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full screenprintcontentsfull screenprint26 VIDEOMAKER >>> APRIL 2019
has been out for a couple of years,
but at CES 2019 they introduced the
updated MV88+ Video kit. The new
design still connects a mic to your
iPhone’s lightning plug, but the mic is
a small shotgun. It comes with a clip
that connects it to your phone and a
mini tripod. Good news for Android
users, it also comes with a USB-C
cable.
Samson also had a great phone con-
nection on display but they went with
a different form. They showed off the
Go Mic Mobile that connects a wire-
less microphone receiver to the back
of your phone. This functional device
has two channels of input and
uses Samson’s wireless
handheld or belts pack
transmitters. Not only
can it connect to
your iPhone or An-
droid device, but it
also has a standard
headphone jack,
so it could con-
nect with any stereo
input like on your
camera or laptop.
DJI has also stepped up
their mobile production gear
with something that does not fl y. At
their booth, you were fi rst greeted with
a table demonstrating their new Osmo
Pocket. The original Osmo was a gimbal
mount for a cell phone, but this new de-
sign makes it an attachment. The Osmo
Pocket resembles a voice recorder with
a camera on top. That camera is actu-
ally a 3-axis gimbal-mounted sensor
that shoots in 4K/60fps. It is a stand-
alone device but becomes much more
functional when connected
directly to a phone. It fea-
tures a small plug on the
front of the device that
DJI calls the “Univer-
sal Plug”. It has a va-
riety of connections
including a lightning
plug to connect to an
iPhone. They didn’t
have a USB-C option
yet, but that can’t be far
behind.
Another phone attach-
ment that fi ts into the quirky
category is the AEE Selfy. This is a su-
per small drone that fi ts into a chunkycellphone case. No, it does not enable
the phone to fl y — although that can’t
be far away. The quadcopter pops out
of the case and the four rotors snap
up. With a connection to your phone
via WiFi, the drone is ready to take
off. The unit weighs just 68 grams and
shoots 720p at 20fps with about 9
minutes of fl ight time.
It may not have the pro specs but it
certainly is going to be the most “take
anywhere” drone. Like other drones
we saw, they are touting this drone as
the new selfi e cam. Because a selfi e
stick is so low tech.Drones that can’t fly
In the drone category,
there were more un-
derwater drones on
display this year. That
may not be unique
— it may be a sign
of things to come. A
company called Ro-
boSea was display-
ing a shark drone
that had a camera lens
extending from its open
mouth. Another compa-
ny, Navatics, was displaying an
underwater camera that shoots in 4K.
Most of these were remotely operated
and programmable. These underwater
drones are becoming more affordable,
with better user interfaces and higher
quality cameras.Peering into the future
CES 2019 is in the history books.
While some of the biggest headlines
involved gadgets that may, or may
not, fi nd their way into your home,
we tried to look behind the fl ashing
lights and screens.
We can see that the future of video
production continues to get smaller
and less expensive while still promis-
ing better image quality. It also may
include some tools that you never
considered before.off. There certainly weren’t as many
displays featuring 360 cameras and
headsets as in the past couple of years.
Nikon didn’t even have their KeyMis-
sion 360 camera on display. One indus-
try insider told us that some companies
have abandoned their 360 projects, but
the better quality, more user-friendly
cameras have risen to the top.
Insta360 solidifi ed their position
as one of those top brands in terms
of image quality with the introduc-
tion of their Titan 11K camera. The
basketball-sized orb is similar in form
to their Pro 2 camera but features
eight micro four-thirds sensors with a
200-degree fi sheye lens. The unit can
record and internally stitch in either
2D or 3D. They also were displaying
their OneX 360 action camera. This
handheld camera with lenses on each
side can be used with one of the more
unique accessories that we saw, the
Insta360 Drifter. The camera fi ts into
a nerf-like case and is designed to be
thrown! The results are some unique
angles and slow-mos. There were
video displays featuring skateboard-
ers in mid-jump as the camera fl ies
beside or over them.
