The Secret of Signals

A couple of months ago, Amazon invited me to participate in its Vine program, where customers are given books, gadgets, food, and other items, in exchange for reviews (either positive or negative). In the month that I participated, I received a couple of books, a nice laptop bag, and the second generation Flip Ultra Camcorder. I was happy to receive all the free goodies, but the Flip Ultra was an especially nice item, as I've wanted a camcorder for some time.

The Flip Ultra, and its higher end cousin, the Flip UltraHD, is a hand held camcorder about the same size as most cellphones. It's a very simple to use gadget, and you can be taking your first videos about five minutes after you open the box.

With 4GB of memory, you can record up to two hours of videos with the Flip Ultra, which can be uploaded to your computer, and to the internet via the included software. Unlike the higher end HD device, I found the Flip Ultra worked with all of my computers, even my much older Powerbooks. You transfer videos to your computer via a pop-out USB attachment, which attaches directly to your computer, or use a USB extension, as I do (the USB extension is not included with the camcorder).

I find the camcorder to be very comfortable to hold and use. It fits into a pocket of my camera bag, so I take it with me whenever I'm out shooting photos. The Flip Ultra adjusts easily to differing light conditions, though I have found it works best in well lit indoor light, or outdoor in lightly overcast or clear days (but not in direct light or in extreme conditions of light and shadow). The LED is more than large enough to easily see what you're recording, and viewable in bright daylight.

It's an exceptional device for recording people, or anything that's approximate 5 to 15 feet from the camcorder. It would be a very good device for podcasting, or filming your daughter on the piano, or your son doing his homework. Farther out than that, though, and people become too small. There is a zoom built into the camcorder, but the resolution of the zoomed image isn't very good. I don't recommend depending on the zoom.

The camera shoots 30 frames per second, with a resolution of 640 x 480. The light sensitivity is not as good as the HD model, but sufficient in most cases. The sensor is a 1/4" VGA CMOS sensor, 5.6 µm pixels, and the bitrate is 4.0 Mbps, with an auto-adaptive algorithm. What this means is that the quality is good, but don't expect the same quality as a higher end camcorder. But then again, don't expect to shell out the same $1000.00 you'd need for higher end camcorder, either. (See the Flip Ultra camcorder spec page for more details.)

As for audio, the sound quality on the device is very good. In fact, the pickup on the device is surprisingly good, considering that the microphone is towards you, and the camcorder is such a small device.

It runs on two AA batteries, which last about 3-4 hours, filming and uploading. Included with the camera is a component cable (for connecting the camcorder directly to your TV for playback), a little carrying bag, wrist strap, batteries, and software that allows you to email videos directly, do some minor editing and store and catalog the videos, as well as upload directly to YouTube.

No, it's not an iPhone

Recently Michael Arrington wrote in Techcrunch and in The Washington Post that Flip has little chance in an iPhone World.

The new iPhone takes very good video (640 x 480). That isn't as good as the Flip, but it's still able to shoot perfectly good videos on the go (example), which is exactly what the Flip is for. And the iPhone has something that the Flip will never realistically have, cellular and wifi connectivity that lets you upload your videos immediately. No need to sync back with your base computer to edit the video and upload it. You can do basic editing right on the iPhone, and publish it to YouTube immediately. As an added bonus, that video can be geo-stamped via the phones GPS capability.

That makes it significantly more useful as a video device than the Flip, and worth the reduction in quality. You already have to make some quality tradeoffs with the Flip anyway, so if you are going to have a second video device after your iPhone, it may as well be a slightly bigger video camera that you keep in your bag. I just don't see people grabbing that Flip when they run out the door.

Actually, I do grab the Flip when I leave the house with my camera case, since it's included in a pocket of the case.

The mistake Arrington makes is that he's assuming we're all running around with high-end cellphones. Though the iPhone is popular, it is still a niche market item. What the Flip provides is a very inexpensive camcorder (I've seen prices ranging up to $128.00 US), that's extremely easy to use. It would make a great gift for new parents or old parents, alike. It would also be a nice gift for a friend or family member heading off on a long trip, or on some other new adventure.

Best of all, it doesn't come tethered to a two year cellphone contract that costs upwards of a hundred bucks a month.

Audio Slideshows

I found one other purpose for the Flip Ultra, and that's as an audio recording device.

I've long been interested in trying my hand at audio slideshows, but didn't have a voice recorder small enough to carry around with me. The Flip Utra is small enough to fit in my camera bag, and the good sound pickup works about as well as a small audio recording device. When I get home, I separate the video and audio (using Quicktime Pro), and then use the video part to help me catalog the locations associated with the sound files. A simple sound only recorder wouldn't provide that visual cue.

