Engadget is reporting that Hitachi will introduce a camera capable of recording on DVD, hard drive and SD. It can also create DVD's from movie stored on the hard drive thus eliminating the need for a computer. This is fantastic news for beginning videographers. Currently, Engadget is referring to this model as DZHS500A. No idea on price or availability.

Jake Ludington has a easy tutorial to convert PAL DVD's to a format your (non-PAL playback) PC can understand easily. He uses VLC to do the conversion. VLC is one of the best freeware out there, it is not only cross platform but possesses all kinds of powerful tools. Till reading this tutorial, I was unaware that VLC did conversions.

Other tips from Jake:

• A tutorial to convert PAL material to NTSC. This tip applies to Window users.
• Watching HDTV on a Standard Definition Screen

Viosport has a range of "wearable" cams that can be used to create those always intriguing sports action movies. There are small, basic cams that attach to a DV camera or a hard-drive. The connection, as far as I can figure out, is through RCA cables. So the video quality is definitely not pro. But if you are nervous about putting your 5k camera on the hood of a car for an action sequence, a Viosport cam could be just the solution. These cams have a range of accessories including a Lanc Remote and lenses. The cams range in price from $90 to $300.

What the heck is an EDL you say? A simple way to put it is that an EDL (edit decision list) is a way to transfer information about a project you've edited to another editing system. It contains the basic "blueprint" of the edit such as clip in/out points, transitions, etc. There's a great post over on The editblog that shows you what information is included in an EDL and how to read it. Because new formats are gaining popularity, you may never have to deal with a .edl file. But chances are if you do any post production with the outside world you will. Either way, this is good basic information to know.

Now here's a way to learn how to edit. Film School in a Box provides you with all the assets you need to edit your own version of the movie "The Confession" in Final Cut Pro. You don't have to worry about scripts, shooting, importing footage or any other details, they've done all the work for you. You receive your project on an external hard drive, all organized with 11 different camera angles to work with, the shooting script and camera reference map. Two versions are available, the Gold Edition for $279 and the Platinum Edition for $449 (this pricing only good through Christmas). The differences in the editions can be found here and you can also get a Preview Edition for $19.95 if you want to see what its all about before dropping the larger bills.

It took a lot of work shoot all the footage and organize everything in a FCP project so all you have to do is sit down and start editing, so the pricing is not bad at all and you're getting a hard drive in the deal too. I really like that this lets you concentrate more on the creative side of editing instead of the technical click-here-to-do-something tutorial stuff.

In yet another installment of his Avid vs. Final Cut Pro series, Scott Simmons takes a look at the nesting functions of both editing applications. Nesting refers to the collapsing of multiple layers of video and audio clips into a single layer, making for easier management. FCP allows for the nesting of multiple audio and video clips into single layers, and with these nested sequences, editors can easily apply multiple filters or other effects. In Avid, nesting takes on another definition: it refers to the technique of applying multiples effects to just a single clip. It is Avid's 'Collapse' function that most closely reflects the nesting of FCP, where multiple layers of video can be squashed down to a single layer. However, audio cannot be collapse in such a fashion. Educational!

This is one of those tips that I suggest you do in an effects program. But it is useful to know how to do such things in Final Cut Pro because it might help you out in a crunch but it also may expose you to another aspect of FCP. This tip shows you how to create marble backgrounds, the one that was very popular back in the day in wedding title sequences. It basically consists of modifying the cloud generator within Final Cut Pro.

Effect Shop is a Mac 2D & 3D compositing and animation software that is aimed at beginner users. It also comes as a plug-in for iMovie. The tool helps beginner users work with greenscreen or bluescreen shots. You can also animate with keyframes or distort video 3D shapes. Effects Shop also seems to have a plethora of effects. The minimum system requirements are very low: Panther +, iMovie 3, G3 Processor and 256 MB of RAM. If your kid is into making fancy movies, Effects Shop with an old Mac would be perfect. Priced at $35.

If you are music novice like me, creating a soundtrack in Garageband is much easier than Final Cut Studio's Soundtrack. They can share the same loops but creating music is much simpler on the Garageband side. Of course, Soundtrack is much better at mixing audio and interacting with Final Cut Pro. MacProVideo.com has released new video tutorials for Mastering GarageBand. Veteran audio producer & educator Paul Garay shows production techniques, important DSP (effects) tips, and time-saving mix-trick. GarageBand 101: Mastering GarageBand is priced at US$39.50. Currently, if you use MacMinute's coupon code: GBReleaseSF, you will receive an additional discount of 10% off.

