HD vs Film

Telenovela Lola - The HD world has changed dramatically over the past few years. Many believe the gap between film and digital video has been closed with the advent of new ultra-high resolution, 35mm-sized, single-chip HD cameras that offer superior color reproduction and exposure latitude comparable to 35mm. All professional filmstyle HD cameras are capable of true progressive frame, 24 frames-per-second (24p) capture and provide other film-style features, such as multiple frame rates, variable shutter and cine-like gamma curves that mimic the tonal qualities of film. In addition, all of these cameras accept 35mm film lenses and accessories (some require adaptors such as the P+S Technik Pro35 and Mini35) which assures the exact same focal lengths and relatively shallow depth-of-field associated with 35mm optics.

The movie industry has changed radically over the past decade. Now there are distribution opportunities for small independents that never existed before. Indies have already proven that they too can be successful and profitable at the box office. While HD cameras are now affordable and in the hands of many independent filmmakers, the rules still stand that to be successful in the movie market, you need to make good films. Film festivals and internet sites like YOUTUBE have opened the doors to Indy filmmakers, providing easy access to large audiences. The number of film festivals around the world has exploded, from a handful to literally thousands and each festival receives hundreds and thousands of entries. Both Panavision and Arriflex have joined the digital revolution, recognizing the increased demand for digital acquisition, especially in TV and Indy film production where budgets are tight. A typical 100-minute low-budget feature production will save over $150,000 shooting HD versus 35mm and save $50,000 over 16mm. On a low-budget production, these cost savings are significant.

The digital workflow has taken over film in many areas, especially in post-production. Almost all editing today is performed on non-linear systems and the vast majority of special effects are created through a digital pipeline. In addition, HD is becoming the universal format for distribution, including HD television broadcast and home entertainment (HD-DVD and Blu-Ray HD players are now on the market). HD theatrical distribution will soon follow. Currently, the movie industry spends close to a billion dollars per year on prints, shipping, insurance and other costs, all of which will be eliminated with satellite distribution of HD films for 4K/HD projection. The projected cost savings to the movie industry is enormous and will ultimately be the driving force that will propel the world into HD exhibition.

Exhibitors will also benefit from HD projectors that are solid state and require little maintenance. Pricing on HD projectors will drop dramatically with economies of scale and will quickly be amortized considering the significant savings in operating costs compared to 35mm projection. For example, showtimes can be programmed into digital projectors allowing automatic start and full automation, thus eliminating the need for projectionists and saving theater owners time in training, salaries and expensive worker's compensation premiums. Landmark Theaters has already begun the process of installing HD projectors into many of their theaters and others are following suit. Conservative estimates suggest that 50% of all theaters in the United States will be converted to HD projection within the next five to seven years and over 80% within the next ten years.

HD offers several distinct advantages over film during shooting, such as immediate playback and monitoring of your finished image. LUT's are used to define different looks for the film or the final look of the film print and output that look onto a high-definition display. LUT's can be saved for future film projects or episodes should you want to replicate a similar look. Camera settings can also be saved for future projects so that you can match a particular look exactly (very handy for TV series production). HD monitoring allows you to catch things and make corrections on the fly, while you are in the moment. HD cameras excel over 35mm at locations where you have mixed light sources and don't have the luxury of setting up your own controlled lighting. HD cameras can white balance, film cannot. HD also excels over film in the effects world, where it is possible to view green and blue screen composites on the set, fine-tune alignments in real-time, and give the director a close representation of the finished product.

While there are many who continue to argue that HD is, and will always be, inferior to film, the truth is an HD feature properly lit and exposed looks very close to 35mm and the aesthetic difference is virtually transparent to the audience. Your average movie patron really doesn't know or care what format the film was shot in. All they really care about, and all that really matters ultimately, is that they are entertained. A great story with the right cast and skillful directing goes a long way and it certainly stands to reason that as more people become used to watching HD films, the "look" of HD will become the accepted "norm".