Humaneyes also had a small 360 ac-
tion cam on display, the Vuze XR. The
more advanced Vuze+ has emerged
as a very capable and good quality 360
solution. The XR builds on this founda-
tion with a more portable solution. It
features twin Sony 12 MP IMX-378
sensors with 210-degree fi sheye lenses
on either side of the slender body.
With the touch of a button, the cam-
eras fl ip to side-by-side and the unit
becomes a 3D 180 camera.Phone connections
The past decade,
CES has been the
showcase for cell
phone accessories.
This year, some
companies are
banking on your
phone becoming
a key piece of pro-
duction gear.
Shure’s MV88+
is designed to connect
a high-quality mic to your
iPhone directly using the lightning
plug. The tiny MV88 condenser micYou can comment on this article by going online:
http://www.videomaker.com/?p=72006800Jeff Chaves was trained in video production in
the Army and has been involved in the industry
for more than 30 years. He and his wife run
Grace Pictures Inc.Tech & trends at CES 2019
383 CES Wrap.indd 26 2/19/19 2:47 PMVIDEOMAKER >>> APRIL 2019 27
A
mong all the hoopla and
high-res TVs at CES 2019,
we found 12 products that
deserve special recognition.
Without further ado, let us present the
Best of CES 2019.Best SSD:
SanDisk Extreme Pro SSD 500GB
The SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD
offers 1GB/s transfer speeds and has
IP55-rated durability. We are awarding
the 500GB version of the device, but it
will also be offered in 1TB and 2TB ca-
pacities when it is released this spring.
With speeds up to 1 GB/s and the
ability to fully saturate the USB 3.1
Gen 2 interface, you should be able to
edit high-quality footage directly from
the drive. SanDisk claims the drive
allows for full-frame editing while
keeping PC internal storage clear.
The Extreme PRO SSD has a rugged
design with a forged aluminum body
to protect the SSD core and dissipate
heat. Also, it’s wrapped with a silicon
rubber coating that should make itfairly impact resistant, so if you drop
it, you won’t have to worry about los-
ing your precious footage.
Prices haven’t been released as of
this writing.Best HDD: Lacie Mobile Drive 5TB
For the Mobile Drive, LaCie combines
a unique design and sleek form factor
with capacities up to 5TB. The drive
connects via USB 3.1 Type-C and is
compatible with both Mac and PC com-
puter systems.
Along with plug-and-play function-
ality on both MacOS and Windows
machines, the drive also offers one-
click and automatic backup.
Along with substantial storage capac-
ity, the LaCie Mobile Drive also employs
a carefully crafted diamond-cut design
meant to pair well the Apple MacBook.
To further appeal to creative profession-
als, the Mobile Drive also comes with a
one-month subscription to the Adobe
Creative Cloud All Apps plan.
The LaCie Mobile Drive is offered in
1, 2, 4 and 5TB capacities.Best Raid: QNAP TR-004
The QNAP TR-004 is a RAID expansion
enclosure designed to increase storage
capacity for your NAS or PC. It can also
serve as direct attached storage when
connected to a computer through the
enclosure’s USB 3.0 connection.
The QNAP TR-004 supports up to
four 3.5-inch SATA hard drives or 2.5-
inch SSDs and a number of hardware
and software RAID confi gurations.
USB 3.0 Type-C connectivity allows
for fast data transfer.
QNAP envisions the TR-004 in a va-
riety of setups, including as a NAS ex-
pansion enclosure or as direct attached
storage for a NAS, desktop workstation
or laptop. QNAP promises superior
performance over more conventional
NAS expansion enclosures since, as an
external hardware RAID device, it can
operate independently and rely less on
the CPU power of the connected NAS.
As a direct attached storage solu-
tion for NAS or PC, the TR-004 can be
used to back up data or move large
data collections between devices. TheThe best new video tech at CES 2019
383 CES Awards.indd 27 2/19/19 2:48 PM