Also: Final Cut Pro Tutorials, Motion Tutorials, DVD Studio Pro Tutorials

Just in time for the holiday season fast approaching, CamcorderInfo.com has a review of a budget-friendly Panasonic PV-GS59 miniDV camcorder. You point, it records, what else could you ask for? A step up from the GS39, the GS59 offers compatibility with a non-included remote (weird?), a faster USB connection with editing software, and the ability to dub audio. The next step up from that is the GS180 which brings 3CCD's to the mix instead of one and a mic input but is limited to a 10x optical zoom versus a 30x. The GS39 is $349, the GS59 is $379, and the GS180 is $599; Now it is up to you to choose which is best for you.

Tina Wood of On10.net fame has a quick and easy video about how to shoot better videos. It covers the basics to get the job done and the best part is it is fun and interesting, so you will actually watch it all the way through. Topics include using a key light, get your hands on a tripod, shoot a lot of footage while varying the shots, and a little bit of sound audio advice. I think it would be a good idea to send this to that aunt or uncle who always whips out the camcorder at Thanksgiving with the idea of creating a masterpiece but ends up producing yet another yawner. Anyone that has to watch the resulting video will thank you dearly.

Such a broad title isn't it? Now this tutorial isn't very thorough, but it is perfect for beginners looking to shrink down the size of their video file before sending them through the tubes of the Internet. Follow step by step as the author explains how to use Virtualdub to encode a video into an Xvid avi, but once you get a handle of doing this, changing formats won't be too tricky.

Visuarious is a site dedicated to video tutorials with the tag line Broadcast Your Skills and I found some other media tutorials that might be useful to some of you. If you are having any problems, please let me know in the comments and I will give you a hand.

Nice post over on Lifehacker, 8 Ways to Shoot Video Like a Pro. These are very basic, but good tips if you are just getting started. You might want to check them out before you start running around with the camera torturing the relatives this holiday season. More advanced shooters might even learn a thing or two. Don't stop at the end of the article, the comments contain some really good tips.

Listen up video bloggers, if you need to record some video while you are out and about for your next great vlogger creation and you have an Archos personal media player, than you are in luck. The company has released an aptly named helmet camcorder as an accessory to the 404,504,604, and 604 WiFi series of players. This little sucker records MPEG4 video at up to 640x480 and includes a built in remote and microphone. Sure, it is no ENG set-up, but if you need something you can actually take around with you (and if you have one of the aforementioned players) then this little guy could sure come in handy for $149.99. And it looks like it would be great for bootlegging King Kong according to our little picture up there.

(via Engadget)

In case you didn't realize it, the holiday shopping season is upon us. Black Friday is 2 weeks away so here are some deals you might look forward to that have already leaked.

Best Buy
Panasonic 4pk MiniDV Digital Videocassettes - $4.99
Dynex 100-Pack DVD-R Discs - $4.99
Memorex 20 Pack 16x LightScribe DVD+R Disc Spindle - $8.99
Memorex 3 Pack Mini DVD-RW Discs - $4.99
Memorex Mini DVD-RW Discs 3 Pack - $4.99
Pioneer 16x Internal DVD/CD Burner - $29.99
JVC Hard Drive Camcorder - $499.99
Panasonic MiniDV Digital Camcorder with 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - $159.99
Sony DCR-DVD105 DVD Camcorder - $449.99
Seagate 250GB Internal Hard Drive - $59.99
Western Digital 60GB Passport II Portable Hard Drive - $49.99
Western Digital My Book Essential 250GB External USB 2.0 Hard Drive - $69.99

Circuit City
Panasonic 2-Pack of Double Sided DVD-RW Discs for DVD Camcorders - Free After Rebate
TDK 50-Pack of CDRs - $5.99
I/O Magic External 16x Dual Format Double Layer DVD Drive - $29.99
JVC 3-Pack of 60-Minute DVC Camcorder Tapes - Free After Rebate
Panasonic MiniDV Camcorder w/30x Optical Zoom - $199.99
Canon Mini DVD Camcorder w/2.7" LCD Display - $349.99
Panasonic MiniDV Camcorder w/ 30x Optical Zoom (Friday 5-11AM Only) - $169.99
Panasonic MiniDVD Digital Camcorder - $169.99
Samsung Mini DV Camcorder - $199.99
Sony Mini DVD Camcorder & 3.0 MegaPixel Digital Still Camera - $749.99
Sony MiniDVD Camcorder w/2.5" Touchpanel LCD - $449.99
Seagate 120GB Portable 2.5" USB-Powered Hard Drive - $59.99
I/O Magic 250GB External 3.5" Hard-Drive (Friday 5-11AM Only) - $39.99