Avid

The new Pinnacle Studio meets the needs of a wide range of consumers, from novices to video enthusiasts and semi-professionals. The family of products includes Pinnacle Studio HD, Pinnacle Studio Ultimate and Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Collection, which offer a complete HDV & AVCHD workflow and allows consumers to export movies to Flash, QuickTime, PS3, Nintendo Wii, Xbox, Apple iPod and more. Pinnacle Studio Ultimate and Pinnacle Ultimate Collection also offer Blu-ray authoring with motion menus.

Other new features include:

• A stop-motion capture for animated and fast-motion effects.

• New content and enhancements for Pinnacle Montage.

• Dynamic Motion Titler tool that includes a number of new templates.

• A new stabilizer effect – leveraging the same technology used in Avid’s professional editing products to fix shaky camera shots.

Also, those who purchase Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Collection will receive the most complete solution, including a green sheet for Chroma key effects and six highly acclaimed professional plug-ins from Red Giant:

• Shine ultra-fast light ray effects

• ToonIt turns video into cartoon style animation

• Knoll Light factory creates lens flares, sunsets & more

• Magic Bullet Looks generates advanced video styles

• 3D stroke creates glowing lines, swirling shapes, and 3D camera effects

• Particular smoke, explosion, and abstract effects

Did I get that right? You get a green screen? COOL!

The price of Pinnacle Studio HD, Pinnacle Studio Ultimate and Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Collection remains the same as previous version: US$49.99, $99.99 and $129.99, respectively. However there will be upgrade price breaks of $30 for Studio Ultimate and $40 for Studio Ultimate Collection made available to existing customers.

Pinnacle Studio is compatible with Windows Vista SP2 (Both 32-bit & 64-bit), Windows XP SP3 & Windows 7.

Also coming soon are three new Pro-Tools bundles that aim to give experienced consumers and first-time hobbyists alike, affordable access to the classic digital editing toolset for audio–ProTools. The bundles which are named Pro Tools Vocal Studio, Pro Tools Recording Studio and Pro Tools KeyStudio™, have both software and hardware components. The distinct software portions are known as Pro Tools M-Powered™ Essential software, which is a specific version of ProTools that works natively with M-Audio hardware (which incidentally Avid owns). The M-Audio hardware within these packages sounds compelling too: a studio quality USB mic, FastTrack USB interface and an M-Audio  KeyStudio USB keyboard, respectively.

Here are some more detailed descriptions from Avid:

Pro Tools Vocal Studio turns the computer into a complete vocal recording studio. This bundle includes the Producer USB microphone, a studio-quality mic that lets people capture vocals, as well as record acoustically played instruments. The Producer USB mic lets people record with stunning clarity, whether they’re singing a future hit song or narrating a family biography. And with Pro Tools M-Powered Essential, it’s easy to remix vocals to produce professional-quality soundtracks and podcasts with ease.

Pro Tools Recording Studio enables people to craft professional-sounding songs and remixes — no experience needed. With the included Fast Track® USB audio interface plugged right into the computer, music enthusiasts can capture pristine digital sound for any recording project, whether from a guitar or a standard microphone. With Pro Tools M-Powered Essential software, consumers can dub, mix, remix, edit, blend, restore, hone and more to create audio projects that will sound like they came from a pro — even if someone’s never recorded a note before.

Pro Tools KeyStudio features the M-Audio KeyStudio USB keyboard, a simple, yet high-quality 49-note velocity-sensitive keyboard that also functions as a MIDI interface. With Pro Tools KeyStudio, users can record a single keyboard track or create a complete orchestral recording using the KeyStudio to input any of the 60+ virtual instruments that come loaded with Pro Tools M-Powered Essential.

Each Pro Tools Essential bundle is, as of this writing,  available at an MSRP of $129 and works on mac or windows.

All of this is good news for the people out there looking for reasonably priced entry products of this nature. It makes sense for both the Pinnacle and ProTools offerings to be released together as they are meant to work together to help people craft “slicker-than-you-thought-I-could-do” home movies and more. I wonder how seamlessly they interact?

It’s also a good strategy on Avid’s part to offer these less expensive products to compete with FinalCutPro, Premiere, GarageBand and the many other pro-sumer type software packages out there these days. I seem to always remember Avid as an expensive, “for-professionals-only” platform back in the day when I was doing all my FCP work in agency-life, but clearly their acquisition path and continued development of some consumer-friendly apps shows that they are trying to cover more than one side of the quickly evolving world of digital media.

Most film is recorded at 24 frames per second, but your LCD TV probably either displays at 60 fps or 120 hz (hertz is just a measurement of frequency per second). There are three main ways to cope with this.

