Chris Pirillo » video-camera http://chris.pirillo.com News and Reviews! Geek, Internet Entrepreneur, Hardware Addict, Software Junkie, Book Author, Once TV Show Host, Technology Enthusiast, Shameless Self-Promoter, Tech Conference Coordinator, Early Adopter, Idea Evangelist, Tech Support Blogger, Bootstrapper, Media Personality, Technology Consultant, Thicker Quicker Picker Upper. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:35:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 © chris@pirillo.com () chris@pirillo.com() Geek, Internet Entrepreneur, Hardware Addict, Software Junkie, Book Author, Once TV Show Host, Technology Enthusiast, Shameless Self-Promoter, Tech Conference Coordinator, Early Adopter, Idea Evangelist, Tech Support Blogger, Bootstrapper, Media Personality, Technology Consultant, Thicker Quicker Picker Upper. chris@pirillo.com No no http://chris.pirillo.com/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpgChris Pirillohttp://chris.pirillo.com 144 144 What’s the Best Video Recorder to Buy?http://chris.pirillo.com/whats-the-best-video-recorder-to-buy/ http://chris.pirillo.com/whats-the-best-video-recorder-to-buy/#comments Wed, 15 Jul 2009 08:04:38 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/?p=13706 What’s the Best Video Recorder to Buy? is a post from Chris Pirillo

I received this email from Kieran “Zer0″ Hill the other day, and thought it was worth sharing with the rest of the community – since I seem to be asked this question every day…

We have never spoken before, so I hope that you don’t have a problem with assisting me. The general impression that I got from your youtube video on the comparison between the Flip Mino HD, Kodak Vi6, and Creative Vado HD, left me thinking that you would not mind being asked for assistance on the matter. You seem to be a very knowledgable person on the majority of genres, which you do reviews the products of, so I feel that it would be very appropriate for me to as you my question that I have on this matter.

Moving on, my name is Kieran Hill (online gamer tag [EVGA]A.Zer0pWnZ) and I recently qualified for the grand finals of the Command and Conquer: Red alert 3 Ladder Season Finals in Cologne, Germany. On this trip, I will be an exclusive member to the alfa testing team on the next game, and will therefore be partaking in the CnC4 community summit. My point – I want to buy an HD video camera to document the entire trip, and to use footage on the show, which I am the lead producer of, Red3TV (the main RA3 web show on the internet, and a product of gamereplays.org.) I will be using the camera mostly indoors; in lowly-lit rooms, with a large amount of monitors present. I will need to have good audio quality for my video, so that any developer interviews, which I conduct, will be flawless, and good enough quality to be included in the August episode of Red3tv, (which is displayed in a 720p HD flash player.)

After the LAN tournament, I will be using which ever camera I purchase, in order to record the news coverage segment of the show, ( which we greenscreen.) My question, is in your opinion, which HD video camera should I buy? I am only 17, and therefore naturally want to spend as least possible on the product; however, I am not saying that price is an issue, rather that it is important that I am not spending an extra $300 for a few extra features, which I will not need.

The main things, which I am looking for in the camera that I purchase will be: (in order from most important to least)

  • Video quality in low-lighting areas
  • Audio quality
  • Compact design (I will be bringing this wherever I go during the grand finals and community summit)
  • Accessories functions available (I have a very expensive USB M-Audio microphone, which I wouldn’t mind connecting, along with an optical wide lense, which I could attach if needed.)

I would really appreciate it if you can give me any feedback possible on this matter. I also saw your Kodak Zx1 unveiling, so if you would like to expand on your thoughs about that, then please do.

Honestly? My choice is still the Creative Vado HD. It’s not perfect (sound is a bit tinny, no external audio solution, etc.), but it certainly leads its class in terms of overall quality. I have high hopes for the next iteration of the Vado, and have given the Creative team direct feedback on what they need to improve upon. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but my opinion stands: the Vado HD rules. And remember, I purchased the Vado HD with my own money.

