Daily Crunch: Down at the Station Edition »
Review: Sanyo Xacti CG10 compact HD camcorder Advertisers get creative at Waterloo Station, create craziness with projectors Heated slipper looks downright dangerous Spooky Tesla Radio in a jar Dear Valve, where is Episode 3?
Dear Valve, where is Episode 3? »
Sometimes less is more. In the case of a fan comic recently posted to Valve’s forums, it definitely raises a valid question. Where on earth is Half-Life: Episode 3 ? When Half-Life 2 was released in 2004, it was met with critical praise and great sales. Since then, two episodes have been released, the aptly titled Half-Life: Episode One in 2006 and Half-Life: Episode 2 in 2007. Both titles were extremely well made, though a bit short in nature, to the dismay of the fans. Since then, we’ve heard very little. Valve has worked steadily on other projects (like Team Fortress 2 and Portal ) but many have wondered what has become of Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance. Valve has stated previously that they intend on releasing Half-Life: Episode 3 sometime , but no one has heard anything about it since. So the real question is, will Valve ever release Episode 3 ? Have they pulled a Bungie and moved on to other titles? Or are they just playing it really close to their proverbial vests, and planning to spring the title on us with no warning, as they’ve done before? Only time will tell, but I certainly hope we’re not looking at another Duke Nukem Forever. And the fans are starting to get restless. [via Reddit (the comments are worth reading)]
Advertisers get creative at Waterloo Station, create craziness with projectors »
Advertising is rough. People get jaded, technology gets old. Viral videos aren’t what they used to be. It’s not just a case of throwing a simple website up and hoping they come to you, you have to actually work for it. Projectors seem to be where it’s at these days. Companies are using them on walls, pool tables , and now train stations. Waterloo Station in the UK is the site of the latest example, using AdTrace, created by two companies in Great Britain. I think it’s safe to assume that this technology will be coming to the US in the near future.
Bioshock 2 video preview »
More BioShock 2 Info I’ve been told that I need to play the original Bioshock . I missed out on it when it first came out, but picked it up on Steam a while back and just never played it. I’ve been told it’s a great game, but I haven’t had the time to check it out yet. Guess I should get to it, since the hands-on videos are already coming out for the sequel. The preview video that IGN published shows some basic gameplay, graphic examples, and some of the new combat styles. It’s interesting to see how they’ve overhauled the graphics engine, and added some combat options that weren’t available before. All in all, Bioshock 2 is looking to be very compelling game, and could end up being the hottest game of the holiday season.
Smartphone Showdown: iPhone 3GS vs Motorola Droid »
If hype were to be believed, the Motorola DROID is the pièce de résistance of the mobile world; the conclusive creation sent down by the Great Smartphone in the sky to rid us of our woes. It would prepare your breakfast promptly each morning, tuck you in at night, and, maybe — just maybe — knock the iPhone down a notch or two. Beginning about a week before its launch (largely due to Verizon’s incredibly intense marketing campaign) I began getting calls and tweets from friends and colleagues asking about the Droid. They always had two questions: the first would be something like “What do you think of the Droid?”, followed by “Would you recommend it over the iPhone?” Same questions, each.. and.. every.. time. I’ve been using the Droid as my primary phone for a few days now, and I think I’m finally ready to answer them.
