Korean company iCube has released a new iPod dock that can record video up to 640x480 resolution and a 2.5Mbps bitrate from any composite or S-Video source (TV, camcorder, etc.) straight to the iPod. Dubbed the iRec, the device then organizes captured video and files can be transfered to your PC / Mac once synced up again with iTunes. Unfortunately, you can only schedule a stop time with its built-in record timer function. At roughly $180, the device seems a bit pricey for what its offering, but there you have it.

(via Engadget)

Select Sundance short films have started to make their way online for viewing, and today several of those have trickled into the iTunes Store for purchase. The free shorts can be streamed directly from the official Sundance website, and the seventeen download-to-own (warning: iTunes link) versions are available for just $1.99 each. There are just over 45 total shorts available, so that should keep any prospective viewers busy for a while... And don't forget about the official Sundance podcast, which is freely available for subscription in the iTunes Store.

Hungry Flix is a new distribution venture for independent video creators and filmmakers. This free service allows users to upload original videos and set their own prices on their work, with 60% of all profits going directly to the original creator. Although the website is in beta testing, a bunch of short and even feature length films are available for purchase. Notably, the site is geared towards providing content specifically for portable devices such as the iPod and Sony PSP, so the pricing reflects that target.

Apple introduced the iPhone today at their annual Macworld. The iPhone is 3 devices in one: 1) phone 2) media player 3) an internet device (a mini computer). There are devices that do similar things but none withe touchscreen interface that Apple has not only created but patented. When you watch the demos, you are astounded at the simplicity and elegance of the touchscreen implementation. OS X has never looked so good. For so long people have been talking about which product will be the iPod killer, well here it is, from Apple.

The iPhone will be released in June for the price of $499 (4GB) and $599 (8GB). It will have a Flash disk (I love it) which means less energy, less likely to break when dropped, much faster and quieter. It will be available through Cingular which probably will be the biggest drawback for many. iPhone uses quad-band GSM + EDGE phone, no 3G. It has a megapixel camera (yawn). The headphone also acts as a microphone. Because the operating system is basically OS X, we can assume it is only Mac compatible. Update: People have commented that it will be available on both Windows and Mac.

How does this affect DV users? This is the true video iPod. Like Apple TV, this is yet another distribution channel for indie filmmakers. Next time you are out with your friends and you want to show them a cool video blog, a short available online or even your own work, you can just pull out your iPhone and show.

Media is finally becoming mobile which means that more and more, the success of a video will depend on the social interaction. One person showing another, instead of just reading or watching a review. The peer to peer interaction will bring new classics to the masses, one user at a time.

We also aren't sure how much this thing can do. I doubt you can edit something on the iPhone but it would be interesting to see if you somebody came out with applications that could possibly aid media creation. I mean, we already have widgets that perform cool DV-related tasks, the iPhone will only expand on that.

An iPhone could be very useful in production. It could make a wonderful off-site logging tool. With the camera and iChat, location scouts can not only shoot locations but also get feedback from the director instantly. Maybe, with enough hacking, the iPhone could become a little Wacom tablet of sorts. iPhone ushers in the next generation of portable media and computer devices which in general bode well for Indie filmmakers.

As a Mac follower, even I am truly impressed on what this thing is capable of. The touchscreen interface is revolutionary like Jobs says. It looks like a lot of fun, just like the original scroll wheel was for the iPod. Here is my prediction, if iPhone delivers like promised, this device will bring in more switchers than any hardware, software Apple has ever created.

The Flux has just announced their second iPod Film Festival, quite possibly the only fest dedicated to bringing quality short films to the screens of iPod owners around the globe. Festival entries are free thanks to a recent partnership between The Flux and Small Dog Electronics, and categories include Indie, Student, and Kitchen Sink. If you've got a short under ten minutes that is suitable for small screen viewing, this fest might be for you. Check the official site for more details and an entry form.

After the unsurprising failure of the proprietary UMD video format, Sony is attempting to bring video in another form to the PSP. The company has announced it will launch an online service that will allow users to download movies to their PC and then transfer the files to the PSP. Apparently Amazon, Movielink, and CinemaNow are interesting in signing up with Sony, but there's no word on how the service will actually work. Will this development have any impact with all of the other portable video options already out there?

This was going to happen at some point but to many, including me, it came as surprise that it happened so quickly. Select YouTube videos will be available for viewing on Verizon Wireless service called VCast. The extra service will cost cellphone users an extra $15 for content that is normally available for free online. VCast users will be limited to videos selected and approved by the companies that supposedly appeal to "the broadest appeal and the highest entertainment value." I read that as no copyrighted stuff and no videos of lip syncing teens.

The companies said the service would be available early next month. They would not discuss the financial terms of their deal but only that Verizon would have exclusive rights to distribute YouTube videos on mobile phones for a limited time.

