labDV newsletter |
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Topics:
- Nero 6 Suite released
- Pinnacle Studio 9 and Windows XP Service Pack 2
- Windows Movie Maker 2.1
- Sharp 3D LCD: 3D Display Monitor Without the Need For Special Glasses
- AMD Racing Tour 2004
- labDV roadmap (new website project)
1. Nero 6 Suite released
Changes from Nero 6.3.1.20 to 6.3.1.25 (release date: 20-09-2004)
:
New Features
Nero Burning ROM / Nero Express
- Added support for new recorders
- Added new Booktype setting option "Automatic"
- Optimized Booktype settings for some vendors
Bug Fixes
Nero Burning ROM / Nero Express
- Extended check for DVD+R9 Double Layer support
- Fixed a problem with an empty dialog box occurring in save track mode
- Fixed problems writing on second layer of a DVD+R9 DL that occurred with several drives
- Fixed a localization problem in the change booktype dialog box
- Fixed a minor compatibility problem with 8x double layer medias
- Fixed a problem with DVD+R9 DL burning
Nero Burning ROM
- Solved a finalizing problem with CD extra
- Fixed some localization problems
- Fixed an instability problem when writing (S)VCD compilations
- Fixed a minor compatibility problem that occurred during the copy process of open DVD+R VR media
Nero Express
- Fixed an audio preview problem
- Fixed a DVD disc copy problem which occurred when booktype was set to DVD-ROM
- Solved some problems for VCD creation
- Solved some minor GUI problems
Nero Start Smart
- Extended PDF manuals
- Solved a minor localization problem
- Solved a minor GUI problem
Ahead servers are very slow for now, about 64 to 100Kbp/sec maximum allowed per user, so we recommend that your download from labDV, more than 1,024Kbps per user from our servers!
2. Pinnacle Studio 9 and Windows XP Service Pack 2
Pinnacle Studio
9 is in the Windows XP SP2 black list :
If you install this program, you receive a "Data Execution Prevention" error whenever an MPEG file is accessed.
And wandering around Pinnacle support forums you may find other SP2 annoyances.
If you have to do a Studio 9 project at short term, we recommend you don't install the SP2. However if you can have some time without using Studio 9, you may install SP2 and then try the latest Studio 9.3.5.3 Beta (28-Sep-2004) which sounds to fix most annoyances, available from Pinnacle web site:
3. Windows Movie Maker 2.1
Microsoft Windows Movie Maker 2.1 is included in Windows XP Service
Pack 2 (SP2), with the following updates:
Increased compatibility with other video and audio programs. To help improve compatibility between Windows Movie Maker 2.1 and other video and audio programs on your computer, you can turn on or turn off another provider's video filters. For more information about Windows Movie Maker compatibility, see the article Working with Video Filters in Windows Movie Maker 2.1.
Enabling digital video (DV) pass-through. The DV pass-through feature lets you transfer video from an analog video camera or VCR to your computer by using a DV camera to convert the analog video to a digital format. For more information about connecting video devices and using the DV pass-through feature in Windows Movie Maker, see Capturing Video in Windows Movie Maker 2.1 by Using DV Pass-Through.
New default capture setting. In the Video Capture Wizard, the new default capture setting is a constant bit rate (CBR) profile rather than a variable bit rate (VBR) profile.
Should you use Movie Maker ?
Probably not unless:
- you want to make quickly some family movies compilations,
- you want to create movies for PocketPC,
- you trust Microsoft influence in consumer electronics (so far only a few integrated circuit manufacturers and DVD set-top-box vendors are licensed to HighMAT™),
- you already own a HighMAT™ DVD/CD player, DVD/CD changer, DVD home theater system or portable DVD player, such as devices from Panasonic, JVC, Apex and KiSS (see HighMAT™ web site).
4. Sharp 3D LCD: 3D Display Monitor Without the Need For Special Glasses
You
may have heard of the new 3D LCD Monitor technology from Sharp. It's
very exciting, foreseeing a new era of applications.
Sharp offers realistic 3D visualization for your desktop computer Sharp Corporation's TFT 3D LCD Technology makes it possible to view eye-popping 3D images without glasses.
Whether you are a chemist studying molecular structures, a surgeon preparing for complex neuro surgery, an architect designing the latest fashion mall or a super-gamer wanting to experience gaming like no other, then you will love the quality of the realistic visualization offered by the Sharp LL-151-3D.
The touch of a button switches the display back to 2D viewing for such applications such as word processing, spreadsheets or e-mail, with the clarity you expect from a normal LCD monitor.
Sharp 3D technology is impressive, however, the 3D effect somehow disappears when you change your view angle, moving aside. Read more at Sharp web site.
5. AMD Racing Tour 2004
Exactly
one year after AMD introduced the Athlon™ 64 FX processor, we
add the opportunity to meet them and their partners such as MSI during
their stay in Lyon (France) during the AMD Racing Tour 2004.
