Faster Smarter Digital Video now Shipping [Archive]

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Jason Dunn

11-22-2002, 09:30 PM

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0735618739/jasondunn-20' target='_blank'>http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/A...39/jasondunn-20</a> </div>The day has finally arrived - my digital video book is now shipping from Amazon.com. Hooray! :D Writing this book was one of the most challenging things I've ever done, but I think it turned out quite nicely. It's amazing how quickly things change though - back when I was writing the book, 2.53 Ghz CPUs were the fastest, and Intel was rumoured to be releasing a 2.8 Ghz by the time the book was shipping - so that's what I wrote. Instead, Intel released a 3.03 Ghz CPU with Hyperthreading! Oh well, at least my advice in the book is timeless. :lol: <img src="http://www.microsoft.com/MSPress/books/imgt/6428.gif" /> So about this book...please buy it. Thinking about getting into digital video? Buy the book. Not sure what kind of DV camera to purchase? Buy the book. Know someone who just bought a DV camera? Buy them the book. Feel like archiving some old VHS tapes full of family memories? Buy the book. Want to encode video for the Pocket PC? Buy the book. Want to make your own DVD home movies? Buy the book. 8) I don't normally have emotional attachments to products that I pimp through this site, but it would absolutely make my day to see this book break into the Top 100 on Amazon for at least a day, and it won't take that many sales to do so. Is Pocket PC Thoughts valuable to you? Have you ever considered making a donation but wanted something extra in return? Buy the book and we'll be square. :wink: My Canadian brethren can <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0735618739/jasondunn-20">order directly from Amazon.ca</a>, while you blokes on the other side of the pond can <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0735618739/jasondunn-20">get it from Amazon.co.uk.</a> Don't want to order it online? Contact your local book store and ask for it using the ISBN: 0735618739. Thanks for your support in this! UPDATE: I've just confirmed this with my <a href="http://www.claus.com/">sources</a>: if you give this book to someone for a Christmas present, they actually won't put on that "Christmas Holiday 5 pounds"! It's true! That's gotta' be worth $13.99 US! :lol:

brntcrsp

11-22-2002, 09:46 PM

Hooray! Congrats, Jason! It's good to have you all to ourselves again, and and I'm sure Ashley likes the project being finished too...

In relation too the book, I'm excited really excited to check it out!

Trokair

11-22-2002, 09:48 PM

Congratulations on the publishing of your book, Jason! This will be the present I get my Dad for Christmas. :P

Update:
Jason Dunn wrote:
May? Do or do not, there is no "may".

It makes a great present - really, it does!

"Do" it is then. :D
-Kyle

entropy1980

11-22-2002, 09:50 PM

Umm I don't get it.... should I buy the book? :P .

I think you should add another one....

If you own a computer you should buy the book (i think it would cover all your bases!) Best of luck with it Jason! :D

Rolf

11-22-2002, 10:18 PM

Ok ... Ok .... bought 1

MPSmith

11-22-2002, 10:22 PM

There is one minor error in the Amazon.com book description. It says the book is in English. I thought you were Canadian? Don't you guys speak some different language up there, eh? (English translation: "eh?" can be replaced with "?")

Two more reasons to buy the book:

1. My kitchen table rattles, so I may need two or more books to even out the table legs.

2. Papers keep blowing off my desk and I can't find a good paper weight anywhere!

Whatever it takes, right? :wink:

Congrats on the book!

Jason Dunn

11-22-2002, 10:35 PM

This may just be the present I get my Dad for Christmas. :P

May? Do or do not, there is no "may". :lol:

It makes a great present - really, it does! :wink:

Fish

11-22-2002, 10:36 PM

Being the guy at MS Press who'll be supporting this book, I sure hope it's good! Jason has spent enough time making my job harder by running this site. Tough to get a darn thing done with this sort of distraction. Now, of all things, he writes a book that I have to support! Man, this guy's got it out for me! :D

Jason Dunn

11-22-2002, 10:36 PM

Ok ... Ok .... bought 1

You're a good man Rolf. :D

Jason Dunn

11-22-2002, 10:37 PM

Two more reasons to buy the book:

1. My kitchen table rattles, so I may need two or more books to even out the table legs.

2. Papers keep blowing off my desk and I can't find a good paper weight anywhere!

Yes, YES, that's the spirit! Woo hoo! :lol: :lol:

Jason Dunn

11-22-2002, 10:38 PM

Fish

11-22-2002, 10:39 PM

Ahh ... ahh nuts ...