This is an excellent deal for YouTube because this is another platform to get its stuff on, thus better for its users, thus better for YouTube. It also will be far ahead of its competitors in reaching this potentially huge market. However, part of the YouTube charm is in its design. That social networking so well executed on the web will be hard to recreate on the cellphone. We will have to wait and see.

For Verizon, they get to sit cosy to the popular kid in high school, however briefly. If this does take off, it could be an incredible money maker. However, I get the feeling that this might be a little too early. Neither of these companies will lose much from the deal but instead if it does fail, we will have pundits saying how videos don't work on mobile platform. Nobody has yet to see a well executed mobile music platform which is still the more profitable than video.

I find myself shooting more video on my digital still camera than my video camera. Mainly because my still camera is always on my waist holster. The Aigo P706 photo & video viewer is made for someone like me. It stores 180GB of movies and photos. It supports most image codecs (RAW, TIFF, AVI and MPEG4) but it did not list any audio codecs in its press release. Hard to imagine someone not supporting mp3's. The screen size is adequate: 3.6-inches and 16 millions colors. There are slots for SD, MMC, Memory Stick, and CF card formats. But all this comes at a cost of $1,248, it is currently only available in China.

If that is too expensive, you can always check out the Epson P-5000 or Canon's M80. When AVCHD gathers steam, these products will be interesting to keep an eye on.

The InstantVideo To Go is a USB device unlike any other. Instead of storing or carrying files, this USB device is a H.264 hardware accelerator that takes the load off the computer's processor while performing H.264 video encoding. According to tests by Everything USB, a 100 minute video conversion from Vob to 320 x 240 resolution H.264 took 400 minutes (exactly?) but with InstantVideo To Go, the conversion took just 20 minutes. Wow! Just for Windows and you will probably be only be able to use the bundled conversion software. But that software seems to convert to most formats.

In a recent interview with former NBC News correspondent Garrick Utley, Steven Spielberg said, "That's one medium where I have to draw the line. We'll shoot for television and the movies and let there be a wide gap" between that and the small 3-inch screen. This comes as no surprise given Spielberg is a film maniac and refuses to go digital. He's a purist, not a forward thinker, and besides he became famous because of the big screen so why would he want to change that?

I say good riddance, we don't need his films to come to the iPod. They are too long and complicated for the short attention span of the small smaller-screen audience anyway. There is a lot of great talent out there who will take advantage of this budding medium and put it on the map just as Spielberg did with his films for his generation. So keep your millions Steve and stay with the old crowd, the new revolution will be portabilized.

We all know the cell phone screen is considered the 4th screen right behind cinema, television, and computer screens. But Sundance wants to legitimize cell phones as a distribution medium by commissioning high-caliber independent content specifically for the smaller screen through the Global Short Film project. This experiment will explore the potential of the mobile medium to deliver compelling, cinematic entertainment to a global audience on an unprecedented scale.

The six filmmakers featured in the Sundance Film Festival: Global Short
Film Project are

• Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE)
• Justin Lin (BETTER LUCK TOMORROW)
• Maria Maggenti (PUCCINI FOR BEGINNERS)
• Cory McAbee (THE AMERICAN ASTRONAUT)
• Jody Hill (THE FOOT FIST WAY)

These six filmmakers will premiere their shorts at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, next year which is one of the biggest mobile events. If you attend, you will have a chance to download the films to your cell phone and the rest of us will have to wait until our respective carriers makes it available. I hope they hurry up because my morning commute could sure be more interesting thanks to my cell phone.

(via Engadget Mobile)

Listen up video bloggers, if you need to record some video while you are out and about for your next great vlogger creation and you have an Archos personal media player, than you are in luck. The company has released an aptly named helmet camcorder as an accessory to the 404,504,604, and 604 WiFi series of players. This little sucker records MPEG4 video at up to 640x480 and includes a built in remote and microphone. Sure, it is no ENG set-up, but if you need something you can actually take around with you (and if you have one of the aforementioned players) then this little guy could sure come in handy for $149.99. And it looks like it would be great for bootlegging King Kong according to our little picture up there.

(via Engadget)

The TA 454, described as the "smallest functional media player in the universe", will play MP3s, display photos, videos and allow you to read your favorite eBook. That last one might be stretching it a bit with the 1.5" display, but more power to you if you can read on a screen that small. It connects to your pc via USB, has a built-in speaker and comes with 256MB of internal memory. There's a SD/MMC slot if you need to add additional memory and it supports SMV, MP3, WMA, JPG, eBook formats. I'll let the product page have the final word with "Expand your world with the biggest tiny device you can find for under $100".

Disney's most recent animated hit, Cars hit the iTunes Store yesterday for a price of $12.99. After one week, the price will go up to $14.99. Major retailers, who are frustrated with the "lower" pricing schemes of digital downloads compared to that of DVD releases, have been venting their displeasure with Apple. Apparently consumers are getting some kind of bargain, spending either $13 or $15 on a movie that features zero extras, has viewing restrictions, and is of lesser quality compared to that of DVDs. Hm. Ridiculous, no?

(via HDforIndies)