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Plan for the worst with MySpace

During our latest show, we had been asked about the status of Myspace. The parent company of MySpace is News Corporation.  AllThingsD.com is reporting that News Corp. might be seeking to sell MySpace…During a conference call with the Deputy Chairman, President, and Chief Operating Officer of News Corp. (Chase Carey) about earnings…
QUESTION:
How much time do you give the relaunch to figure out if it’s successful. And what if it’s not?
Carey:
We judge in quarters, not in years. Goal is to get to a place where top-line revenue is going in the right direction and “a clear path to profitability.” We feel good about the relaunch. But “our traffic numbers are still not going in the right direction” and we have to stabilize that.
(Cue the dramatic “dun-dun-DUN!” music…)
Andy TaylorLeave a commentsoftware, , , , ,

Where is Adobe Audition 4

I was sitting here tonight working on an Audio feature for TechtalkRadio thinking about the Adobe Audition program. It seems like a couple of years have gone by since the program I have recommended to several Radio Stations for Production Work was released. It would be great if some of the companies that put out these full featured programs released the new versions similar to the way Hollywood puts out movies! It seems that now when a feature film is on the way, we get to hear about it, see previews and of course talk about it with other fans of films. I remember seeing the trailer for the first Iron Man film in theaters almost a full 6 months before the release date. Even games are using this technique to really wet our appetites for a new title. With Call of Duty Black Ops which arrives next week, we also heard about it months ago with a release date and a preview.

In the Marketing sence, this can be good or bad. The most recent addition of Medal of Honor features warfare similar to what we would find in the new Call of Duty. Did they get the jump in putting out the title and taking the 50-60 bucks out of the pocket of a consumer that may have been saving up for COD? Apple seems to never talk about a product officially until it is actually available. This works for them in the sense of excitement about a product and speculation of an announcement but we really are never quite sure. I remember some years ago waiting for another version of Adobe Pagemaker  but at the same time, Adobe had this new program that worked similar to Pagemaker called InDesign. User to Pagemaker forums and chats were sounding the death knell for the program which seemed to have a huge user base but really couldn’t do more than it already was doing. That’s not good for the software industry isi it? A Product with a huge life cycle, one that does all it needs to do in a simple basic easy layout?

Generating sales is how even these large companies can continue to develop and produce solutions for a variety of products. For those that use Adobe Audition, it should be hard to argue that there is more that they could really do with it without making clutter of the program itself? The boards are beginning to talk and similar to the chatter heard during the “Pagemaker Crisis” we are hearing comparisons to Adobe Soundbooth. After careful digging I did find a light at the end of the tunnel with a Blog from Adobe Evangelist Terry White which last June he focused on the Adobe Audition package available for the Mac and gave a preview of a version he says should be avialable for both platforms. It looks like there still could be life to the Adobe Audition program and with more users taking the plunge to 64bit programs, this might be a welcome new version. 

Take a look at Terry’s blog post on Adobe Audition and visit often, he always provides some great information without the rumors. His blog for me was like seeing a trailer to Star Trek 2, Can’t wait!

http://terrywhite.com/techblog/archives/5618

Andy TaylorLeave a commentFeatured, software, , , , , , , , , , ,

New Video FX Plugins – Great Price and Features

Logo for NewBlueFX
NewBlueFX - Easy to Use and Inexpensive

I was fortunate through my years growing up to have attended a high school in Southern California that offered a video production class to which I became a TV Nerd spending time before and after the actual class creating shows and segments for the TV news-feed at school. We had much fun creating Wipes and Dissolves and getting our fellow classmates in front of the Blue Screen and Chroma Keying them into strange backgrounds. It was very basic but fun to do. Our editing was done on a Sony RM440 3/4 inch system, much different that what is available today.

