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The Magic of Film Scanner

A device that scans a photographic film directly to a computer is called a film scanner; there is no need for any intermediary printmaking or any other equipment. Film scanners provide several advantages such as direct control of the photographer over aspect ratio and image cropping. Some models also come with specific software or paraphernalia that helps in removing scratches, film grain or enhance the color duplicate of old negatives. Film scanners generally accept 35 mm strips or 120 film and individual slides. This functionality allows the scanning platform to be utilized for various sizes and packaging.

They may seem insignificant and but dust and scratches can be a huge problem. A Film scanner has resolution greatly higher over a regular flatbed scanner. Usually it has between 2000 samples per inch (spi) and 4000 spi or more. With these resolutions, dust and scratches on the film are not anymore negligible, quite the opposite. Tiny flecks of dusts can result to unclear group of several pixels. Various techniques and technologies have been developed in order for film scanners to read films strips without too much difficulty such as median filter, infrared cleaning, and the old fashioned way of film restoration. Film scanner makers typically have their own name or label for such technique. Kodak launched ICE and is licensed by Nikon , Epson and Microtek. Canon produced its very own FARE (Film Automatic Retouching and Enhancement) technology.

PC-based DVD Drives & Standalone DVD Recorders

A DVD Recorder is an optical disc recorder that records video data to a writable DVD media. DVD recorder are either standalone devices mostly used in studios and home cinemas or installed drives in personal computers. Its recording rate is normally indicated as values of X (like CD-ROM). A 1X in DVD is equivalent to 1.321 MB/s, approximately equal to a 9X CD-ROM. For DVD recorders to read and write DVDs, it uses a laser, typically 650 nm red. The writing process requires more power over reading a DVD that only takes less than 5 mW.

PC-based DVD Drives :

Most computer systems are incorporated nowadays with DVD recorder drives. Computer-based DVD recorders can process CD-R and CD-RW medium, as a general rule. Many internal drives use parallel ATA interfaces though serial ATA is starting its way to popularity. On the hand, most external DVD recorder drives use IEEE 1394 or USB 2.0. When reading a disc, DVD recorder drives are obliged to respect DVD region codes however do not compel a region code when writing to discs.

Standalone DVD Recorders :

It was in 1999 when the first standalone DVD recorder was launched in the Japanese consumer market. The initial selling price was between $2500 and $4000. Today, popular labels of DVD recorders will only cost you more or less $200. Early models of standalone DVD recorders had support only to DVD-RAM and DVD-R discs, but modern units can handle major formats such as DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+R DL, and DVD+RW. It was believed that DVD recorders would eventually take over the VCR as the standard TV-recording device. However, due to the rising fame of DVRs and Blu-ray formats, the future of DVD recorder is still yet to know.

Types of Flashes

Have you ever thought how those cameras produced the “flash of light” effect when somebody is taking a shot? I was surprised to know that it can be a separate unit and is actually called flash. A flash is used as a main source of light when there is no sufficient close light for a desired shutter speed. Well if you want to know about it and how it evolved over the past decades, below are some of its major types:

• Flash Bulb – believed to be the pioneer in flash technology. It contains magnesium filaments that were electrically fired up by a contact in the camera shutter. Flash bulbs usually take more time to accomplish full brightness compare to electronic flashes. One of the most commonly used flash bulbs during the height of its popularity is the so-called “number 25”.

• Flashcube – consists of 4 electrically fired flashbulbs that have a central reflector arranged in a cube-shaped pattern that permits taking 4 images in a row. It automatically rotates 90 degrees to a new bulb upon advancing the film to the subsequent exposure. Flashcube is Kodak’s replacement to the flashbulb technology.

• Magicube – also uses the 4-bulb design but each bulb was set out using a plastic pin inside the cube mount. This type of flash does not require a battery since a cocked spring strikes a primer tube that contains a fulminating substance.

• Flipflash – was called as such because when half the flashes had been expended, the unit had to be flipped and put it again to use the remaining. It utilizes about 10 bulbs in a single unit.

• Electronic xenon flash lamps – today’s widely used flash models. These types have a tube packed with xenon gas where a high current of electricity is released to create an electrical arc that discharges a short flash or light. The normal duration of the flash impulse is 1/1000 second.

• Microflash – is another modern flash technology designed to emit an extremely quick light flash that has sub-microsecond duration. Scientists and engineers typically explore this kind of flash for observing remarkably quick moving objects or effects.

DVD Player – Facts & Figures

The earliest DVD players were first introduced in Japan in November of 1996. The following year, the US market launched the first DVD players to the public. As of 2005, the suggested retail price of DVD players is between 30 and 80 USD/Euro based on features and functionalities. DVD players are generally cheaper than VCRs.

Almost every DVD player can play audio CDs such as MP3, CDDA, etc. and video CDs (VCD). It usually has a home cinema decoder for a more enhanced listening experience like Digital Theater System (DTS) and Dolby Digital. New models can also read MPEG-4 ASP format videos such as DivX. Portable DVD players are quite popular to travelers and people who are always on the go. It is regularly run by lithium ion batteries. If your PC has a DVD-ROM and you want to listen to DVD music or watch DVD movies, then you will needing a software DVD player. The most widely used DVD software include VLC, MPlayer, WinDVD, and PowerDVD.

