It achieves this by using an autostereoscopic display, which is similar to the Nintendo 3DS’s display. If you want to watch the 3D video you just captured on something larger than its 2.4″ screen, you can plug it straight into your 3DTV via the built-in HDMI connector.

Sharing 3D video

It gets even better, though. As well as shooting 3D video, you can share it as well, as YouTube now has a 3D video channel, which you can upload your 3DV5′s content to. You’ll need to use glasses to see the resultant 3D if you’re watching via YouTube, though, as your home monitor isn’t autostereoscopic.

The one downside to the 3DV5 – and it’s an issue that although easily solvable, is frankly ridiculous when you first see it – is the onboard storage. The 3DV5 comes with 10MB of onboard RAM. Yes, that’s MB, as in Megabytes, or about half a second of 720p 3D video!! You’ll clearly need to buy an SD card to do anything with the 3DV5, which, given their price these days, is like selling a portable gadget without batteries: very tight!

That aside, though, the 3DV5 looks like an interesting alternative to the Flip Mino and the other pocket camcorders out there. I’m not convinced that 3D’s ready for anyone other than the early adopters at the moment, at least in terms of the super-expensive 3D TVs, but at least with the 3DV5 and YouTube, you have an easy and inexpensive way of dipping your toe into the technology and seeing if it’s for you.

And with 3D video requiring a whole new different way of working to capture the best videos, if you’re a budding film maker, it’s a great way to start experimenting with different creative techniques, as it’s clearly the way all video content is going.

[Source: Engadget]

There are two models in the 2010 UltraHD range – the UltraHD 1hr and UltraHD 2hr, but there’s more than recording time to differentiate them.

The 1hr model becomes the more basic version of the two, with much the same features of last year’s UltraHD but with reduced recording time and also a reduced price.

It’s still a simple point-and-shoot video camera, ideal for those who want to fire and forget and get it on the web without pain – if that’s what you want, the Flip UltraHD 1hr is still “the simplest way to shoot and share videos online” according to CNET.

The new improved Flip UltraHD 2hr

It’s the 2hr model that gets the new features though, with an improved recording frame rate to 60 frames per second, image stabilisation so the playback isn’t stomach churning plus the new Flip-port – a mini USB-like interface for attaching “made for Flip” devices such as microphones, lights and more (even new lenses!), expanding the Flip’s uses that little bit more, allowing it to grow with your abilities and making it an interesting one to keep an eye on.

The FlipShare software has also had a slight update to it, adding Twitter to the list of Social Media it’ll work with (currently including Facebook, MySpace and YouTube). There’s also the Flip Channel – another way to share videos with you friends, including email alerts.

Flip have also introduced a personalisation process to make your UltraHD even more personal. This is done by simply sending Flip an image and this will be plastered all over your UltraHD making it as individual as you like, or as your imagination will let you! You can also design your cover on their site using the pattern generator if art isn’t your strong point.

Will the Flip UltraHD succeed?

Will the new Flip UltraHD be as big a success as its predecessors? Well, it’s in a tougher field this year, with devices like Sony’s Bloggie Touch coming soon as well as Kodak’s PlayTouch, but the Flip has the advantage of an excellent heritage and great, easy software. CNet were certainly “…once again impressed with the clip quality produced by this little cam”, and with updates like the Flip-port, it should go along way to keeping it near the top of the pocket video camera list.

[Source: CNet]

That’s not the only trick it’s got up its sleeve though, as Sony go all out to provide bloggers with the video cam of their dreams.

The Bloggie Touch is capable of full 1080p MP4 HD video and can also take still images at up to 12.8 megapixels. It comes with either 4GB or 8GB of memory on board, HDMI out and a built in USB ‘arm’.

It also boasts a plethora of aids and features to help you get that video or shot right first time including Steady Shot (yes, it steadies your wobbly hands) and Auto Macro, cleverly switching to a macro focus for objects closer than 4 inches.

A very social Sony Bloggie Touch

Being named Bloggie Touch also means it’s not wanting for social interaction, interfacing with smoothly with Flickr, YouTube, Picasa and Facebook, as well as Sony’s own Personal Space (a sort of free upload profile page from Sony).

Is it the blogger’s perfect video cam? We’ll hold our opinion until we’ve given it a thorough review. It’s got some stiff competition, but it certainly looks to offer all the features a video blogger would need.

The Bloggie Touch release date is scheduled for October 2010 in fetching silver or black, and will be $180 for the 4GB version, $200 for the 8GB (UK prices will be similar, inevitably!).

If you like the look of the Bloggie Touch but you can’t wait that long, check out the original Sony Bloggie with full HD recording a cool swivel lens for self portrait filming. Alternatively there’s also Flip’s cool little Mino camcorder with HD video and Facebook and YouTube uploading.

Rather than connecting your camcorder to your HDTV by wires, if you use one the new Samsung S-Series camcorders on display at CES 2010 you can beam your videos to you TV instantly with just a click of the Samsung AllShare button.

