Adrian's Journal

Panasonic Pro AG-HMC150 3CCD AVCHD Camcorder I just read the reviews (almost 100% positive) on the Panasonic Pro AG-HMC150 3CCD AVCHD 24fps Camcorder . This affordable mean machine is definitely on the top of my shopping list. It has everyting a creative videographer like me wants. Things like the built-in wide lens, professional audio input, High Definition, memory card recording and 12 hours of recording on a 32G card. I just hope the Panasonic batteries have the stamina like that of Sony and indicates its power by minutes. I declare I will be abandoning my all-time-favorite Sony camcorders for now till they come up with a better CMOS technolgy that works in low light. Read more...

Photo Mode Review of the Sony HDR-SR12 and CX12 After collecting my Sony HDR-SR8 (100GB High Definition Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder) from the Sony service centre, I stopped to test the new Sony HDR-SR12 (10 Megapixel 120GB High Definition Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder) and the Sony HDR-CX12 (High Definition Memory Stick PRO Duo Handycam Camcorder) I only had a few minutes of free time, so I tested these features I wanted to know: How long do I have to wait between snapping photos? How long do I have to wait for the photo flash to recharge? How many photos can I take during video recording and will there be flash? How long do I have to wait between snapping photos? I have bad experiences with slow consumer still cameras. You miss a lot of good candid moments if the camera does not react as quick as your eyes. I hesitate to buy a family still camera because of this. The Sony HDR-SR12 and CX12 seem to do fine, instant, though you need to get...

Professional Memory Card Camcorders Comparison I am in the midst of deciding the purchase a new professional video camcorder. Looking at the recent models, there is a clear trend towards recording on memory cards. This is great as I have always thought tape is so obsolete in the digital world and a waste of time when capturing video. Here are three professional video camcorders I have narrowed down. They differ in image sensors, video recording format and the type of memory card used. Panasonic AG-HVX200 vs Sony HVR-Z7 vs Panasonic AG-HMC70 . Read More on my new blog...

Corel has announced Ulead VideoStudio 11.5 Plus that offers a complete, user-friendly solution for standard- and high-definition editing and authoring. Some valuable new features for the videographer are: [ read more ]

The battle is finally over. No need to decide whether to produce Blu-ray or HD DVD Discs. The winner is Blu-ray ! "Sony and its Blu-ray buddies are going to make like VHS and party like it's 1989." Here are the news. Read all about it... HD-DVD Death Made Official - Wired Toshiba Quits HD Format War Blu ray The Winner - Smart House News Toshiba to Give Up on HD DVD - TheStreet.com R.I.P. HD DVD: Toshiba reportedly ends the war - CNET Toshiba to exit HD DVD, end format war - Reuters Toshiba finishing format war, pulling plug on HD-DVD - XboxNowOnline Game Over For HD DVD; Toshiba To Cease Production of HD DVD - Gaming Bits Blu-ray wins HD DVD format wars as Toshiba exits market! - VideoGamesBlogger Toshiba pulling HD DVD support, Blu-ray has won the war - Gadgetell Toshiba to Withdraw HD DVD Format -Techtree Microsoft Planning Blu-ray For Xbox 360, Following Fall of HD DVD - dBTechno Toshiba To Halt HD-DVD Production - Slashdot Has Blu-ray won? HD-DV...

Am I the first videographer to board the Singapore Flyer even before its opening? I was just staring at the Singapore Flyer last week from the 46th storey of One Raffles Place, wondering how best to film the the whole observation wheel if they were to have fireworks there. Strangely, the next moment, I was invited to board the giant ferris wheel for a videography assignment. The first thing that came in to my mind was to shoot in high definition, Full HD in HDV, using my Sony HDR-FX7 High Definition Camcorder. To ensure I get the best shots during the 20-minute ride, I planned the shots way in advance. Studied the best London Eye commercial videos on the web. All I needed was my camcorder, wide angle lens, tripod and my must-shoot checklist. ND filter set to 2 . No sound required. 21 January 2008, 10am: A bright sunny morning with passing clouds over Singapore Marina Bay. The capsule climbed to the tip of the wheel and paused there for about 5 minutes for the photographers to snap ...

Where were you on new year's eve? I was at the Vivo City countdown party, 31 December 2007. Brought along a mat and some titbits. Settled down on best spot and waited 3 hours for midnight. It's a yearly family thing. The kids love staying up late. I love the celebration and pyrotechnics. From where we were, up on the roof where the party was, we can see fireworks displays from 3 different locations. The furthest, in sentosa, seem so tiny like sparklers in our hands. The nearer display was spectacular as multiple flaming rockets shot into the air and burst into shimmering dust. Of course, I brought along my Sony HDR-SR8 and recorded everything, in High Definition. By the way, the video I made here was last years fireworks display. http://www.lulu.tv/?p=19992 Thanks for watching! :) http://www.lulu.tv/?p=19992 Adrian Lee http://videolane.com/ http://instantviralvideo.com/ http://youtube.com/videolane http://www.lulu.tv/vlog/videolane http://adriansjournal.blogspot.com/ PS: Learn ...