By the end of 2002, China has become the biggest manufacturer of DVD players. It produced almost 30 million units during that year which is above 70% of the total world output. It was believed that the successor to the DVD player would be the HD DVD player and the Blu-ray Disc player. But in February of 2008, Toshiba declared that it will stop its production of all DVD products consequently identifying Blu-ray player as the sole successor to DVD player.

CD Player

A Compact Disc player, or popularly known as CD player, is an electronic gadget that plays audio compact discs. CD players are normally set up in home stereo systems, car sound systems and personal computers. Before the IPO MP3 and DVD players seize the music industry, the CD player is one of the coolest things back then. Though its fame had declined over the past years, enhanced CD players are still marketed. Some CD players support other formats such as DVDs, MP3 CDs and CD-ROMS with video CDs.

A lot of CD players are enclosed in steel and plastic covering that also houses the electrical components. The ports used in connecting the player to a headphones, speaker, radio or tape deck, and power system are also contained in the exterior. A portable CD player is typically equipped with its own power source in the form of batteries. There are 3 major parts inside a CD player that generally summarizes its functions, these are:

1. drive motor – rotates the disc from 200 to 500 revolutions in minute;

2. lens – reads information on the CD; and

3. tracking mechanism – moves the lens along the a spiral path.

Sounds confusing? Let me give you more details. The various information contained in a CD are stored in a so-called subcode. Data such total number of songs, running time for each track, total CD running time and other details are all maintained. When a CD player starts reading your disc, it actually scans the subcode first. Then, the drive motor speeds up or slow down in order to read information at a constant rate. The lens system interprets data using a laser beam that is reflected back to a sensor. I know what you are thinking right now, you’ll rather listen to it!

A CD changer is one of the features that made CD players more popular back then. It can hold multiple CDs, which permits the user to play any of it at a time. This eliminates the trouble of replacing CDs over and over again. There are 3 main types of CD changers. The first kind is an external cartridge CD changer that can house a maximum of 12 CDs per cartridge. CD players set up in vehicles are often equipped with external cartridge since the driver can easily switch between hundreds of songs. The second type is an internal cartridge that basically functions as external CD changers. The main difference is it never leaves the CD player. It can also house multiple CD’s through a particular slot. The last type is the carousel CD changer. Typically, a carousel holds between 3 and 7 CDs through a circular platter. The mega-disc or “jukebox” is probably the most famous amongst the carousel family. It can hold 50 to 300 discs.

Good old times may have past for CD players but everybody would most likely agree that it already made its mark in history. CD players had become a household term around the globe and for others, it is still!

How Does a Film Camera Work?

A Frenchman named Louis Lumiere is frequently recognized for inventing the first motion picture camera. In 1895, he invented the “Cinematographe” – a portable motion-picture camera, projector and film processing device, all in one invention. Motion pictures started to become very popular after the introduction of Cinematographe. Of course it didn’t stop there. The technological era produced various and more sophisticated equipment for the movie industry. Movie cameras have significantly evolved for the last century. But how does a film camera work? Read on the rest of this article and see for yourself…

A film or movie camera works by capturing a series of images. This is in contrast with still cameras that take a snapshot at a time. These series of images is called a “frame” and is achieved by using a sporadic mechanism. The frames are then replayed in a movie projector at a certain speed, known as “frame rate” (the number of frames by second). So actually, the film camera and your eyes and brain are responsible for creating the illusion of motion by merging the individual pictures. Commercial films like those produced in Hollywood uses the standardized frame rate of 24 frames per second while the standard width 35 millimeter. Other film formats that are also widely used include PAL, plays at 25 frames per second and NTSC (common in Japan and North America) at 29.97 frames/s. People in the movie industry find rendering from one format to another as one of the technical difficulties they have to face.

Majority of film cameras in the market do not capture the sound internally. The sound is record independently using a precision audio device. This setup is referred to as “double-system”. There is also the so-called single-system. These are new film cameras that have either an optical or magnetic recording apparatus inside. If you have seen those clapper boards in film production with the guy holding it and yelling these words “Title of the movie take 3 action”, they not jut simple boards. Aside from the fact that it normally starts a take it used as a reference point in synchronizing the picture with the sound. Furthermore, it allows scene and take numbers or any other important details to be included on the film itself. Currently, the most frequently applied system is unique identifier digits displayed on the border of the film. This whole process is accompanied by a computer editing system. Every film stock manufacturer has its own name for such identification system, Kodak call their version as KeyCode. There are cameras as well that have low-accuracy film systems. They are some dubbed as “non-sync” or MOS. MOS cameras are used in for second-unit work and other jobs that do not require standard filming speed. The most widely used 35 mm cameras today are Arriflex, Moviecam and Panavision versions. PhotoSonics is used in high speed filmmaking.