Monthly Archives: June 2007

RED camera price and schedule

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There’s been quite a stir every time someone mentions the RED camera.

RED cameraFor one, its support for 4K video (4,096 x 2,160 pixels) made quite an impact last year when RED camera stole NAB 2006.

Another point is the price … point. The body will cost “only” 17,500. If you consider the average indie producer’s budget this seems quite high but at the same time, a good zoom lens could cost that much (and more). So considering the 4K capability, you’re getting an excellent deal.


So let’s go to the schedule part. The first batch of RED cameras (50 or so) will ship in August. From then on, it’s about 100 cameras per month. About 2000 have been pre-ordered already which means that if you order today, you’ll get yours in February 2008!

Which definitely is a long wait. Fear not, some of the guys who are buying it are OK to rent it for a week or two.

Review: Death Proof

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Death Proof posterI’m still not sure how Death Proof is supposed to be “appreciated.”

My rule of thumb is that movies that need 10 things to go right just so you can “appreciate” them are usually movies not worth it. At the same time, my impression of Kill Bill (part I) was pretty negative but then when I saw the second part, I changed my opinon of the whole thing.

If you ask Tarantino, all you need in order to enjoy this movie is a passion for old movies shown in run-down cinemas. Movie that the likes of Roger Corman shot for a weekend on a budget that today won’t cover the light rental for a single day.

Death Proof screenshot

The plot is pretty simple, there are no abrupt turns, unless you count the car chases. Someone summed it up in a sentence: a psycho named Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) stalks and kills beautiful women with his car.

I found Tarantino’s famous dialog scenes dragging and the overacting unbearable (obviously it was meant as a reference to the cheeseness in exploitation flicks). So the cheese was a bit much when it comes to the static scenes which probably comprise 80% of the movie.

When he finally hits the car scenes, I wished there was a lot more of them. The stunts, the sounds, the tempo were all so perfect, I walked out of the theater happy. Would I see it again? Not sure… but I’ll sure buy the Death Proof DVD, if I see any of those get-three-for-just-$10 deals.

Full HD projector

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Now, this isn’t the first HD projector capable of doing 1080p. At the time of this writing, it’s arguably the smallest. It packs quite a punch when it comes to features. Check it out (courtesy of EngadgetHD)

Full HD projector

Touting an almost unbelievable assortment of niceties, this 3.7- x 9.2- x 10.8-inch DLP machine is reportedly the “world’s smallest” Full HD projector to date, and if that wasn’t inspiring enough, it also uses TI’s 0.95-inch 1080p DMD, the firm’s proprietary RealColor technology, and plays nice with home automation systems with RS-232 and IP interfaces. Additionally, it sports a 10-bit video processing engine, HDMI 1.3 compatibility, 1,000 lumens, and a even-segment, 5x color wheel.

I’ve tried my old (office) projector once or twice as a means to get a “movie theater” experience. Didn’t work. I’m willing to give projectiondesign’s new baby a try though.