Videomaker – Your Study Buddy
I’ve been reading your magazine for a little over a year now and wanted to let you know what a valuable resource I’ve found it to be. I advise a student-run college television station and encourage my students to read your magazine. While there are excellent books on advanced aspects of production theory that I also point to, your periodical gives very practical pointers on everyday situations in which students may find themselves.
Your up-to-date technical information is also greatly appreciated. Being at a small college means we don’t always have the state-of-the-art equipment that would be ideal. You do a good job of covering the "prosumer" market that industry magazines tend to overlook.
I would also like to express appreciation for your "video for the masses" outlook. Just as desktop publishing enabled those without a big-budget to cheaply produce newsletters and magazines, so video is opening up a new way of communicating for everyone. Your magazine’s overall tone of working with readers to understand, rather than talking down to them helps foster this possibility.
Now that I’ve dispensed with the accolades, one question. I’ve noticed that in the past two camcorder round-ups my favorite has been missing: the JVC DV-500. Why the omission? It’s around the same cost as the Canon XL-1 and (until the recent offerings from Panasonic) has been the only competitor in that particular category.
Curt Hersey
Internet
We included only complete camcorders that cost $5,000 or less in our last buyer’s guides. The JVC Professional GY-DV500U retails for $4,635 without a lens. A typical 1/2-inch bayonet-mount zoom lens can retail for upwards of $2,000. Thank you for your comments and concerns.
-The Editors
Please Laugh
Videomaker is (and has been) a classy, informative and well-designed magazine. I enjoy many of the articles and ads. However, the NewTek ad "Compression Sucks" seemed to be a digression from the class act. Yes, it had "shock value," but it seemed to lower your standard to that of National Lampoon or Mad Magazine. My 11-year-old son happened to glance at the ad, and now will forever be duping it back!
From time to time, you have inserted good, practical humor into your articles and picture examples which have helped to lighten the "techie" material. We all enjoy good humor injected into the mundane. Let’s have more! Let’s have the humor, but not the questionable bite or edge.
Drew A. Kaptur
South Haven, MI
Give ‘Em a Break
Although I realize that the articles in your magazine are written well in advance of their actual publication, (and therefore might contain information that may not be quite up-to-date), I feel that I must comment on your Test Bench articles on the DV Gear DVWonder (November 2000 Videomaker) and the Avid Xpress DV (December 2000 Videomaker). My feelings are that both of these articles shed a negative light [on] and lack of understanding of the Canopus DV Raptor capture card. Many people that use this card will tell you that it is a true performer. Canopus also offers an incredible customer support system.
The Raptor is the centerpiece and heart of many DV editing systems. In computer terms, it has been around for quite some time now. Canopus has evolved and updated their software and drivers while other companies just seem to abandon their customers that purchase their products. I think that you’ve done your readers a disservice by including such negative comments about this product. We deserve better than that from Videomaker! And no, I do not work for Canopus…
SMG
Internet
Corrections
In our recent camcorder Buyer’s Guides (December 2000 and January 2001 Videomaker), we listed that the Canon XL1 has analog video inputs. It does not have analog video inputs.
In our review of the JVC GR-DVM90U Mini DV camcorder (December 2000 Videomaker) we reported that the unit does not have an image stabilizer and came with a 4MB MultiMedia Card. The unit does, in fact, have an electronic image stabilizer, and now comes with an 8MB MultiMedia Card. We regret any inconvenience resulting from these errors.
-The Editors
