NAB Show 2012: recording the future of video technology – The Verge

Padcaster iPad case: add DSLR glass to your tablet’s camera (hands-on)

2012-04-17T16:54:39-04:00

Padcaster hands-on

The iPad's a great tool for editing and sharing video, and the new model even has an excellent camera, but without multiple lenses, or a tripod mount it's not as usable or versatile as dedicated video cameras. The Padcaster aims to change that: it's a sturdy case that lets you connect your tablet to a tripod and a lens, and turn it into a one-step solution for recording, editing, and sharing video. The $199 device was just announced this week at NAB, and we got a chance to test out one of the prototypes.

The case is big, to be sure, with a soft red inside and a hard aluminum shell - you're not going to want to leave your iPad in the Padcast …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Dolby’s glasses-free 3D prototype hands-on: a 3D experience that finally makes sense

2012-04-17T16:10:01-04:00

Dolby Philips 3D prototype

3D's still a bit of a novelty, and hasn't really caught on in a mainstream way outside of movie theaters and amusement parks. Dolby's showing off a prototype 3D display at NAB that might change that, though. We got a chance to watch some footage on the glasses-free 3D TV at NAB, and everything we saw from Captain America to The Art of Flight looked fantastic. Viewing angles were particularly impressive: even from far off to the side, the 3D effect was still present, and the picture was so crisp and clean that it almost took a minute to realize we were looking at 3D footage.

Dolby is working with Philips to manufacture the displays, which us …

Read the full story at The Verge.

I see your 4K and raise you 6K: how RED is winning the high-res video race

2012-04-16T20:41:24-04:00

RED camera

Ted Schilowitz, RED's "Leader of the rebellion," was surrounded by a dozen or so journalists and a smattering of RED products that would feel right at home inside a Michael Bay film, but all he wanted to talk about was a sensor. The new Dragon sensor, to be exact, which can be installed into your RED Scarlet or Epic and makes either capable of 6K video recording. The $6,000 sensor is set to be available later this year, and is perfectly indicative of both the insane arms race we're entering with video resolution, and how RED has clearly gained an early lead.

The phrase "obsolence obsolete" was plastered all over the company's booth, and it' …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Canon’s 4K display prototype hands-on: this might be your next TV

2012-04-16T19:50:56-04:00

Canon 4K prototype

We've seen 4K cameras and 4K projectors here at NAB, but most of it isn't exactly consumer-friendly yet. Canon's remembering the common folk, though, showing off the latest version of its prototype 4K displays in the form of 30-inch TVs. We were escorted into a dark room to watch 4K footage on the smaller displays - the same two shorts used last night to demonstrate the C500 and 1D C's capabilities - and while it's not quite as breathtaking as it was on a movie theater-sized screen, footage still looked incredible. One scene we watched showed a cityscape, and tiny cars on the 4K display were incredibly clear and detailed, allowing you to see …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Sony NEX-FS700 hands-on: super-slow motion and 4K video for under $10,000

2012-04-16T19:05:56-04:00

Sony NEX-FS700

It seems like everywhere you look at NAB, someone's showing off a 4K camera. Sony's NEX-FS700 doesn't actually shoot 4K yet (though it will soon, with an extra recorder attached and after a firmware upgrade), but it has another feature that sets it apart: it can shoot 1080p footage at 240 frames per second, and can go as high as 960 fps at lower resolutions. The FS700 also features ISO range up to ISO 20,000, a Super 35mm sensor, and an E mount that means it can use all the same lenses as Sony's still NEX cameras.

We spent a few minutes with the camera, and though we couldn't test its hallmark feature we still liked what we saw. Once the 4K …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Blackmagic Cinema Camera shoots 2.5K video, costs $2,995 (hands-on)

2012-04-16T18:17:37-04:00

Gallery Photo: BlackMagic Cinema Camera hands-on pictures

Most of the pro-level cameras we've seen so far at NAB are more than a little out of the price range of the average consumer, but there's at least one option that's slightly more friendly: the Blackmagic Cinema Camera. For $2,995, you'll get the ability to shoot up to 2.5k footage (2432 x 1366), in a variety of different formats designed to work seamlessly with any editing program you can think of. The camera also offers 13 stops of dynamic range (that's in league with the 5D Mark III and the RED Epic), plus a Thunderbolt port, SSD drive port, and a touchscreen LCD that lets you quickly operate the camera, tweak settings, and add metadata to …

Read the full story at The Verge.

GoPro Wi-Fi BacPac remote and viewfinder coming this summer for $99 (hands-on)

2012-04-16T15:31:40-04:00

Gallery Photo: GoPro Wi-Fi BacPac hands-on pictures

We first got a glance at GoPro's Wi-Fi BacPac at CES, but the company's back at NAB showing off the device and revealing a few more details. Basically, the BacPac is a small module that attaches to the back of any GoPro camera and gives you remote control of the device via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. You can connect one camera or dozens - we controlled 30 at once - to a single remote, all set up as far as a football field apart. The included remote lets you start and stop recording on all the cameras at once, as well as tweak settings and modes. We've been really impressed with the GoPro's video quality and durability, and being able to set the cam …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Dolby announces bandwidth-conserving Digital Plus improvements

2012-04-16T11:20:32-04:00

Dolby Logo Crate Stock 1020

Along with its new glasses-free 3D technology, Dolby is bringing an updated version of its Digital Plus surround sound technology to NAB this year. Dolby Digital Plus is the current incarnation of the company's discrete surround technology, where each audio channel is delivered separately rather than decoded from a stereo stream. Normally, the bare minimum bit rate used by broadcasters to deliver Dolby Digital Plus is around 384kbps, but Dolby says that through tweaking the codec it has been able to reduce this down to just 192kbps.

This means that the audio stream would need to take up only half as much bandwidth, allowing broadcasters and …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Sony develops 1.5TB archive solution using stacked optical discs

2012-04-16T04:54:51-04:00

ods-d55u

Sony has announced a new optical mass storage solution for release by fall of this year. The technology comprises of cartridges which Sony dubs ODC1500R, each containing twelve optical discs which will be seen as one volume sized between 300GB and 1.5TB. 1.5TB is roughly the same size as 12 full capacity Blu-ray discs, so it doesn't look as though there has been any development in that respect, but rather Sony has found a way to make 12 discs read / writeable in a stack, which is no less impressive.

The cartridges will be released alongside compatible hardware in the form of the ODS-D55U USB 3.0 Optical Disc Archive. Sony notes that TDK has …

Read the full story at The Verge.

RED announces Dragon 6K sensor upgrade for Epic and Scarlet cameras

2012-04-16T04:07:04-04:00

via dl.dropbox.com

High-definition specialist RED has announced that an upgrade is coming for its Epic and Scarlet cameras, allowing users to add 6K native video recording (6,000 x 4,000) to their already specced out video shooters. Dubbed "Dragon," the sensor also promises 15 stops of native dynamic range as well as the ability to record at 120fps in 5K. This is a significant upgrade for the cameras, particularly the Scarlet, which can currently only shoot at 4K while still maintaining any kind of fluid frame rate.

RED's cameras are designed with this kind of upgrade in mind, with a modular design meaning that users can easily add new features or lens mounts …

Read the full story at The Verge.