Digital Home Thoughts - News & Reviews for the Digital Home

"In this video, we take a look at two Canon DSLRs - the 7D and the 5D Mark II. If you've got either one of the triple digit-D or double digit-D DSLRs from Canon, which of the two makes the ideal body to upgrade to? We take them out to compare some of the best bits of each camera...but the weather takes a turn for the worst. Find out to see if these cameras survive the Hong Kong Typhoons."

The Canon 7D is an impressive piece of technology, and offers significant value for the dollar. If I was a Canon shooter instead of a Nikon shooter, I guarantee I'd have the 7D. This video offers some interesting comparisons between the two models. Well worth watching!

"The new Stealth ultra small form factor PC offers tremendous processing power in a tiny package that measures only 4.0" x 6.1" x 1.45" (102mm x 155mm x 37mm) or about the size of a paperback novel. The machine weighs in at a mere 1.2lbs or .62kg. The Stealth ultra small PC outperforms most other small sized PC systems due to the integration of the latest Intel® Core™ 2 Duo mobile processors."

Tiny PCs have always held a special place in my heart. Small and out of the way, they accomplish much the same as a regular desktop would. I will admit that industrial grade computers are probably a bit too much for me (I do not abuse my computers that much!) they have been keeping up. A Core2Duo CPU, while not the most current, definately is no slouch, and probably helps to reduce heat output. It is interesting that it has serial ports, but considering this is an industrial device, I know a lot of equipment sitll works using the long forgotten connectors. Should I ever need a PC running in my garage, I will know where to look.

Since most Thoughts Media readers are using high-speed Internet, I decided this article would benefit everyone, so it's one of our rare across-the-network pieces of content. I hope you find it useful!

Figure 1: What is this, 1994 all over again?

Whenever bandwidth is discussed, there's always lots of finger pointing because there are so many variables, and players involved, that it's rarely a simple issue. My particular bandwidth bugaboo this morning? I was ticked off that Dropbox (referral) was only uploading at 10 KB/s. I left a 900 MB transfer running all night and it wasn't finished in the morning, and that's when I discovered the awful speed. My first instinct was to point a finger at Dropbox, thinking there was some sort of bandwidth throttling going on. I did a speed test with a tool my ISP provides (speedtest.shaw.ca) and was shocked to see 1.7 Mbps downloads and 107 kbps uploads (Figure 1). It's normally 20x that on downloads and 10x that on uploads, so I knew something was wrong beyond just Dropbox. Read more...

"We want YouTube to be the best place to upload video. Without question, the number one requested feature by our creators is to upload videos longer than 10 minutes. We’ve heard you, and today we’re pleased to announce that we’ve increased the upload limit to 15 minutes."

While I am sure that many will welcome the increased time limit, I have to admit, in a way, I will miss the old limit. With 10 minutes, people were forced, if only gently, to keep their videos short and concise. Sort of like a Tweet. I kind of liked the idea that I could hop on, watch something quick, and then be done before the boss has a chance to notice what I am doing. An extra 5 minutes can make a entertaining video into a long, drawn out affair. Anyone have plans to make use of your extra time? What will you do with it?

"Panasonic today introduced the Panasonic HM-TA1, a new Full High Definition (HD), 1920 x 1080 pixels-capable mobile video camera with pocket-sized dimensions for ultimate portability and ideal for on-the-go shooting opportunities. With an easy-to-use design intended for intuitive operation, the TA1 features an integrated USB terminal and software that allows for easy PC connection and uploading videos to online sharing sites such as YouTubeTM and Facebook®. The TA1 also supports the Apple© iFrame video format (960 x 540/30p), which is optimal for Mac® users to import quickly and maintain small file sizes. When using iMovie®, the iFrame video data in the video camera is the same format as the one that is used to edit."

I have a bit of a funny relationship with small, pocket cameras - I received a Flip Mino HD a couple of years ago at a Mobius event, and I used it exactly once. I simply didn't see the purpose - I could get better quality video from a point and shoot video camera, as well as take pictures, so what was the point? Then my wife and I had a kid. Things completely changed - now the Flip Mino gets almost daily use in our house. It's all about the right tools for the right job, and the Panasonic HM-TA1 looks like it would be a very worthy replacement for my Flip Mino HD. It offers 1080p (and the sissy-format iFrame from Apple) recording, can work as a Webcam, electronic image stabilization, and use SD memory cards. The one thing I don't see mentioned is the focal range of the lens; I find that the Flip Mino HD is difficult to use close up - I quite often have to take a step back when I want to use it, which I dislike. I also like that the Panasonic HM-TA1 (awful name!) has physical buttons - I think Flip made a huge mistake with their move to touch sensitive buttons on their new model

Full press release and more images after the break.