With the lower cost of Digital Video cameras and the availability of faster computer systems, the classrooms of today create productions that not only tell a story but also are visually competitive to programs you might find on cable television. When a student leaves school, they can either move on to college or try to get a job professionally in the industry with some of the skills they can pick up in the schools. For a short time before moving out to Tucson, I taught Computer Education at a night school for parent of children wanting to learn what makes them tick. Many adults in the class that wanted to learn about the computer also wanted to see where they could go with it and what great presentations they could create. Video and Photo editing was one of the areas I was questioned about often. 

It seems as thought the numbers are growing and consumers would like to use Video programs and create DVD’s or Online Videos to share with friends and family but haven’t had access to programs that could do more than just basic edits. Many of these users have wanted to incorporate video effects and features to give the videos a step above in the quality of the finished product. But as times have changed since when I started working with video to where the basic user is now, software can now do more with even the good home editing programs we have.

Adobe, Sony, Avid and Apple both have delivered great video editing platforms for the Consumer and the Professional. Many consumers have looked at whats available for the Pro users and have wanted these features in the lower cost home suites. All of these companies have worked hard to include as many features as possible and have done a great job at it. To extend features to the user on both skill sets is NewBlue Inc with its NewBlueFX line of products for professional looking Video Effects.

The most recent product from the company NewBlueFX Video Essentials IV offers 10 different effects with over a hundred different types of presets for a desired look and feel. We talked with Vice President of Marketing of New Blue Inc about the latest suite of effects and what can be achieved with the plugin’s which work into not only professional software packages but also the consumer level users.

Tune into TechtalkRadio and Listen Now to the Audio interview with Sandy Berman about how these features work and how you can save a few bucks ordering online. Need to Shoot at daytime but need it to look like night? Put a Clock on your screen to wind down to a particular event? Easily remove wrinkles and blemishes of your host or talent? The NewBlueFX package is capable of doing these and many other features.  Listen in at http://www.techtalkradio.com/software/newbluefx.html 

Be Sure to Visit the NewBlueFX Blog for Tutorials, Demos and Tips at

http://www.newbluefx.com/blog/category/tips-and-techniques.html

For a Limited Time, Check out the Online Coupon to Save 15%

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Great laptop cooler/stand for notebook computers

We received the USB 3.0 version of the CM Storm Strike Force SF-19 laptop cooler…
Until it’s removed from the box, it’s not apparent how sturdy it is!  Made of plastic, metal mesh, and thick rubber…I expect this can take a beating.
Notebook computers of up to 19-inch notebook can fit on it.  The SF-19 is 1 foot 7 inches wide at its top.  On the left side is a “LED ON/OFF” switch, a “MULTI-LIGHT SHADER” switch…and a speed control for the fans, which can also turn them off.  On the right side is:  the 12 volt power socket, four USB ports, and a port for the the UBS 3.0 cable.  The USB 3.0 cable is supplied to connect the cooler to a computer.  The cable is 3.5 inches long, has a Type A plug at one end, and a Micro-B plug at the other.
Installed in the unit are two 140 mm fans, which can be replaced with 120 mm fans.  Air is blown upwards towards the computer.  To access the fans, turn the SF-19 upside-down and open the access door located on the bottom.  Inside are four power connections for fans, two on each side.
An AC-to-12 volt power adapter is included.
The “MULTI-LIGHT SHADER” switch allows for the activation of seven LED colors that illumate at four locations on the bottom. (Not being an art student I can only identify:  red, green, blue, purple, and what appears to be aqua).
The rubber components of the SF-19 keep computers from slipping off, absorbs shock to protect it from damage, and are designed to assist with cable management.
Often I have complained about how flimsy other laptop platforms for notebook computers are.  The SF-19 is the ultimate solution.
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Whats Happening today at TechtalkRadio

A Few Days Left to enter the Contest for a Copy of System Mechanic 10 from iolo technologies, today around 3pm we’ll give you a chance to win with a trivia question on our Twitter Account http://www.twitter.com/techtalkradio Thats Today Around 3pm Pacific! Also – later this morning tune in for new Audio from Outsourced at we talk with Actor Ben Rappaport and we talk about trends in business with CNBC. We will also feature a new Plug in software for your Video Editing from New Blue!