First is to simply display each frame longer, this is the oldest technique in LCD tech. However, its undesirable side effects include the possibility of motion blur, or of judder. Judder is an artifact of adjusting the framerate and it looks like a sort of stutter in movement that would otherwise be smooth (a slow pan, for instance).

The second technique is one used on Plasmas and CRT TVs. Instead of showing a bright image the whole time, they display the frame, then a short frame of either darkness or a very dimmed picture. This alleviates much of the issue with judder and motion blur as it allows your brain to fill in the gap faster than you can consciously notice. It is also an old technique, and is used in theaters. It provides the traditional cinema feel.

The most recent and advanced technique is motion interpolation. Motion interpolation is a process by which your TV analyzes the current frame, and the next frame, then creates an average. It inserts these averaged frames in between. The result is extremely smooth motion with no motion blur and judder becomes almost non-existent. There are a few technical issues with this, including the possibility of ghosting or artifacts in rare cases. Also the smooth movement this creates is slightly disconcerting.

This extremely smooth motion has earned the name the “Soap Opera Effect,” after the way those shows looked, having been shot on cheaper 30Hz video instead of regular broadcast equipment or film. Although it might be technically superior it seems it is disconcerting to me. The movement looks like a digital video, not like film. This problem is exacerbated by the high definition. I’ve seen this happen in standard definition video as well and you essentially see the “moving” objects on a different plane than the background, as if they were cut outs moving on a painted background.

Cinematographers and video experts have had techniques for hiding “telecine” video artifacts for years, but the increase in interpolation frames (from 30 to 60 to 120 or more) has reduced the need for such techniques. Instead, the increased framerate minimizes the video glitches at the cost of looking a bit weird. There are a lot of complaints out there over how 120Hz looks “too smooth” or unrealistic. This is probably mostly due to people just not being used to it and wanting to home films to look like the cinema they are used to. The rub here is simple: HD content looks incredible, on the aggregate, but these interpolation problems pull us out of the uncanny valley and into a strange new way of seeing motion. It isn’t quite what we expect and it upsets us.

Maybe TV makers will solve this problem or maybe we’ll just get used to it. Either way, something you can simply turn interpolation off and get the old, juddery picture you know and love.

With Berkeley Beyers

If money is no issue, and you’re looking to play 1080p content—alt.binaries.hdtv.h264 says hi—on your big screen TV, you really ought to look into getting a proper PC, one with one of those fancy nVidia GPU that you can use to hardware accelerate said Blu-ray rips. That being said, it looks like LaCie just came out with a stand-alone device that should play most of the HD content you “find” online. Oh, it’s called the LaCinema Rugged HD, and LaCie wants $350 for it.

The device has a 500GB hard drive, which should be enough for plenty of feature-length movies. (I generally see 1080p movies anywhere from 7GB to 14GB in size.) It works with all the major codecs including H.264 and WMV9; it works with MKV! And as we all know, MKV has become the standard for scene HD releases. So, you put your file(s) on the drive, then plug the device into your TV using an HDMI cable. All of a sudden, you’re watching Che Part One or Watchmen in full HD.

(I doubt the LaCie people are thrilled with me referencing piracy so often in this post, but, really, how many of you are sitting there ripping Blu-ray discs? Is that even legal? It happens: people download stuff.)

My one concern is that, in my experience, on a lot of the better handled Blu-ray rips have pretty high video bitrates. (Here’s Children of Men, a 1080p Blu-ray rip.) So I don’t know how high that number can climb before the device starts to choke. Video at 720p shouldn’t present any problem.

Today in Korea, Samsung announced an eco-friendly full HD LED monitor, the XL2370. It’s said to have a “finger-slim” design, but the press release makes no mention of how thick it actually is. But we do know that the XL2370 has a “mega dynamic” contrast ratio of 5M:1, 2ms response time and 1920×1080 resolution. Oh, and it has “Starlight Touch Controls.”

I’ll go out on a limb and say this is a 23-inch model based on the model number. Taking after the HDTV line, the XL2370 comes with the Touch of Color bezel that supposedly reduces glare and light reflections. But more importantly, it makes the monitor easier to recycle because the ToC manufacturing process includes zero “harmful paints and sprays” or so says the press release.

The LED HD monitor will be available in Korea later this month and ships to Europe and other countries in August.

For all the fluff that generally pours out of Brando’s website, there’s always a diamond in the rough here and there. This one seems to be more diamond than rough. It’s basically an adapter that turns any 3.5- or 2.5-inch hard drive into an HD video player for your TV. It’ll also push out files from SD cards and USB thumb drives as well.

It’s priced at $69, which seems a bit steep, mostly because I’m going to assume that the on-screen interface is average (at best). The idea is still intriguing, though, especially if you have a bunch of media files spread out over multiple storage mediums.

Video is output at 1080i and the adapter can read MPEG, AVI, MP4, VOB, and DiVX files, so codec support looks pretty robust. You also get a remote control and AV cables and the adapter doubles as a USB external connection for hooking your drive up to your computer.

