And now, a brief contemplation, blogged for your enjoyment -
The video delivery media of choice for the last 7 or so years now has been DVD. Only in the last 3 or 4 years have we really seen a near total adoption by independent productions utilizing this media for all or most of their projects. We are to the point now where if you do not deliver on DVD, you are being passed over.
In case you haven't already caught word of it, a new generation of discs intended to replace current DVD technology is now coming into the marketplace. Blu-ray and HD-DVD are two competing formats, supported by various companies on either side, vying for 1st place in this race. Media format wars are not new - CD-R media are made a variety of different ways by different manufacturers, but more recently we've dealt with the difference between DVD-R and DVD+R, with the arguments still ensuing.
Competition is good for the marketplace, but confusion certainly is not. In previous iterations of this format war, such as the recent -/+ division, the confusion was a result of the lack of a true winner. Both formats have a couple of advantages over the other. Regardless, these advantages are overemphasized at best and oversimplified at worst. When companies align themselves with a product, those users who typically align themselves with a company's other products will follow along - blindly at times - usually to their own detriment.
I'm not going to attempt to clear the waters here today on the new high-density DVD media (click the links above to do your best guessing). What I really came here to say is that with these new formats being developed and deployed, the marketplace is so eager for a new option that we have found ourselves rushing through development, choosing teams, and coming out the other side with two formats, neither of which seems to be a useful long-term option. What we seem to be headed for is another 8-year format, needing to redo it all again in another few years.
You may argue that with the ever-changing state of technology these days, a product that can hold us up for 8 years is a miracle. I do understand that point of view. However, media delivery does not sway so dramatically as the computing technology (a trend we are all too familiar with when our 5 month-old computer is considered "obsolete"). There is the ability for developers to predict the curve of our technology over a much longer span, and make a flexible media that will be able to manage a wider variety of circumstances than those currently available. The media we now have in Blu-ray and HD-DVD is clearly better in many respects to our current DVD solution - but sometimes "better" is not really cut out for "good" or "great."
2.16.2006
lynda.com Training
After a little bit of coercing, my employer has just set me up with a premium annual subscription to the lynda.com training library. I will most likely post a few more times down the road to let you all know if I think it's work the money, but I've decided to do a little upfront review.
First and foremost, as a product, the training seems to be well organized. If you've ever purchased or used the Total Training videos, you're aware of how powerful instructor-led video training can be. However, at the lynda.com site, you don't need a DVD player to do your training. You can do it anywhere you have a computer and a decent Internet connection (note: obviously if you have a laptop with a DVD drive, this is a total non-issue). Slower connections can, supposedly, still use the training, but the videos will take a little longer to buffer before they start to play.
The offerings include areas such as HTML, PHP, Microsoft Office products (Excel, Powerpoint) and many others, but the focal point for me and you will likely be the video and image related programs. When you choose a course, it will list off the various chapters and subchapter points so that you can work on something for just a few minutes at a time, but also, it gives you a clear view of your direction by listing the individual areas that are being covered in each course. This is very handy information. Additionally, there are usually a few chapters that are available for free so that you can get a sampling of the video quality and speed at your location and see the layout for the courses.
The premium membership includes the actual project files used in the tutorial so that you can follow right along as you learn. The site also provides CD and DVD versions of many of the courses, and also has a series of books related to their online library offerings. However, only the online training is available with the membership - CD, DVD and book items are extra, and may be worth your while if there is only one or two items that you want training for (project files are included with these items).
Some of the training can be a little redundant if you are past beginner stage on a certain topic, but sometimes (as with all training) it can be valuable to review certain things that you may have forgotten about, or just refresh what you already use. Regardless, if you prefer, just skip the video clips that you do not want and move on. Again, very handy feature.
One thing I've noticed so far is that the video window, while quite large and of good quality, does not "zoom" to areas of interest to provide better detail. Instead, the courses seem to be captured via a utility like Camtasia that is just doing a solid screen grab. Total Training has a different approach, where the instructor will provide a close-up view of certain items at various points in the video. This is the only real shortcoming that I have found so far, and all I can say is at least the video window is clear and large enough to begin with.
One thing the site advertises is that they are not affiliated with any other software development companies. As such, they claim to offer unbiased information, and include workarounds for product shortcomings. They also claim they have no problem exposing bugs in the software.
As I mentioned above, I will post my personal experiences on occasion throughout the year. However, I do recommend you check out the website yourself (lynda.com) to determine if any of their training is right for you.
