The Blog for Video 2.0

HungryFlix.com continues to be the leading source of independentmovie downloads for Apple TV with this week's featured content being the films of Tempe DVD. Tempe is one of the world's leading distributors of B-Movie Indie Horror.

Horror movie fans and Apple TV owners can download 640x480 versions at prices of just $3.99 and up.

Labels: apple tv, appletv, b-movie, download, horror, ipod

Sony continues their push to win over the consumer HD camcorder market by release three new HD cams.

The HDR-CX7 ($1200 MSRP), is their first to record exclusively to a removable flash media, Memory Stick PRO Duo. Also announced today were the HDR-SR5 and HDR-SR7, two new hard disk drive high definition models. All new models use the new AVCHD codec, which is an implementation of H.264 encoding for hard disk and memory card based camcorders.

This brings the total number of sub-$2000 Sony HD camcorders to seven, over three times as many as Panasonic or Canon currently offers. Five of the seven utilize the new AVCHD codec.

It will be interesting to see if these new cameras gain acceptance in the low budget indie filmmaking market, where manual control is just as important as image quality.

Labels: avchd, camcorder, hdv, high definition, sony

Apple released the latest version of their Final cut studio last week at NAB. Most applications received major updates. Added to the bundle is Color, a new color correction app.

Final Cut Pro 6
• Mix and match different video formats and frame rates in the same timeline — all without rendering.
• ProRes 422, a new post-production format from Apple that delivers uncompressed HD quality at SD file sizes.
• Work with Motion templates without ever leaving Final Cut Pro — edit text, replace video, and swap out still images.
• Smooth out shaky shots while preserving standard camera moves using integrated SmoothCam technology.

Motion 3
• Animate in 3D using drag-and-drop behaviors, 3D particles, and replicators, then adjust settings on the fly — while your video continues to play.
• Match movement and track objects with simple tools that take the guesswork out of compositing tasks.
• Design painterly elements using customizable brushes and strokes.

Soundtrack Pro 2
• Work faster than ever with a streamlined interface and new professional tools designed for audio post.
• Create cinematic soundtracks using 5.1 surround tools and effects.
• Enjoy the industry’s first sound-and-picture change management tools.

Color
• Work with comprehensive tools for primary and secondary adjustments, color effects, and geometry changes.
• Combine settings to create signature looks that you can save and reuse later.
• Start with the built-in library or create your own looks from scratch.
• Choose from more than 35 built-in color effects to add visual interest and special color transformations.

Compressor 3
• Work with H.264 encoding presets optimized for iPod and Apple TV.
• Output high-bit-rate video for HD DVD and Blu-ray media preparation.
• Enjoy greater creative control over your audio with filters and support for AC-3 and MP3 files.

DVD Studio Pro 4
• Create SD and HD projects easily using the flexible, intuitive interface.
• Author discs with interactive elements and useful navigation controls.
• Create animated menus with Motion.

Labels: apple, apple color, final cut, motion, soundtrack, video editing

Jackson West has posted a nice summary of HungryFlix.com and our support for independent filmmakers. Mr. West writes for NewTeeVee, a great blog covering online video digital distribution.

We apprieciate the mention, which you can read here HungryFlix Delivers for Indies

Labels: hungryflix, indie film, newteevee, online video

The HungryFlix Mac OS X Dashboard Widget
Want to track the most recent uploads to HungryFlix? Our Mac OS X Dashboard Widget will show you. The HungryFlix widget is a simple RSS reader that will return the five most recent uploads. For each item, you'll see the title and description. A direct link to the movie details page is also provided.



Download Our Mac OS X Widget!

Labels: dashboard, hungryflix, mac os, upload, widget

Looking to encode your video for the iPod or Apple TV. Here are the formats for each device.

Video content must be MPEG4. We highly recommend encoding with the H.264 codec. While encoding times will increase, H.264 will yield higher quality video with smaller file sizes.