Brad Adrian

11-22-2002, 10:45 PM

Good job, Jason! Where should I send my copy in order to get it autographed?

jpaq

11-22-2002, 10:46 PM

Outstanding. You are a busy man indeed. Congratulations on your book and here's to dozens, ok thousands, ok millions of sales!

By the way, Intel has some even more unbelievable processors coming in first to second quarter next year. They are so much of a change that they are, evidently, not goingto use the Pentium name anymore. This may or may not be news.

The new Intel processor names:
PC - Springdale
Mobile - Banais

Not sure if these are code names, internal names , or finals but I think they are the final public release names. Companies like HPQ, IBM, Toshiba, etc. are throwing these names around in their product planning meetings with vendors.

MPSmith

11-22-2002, 10:54 PM

I just bought one and hope you get to the Amazon top 100; you deserve it. Please keep us informed on your sales progress!

Mike

entropy1980

11-22-2002, 11:04 PM

Reason no.568:

Because it's better than the "Slower, Dumber Digital Video" book already on shelves. :lol:

Jason Dunn

11-22-2002, 11:07 PM

By the way, Intel has some even more unbelievable processors coming in first to second quarter next year.

Yeah, I actually talked about the 64 bit processors coming from Intel and AMD, but completely missed they hyperthreading stuff. Oh well. :-) More CPU horsepower is always better, no matter what it's called...

Jason Dunn

11-22-2002, 11:07 PM

I just bought one and hope you get to the Amazon top 100; you deserve it. Please keep us informed on your sales progress!

Mike

Thanks for your support Mike, it's greatly appreciated! I'll check the sales stats tomorrow to see how we did today. 8)

jet8810

11-22-2002, 11:08 PM

Alright Jason, I am buying it to support your efforts at PPC Thoughts! Good luck to you! :wink:

T-Will

11-22-2002, 11:09 PM

Congratulations on the publishing of your book, Jason! This may just be the present I get my Dad for Christmas. :P

-Kyle

I'm planning on picking this up for my dad too! He just got the Radeon 8500 All in Wonder card, so hopefully he can get some good tips from this book.

Kathy_Harris

11-22-2002, 11:35 PM

Hey, I want to do DVDs or Supervideo CDs off of the digital camcorder - should I buy the book?

Just kidding :) But I will buy the book.

What software do you recommend for video editing (Pinnacle)?

Jeff Rutledge

11-22-2002, 11:39 PM

Alright Jason, I am buying it to support your efforts at PPC Thoughts! Good luck to you! :wink:

Ditto here, but a question: What else should I buy so that I get my balance high enough for free shipping? Any other books recommendations? A must-have DVD (I have most of the "hot" new ones)?

Please help....must...not...pay...shipping....

Jason Dunn

11-22-2002, 11:44 PM

Anyone over in Europe who wants to order the book can do so as well:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0735618739/jasondunn-20/

Ignore the "Doulgas Dixon" name on the cover - he was the original author, then I took over, and some databases haven't been updated yet. <sigh>

sweetpete

11-22-2002, 11:45 PM

Congrats Jason,

I'll be putting this on my wish list and hope the girl picks it up for me :wink:

In the meantime, how about giving a couple away as a contest?

Jason Dunn

11-22-2002, 11:46 PM

Hey, I want to do DVDs or Supervideo CDs off of the digital camcorder - should I buy the book?

Abso-freakin-lutely! :D I cover SVCDs, VCDs, DVDs, etc...

What software do you recommend for video editing (Pinnacle)?

Really depends on what you're looking for, and your skill level. Pinnacle Studio 8 is a great product, but it has quite a few bugs that make me nervous - nothing serious, but some people have trouble with it on their systems. Vegas Video is a higher end product, but it's really fast and stable. Premier is also popular of course - so much of it comes down to preferences and price.

tadams

11-22-2002, 11:47 PM

Ordered... but Amazon says it's not yet published...

'Course, the email confirmation lists a delivery date, so no worries!

Jason Dunn

11-22-2002, 11:51 PM

In the meantime, how about giving a couple away as a contest?

I just might do that...if I had some copies. I haven't seen it yet myself! :-) In a few weeks we'll start the marketing machine going, and that will include giveaways on various Web sites. This is just the beginning...mwuhahaha! :grinning devil:

xbalance

11-22-2002, 11:52 PM

I clicked on your link and bought your book, plus I got an early start on the xmas shopping for the kids. Now all I need to do is buy a digital video camera to go with the book.

Jason Dunn

11-23-2002, 12:00 AM

Ordered... but Amazon says it's not yet published...

In the words of Yoda..."It will be...it will be."

palmsolo

11-23-2002, 12:28 AM

I bought a DV recorder a couple months ago when my VHS-C one died and know I haven't even started to figure out what I can really do with it. I lead a busy life and this book will be perfect for helping me out with one spot to get what I need. I look forward to getting it. Thanks Jason!

