At this time of year, one expects to be dazzled by new technology. CES and MacWorld have primed us, as has the steady build-up to NAB that begins in mid-winter. The soft launches, revelations and bloggy innuendos of the past few weeks have not disappointed. My favorites of’08, to date:
  • Jim Jannard hinting that RED will get into the 4K projector business.

    Close readers of posts on Reduser.net know that the next several months will be a time of aggressive development for the RED team, with “all 4K all the time: being the operative rallying cry. But this announcement adds another layer of complexity to the already delayed shipping cycle of more of the cameras themselves.
  • Steve Jobs pulling the new MacBook Air out of a manila interoffice envelope at Macworld
    Steve Jobs makes it all feel so new, and for most of us, it is. But some of you may remember that Sony began selling similarly slinky versions of its VAIO note books to Japanese consumers several years ago. Not long after that, Apple scooped up some of those same engineers in’05 to begin work on downscal-ing the prototypes of its emerging Intel-based Mac laptops. A surprising partnership? Not really. Sony helped Apple miniaturize the first PowerBooks in the early’90s (one of which I still have in my attic, collecting dust). By the way, you can now go to to get a vinyl version of the original envelope to house your new laptop.
  • An end to the Blu-ray vs. HD DVD debate

    OK, so it may not be officially over yet, but all consumers, especially pro users on the front lines, are losing out during this long and protracted battle. Is it really so surprising that despite HD DVD’s high-profile flourishes, the larger, more persistent army of Blu-ray support continues to prevail?
We begin the parade of new products in this issue with an exclusive review of Sachtler’s new all-in-one SOOM camera support system (page 10), which started shipping this month. The system has enough multitasking features and hidden talents to truly impress reviewer Will Holloway. Though a staunch not-so-early adopter, he found many reasons to invest in this new set of sticks.
And finally, to keep things balanced, we’ve got a tutorial in this issue that can hardly be described as new. When you turn to page 22, you’ll find that the camera and computer have been replaced by the power drill and saber saw. No, we’re not turning into Make Magazine, though it’s no secret the DIY attitude that publication promotes is rampant among techies from every part of the filmmaking food chain. So in the Make vein, ramp up your power tools. We hope the resulting accessory- a set of tripod feet for infirm terrain- will be new to you. Something well built that keeps a tripod from slipping through the snow or sand, after all, is much more practical than a rodent-powered nightlight.
– Beth Marchant, Editor-in-Chief
bmarchant@accessintel.com