No wires, no mess, no fuss.

This magic happens through the S-Series camcorders (the HMX-S10, HMX-S15 and HMX-S16) being the first in the world to come equipped with both WiFi (apart from the S10) and DLNA.


Obviously this means that the HDTV must also support both WiFi and DLNA for this magic to happen, but even if it doesn’t, you can wirelessly beam your vids to your PC, which does.

Obviously the camcorders also come with an HDMI cable as well, though, in case you want to view the vids on a normal telly.

The S-Series cameras also come with a plethora of other top-end features, including:

• 1080p Full-HD
• 3.5″ touchscreen LCD
• 3D user interface (no idea why!)
• New Victoria Engine video processor that suppresses noise and results in crisper videos
• Internal Solid State Drives (SSD), which are more robust than normal hard drives, yet offer more storage than SD cards. The HMX-S16, for example, offees 64GB of storage
• 10 megapixel camera with flash
• Super-slow modes shoots at up to 600 frames per second, slowing the scene down 20-fold.
• Time-lapse recording feature
• Schneider Kreuznach Varioplan-HD lens with 18x zoom

That’s some pretty cool specs, particularly when WiFi is added to the mix. I can’t help but feel that an opportunity was missed, though, in not offering automatic YouTube uploading via WiFi. It’s great being able to wirelessly connect to your other home entertainment devices, but sharing your videos is what we all want these days.

Oh well, maybe for CES 2011?!

[Source: Engadget]

The Samsung SMX-F40, SMX-F43 and SMX-F44 camcorders do this via Samsung’s Intelli-studio 2.0 software, which lets you edit, play and upload videos from any PC.

The interesting thing about Intelli-studio 2.0, though, is that all of the software is contained and executed within the camcorder itself. In other words, you don’t need to install any software onto the PC. You simply plug the camcorder into a PC via USB, and start editing, viewing or uploading.

The actual software runs on the camcorder itself, so you don’t need to worry about bringing a CD with you to get the editing software onto the PC you’re planning to use.

This is a nice feature. Not quite as easy as automatically uploading videos to YouTube via WiFi, but at least it cuts down on a lot of hassle, and lets you upload your videos from pretty much anywhere – even Internet cafes – with the minimum of fuss.

The cameras themselves aren’t bad, either. They each offer 65x zoom (52x optical), offer a timelapse recording option, 4 hours of continuous shooting, and capture over 6 hours of video per 16GB SD card. You can also use the camcorders as a digital camera, taking 1.9 megapixel images with 1600×1200 resolution.

Annoyingly, they only 720p HD, but this should at least keep the cost down when they’re launched in February(ish!) 2010.

In fact, simple is the operative word. It’s not only designed to be simple, it’s probably the simplest camcorder on the market today. It’s so simple, even your Granny could use it!

All of which has the potential to make this review the shortest one I’ve ever written! With the Flip, you switch it on, press record, and record some video. Press play and it plays back on its tiny LCD screen. Other than the ability to upload the video to your PC, that’s about it! What else can I write about?

Pure Digital Flip Overview

OK, there are a few more details. The Pure Flip has been designed to be an incredibly simple point and shoot camcorder, and here it succeeds perfectly. You literally just need to switch it on and press record and you’re instantly recording video. No settings to worry about, no fuss – simple.

Playback is just as simple, and although the colour LCD screen is only 1.5″ in size, it’s big enough to get at least some impression of what you’re taking a video of.

More impressive, though, is the simplicity of uploading your videos. The Flip comes with a built-in USB adaptor that flips out of the side like a pen knife. Plug it into your USB socket, and you can browse all your videos via Windows Explorer.

The Flip comes with 2GB of memory on-board, but it isn’t expandable. You can therefore take a maximum of 1 hour’s worth of video before you need to upload what you’ve shot onto your PC. IT also uses standard AA batteries, too, with no power adaptor, so make sure you have a good supply of these if you take the Flip anywhere to record some video (such as a festival).

Intriguingly,although the Flip has no features, it does have a standard tripod adaptor, so you can screw it into a tripod if you’re hands are shaking too much. The tripod will cost more than the Flip does, but that’s another story!

Problems

There are a few downsides though. Although having the USB connector flip out without wires is very convenient, it’s less so if you’re USB ports are in awkward places. Currently my Flip is sticking in my vertical-oriented USB port, where it’s taking up all the room immediately below it. If I had anything else plugged in beneath it, I’d have to remove it before plugging the Flip in.

Just a minor point, I know, but it does mean that if you do have awkwardly positioned USB ports, you can’t actually upload your videos onto your PC!

The second problem is the quality of the video it takes. There’s a reason why camcorders have tricky to use settings – taking acceptable video in different conditions needs different settings. With no anti-shake or any way of altering the settings, the resultant video quality is poor.

Worse, it’s actually less good than on some mobile phones. Which leads me to my final criticism of the Flip: just who exactly is it aimed at?