With another flick of the same power button in the same direction as turning it on, the Sony HDR-SR8 100Gb Handycam Camcorder becomes a still camera at 6 megapixels. Here's my quick review of its still photography function when taking pictures at night. In this video, you see a montage of christmas lights photos I have taken at night, http://www.lulu.tv/?p=19801 . Here are some night photography tips I discovered with the camcorder. When taking pictures of lights, turn off the flash function. The lights will appear brighter. When shooting outdoors at night, there must be plenty of light on your subject. CMOS cameras do not respond to low light very well. Turn on the flash when the subject is within 5 metres from the camcorder. I am not a master of photography, but my Sony HDR-SR8 high definition camcorder come in handy when I need to take photos. The photos are saved in the same hard disk drive as the videos, though you can change the settings to save the photos in the SD card. On...

T raining younglings the fine art of videography. The elder one firmly gripping the Sony HDR-SR8 100Gb Handycam Camcorder and supporting one arm on the railing for a steady shot. The little one plans the perfect composition while waiting for her turn. This is our little England vacation where the Sony HDR-SR8 100Gb Handycam Camcorder came in handy. EASY TO USE It is so easy to use that I don't have to shoot all of the time. My kids do it on my behalf. It takes less than 5 minutes to teach them how to operate the camcorder. The rest of the time is teaching them framing, composition and secret tricks that professional videographers do. STEP 1 : TURN ON FOR VIDEO OR PHOTO The default is video when the power is switched on. Flicking the power switch again changes the the mode to photo. I discovered that the Sony HDR-SR8 100Gb Handycam Camcorder can also shoot photos while in video mode, except that the flash does not activate. STEP 2 : FLIP OPEN THE LCD SCREEN The touch-screen LCD is...

I just completed and uploaded my latest video assignment. Please watch it here... http://www.videolane.com/?Videos:Asian_First_Films_2007 It is a star-studded Awards Ceremony for the Asian Festival of First Films organized by Teamwork Productions in Singapore on 4 December 2007 at Jubilee Hall, Raffles Hotel. Here is what I have to do as a videographer working alone. THE EARLY BIRD I like to arrive 2 hours before the event starts. This gives me ample time to survey the place, watch the last minute rehearsals and find out the exact flow of the event. For recording stage shows, I will also need some time to plant my tripod on the best spot and hook up the sound feed to my camcorder. EAT THE SOUND Getting the sound feed means hooking up my camcorder audio input to the hall audio system's output. That is, instead of recording ambient surrounding noise, I have crisp clear sound recording from every microphone setup on stage. Got to do this early because I know lots of press media people...

Give Me a Break Being a Videographer by profession, a vacation to me means no holding on to a camera. But hey, my two lovely daughters are coming along with me to Paris. How can a father think of not taking videos and photos of their children enjoying a holiday! So to compromise, I thought of a way to bring a camcorder fully fitted as one unit, without having to carry accessories and spares. Hence, November 2007, two days of vacation videography and photography in Paris, made possible with the Sony HDR-SR8 100Gb Handycam Camcorder. No Video Tapes 100 GB of hard disk capacity built into the camcorder. That's 32 hours of recording in High Definition. I needed less than 4 hours. So much space left. No worries of running out of space. No need to run around with spare video tapes in the pocket. Video tapes are dead! Long Battery Life The Sony Handycam HDR-SR8 came with a battery that lasts only 1 hour and a half. So I bought the biggest one that could last over 400 minutes, that's...

UK is now 7 degrees... I'm all ready to freeze... Will my Sony HDR-SR8 survive... Let's find out when I arrive. - Adrian Lee is preparing his High Definition hard disk camcorder for the UK trip, http://videolane.com/ Related Topic: Sony HDR-SR8 Review - Light on Eiffel Tower...

People tell me this cheap software is... well CHEAP. But hey! I made a lot of money with it. Using it to convert and make DVDs. My clients love the quality without question. The software I am talking about is Ulead DVD MovieFactory . This month, Corel announces the new HD Power Pack for Ulead DVD MovieFactory 6 Plus . This makes Ulead DVD MovieFactory even more powerful. I can now transfer my HD videos from my Sony SR8 and FX7. ==> Download MovieFactory here... http://www.videolane.com/?Digital_Video_Tips:Recommends:Ulead_MovieFactory "With Support for AVCHD, BDMV and HD DVD Advanced Content disc formats, the new HD Power Pack provides consumers with the world’s only all-in-one HD authoring solution to create professional-looking HD results." Some new features found in the HD Power Pack include: AVCHD Authoring HD content from virtually any HD source including HDV and AVCHD camcorders as well as recorded HDTV programs can now be authored and burned to a standard DVD usi...