]]> What’s the Best Video Recorder to Buy? is a post from Chris Pirillo

I received this email from Kieran “Zer0″ Hill the other day, and thought it was worth sharing with the rest of the community – since I seem to be asked this question every day…

We have never spoken before, so I hope that you don’t have a problem with assisting me. The general impression that I got from your youtube video on the comparison between the Flip Mino HD, Kodak Vi6, and Creative Vado HD, left me thinking that you would not mind being asked for assistance on the matter. You seem to be a very knowledgable person on the majority of genres, which you do reviews the products of, so I feel that it would be very appropriate for me to as you my question that I have on this matter.

Moving on, my name is Kieran Hill (online gamer tag [EVGA]A.Zer0pWnZ) and I recently qualified for the grand finals of the Command and Conquer: Red alert 3 Ladder Season Finals in Cologne, Germany. On this trip, I will be an exclusive member to the alfa testing team on the next game, and will therefore be partaking in the CnC4 community summit. My point – I want to buy an HD video camera to document the entire trip, and to use footage on the show, which I am the lead producer of, Red3TV (the main RA3 web show on the internet, and a product of gamereplays.org.) I will be using the camera mostly indoors; in lowly-lit rooms, with a large amount of monitors present. I will need to have good audio quality for my video, so that any developer interviews, which I conduct, will be flawless, and good enough quality to be included in the August episode of Red3tv, (which is displayed in a 720p HD flash player.)

After the LAN tournament, I will be using which ever camera I purchase, in order to record the news coverage segment of the show, ( which we greenscreen.) My question, is in your opinion, which HD video camera should I buy? I am only 17, and therefore naturally want to spend as least possible on the product; however, I am not saying that price is an issue, rather that it is important that I am not spending an extra $300 for a few extra features, which I will not need.

The main things, which I am looking for in the camera that I purchase will be: (in order from most important to least)

  • Video quality in low-lighting areas
  • Audio quality
  • Compact design (I will be bringing this wherever I go during the grand finals and community summit)
  • Accessories functions available (I have a very expensive USB M-Audio microphone, which I wouldn’t mind connecting, along with an optical wide lense, which I could attach if needed.)

I would really appreciate it if you can give me any feedback possible on this matter. I also saw your Kodak Zx1 unveiling, so if you would like to expand on your thoughs about that, then please do.

Honestly? My choice is still the Creative Vado HD. It’s not perfect (sound is a bit tinny, no external audio solution, etc.), but it certainly leads its class in terms of overall quality. I have high hopes for the next iteration of the Vado, and have given the Creative team direct feedback on what they need to improve upon. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but my opinion stands: the Vado HD rules. And remember, I purchased the Vado HD with my own money.

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/whats-the-best-video-recorder-to-buy/feed/ 1 Kodak Zx1http://chris.pirillo.com/kodak-zx1/ http://chris.pirillo.com/kodak-zx1/#comments Sun, 12 Jul 2009 02:39:25 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/?p=13664 Kodak Zx1 is a post from Chris Pirillo


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I’ve had the Kodak Zi6 pocket video recorder for awhile, and have even posted a review of it. I like it fairly well, so I was excited to test out the new Zx1 when Kodak sent it to me for review. Not only was I ready for even better quality, I was stoked to find out that it is considered to be “weather-proof”. Since I was heading out to Kayak this weekend, I figured it would be the perfect camera to take along.

The main thing that bothered me about the Zi6 was the fact that it dropped frames quite often. It was a good camera otherwise, but frame dropping is just a big no-no in my book. I wanted to give this Zx1 a fair shake.

The Zx1 records 720p at 60 fps with 16:9 aspect ratio. The rubberized doors protect all ports from rain, snow, sand and more. The view screen is 2 inches, and there are cables included to allow you to watch footage on your HDTV. You can also easily upload recorded footage to YouTube with the built-in USB and software.

We’ll see this weekend how well the Zx1 stands up in an outdoor setting. If you have a Zx1, feel free to leave me a follow-up comment or video. Let me know what you like and don’t like about this particular camera. I’ll be sure to post more at a later date on my experiences.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> Kodak Zx1 is a post from Chris Pirillo


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I’ve had the Kodak Zi6 pocket video recorder for awhile, and have even posted a review of it. I like it fairly well, so I was excited to test out the new Zx1 when Kodak sent it to me for review. Not only was I ready for even better quality, I was stoked to find out that it is considered to be “weather-proof”. Since I was heading out to Kayak this weekend, I figured it would be the perfect camera to take along.

