I’ve used a couple of digital cameras and only recently started to deal with digital camcorders.  Previously, I used my digital cameras to take video footage.  In the past couple of months after getting some cats as well as video tutorial creation requirement at work, I started using digital camcorders.  I was initially shooting my projects with a Cisco Flip HD until I was given the opportunity to test drive a DXG Pro Gear Series DXG-A85V HD.  This camcorder boasts of 1080p HD recording with a 10MP Image sensor and a 12x optical zoom.  This looked very different from the Flip I was using and initially I felt a bit intimidated.  I soon learned however that using a much higher quality camera does not have to be a scary experience.  So I set forth with my trusty tripod to shoot anything and everything whether it was of my 2 new cats, the white elephant portion of a party, or driving down the road (mom did the driving, I just sat in the passenger side and shot video).  So how well did this camcorder fare?  Read on to find out!

What’s in the Box:  No, you won’t find the camera in there with lump of coal – far from.  Inside in addition to the camera you’ll find a slew of goodies:

• Pouch-Style Case (Sorry, Mr. Peripherals sales person…I already got a bag…I don’t need that attachment).
• Battery and proprietary charger.
• Arcsoft Total Media HDCam 2.0 software for editing and blue ray conversion.
• HDMI cord to connect the camera to the TV or even a monitor!
• RCA cable to connect the camera to the TV
• Manuals and quick start guides.

What’s not included in the box that you better get:

• SD Memory cards – Preferably a nice speedy SDHC as those HD videos gobble up memory faster than you can say “Chubby Chipmunk”.  Be warned that the maximum file size is about 3.75GB.  Which equates to about 30 minutes of shooting per clip.
• Firmware Update (http://www.dxgusa.com/CustomerService/Forms/DXGA85FW.zip) is optional, but I initially ran into some problems getting my Arcsoft Total Media HDCam software to work in which case DXG instructed me to install this update.  The software worked afterwards so I believe this did fix something although there is no formal change log as to what this update does.

Quick Look: Before getting down to the features, let’s take a quick look at the DXG supplied demo unit.  On the side where you can see the flip out portion, you’ll notice the 3 dots for the microphone.  The placement of the microphone is excellent as it will pick up sounds in all directions whether it be of me behind the camera, my subject, or other directions.

Start by rotating the camera to the front part and taking off the lens cover.  The lens is huge in comparison to the other lenses that I’ve seen (such as the DXG-5B1V which only sports a digital zoom) .  That 12x optical zoom lens rocks!  You’ll notice to the bottom is the flash for photography as well as an uber-bright LED light to the right side. This thing is really bright and is sure to light up places that are particularly dark (although your subjects may not be too happy being blinded).

The opposite side of the flip out touch screen LCD is where the hand strap goes.  It took a while to adjust the strap to a comfortable position where it allowed me to easily get at the controls.  There is a learning curve to this camcorder and practice does help to achieve perfection.  So don’t be crestfallen if you don’t get the handling immediately.

The top is where the stereo speakers are placed for on unit playbacks of captured video.  You’ll also see the zoom controls which feel great when the hand strap is properly adjusted.  This zoom control is an easy to use rocker switch that can go left and right.  Unlike other camcorders, there is also a button (covered by the glare in this photo – but is directly about the “bil” of “mobile” in the JAMM watermark) which allows you to be in video mode but still be able to take photos before and during a video clip.

The back of the unit is where all the controls are.  On the top you’ll see the mode “Mode Dial” where you can set it to camcorder, camera, and SET modes.  Switching between modes between taking video and stills is a snap.  You get a D-pad navigation button to navigate through menus as well as going through features quickly like manual and auto focus.  On the left hand side of the D-pad you’ll see the cover that covers the USB and HDMI ports.  The USB is one way to get your photos and videos off the camera without having to keep on removing your SD card.  On the right hand side of the D-pad is the camcorder record button.  The open switch below it is for the battery bay door. 

Here’s a close-up of the battery bay.  There is a little gray latch on the left hand side that keeps the battery seated.

On the bottom, you’ll notice that this little guy has holes for tripod mounting.  I’ve learned that tripods whether small or large are a video maker’s best friend as it keeps things nice and steady for the optimal picture.

