Archive for April, 2007
Media Cybernetics Releases Infinity 1 Digital Camera Kit for Clinical, Life Science and Materials Science Research
Business Wire (press release), CA
SILVER SPRING, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Media Cybernetics announces the release of their Infinity 1 Digital Camera Kit for qualitative scientific imaging. The Infinity 1 Camera Kit includes a high resolution CMOS color or monochrome microscopy camera which works seamlessly with Image-Pro Plus and Image-Pro Express image processing software.
The low noise characteristic of the Infinity 1 progressive scan 1.3 megapixel image sensor results in crisp color quality for the most demanding brightfield and darkfield microscopy applications including clinical pathology and cytology, life science and geology. The seamless compatibility of the Infinity 1 camera and Image-Pro software streamlines the image acquisition and analysis process for life science and industrial researchers.
About Media Cybernetics
Founded in 1981, Media Cybernetics develops image informatics solutions to automate research, development, and quality control processes in life science and industry. The company’s products simplify and enhance image-based data collection and analysis to increase the accuracy and productivity of its customers. Image-Pro Plus is the image analysis software used daily by thousands of researchers and engineers in medicine, science, and industry. For more information about Media Cybernetics, visit www.mediacy.com.
April 13th, 2007
Digital Camera captures pictures and video down to 2 lux.
ThomasNet Industrial News Room (press release), NY
SANYO Pocket Video/Still Camera with Blur Correction and Ultra-Sensitive Low-Light Performance Is Set for U.S. Debut
6-Megapixel SANYO Xacti CG6 Features Large 2.5-inch LCD Monitor, Convenient Headphones Jack and USB Charging Capability
CHATSWORTH, Calif., March 20 — Weighing less than six ounces with battery and SD card onboard, the pocket-sized SANYO Xacti CG6 digital video/still camera is a stylish choice for spontaneous recording whenever inspiration strikes. For exceptionally clear photos, a new “blur correction with gyro sensor” system effectively corrects unintentional camera shake, while low-light performance down to 2 lux(*1) lets the CG6 capture special moments even in candlelight alone.
The “blur correction with gyro sensor” system utilizes advanced digital processing technologies. Without sacrificing the camera’s lightweight design, the gyro sensor detects the direction and amount of camera shake during photo-taking and, based on that data, a digital filter cancels the camera shake portion of the captured image. Because the VPC-CG6 also includes a separate digital image stabilizer for video recording, shooting sharp photos and video is virtually automatic.
The SANYO Xacti CG6 features a 6.0 megapixel CCD and a 5X optical zoom lens. This enables ultra-sensitive movie recording that realizes a minimum subject illumination of 2 lux. In addition to advanced sensitive digital processing technologies, the CG6 offers an automatic frame-rate adjustment capability in “Lamp” mode for low-light video recording.
“The Xacti CG6 is the perfect choice for capturing video and stills on the go,” said John Lamb, Senior Marketing Manager for SANYO Fisher Company’s Audio Video Division. “This easy-to-use camera incorporates advanced technologies that produce beautiful results virtually every time. It’s fun to use and people will love how easy it is to transfer files to their portable video players or to their computer for uploading to a photo or video-sharing Website.”
The SANYO Xacti CG6 will be available in the U.S. at the end of March at an MSRP of $329.99(*2). The stylish blue Xacti CG6 will be available at Wal-Mart Stores nationwide.
The camera has a large 2.5-inch LCD panel on which the user can compose and frame the subject during shooting and then review the footage. The low-reflective panel, composed of bright amorphous silicon with a high resolution of approximately 110,000 pixels, is highly visible even outdoors on a sunny day. The monitor unit rotates up to 290 degrees to allow unrestricted shooting styles such as high/low-angle and self-shots. An AV terminal/headphone jack on the camera body front provides connectivity to commercial headphones (not included), making it easy to listen to video while shooting or during playback with high-quality stereo sound.
The SANYO CG6 is SDHC-compatible, which means that you can record a movie for up to eight hours on an 8 GB SDHC memory card(*3). Users can also record up to 4 hours of high-quality video on a 4 GB SDHC memory card, up to 2 hours on a standard 2GB SD card, and up to 1 hour on a standard 1 GB SD card.
Other SANYO Xacti CG6 Features include:
- USB battery charging(*4) by simply connecting the unit to your computer’s USB port
- 6.0-megapixel high-resolution photos can be captured during movie recording(*5)
- 3.8-megapixel (2592×1944) widescreen 16:9 photo mode available
- BGM slideshow for sequentially showing photos with background music
- Easy in-camera movie editing(*6)
- Real-Time Interpolation for 10-megapixel (3680×2760) high-resolution recording
- Audio Guide announces camera modes and alerts by voice
- Portrait mode for taking vertical photos without rotating the camera body
- Digital red-eye correction
Repair the “red eye” effect that sometimes occurs when using a flash at night. With this feature, the camera automatically detects and digitally corrects red eyes in the photo.