The main thing that bothered me about the Zi6 was the fact that it dropped frames quite often. It was a good camera otherwise, but frame dropping is just a big no-no in my book. I wanted to give this Zx1 a fair shake.

The Zx1 records 720p at 60 fps with 16:9 aspect ratio. The rubberized doors protect all ports from rain, snow, sand and more. The view screen is 2 inches, and there are cables included to allow you to watch footage on your HDTV. You can also easily upload recorded footage to YouTube with the built-in USB and software.

We’ll see this weekend how well the Zx1 stands up in an outdoor setting. If you have a Zx1, feel free to leave me a follow-up comment or video. Let me know what you like and don’t like about this particular camera. I’ll be sure to post more at a later date on my experiences.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/kodak-zx1/feed/ 0 SSD Video Camerahttp://chris.pirillo.com/ssd-video-camera/ http://chris.pirillo.com/ssd-video-camera/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:02:07 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/?p=13535 SSD Video Camera is a post from Chris Pirillo


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Last week, I uploaded footage of Wicket as I was testing optical image stabilization. That is a feature that is available on most cameras these days. I used the Samsung HMX-H106 to record that video… and will definitely be using it to record others, as well! It’s not as small as some of the cameras that I have, but the superior quality definitely makes up for that!

This baby features a 64GB solid state drive. Of course, it has a slot for you to add your own storage device as well… but why would you need to?! The 1920 x 1080 Full HD video means much greater clarity, brightness and detail than ever before. It also means that your video will be an exact pixel-by-pixel match for today’s very best large screen HDTVs.

It has 10x optical zoom, and shoots some excellent still pictures. I’m happy with the low-light capabilities of this particular video recording device, as well. It’s not often I find a camera that can handle cruddy light conditions well.

You can turn the image stabilization off or on with just the touch of a button. The camera also works perfectly well in extreme temperatures, high or low. Yet another huge plus for the Samsung is that it uses approximately eight times less power than a normal hard drive camera when reading or writing data. This means much MUCH longer battery life.

What type of video camera do you use, and why are you happy with it? What about it makes it the reason for choosing that particular model?

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> SSD Video Camera is a post from Chris Pirillo


Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

Last week, I uploaded footage of Wicket as I was testing optical image stabilization. That is a feature that is available on most cameras these days. I used the Samsung HMX-H106 to record that video… and will definitely be using it to record others, as well! It’s not as small as some of the cameras that I have, but the superior quality definitely makes up for that!

This baby features a 64GB solid state drive. Of course, it has a slot for you to add your own storage device as well… but why would you need to?! The 1920 x 1080 Full HD video means much greater clarity, brightness and detail than ever before. It also means that your video will be an exact pixel-by-pixel match for today’s very best large screen HDTVs.

It has 10x optical zoom, and shoots some excellent still pictures. I’m happy with the low-light capabilities of this particular video recording device, as well. It’s not often I find a camera that can handle cruddy light conditions well.

You can turn the image stabilization off or on with just the touch of a button. The camera also works perfectly well in extreme temperatures, high or low. Yet another huge plus for the Samsung is that it uses approximately eight times less power than a normal hard drive camera when reading or writing data. This means much MUCH longer battery life.

What type of video camera do you use, and why are you happy with it? What about it makes it the reason for choosing that particular model?

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/ssd-video-camera/feed/ 1 How to Keep a Video Camera Steadyhttp://chris.pirillo.com/how-to-keep-a-video-camera-steady/ http://chris.pirillo.com/how-to-keep-a-video-camera-steady/#comments Tue, 30 Dec 2008 06:16:58 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/?p=11567 How to Keep a Video Camera Steady is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I can walk around and pan the camera from side to side, and still the video quality is amazing and clear. There’s virtually no shakiness to it when you use a good stabilizer like the Manfrotto Modosteady.

Manfrotto’s Modosteady Three-in-One is an exceedingly clever–perhaps overly clever–multipurpose camcorder support. Capable of serving as a tabletop tripod, shoulder brace, or counterbalance stabilizer, in theory, the Modosteady solves a variety of in-the-field stabilization problems.

Built of sturdy-feeling hard plastic and rubber, the 15.5-ounce Modosteady can unfold from a compact 7.5 inches long by 3.5 inches wide by 4.0 inches tall, crammable into a medium-size camera bag compartment (top), to about 19.5 inches when fully extended (bottom). The four-position armature joints are held together by heavy-duty metal screws.

The reason I went with this one is that it is a 3-in-1 object. It has shoulder support, a stabilizer bar, and table-top support. By having all three different functions in the same gadget, it makes it simple to keep your videos steady no matter when or where you’re attempting to shoot video.
In case you want some type of stablizier for your usage, consider getting the Manfrotto Modosteady.

The best deal on the Manfrotto Modo Steady is at:

B&H Photo – Manfrotto Modo Steady 585 Camera Support only $99.99 + Shipping

Related Items at Amazon:

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> How to Keep a Video Camera Steady is a post from Chris Pirillo

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

I can walk around and pan the camera from side to side, and still the video quality is amazing and clear. There’s virtually no shakiness to it when you use a good stabilizer like the Manfrotto Modosteady.

Manfrotto’s Modosteady Three-in-One is an exceedingly clever–perhaps overly clever–multipurpose camcorder support. Capable of serving as a tabletop tripod, shoulder brace, or counterbalance stabilizer, in theory, the Modosteady solves a variety of in-the-field stabilization problems.

Built of sturdy-feeling hard plastic and rubber, the 15.5-ounce Modosteady can unfold from a compact 7.5 inches long by 3.5 inches wide by 4.0 inches tall, crammable into a medium-size camera bag compartment (top), to about 19.5 inches when fully extended (bottom). The four-position armature joints are held together by heavy-duty metal screws.

The reason I went with this one is that it is a 3-in-1 object. It has shoulder support, a stabilizer bar, and table-top support. By having all three different functions in the same gadget, it makes it simple to keep your videos steady no matter when or where you’re attempting to shoot video.
In case you want some type of stablizier for your usage, consider getting the Manfrotto Modosteady.

The best deal on the Manfrotto Modo Steady is at:

B&H Photo – Manfrotto Modo Steady 585 Camera Support only $99.99 + Shipping

Related Items at Amazon:

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/how-to-keep-a-video-camera-steady/feed/ 2 Flip Mino HD vs Kodak Zi6 vs Flip Ultra Video Camerashttp://chris.pirillo.com/flip-mino-hd-vs-kodak-zi6-vs-flip-ultra-video-cameras/ http://chris.pirillo.com/flip-mino-hd-vs-kodak-zi6-vs-flip-ultra-video-cameras/#comments Tue, 25 Nov 2008 03:46:21 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/?p=9573 Flip Mino HD vs Kodak Zi6 vs Flip Ultra Video Cameras is a post from Chris Pirillo


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Flip Deals:

Find Coupons for over 1100 Stores

A few weeks ago, I reviewed the Kodak Zi6. It is HD supported, but it has good quality. I also did a review of the Flip Ultra awhile back. I just finally got my hands on the Flip Mino HD. Now, I get to make some serious comparisons. Since the new Mino is HD as well, I decided to do a little playing around with some recording on each device prior to making this video.

First off, the Flip Mino is definitely much smaller and lighter than the Kodak Zi6. If you look at the differences between the two videos, you can see that the contrast is much better from the Zi6 than what the Flip Mino is. I’m not sure if there was a problem with the lighting, but there’s a definite difference. However, with the Zi6, I look more “yellow”, whereas with the Flip Mino my skin looks its normal color.

Both of them have a fair amount of noise in them, yes. However, the Kodak video is just a bit sharper than the Flip camera. On the other hand again, the Kodak camera always tends to drop frames, to an annoying degree. That needs to be fixed in the firmware ASAP, seriously. It happens constantly, and is a really huge drawback.

The image overall is shaper when using the Zi6 and the blacks are richer, but it does drop frames often. That makes it impossible to recommend over the Flip Mino. The Flip doesn’t have removable storage, but it is 4GB. The Flip software has been seriously upgraded, and it’s excellent software.