MPEG4 with H.264 Codec (file formats: .m4v, .mp4)
Lower-quality iPod/iTunes Video: Up to 768 Kbps, 320 x 240 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3. Audio: AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 KHz, stereo audio
High-quality iPod: Up to 1.5 Mbps, Baseline Low-Complexity with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps (maximum resolution: 640x480 pixels at 30 fps) in .m4v format
High-quality Apple TV: Up to 3 Mbps, Progressive Main Profile (CAVLC) with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps (maximum resolution: 1280 by 720 pixels at 24 fps, 960 by 540 pixels at 30 fps) in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats

MPEG-4 video
PSP Video: Up to 2.5 Mbps, 480 x 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile. Audio: AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 KHz, stereo audio
High-quality iPod/Apple TV MPEG-4: Up to 3 Mbps, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps (maximum resolution: 720 by 432 pixels at 30 fps) in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats

MPEG-4 High Definition Video
File formats: .m4v, .mp4 and .mov
Video: 1280 x 720 pixels, 30 frames per second. Audio: AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 KHz, stereo

MP3 Audio
Up to 160 Kbps, 48 KHz, stereo audio

AAC Audio
AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 KHz, stereo audio

Labels: apple tv, encoding, h.264, ipod, mpeg4, video encoding

Wages of Sin, a B-movie martial arts flick, is the world's first independent film delivered to Apple TV. In a special promotion, TimeCode Mechanics is offering this feature length movie download for just $1.99 at HungryFlix.com. But, this special pricing is only for the 24 hours of fun we call Friday The 13th!!!

The future of online distribution for independent films is here!

Stop by HungryFlix and check out all the great downloads from TimeCode Mechanics:
Wages of Sin for Apple TV

Wages of Sin Fight Choreography for Apple TV
TimeCode's Producer Page

Labels: apple tv, digital download, hungryflix, movie downloads, wages of sin

Microsoft Corp. today announced the launch of Windows Live™ Messenger on Xbox 360™, connecting friends across Xbox 360 consoles, Microsoft® Windows®-based PCs and Windows Mobile®-powered devices.

With this update to Xbox 360, friends and families can easily connect and chat directly from their television using Windows Live Messenger, a network of more than 20 billion relationships and more than 260 million active accounts.

More importantly to Xbox users looking to add more great entertainment content to their consoles, Microsoft also announced that the update will added H.264 video support: Up to 10 Mbps peak, Baseline, Main, and High profiles with 2 channel AAC LC and MPEG-4 Part 2 video support: Up to 5 Mbps peak, Simple Profile with 2 channel AAC LC.

This is great news for us, as HungryFlix provides DRM free movie downloads in both MPEG4 and H.264 formats. We will welcome the ability to deliver our content to the Xbox 360.

Labels: h.264, hungryflix, mpeg4, online distribution, online video, xbox, xbox 360

Our message is starting to spread across the web, with Apple sites taking the lead in reporting that movie downloads for Apple TV are now available on http://www.hungryflix.com.

MacDailyNews has this post.

And iPodNN/MacNN had this post on "Wages of Sin" on HungryFlix.com.

We appriecate these news mentions and look forward to more.

Labels: apple tv, hungryflix, ipod, mac, online distribution

Our goal to revive the hungryflix podcast has been met, kinda, sorta. We hope to bring you interviews with filmmakers and media experts in addition to trailers from films available on the site.

Check it out at hungryflix podcast.

You can also subscribe via iTunes

Labels: hungryflix, iTunes, online distribution, podcast

OK, well, it is here the beginning of the beginning. Today in London, EMI and Apple have announced that they will begin to offer DRM-free music and music videos. Music files will be high quality 256kbps AAC files and will sell for $1.29 US. There will also be a $0.30 upgrade for users who have already purchased lower bitrate versions of the same songs.

iTunes will be the first online distributor to offer the new DRM-free songs, starting in May.

Many analysts and reports believe that DRM-free files which will play on any music player will hurt iPod sales. Users will have more choice and may choose to purchase a lower cost MP3 player or one that offers more features than current iPods. When asked if DRM-free downloads will have an impact on iPod sales Apple CEO Steve Jobs replied, "I don't see a link, because you have always been able to buy music from elsewhere (CD's) and put it on your iPod. We're going to keep working to do the best job at what we do, and we are going to hope that consumers agree."

This is excellent news for consumers, music and movie fans, and for the future of digital content. HungryFlix.com has been offering movie downloads with no DRM for years now and we really belive that DRM is not a solution. It is rewarding to now see the major studios and Apple agreeing with us.

Labels: apple, digital download, DRM, hungryflix, iTunes, online distribution

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Labels: digital download, hungryflix, movie downloads, online distribution, online video