CATEGORY: Multimedia

Revisiting anamorphic and aspect ratios . . .

We certainly remain in transitional times in our media field.

And few things illustrate that more than the continuing confusion created by the various aspect ratios that video can be displayed in these days.

SD, HD, 4:3, 16:9, letterbox, anamorphic, wide-screen . . . all terms that you hear mixed together.

My good buddy and tech guru Chris Vazquez wrote an excellent article on this site two years ago about SD anamorphic , and it continues to be one of the most-read articles on my website, but questions still abound, especially when it comes to DVD authoring.

So let’s try to further clarify.

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What are AC-3 audio files?

To quote the site www.fileinfo.com, “AC-3 files, or Dolby Digital audio file format; may contain up to 6 channels of audio, including a subwoofer output (a.k.a. 5.1 surround sound)”

These have been referred to as  ”Audio Codec 3″ or “Advanced Codec 3″ or “Acoustic Codec 3.”

Regardless, this is the file format that was adapted for the audio portion of DVDs and Blu-ray discs.  Just like the mpeg2 files that make up the video portion of a  DVD or Blu-ray discs, the AC-3 files cannot be edited.  That was instituted on purpose of course, as an anti-piracy measure.

(As a side note, remember, in addition to not being able to edit mpeg2 or AC-3 files, you cannot drag those files as accessible elements from a DVD or Blu-ray video disc either: http://tinyurl.com/yj8wy3c)

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The Philosophy of “Creation” and the Appeal of Adobe Illustrator & Quicktime H.264

Why do we at Video Labs www.VideoLabs.net often tell our clients that our preferred format for artwork files are vectors created with Adobe Illustrator?

And why are we talking so much about H.264 files for video?

Allow me to digress for a moment.

From a philosophical point of view, the concept of making something out of nothing has long intrigued me, and of course, that has been pondered by greater minds than mine throughout the ages.

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Cool tech at Capitol Communicator event . . .

So I attended a Capitol Communicator  www.capitolcommunicator.com event in DC last evening (9/30/09). 

It was a release party for their new offering, the online SourceBook http://tinyurl.com/y9slotg, which I assume will become something like the “LA 411″ www.La411.com for the mid-Atlantic region.

I always enjoy attending these CC events, as I get to network with a great mix of media peers . . .

. . . and the Capitol Communitor is an excellent e-zine.  (Kudos to the combined business savviness of founders Paul Dunning and Phil Rabin along with fellow marketing team member, Amy Schwab http://tinyurl.com/y8no9cj)

But what also caught my eye at this event was the showcasing of a device called “Boxci” http://www.boxci.com/ created by Bethesda-based A.M.G. (Alternative Marketing Group) www.amgww.com

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