- 9-point range finder AF for highly focused precision shooting
- Up to 1 cm close-up photos with the Super Macro Focus (wide setting)
- Scene Select feature and digital filters for shooting under various conditions
- Wind Noise Reduction to reduce wind noise sensed by the microphone
- Quick Standby to start recording/playback as soon as the LCD monitor is opened
- Voice recorder for up to 13 hours of continuous audio recording
- Supports USB 2.0 for high-speed data transfer
- Compatible with Exif Print(*7) and PRINT Image Matching III(*8) for displaying image data in the printer output
- Supports PictBridge for direct photo printing without a computer
- Comes with a computer kit with abundant movie application software
- Ulead DVD Movie Factory 5.0SE for creating original DVDs with MPEG-4 movies and photos
- Ulead Photo Explorer 8.5 SE Basic to easily manage photos and MPEG-4 movies
- Motion Director SE 1.1 for correcting camera shake and combining images to create panorama shots
SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. is a $20 billion manufacturer and distributor of consumer and commercial electronics, including multimedia and telecommunication products. Based in Chatsworth, California, SANYO Fisher Company (a division of SANYO North America Corporation, a subsidiary of SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.) markets digital cameras, PCS phones, audio systems, portable and mobile electronics, televisions, dictation devices, home appliances, LCD projectors, security video equipment and air conditioning systems.
For more information and additional specifications, please visit www.sanyodigital.com. Visit www.sanyodigital.com and click on “CG6″ > “Dealer Images” for downloadable hi-res product images.
All products and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Because its products are subject to continual improvement, SANYO reserves the right to modify product design and specifications without notice and without incurring any obligations.
* 1: Lamp Mode.
* 2: Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price. Pricing subject to change at any time. Actual prices are determined by individual dealers and may vary
* 3: TV-HQ Mode
* 4: Follow usage instructions
* 5: Using the camera shake correction feature during movie recording may change the camera field angle
* 6: Movie editing may not be possible depending on the space available on the memory card
* 7: Designation for the “Exif Ver2.2 standard” image file format established as the industry standard for digital cameras
* 8: When using a PRINT Image Matching-compatible printer
CONTACT: Michael R. Harris of Harris Public Relations, +1-714-966-0258, hpr1@earthlink.net, for SANYO Fisher Company
April 11th, 2007
Digital Camera Processor integrates video codecs.
ThomasNet Industrial News Room (press release), NY
Zoran Demonstrates New Generation Digital Camera Processors with Revolutionary Image Processing, DSLR-Grade Performance and High Definition Video Recording
COACH 10 Processors Integrate Advanced Codecs and Connectivity Solutions, Including High-Definition Digital Video and Still Output for Digital Still Cameras and Camcorders Demonstrated at PMA 2007
SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 7 — Zoran Corporation (NASDAQ:ZRAN) announced that its highly integrated tenth generation COACH digital camera processor, offering advanced video compression, DSLR-grade performance and high definition video recording, is available in sample quantities to qualified digital camera manufacturers.
Zoran is demonstrating the entire range of advanced features of the COACH 10 digital camera processor at the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) trade show in Las Vegas from March 8 to 11.
The COACH 10 processor is the industry’s only digital camera solution that supports high ISO-6400 at full picture resolution, jitter stabilization for both video and still photos, high definition Advanced Video Coding (H.264), standard definition MPEG-4, DivX video recording, and still image capture at 12 megapixel resolution in less than one-third of a second between consecutive shots, using Zoran’s proprietary still and video processing technologies.
“We expect that over 105 million digital cameras were sold worldwide during 2006 and about 113 million will be sold during 2007,” said Chris Chute, Research Manager at IDC. “Market developments will include continued improvement in image quality, processor performance and the integration of video recording. High quality video capture, such as that offered by Zoran’s COACH 10 processor, will play a significant role in future consumer cameras because video is quickly becoming a predominant feature in the digital camera market.”
Digital camera manufacturers have a broad range of COACH 10 products to select from, ranging from digital-imaging only solutions to more enhanced versions that include the advanced video codecs and HDMI interface.
“Customers tell us that Zoran’s COACH 10 digital camera processor has the highest performance of any digital imaging and video solution available today. It supports DSLR-grade performance and picture quality while also enabling video recording at high definition resolution. In addition, the COACH 10 processor’s H.264 and other advanced image processing techniques improve the digital camera’s video quality whether viewed on a PC or TV,” said Coby Sella, senior VP and general manager, Zoran’s Mobile division.
