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The Mino micro video cam from Flip Video.
Audio is my passion. We are, however, living in a video world shaped by the sights …and sounds that are never far away from our HDTV or computer displays.
In the spirit of “New Media” Gear, something drew me to Flip Video. I had seen this concept before. A small solid state transport video camera that slips into your pocket and may weigh less than your key ring. However, Flip Video took the basic concept of an inexpensive and portable video camera a few steps further.
I tried out the newest model (the Mino) in the line currently ranging from $129 to $179 MSRP in the US.
The video spec is VGA (640×480 – although Lauras “mix” movie saved as 320×200), with the Mino utilizing a 4mbps adaptive (variable?) bitstream. Focus, and everything else is automatic on this cam. A 2x digital zoom provides a slightly tighter shot. In keeping with simplistic design, battery power is provided by an internal/rechargeable lithium-ion battery charged by the USB port. A quick 3 hour charge provides about 4 hours of shoot time according to Flip specs. The color purity, resolution and audio quality are all quite good considering that this device is built around providing internet, or “tube” type video content.
The Mino is all about being there, getting the shot and minutes later making it available to millions. Think of the Mino as a USB key drive with a video camera attached. No cables are needed, unless you use the included one to transfer YGB video, …which is SO last week. The back of the Mino provides a small viewfinder/playback display along with touch-sensitive transport controls. The front sports an integrated omni mic and the small optics of the lense. On one side, a small power button is visable. On top, move a stealthy slider and a USB connector “Flips” up from the camera making it look like a large key drive. This is where it gets fun.
Plug the Mino into your USB port (I tested using XP Pro SP3) and a new drive is mounted, complete with embedded software. No need to install the software – simply run it from the camera itself. That is the feature I enjoyed most – no installation. The Flip software user interface is very simple including automatic fades on clips you select, creating “made for email” movies or easily posting to YT.
OK – the following is a Laura original. Laura is famous for one-handed “shakey” shots, so she simply took a walk around our Cities downtown park, Lake Eola. Here are the “auto-transition” shots composed, complete with royalty free music, completely from the built-in Flip software on the Mino.
Natively, the Mino streams adaptive video to an AVI container, which was saved as a WMV file.
QUICKTIME FILE DIRECT DOWNLOAD
Average Street Price at Publish Time – $149
Best,
MarkJensen and Laura