The 3 inch touch LCD pops open and reveals a very nice screen.  This screen is also rotatable which is useful for trying to film yourself or to get that perfect shot angle. On the edge of the LCD touch screen is the playback button which allows you to view your recordings as well as photos.  The round power button that is in the center of the control section is seldom used.  The only time I find myself using it is if I left the camcorder on the tripod and needed to turn the camcorder off.  By opening the LCD screen, the unit turns on.  Closing it turns it off.  The lighting controls for flash as well as the super bright LED are the last two, top-right buttons that are above the power button.  Pressing display will toggle the on screen display (OSD) icons on and off.  Near the hinge of the LCD is the SD card slot.

The menu button will take you to the options for a specific mode (camcorder or camera).  In camcorder mode, you’ll be presented with options such as resolution, quality, white balance, and color.  In camera mode, you’ll get a similar array of choices including megapixel, brightness, self timer, and even aspect ratio options.

If the Mode Dial is on SET mode you’ll get options such as “toggle beeps”, auto-off, NTSC/PAL, formatting of the memory card, language, hertz, and date.

Technicals: The DXG-A85V is the flagship of DXG’s Professional Gear series and as such has loads of options.  But what kind of features do professionals need that this camcorder provides? 

• DXG utilizes B frames for smoother video and uses H.264 main profile for efficient video compression. 
• Accurate exposure control for Exposure Value (EV) adjustment on the fly.
• Auto Focus (AF) Accuracy – As auto focus will fail in certain situations, Multi Focus (MF) must be ready on hand.
• 60 frames per second (fps) for fast motion.
• Eye-Fi support – DXG works directly with Eye-Fi to ensure compatibility.
• Fastest way to get AVCHD DVD formatting for any third party non AVCHD members (Canon, JVC, Sony, Panasonic, etc.) is through special licensing which DXG has.  Unless you are a member, you cannot save to a format that is directly playable off of a Bluray player.  By having this special licensing, the encoding can be done in 10-30 minutes in comparison to 17 hours on a 2GHz Dual Core computer.  The advantage of this type of formatting also allows the video to be uploaded to viral video sites such as YouTube.  AVCHD is not directly uploadable and can be considered a disadvantage depending on the circumstances.

Video: Recording is a cinch – no manual is needed to get going (although it is highly advisable to read it).  Open the screen to turn the unit on.  Make sure the Mode dial is set to the correct function and hit the record button.  Voila!  In the settings section for resolution, you’ll see that this camcorder offers a wide variety of formats to shoot with.  Choices include 1080p at 30fps, 720p at 30 or 60fps, WVGA (480p) at 30 or 60fps, and WQXGA (1600p) at 240fps.  I do recommend turning on the stabilizer option as without it, things can become very blurry especially with the oscillations of using the camcorder without a tripod.  I have never shot in anything greater than 720p and having that extra resolution sure makes a difference!  Furthermore, with the 12x optical zoom, I can zoom in very close to objects (like my cat) where I can almost seem to touch him.  The detail of the photo is wonderful as each hair can be seen.  Shown below is a photo taken while in camcorder mode to quickly demonstrate quality.

Without the zoom (about 4.5 feet away)…

With maximum zoom!  You can actually see the individual hairs of my kitty cat.  It is important to note that when using the AF, it does take time to focus. 

Not waiting long enough for it to find the proper parameters for focus will cause ugly pictures like the one I shot below.  Which also goes to show the importance of using the flash and LED lights to properly light your subject.  I personally find it faster to let the AF do most if not all the work before switching to MF to fine tune things (if needed).

Here’s a clip that was taken at a party.  Stabilizer was set to on and it was locked to AF.  The LED light was not used as I’d get a few too many complaints that it was too bright.

Doing some shooting in the car, I was very impressed with this camcorder.  Sure, I got dizzy watching this later, but the fact still remains that there was excellent AF despite constant movement – even in a zoomed-in position where when something shakes the shaking is compounded.  All in all, I am very impressed with this unit for video capture.  One thing I wish it had is a viewfinder which would help in stabilization.  Oh well.  We’ve already seen some photos taken, but let’s look at the photo capture aspect of this unit a bit more.