Our 13.5-inch Radeon 5870 X2 will blot out the sun! »
. ..Then we will benchmark in the shade . There’s not a lot more to this story than “this is a freaking huge video card,” so just gaze in awe at this monstrosity and then move on to the next post. [via HardOCP ]
RED updates its lineup, throws a bone to current RED owners »
A relatively large announcement went live earlier today from RED, which as you’ll remember, made big promises for digital cinema a while ago — with equally big (and vague) timeframes. Today was a minor solidification of those timeframes, but many RED users were expecting solid shipping dates, and those didn’t happen. Instead, a change in strategy was announced, and a few brave RED owners will participate in an intensive beta program with the pre-production camera, dubbed “Tattoo.” After that, the S35, as it will be called in production, will see a wide simultaneous release, hopefully with some bugs squashed. The various “stages” amount to: $28k: buy Tattoo, be in hardcore beta program, get Jim Jannard’s cell number. $19.5k: buy S35, keep your RED ONE $10.5k: buy S35, trade in your RED ONE $28k: buy S35 (you don’t own a RED ONE) Here is the revised spec list. Of note are the internal motion sensor (good for recording metadata for adding effects later), GPS sensor, and a touchscreen electronic viewfinder (good for adjusting settings, but it also supports… touch focus tracking? -that’s not what I think it is, is it?): New MYSTERIUM-X 5K sensor 5K (2:1) at 1-100fps 4K (2:1) at 1-125fps Quad HD at 1-120fps 3K (2:1) at 1-160fps 2K (2:1) at 1-250fps 1080P (scaled from full frame) at 1-60fps Increased Dynamic Range, reduced noise Time Lapse, Frame Ramping REDCODE 250 ISO 200-8000 New FLUT Color Science Completely Modular System, each Module individually upgradeable Independent Stills and Motion Modes (both record full resolution REDCODE RAW) 5 Axis Adjustable Sensor Plate Multiple Recording Media Options (Compact Flash, 1.8” SSD, RED Drives, RED RAM) Wireless REDMOTE control Touchscreen LCD control option Bomb-EVF, RED-EVF and RED-LCD compatible Multiple User Control Buttons Interchangeable Lens mounts including focus and iris control of electronic RED, Canon and Nikon lenses (along with Zoom data) “Touch Focus Tracking” with electronic lens mounts and RED Touchscreen LCDs LDS and /i Data enabled PL Mount Rollover Battery Power Independent LUTs on Monitor Outputs Independent Frame Guides and Menu overlays on Monitor Outputs Monitor Ports support both LCD and EVF True Shutter Sync In/Out and Strobe Sync Out 720P, 1080P and 2K monitoring support Gigagbit Network interface and 802.11 Wireless interface 3 Axis internal motion sensor, built in GPS receiver Enhanced Metadata Full size connectors on Pro I/O Module. AES Digital Audio input, single and dual link HD-SDI Support for RED, most Arri 19mm, Studio 15mm, 15mm Lite, Panavision and NATO accessories Dimensions- Approx. 4”x4”x5.5” Weight (Brain only)- Approx. 6 lbs (2.72kg) Jim also posted an actual picture of a brain with grips attached still-camera-style, with a Canon EF mount. Whether they’ll actually be able to take a bite out of established still camera makers is questionable, but we’ll see. The Scarlet also gets an update, a response to serious encroachments by cameras like the 7D. Much better audio capability, increased bitrates and color accuracy, 1080p at 60FPS, and a touchscreen LCD among other things. No word on pricing or how these changes might affect it, but it’s still going to be a professional camera, not a consumer or even prosumer one, so expect it to be at least $3000. Read the whole thread here ; they’re still updating and adding pictures (they’ve added two since I started this post).
Review: Sanyo Xacti CG10 compact HD camcorder »
Short version: An excellent casual HD camcorder with superior image quality to pocket cams and a flexible focus system, making it useful for bloggers like me as well. At under $200 this thing is absolutely a steal. Full review A while back I was at AMD’s overclocking challenge, and for shooting video I had a Kodak Zx1 and a Casio Exilim FC-100 for slow motion. Both are great cameras, but 720p on either one is a bit indistinct, and the Zx1 has a fixed focus lens, which makes up-close shots difficult. Vince from SlashGear had a pistol-grip Sanyo, which I had dismissed before as gimmicky, but having gotten a chance to handle it, I decided I liked it and would pick up the next generation when they came out. Well, they came out a while back and I’ve been using it since. And now I’m reviewing it. There are a few cameras like this one, so let’s be clear: I’m talking about the CG10, which is sort of the lowest-end Sanyo you can get. 720p is its maximum resolution, which is more than enough for any home video or web media. They make a big deal about how “It’s a Dual Camera! Photos & Videos” but really now, camcorders have been taking pictures for years and years, and I