COACH 10-based reference designs from Zoran enable manufacturers to bring new digital camera offerings quickly to market. The COACH 10 processor maintains firmware compatibility with the previous generation COACH 9 products, so that all customers and third party development efforts are preserved while migrating to the COACH 10 product.
Previous versions of the COACH single-chip processor power digital camera models from manufacturers such as Aiptek, Chicony, DXG, Kodak, Konica-Minolta, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, Premier, PureDigital, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba and others.
About Zoran Corporation
Zoran Corporation, based in Sunnyvale, California, is a leading provider of digital solutions in the growing digital entertainment and digital imaging markets. With two decades of expertise developing and delivering digital signal processing technologies, Zoran has pioneered high-performance digital audio and video, imaging applications and Connect Share Entertain technologies for the digital home. Zoran’s proficiency in integration delivers major benefits for OEM customers, including greater capabilities within each product generation, reduced system costs, and shorter time to market. Zoran-based DVD, digital camera, DTV, multimedia mobile phone, and multifunction printer products have received recognition for excellence and are now in hundreds of millions of homes and offices worldwide. With headquarters in the U.S. and operations in Canada, China, England, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, Zoran may be contacted on the World Wide Web at www.zoran.com or at 408-523-6500.
Source: Zoran Corporation
April 10th, 2007
Burn digital camera videos to VCD
Worcester Telegram, MA
TECH Q&A
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Q How do I copy short videos taken with a digital camera to a CD-R that can be played on a CD/DVD player? The videos have been stored in my PC, which is equipped with a recordable CD drive.
A If your computer does not have a drive that can record DVDs, you can probably burn your digital camera’s clips to a video compact disc, also known as a VCD.
A video compact disc is a CD that can play moving pictures and audio in the MPEG-1 format. Many (but not all) DVD players can play video compact discs. With the right software, you can also play a VCD in a computer’s CD drive.
At the most, a VCD can hold about 80 minutes of video, and the picture quality is typically not as sharp as a movie encoded for DVD; many have compared the picture with that of a movie on VHS tape. Another format, Super Video CD (SVCD), offers better picture quality but doesn’t hold as much video.
If your PC did not come with software that can convert video to MPEG-1 and create video compact discs, other commercial video-editing programs are available. Many programs for creating DVDs also give you an option to make a VCD.
There are specialized programs like VCD Easy ( www.vcdeasy.org; a free trial download is available) for creating these discs. The VideoHelp site ( www.videohelp.com) is one place for further reading on the topic, with information, forums and tutorials on making your own VCD and SVCD movies.
Q Is there any way to move all of my appointments from the Palm Desktop Date Book into iCal in Mac OS X?
A Apple’s iCal calendar program, included with Mac OS X, can import data from other scheduling programs. First, though, you have to export your data from the Palm Desktop program.
In Palm Desktop 4.0 or later, go to the File menu and choose Export. Give the file a name, choose “Date Book†from the Module pop-up menu and also choose “All Date Book Items.†Choose “vCal†as the file’s format and click on the Export button to save a copy of your Date Book schedule on your computer.
Next, open the iCal program, go to the File menu and choose Import. Click on the button to “Import a vCal file†and click Import. Locate the vCal file you just saved from the Palm program and select it to import to pull them into iCal.
Apple’s technical support site for iCal ( www.apple.com/support/ical) has several articles on working with the program, including using it with a Palm organizer or iPod, or publishing your calendar to the Web.
April 9th, 2007
A Compact Digital Camera That Can Shoot in Low Light
New York Times, NY
By MARTY KATZ
Published: April 5, 2007
Owners of digital single-lens reflex cameras can shoot in low light without flash by turning up their sensitivity controls. At settings of ISO 800 to 3200, the better cameras make pictures that are increasingly grainy, but still usable. At high settings, greater depth of field and faster shutter speeds make pictures sharper.
This ability has generally been lacking in pocket cameras — until now. Nikon’s just-released Coolpix P5000 pocket camera, available online and in stores for less than $400, is designed for high sensitivity, with a processor tuned for an improved signal-to-noise ratio and strong noise reduction.
In informal tests, images shot at ISO 800 and 1600 show grain, but to a degree that is not terrible — and the shots are better than those from the P5000’s pocket-size peers. At ISO 3200, noise reduction reduces grain, but also some of the sharpness.
This 10-megapixel camera also has an antishake mechanism and a hot shoe for external flash units that can bounce light off a wall or ceiling for sophisticated effects.