SATA HDD Multi-Media Player Adapter [Brando]

Thanks to VholdR you can now record your daredevil shenanigans in HD (720p). Like the original VholdR, the ContourHD can be strapped to your helmet or goggles (weighs only 4 ounces) and the water resistant anodized aluminum body ensure it can take a tumble or two. You can record up to eight hours of HD footage at 30fps onto a 16GB microSD card or 16 hours of SD footage at 60fps.

ContourHD has a 135-degree viewing angle and couldn’t be easier with a one-touch record button. Two onboard lasers take care of alignment, so your shots are perfect every time.

The ContourHD will be available next month for $300.

VholdR

Some Sunday morning rumor mongering for y’all. While we’ve known that Amazon has been planning to sell HD versions of TV shows for a few weeks now, we knew nothing about price… until now! Yup, it looks like Amazon wants $2.99 per HD episode, as this screengrab shows, which is the same prices that Apple charges on iTunes. (That works out to around $53 per season, which, knowing the quality of TV these days, is an insane proposition.) But, good news for Apple haters, then.

Now, when exactly these HD downloads will debut, who knows. Dave Zatz found hints of the HD TV shows in the TiVo interface a few days ago. Presumably you’d be able to get these HD shows on things like he Roku box, too.

Also, I’d like to take a moment to laugh at Manchester United. [Moment.] Thank you.

Attention Vudu owners-

You now have the privilege of downloading and owning HD movies from an on demand online distributor. There are roughly 50 titles that you can download in both HD and HDX. Magnolia, Kino and FirstLook are among the indie studios who have films available at the moment including “Man on Wire.”

But don’t let the capacity of your box hinder you from downloading content because you can use the Vault to store your movies. The HD content is priced between $14 and $24. That is all.

CSI helped defined HD in its early years and now it will finally be available on Blu-ray. The show, along with ER, was one of the first primetime programs to showcase why the 16:9 format at a higher definition was so damn spectacular. I don’t even think CSI: Miami would still be on the air if it wasn’t for the HD eye candy compensating for the horrendous acting. Anyway, the show’s first season should hit shelves on May 12 for a yet to be announced price. Now, lets see some more HD shows hit the Blu-ray format starting with BSG, The Office, and ER.

The Simpsons has been a staple in many homes for nearly 20 years and finally, finally, the show will be broadcast in glorious high definition. Season 20 debuts on February 15 which is when the switch will be flipped and we’ll see Homer and Co. in HD. Plus, the show is going to have a new main title for the first time in 20 seasons. Oh, and for the record, The Simpsons is going HD before the earlier announced South Park high-def debut. Natch. So what cartoon is next? Family Guy? King of the Hill? I vote King of the Hill.

via Switched

Sanyo’s compact line of Xacti Dual camcorders was refreshed this morning with five new models. The high-end DMX-HD2000 and DMX-FH11 are the only two that shoot 1080p resolution video. Like Xactis before it, these two also take still photos that are approximately 8 megapixels even when recording video. They can be interpolated up to 12 megapixels as well when not shooting video. Both have a 10x optical zoom.

The DMX-HD2000 is of the vertical form factor variety with a 2.7-inch LCD while the FH11 does the horizontal boogie with a 3-inch LCD. Both can take up to a 32GB SDHC or SD card, but the FH11 comes with 8GB of built-in memory. The HD2000 will be the first out of the gate starting Februrary 6 in Japan. The FH11 will ship much later with an April 24 ship date.

The CA9 (5x optical zoom) and WH11 (30x optical zoom) only shoot 720p, but these two are waterproof up to 1.5M and 3M, respectively. The CA9 musters up 9-megapixel (12 when interpolated) images while the WH11 has measly 1.1-megapixel (2 when interpolated) images. Both come with 43MB of internal memory and also take up to 32GB SDHC memory cards. A 2.5-inch LCD comes with both models. The CA9 is expected to launch March 13 with the WH11 to follow on the 19th.

Rounding out the Xacti refresh is the CG10. This, too, shoots 720p video and takes 10-megapixel images (up to 12 when interpolated). Memory storage is the same as the others and comes with 40MB on-board storage. Like the FH11, the CG10 has a 3-inch LCD and will be available starting February 20.