The writing is on the wall. Film will still be the format of choice for a while, especially on large budget features, but eventually one could certainly speculate that the entire process of making films will be entirely digital.

Kelulusan SMA dan MA 2010

Amor Real Telenovela - Wakil Menteri Pendidikan Nasional Fasli Jalal menegaskan tingkat kelulusan untuk tahun 2010 mengalami penurunan sekitar 5 persen.

Pengumuman kelulusan "Tingkat kelulusan tahun ini 90 persen, 10 persen tidak lulus, ada penurunan sedikit dibanding tahun kemarin yang mencapai 95 persen untuk seluruh wilayah Indonesia," ujar Wakil Mendiknas Fasli Jalal saat dihubungi melalui telepon, Sabtu (24/4/2010).

Menurut Fasli, penyebab dari turunnya prosentasi tingkat kelulusan di Indonesia dikarenakan adanya penurunan akhlak dan budi pekerti. Banyaknya soal-soal bocor dan tingkat kejujuran siswa rendah yang muncul saat pelaksanaan, menjadi salah satu faktor penyebab menurunnya angka kelulusan.

Meskipun begitu, lanjut Fasli pemerintah melalui Kementerian Pendidikan Nasional akan terus melakukan proses evaluasi secara menyeluruh terhadap pelaksanaan ujian nasional tahun 2010.

"Kita inginkan tingkat kejujuran di atas segala-galanya, walaupun tahun ini masih banyak ditemukan soal-soal bocor, tapi kita sudah perbaiki dengan benar," jelasnya.

Pengumuman ujian nasional untuk tingkat Sekolah Menengah Atas dan Madrasah Aliyah akan diumumkan pada Senin (26/4/2010) lusa secara serentak di seluruh wilayah Indonesia

Handphone Nokia New

Watch Movie Online - Nokia has posted its 2010 Q1 results with an amazing 21.5 million smartphones, or converged devices as the market likes to call them, sold. With recessions still bothering many countries, it’s a great indication of Nokia’s strong product line-up, from brand new devices such as the Nokia X6, to older favourites such as the Nokia N Series and Nokia E Series. To find out more about how Nokia got on in Q1, join us after the break…

Hp Nokia - We’re now into the second quarter of 2010, allowing Nokia to announce results for the first three months of the year. It sold a staggering 107.8 million handsets, which is up 16 per cent from 2009, and also saw Nokia take a larger slice of the mobile phone market.

However, it is the news that some 21.5 million smartphones were sold, up from 13.7 million sold in the same period of 2009. This figure gives Nokia a staggering 41 per cent market share, which is up from 38 per cent for the same period last year.

What make these figures so interesting is that Nokia didn’t have an major launches, discounting the Nokia X6 16GB, hit the market. So the Q1 results reflects the excellent ranges of devices, such as the Nokia N97 Mini and Nokia 5800 that continue to sell by the bucketload.

Handphone Terbaru

Camille Donatacci Grammer - ponsel terbesar di dunia, Nokia, resmi terjun ke pasar smartphone murah. Langkah tersebut bertujuan menghalau langkah BlackBerry yang dibesut Research in Motion (RIM).

Smartphone murah yang dirilis Nokia tersebut terdiri atas tiga tipe. Pertama, seri C3 yang dihargai di kisaran USD 122 (setara Rp 1,1 juta). Kedua, seri C6 yang berbanderol USD 299 (setara Rp 2,7 juta). Dan, E5 yang dihargai sekitar USD 244 (setara Rp 2,2 juta).

Nokia sudah lama ingin melawan dominasi RIM dalam urusan layanan data, terutama kemampuan e-mail yang cepat. Tapi, usaha tersebut belum membuahkan hasil. Padahal, tingginya permintaan konsumen untuk membuka e-mail dari ponsel mereka memunculkan lahan "peperangan" baru antara Nokia dan RIM.