Jonathon Watkins

11-23-2002, 12:38 AM

Congratualtion Jason! I'm really pleased that you have finished your book and can now get your due reward for it. What's your next project? :wink: (Seriously - what do you plan to work on next? (Appart from here :lol: )).

Jason Dunn

11-23-2002, 12:40 AM

emmfan

11-23-2002, 01:05 AM

This looks like a great resource! Any chance there would be an ebook version? (preferrably something compatible with Pocket PC, not just 2002)

Jason Dunn

11-23-2002, 01:10 AM

This looks like a great resource! Any chance there would be an ebook version? (preferrably something compatible with Pocket PC, not just 2002)

Probably not - the biggest challenge with eBooks is the way graphics tend not to work. Text is ok, but it take a brutal amount of work to integrate graphics, and even then, they're too small to be useful. MS Press isn't very progressive when it comes to eBooks either (go figure).

I may be able to make part of a chapter available in eBook format though - let me check and see...

Paragon

11-23-2002, 03:07 AM

Jason, if we ever find ourselves in the same city, will you sign my copy?

Dave

klinux

11-23-2002, 04:05 AM

Congrats! Will buy one as soon as getting back from Thanksgiving vacation (currently @ Cyamans)!

Mobile Bob

11-23-2002, 05:00 AM

I just placed my order. Hopefully, I will not receive it until after my final exams are over. I will be especially interested in optimizing home video (.avi files) for viewing on my PPC (ordering your book prompted me to place an order for a 1GB Microdrive, but not from Amazon). Down the road, I will want to produce DVDs and archive a rapidly growing video library.

Are you serious about the digital media web site? If so, when might we hear something about that?

Congratulations Jason. Keep up the great work. :)

renz

11-23-2002, 03:16 PM

Hi Jason, I just placed the order with Amazon.co.uk. I´m looking forward to reading it!! Currently it´s ranked on 843,698 but that´ll change soon ... :-) Renz

XmanHP548

11-23-2002, 03:17 PM

Congrats Jason!

Hey, you don't happen to include digital video for the Mac do you? Oh wait a minute, Apple users don't need a handbook for digital video since it is so dadgum easy and intuitive! :)

Seriously, though, congrats!

Paul Alivisatos

11-23-2002, 04:03 PM

Unitl now I haven't had much interest in digital video, but this is the best poscket pc web site by far, so I bought a copy. Perhaps the book will get me started with a new hobby,

Jason, Thanks very much for maintaining this great web site,

Paul

bdeli

11-23-2002, 06:11 PM

Congrats Jason!

This book will soon be on order. Can you post us the list of chapters/topics you cover?

heov

11-23-2002, 08:18 PM

so, when's the second edition due out? ;)

I think i'll buy it before christmas when I buy a new computer that can handle digital video :)

Also, will this book be available at stores like Barns and Noble?

ThomasC22

11-23-2002, 11:24 PM

OK, well, I broke my rule and bought one...but really, you need to get MSPress to put a Table of Contents up there, I know a lot of people (myself, under normal circumstances, included) who won't buy a book that doesn't list the Table of Contents.

Anyway, Congrats just the same!

Jason Dunn

11-24-2002, 12:04 AM

Jason, if we ever find ourselves in the same city, will you sign my copy?

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not, but sure, I'd be glad to sign it. :D

Jason Dunn

11-24-2002, 12:05 AM

Are you serious about the digital media web site? If so, when might we hear something about that?

Yup, very serious - already got a domain, working on a logo and content now. It will be very similar to Thoughts, only with a new template of course and a different focus.

Paragon

11-24-2002, 12:17 AM

Jason, if we ever find ourselves in the same city, will you sign my copy?

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not, but sure, I'd be glad to sign it. :D

Sorry Jason......not at all! I meant it. :)

Dave

Jason Dunn

11-24-2002, 12:30 AM

This book will soon be on order. Can you post us the list of chapters/topics you cover?

I've asked my editor for permission to post a PDF of the TOC - the Amazon.com listing is pretty sparse isn't it? I'll let you know.

Jason Dunn

11-24-2002, 12:31 AM

I think i'll buy it before christmas when I buy a new computer that can handle digital video :) Also, will this book be available at stores like Barns and Noble?

Chapter 5 in the book is all about hardware requirements for DV work, and whether it's better to upgrade or buy new, etc. I think you'll find it helpful.

