30 December 2001

Darling, ich bin im Weblog - ORF: "Wenn ich wissen will, was gewisse Leute treiben, rufe ich sie mitnichten an, sondern besuche ihren Weblog".

[ ORF @ FM4]: "habe ich schon gesagt, dass Blogging süchtig macht? Dass man dauernd nachschaut, ob schon wieder jemand was Lustiges/Spannendes/Wissenswertes gepostet hat? Oder auf den eigenen Comment replied hat? Oder dass man schneeball-mäßig immer mehr Weblogs findet, die man sich täglich anschaut, um zu wissen, wie's weitergeht? So ein bisschen wie in einer halbrealen Seifenoper (denn irgendwie bleibt alles im Netz ja immer virtuell) oder vielleicht einer Form des "Reality-Web". Man fühlt sich den AutorInnen nach einer Weile so verbunden, dass man unbedingt wissen möchte, wie ihr Tag denn so war...."

Aus der Serie "Alles für die junge Dame von heute: Pop, TV-Kultur, Style, Klatsch und Diskurs. Auch für den aufgeschlossenen jungen Herrn geeignet." Von "Sonja". [ via Dienstraum ] (December 30., 2001, )

Journalisten und Weblogs - Trüffelschweine in den Fachgebieten unterwegs

Artikel von Sabrina Ortmann über bloggernde Kollegen, mit Zitaten von Heine, Praschl, Klein und Jungbluth. [via WWk, editorialnotes ] (December 29., 2001, )

"UseTheSource is a technology news web site devoted to hype free information. UseTheSource links to selected web sites providing news and is edited to sort the wheat and remove all the chaff. You won't find stories here about the latest virus, or gloating dot.com-failure write ups. You will find links to concrete information and a large amount of silliness."

Welcome, soul mate!
(December 29., 2001, )

AppleScripts expand iTunes 2.0 features -

[ MacCentral ]: "Looking to add some features and functionality to iTunes 2.0? Be sure to download iTunes Scripts for iTunes 2.0 from Apple's Web site. The collection adds more than two-dozen features to iTunes through the use of AppleScript." [ more... ] (December 21., 2001, )

"Andrew Pearce: 'The OSX version is 3.5, while out other versions are up to 4. We're working on version 3.51 and we want to get that out soon to resolve issues with version 10.1. We're also working to synchronize all the versions of Maya. We decided to go with 3.5 because it was stable. Otherwise, we plan to start showing the new Maya for OSX at trade fairs and roadshows.'" [ more... ]
For our German speaking readers (or German reading readers?), there's an in-depth review of Maya 3.5 in our features section. (December 21., 2001, )

Maxon released a free upgrade for CINEMA 4D XL R7 that updates the award-winning 3D modeling, animation and rendering package to version 7.3. In addition to maintenance fixes, the upgrade provides close integration with leading compositing software package Adobe After Effects.The most powerful new feature in CINEMA 4D XL R7.3 is the ability to transfer multi-pass renderings seamlessly to Adobe After Effects 5.0. Also new in XL 7.3 and NET is the distribution of radiosity solutions. This greatly improves the quality of Global Illumination renderings within the network. Further improvements in XL7.3 include a fully functional CINEMA 4D NET for Mac OS X plus enhanced OpenGL support.
(Falls jemand es noch nicht weiss: der Maxon-Netzwerkrenderer ist auch auf unserem Mist gewachsen).

BBEdit 6.5.1 Updater adds language support for Java Server Pages (JSP), and an improved "bbedit" command-line tool, which allows BBEdit to be used as an external editor for Unix programs on Mac OS X. This update also incorporates improvements for running Unix scripts (such as Perl, Python and shell scripts), a scriptable "Preview as Text" command, and a simplified interface for choosing a default Mac OS API reference, as well as an assortment of other enhancements and fixes.

Apple has released Open Firmware Password 1.0.2 , a new version of its open firmware protection software for Mac OS X 10.1 or later on machines with Firmware update 4.1.7 or later.

LimeWire 2.0 adds a number of new features, including a simplified interface, the ability to swarm downloads from multiple hosts, a new Ultrapeer technology that reduces bandwidth requirements, support for browser and file launching in Mac OS X, and more.
(December 21., 2001, )

Photoshop 7.0, iDVD review -

MacMinute has learned that the Mac OS X-compatible Adobe Photoshop 7.0 will be released sometime around April of next year and will not make its debut at Macworld Expo in San Francisco next month. The much-anticipated image manipulation application is still in beta testing after moving from internal alpha testing in late November.

A pretty extensive review of iDVD 2 running on OS X 10.1: Authoring with iDVD 2 - OS 10.1 (December 18., 2001, )

A discussion on Creative Mac about the future of QuickTime and open standards like MPEG-4. According to Casanova, QuickTime 6 will use MPEG-4 as its file format. The article also discusses how open standards like MPEG-4 and the AAC audio component fit in with competing technologies from Microsoft and Real.