On September 23rd, 2003, AMD introduced the world’s first and only Windows®-compatible 64-bit PC processor, the AMD Athlon™ 64 FX processor, for gamers, PC enthusiasts and digital content creators.
One year later, AMD 64bits technology is still very impressive and proves that it seriously competes with Intel processors in digital video application.
Here's a summary of Athlon 64 bit advantages for digital video:
AMD Athlon 64 FX |
Intel Pentium 4 |
|
| 64 bits technology | double the number of 32 registers |
- |
| CPU system bus | HyperTransport 1,600MHz, full-duplex up to 9.6Gbits/sec |
FSB, 800MHz, half-duplex up to 6.4Gbits/sec |
| Integrated Northbridge | 128bits data access CPU rate |
64bits data access 200MHz |
| Total cache | 1,152KBytes | 512KBytes 1024KBytes (E-Prescott) |
And some performance comparison (from Tom's Hardware tests):
MPEG-2 Encoding |
Video Rendering |
DivX Encoding |
Price |
|
| Athlon FX53 | 164.8 |
149.7 |
92 |
$825.00 |
| Athlon FX51 | 177.7 |
162.7 |
100 |
$771.00 |
| Athlon 64 3400+ | 177.6 |
163 |
102 |
$289.00 |
| Pentium 4 3.2EGHz | 165.7 |
136.9 |
91 |
$226.00 |
| Pentium 4 3.0E GHz | 174.9 |
145.7 |
97 |
$180.00 |
| Pentium 4 2.8GHz | 185.3 |
164.9 |
106 |
$168.00 |
And how it comes to your wallet, comparing two equivalent competing PCs:
HP Pavilion a750e |
HP Pavilion a750y |
|
| CPU | AMD Athlon 64 3400+ 2.4GHz |
Intel Pentium 4 520 w/HT (2.8GHz) |
| Details | - Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Professional with
SP2 - AMD Athlon(TM) 64 3400+ operating at 2.4GHz - 1 GB DDR / PC3200 (2 DIMM) - 250GB 7200 rpm SATA Hard Drive - 16X max. DVD-ROM - Double Layer 8X DVD+RW/+R drive - 2 USB 2.0, 1 Firewire ports + WinDVD - 128MB DDR NVIDIA GeForceFX(TM) 5200XT, TV-Out - Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS with front audio ports - Altec-Lansing VS3151 5.1 Speakers - HP Wireless Internet Kybd, Wireless Optical Mouse - Microsoft(R) Works 7.0/Money 2004/MSN Encarta Plus - hpshopping in-box envelope |
- Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP
Professional with SP2 - Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 520 w/HT Technology (2.8GHz) - 1 GB DDR / PC3200 (2 DIMM) - 250GB 7200 rpm SATA Hard Drive - 16X max. DVD-ROM - Double Layer 8X DVD+RW/+R drive - 2 USB 2.0, 1 Firewire ports + WinDVD - 128MB DDR ATI Radeon X300 SE with TV-Out - Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS with front audio ports - Altec-Lansing VS3151 5.1 Speakers - HP Wireless Internet Kybd, Wireless Optical Mouse - Microsoft(R) Works 7.0/Money 2004/MSN Encarta Plus - hpshopping in-box envelope |
| Monitor | HP Pavilion VF17 17" LCD |
HP Pavilion VF17 17" LCD |
| Price | US$ 1,880 |
US$ 1,935 |
For power users, the comparison with high-end workstations is quite the same, AMD Opteron 250 and Intel Xeon 3.60 provides same performances for MPEG-2 encoding as well as Video Editing. They are 33% faster than the reasonable price configurations above. Opteron 250 and Xeon 3.06 are both priced about $1,500 per unit, and will be available in PC configuration for about $3,000 and more.
Conclusion: AMD and Intel processors offer somehow same performances at same unit price as well as PC price. You can find fast PCs for digital video for less than $2,000 ; the Athlon 64 3400+ and Pentium 4 520 (2.8GHz) seems to be the best choice at the moment, providing a fast and not too hot (so not too noisy) PC until next generation PCs which might be available fall 2005 (new CPUs, HD video, DD7.1, better heat control, much less noise) .
6. labDV roadmap (new website project)
Last
month I announced that I'm completely re-writing labDV web
site code from scratch and
that the code will be published as an Open Source Project (under Artistic
License) to benefit from the community experience and to provide a
valuable code library for web developers.
At the moment, the document publishing module, the news module, the user module and the software repository module are in beta-testing within the labDV team.
I'm now re-writing the newsletter module and then I'll work on connecting the new code with the latest phpBB2 forum application. The labDV code is re-written to facilitate the integration of third-parties Open Source applications.
And I'll share more labDV roadmap and plans with you soon,
Jim, Founder of labDV.com