Photos:  The DXG-A85V can also take some good still photos.  Although I find it harder to take photos with this unit than the standard stand-alone digital camera.  Taking a picture is simple whether the camcorder is set to camcorder or camera mode.  Just use the shutter button labeled “Photo” on the top of the camera near the zoom controls.  Press the “Photo” button lightly for it to focus and harder for it to activate the shutter.  It does take some pressure to press the button so you’ll need to make sure to brace the unit well as the additional pressure needed to press the button may cause the hand to shake more.  It is important to wait until the little box turns from red to green before fully pressing the “Photo” button.

Here’s a shot that my mom took of Ella our cat.  Out of a large number of shots taken, many that mom took turned out blurry.

A large number of my initial photos taken also turned out blurry.  But with a bit more practice, a larger number of my photos started becoming more clear.  Again, it was learning to wait for the autofocus and remembering to use the flash. 

You can easily select what resolution you want your photos to have.  From 20MP to 2MP including 10MB and 2MB bursts.  In other settings you can also choose a self timer of 5 to 10 seconds to delay the shot so you can get into the picture too!

Playback:  This was extremely easy!  After pressing the playback button next to the touchscreen, the on screen controls allow you to cycle and playback your videos and photos.  You can also easily connect your camcorder to a big screen via HDMI or RCA – both cords are included.  Kudos to DXG for this!  As you can see with any touch screen, fingerprints can and do get in the way.

Battery: There are things to be said about trade offs between conventional and proprietary batteries.  DXG goes the proprietary method has a very good battery with a very long life.  I went through a couple of smaller 2GB Micro Center branded memory cards before I even started running low on battery life.  If you need even more power, go buy a battery.  The down side of course is the need to bring yet another charger – a small price for good power, though.  You can only charge the battery with the charger and not with the camcorder.   If you need to charge the battery, do it overnight and you’re good to shoot for the day.  When I did my tutorials for my previous employer, I used this camcorder to record the footage.  Shooting a session usually involves getting much more video than you really need and then whittling everything down during editing (clips used for this review have not been edited and were directly uploaded to YouTube).  The battery will last.

Bundled Software: Just when you thought things couldn’t be any finer, DXG again steps up and proves us wrong.  The DXG-A85V comes bundled with ArcSoft’s TotalMedia HDCam software.  This software allows for video clip and photo management across your entire computer.  What it does add and brings to the table aside from YouTube and Facebook uploading are also the ability to do cuts and merges to video,  the ability to create photo books and album pages, keyword tagging, user ratings, and finally the most important tool of all – Create AVCHD DVDs!  This is where you can create DVDs that will playback your 1080p HD content directly on a Bluray player.  Unfortunately, I don’t own a Bluray player – but a quick trip to the local electronics retailer proved quite rewarding watching mom’s little cat do…whatever cats do!  Please note that YouTube uploading does degrade the quality of the video considerably due to transcoding.

Conclusion: I’m impressed.  This certainly is a camcorder that can rival even more expensive competitors like Canon.   With that being said, it probably won’t be long before DXG becomes known as an elite brand in their craft.  The DXG-A85V HD, is my first personal experience in professional type gear.  I have had friends show me their studio camcorders and in comparison this (not so) little guy comes with loads of professional features.  It ranks close to the Canon HF200 and makes the Cisco Flip look like the Spider Man or Barbie kid camcorder.  Perfect for most occasions whether for photos or video, the DXG-A85V HD can get it done professionally and affordably.  I would recommend keeping this camera for well lit situations as it will struggle in darker situations.  If you want to watch your recordings on Bluray and you don’t want to pay higher prices for a camcorder with native AVCHD, this is hands down the way to go as it will quickly get your video to that format.

I am surprised to see 2 negative reviews by Amazon.com buyers regarding battery life and camcorder performance.  In my extensive testing, I was unable to duplicate such complaints as my sound was crisp and the battery lasted waaaaay longer than an hour.  In addition, all of my videos and still photos were captured at the highest possible resolution using a plain 2GB $6.99 Micro Center SD card.  In response to one buyer’s review, it is the opinion of this recording technologies graduate that the expectations of getting crisp clashing sounds of bowling pins crashing without the use of a boom microphone is absurd.  It appears that some people have unreasonable expectations in performance. 