Frankly, I've had a gas with the little device. There may be a day when I'll want to go with a higher end camcorder, but the Flip is more than sufficient for my current needs.

You can see some of my playing around with the Flip Ultra out at my new Youtube channel (YouTube channel...my, aren't I precious). My first try at creating an audio slideshow is below, with photos and sound grabbed from the Shaw Nature Center, just outside of St. Louis. Typically you have a different sound file for each slide, but it's a start.

Today marks the 40th anniversary when a group of three men shook the dirt of this mud ball from their shoes, in order to plant their feet where no man has gone before. Today marks the anniversary of the take off of the Apollo 11.

You might be considering dusting off your version of "The Right Stuff" to honor the occasion, but I'd like to recommend another film, a gentle, quirky charmer from Australia, called The Dish.

The Dish is a semi-fictional, semi-biographical accounting of the part that the telescope at the Parkes Observatory in Australia played in the Apollo 11 mission. Late in the Apollo 11 planning mission, NASA officials decided to telecast the first moon steps via television, and the Parkes telescope, along with the telescope at Honeysuckle Creek, also in Australia, would be the primary receiving stations for the signals. They would then send these signals on to NASA in the US, which would, in turn, broadcast the show to the world.

The movie focuses on fictional members of the Parkes Observatory crew, and one individual from NASA, as well as the people in the town associated with the observatory. Though based on a real event, some of movie's storyline was fictionalized for artistic purposes. However, much of the movie reflects history as it happened, including the gale force winds that kicked up just when the telescope was needed, putting both it and the people operating it at physical risk.

The cast of the movie includes Sam Neill as the leader of the Australian crew, ably assisted by Patrick Warburten as the NASA rep. In my opinion, though, the story line that takes place in Parkes, where Roy Billing plays mayor, was just as compelling.

No mad chases, no computer graphics, or robots that turn into cars. This is a movie about a telescope in the middle of a sheep paddoc. And it's the story, ultimately, of Apollo 11, and how one single event made the world just a little smaller.

You can catch "The Dish" online at Amazon Video on Demand, iTunes, Netflix Watch Now, or wherever you get your DVDs. If you're considering a double feature, you might also want to check out Space Cowboys, another charmer that doesn't disappoint.

And in celebration of Apollo 11:

• On Eagle's Wing: The Story of the Parkes Apollo 11 support
• How the Moonwalk was seen live in Western Australia
• It's all a hoax: Six percent of Americans think the Apollo 11 landing was a hoax via 3Quarks Daily
• But 25% of British respondents to a survey felt the Apollo 11 landing was a hoax via Danny Ayers
• Scientists and others fight back against the myth, with Moon Base Clavius
• Follow along with Apollo 11 with We Choose the Moon -- a realtime recreation of the entire Apollo 11 mission
• NPR story on the erased Apollo 11 tapes - rather represents NASA to me: acts of astounding brilliance and bravery, occasionally marred by bureaucratic screw ups
• The Apollo program pages at the Smithsonian
• NASA Apollo mission audio and video media
• Docking of the command and lunar modules from the Guardian.
• NASA Apollo 11 media
• Boston Globe collection of Apollo 11 photos - stop whatever you're doing, and click this link, now.
• From doughnuts to liftoff, Apollo Launch was a blast from CNN
• NASA Apollo 40th Anniversary pages
• Partially restored HD Apollo 11 videos

update Fascinating comment thread related to a review of the book "Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon". Note that the Gene Kranz referenced in the thread is the Gene Kranz who was the flight director for the Apollo missions. He was played by Ed Harris in the movie, "Apollo 13". Sometimes comments, even acrimonious comments, are like little snapshots of history.

Plus, irreverent look at the moon landing, by The Onion. And there's a video, too. Neither is safe for work, kids. No, really, I mean it.

And the last word, or should I say note, goes to the Chairman of the Board

Good times for science fiction fans. This week marks the return of the popular series, Eureka, on the newly named SyFy channel. No, not "see-fee", "Sci Fi".

This week also marks the debut of the new series, Warehouse 13. If you don't have the SyFy channel on cable, the pilot for the show can be found at Hulu, at the SyFy show site, and also available, for free, in HD quality, at Amazon Video on Demand, and iTunes.

I watched the show using my Roku box and via Amazon VOD. The digital quality was excellent, the streaming more than sufficient.