Casanova: "MPEG-4 continues the lineage of the MPEG family. MPEG-1 was great for CD-ROM distribution. MPEG-2 was targeted at a much higher data rate, much higher quality, and it found its way into areas like DVD playback and for HDTV and for some of the satellite communications where bandwidth is really not constrained. But MPEG-4 is the MPEG for the Internet. It takes lower than MPEG-1 data rates and practically MPEG-2 quality and makes it available for people to stream over the Internet, which is high and to the right, exactly where you want to see this go." (December 18., 2001, )

Final Cut Pro 3 Reviewed - LAFCPUG (a.k.a Los Angeles Final Cut Pro User Group) has examined FCP3

[ LAFCPUG ]: "Any one of these features alone would make this a valuable upgrade, combined they add an awesome amount of extra power to Final Cut Pro 3. The features in this release are clearly aimed at the 'high end' of the market as well as providing features every working editor will value.

• G4 real-time Effects
  
• OS X support
  
• Color Correction & Color Correction Workflow
  
• OfflineRT
  
• Record Voice Over to the Timeline
  
• QuickView - RAM Preview
  
• Boris Calligraphy Text Generators
  
• Video Scopes - Waveform Monitor, Vectorscope, Histogram and RGB Parade
  
• CGM Filters and Transitions
  
• Autosave Vault
  
• External Editors
  
• Compression and Chapter Markers ready for when DVD Studio Pro 2 for Mac OS X ships.
  
• Dozens of other features"

Media100i now with complete I/O capabilities -

[ MacCentral ]: "Media 100, the folks who develop advanced media systems, has beefed up their Media 100 i and iFinish family of dual-stream digital media systems.

Designed for professional digital media artists and broadcast designers who want to create high-quality digital media content enhanced with visual effects, Media 100 is now offering professional-level I/O capabilities - including direct I/O for the highest quality DV, composite, S-Video and analog component input - standard on all models of Media 100i and iFinish, said Mike Savello, VP of Dual Stream Systems for Media 100. Media 100i is a combination of hardware and software that turns a Power Mac G4 into a streaming media production system." [ more... ] (December 12., 2001, )

[ MacMinute ]: "In a surprise announcement today, RealNetworks said it will support MPEG-4, the emerging open standard for digital video, in upcoming versions of its RealSystem iQ and RealOne media player products, according to c|net . The MPEG-4 file format is based on Apple's QuickTime file format, as Apple has been a key supporter of the technology since its early development, and is widely considered to be the standard for solutions such as wireless streaming video and Internet distribution of full-length movies."[ more... ]

[ c|net ]:"Until now, Apple Computer and a raft of other technology heavyweights have led the public charge for MPEG-4, creating a trade group last year called the Internet Streaming Media Association (ISMA) to push for the standard. But neither RealNetworks nor Microsoft has joined the group, leading some observers to speculate that both would continue to back their own proprietary formats." [ more... ] (December 12., 2001, )

Medien-Updates - Vor Weihnachten drehen die Hersteller mächtig auf:

[ Macnews.de ]: "Ein neues Plug-in der Softwarefirma Automatic Duck mit dem Namen Automatic Composition Import FCP soll komplette Timelines und Videomaterial von Final Cut Pro für die Weiterbearbeitung von Filmprojekten in Adobe After Effects 5.5 aufbereiten."

Alias|Wavefront will Maya an OS10.1 anpassen: wie in meinem Review-Artikel für MacUp beschrieben, hinkt Maya 3.5 für OSX deutlich hinter den anderen Plattformen hinterher und ist - gelinde gesagt - lieblos optimiert. Alias|Wavefront hat nun eine Liste mit Anpassungen und Updates veröffentlicht. Alles in allem bleibt wohl die Grundaussage des Artikel bestehen: vorläufig Finger weg von Maya OSX.

Neuer Quicktime-Code für MacOS9/X -- VP3, ein OpenSource-Videocodec, der mit 200 kbps eine VHS-ähnliche Qualität erzielen soll, wurde an Quicktime angepasst. Mit QT 5 soll man VP3-kodierte Videos ansehen und mit QT5 Pro auch bearbeiten können. (December 7., 2001, )

Happy Birthday, Quicktime! - Quicktime is ten years old and going stronger than ever

The Little QuickTime Page has a link compilation of articles that celebrate QuickTime's ten year history:

A siliconvalley.com article, "Pioneering QuickTime still dominates the multimedia picture"
A Macworld UK article, "QuickTime Turns Ten" (which also covers a bit of QuickTime's future, particularly its relationship to MPEG4.)
A Hollywood Reporter article, "QuickTime for a celebration " (which focuses on the significance of QuickTime to artists such as George Lucas and Todd Rundgren)
A MacCentral article, "Friends of Time Celebrate Quicktime's big 10" (which covers the party in San Francisco this past weekend to celebrate QuickTime's tenth anniversary. (December 6., 2001, )

According to MacOSX.org, " the development of PhotoShop 6.5 is advancing rapidly and a beta is planned to be seeded in the coming months. Photoshop 6.5 has many new enhancements added, among these are, a brand new antialiasing engine that utilizes the quartz engine in OS X, live transformation previews, and a new text tool that lets you wrap text around shapes. One of the best things stated about Photoshop 6.5 is itâs speed. With OS X's speed enhancements since the release of 10.1, Photoshop 6.5 is outstanding."