The DXG-A85V HD  is available from DXG for $319.99

One of the favorite holiday decorations in my house are snow globes.  You know the ones.  They depict a tiny town or scene, frozen in time, and surrounded by a plastic or glass bubble.  Shake the globe and snow falls, covering the scene in the glistening white sheen of a fresh snowfall.  Sometimes, I like to imagine real people living in those frozen scenes, unable to move beyond that transparent bubble, and their world periodically (and randomly) shaken violently until the sky crashes down upon their heads in the form of that fake snow.  But I digress.

Just in time for the holidays, our friends at Seehere Studios released their latest interactive eBook.  Unlike their previous offerings, this one is really not a story.  Instead, I would term it the eBook equivalent of a coffee table book.  Each of the six holiday-related snow globe scenes consists of two pages, and introductory page explaining the scene you are about to view, and then the globe itself.

What is really cool here is that the globes are not just static images, or pop-up images as you might expect.  They are fully interactive.  Tilt the globe, and snow will fall (though I did think the snow could have fallen heavier) across the scene.  Additionally, each scene has an interactive element, which allows you to control the animation by tapping the screen.  You can control the lights on the Christmas tree in Times Square, make the gingerbread couple dance, and even reveal Santa’s presents. 

Additionally, each of the globes can be viewed in either traditional 2D or eye popping 3D.  I was really impressed by how crisp the 3D looked on this one.  I will say that it kind of stinks that you still need to use those red and blue cardboard glasses to view the 3D.   You would think that this technology might have improved in the last 50 years or so.  Then again, I cannot really knock Seehere for that.  Their app is simply limited by the state of the current technology, which will hopefully continue to improve.

I have been extremely impressed by Seehere in the past, and snow Globes certainly lived up to that reputation.  They did a fantastic job with this one, creating digital snow globes with stunning graphics and animation…and the 3D is not too shabby either.  What a great holiday ornament for your iPad.  Oh and Merry Christmas to All, and to all, A GOOD NIGHT!

Snow Globes is available from Seehere Studios for $1.99 for a limited time over the holidays.

OK, SOLDIER!  LISTEN UP!  YOUR UNIT HAS BEEN DECIMATED.  YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE LEFT, AND YOUR POSITION HAS BEEN COMPRIMISED…BEHIND ENEMY LINES.  TIME TO BUCKLE DOWN AND GET READY TO START SHOOTING.  YOU HAVE A GUN AT YOUR DISPOSAL, HOPE THAT IS ENOUGH TO PROTECT YOU FROM THE ONSLAUGHT…GOOD LUCK!

In Artillery Brigade, you are the sole remaining survivor in your camp, and you are surrounded by enemies.  At first they will come on foot, but soon they will come at you using any means at their disposal…jeeps, tanks, troop transports, and even planes.  Survive the early rounds, and you will be assigned to defend more difficult positions against larger and more deadly attacks.  There are a total of 16 different missions in the campaign mode, including the tutorial, which did a fantastic job of teaching you about the the enemies in the game, your weapons, and the controls.

To defend your position, you will have an assortment of guns, falling into three categories: machine guns, antiaircraft cannons, and rockets.   Within each category, you can also advance to bigger and better guns.  You will be awarded these guns as you progress through the game, or you can jump start the process by purchasing them with in-app purchases.  I am not a real fan of using real money to purchase in-game advancement.  But that is just me.

OK, so let’s take a look at how the game actually works.  In the past, these survival games used to involve a lot of running around.  I really enjoyed that because the ability to move and escape the onslaught (or at least try) added an extra element to the game.  This latest generation of the genre, however, has changed that.  Now, you are in a fixed position.  Sure, you can swivel your view in order to defend a complete 360 degrees.  This works well enough, but I still prefer the ability to run and evade the onslaught.  Speaking of that onslaught, unlike many games in this genre, there is no indication of how far along you are in a particular level.  It would be nice if they would add some kind of indicator on the screen showing how many more enemies you need to kill in order to complete the level.

