Hasta La Gadget!

Well, that’s a mouthful of a headline. Going a bit more in-depth, a new professional solution from Sony allows broadcasters to capture side-by-side 4K video at, say, a sporting event, then use a standard camera zoom device to select small portions of each feed for 720p or 1080i output. On the receiving end, you’ll see a live image that looks indistinguishable from something you’d capture with a moving camera, with a few extra benefits to boot. Sony demonstrated the system using feeds from an F65 4K camera earlier this year at NAB, but was only able to present a simulation at that point, with pre-recorded output cropped from larger-format footage.

Now, as we saw today at IBC in Amsterdam, the technique works in realtime, so an adjustable smaller portion of the video is pumped out seamlessly and instantaneously. The 4K video can also be recorded at full resolution simultaneously, letting you change the framing long after an event takes place. Sony only had the demo configured to pull live video from the left portion of the feed, but eventually the entire capture will be enabled, giving producers access to an entire football field, as you’ll see in the hands-on video after the break. We wouldn’t expect this solution to replace human camera operators anytime soon, but it’s certainly a viable method for adding angles and placing a bit more control in the hands of production teams, even after the fact.

Continue reading Sony Stitch merges footage from two 4K F65 cameras to create zoomable panoramic with HD output (video)

Filed under: Cameras, Displays, HD

Sony Stitch merges footage from two 4K F65 cameras to create zoomable panoramic with HD output (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 10:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Zoom is known for making audio recorders, but its latest product, the Q2HD, brings video to the recording party — HD video, no less. Sure, there are many ways to shoot and share our lives these days, and it’s a wonder that services like Ustream aren’t just full of videos of people unboxing cameras, checking in and uploading pictures to Pinterest (while also watching Ustream). Zoom, however, evidently believes that though the method might evolve, the medium largely remains the same — voice and video. As such, the Q2HD Handy Video Recorder (to give it its full name) promises to play, capture and stream, all in “HD audio and video.” Paraphrasing of the box aside, we got our hands on one and took it for a spin. Want to know how it fared? Let’s reset the levels, then head past the break for the mixdown.

Continue reading Zoom Q2HD Handy Video Recorder lets you stream and record on the move, we go hands-on

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Misc. Gadgets

Zoom Q2HD Handy Video Recorder lets you stream and record on the move, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 08:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Samsung has been quiet on the superzoom camera front, but it’s leaping back into the fray with the WB100. The camera doesn’t have the longest zoom we’ve seen, but with a 26x lens and a wide-angle 22.3mm minimum zoom, odds are that just about anything you come across during vacation will fit into the frame. A choice to use AA batteries instead of a lithium-ion pack also emphasizes that focus on travelers. We’re otherwise looking at a very deliberately middle-of-the-road camera with a 16-megapixel sensor, ISO 80 to 1,600 sensitivity (3,200 if you like 3-megapixel photos) and 720p movie making. The company doesn’t have pricing, nor word as to which countries get the WB100 treatment outside of the UK — for now, you’re most likely to see this camera slung around a suntanned British neck in Ibiza.

Continue reading Samsung brings out WB100 camera with 26x lens for zoom-loving Brits

Samsung brings out WB100 camera with 26x lens for zoom-loving Brits originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 09:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments