S.Schleicher

3D TV announced, Panasonic ready to deliver

Oh yes, this looks awesome!

Panasonic will be taking orders for this system in April for this $21,000 unit.  While it looks like a traditional Prosumer unit, the addition of 3D lenses kicks does bring 3D to a more affordable level.

In addition to a camcorder, Panasonic also plans to offer a professional-quality 3D Full HD LCD monitor for field use as well as a professional HD digital AV mixer for live event production. Panasonic will offer professional production equipment to allow video professionals to efficiently create 3D content, so consumers can enjoy 3D video using Panasonic 3D home theater systems.

Major Specifications (tentative)

• Product Name: Twin-lens Full HD 3D camcorder (made-to-order)
• Suggested Retail Price for Main Unit: $21,000
• Available: Fall 2010 (made to order)
• Power Consumption: Under 19 W (main unit only)
• Weight: Under 3 kg (main unit only)
• Recording Media: SDHC/SD Memory Card

Does anyone remember Canon’s attempt at entering the 3D world back in 2000-2001?  It was a bit clunkier back in the day and it required a bunch of hardware hooked to the television in order for it to work.  I wish I was in Vegas this week to see this camera in action to see how this system will fit into the upcoming announcements from ESPN and Discovery Networks about bring 3D to television.

via Panasonic

Batman knows

He knows when you are sleeping…

Scheduled Post Test

There seems to be a major bug in the 2.9 release of Wordpress that is preventing scheduled posts from triggering and posting correctly.  This is a major problem for those who work ahead (like me), in order to maximize readership, and to ensure every post gets its moment in the sun.  I’m writing this post at 11:25 AM, and scheduling it for 12:55 PM.  If you see the post, then great, everything seems to be working fine.  If you don’t see it, then how the heck are you reading it now?

Oh, Snow Day today… bleh… time to shovel.

You can never have too much RAM

I’m currently in the middle of testing a new piece of software, and I ran into an issue with my MacBook Pro.  I mentioned about six months ago on the Coolness Roundup, that I had retired my Mac Pro system in favor of using my 17-inch MacBook Pro as my full time Mac system.  The Intel-based Mac system has been doing wonderfully, and I can run everything from Adobe’s After Effects system all the way to editing HD video in Final Cut Pro.  However, this new software is a really memory drainer when it comes to one of the new features, and when I began reading and trouble shooting it turns out I could use a bit more RAM on the system.

One would think 4GB of RAM would be enough, but 8GB is better. A quick shopping spree at the Apple store, and I’ve now upgraded to 8GB and the system is running like a dream machine once again.  Best of all, during this holiday season, Apple is giving free 2-3 day shipping.  Even better?  I ordered my RAM late Thursday, and it was here by the end of the day Friday.

Bottom line – you can never have too much money, too much RAM, or FILL IN THE BLANK HERE.

Next Up – WordPress 2.9.

YouTube does 1080p

YouTube has quietly been rolling out 1080p HD videos since mid-November.  If you find these videos, you certainly will want to supersize the video to full screen, because they look fabulous.

Don’t believe me?  Check out the Muppets doing Bohemian Rhapsody.

Unboxing 27-inch iMac

It took me a while to decide if I was going to purchase the new 27-inch iMac from Apple.  For the past year and a half, my 17-inch MacBook Pro has been the primary work machine, recording podcasts, maintaining the websites (not this one of course, ’cause I NEVER update this site), and generally being my attached at the hip machine.

Following a recent live show, it became clear to me that while the MacBook Pro will continue to be my everyday machine, it does slip a bit here and there when it comes to being able to handle everything I need to do at any one time.  So, the decision was made to purchase yet another computer (3 PCs and 4 Macs is the current tally) that would handle the recording of the podcasts (even more coming in the new year), and being the general work machine when I am at home at night.

The iMac arrived at the Major Spoilers HQ on Wednesday, and it took until Friday for me to find a free moment to unbox this beast and get it set up.

The Joys and Horrors of Facebook: 24 years later

There are some really good things about Facebook.

• It gives everyone a chance to hook up with friends old and new
• There are plenty of photos to check out of those people

There are also some things I’d rather not have Facebook post

• Like this picture of me from 199, that college friend Kelli dug up and posted

Good gravy, was I ever that young and thin? It seems unreal.

Mr. Blue Sky on the Uke

I will learn how to play this.

Enter The Mercury Men

I can’t wait until this web series if finally released; what a great looking mix of sci-fi and pulp noir.  Plus there are all those After Effects effects.

Edward Borman, a lowly government office drone, finds himself trapped, when the deadly Mercury Men seize his office building as a staging ground for their nefarious plot. Aided by a daring aerospace engineer from a mysterious organization known as “The League,” Edward must stop the invaders and their doomsday device, the Gravity Engine.

More at the Mercury Men website.

Still Waiting

Just a little longer, I promise