Warehouse 13 is about a secret government-run warehouse in the badlands of South Dakota, which contains all manner of supernatural and super science oddities. The main characters are a mysterious woman, known as Mrs. Frederick (played by C. C. H. Pounder), who recruits members for an organization to locate, and bring back, whatever dangerous oddities still exist in the wild. The crew consists of Arthur "Artie" Nielsen (played by Saul Rubinek), the long time team member, who is newly joined by two Secret Service agents: Peter Lattimer (played by Eddie McClintock) and Myka Bering (played by Joanne Kelly). He's loose, she's uptight, and yes, this has been done before. However, they pull it off well, especially the Bering character. And Saul Rubinek is excellent in the show, taking his character, Artie, beyond the typical mad genius who is above emotional turmoil. The man gets mad, looses his cool, worries about people, but still manages to come off quirky, and fun.

The pilot has the team hunting the jeweled comb of Lucretia Borgia, allowing for a strong female protagonist, making a nice change from the typical science fiction program, with male or monster baddies.

Will you like Warehouse 13? If you like Steampunk, Eureka at its more serious, X-Files, at its lighter and quirkier moments, you'll probably like Warehouse 13. At a minimum, you can check out the pilot for free.

Other things to watch this week:

• Watching "Maxed Out" on Netflix Watch Now. "Maxed Out" is a documentary on the credit card business, and is both fascinating, and more than a little chilling. If you don't have access to Netflix Watch Now, it's also available as Amazon VOD, and on iTunes. Recommended.
• Watching the Doctor Who special show, "The Next Doctor" via iTunes on my AppleTV. This show features the tenth Doctor Who, David Tennant, who will be ending his stint this year. A pity, too, as he was an excellent Doctor. Frankly, I'm not sure about the next, much younger Doctor. It's an interesting experiment on the part of the series, but could backfire. Regardless, "The Next Doctor" is prime Doctor Who, and any Doctor fan will want to view it. It's free for you folks in the UK. The rest of us will have to get it through iTunes, or via DVD or TV (BBC America).

• Watching "The 3D Sun", on Hulu. This 30 minute documentary put out by NASA covers Stereo, positioning satellites in parallel, equidistant from the earth, in order to provide a 3D look at the Sun's activity. The show features excellent interviews, a nice overview of how the Sun's activity impacts on the us, and wonderful visuals. Of course, what we've come to expect from NASA. If you can't access Hulu, you can access the video at the STEREO Mission site. It's also been released to theaters as 3D, but I hate the stupid glasses. Watch it on your computer instead.

  

• For all you old Star Trek fans, You can access shows at YouTube, as well as the CBS.com site, in addition to accessing on Watch Now, and on iTunes. In other words, there's always some Star Trek to watch. It has to be better than watching the latest episode of "You Can Dance!"

Happy viewing.

The switch to digital TV within the US will happen in less than three weeks. However, according to the Government run DTV web site, 42% of the TV broadcast market has already made the transition.

If you're reading this page via the Internet, I'm guessing you've already made your DTV switch. However, just in case I'm wrong, or you have family or friends who don't understand the DTV switch, the FCC has contracted with vendors to provide DTV support centers and events, which can be located in this DTV help center map. There are also DTV converter box coupons still available, though it's probably too late to get the coupon before the conversion.

As for antennas, based on my own experience, I recommend the Terk HDTVa Indoor Amplified High-Definition Antenna. Once I installed it, I was able to pick up an additional 5 channels, and I've had a much more consistent signal from all the channels. It's one of the larger indoor antennas, but the price is good (I purchased at Amazon, where it's currently listed for $36.85), as is the performance.

Congress today voted to make the DTV transition even more confusing by pushing back the date given on every billboard and in every commercial an additional four months. The cut-off date is now June 12th...sort of.

According to a Washington Post story on the delay

The House today has voted to delay the nation's transition to digital television by four months, less than two weeks before broadcasters were scheduled to turn off traditional analog signals and air only digital programming Feb. 17.

An additional impact of the new legislation is that DTV conversion coupons that expired are now good again, for a limited time.

What all of this means is that the people who ignored all of the warnings and pleas for the last year, can now ignore another four months of the same. This also means that those of us who did what was necessary for the transition have to put up with the constant barrage of noise about the DTV switch for another four months.

What's worse, though, is that those stations ready to make the switch can switch, which will now result in a patchwork of cut-offs, rather than the one clean cut-off date for everyone.

Acting Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael J. Cops said today that 143 broadcasters have already terminated their analog signals and another 60 stations plan to do so before Feb. 17. Other stations have told the agency they plan to shut off analog signals on the original transition date, but they may choose to remain on the air.

Except that it typically costs a station $10,000 a month to continue with both analog and digital signals at the same time. I think we'll find more than a few stations making the transition on the earlier, February 17th date.

Additional information at Broadcasting and Cable.