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"Camera releases are somewhat a by-the-numbers thing with so many different variations being released by numerous companies throughout the year. Samsung's pair here does have some interesting standout features, but one at a time."

Samsung's got a pair of interesting cameras; the first one, the ST80, offers a standard 3x zoom lens (35-105 equivalent; people still make them?), a 3" touchscreen with no physical controls at the back, 720p video, and Wifi to upload files directly to photo sharing and social network sites. After having played around with the latest generation of smartphones, I think it would be cooler if cameras now start adding Bluetooth so we can use our phones to share those social snaps taken on something better than crappy cellphone cameras.

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"The A390 is essentially an A380 with some subtle ergonomic changes, specifically a new, more substantial grip, and a reshaped top plate. As a relatively minor upgrade, the A390 was never going to warrant a full, in-depth review, but we're curious to see what Sony has changed in its latest midrange DSLR. When we reviewed the A380, one of our main criticisms of the camera's handling was Sony's change from the bulbous, almost oversized grip of the A350 to the more minimal, somewhat sharp lines of its predecessor. Has Sony taken a welcome step back in the right direction?"

So, dpreview.com takes a very quick look at the Sony A390, which in many ways is a very minor update of the A380. Ignoring the mirrorless competition, the A390's output looks dated. The output looks worse than the Nikon D3000 in some areas, and that camera is using a sensor that is some 4 to 5 years old. Newer cameras like the Nikon D5000 and the cheaper Pentax K-x easily best it. It makes me wonder where a big company like Sony is taking the Alpha system to; loyal Minolta users deserve better!

"Imagine if you were in a real-life role similar to Daniel Zavitz in the film Enemy of the State. You’re locked in your apartment when you realize you have to transfer a huge video file quickly before leaving. Bad guys will be busting your door down any second. If your options were based on modern USB 3.0 solutions, which drive would you grab?"

Flash drives were a great idea. When they first arrived, USB ports were already becoming common place and storage needs for transporting files were exceeding what the ancient Floppy drive could support. There were some alternatives, the most common being CD-Rs and CD-RWs, however, the process in using them was complex and annoying. I believe that flash drives really took off when USB 2.0 was widely adopted. Using older USB 1.1 ports, transferring files was still agonizingly slow. With USB 2.0, files moved at a cheerful rate. With larger files though, this no longer seems to be the case. USB 3.0 seems to be the solution, but have you seen the size of some of those drives? USB flash drives are handy because they are portable, and by portable, I mean fit on your keychain and not having to worry about it stuffing your pockets portable. Some of these look like they pack hard drives in them. I guess it will be a few more months, maybe years, before we see everyone using USB 3.0 flash drives, unless some of you out there need that extra speed more than pocket space.

"Microsoft and Blue Line Innovations have announced a partnership designed to give consumers real-time information about their home energy use. Blue Line's popular energy tracking device combined with Microsoft Hohm can now give you information (in graph and chart form) about household energy use, its cost, and where you can save the most."

I'd really like to get this type of granular information, but I don't think I'd be able to realize enough cost savings to pay for the equipment. I'm waiting for my local utility to get in gear and start providing this information. About two years ago, they went around installing smart meters with the whole song and dance about enabling conservation through allowing users to monitor their usage in real-time over the web. In reality they've only used it to avoid having to send a person out to physically read the meter. Supposedly the features I want are "Coming Soon".

"Like Panasonic's new 3D-capable HDC-SDT750 camcorder but don't want to shell out $1,400 for a brand-new kit? Get a load of this Micro Four Thirds lens. That's right, Panny's just announced an interchangeable 3D lens that affixes to the standard Lumix G-series mount."

3D 3D 3D; it seems the manufacturers are betting big on this. Me? Well, let's see: Loss of light, lower saturation, annoying glasses, little value-add, a whole lot of expensive gear, new workflows to manage, and hope that your audience has the right gear to see it right. Nope, not convinced. Plus, two lenses separated by a few millimetres does not seem to be really doing anything worthwhile. 3D is about as bad as Kodak trying to invent a new consumer film format every 15 years or so. Those of you old enough will remember how well those turned out!