The Best (Linear) Editing Software Ever

The news
that David Krall will step down as President of AVID at the end of July
has rekindled the Apple/AVID debate.

Reminds me of the time my editor friend and I beta tested the PC-based
version of a major company’s version of their mini-computer based edit
software. (Hint: It rhymed with "Mace".) We came up with a list of 30
features the software needed to have in order to be editor-friendly (for
example: being able to enter two ‘outs’ and one ‘in’ for an insert
edit.) Well the company implemented most of our suggestions, but kept
the clunkier interface from their mini-computer version. Needless to say
that it went over like a lead balloon (even though it was the most
editor friendly thing out there at the time.) Even the company that my
friend and I worked for bought someone else’s product.

Who Invented All-Electronic TV ?

The debate continues. From NewTeeVee: "The
Disillusionment of Philo Farnsworth."

For another perspective on the debate that has raged on for almost
eighty years, see the website devoted to Hungarian inventor Kalman
Tihanyi. (Note that Tihanyi filed Hungarian patent application T
3768 on March 20, 1926, nine months before Farnsworth’s first
filing.)

Behind The Curve

I used to be ahead of the curve.(My shop probably had the first non Post
House AVID in NYC in December 1989.)

You know you’re behind the curve when the stuff you’re researching
becomes the gist of an article in Time Magazine: "Hacking
Toward Happinees." It’s no fun being over 50 in a time where
technology comes at you faster and faster.

Why Formats Matter

Jim Feeley writes in the July ‘07 issue of Studio Monthly "Why
Formats Don’t Matter". One hundred percent of what Jim Says is true.
But if you’re a camerman/DP wondering what HD format to buy to continue
servicing your current clients, it sure the heck does. Want to shoot for
Discovery HD Theater? Well that cool Brand J HDV camera with great glass
and the 1/3" chips ain’t gonna make it.

Return of the TV Repairman

In the June 2007 issue of Television Broadcast, check out Neal
Weinstock’s article "Imagine Your TV Has Winrot". (Sorry, no online
version yet, you’ll need an ‘ink on paper’ copy.)

But for a bleaker picture, read "Heyday
long gone for TV repairman" in the Canton. OH Repository.

Pretty As A Peacock

I hope no one outside the media biz read this…

Variety broke the story of how NBC is combining its long-form, Dateline, NBC News Productions and NBC Media units into Peacock Productions. Says the article: “Peacock Prods. will apply NBC News’ journalistic standards when clients ask for them. Or, in the case of… (one show produced by NBC News Productions)… news standards aren’t necessarily applied.” Wow, Ed Murrow & Fred Friendly must be writhing in their graves! No wonder people, especially in the blogsphere, don’t trust the MSM (mainstream media).

Until recently, if one of the Net News orgs wanted to violate its ”journalistic standards”, they would farm the show out to their “arms length” production company: Lincoln Square, EyeTwo or Media Productions.
After all – in this brave new media world – who cares if the Next
Food Network Star embelished his resume a little bit – no one put a second Eye on it.

But now it’s looking like it’s the client’s choice to have journalistic
standards a la carte, not the Networks choice. Gee, anything can be
bought for a price these days, even the cachet of NBC News.

Danza and Boeing and Bernstein, oh my !

Well we’re 55 minutes into "A
Capitol Fourth" and there have been no HD-related screw-ups yet, unlike
last year. (Although there is that inevitable MPEG encode/decode
delay between the analog and HD feeds.)

INFOCOMM 2007

I hate just posting links to other people’s blogs. But I’ve been
time-challanged recently, so please excuse this cop-out.

Here’s a link to Pete Putnam’s entry on INFOCOMM
2007.