Your view in the game is looking over the barrel of your gun.  A radar in the upper right corner will show you the oncoming enemies.  Just swipe your finger across the screen in order to aim at the oncoming enemies (the blue line under your funs will show how far the enemies have advanced toward your position).  Tap the big gray button on the left to start firing.  To quickly aim at the nearest enemy, tap the red button on the bottom of the screen to swivel your gun and instantly aim it at the advancing enemies.  Next to that is the zoom.  Slide the zoom in order to adjust your sights to a greater or lesser magnification.  This allows you to fire on enemies who may still be further away, before they can hit you.  If you are in a level with multiple weapons, those buttons on the left hand side will allow you to switch between them.

This game also connects with both Game Center and the Aurora Feint community, meaning there are plenty on achievements to attempt and online high scores.

I was really impressed by this game.  It had fantastic graphics and animation, and served as a unique addition to the survival genre.  The difficulty level of the game started on the easy end, but quickly increased as more powerful and skilled enemies were introduced.  I found this progress to be appropriate as the game maintained a challenge without becoming frustrating.   Simply put, using your guns to blow away some fairly realistic looking oncoming enemies, is just a perfect way to blow off some pent up hostility.   I have been a pretty big fan of Bulkypix games, but I have not seen them offer anything like this before.  You will waste countless hours decimating wave after wave of enemies with this one.

OK, SOLDIER!  YOU HAVE BEEN BRIEFED.  YOU KNOW YOUR MISSION.  NOW, GRAB A GUN, GET OUT THERE, AND START SLAGGING SOME ENEMIES!

Artillary Brigade is available from Bulkypix for the low, introductory price of $0.99.  It is a universal app, which will work on all iOS devices.

For many of you, this is an extremely stressful time of year.  The holidays are coming up, and you have no idea what to get that gadget geek nephew, cousin, uncle, brother, sister….or friend.  Fortunately, your friends at JAMM are here to help.  In today’s age of digital media, many of us store our photos, music libraries, even our videos on our computers.  Thy sure have come a long way since the “digital typewriters” I grew up with.  The problem with all of this today, is that too many computers come with hard drives which are simply not equipped to handle this barrage of digital media.  Even those which can store all of your content lock you into one location, making it difficult to access your media content from other computers. 

What you really need is a way to store your digital media in such a way that you can access it from anywhere.  Sure, you can store your media online, in one of the many cloud storage sites, but really, questions abound about security and privacy these days.  What you really need is a portable drive, and for that we can turn to Seagate and their latest line of portable GoFlex drives.

The GoFlex drives are the most portable drives to come out of Seagate’s labs.  Unlike previous generations of portable drives, the GoFlex drives feature a removable adaptor on the back, which can be replaced with a variety of connections.  This means the same drive can be quickly and easily connected to any USB 2.0, USB 3.0, eSATA, or FireWire connection.  In other words, no matter which variety of connection your computer features, there is a GoFlex adaptor to fit your needs (and it works just as well on Mac and Windows computers).

What really makes the Seagate GoFlex series of portable drives impressive, however, are their size.  The Goflex series features some of the largest storage options available in portable drives, as well as some of the skinniest drives out there.   Of course, I am talking about the massive storage space available in the world’s first 1.5 TB GoFlex ultra-portable drive (yes, I said terabyte).  It absolutely amazes me that these portable drives can hold so much.  I remember like yesterday when my computer had a whopping 40 MB hard drive, and that was considered enormous.  Today, hundreds of gigabytes is often not enough to cover our storage needs.  So, along comes Seagate nonchalantly offering multiple terabytes in a tiny portable drive.  They even found a way to slim it down, offering a standard 22mm drive, but also the ultra-skinny 14mm drive.

Rounding out the package is Seagate’s trademark backup software.  As most Seagate fans know, there is no need for CD-ROMs or other external discs.  All of the software is built right into your new Seagate drive.  So all you will need to do is plug it in and wait for the software to get started.  I took a look at this fantastic backup (and more) utility last summer.  You can read all about it, here.

As if this was not already the perfect gift for the techno-geek in your life, the GoFlex series of drives now include the ability to watch 20 preloaded movies (including the new Star Trek movie). Just register the drive and follow the instructions to start unlocking your movies (only Star Trek is free). 

In this age of digital media, storage is always going to be a premium.  Which is why the Seagate ultra-portable GoFlex drives are the perfect gift for geeks and technophobes alike.  They are skinny, small, portable, flexible, easy to use, and (frankly) can hold a ton (or a terabyte) of data.