"Untuk pasar smartphone, target kami adalah mengalahkan RIM. Itu sudah pasti," ujar Vice President Business Phones Nokia Ilari Nurmi kepada Reuters kemarin (13/4). "Dengan C3 kami bisa mendapatkan harga yang RIM tidak bisa menyentuhnya," tambahnya. C3 yang dilengkapi wifi tersebut dipasarkan dalam waktu dekat.

Analis Geoff Blaber dari kantor konsultan Inggris, CCS Insight, menyatakan bahwa model itu bakal menjadi produk terpenting Nokia pada 2010. "Model terbaru yang dirilis Nokia memang memiliki fitur yang tidak berbeda dari yang sudah ada. Punya full keyboard, kemampuan e-mail, dan jejaring sosial. Meski agak terlambat, itu memiliki kemampuan penghancur yang tidak kalah besar," ujar Blaber.

Medicine

Bikini - The British Chiropractic Association has dropped its libel action against the science writer Simon Singh after courts ruled that pointing out ‘complete bullshit’ is actually ‘complete bullshit’ should be considered ‘fair comment’.

Singh wrote an article in the Guardian stating that claims of some British Chiropractic Association members that their techniques could treat childhood asthma and ear infections were ‘bullshit’, which the BCA claimed was libellous.

However, the courts have now decided that pointing out that bullshit claims are in fact, bullshit claims, should be considered fair comment, making a libel claims much more difficult for bullshit producers everywhere.

The news has been greeted with dismay by the nation’s bullshit peddlers, with many claiming the ruling could threaten their very livelihoods.

Homeopathic bullshit practitioner Dana Pullman explained, “If people are legally allowed to point out that my methods are bullshit, then gullible people will stop buying them - and I will stop making money from them. Ergo, this is terrible, terrible news.”

Rules

A leading libel reform campaigner explained that seeing bullshit peddlers become destitute was nothing more than a pleasing side-effect, and that their original intentions were much broader than that.

“It’s important that people are able to question and criticise medical claims. I mean, do you really think that pill on the Internet is going to make your cock bigger? Really?”

“If we’re not legally able to call bullshit ‘bullshit’ then where will it all end?”

“I’ll tell you where - It will end with us all living in a country run by prevaricating charlatans getting rich off the backs of ordinary people thanks to their endless lies and deceit.”

“Oh. Hang on.”

Yudhoyono following Susno case

White Bikini - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is awaiting information on the legal position of former National Police detective chief Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji, who is being investigated by the Judicial Corruption Eradication Taskforce.

The police named Susno Ditangkap a defamation suspect for his media report alleging that graft had taken place within the law enforcement institution.

Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said Yudhoyono regarded Susno’s case as an internal problem for the National Police.

“The President suggests that all related parties fully implement legal mechanisms and procedures to settle [Susno’s] case,” he said Wednesday, as quoted by Antara state news agency.

Susno has accused a number of high-ranking police officers of embezzling funds in an alleged money laundering and tax evasion case after they stopped investigations into the case.

Among the accused, National Police Brig. Gen. Edmon Ilyas and Brig. Gen. Raja Erizman filed charges against Susno for defamation.

Masyarakat Belum Tahu Helm SNI

Bikini - Kebijakan menggunakan helm berlogo Standar Nasional Indonesia (SNI) telah berlaku sejak Kamis, pekan lalu. Namun, hingga hari ketujuh pelaksanaan peraturan yang mengatur penggunaan helm SNI ini masih banyak masyarakat yang tidak tahu peraturan ini. Bahkan, ada juga produsen helm yang masih belum mengerti soal helm SNI.

"Ada anggota kami di daerah yang tanya Helm SNI itu merek helm ya?" kata Staf Ahli Asosiasi Industri Helm Indonesia (AIHI) Thomas Lim saat dihubungi Kompas.com, Jakarta, Rabu (7/4/2010).

Menurut Thomas, kurang "melek"-nya produsen tentang kewajiban helm SNI dikarenakan minimnya sosialisasi yang dilakukan oleh pemerintah. Padahal, peraturan tentang pemberlakuan helm SNI ini telah dikeluarkan sejak lama.