Press Release with full specs

Main Features: VPC-FH1 (Horizontal; $499.99 MSRP) and VPC-HD2000 (Vertical; $599.99)

* Full 1080p HD Video (60fps)
* 8-Megapixel Digital Photos and High-Speed Sequential Shooting (12fps)
* High Speed Recording/Super Slow Motion Playback (240/600fps for 1/4 or 1/10 playback)
* 3-inch wide LCD Monitor (FH1), 2.7-inch wide LCD monitor (HD2000) for HD Playback
* 10x Optical Zoom for photos
* 16x advanced zoom (more area included than standard zooming, 160x digital zoom) for video
* Digital Image Stabilizer (Movies & Stills)
* ‘Face Chaser’ technology (up to 12 faces) for photos/videos
* HDMI Output (FH1); HDMI Digital Interface via Cradle (HD2000)
* Optional lenses: Tele, Wide, Semi-Fisheye
* External microphone input (HD2000)
* VPC-FH1 and VPC-HD200 are available in Black

Main Features: VPC-TH1 (Horizontal; $299.99 MSRP)

* HD Digital Video (720p, 30fps)
* 30x Optical Zoom
* 2-Megapixel sequential shooting (13fps)
* 3-inch LCD (TFT) Widescreen Display
* Long 3-hour 20-minute continuous recording battery life
* Digital Image Stabilizer (video and stills)
* ‘Face Chaser’ technology can detect up to 12 faces for photos and videos
* HDMI Output
* 3D DNR digital noise reduction for clearer images
* Available in Silver and Blue

Main Features: VPC-CG10 (Vertical; $199.99 MSRP)

* 10-Megapixel photos and 720p HD video
* 5x optical zoom
* 3-inch Widescreen LCD
* Digital Image Stabilizer (video and stills)
* ‘Face Chaser’/Detection Technology (up to 12 faces)
* High-Speed Sequential Shooting 7fps
* 3D DNR digital noise reduction for clearer images
* Available in Black and Pink

Main Features: VPC-WH1 (Horizontal; $399.99 MSRP)

* Waterproof up to 3 meters (10 feet) for one hour
* Exceptional 30x optical zoom
* 2.5-inch LCD Display
* 2-megapixel photos and 720p high-definition video
* 2-megapixel sequential shooting (13fps)
* ‘Face Chaser’ face detecting technology for both photos and videos (12 faces)
* 3-hour 20-minute recording time; long battery life
* HDMI Output
* Available in Blue and Yellow

Main Features: VPC-CA9 (Vertical; $349.99 MSRP)

* Waterproof up to 1.5 meters (5 feet) for one hour
* 9-megapixel photos and 720p high-definition video
* High Speed Sequential shooting (7fps)
* 5x Optical Zoom
* 2.5″ LCD monitor
* ‘Face Chaser’ face detection technology
* Available in Black, Red and Green

Samsung just released 6 new camcorder models the HMX-H100, HMX-H104, HMX-H105 and HMX-H106 HD cams, SMX-F34 YouTube cam and the HMX-R10 CMOS-based HD camcorder.

The new H series camcorders are all identical except for built-in storage. The H100 comes with no built-in storage, the H104 and H105 ship with 16GB and 32GB SSDs respectively and the flagship H106 comes with a 64GB SSD built-in. The H106 will be available in April and the others in March.

Here is what is common accross the line:

• Schneider Kreuznach Varioplan optics with 10x zoom and image stabilization
• 2.7″ LCD touch screen
• SDHC slot
• 1080i, 720p, 480p and time lapse recording 
• 4.7 megapixel still photos
• H.264 compression
• HDMI, component and composite out
• strobe flash and remote control

The SMX-F34 is specifically made for recording videos for YouTube. It will be available this spring in black, red, silver and blue. Here are the stats:

• 680K pixel CCD
• 34x optical zoom
• 2.7″ LCD
• 16GB internal flash memory and SDHC expansion
• USB 2.0 and AV inputs/ouputs
• 720×480 video with H.264 compression
• 800×600 still photos

The HMX-R10 is a CMOS based HD camcorder that is supposed to be more conformable to hold. The lens is angled at 25 degrees so that it can be held in a more relaxed manner. It should be available this summer. More detals:

• 9 megapixel CMOS (9 megapixel still images)
• 5x optical zoom
• SDHC expansion
• HDMI, component and composite out

I am wondering if this news will ever be of significance but here we go: The Nikkei, Japan’s largest business newspaper, is reporting today that Panasonic has set a new standard for Blu-rays that are capable of reproducing 3D images in HD (the picture above shows an older Panasonic plasma 3D TV).

Users will be able to see images alternately with the left and red eye at a combined speed of 120 fps. The result is a 3D effect in HD achieved in the home that’s comparable to the one experienced in movie theaters. Special 3D glasses are needed to view the images.

Panasonic apparently wants to urge Hollywood and other electronics companies to adopt the standard in the near future. The company plans to open an office in Hollywood as early as next month to test the technology and do lobby work.

Currently, Panasonic is thinking about offering Blu-ray players and TVs suitable for the 3D standard in 2010.