Yes, the book should be in all major book stores - it's published by Microsoft Press, and most stores that carry computer books carry MS Press books. 8)

accursedcosine

11-24-2002, 01:50 AM

What exactly is the focus of the book? I'm considering buying it, but I'm a bit beyond the "consumer confused by my computer" profile - does it just cover basic consumer editing products or would it be relevant to someone looking more for tips on shooting good video and editing it effectively? Essentially, I'm looking for some advice on what to do almost as much as how to do it... I can get the video done fine but it never turns out quite as I had hoped :P

Oh... and why is the cover different on the amazon.com site and the picture posted on Pocket PC Thoughts? The PPC Thoughts cover is so much cooler... :)

-Ben

Jason Dunn

11-24-2002, 05:41 AM

Essentially, I'm looking for some advice on what to do almost as much as how to do it... I can get the video done fine but it never turns out quite as I had hoped

It covers everything from digital video terminology, buying a camera, getting to know the camera, to filming techniques, tips, etc. Here's the poorly formatted (sorry) table of contents for chapter four - sounds like it might interest you:

4. Ready, Set, Film!
a. Get to know your camera
i. Power, Record and Mode selection
ii. Viewfinder
iii. LCD view screen
iv. Tape carrier
v. Lens
vi. Zoom controls
vii. Input/Output ports
viii. Tape playback controls and jog dial
ix. Battery
x. Flash
xi. Microphone
xii. Mode switch
xiii. Memory card slot
xiv. Speaker
xv. Stabilizer Selection
xvi. Tripod mount
xvii. Other Buttons
b. Fail to plan, plan to fail (cheesy but true!)
i. Know the event
ii. Arrive in advance
iii. Decide what are the key elements you want to capture
iv. Capture based on opportunity, not in order
v. Get in close to the action
vi. Angles! Angles!
vii. Length of shots depend on final footage use
viii. Scripting events
ix. Will it be used on the web or a Pocket PC? Lots of close-ups!
c. Do’s and Don’t with your camera
i. Don’t…use special effects on your camera
ii. Do…experiment with the footage later on
iii. Don’t…hit record too quickly
iv. Do…allow exposure lock before recording
v. Do…use standard capture speed (SP) for maximum quality
vi. Do…turn off beeping
vii. Don’t…forget about the audio – unless you don’t need it
viii. Do…use an external microphones if needed

I truly believe that this book will be a beneficial read to ANYONE working with digital video whether you're an amateur that doesn't know which camera to buy or an experienced videographer. Of course, I wrote it, so what else would I say? :lol:

Oh... and why is the cover different on the amazon.com site and the picture posted on Pocket PC Thoughts? The PPC Thoughts cover is so much cooler... :)

As an author I can say this with complete conviction: Amazon is fundamentally screwed up in the way they get data for the books. See, they're supposed to pull data from the publishers database - in this case, MS Press. That way they get the proper cover, author byline, and book description. The problem is, Amazon apparently pulls data from multiple sources. The cover that Amazon has is the original cover from many months ago - the cover I posted is the real cover. For months, Amazon listed the book as being written by Douglas Dixon, Jason Dunn, and Microsoft Press.... :roll:

ThomasC22

11-24-2002, 09:08 PM

BTW, I didn't say it before, but you should see if they'll let you post an excerpt in html (e.g. like this: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0735618577/ref=pm_dp_ln_b_3/002-7365350-4811255?v=glance&s=books&vi=excerpt) rather than the "look inside" which tend to be uncomfortable to read (I have to knock down my Res. just to do it).

Just a suggestion...

Mobile Bob

11-29-2002, 12:05 AM

Yeah! Just received notice that my copy has been shipped. :)

mscdex

11-30-2002, 02:56 AM

Jason Dunn

11-30-2002, 03:56 AM

While we're still on topic about an off-topic topic (say that five times fast :wink:), I was wondering what Jason and others think about the Pocket DV2 digital camera at thinkgeek.com. I'm thinking about getting it, it seems really nice.

I went looking but couldn't find this product - didn't even come up in the search. Got an URL?

mscdex

11-30-2002, 07:24 AM

Jason Dunn

11-30-2002, 06:49 PM

For those of you who ordered a copy, if you like it, I'd consider if a personal favour if you posted a positive review to Amazon.com - their currently aren't any, and glowing reviews help sell books on Amazon.com. :-)

If you think the book sucks, email me and tell me why before you post the Amazon review. Thanks. :D

Rolf

12-03-2002, 10:16 PM

Amazon delivered my copy.... Reviewed the cover already. Looks nice so far.... :P

ThomasC22

12-07-2002, 02:52 AM

Just a note for all those out there, forget the SuperSaver shipping, it is NOT WORTH IT!

Anyway, still no package...