing VGA camera to take advantage of the new video calling service expected to come to T-Mobile soon.

What’s next for Google’s Android mobile platform? Only time will tell, but the addition of video capture and playback have just made me start thinking about that next upgrade.

I recently came across a story of that is gaining a significant amount of support behind it. And I wanted to know where it might lead us as cinematographers if it were to happen. There are a couple of similarities amongst two people that I found to be quite interesting. Both are artists, both are creative and very passionate and both only have the use of one eye. Here is where things get interesting; both have one prosthetic eye… which they hope to install a web cam into. Rob Spence is a filmmaker who hopes that installing a webcam in his eye socket would help him to become a so-called “lifecaster.” While Tanya Vlach is an artist who hopes that installing a webcam in her eye socket would become a source of “augmented reality.”

As a video enthusiast I found the story very compelling in that it makes me think of the days of when webcams first hit the market and now, the idea of inserting one into a human eye is not that far off from happening. What do you guys think?

According to a recent report from the good folks over at Nielsen, the number of households with an HD television has doubled over the previous year, to 23.3%. They predict with now almost one quarter of TV’s in the USA as HD, the demand for HD content will continue to expand dramatically.

What does this mean for independent video producers? Well, if you’re still shooting in SD, you may want to be looking at upgrading your equipment, not just as a future proofing idea, but in a 25% of my viewers will want to watch this in HD today idea. Even if you’re already shooting in HD, the picture is not so rosy when it comes to distribution. Blu-ray disc penetration is still at a paltry 8-9% and a large majority of those are Playstation 3′s. Standard definition DVD’s still are found in 91% of all US households, so you end up with the awkward situation of having an beautiful HDTV connected to a plain old DVD player in many homes.

Perhaps the future of HD distribution is not to be found on shiny plastic discs, but delivered at home directly via the internet? Openfilm, Vimeo, and now even YouTube have gotten into the HD distribution  game, it will be interesting to see how the direct line into the home plays out.

One thing is for sure: twice as many people as last year are bringing HDTV’s into their homes, and they’re going to want to watch something pretty on it.