Via Nikkei [registration required, paid subscription]

For months now, I have been trying to play .MKV and other video files on my living room front projector. At first I tried to connect a laptop directly to the TV. But this didn’t always work, the audio was crappy, and it was awkward to have a laptop connected to the projector.

I started using my XBOX 360 to play video files. At first I wanted to stream the files across my network. This worked every once in a while, but mostly it was an exercise in frustration. And I got miserable fast forward and rewind capability because of the network bottleneck.

Then I tried using my Neuros OSD for this. That was a non-starter as the OSD only has a composite video out port and I wanted to play high definition video.

Eventually I started copying video files to big fat thumb drives and plugging them directly into the XBOX. This worked very well for a lot of video files, but didn’t work at all for high definition files because they were mostly over 4GB in size (the XBOX 360 only recognizes FAT32 formatted drives, and FAT32 doesn’t allow for more than 4GB per file).

I then started investigating the black arts of video transcoding. I looked for tools that would allow me to convert the video formats I found on the internet into something that was XBOX 360 friendly. But most of the automated tools were a compromise. If it converted the video into something XBOX friendly, and under 4GB in size, the audio would be downgraded to 2 channels (from 5.1). And I would run my computer for hours converting video, and many times something would go wrong and the file wouldn’t play on the XBOX.

I was banging my head against the wall trying to figure this out.

One Fall afternoon, Western Digital announced the WD HD TV Media Player. It promised to play high definition video over HDMI and optical audio, up to 1080p, all for about $120 street price. I was skeptical at first that such a tiny and inexpensive device would solve all of my months of video headaches. But any skepticism disappeared once I hooked the gizmo up to my projector and in about 20 seconds I was watching glorious high definition 1080p with DTS sound.

Basically the WD HD TV Media Player (horrible name, by the way) will play just about any video format you throw at it. You put the videos on any USB mass storage device, like a thumb drive or an external hard drive, and plug it into the device. It recognizes the files on the drive and plays any video, audio, or photo files it finds. It comes with a handy remote control, and the software interface is very simple and easy-to-use. The box has 2 USB ports for you to plug in any combination of mass storage devices. Even better, it supports the NTFS file format so you are not limited to files that are under 4GB.

I loaded up an external hard drive with all manner of video files and plugged it into the Media Player. Using the remote control I navigated the on-screen menu and chose several different file formats to test. The little black box played each of the files beautiful. The playback was smooth, even in fast action sequences. The digital audio worked flawlessly and it even supports subtitles. I tested a variety of 720p and 1080p and 480p files. I couldn’t find a single one the device had trouble with.

I connected the Media Player via optical audio and HDMI. It also supports composite video with analog audio, but I did not test those ports.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the compact yet powerful remote control. I hid the tiny Media Player box behind my media cabinet in the back of the room where my projector is. And I didn’t think the remote control would be able to hit the device, but sure enough I just pointed it at the ceiling above my head and it worked very nicely, registering each key press.

I love this little black box. It singlehandedly solved my video playback problems and ended months of frustration. People will gripe about the lack of network support, but I personally have no desire to stream high definition video over my local network. Direct hard drive or thumb drive connections ensure fast and reliable playback and controls. Simple and fast, the WD HD TV Media Player is a powerhouse solution in a tiny and affordable package.

Product Page

Grab this thin, lightweight cam on sale in carbon black at Amazon.com and Creative’s website for $199 with free shipping from both stores.

Here’s the little brother of the TV deal we posted yesterday. Yes, it’s a Dynex and yes, former Geek Squad employee Alex commented in the previous post that he found the Dynex brand of TVs to not only be “GARBAGE!!!” but also “PURE GARBAGE!!” – all caps and five total exclamation points.

However, both the 42-inch TV and this 26-inch TV have gotten around 4.5 out of 5 stars by their owners, which seems to indicate that Dynex fixed what was wrong with earlier units or 125+ reviewers got extremely lucky. Either way, hooray for cheap TVs!

Dynex 26-inch 720p Widescreen Flat-Panel LCD HDTV [Best Buy]

The tiny-and-popular line of Flip Mino camcorders has a new addition with the MinoHD. It’s basically a Flip Mino that – you guessed it – records at 1280 x 720 resolution onto four gigabytes of onboard memory. The camera appears to be about the same as the regular Mino except for some updated software, the higher resolution, the 4GB of storage, and the $229.99 price tag versus the standard Mino at $179.99.

Like the standard Mino, you can personalize your MinoHD with your own graphics at TheFlip.com for free with purchase or you’ll be able to pick up a MinoHD in black at retailers like Amazon.com, Best Buy, Target, and Staples.

I’ll be very, very interested to see how the MinoHD sells versus the standard Mino since the whole idea of these camcorders is to not overload users bothersome stuff like “features”. Will the simple addition of “HD” be enough to persuade people to spend an extra $50 on a point-and-shoot camcorder? It’ll be a true testament to the power of the high-definition movement in general.