Click here for a preview of Photoshop X.
(December 6., 2001, )

Final Cut Pro 3 for OSX Ready - FCP 3 offers OS X compatibility, G4 real-time, Offline realtime and more. Mac OS 9.2.2 mentioned in specs.

[ MacNN ]: "Apple today announced Final Cut Pro 3, an upgrade to Apple's professional video editing solution. Version 3 offers OS X compatibility, G4 real-time effects with real-time playback, hardware-accurate color correction tools, a new OfflineRT format for over 40 minutes of footage per gigabyte, a new Voice Over tool, an enhanced Media Manager, and timecode overlays. Upgrades to the $1000 application are $300 for v2.0 owners. It is expected to ship this month. (Note that G4 real-time effects require a 500-MHz or faster processor and that a 667-MHz PowerBook G4 is required for mobile G4 real-time effects in DV format.)"

From the Apple Final Cut 3 page: "You can use varying combinations of real-time effects and still have real-time playback, depending on the speed and number of processors in your computer. However, computers with dual processors have significant performance advantages over those with single processors (a top-of-the-line dual processor Power Mac G4 being the ultimate system for both editing and rendering digital video). (...)

Supported PCI real-time cards like the Pinnacle Systems CinŽWave for SD use Final Cut Proâs QuickTime-based architecture for seamless integration with the Motion Tab."

"OfflineRT is perfect for editing on the run, providing over 40 minutes of video per gigabyte of hard disk space. This means you can carry around massive amounts of timecode-accurate video ÷ storing more than 24 hours worth of footage on a PowerBook G4âs 48GB internal hard drive ÷ that you can reconnect to the original source material whenever youâre ready, without having to resort to special external storage solutions."

The specs also mention Mac OS 9.2.2, a sofar unreleased update for Mac OS 9.

We'll carefully test FCP 3, and the remaining question simply is: could it replace our high-end Media100 system during the planned switch from BetaCam to DVDpro next year?
(December 5., 2001, )

Good old Electric Image a.k.a. Universe 4 goes OSX and brings sweeties like a character skinning system, overall speed increases, new Modeler features and more. A trial version is avaliable.

Commotion Pro 4.1 is the latest version of the integrated paint, compositing, and special effects video software. It supports OSX and can now be directly integrated into Final Cut Pro. A free update is announced for late December. (December 5., 2001, )

3D für lau - Vollständiges 3D-Programm für Mac OSX umsonst

Wer immer schon mal hinter die sitzfleischmordenden Geheimnisse der 3D-Designs kommen wollte: Blender ist eine (tief luftholen): Modelling-, Rendering-, Animations-, Postproduction-, Cross-Plattform-, Cross-Network-3D-Software. Die 1,5 MB wiegt und nichts kostet. (December 4., 2001, majo)

Die Meinweiden - Warum auch kostenlose Webangebote ein "Copyright" brauchen - und die ganz besonders.

[ Webwriting-Magazin ]: "Die moderne Industriegesellschaft begann - unter anderem - damit, daß Menschen, die über entsprechende Machtmittel verfügten, die früher allen zur Nutzung offen stehenden "Meinweiden" (Commons) einzäunten und zum Privatbesitz erklärten." (nur scheinbar großer gedanklicher Sprung:) "Ich denke, es ist deshalb an der Zeit, eine Art GPL für Webtexte zu entwickeln, die die gleichen Funktionen übernimmt, wie die GPL im Softwarebereich. Sie sichert die Urheberschaft und das Urheberrecht derjenigen, die wirklich Besitzer des "Intellectual Property" sind - nämlich der Schreiber. Gleichzeitig stellt sie klar, daß jeder diese Texte verwenden kann, solange er sich an bestimmte Spielregeln hält. Und die wichtigsten dieser Regeln sind, daß übernommene Texte eindeutig gekennzeichnet werden, daß sie nicht zum Bestandteil kommerzieller Angebote gemacht werden dürfen, sondern daß die Werke, in deren Rahmen sie "weiterverarbeitet" werden, ebenfalls dieser GPL unterstellt werden." [ via Dienstraum ] (December 2., 2001, )

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