Twelve o’clock in Baltimore [Film]

Visit their Kickstarter page.

Add comment September 29th, 2010 Logrithmic

Apple TV…again

I must speak on this again.

No 1080p.
No DLNA.
Limited codec support.
Requires iTunes!
Requires Apple Home Networking.
Costs $99
Limited content.

Now, many set-top boxes have Netflix and access to the same limited content. I can’t hold all of this against Apple due to movie giants but to me this box is already old and dated. I considered AirPlay when I was hooking up my home theater but it’s simply not nearly as good as Sonos or Squeezebox. Steve Jobs promises video support for AirPlay in the future but video transfer will only work in one direction and having low-res content pipped through a bottleneck isn’t a plus. AirPlay is slowly entering more hardware devices but it’ll never be standard/popular because it’s still just a stepping stone towards a true cloud system. Apple TV is good for a very specific customer. Luckily for Apple, that customer is their own creation.

1 comment September 29th, 2010 Logrithmic

Duck Sauce – “Barbra Streisand”

Add comment September 29th, 2010 Logrithmic

Space

Will my children experience space travel? Will they take it for granted? If a few million dollars can get in you in space now, how much would that ticket cost in 100 years?

Add comment September 29th, 2010 Logrithmic

TiVo Premiere XL

It’s sad that I even own this being that I rarely even watch TV. Maybe that’s more of a reason to get one? Maybe the few minutes I do have during dinner could be watching something worthwhile? I’m a fan of a few shows, The Boondocks, Louie, Scrappers, Dual Survival, etc. and I’m tired of downloading them illegally. Why not have someone/something else do it for me?

Enter TiVo. I’ve been playing around with the TiVo Premiere XL for about two weeks now and seriously enjoy it. I’ve never dealt with any kind of DVR before so all the expected initial reactions occurred. I know, I’m late, but again, I don’t watch TV. Now, with all that aside, I think TiVo is good but it still just feels like a stepping stone towards a much more accessible cloud service. This TiVo box offers 6 months free Netflix and Blockbuster-on-demand as well as Amazon video. Why am I still getting cable through coaxial cable that needs to be converted and decoded? Why isn’t Verizon FIOS TV available to me?

I have Time Warner Cable. The TiVo box replaces the Time Warner issued Samsung box. The OS on the Samsung box is horrible and extremely slow. The TiVo OS is much better in some areas but lacks in others. It has an awesome program guide and moves pretty quickly. Forcing everything to output at 1080p is better here than with the old Samsung box. I can’t quite tell who has the better compression but I guess that’s good thing.

Netflix streaming is cool, I guess. I used to use them years ago but that was before obscure titles were easily downloaded. Netflix streaming has it’s limitations as far as video and audio output. I’d like 1080p Netflix with DTS-HD audio. In addition to that, the TiVo actually comes with a bunch of apps and things including Pandora, Rhapsody, Picasa, etc. I feel like every set-top-box I own has these same apps. TiVo scheduling from the web or phone is dope. Using your phone as a remote is cool too. Instant video transfers to your computer and phone makes pirating pretty easy. Setting up rules e.g. “Record all Penelope Cruz, horror movies from 1997-2001″ is useful as well. You can even put your own videos on TiVo if you wanted. Overall this box is well worth it for people who watch lots of TV.

Now, the price isn’t too bad either. Zero down, $19.99 a month including 6 months of free Netflix. Besides having to get a CableCARD from Time Warner, setting this up was smooth and I can easily recommend this box.

1 comment September 27th, 2010 Logrithmic

FIFA 11

FIFA 11 comes out tomorrow. Not that I have any time to play this, I must mention that I will be buying it. I still have Metal Gear Solid 4 and Heavy Rain in it’s plastic. I played the demo last week and it’s definitely a step up. Some notable new features are “Be a Goalkeeper” mode, you can add audio chants, and design jersey’s for “Be a Pro” mode clubs. I remember some previous FIFA’s having “Be a Goalkeeper” but not for some time and not like this. Now one can have true 11 vs. 11 matches online. Give me some time…

Add comment September 27th, 2010 Logrithmic

RED EPIC does true HDR video

Wow.

As much as I constantly call RED a scam with their false 4K sampling methods and their horrible marketing designs (camouflage cameras? really?) I can’t hate on this. That frame above is truly unbelievable. It’s from the video below.

One of the core reasons I’ve always preferred film over digital is the dynamic range of the medium. Until now, digital just never compared in both stills and movies. I cringe when I watch movies shot on digital or television shows. This HDSLR craze has heightened the level of poor dynamic range videos.

This ungraded video above is a test video from the RED EPIC camera. The camera can do in-camera HDR or post HDR. This was done in post as the camera can acheive up to 18 stops by shooting super fast exposures thanks to SSD drives. All of this is raw. Past HDR video attempts have failed miserably because shooting multiple exposures of a moving subject demands some serious hardware and can screw up motion if done incorrectly. With all the digital video breakthroughs we’ve had over the past 30 years, this is the most amazing to me. This still isn’t better than film, but it’s damn comparable. Can’t wait for some daytime shots.

Add comment September 26th, 2010 Logrithmic

ZEPS – American Immigrant [LP]

ZEPS – “The Abyss”

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Add comment September 26th, 2010 Logrithmic

Cameramen vs Dust Storm

I would have loved to shoot this dust storm. Maybe not for 4 hours but yeah.

Add comment September 24th, 2010 Logrithmic

Casa De Mi Padre [Film]

Adrian Martinez, of Inwood NYC, is in an upcoming film titled Casa De Mi Padre (House of my Father). The film is a Spanish-language film and stars Will Farrell, Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, and Pedro Armendariz Jr. It will be shot in the style of an over-dramatic Spanish novella. It kind of reminds me of Conan O’Brien’s Conando sketches.

You may also see Adrian Martinez in a new comedy that comes out today called It’s Kind of a Funny Story.

Add comment September 24th, 2010 Logrithmic

ZEPS – Booger Sugar [Produced by Magnify]

ZEPS
“Booger Sugar”

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Also check out ZEPS at the EOW world finals in Berlin, Germany.

Add comment September 20th, 2010 Logrithmic

Fuji FinePix X100

Fuji FinePix X100
12.3 Megapixel APS-C CMOS
23mm f2 Fujinon
720p video
coming early 2011…

Add comment September 20th, 2010 Logrithmic

Pepsi Throwback

No more need to go the Mexican spot to get the “real” sugar.

Add comment September 17th, 2010 Logrithmic

Student + Dying =

Add comment September 17th, 2010 Logrithmic

Penn Station – 9.16.2010

I snapped this yesterday after trying to make my way to the subway.

Add comment September 17th, 2010 Logrithmic

Q-Unique on the Turntableizm Show

Add comment September 17th, 2010 Logrithmic

Catfish – The “real” Facebook movie

I went to go see this last night at midnight. The trailer makes you believe that the movie is something it’s not and quite frankly doesn’t live up to the hype. What twists? However, if you DON’T watch the trailer below it is possible to enjoy this film but I can’t recommend it. I mentioned it last month here:

Catfish

Peace.

Add comment September 17th, 2010 Logrithmic

Kanye takes over XXL Magazine

Kanye West has designed 40 pages of the new XXL magazine which includes an article where he interviews himself. I will check it out. It hit stores on September 28th, 2010. Will you?

Add comment September 16th, 2010 Logrithmic