Zoom In
December 2007
Movie Goggles
Want to watch video and listen to stereo-quality sounds through a headset in either 2D or 3D? For those of you who want to be close to the action when watching videos, playing video games or even linking up your iPod, the HEADPLAY™ Personal Cinema System is your cup of tea. So how does it interface with your components so that you can watch and listen to your multiple sources? The HEADPLAY™ system has analog video and audio outputs, two USB 2.0 ports for flash media, CompactFlash interface and Composite video and S-Video inputs. So sit down, link up and watch things from a new perspective.
($499)
HEADPLAY™, 888-996-9727; www.headplay.com
Your Own Box Office
It used to be renting movies was done by going to the video store, followed by the getting your DVDs through the mail trend. Now, there is a new way of watching movies on demand. A new innovation called the VUDU box, it is essentially a unit that you connect to your TV which then connects to the Internet, downloads your chosen movies and plays MPEG-4 videos that are upscaled to HD. Backed by all the major movie studios in Hollywood, the VUDU is poised to become a new tour de force for home movie rental. Not only can you watch a movie as a rental, but you can also purchase movies. And best yet, there is no subscription fee and the movie rates are reasonable. One-time rentals range from $0.99-$3.99 and movie purchases are $4.99-$19.99.
(Unit is $399)
VUDU; www.vudu.com
Recharge your Lights
Designed to work in conjunction with the Litepanels 1x1 light, the new 3-hour Li-Ion battery source will start up your lights when you can’t find a power source or when you are on a remote shooting location. It’s lightweight, because it’s designed to be carried without the cumbersome weight of traditional power sources. The new battery directly links up to the back of the 1x1 light and instantly gives you up to three hours of light.
($795)
Litepanels; 818-752-7009; www.litepanels.com
Blu-ray Camcorder Media
Blu-ray seems to be overtaking the high-def market as the standard and camcorders are following suit. As we see a new wave of Blu-ray camcorders being released, the media is rather small, literally. TDK’s new 8cm Blu-ray media can record up to 60 minutes of full-quality 1080i HD video on its 7.5-gigabyte capacity discs that come in both BD-R and BD-RE. So get the most out of your high-def camcorders by using a durable and long-lasting media.
($24.99 BD-R; $34.99 BD-RE)
TDK/Imation, 888-466-3456; www.imation.com
DVD/CD Repair
If you’re in the business of mass-producing CDs or DVDs, you’ll know that inevitably they will degrade. The brand new Aleratec DVD/CD Disc Repair CG can repair and remove scratch damage from any photo, music, movie, game, data DVD or CD. This is achieved by filling the repair station with the included disc finishing solution, placing the disc inside and letting the machine do its magic, making your damaged CD or DVD look brand new again.
($525)
Aleratec, 886-882-5372; www.aleratec.com
It Comes Standard
Alienware PCs are known to gamers and video-editors as a step above typical systems, with their sleek curves, high-end graphics cards and fast performance. The industry’s standard for Blu-ray Disc Drive writer’s is 2x, but Alienware has just introduced that it will be incorporating 4x Blu-ray disc readers and writers as a standard for all its Area-51 computers. The drives also have backwards-capability to write DVDs or CDs, making this computer line a real winner.
(Prices vary on model)
Alienware, 800-ALIENWARE; www.alienware.com
