Looking for better ways of watching Internet video on your TV?

PVR Wire has an overview of 11 options, if you can’t wait until the Apple iTV release.

A new camera system, the Contour, promises to make it possible to create compellingly realistic synthetic actors by capturing the facial movements of real actors in much greater detail than is currently possible.

David Fincher, who directed the films “Fight Club” and “Panic Room,” is planning to use Contour next year when he begins filming “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” a movie based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald in which Brad Pitt will play a character who ages in reverse.

“Instead of grabbing points on a face, you will be able to capture the entire skin,” Mr. Fincher said. “You’re going to get all of the enormous detail and the quirks of human expression that you can’t plan for.”

The technology will let filmmakers transform the appearance of actors in the computer, raising the possibility of a new form of digital video in which the viewer can control the point of view — what is being described in Hollywood as “navigable entertainment.”

via New York Times

via Synthtopia: Numark introduced the AVM02 Audio/Video Mixer, a mixer that combines audio and video DJ features.

The AVM02 offers a range of features for live audio/visual performances, including separate replaceable DJ crossfaders, a variety of video mixing options, two video effects sections, joystick control, multiple color background options, plus PAL and NTSC compatibility.
The AVM02 includes fades, 96 wipe patterns, plus picture-in-picture (PIP) capability. And for superimposing images, this outstanding mixer provides Chroma Key (blue screen) and Luma Key (black screen) capability. For still greater variety, the AVM02 incorporates two video effects sections with mosaic, strobe, freeze, paint, and invert. Additionally, the AVM02 is capable of multiple simultaneous effects. The mixer incorporates joystick control for wipes and picture-in-picture operations and also provides ten background color options.

Numark’s new AVM02 Audio/Video Mixer will be available Q2 of 2006, and has a suggested retail price of $1299.

More information is available at the Numark site.

Open Labs, a creator of dedicated digital audio workstations, says that it’s “Time to eBay all your Cr#p!”

At the Winter NAMM Conference in Anaheim, California, the company introduced the Open Labs MiKo, an audio workstation designed for DJs, VJs, music video hobbyists, amateur musicians and podcasters. (more…)

At the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show, Thomson introduced the LYRA X3000 Personal Multimedia Recorder, a handheld multipurpose device that will soon feature secure high-speed video transfers from select DIRECTV digital video recorders.

Along with this DIRECTV2Go capability, the pocket-sized LYRA X3000 by RCA allows for the direct recording of up to 40 feature-length films from multiple video sources without using a computer and is ideal for digital subscription music content.

“The LYRA X3000 morphs into a virtual VCR, utilizing MPEG4 technology, with the capability for both real-time recording from any analog source or high-speed transfer of digitized content, plus the advantage of DVD quality picture performance when outputting to a TV,” says Thomson’s Dan Collishaw.
The LYRA X3000 features a 3.6-inch TFT color LCD screen with 320 x 240 resolution. The lightweight portable entertainment device weighs under eight ounces and is only 3/4 of an inch thick. The LYRA X3000 features a replaceable lithium ion battery providing for at least four hours of constant video playback on one charge.

It also features a Home Theater Docking Base that can be connected to a home entertainment system. The Docking Base enables easy time-shift recording of TV programs from a tuning source such as the video output of a television or cable/satellite set-top receiver. With a composite video output the X3000 is capable of displaying high-resolution photos as well as video with DVD picture quality. The X3000 is ideal for watching video content transferred from a PC, or any other source, on a television.

The DIRECTV2GO compatibility further expands the LYRA X3000’s capability for entertainment on the go. Digital quality content securely downloaded from compatible DIRECTV DVRs to the X3000 can be easily viewed on televisions located in other rooms. The device displays TV programs and program information in a format familiar to customers with these compatible DIRECTV DVRs.
Thomson Worldwide Portal - Press Details