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ARCHIVE NEWS: Wednesday, March 30, 2005
News: Thomson to rename its Broadcast & Media Solutions unit as Grass Valley
In a move that has caught quite a bit of attention in the industry, Thomson has announced that it is changing the name of its Broadcast & Media Solutions business unit to operate under the Grass Valley name. The Grass Valley division has long been known and respected and this move has many speculating it was done to maximise on the good will and intrinsic value that the brand name has enjoyed for years. Known for its professional audio video products for broadcast and film, Thomson has announced that Grass Valley will assume the branding for all products and services of the division and that the existing www.thomsongrassvalley.com website will change to www.grassvalley.com.
For more information, visit www.grassvalley.com.
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News: Autodesk ships Combustion 4 desktop compositing software
Powerful Creative Features Provide Digital Content Creators with Sophisticated New Tools and Workflow for Visual Effects
Autodesk, Inc., today announced it has begun shipping Autodesk ® Combustion® 4 software for Windows®, the highly anticipated upgrade to its visual effects desktop software solution. Autodesk Combustion 4 software features a complete set of sophisticated tools for visual effects creation, including vector paint, particles, effects, animation and 3D compositing tools. Version 4 delivers the company's most exciting Combustion software feature upgrade to date, and provides motion graphics and compositing artists new creative capabilities, interface improvements, new paint tools and enhanced interoperability with third-party applications.
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News: Digital Anarchy Debuts Data Animator and Toon! plug-ins at NAB 2005
Digital Anarchy to introduce Data Animator and Toon! at NAB 2005 in booth # SL1019
Digital Anarchy, creator of industry-leading plug-ins for use in After Effects, Final Cut and other popular tools, announces that they will introduce two new tools during NAB 2005. Data Animator 1.0 is a set of seven plug-ins that allow After Effects users to quickly and easily generate animated charts and graphs for corporate communication projects. The centerpiece plug-in, EasyChart, provides a graphical user interface and chart presets for animating the data, simplifying the creation process and making it possible for users to create a wide range of effects with minimal effort. The other plug-ins each offer unique visualization options for animating chart data, from Pie and Bar to 3D effects. Digital Anarchy will also showcase Toon!, a filter for After Effects and Final Cut Pro that gives video the look of a cartoon. Toon!’s ability to intelligently analyze original footage and its manual controls for solving problem areas make it an ideal tool for giving video projects that frequently sought-after ‘cartoon-look.’
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News: DVDs to Remain Popular, HD DVD and Blu-Ray to Both Win
HD DVDs will appear later this year, taking advantage of the growing installed base of HDTV sets in the US. Blu-Ray products to take off in Asia in 2006, and in Europe and the ROW during 2007
New digital delivery services are not likely to supplant the DVD business, but rather bring digital entertainment to people by adding either convenience or accessibility that complements what the “Packaged Goods” can provide, reports In-Stat www.in-stat.com. More consumers want instant access to video on their TV sets, portable devices and cell phone handsets, but DVDs will continue to be a popular medium and will continue to experience substantial growth. The worldwide value of all published DVD products is expected to grow with a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 18.2%, from about US$33 Billion during 2004, up to US$76.5 Billion by 2009, the high-tech market research firm says.
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News: ReelSmart Motion Blur released for Softimage|XSI
RE:Vision Effects releases ReelSmart Motion Blur for SOFTIMAGE®|XSI® animation software. ReelSmart Motion Blur automatically tracks every pixel in a sequence and blurs based on calculated motion.
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NAB 2005
News: NAB2005 Announces Fourth Annual Digital Cinema Summit
NAB2005 is joining forces again with the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers and the Entertainment Technology Center at USC to present the fourth annual Digital Cinema Summit.
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NAB 2005
News: NAB2005 To Feature Working High Definition Station
NAB-HD to be Broadcast in Convention Center and to Participating Hotels
The latest in HD news studio technology will be on display in the first-ever NAB-HD station at NAB2005. NAB-HD will feature live news programs and a talk show about the convention and will be transmitted throughout the Las Vegas Convention Center and to participating hotels.
