| Adobe releases Moviestar beta for Flash Player 9
Adobe Systems's upgrade for its Flash Player, released on Tuesday, adds support for one of the latest video encoding standards as well as new audio support. The upgrade, called Moviestar, applies to Adobe's latest Flash Player, version 9. A beta of the upgrade will be available for download later in the day, with a final version to be ready in the third quarter, Adobe said. Moviestar supports the playback of video encoded using the H.264 standard, which allows for greater compression of video files than previous standards while maintaining quality. Adobe already supports H.264 encoding in products such as Premiere Pro and the After Effects video editing software. Moviestar also includes High-Efficiency AAC support, an improved audio compression technology. Although the complete specifications of the upgrade are complicated, Adobe has tried to stick to industry standards as users sort through a range of available video technologies, wrote Tinic Uro, an Adobe engineer who works on the Flash Player, on his blog.
Searingly desperate 'City of Men' is Brazil's 'Boyz n the Hood'
Ace, who has a young son to tend to, as well as Wallace, who longs to meet the father he never knew, are left homeless after their hill is taken by an enemy gang in a bloodbath siege. Ace's detective work helps Wallace track down and stay with his deadbeat dad, who has a sketchy past that worsens with each revelation. Ace latches onto a gang bent on taking Dead End Hill. His homies fill his head with information that turns him against Wallace. .
Alicia Keys postpones 2 UK tour dates
Last updated February 23, 2008 3:14 p.m. PT Alicia Keys postpones 2 UK tour dates THE ASSOCIATED PRESS View related video NEW YORK -- Alicia Keys postponed two concerts on her European tour after being put on vocal rest by her doctor, her publicist said Saturday. Keys, whose latest album, "As I Am," has sold millions of copies worldwide, was supposed to perform Monday in Glasgow, Scotland, and Tuesday in Manchester, England. But the Grammy-winning singer was told to spend the next few days off the stage because of laryngitis, publicist Patti Webster said in a statement. The Glasgow and Manchester dates were to be rescheduled. --- On the Net: Alicia Keys: http://www.aliciakeys.com .
Career watch: The colourful world of animation
The range of jobs available for a computer animator can be mind boggling. There is hardly any industry that doesn't require or use computer animators." "These days animation is used in almost all the industries from automobile, pharmaceutical, medicine, aerospace, civil, and architectural," says Anand Kannan from ToonSkool, Bangalore. According to Radhakrishnan, top IT companies like Tata, Reliance [Get Quote], Satyam [Get Quote], UTV, Pentasoft, Rhythm & Hues, have jumped into the fray. International animation houses like Walt Disney [Images] studios, Paprika Animation Studio, Technicolor labs, SONY are looking at tie-ups with Indian animation companies too. Puneet Sharma, General Manager of Zee Institute of Creative Arts (ZICA) says, "As per the NASSCOM Report 2006 (NASSCOM - Primary Research & Analysis, Pg 127), the starting salaries of freshers is between Rs 8,000-Rs 12,000 per month.
The Kite Runner
Finally, it has to be encouraging for Miramax to have "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" surprisingly pop up in the contemporary field. As it continues to make a case for a Best Picture nomination, these guild citations only fuel the cause. Here are the nominees: PERIOD FILM: "American Gangster" (Arthur Max) "Atonement" (Sarah Greenwood) "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" (Guy Hendrix Dyas) "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (Dante Ferretti) "There Will Be Blood" (Jack Fisk) FANTASY FILM: "The Golden Compass" (Dennis Gassner) "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (Stuart Craig) "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (Rick Heinrichs) "Ratatouille" (Harley Jessup) "300" (James Bissell) CONTEMPORARY FILM: "The Bourne Ultimatum" (Peter Wenham) "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (Michel Eric and Laurent Ott) "The Kite Runner" (Carlos Conti) "Michael Clayton" (Kevin Thompson) "No Country for Old Men" (Jess Gonchor) .
New NBC series 'quarterlife' hopes to define a generation increasingly ...
The new NBC drama "quarterlife," about a group of friends in their mid-20s, is truly pioneering television at a time when fresh and different are hard to come by. The hourlong series looks a bit rough, is without big-name actors and originated on the Web. Most significant, it marks the first time a prime-time show has made such strong and engaging use of new technology — such as the Internet and digital production — within a fictional show. It also emphasizes the importance of these tools to younger people; how they help them connect socially, explore their individual selves and express themselves creatively. The pilot aired in a special preview on NBC Tuesday and moves into its regular time slot at 8 p.m. Sunday. So far, six episodes have been planned.
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