Can
You Say DIGITAL?
 In recent times we
have witnessed a rapid evolution in the world of audio. We saw the emergence of
the CD (Compact Disk) and
the disappearance of LP records and 8-track tapes. For the most part, CDs have
also displaced audio cassettes. Why? The answer, in a word, is
DIGITAL.
DIGITAL audio
technology has proven to be superior to the previous analog methods of
recording music and sound. Equally important, the CD has high esthetic appeal
to the consumer. They're small, durable and convenient - and they sound
great!
Today, there is an equally dramatic shift to
DIGITAL VIDEO. Rental movies on videotape will soon be
outnumbered by DVD, the Digital
Versatile Disk. Today, consumers can purchase
SONY or Panasonic camcorders that record digitally on
tape. These Digital Video
Cassettes (mini-DV) can be copied and copied
again without losing quality! This is the power of digital recording.
Editing video is now possible using computers with high
capacity hard disk drives. This is called TAPELESS editing.
Entry level systems like the PYRO Platinum are available today
for less than $300.00! Video enthusiasts interested in editing their home
videos can do so digitally, on a tapeless editor. Here's what's
available:
The Firewire. One of the
traditional problems associated with copying signals from video devices to
computer hard drives has been slow data transfer speeds. In the recent past,
the Small Computer System
Interface (SCSI) was the industry standard
for connecting devices that required high data throughput. This has all changed
thanks to Firewire.
A new interface
called the Firewire, or more specifically the
Firewire/IEEE1394, has recently been introduced. This
blazingly fast serial interface standard has been endorsed by all the major
manufacturers - SONY, Matsushita, IBM, Apple, and Microsoft. Firewire can
support data tranfers of 100 megabits per second (100 Mbps).
It can achieve rates up to 8 gigabits per second (8 Gbps).
Finally, computers can be equipped with a low cost interface that allow us to
transfer video to computers for digital editing.
Disk Storage. Hard disk drive prices are falling
rapidly. A 100 GB hard drive can be purchased for about
$200.00 and it can store about 10 hours of digital video! IBM is currently
developing a 1 TB (1 terabyte) hard drive. This is a trillion
byte drive. That's the same as one thousand gigabytes or one million
megabytes!
The Deckless Studio. Imagine
an editing facility where there are no editing decks. That's right. All you
need is your camcorder and a Firewire cable that connects it to your computer.
Shoot your video, using digital videotape. Hook a cable from your camcorder to
your PC (Personal Computer)
and copy the raw footage to your hard disk drive. Edit everything on the
computer, add titles and special effects. Copy the edited masterpiece back to
tape as many times as needed so everyone in the family gets a copy. This is the
real meaning of Desktop Video.
The Pentium Processor. Intel Corporation,
manufacturer of the Pentium microprocessor, continues to double processor
speeds on an annual basis. New computer chips being introduced into the
marketplace easily support full motion video and audio on a personal computer.
You can watch complete movies on Digital Video Disks using your
computer.
The Internet. For many
people, the best two words to describe the Internet are SLOW
and SLOWER. The narrow bandwidth of telecommunications
combined with the rapid increase in the number of users has brought the
Internet to a crawl. Fortunately this is quickly changing for the
better.
The increasing popularity of CABLE
"MODEMS" and new FIBER OPTIC lines is allowing data transfer rates that
approach those within your own computer. It only takes a few seconds to
download a 5 MB video clip. You can view full motion video in
real time while you're online. Instead of sending an E-MAIL message to your
friend in Australia, you can send an E-VIDEO. It's almost as
good as a personal visit.
YES, the digital
domain is changing the face of video. Anyone who has a passion for videomaking
can find new tools at affordable prices. The image quality of the productions
is outstanding. Write to us in the BOX below, or call us at (403)
274-7494 if you are about to make a major equipment purchase. We'll
advise you about what to look for and what to avoid.
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ADITA Video Inc.