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News: Autodesk re-brands Discreet as Autodesk Media and Entertainment
Business Unit Better Positioned to Expand Business and Help Customers Realize their Ideas to Compete and Win
Autodesk, Inc. today announced Autodesk Media and Entertainment division. Formerly known as Discreet, the division will remain dedicated to providing innovative products and services for the film, video, gaming, and related media and entertainment markets.
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News: Daily Planet Designs for DDB & Dell
Daily Planet has won a competition sponsored by DDB Chicago to create a new look for Dell Inc.'s Electronics and Accessories Spring campaign.
Daily Planet's Motion Graphics Department was awarded the design and animation job based upon their success during the competition. Dell's advertising agency wanted a fresh look for this year's spring television campaign, and they sought out local imagination and talent to provide it.
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NAB 2005
News: Benny Hinn Ministries has Faith in ADTX RAID Solutions
L Series High Performance RAID is Chosen for Video Storage Area Network
Advanced Technology and Systems Co., Ltd. , a leading manufacturer of reliable and affordable high-performance computer storage for the video, film and broadcasting industries, describes how the ADTX L Series High Performance SATA RAID is the answer for Benny Hinn Ministries video post-production.
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News: Turner, Blue Sky and Custom Film Effects join the RaveHD customer list
Linux-based RaveHD 10bit 4:4:4 i/o system, no one-size-fits-all solution but is customized and matched to meet studio needs
SpectSoft LLC., a leading provider of uncompressed video solutions on the Linux platform, today announced that Turner Studios-Atlanta, Blue Sky Studios-NY and Custom Film Effects-Burbank are among the newest additions to utilize RaveHD in their workflows.
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News: Macromedia Web Publishing System Update Enhances Enterprise Features
Large Organizations, Including Mayo Clinic, Visa International Latin America and Caribbean Region, and The University of Montana, Realize the Rewards of Information Sharing
Macromedia today announced the immediate availability of a Macromedia® Web Publishing System update that includes Macromedia Contribute™ 3.1 and Macromedia Contribute Publishing Services 1.1.
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NAB 2005
News: Harris Highlights Customer Efficiency with Standalone Kiosks
Split-Level™ Combining, Large-Scale Turnkey Program Capabilities and eCommerce Purchasing among demos
Harris Corporation Broadcast Communications Division will complement innovative new products and solutions at its NAB2005 booth with strategically placed kiosks that reflect its commitment to customer service and engineering diversity.
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News: IRIDAS Announces Shake Integration for FrameCycler Professional 3.5
Allows users to access playback application from within Apple's compositing package
IRIDAS the leading innovator in resolution-independent playback technologies today announced full integration of FrameCycler Professional 3.5 with Apple's Shake 3.5 compositing application.
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News: OWC and NewerTech Announce NuPower High-Capacity Replacement Battery for 14-inch iBook G3 & G4 Models
NuPower Battery Models for 14-Inch ibooks Provide as Much as 29 Percent More Capacity Than Original Apple and Other Batteries
Other World Computing and Newer Technology, Inc. today announced availability of NuPower high-capacity replacement batteries for all Apple iBook G3 & G4 14-inch and 14.1-inch notebook models.
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More News Items Available Here... |
Windows
 | Automating Windows Backup
John David Hutton works with video editing stations with many drives and many reasons to back up. In this tutorial, John David will demonstrate one way to back up which involves using Window’s built-in backup utility located under accessories > system tools.
Windows Operating Systems |
Flash
 | Flash Video Basics: Part Two
CreativeCOW leader, Lee Brimelow demonstrates Flash Video Basics. In this lesson, we'll add some simple controls to our video. This tutorial is part two and helps launch our new Flash forum.
Macromedia Flash |
After Effects
 | Creating A Filmstrip or Flowing Ribbon
In this quick tutorial, Serge Hamad uses Zaxwerks Invigorator to create a 3D Filmstrip. This method is also useful for creating those flying ribbons that are so popular in the commercials now. You'll need Invigorator classic for this.
Adobe After Effects, Zaxwerks Invigorator |
Flash
 | Flash Video Basics: Part One
In CreativeCOW's very first Flash Video Tutorial, CreativeCOW leader, Lee Brimelow demonstrates Flash Video Basics. This tutorial is part one and helps launch our new Flash forum.