One night in China... no, no... first night in Shanghai. Slept well. Woke up early. Anticipating an exciting day ahead. Breakfast at Yi Cafe, the hotel's 2nd floor restaurant. Met an American-Korean girl alone next to my table. We chatted. She said she has traveled to many places and this was one of the finest restaurant she has ever experienced. Indeed it was a fine breakfast. The display of the food is an art by itself. Talking about 5-star, the power plug at the Pudong Shangri-la hotel room was international standard. Didn't have to use my universal travel power adapter to charge the camcorder's batteries last night. Still have time after breakfast before the first official video shooting assignment. Went back to the riverbank of Huangpu River. This time catpuring the day version of the same place recorded last night, the Bund and the Futuristic City. Walked to the Pearl Tower and around it. Captured it from every good angle. Many local photographers were stationed aroun...

10am: The kids kissed me goodbye . Mixed feelings ran through my mind. I have never separated from my family for more than 2 days. Today, I leave for China for a 4-day business trip. Four days of intense videography schedule. 1130am: The plane took off from Singapore Changi International Airport. The weather was perfect. The service was great. It has been more than 10 years since I flew on Singapore Airlines, Asia’s leading airline. The gadget under my nose kept me occupied for most of the 5-hour flight. It was a movie player. a nintendo, a telephone and an information kiosk. I have been to Shanghai before, but this electronic device told me more about Shanghai than I knew (or never bothered to ask for the tour guide's translation 2 years ago). 5pm: Arrival at Shanghai (上海) Pudong International Airport. We were greeted by local representatives. With me were the organisers, the media people and my assistant. We were whisked away in a little van to the hotel. What's the icon...

Ever since I own the Sony HDR-FX7 High Definition Camcorder, I have been using it to shoot projects only at standard definition (SD) more than 90% of the time. That's because my video assignments are mostly events and seminars which require the final video to be produced in normal DVD format. The HD mode is turned on when the camcorder is used for the production of corporate videos and TVCs where High Definition meets TV broadcast standards. The big question is... what about creating High Definition DVDs? Which software can I use to capture, edit, author and burn my High Definition Video onto HD DVD or Blu-ray? Here's the good news... Ulead VideoStudio 11 received the World’s First DVD Editing and Authoring Certification for Both BDMV (Blu-ray Disc Movie Video) and AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition Standard) Formats. For years I have been using and recommending Ulead VideoStudio for simple DVD video projects. Now with the HD certification, I am going to recommend it...

"AVCHD stands for Advanced Video Codec High Definition, and it’s based upon the AVC codec, a joint standard of the ITU (International Telecommunications Union) and ISO (International Standardization Organization) groups. It's also called H.264. AVC/H.264 is an advanced subset of MPEG-4 compression (MPEG-4 Part 10 to be specific), so sometimes the terms are used interchangeably—although in most instances, references to MPEG-4 are to the older codec, not AVC. ..." http://digitalcontentproducer.com/hdhdv/depth/avchd_compression_070907/

Transferring and editing an 8-hour seminar video is too time-consuming... Bringing a laptop to the seminar for recording is too cumbersome... Getting an external Video Hard Disk Recorder is too costly... The answer... Sony HDR -SR1 AVCHD 4MP 30GB High-Definition Hard Disk Drive Camcorder The 5 must-have features I look for in the HD HDD camcorder are: Digital audio/video inputs: Yes (via USB ) Headphone jack: Yes (stereo mini) Microphone input: Yes (stereo mini) Photo Resolution: 4- megapixel ; 2304 x 1728 (4:3) Video recording system: AVCHD ( HD ) and MPEG 2-PS (SD) The 3 reason I want the Sony HDR -SR1 are: Hard Disk Drive Recording for long-hours seminars. Personal video recording in MPEG 2 (DVD) format. Photo Shooting at 4- megapixel quality. Here are the rest of the technical specification... Sony HDR -SR1 AVCHD 4MP 30GB High-Definition Hard Disk Drive Camcorder Product Features Record high-definition video on a HDD with AVCHD technology ClearVid CMOS sensor for high-...

Windows Media Video High Definition (WMV HD) is the marketing name for high definition videos encoded using Microsoft Windows Media Video 9 codecs. These low-complexity codecs make it possible to watch high definition movies in 1280x720 (720p) or 1920x1080 (1080p) resolutions on many modern personal computers running Microsoft Windows. WMV HD movie titles have been made commercially available on DVD-ROM discs , either as standalone discs or supplements to the regular DVD-Video titles. The technology was considered a stepping stone to true high definition optical disc formats (HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc) and Microsoft never intended the discs to be played on anything but personal computers. Often featuring 5.1 or 7.1 multichannel sound , the soundtracks are commonly encoded using the Windows Media Audio Professional codec. The future of the WMV HD DVD-ROM format is unclear as HD DVD and Blu-ray technology becomes available. WMV encoded high-definition movie trailers are available for fre...