I’m guessing that the $229 price point might scare more than a few people off. It takes the cute, fun Mino into more serious territory. I think Flip would have an easier time selling the HD idea if the company had added a flip-and-swivel LCD and an optical zoom – two added features that wouldn’t complicate things for users at all, but would make a world of difference as far as utility is concerned.

I lent the standard Mino to a non-technical friend of mine so he could film some stuff at a wedding and he returned it to me saying how impressed he was at how easy the thing is to operate. I was curious to see how much he thought a camera like the Mino should cost. He replied, “I don’t know. Fifty bucks? Maybe eighty?” I told him it sold for $180 and his response was, “That’s ridiculous,  who would pay that much?” As it turns out, plenty of people are happy to pay for simplicity when it comes to video cameras (as Flip knows). But will those people pay almost $250 for simplicity plus HD?

Flip Video [TheFlip.com]

Full press release:

Pure Digital Introduces Flip Mino HD – The World’s Smallest HD Camcorder

Tiny camcorder and new FlipShare software make it simple to capture and share stunning HD video

San Francisco, CA – November 12, 2008 –  The maker of Flip Video™ – the best-selling family of affordable and simple-to-use digital camcorders – today introduced its latest breakthrough product:  the Flip Mino HD.   The world’s smallest HD camcorder at just over 3 oz., the remarkably slim Flip Mino HD makes capturing and sharing HD video easy and affordable for the first time. The stylish camcorder from Pure Digital Technologies, priced at $229.95 (MSRP), records up to 60 minutes of HD video and features Flip Video’s new FlipShare software. This breakthrough on-board software application allows consumers to plug the camcorder’s signature flip-out USB arm into any computer for easy organizing, editing and sharing on YouTube, MySpace, AOL Video or via email.

This latest innovation from Pure Digital Technologies builds on the success of its wildly popular Flip Video camcorder line. After just one full year in the marketplace, Flip Video has sold over 1.5 million camcorders and currently has the number one best-selling camcorder in the U.S., according to the latest rankings from leading market research firm NPD.

“Consumers have embraced Flip Video because it delivers on the promise of making video simple, affordable, and fun,” said Jonathan Kaplan, Pure Digital’s chairperson and CEO.  “Flip Mino HD, along with FlipShare software, now make it easy for anyone to capture and share their stories in stunning HD quality.”

Flip Mino HD comes equipped with FlipShare – Flip Video’s next-generation built-in software application.   FlipShare features a simple drag-and-drop interface to make it simple for Flip owners to organize, edit and share their HD videos.  FlipShare enables fast and simple video emailing and one-click uploading to YouTube, MySpace, and AOL Video.  Users can also create custom movies, complete with music and credits, and capture HD still photos from their videos.   FlipShare is fully compatible with Windows software as well as Apple’s Mac video applications including QuickTime, iMovie, and iDVD.  FlipShare is also available as an upgrade to anyone who already owns a Flip Video camcorder.

With its introduction, Mino HD also becomes the first and only “designable” HD camcorder. Using Flip Video’s next-generation personalization platform, launched last month on theflip.com, consumers can choose from thousands of professional designs or custom-design their own Flip Mino or Flip Mino HD at no extra cost. Additionally, consumers have the option to share their designs on theflip.com to earn commissions for themselves or non-profit causes.

Flip Mino HD Features and Availability:

· Weight: 3.3 oz.

· Resolution: HD 720p

· 4 GB of internal memory to record up to 60 minutes of HD video

· 1.5 inch anti-glare LCD display

· Internal, lithium ion battery recharges when USB arm is connected to computer

· One-touch recording with 2x digital zoom

· Touch-sensitive buttons for recording, playback, fast forward, rewind, pause and delete

· TV connection for instant viewing (cable included)

· Tripod Mount

· Available in black at Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, Wal-Mart.com, theflip.com and leading retailers

· Completely “designable” at theflip.com

· Suggested retail price: $229.95

New FlipShare Software Features:

· On-board application installs directly when connected to PC or Mac

· Simple drag-and-drop interface for easy browsing, playback, organization and archiving

· Integrated online video publishing to YouTube, MySpace, and AOL Video

· Free, unlimited private emailing of videos and video greeting cards

· Custom editing of movies, with the option to use your own music and add titles/credits

· Capture HD still photos from video

· Order DVDs online and have them shipped anywhere in the world

Just what every housewife has been asking for, Regis and Kelly is going high definition on January 5th, 2009. I doubt the world will be a better place once the forever-young Regis will be seen in all the detail that HD provides, but still, it’s great seeing staple morning shows making the switch. More and more consumers are going to purchase HDTVs with the digital switch looming and there is nothing worse than watching your shows that are not high-def on your beautiful new HDTV. 