First and foremost, as a product, the training seems to be well organized. If you've ever purchased or used the Total Training videos, you're aware of how powerful instructor-led video training can be. However, at the lynda.com site, you don't need a DVD player to do your training. You can do it anywhere you have a computer and a decent Internet connection (note: obviously if you have a laptop with a DVD drive, this is a total non-issue). Slower connections can, supposedly, still use the training, but the videos will take a little longer to buffer before they start to play.
The offerings include areas such as HTML, PHP, Microsoft Office products (Excel, Powerpoint) and many others, but the focal point for me and you will likely be the video and image related programs. When you choose a course, it will list off the various chapters and subchapter points so that you can work on something for just a few minutes at a time, but also, it gives you a clear view of your direction by listing the individual areas that are being covered in each course. This is very handy information. Additionally, there are usually a few chapters that are available for free so that you can get a sampling of the video quality and speed at your location and see the layout for the courses.
The premium membership includes the actual project files used in the tutorial so that you can follow right along as you learn. The site also provides CD and DVD versions of many of the courses, and also has a series of books related to their online library offerings. However, only the online training is available with the membership - CD, DVD and book items are extra, and may be worth your while if there is only one or two items that you want training for (project files are included with these items).
Some of the training can be a little redundant if you are past beginner stage on a certain topic, but sometimes (as with all training) it can be valuable to review certain things that you may have forgotten about, or just refresh what you already use. Regardless, if you prefer, just skip the video clips that you do not want and move on. Again, very handy feature.
One thing I've noticed so far is that the video window, while quite large and of good quality, does not "zoom" to areas of interest to provide better detail. Instead, the courses seem to be captured via a utility like Camtasia that is just doing a solid screen grab. Total Training has a different approach, where the instructor will provide a close-up view of certain items at various points in the video. This is the only real shortcoming that I have found so far, and all I can say is at least the video window is clear and large enough to begin with.
One thing the site advertises is that they are not affiliated with any other software development companies. As such, they claim to offer unbiased information, and include workarounds for product shortcomings. They also claim they have no problem exposing bugs in the software.
As I mentioned above, I will post my personal experiences on occasion throughout the year. However, I do recommend you check out the website yourself (lynda.com) to determine if any of their training is right for you.
2.01.2006
Digital Film Tools
Got a heads-up from DMN e-mail and thought I'd pass this along...
Digital Film Tools provides affordable yet HIGHLY desirable plug-ins to help you acheive a variety of effects in After Effects, Photoshop, Avid, Final Cut Pro, Shake and Discreet (the After Effects plug-ins also work in Premiere Pro, since the applications share a common plug-in architecture). I would try to give more information, but you're just going to have to check it out for yourself:
http://www.digitalfilmtools.com/index2.htm
Most of these effects can be acheived somewhat easily already in the supported applications (things like film look and such are sometimes just a matter of color manipulation). So maybe you would ask, "why pay for something I could probably already achieve on my own with the software I already paid for?" My answer to that is this....do you really want to spend all day figuring it out yourself? Do you really want to re-invent the wheel? Technology is your friend, and this technology will save you time....LOTS of time. Some nice guys in LA figured this out, made some plug-ins, and sell 'em on the cheap....take advantage of their hard work and be happier for it!
Very good ideas in these plug-ins....the "Light!" effect for Photoshop is especially creative. One of their newest offerings for Photoshop is "Snap." This one's used for isoloating objects in an image by means of selecting foreground and background elements. After that, the plug-in does some rough math and then you fine tune your selection area.
Free demo downloads available on their site. Check 'em out, but be sure to drool-proof your keyboard first.
Digital Film Tools provides affordable yet HIGHLY desirable plug-ins to help you acheive a variety of effects in After Effects, Photoshop, Avid, Final Cut Pro, Shake and Discreet (the After Effects plug-ins also work in Premiere Pro, since the applications share a common plug-in architecture). I would try to give more information, but you're just going to have to check it out for yourself:
http://www.digitalfilmtools.com/index2.htm
Most of these effects can be acheived somewhat easily already in the supported applications (things like film look and such are sometimes just a matter of color manipulation). So maybe you would ask, "why pay for something I could probably already achieve on my own with the software I already paid for?" My answer to that is this....do you really want to spend all day figuring it out yourself? Do you really want to re-invent the wheel? Technology is your friend, and this technology will save you time....LOTS of time. Some nice guys in LA figured this out, made some plug-ins, and sell 'em on the cheap....take advantage of their hard work and be happier for it!
Very good ideas in these plug-ins....the "Light!" effect for Photoshop is especially creative. One of their newest offerings for Photoshop is "Snap." This one's used for isoloating objects in an image by means of selecting foreground and background elements. After that, the plug-in does some rough math and then you fine tune your selection area.
Free demo downloads available on their site. Check 'em out, but be sure to drool-proof your keyboard first.
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