Untuk melindungi keselamatan pengedara motor, Kementerian Perindustrian selaku regulator mengeluarkan SK Peraturan Menteri No 40/M-IND/Per/6/2008 tentang Pemberlakuan SNI Helm Pengendara Kendaraan Bermotor Roda Dua secara wajib. Peraturan itu kemudian ditunda dan baru mulai efektif pada 1 April 2010.

Di dalamnya tersirat bahwa produsen helm wajib memproduksi helm ber-SNI. "Ini kan peraturan sudah lama, tetapi sosialisasinya kurang. Produsen juga masih saja membuat helm dengan standar non-SNI," tutur Thomas.

Alhasil, saat ini masih banyak helm non-SNI yang beredar. Kebanyakan helm ini merupakan sisa produk yang diproduksi oleh produsen sebelum 1 April 2010. Hal ini merugikan para produsen yang sebagian besar merupakan perajin kecil. Pasalnya, helm non-SNI menjadi tidak laku dijual. "Kemarin ada yang mengeluh ke saya, barangnya di-return (dikembalikan) sama penjual. Ya rugilah dia. Kalau sudah begitu, ke laut saja," tandas dia.

Gempa Susulan Terjadi di Simeulue

Cuando Me Enamoro - Sedikitnya 15 kali Gempa Aceh susulan terjadi pasca gempa bumi berkekuatan 7,2 Skala Richter (SR) yang mengguncang Kabupaten Simeulue, Provinsi Aceh, Rabu pukul 05.15 WIB. "Belasan gempa susulan masih terjadi dengan kekuatan di bawah 5,0 SR, namun yang terus kami pantau hanya gempa berkekuatan di atas 5,0 SR," kata Kepala Kelompok Seksi (Kapoksi) Stasiun Geofisika Mata Ie, Eridawati yang dihubungi dari Banda Aceh, Rabu siang.

Stasiun Geofisika Mata Ie mencatat, dari belasan gempa susulan, ada lima gempa diantaranya yang berkekuatan di atas 5,0 SR dan berpusat di kepulauan tersebut.

"Biasanya kekuatan gempa susulan lebih kecil daripada gempa pertama, tapi kita akan terus pantau," tambahnya.

Gempa bumi yang terjadi menjelang shalat Subuh berkekuatan 7,2 SR berpusat di Kabupaten Simeulue dengan kedalaman 34 kilometer berjarak 73 kilometer arah tenggara Sinabang itu berpotensi tsunami sehingga sempat membuat panik masyarakat di provinsi paling barat Sumatra itu.

Akibat gempa bumi tersebut, puluhan warga Simeulue cidera berat maupun ringan dan terpaksa di rawat di rumah sakit lapangan karena takut gempa susulan.

Berikut lima gempa susulan yang berkekuatan diatas 5 skala richter:

1. Pukul 05.26 WIB, berkekuatan 5,1 SR pada kedalaman 24 kilometer berjarak 60 kilometer tenggara Sinabang pada posisi 2.30 lintang utara (LU)-96.87 BT (bujur timur).
2. Pukul 05.28 WIB, berkekuatan 5,0 SR pada kedalaman 10 kilometer berjarak 47 kilometer timur laut Sinabang pada posisi 2.54 LU-96.78 BT.
3. Pukul 05.34 WIB, berkekuatan 5,2 SR berpusat di 32 kilometer timur laut Gunung Sitoli Provinsi Sumatra Utara pada kedalaman 10 kilometer di posisi 1.51 LU-97.79 BT.
4. Pada pukul 05.54 WIB, berkekuatan 5,0 SR pada 77 kilometer barat laut Singkil Baru, Provinsi Aceh di posisi 2.33 LU-97.09 BT.
5. Pukul 06.35 WIB, berkekuatan di atas lima skala richter pada 71 kilometer tenggara Sinabang berkedalaman 28 kilometer pada posisi 1.88 LU-96.60 BT.