So my wife wants to know…when is Martha Stewart going HD?

Vudu’s HD catalog is officially the largest available from any service and even surpasses physical media. In the month of October Vudu added over 150 HD titles per week to reach this historical milestone. Their recently announced HDX service now has over 150 titles as well.

Today, they added 35 HDX titles and 398 HD titles, which we’ve listed after the jump in alphabetical order because we love you!

HD titles:

12 Angry Men
21 Hours at Munich
A Dry White Season
A Fistful of Dynamite
A Great Wall
A Hole in the Head
A Kiss Before Dying
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy
A Rumor of Angels
A Slipping Down Life
Adios Sabata
Alfie
Alien vs. Predator
Ambush Bay
American Ninja
Angel Unchained
Art School Confidential
Article 99
At First Sight
Avalanche
Avanti!
Baby Boom
Barfly
Behind Enemy Lines
Ben-Hur
Beverly Hills Cop 2
Beverly Hills Cop 3
Black Girl
Blade Runner (Director’s Cut)
Blue State
Body Heat
Border Cop [aka The Border]
Braveheart
Breaker! Breaker!
Brian’s Song
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
Bucktown
Bull Durham
Bulletproof Monk
Caveman
Child’s Play
China Doll
Cinderella Man
City of Industry
Clambake
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Director’s Cut)
Clue
Code of Silence
Coffy
Colors
Company Business
Confessions of an American Girl
Convoy
Cool Blue
Cooley High
Cops and Robbers
Count Yorga, Vampire
Courage Under Fire
CQ
Crimes and Misdemeanors
Crisscross
Crusoe
Curse of the Pink Panther
Cutter’s Way
Cyborg Soldier
Dance with Me, Henry
Dark Blue
Davy Crockett, Indian Scout
Day Watch [Dnevnoy Dozor]
Days of Thunder
Death Rides a Horse
Desperately Seeking Susan
Die Hard With a Vengeance
Die, Monster, Die!
Diggstown
Dirty Work
Distant Voices, Still Lives
Double Trouble
Dr. Phibes Rises Again
Easy Money
Electra Glide in Blue
Enter the Ninja
Erik the Viking
Escape from Alcatraz
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, But Were Afraid to Ask
Exodus
F.I.S.T.
F/X
F/X 2
Fantastic Four
Farewell to the King
Fay Grim
Fiddler on the Roof
Fight Club
Flesh and Blood
Fluke
Follow That Dream
For Those Who Think Young
For Us, the Living: The Story of Medgar Evers
For Your Consideration
Force 10 from Navarone
Friday the 13th: Part 2
From Noon Till Three
Futureworld
Gattaca
Ghost Warrior
Ghoulies
Ghoulies 2
Grave of the Vampire
Gun the Man Down
Hang ‘em High
Happy Endings
Hard Promises
He Who Must Die
Hercules Against the Barbarians
High Tide
Hoodlum
Hoosiers
Hot Dog… The Movie
House of D
House of Games
How to Beat the High Cost of Living
How to Murder Your Wife
How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying
Huckleberry Finn
Hurricane Streets
I Escaped from Devil’s Island
I Love You, Don’t Touch Me!
I, Robot
Ice Age
Ice Age: The Meltdown
If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium
If Lucy Fell
In the Name of the King
Inherit the Wind
Inserts
Inspector Clouseau
Interiors
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Iphigenia
Irma La Douce
It Runs in the Family
Jason’s Lyric
Johnny Be Good
Khartoum
Kid Colter
Kid Galahad
King of Hearts
King of New York
Kingdom of Heaven
Kings of the Sun
L.A. Bounty
L.A. Streetfighters
Lady Chatterley’s Lover
Last Tango in Paris
Lawman
Legend of the Lost
Lenny
Leviathan
Life Stinks
Little Man Tate
Little Miss Sunshine
Little Monsters
Livin’ Large!
Lone Wolf McQuade
Lupo
Mac and Me
Mad Max
Mademoiselle
Madhouse
Making Mr. Right
Man of the East
Man on Fire
Manhattan
Me, Myself and Irene
Memories of Me
Men of Honor
Mermaids
Midnight Cowboy
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous
Miss Julie
Mississippi Burning
Moby Dick
Moonlight and Valentino
Moulin Rouge
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Unrated)
Mr. Majestyk
Mr. Mom
Much Ado About Nothing
Murder at 1600
Music from Another Room
My American Cousin
My Beautiful Laundrette
Mystic Pizza
Napoleon
Navajo Joe
Nim’s Island
Nobody’s Fool
Number One
Octavia
Once Upon a Time in America
One, Two, Three
Osama
Pajama Party
Paper Lion
Parents
Personal Velocity
Phaedra
Phone Booth
Pit and the Pendulum
Planet of the Vampires
Platoon
Play Dirty
Poltergeist 2: The Other Side
Pootie Tang
Popi
Pork Chop Hill
Posse
Posse
Prisoner of the Mountains
Pumpkinhead
Pursuit
Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You