The Seagate GoFlex drives are available from Seagate, and range in price from $60 to $230. 

I have written in this space on numerous occasions about my on-again-off-again love affair with the guitar.  I have been playing guitar pretty much since I was in seventh grade, though not necessarily as regularly as I would always like.  Still, when I have the opportunity, I often find it relaxing to, “grab my axe and jamm!”  The problem is that now I have young kids, and rocking out on a guitar can be…loud.  So, I have been searching for a good solution to really play the guitar, without waking up the house.  Playing without an amp just seems to define unsatisfying.  Enter IK Multimedia and their revolutionary AmpliTube and iRig attachment.

The iRig may look like nothing more than an extremely weird looking headphone adaptor.  In reality, however, when coupled with the AmpiTube software, it turns your iPad (or iPhone/iPod Touch) into a powerful amplifier and effects machine for your guitar.

To get started playing the guitar on yoru iPad, all you need to do is connect your guitar to your iPad.  That should be no problem.  You just take that quarter inch plug coming out of the guitar and connect it right up to the 3.5mm headphone jack on the iPad.  Hmmm.  OK, so while that may not exactly be a square peg in a round hole…it is a round peg in a much smaller round hole.  Either way, that is not going to work very well.

This is where the iRig adaptor comes into play.  It looks just like a short tube with a cable on one end.  In reality, though, it is a high powered musical adaptor.  Just plug the guitar cable into one end, and then plug the cable hanging off the other end into your iPad’s headphone jack.  There you have it.  Just like the engineers on Apollo 13 who made the round filter fit into a square slot, this will make the round cable fit into the much smaller round hole.   OK…maybe not exactly like Apollo 13…but you get the point.

Now that you are connected, there is only one last problem.  The iRig is not able to loop the sound from your guitar back to the internal speaker on your iPad.  For that, you will need to use the 3.5 mm headphone jack on the iRig.   Just connect your headphones or an external speaker and you are ready to rock.

Once you are connected, of course, not much is really going to happen unless you have something which can process the sounds from your guitar.  That is where the AmpliTube software enters the picture.  This app consists of a number of tools, including amps, sound effects, and even a tuner, which essentially put tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment, right there on your iPad. 

The main interface divides the screen into two sections.  On the bottom is your amplifier.  You can choose from five different styles of amps, as well as an additional five cabinet styles.  This gives you a total of 25 different sounds which can be made from the amps in this app.  

Across the upper half of the screen you can add up to four sound effects machines.  You have eleven different effects from which to choose, including delay, fuzz, phazer, and plenty of others.  This is fantastic, and gives you an incredible amount of control over your sound.

What I really liked here was that the amplifiers and effects machines actually replicate the real things.  The colors, switches, dials, it is all there.  That level of authenticity is really what makes this app work.

One of the problems with an app like this, which can seemingly do everything, is that you can get it set just right, but never find that exact sequence of settings again.  To resolve that problem, the app conveniently includes 36 preset buttons, some of which these come preset, and others you can design on your own.  When you find a setup you like, just tap and hold one of the presets to add it to your configuration. 

In addition to what you see on the screen, there are also quite a few tools available to enhance your experience.  These include a tuner, which works extremely well.  In addition to the tuner, there is also a metronome, which is just the tool every budding musician needs.   The app will even let you import a song from your computer so you can play along.

I have been tinkering with this app for a few weeks now, and I have to say that this is exactly the kind of creative solutionI expected from the iPad.  The functionality is absolutely fantastic.  It processes the sounds from my guitar and pumps them back out to my headphones, with a level of clarity and authenticity that typically requires tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment.  Add to that the amazingly realistic graphics and controls, as well as the other included tools, and this becomes a complete resource for every guitar player out there.  This is a must have for every guitar player rockin’ it on an iPad.

The AmpliTube app is available for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch for $19.99.  A free version is also available, which includes a sampling of the amplifiers, effects, and tools available in the full app.  Finally, there is the LE version, which costs $2.99 for iPhone and iPod Touch.  While the LE does not come with all of the amps and effects of the full version, it does offer all of those options as in-app purchases.  The iRig adaptor is available from ikmultimedia for $39.99.