iSee video

[jgp]

I have several friends in consumer electronics manufacturing. They have told me that Apple is developing a digital video camera (iSee?) with a major video manufacturer (unknown). Apparently they are marrying an iPod mechanism to a video camera (I was not aware the iPod could record that fast). Word is that a user can independently control frame rate, color depth, and resolution! It can record full motion video, to stills, to audio only. If so, this would represent a completely new way of looking at video – rather than inexpensive media that builds up in the closet, you have very expensive media that is permanently in the camera. This more closely ties the camera to the computer – just what Apple would like to see. Also ties nicely into the digital hub concept.

No word on cost, but it is supposed to be quite small, but can take interchangeable lenses. I hope it is something like the Nikon Coolpix. If it has truly adjustable frame rate, I hope that means time lapse photography. I would love to travel with this thing in my pocket and record a frame every two seconds through a snake lens as I walk the back streets of Hong Kong. I’ll buy one!

 

[cubist]

This story seems to come up frequently, along with stories of the color screen iPod. As an MP3 player, the iPod certainly does not need a color screen. The story usually posits that the camera is not that high in resolution - it's not a multi-megapixel still camera - but is for storing motion clips. I would be very happy to see it come true, and the idea is certainly unique enough that it could.

But what really intrigued me was your signature: "Neither leisurely foreigner seize the weird heifer on the height as a forfeit to the sovereign sheik." This is the I before E sentence that my father remembered incorrectly and I couldn't find anywhere. I am deeply grateful.

As an insignificant token of gratitude I offer a humble limerick:
There was an old man with a plough,
Who was sick for twenty days through.
As it happened, though,
It was only a cough.
That silly old man had enough.

 

[HasanDaddy]

so would this be a 3 CCD camera? or just a megapixel 1 CCD camera???

 

[LethalWolfe]

Re: iSee video

Originally posted by jgp
I have several friends in consumer electronics manufacturing. They have told me that Apple is developing a digital video camera (iSee?) with a major video manufacturer (unknown). Apparently they are marrying an iPod mechanism to a video camera (I was not aware the iPod could record that fast). Word is that a user can independently control frame rate, color depth, and resolution! It can record full motion video, to stills, to audio only. If so, this would represent a completely new way of looking at video – rather than inexpensive media that builds up in the closet, you have very expensive media that is permanently in the camera. This more closely ties the camera to the computer – just what Apple would like to see. Also ties nicely into the digital hub concept.

No word on cost, but it is supposed to be quite small, but can take interchangeable lenses. I hope it is something like the Nikon Coolpix. If it has truly adjustable frame rate, I hope that means time lapse photography. I would love to travel with this thing in my pocket and record a frame every two seconds through a snake lens as I walk the back streets of Hong Kong. I’ll buy one!

What yer describing is highly unlikely but closer to impossible.

1. Controlling color depth and res: If the user can do this then the camera will not be a DV camera which doesn't make much sense for Apple to not use a standard it helped define.

2. Rec to HDD: A tapeless camera is fine until you run outta room and have to dump everything onto yer computer. DV eats space at about 12gigs/hour of footage. Sooner or later you are going to have to put footage to tape or erase it (DVD is not a good way to store footage).

3. Physical size: It won't be a "handycam" sized device if it has interchangable lenses. Maybe you were thinking of lense adaptors (which most consumer camcorders have)?

That said, I'd love for Apple to do for video cameras what it did for MP3 players.


Lethal

 

[jgp]

DV will still work

I do not see why one cannot have full motion DV as just one option in a whole range of color depth and resolution settings. You are right that high def video chews up the media, conversly, at low res 240x180 black and white, one might be able to record 10 or 20 hours. It should be up the user to determine how they want to record.

Of course you need to dump this onto a computer! That is what Apple wants, they want you to dump it preferably onto an Apple computer.

 

[HasanDaddy]

Well lets put it this way -

a DV tape can hold an hour of footage

So if its HD based, then Apple will either put an inexpensive 40 to 60 gig drive (3 to 5 hours of shooting) or interchangable 10 gig drives (which would be inexpensive)

So I think an HD based camera is VERY possible.......and if it was 3 CCD with 16:9 support, I would most definitely seriously consider purchasing it!

 

[LethalWolfe]

Re: DV will still work

Originally posted by jgp
I do not see why one cannot have full motion DV as just one option in a whole range of color depth and resolution settings. You are right that high def video chews up the media, conversly, at low res 240x180 black and white, one might be able to record 10 or 20 hours. It should be up the user to determine how they want to record.

Of course you need to dump this onto a computer! That is what Apple wants, they want you to dump it preferably onto an Apple computer.

Color depth and shooting in B&W are 2 seperate things. Color depth is how many bits are used to store color information (how many colors can the camera capture). If you change the color depth and/or resolution settings you are no longer using the DV format (you are still shooting digital video, but it's not "DV"). I can't see Apple introducing a propriatary format or codec when they've worked so hard to help make DV the future of con/prosumer video. Besides that, unless it was for web viewing why would you want to shoot anything at 240x180. That would look terrible on a TV.

HDD is possible but, IMO, it's not very practical. Like I said in my first post, sooner or later you are either going to have to start destroying media, or buying more HDDs to hold all yer home movies (or borrowing someones tape-based camera and copying footage to tape). If the camera has a fixed internal drive that saves you from fumbling around w/tapes, but that also means you always have to have a computer w/you so you can dump the video when the camera gets full. Of course you could try a modular HDD design, but then you are fumbling w/big, expensive HDDs (by comparision) instead of fumbling w/ small, inexpensive tapes.

5hrs (60gigs) of storage using current 2.5" laptop drives= ~$230
5hrs of good DV tape=~$20

A 3-chip camera w/true 16:9 is going to be a $3000-$4000 camera (going by current standards).

I spend most of my day shuttling thru tape and recording things an 1x speed so I'd love nothing more than to pull footage from a HDD instead of tape, but it's just not practical right now.


Lethal