don’t advise doing it if you don’t have to. Build and layout The CG10 differs from many other cheap camcorders and pocketcams in that it actually has a real lens. It’s far from a real real lens, but it’s not the fixed-focus pinhole crap you see on Flips, Kodaks, and Nanos. This means it has a 5x optical zoom and better light sensitivity than those other options, at the cost of a slightly larger size. The CG10 is about the size of a large mouse, just to give you a general idea. It feels pleasantly weighty and is well-balanced. Remember, this isn’t a pocket camcorder, it’s merely compact; it’s certainly small enough to bring everywhere, but unlike a Flip (or an iPod Nano, I suppose) it’s not a front-pocket kind of thing. Though it does sit comfortably in your back pocket if your pants aren’t too tight. Just don’t sit down on it. As you can see in the pictures, it’s got a nice little 3″ flip-out LCD, which is bright and reasonably sharp. Controls are all situated for your thumb to operate; your other fingers have nothing to do but grip. This works pretty well once you get the layout down. The menu layout is the normal sort of thing, though I have to say I searched for ages for a way to delete things on camera before I realized that the “menu” button was taking me to the wrong place. The usual options are there, with several choices for exposure control, stabilization, and face tracking. Quality and features One feature I found extremely handy was the manual focus mode. For keeping a device in focus while I or my hand move in and out of the shot, it’s invaluable. I used it (to great effect) in my Zune HD and Sleek SA-6 reviews. Its macro mode focuses down to 1cm, which is fantastic for getting close-ups of components, plus it gives a great depth of field effect. I found the autofocus to be a bit slow in general (though accurate), so I use manual whenever I can. For a $200 camera, I found color and sharpness to be good, though the small sensor and major compression mean motion will always be kind of smeary. Of course if you whip it back and forth you’ll get that wobbly skew action, but that’s something you can avoid. Exposure was pretty decent, and you can select center-weighted or spot, but not manual. Low light performance is nothing to write home about, but again we’re talking about a $200 camera here. Make sure you have your lights on or you’ll be seeing noise. Sound is pretty basic, and the microphones are located on the back of the LCD, which is good if you’re filming the thing creating the sound. Bad if you’re filming yourself and you have reversed the LCD so you can make sure you’re in frame. I didn’t have any issue with the sound other than the fact that it was about as medium-quality as you can expect from a budget device. Battery life seemed normal for a small camcorder with no moving parts. The battery is removable and comes with a charger, as you might expect. No surprises here. File sizes are manageable. I set it immediately to the highest quality and a 22-second video took up 25MB, for reference. 640
Asus’ U3S6: First USB 3.0 + SATA 6.0 PCI-E card »
Not that USB 3.0 will be useful anytime soon—how long did it take manufacturers to finally get behind USB 2.0?—but Asus’ U3S6 should be, provided it’s not cancelled, the world’s first USB 3.0 + SATA 6.0 PCI-E card. Better news: it’s only $30. The card comes with two USB 3.0 ports and two SATA 6.0 ports. And if I’m doing my maths right, so long as you have a free PCI-E slot you’re good to go. Like I said in the beginning, the card will mean little in the immediate future, given the lack of USB 3.0 products. That’s not to say I wouldn’t mind being able to sync my Zune HD using the zippy awesomeness of USB 3.0, but it’s going to be a little while before we see that. Never mind that that scenario would never happen, considering the Zune HD’s insides don’t know a darn thing about USB 3.0, but you know what I mean: a future media player that works with USB 3.0 would certainly be handy, especially as we move toward moving higher and higher resolution video to and from our various components. It should be out “soon.” Nice and vague, yes.
CrunchDeals: Logitech Harmony 1100 Remote for $300 »
Guys! Guys! There’s a killer deal on the Logitech Harmony 1100 remote! It’s the great big one with the touchscreen, and it came out at the beginning of this year so you know it’s still cool, and looks impressive with your A/V setup. Plus, it’s only $300, which is a whole lot cheaper then the $500 it normally goes for. Plus, when we reviewed in back in March, Matt really liked it . Ok, so the Harmony 1100 requires you to buy an RF module. It’s still a pretty cool bit of kit, and will definitely pimp out your pad if you’re looking for a remote with a screen. It’s also relatively easy to set up, and for $300? That’s a screaming deal on a high end, non-candy bar style remote. It’s available on Amazon.com, and shipping in free . [via dealnews ]