Queen of Hearts
Quigley Down Under
Radio Days
Rancho Deluxe
Raw Meat
Real Men
Rebel in Town
Red Dawn
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins
Reprise
Reptilicus
Return of Sabata
Return of the Magnificent Seven
Revolt at Fort Laramie
Revolution
Rich Kids
Road House
Robbers’ Roost
Robocop 2
Rolling Thunder
Romeo Is Bleeding
Running Scared
Sabata
Salt and Pepper
Scandalous
Scarecrows
Scooby-Doo in Where’s My Mummy?
Scream and Scream Again
Semi-Tough
Shadows and Fog
Shanghai Surprise
Shutter
Silent Hill
Sleepover
Soapdish
Some Girls
Species 3
Species: The Awakening
Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country
Stay Hungry
Storefront Hitchcock
Straight Out of Brooklyn
Street Kings
Super Troopers
Support Your Local Sheriff
Sweet Smell of Success
Swing Shift
Tales of Terror
Tank Girl
Teachers
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Terror in a Texas Town
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
The Amityville Horror
The Baby-Sitters Club
The Barefoot Contessa
The Battle of El Alamein
The Bed Sitting Room
The Charge of the Light Brigade
The Charge of the Model-T’s
The Chocolate War
The Conversation
The Couch Trip
The Counterfeiters
The Dark Half
The Day After Tomorrow
The Defiant Ones
The Delinquents
The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission
The Dogs of War
The Food of the Gods
The Foot Fist Way
The Gallant Hours
The Garbage Pail Kids Movie
The Greatest Story Ever Told
The Group
The Gunfight at Dodge City
The Hard Word
The Hawaiians
The Honey Pot
The Horror Show
The Hospital
The Hotel New Hampshire
The In Crowd
The Jewel of the Nile
The Job
The Juror
The King and Four Queens
The Knack, and How to Get It
The Last Man on Earth
The Long Goodbye
The Longest Day
The Lover
The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven Ride!
The Maltese Falcon
The Masque of the Red Death
The Mighty Quinn
The Neanderthal Man
The Omen
The Organization
The Package
The Peacekillers
The People That Time Forgot
The Pink Panther Strikes Again
The Playboys
The Pope of Greenwich Village
The Presidio
The Pride and the Passion
The Punisher
The Purple Rose of Cairo
The Relentless Four
The Resurrected
The Return of a Man Called Horse
The Return of Dracula
The Return of the Living Dead
The Return of the Pink Panther
The Revolt of the Slaves
The Right Stuff
The Rock
The Rookie
The Running Man
The Scalphunters
The Secret of NIMH
The Secret of Santa Vittoria
The Sentinel
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
The Thomas Crown Affair
The Train
The Virgin Suicides
The White Buffalo
The Wonderful Country
The Young Savages
Thelma and Louise
This World, Then the Fireworks
Thrashin’
Three Kings
Throw Momma From the Train
To Kill For
To Live and Die in L.A.
Topkapi
Trail of the Pink Panther
Transporter 2
Troll
UHF
Undertow
Undiscovered
Unforgettable
Unforgiven
Urban Cowboy
Valdez Is Coming
Welcome to Woop Woop
What Happens in Vegas (Unrated)
What’s New Pussycat?
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Windtalkers
Witness for the Prosecution
Wooly Boys
X-Men: The Last Stand
X2: X-Men United
Yellowbeard
Yentl
Young Billy Young
Youngblood
Yours, Mine and Ours

HDX titles:

Alien vs. Predator
Day Watch [Dnevnoy Dozor]
Distant Voices, Still Lives
Fight Club
Finding Amanda
Happy Endings
House of D
Ice Age
King of New York
Little Miss Sunshine
Men of Honor
Mission: Impossible 2
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Unrated)
Nim’s Island
Platoon
Shutter
Silent Hill
Speed
Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home
Street Kings
Super Troopers
The Day After Tomorrow
The Job
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
The Matrix Revolutions
The Punisher
The Rock
The Rookie
The Running Man
To Live and Die in L.A.
Top Gun
Transporter 2
Undiscovered
What Happens in Vegas (Unrated)
Wooly Boys

Vudu

Sound & Vision has a list of what they feel are the top high definition shows this fall.

• CSI: Miami
• Pushing Daisies
• The Mentalist
• Heros
• True Blood
• The Office
• Dexter

While I don’t disagree with first two, Dexter (best show on TV, btw) and True Blood should be higher on the list. Plus SNL, Stargate: Atlantis, and ER all better looking than The Office. Great show, but there are better eye candy shows out there. Any others?