Creative Cow

I've made mention of Creative Cow back in the days of the podcast, but I think it deserves another plug. They now offer a great magazine, in addition to all of the great resources on the site. For those that may not know, Creative Cow is a great resource for information and tutorials on a wide range of video production software, as well as some great hardware info. They feature forums that are visited by some of the best in their field. You'll even find forums and tutorials on Sony Vegas. An often overlooked application by many such sites.

The list of all the other supported apps is just way too extensive to list here. You can even find podcasts from the Cow on iTunes, and an RSS feed. Don't blame me if you spend the rest of your day there. At least go and sign up for the magazine. You'll be glad you did.

Sanyo VPC-C40 Camcorder

This little flash camcorder is pretty amazing. I just came across this at Radio Shack as a closeout. You might still be able to find one at a local store. I couldn't resist the $200 price tag. Sure, it won't take the place of even a mid line MiniDV camcorder, but it has a couple of definite advantages.

Looking to take a trip in the next few months, I was hesitant to drag both a camcorder, and a still camera along with all our stuff. Sure, my still camera does take short movies, but they are terrible quality. Not only does this thing take vga quality video that's surprisingly decent, but it actually takes quite good still shots as well. Yes, it's only a 4MP imager, but as most of you know, a higher number here does not guarantee a better camera.

You can find a number of videos on Youtube from this camera, including this one that demonstrates the rather respectable macro mode. Unfortunately, Youtube does tend to put a hurt on video quality, so it's not the best representation.

Vizio L42 Plasma HDTV

This Vizio L42 is the most recent addition to our home entertainment rig. It will also be used for some client presentations. These sets can be found online for a heck of a deal these days, as was this one.

It's a respectable performer, and actually looked better than some bigger name brand units. It's currently being used with a non upscaling DVD player, and the set's own upscaler does a very nice job. I've also added an outdoor antenna, and receive the local stations with no trouble at all. It's with an HD source where this set really shows it's stuff.

As with many of these displays, it also features a VGA input for use as an enormous computer monitor. As I've often considered one of the DIY PVR/media center projects out there, this will be a big plus. Sure, the L42 lacks some of the features of more expensive rigs, but for the money, it's hard to complain.