DV for Teachers

A very good tip for using a push transition for quickly animating titles without taking the time to set keyframes. Though the directions are for Final Cut Pro, I’d bet many editing programs would allow similar quick uses.——-

Quote: “VideoLAN’s Piece de Resistance: An open-source streaming server and client, rolled into one”

”[An] open-source initiative thatís garnered rave reviewsóalbeit for its versatility and compatibilityóis the VideoLAN project, which has produced the VideoLAN Client (VLC), a multimedia player and streaming server software in one. Hereís a look at the story behind VLCís development and what VideoLAN hopes to do with the software in the future.”

An important initiative: this is the type of tool educational and independent producers and developers will come to depend on if the RIAA and MPAA continue to roll over fair-use protections in the United States and their equivalents in other countries. It makes sense for us to know how to produce and distribute in more than the proprietary Windows Media/Real/QuickTime formats. To the virtual streaming barricades, comrades.——-

“SimpleVideoOut X converts any QuickTime movie into a FireWire stream, regardless of whether it originated with your digital camcorder, your hand-held camera’s movie function, or even (heaven forfend!) one of those illicit TV torrent sites. With SimpleVideoOut X, you can easily play through to FireWire and connect the output to a recording device or your TV. This article introduces you to the program, walks you through setting up the physical connections, and adds a few tricks along the way.”——-

I noted last month that Flip4Mac was promising WMV 9 export on Macs. Apparently it isn’t vaporware; they’re shipping now.

Standard Export Component Features:

• Windows Media Video 9 * single-pass video encoding * constant (CBR) and variable (VBR) bit rates * Windows Media Audio 9 Standard * up to 48 kHz audio sampling rates

  Pro/HD Component Features:

• two-pass video encoding * up to HD video resolutions * Windows Media Audio Professional and Lossless * 5.1 channel audio * up to 96 kHz audio sampling rate

  The Flip4Mac WMV Export Component lets you export Windows Media files directly from within QuickTime-based application running on the Mac OS X platform. It supports QuickTime Player, iMovie, Final Cut Pro HD, and more. By encoding right on your Mac, you save time and the hassle of working with different systems and software packages.

  Simply select Windows Media from the list of available formats in the Export function of your QuickTime-based application. You can either set the format parameters or set the specific format parameters you desire.

Computerworld –

“I find QTSS Publisher to be an excellent utility for managing media and creating broadcast playlists, and the QuickTime Streaming Server is a rock-solid media-streaming service that delivers incredible ease of use. When you consider that it’s bundled free for unlimited accesses with Mac OS X Server, it’s easy to see that Apple has again delivered enterprise power at a consumer price point.”

We’re using OS X Server 10.2; another reason to upgrade, and long overdue.