The Verge - NAB Show 2012: recording the future of video technology

Padcaster iPad case: add DSLR glass to your tablet's camera (hands-on)

2012-04-17T20:54:39Z

The iPad's a great tool for editing and sharing video, and the new model even has an excellent camera, but without multiple lenses, or a tripod mount it's not as usable or versatile as dedicated video cameras. The Padcaster aims to change that: it's a sturdy case that lets you connect your tablet to a tripod and a lens, and turn it into a one-step solution for recording, editing, and sharing video. The $199 device was just announced this week at NAB, and we got a chance to test out one of the prototypes.

The case is big, to be sure, with a soft red inside and a hard aluminum shell — you're not going to want to leave your iPad in the Padcaster all the time. It's strong, though, and held the iPad in securely. Around the edges of the...

Dolby's glasses-free 3D prototype hands-on: a 3D experience that finally makes sense

2012-04-17T20:10:01Z

3D's still a bit of a novelty, and hasn't really caught on in a mainstream way outside of movie theaters and amusement parks. Dolby's showing off a prototype 3D display at NAB that might change that, though. We got a chance to watch some footage on the glasses-free 3D TV at NAB, and everything we saw from Captain America to The Art of Flight looked fantastic. Viewing angles were particularly impressive: even from far off to the side, the 3D effect was still present, and the picture was so crisp and clean that it almost took a minute to realize we were looking at 3D footage.

Dolby is working with Philips to manufacture the displays, which use a sheet of undulated plastic to deflect pixels in various directions — there are 26 different...

I see your 4K and raise you 6K: how RED is winning the high-res video race

2012-04-17T00:41:24Z

Ted Schilowitz, RED's "Leader of the rebellion," was surrounded by a dozen or so journalists and a smattering of RED products that would feel right at home inside a Michael Bay film, but all he wanted to talk about was a sensor. The new Dragon sensor, to be exact, which can be installed into your RED Scarlet or Epic and makes either capable of 6K video recording. The $6,000 sensor is set to be available later this year, and is perfectly indicative of both the insane arms race we're entering with video resolution, and how RED has clearly gained an early lead.

The phrase "obsolence obsolete" was plastered all over the company's booth, and it's a neat summation of what RED is trying to do: sell you a camera, and then update it frequently...

Canon's 4K display prototype hands-on: this might be your next TV

2012-04-16T23:50:56Z

We've seen 4K cameras and 4K projectors here at NAB, but most of it isn't exactly consumer-friendly yet. Canon's remembering the common folk, though, showing off the latest version of its prototype 4K displays in the form of 30-inch TVs. We were escorted into a dark room to watch 4K footage on the smaller displays — the same two shorts used last night to demonstrate the C500 and 1D C's capabilities — and while it's not quite as breathtaking as it was on a movie theater-sized screen, footage still looked incredible. One scene we watched showed a cityscape, and tiny cars on the 4K display were incredibly clear and detailed, allowing you to see two distinct headlights on the ant-sized vehicle.

Canon clearly knows that part of driving...

Sony NEX-FS700 hands-on: super-slow motion and 4K video for under $10,000

2012-04-16T23:05:56Z

It seems like everywhere you look at NAB, someone's showing off a 4K camera. Sony's NEX-FS700 doesn't actually shoot 4K yet (though it will soon, with an extra recorder attached and after a firmware upgrade), but it has another feature that sets it apart: it can shoot 1080p footage at 240 frames per second, and can go as high as 960 fps at lower resolutions. The FS700 also features ISO range up to ISO 20,000, a Super 35mm sensor, and an E mount that means it can use all the same lenses as Sony's still NEX cameras.

We spent a few minutes with the camera, and though we couldn't test its hallmark feature we still liked what we saw. Once the 4K is enabled, though, the price-resolution-slow-motion combination becomes the real hook here: Sony...

Blackmagic Cinema Camera shoots 2.5K video, costs $2,995 (hands-on)

2012-04-16T22:17:37Z

Most of the pro-level cameras we've seen so far at NAB are more than a little out of the price range of the average consumer, but there's at least one option that's slightly more friendly: the Blackmagic Cinema Camera. For $2,995, you'll get the ability to shoot up to 2.5k footage (2432 x 1366), in a variety of different formats designed to work seamlessly with any editing program you can think of. The camera also offers 13 stops of dynamic range (that's in league with the 5D Mark III and the RED Epic), plus a Thunderbolt port, SSD drive port, and a touchscreen LCD that lets you quickly operate the camera, tweak settings, and add metadata to your recordings. It has a sensor about Four Thirds-size, and an EF mount — that means it's...

GoPro Wi-Fi BacPac remote and viewfinder coming this summer for $99 (hands-on)

2012-04-16T19:31:40Z

We first got a glance at GoPro's Wi-Fi BacPac at CES, but the company's back at NAB showing off the device and revealing a few more details. Basically, the BacPac is a small module that attaches to the back of any GoPro camera and gives you remote control of the device via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. You can connect one camera or dozens — we controlled 30 at once — to a single remote, all set up as far as a football field apart. The included remote lets you start and stop recording on all the cameras at once, as well as tweak settings and modes. We've been really impressed with the GoPro's video quality and durability, and being able to set the camera up and control it from afar is a pretty nice addition.

If you have a smartphone or...

Dolby announces bandwidth-conserving Digital Plus improvements

2012-04-16T15:20:32Z

Along with its new glasses-free 3D technology, Dolby is bringing an updated version of its Digital Plus surround sound technology to NAB this year. Dolby Digital Plus is the current incarnation of the company's discrete surround technology, where each audio channel is delivered separately rather than decoded from a stereo stream. Normally, the bare minimum bit rate used by broadcasters to deliver Dolby Digital Plus is around 384kbps, but Dolby says that through tweaking the codec it has been able to reduce this down to just 192kbps.

This means that the audio stream would need to take up only half as much bandwidth, allowing broadcasters and streaming providers to add extra commentary or languages, more surround channels (allowing for 7.1...