TechCrunch » studio

Inflatable Photo Studio Sets Up In Minutes, Is a Firetrap

John Biggs — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 15:18:40 +0000

Our buddy Charlie found this great Inflatable Photo Studio designed for photographers who want to, for some reason, have a controlled environment outside. It’s basically one of those big bouncy castles without the bouncy part. Before you get too excited, however, remember this thing could kill you. From the fine print:

It is not recommended that you smoke, cook or have any open flames in the studio. Also lights can become very hot and melt the studio. Do not rest lighting or position it against the sides. Curling irons, hair driers [sic] irons, and steamers can also melt the plastic causing rapid deflation or possible fire.

Fair enough. We won’t use lights. But what if the air escapes rapidly? CERTAIN DEATH!

DO NOT ALLOW ANYONE INSIDE WHILE DEFLATING! It is recommended that in the event there is a power failure that you crawl on your hands and knees to the nearest exit. In the event of a rapid deflation is is best to NOT PANIC, keep your arms up at an angle in front of you.

The studio starts at $300 without the fan and maxes out at 20 x 12 x 12 feet. The price is right for something like this, even if the website copy is a little wild. The website itself is all Flash but check out the video including the be-capri-panted model.

Don't buy Lord Of The Rings on Blu-ray (yet)

Contributor — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 23:30:09 +0000

So Lord of the Rings (hereafter called LOTR) is coming out on Blu-ray tomorrow. Cool, having it in HD will nice. Better sound and maybe better picture. But you shouldn’t buy the version that comes out tomorrow, because you won’t be happy.

Sometimes, I really hate movie studios. This is one of those times, because you know as soon as you buy this release of LOTR, the theatrical version, the studio will release the shiny new extended cut version that you’re going to want to buy. It’s called double dipping, and it’s evil. The extras that are coming out tomorrow aren’t bad, but you know they’ve got another version coming out soon.

So I say save your $99 (or $59.99 if you look around) and wait for the version with a good transfer, and the director’s cut. Otherwise you’ll be sorry. Probably in about 3 months, I suspect.

Apple fixes up Logic Studio to make me sound less like a tone-deaf yodeler

John Biggs — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 22:01:00 +0000

I’ve never really used Apple’s high-end audio or video software – I’ve tried Logic Express and found it to be a little too overwhelming – but there are plenty of folks out there who will be lining up for the new version that just dropped. It costs $499 and includes a number of cool features that have piqued my interest.

CNET has a nice rundown of the new version. It will include an Amp Designer and Pedalboard system that will let you model your guitar sounds using specific amps and pedal styles, all in real time.

Amp Designer, Apple’s new amp modeling software, fulfills these requirements. Apple obviously spent a lot of time on the design of Amp Designer. While that doesn’t help with the sound, it certainly does help with the familiarity with the software. If the software looks and acts like an amp, you’re more apt to approach it like you would a real amp.

Obviously this software won’t sound like a classic Fender you found in your grandpa’s basement but it’s still a great noodling tool. Another feature includes a time and tempo editing feature called Flex Time. You can adjust the tempo to match other tracks. This means if your guitar playing is out of sync with your drum track the system will automagically fix it.

The tools are a little daunting but hopefully they’ve cleaned up the UI so GarageBand refugees can move to the more powerful stuff.

Dell releases snazzy Studio Desktop towers

Matt Burns — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:20:29 +0000

The latest in Dell’s Studio Desktop lineup sheds the trendy digs of the Studio Hybrid for a more conventional tower look. These ‘puters are aiming for the entertainment crowd with optional Blu-ray drives, TV Tuners and HDMI-outs. The choice is yours between the mini and mid-size tower as it seems they can both be configured with the same options. Prices start out at $549 and as usual, can climb once you start adding on those options as you build your ultimate media center.