And Nikon has brought back the optical viewfinder, a feature that has disappeared from most small cameras but helps those with glasses frame shots without squinting at the 2.5-inch screen. MARTY KATZ
April 5th, 2007
Kodak digital camera shipments fall
Rochester Business Journal, NY
By MIKE DICKINSON
Rochester Business Journal
April 3, 2007
Eastman Kodak Co.’s worldwide shipments of digital cameras fell 19.5 percent in 2006, a new market research report states.
Kodak maintained its No. 3 position for the year, but its share dipped 4 percentage points, Massachusetts-based IDC states in its latest report, 2006 Worldwide Digital Camera Market Share.
Worldwide shipments of digital still cameras, including digital SLRs, reached 106 million units in 2006, driven by strong DSLR shipments and strong growth in Eastern Europe, parts of Asia and Latin America, IDC reports. It represents 15 percent growth over 2005. DSLR shipments grew 39 percent to more than 5.2 million units.
The digital SLR growth helped Canon Inc. keep its No. 1 position in 2006 with 18.7 percent share, up from 17.4 share a year ago, the report states. Sony Corp., which became the third largest supplier of DSLRs, remained in second place in digital cameras, with its share rising from 15.2 percent in 2005 to 15.8 percent in 2006.
Kodak’s share dropped from 14.2 percent in 2005 to 10 percent in 2006. It remained ahead of No. 4 Olympus Corp., which fell to 8.6 percent from 9.8 percent.
Kodak CEO Antonio Perez in January 2006 announced Kodak would forgo some digital camera sales that were not profitable. That move enabled Kodak to improve its digital bottom line but hurt total sales and share.
The big winner in 2006 was Samsung, IDC said, which displaced Nikon Inc. and became the fifth-largest seller of digital cameras in the world. The firm doubled its share from 4 percent in 2005 to 8 percent in 2006. Nikon ranked sixth with 7.6 share, down from 7.9.
Kodak was the only firm in the top six that saw its shipment falls in 2006.
IDC’s Christopher Chute, research manager for IDC’s worldwide digital imaging practice, said the digital camera market will continue to slow down even as the camera becomes more of a personal device than a household item.
“Some vendors seem to understand that solidifying long-term share means bolstering current share through worldwide marketing efforts, not just product development.
“Some vendors seem to understand that solidifying long-term share means bolstering current share through worldwide marketing efforts, not just product development. Samsung is an excellent example of this. Sony is another; through heavily marketing its first DSLR, the firm achieved a third place rank in the global DSLR rankings,†he said in a statement.
IDC reports Kodak had no shipments or share of DSLR cameras in 2006, after having a 0.5 percent share in 2005.
(c) 2007 Rochester Business Journal. Obtain permission to
reprint this article.
April 4th, 2007
Digital Photo Camera Shopping Posted By : Dana Bradley
Business Portal 24 (press release), Germany
There are many economical and ecological advantages associated with digital photo camera shopping. Not too long ago, when you considered choosing a photo camera, you had to take into consideration what the film would cost each time you purchased it, and what retail and photo developing stores would charge to develop any number of prints from your roll.
Advancements in digital photography devices has allowed people to advance beyond such petty thinking, and is urging them…
Businessportal24.com is a modern News and Press Release-Portal, where entrepreneurs and freelancers can publish their press releases -for free-. We think, there’s no better way for online advertising!
Thanks for your visit.
April 3rd, 2007
Camera has thermo-electrically cooled detector
Manufacturing Talk, UK
The XEVA-USB digital camera from LOT combines a thermo-electrically cooled InGaAs detector head and the control and communication electronics.
LOT’s latest infrared imaging camera is the XEVA-USB digital camera which combines a thermo-electrically cooled InGaAs detector head and the control and communication electronics. This unit is available for InGaAs detector arrays operating in the wavelength range from 0.9 up to 1.7 um. The XEVA-USB digital camera is operated from one single 12V – 5A power supply (included in the configuration) and includes all voltage regulating circuits, a temperature stabilization circuit for the cooling of the detector and the signal output analog to digital conversion.
The camera head interfaces to a PC via a standard USB 2.0 bus; there is no need for additional frame grabber cards.
The camera is delivered with a C++ and Labview based graphical user interface that offers direct access to various camera settings such as exposure time and operating temperature.
It allows the user to acquire and display 12-bit data.
The software tools include two-point uniformity correction and bad pixel replacement.
Applications include: Hyperspectral imaging, Laser beam profiling, Low-light level imaging, Vision enhancement (automotive or airborne applications), Semiconductor inspection, thermal imaging of hot objects (in the 200degC to 800degC range), Imaging in SWIR range, On-line process control, Medical applications, Paper pulp processing.
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April 2nd, 2007
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