Macromedia Flash |
DVD Studio Pro
 | Scripting: Code Lock
As many more users of DVD Studio Pro discover its scripting capabilities we see many more questions for basic examples exploring interactive scripting. In this article, Creative COW leader Alex Alexzander explores the Code Lock script -- one of the scripts most asked about.DVD Studio Pro, DVD Authoring |
Combustion
 | Getting That Old Movie Look
CreativeCOW.net Contributing Editor, Bimo Adi Prakoso demonstrates some techniques for Creating the Old Movie Looks with Combustion in this tutorial. He advises readers that, "Many plugins for creating an old movie look are available at various costs, but the challenge is creating one without any plugin at all. Actually, it's a simple, straight forward process".
Discreet Combustion |
If you'd like to submit a tutorial for the COW Library, please write me.
For More Great Tutorials at the Cow, Click Here
Premiere Pro
|  | Premiere Pro 1.5 Studio Techniques
CreativeCOW.net leader and contributing editor Tim Kurkoski gives rave reviews to Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5 Studio Techniques by Jacob Rosenberg and published by Adobe Press, 504 pages, June 28, 2004, ISBN: 0321220528. Tim says, "If you use Premiere Pro, and your name isn't Jacob Rosenberg (or possibly Tim Kolb), you should look at this book. In fact, you should probably buy it. Jacob, well known for his in-depth Total Training videos, has written the most comprehensive book about Premiere Pro available. From top to bottom, almost everything about Premiere Pro 1.5 is covered in this book and the accompanying DVD, from setting up a computer for editing to exporting for DVD."
Adobe Premiere, Book Reviews |
Maya
|  | Xfrog 4 for Maya
Kino Gil, noted film effects artist and host team leader of Creative Cow's Maya forum, gives his impressions of one "the best kept secrets" in Computer Graphics Imagery. He gives an honest view of some of the strengths and weaknesses of the system and concludes that Xfrog 4 for Maya 6one of the best and most powerful 'plugins' for Maya I have found yet.''
Alias Maya, Product Reviews |
Studio Design
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 | TBC Crossfire X-K3 Non-Linear Editing Console
With people continually asking, "what edit desk do you use?" here at the COW forums, Creative Cow forum leader, Marco Solorio hopes to settle this question once and for all with his in-depth review of TBC's Crossfire X-K3 edit console. If you're in the market for a new editor's console or are just curious to know what's "out there", this should give you all the information you need to base your own judgment.
Studio Furniture, Studio Design, Product Reviews |
Sonic
|  | Sonic eDVD 3
Many DVD authors are familiar to some degree with the various DVD authoring applications that exist. Most of these authoring applications allow the author to add DVD-ROM content. DVD-ROM content is typically how the author provides additional assets to the viewer. In this article, Creativecow's Alex Alexzander takes a thorough look at Sonic's eDVD 3 Web Enhanced DVD.
DVD Authoring, Web Enhanced DVDs |
Stock Footage
|  | Post Holes Prematted Stock Clips
Don’t have time or budget to shoot various people in a blue or green screen studio cyk? Also don't have the time or the software to create a perfect chromakey and/or rotoscope to pull that perfect matte? If this is the case, Post Holes may be the solution you’re looking for. Marco Solorio reviews their latest 2-disk DVD set available on NTSC SD.
Stock Footage, Product Reviews |
Discreet Combustion
|  | A First Look at Combustion 4
Creative Cow's Ken LaRue explores the just announced Discreet combustion 4. Packed with many new features that Ken enthusiastically describes as "Hot!" and which include quite a number that many users have had on their own personal wish lists, C4 is drawing a lot of attention and discussion here in the Creative Cow forums. In this article, Ken helps us explore many of the reasons why...
Discreet Combustion, Product Reviews
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For More Great Reviews and Features at the Cow, Click Here
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 Interested in joining the Cow Team?
For those of you who are interested in joining the Cow Team, you can do so by becoming a host in one of our forums or by reporting on news, penning a tutorial or a review. We are always looking to add new areas to the Cow and new members to the team, so if you want to discuss any interest you may have in joining the team, please feel free to write me at kathlyn@creativecow.net.
All the best,
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