Overall, if you’re in the market for a new compact camcorder, I’d have to recommed the Flip Mino HD at this point. Even though the quality of the Kodak is better, the frame dropping is just something that is hard to live with for many people. You need to weigh the pros and cons against each other, and choose what works best for you.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> Flip Mino HD vs Kodak Zi6 vs Flip Ultra Video Cameras is a post from Chris Pirillo


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Flip Deals:

Find Coupons for over 1100 Stores

A few weeks ago, I reviewed the Kodak Zi6. It is HD supported, but it has good quality. I also did a review of the Flip Ultra awhile back. I just finally got my hands on the Flip Mino HD. Now, I get to make some serious comparisons. Since the new Mino is HD as well, I decided to do a little playing around with some recording on each device prior to making this video.

First off, the Flip Mino is definitely much smaller and lighter than the Kodak Zi6. If you look at the differences between the two videos, you can see that the contrast is much better from the Zi6 than what the Flip Mino is. I’m not sure if there was a problem with the lighting, but there’s a definite difference. However, with the Zi6, I look more “yellow”, whereas with the Flip Mino my skin looks its normal color.

Both of them have a fair amount of noise in them, yes. However, the Kodak video is just a bit sharper than the Flip camera. On the other hand again, the Kodak camera always tends to drop frames, to an annoying degree. That needs to be fixed in the firmware ASAP, seriously. It happens constantly, and is a really huge drawback.

The image overall is shaper when using the Zi6 and the blacks are richer, but it does drop frames often. That makes it impossible to recommend over the Flip Mino. The Flip doesn’t have removable storage, but it is 4GB. The Flip software has been seriously upgraded, and it’s excellent software.

Overall, if you’re in the market for a new compact camcorder, I’d have to recommed the Flip Mino HD at this point. Even though the quality of the Kodak is better, the frame dropping is just something that is hard to live with for many people. You need to weigh the pros and cons against each other, and choose what works best for you.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/flip-mino-hd-vs-kodak-zi6-vs-flip-ultra-video-cameras/feed/ 15 How to Handle Remote Tech Support <em>Using <a href="http://www.gotoassist.com/chris">GoToAssist</a> is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party. </em> chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMThttp://gotoassist.com/chris/ http://gotoassist.com/chris/ Network Tools for Windows You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. <a href="http://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome">SolarWinds ipMonitor</a>: Affordable Network Monitoring for SMBs. Get turnkey network, server and application availability monitoring with SolarWinds ipMonitor v9.0. This easy-to-use, reliable solution for SMBs delivers out-of-the-box availability monitoring so you always know exactly what's up with Active Directory, DNS, Exchange, FTP, Web, IMAP, MS SQL Server, and SMTP. <a href="http://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome">Download your free trial today</a>. Or, try their <a href="http://www.solarwinds.com/products/freetools/">totally free tools</a>! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase <a href="http://store.solarwinds.com/s.nl/sc.16/.f">ipMonitor 9.0</a>. chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMThttp://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome http://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome Get Your Own Web Site Starting at just $3.99/month, web hosting from <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp2">GoDaddy</a> includes 99.9% uptime, 24/7 support and free access to GoDaddy Hosting Connection, THE place to install over 30 FREE applications sure to help you get the most from your hosting plan and Web site. Enter <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp2">code CP2</a> at checkout, and save an additional 10% on any order. <p>Plus, as a friend of Chris Pirillo, enter code <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=chris7">CHRIS7</a>, that's C-H-R-I-S and the number 7, when you check out, and save an additional 10% on any order. Get your piece of the internet at <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=chris7">GoDaddy.com</a>.</p> chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMThttp://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp1 http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp1 VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/13766/rn_a32755/">Parallels</a> or <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/17081/rn_a32755/">VMware</a> (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/17081/rn_a32755/">VMware</a> and/or <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/13766/rn_a32755/">Parallels</a>. chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMThttp://chris.pirillo.com/2008/02/19/parallels-or-vmware/ http://chris.pirillo.com/2008/02/19/parallels-or-vmware/ Coupons for Online Shopping <p style="color: red">This feed is fueled by Lockergnome <a href="http://www.lockergnome.com/buy/">Online Shopping and Coupon Codes</a></p> <p> Before you shop next time, see if we have <a href="http://coupons.lockergnome.com/">a coupon</a> first. </p> chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMThttp://coupons.lockergnome.com/ http://coupons.lockergnome.com/