System developed to neutralise digital cameras
Ephotoziine writes: Digital camera neutralising technology could halt movie piracy and clandestine photography, unless the Paparazzi resort to film of course.
Press Release:
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have completed a prototype device that can block digital-camera function in a given area. Commercial versions of the technology could be used to thwart unwanted use of video or still cameras.
The prototype device, produced by a team in the Interactive and Intelligent Computing division of the Georgia Tech College of Computing (COC), uses off-the-shelf equipment camera-mounted sensors, lighting equipment, a projector and a computerto scan for, find and neutralize digital cameras. The system works by looking for the reflectivity and shape of the image-producing sensors used in digital cameras.
Gregory Abowd, an associate professor leading the project, says the new camera-neutralizing technology shows commercial promise in two principal fields protecting limited areas against clandestine photography or stopping video copying in larger areas such as theatres.
Were at a point right now where the prototype we have developed could lead to products for markets that have a small, critical area to protect, Abowd said. Then were also looking to do additional research that could increase the protected area for one of our more interesting clients, the motion picture industry.
Abowd said the small-area product could prevent espionage photography in government buildings, industrial settings or trade shows. It could also be used in business settingsfor instance, to stop amateur photography where shopping-mall-Santa pictures are being taken.
James Clawson, a research technician on Abowds prototype team, said preventing movie copying could be a major application for camera-blocking technology.
Movie piracy is a $3 billion-a-year problem, Clawson maintains a problem said to be especially acute in Asia. If someone videotapes a movie in a theatre and then puts it up on the web that night or burns half a million copies to sell on the street then the movie industry has lost a lot of in-theatre revenue.
Moreover, movie theatres are likely to be a good setting for camera-blocking technology, said Jay Summet, a research assistant who is also working on the prototype. A cameras image sensor called a CCDis retroreflective, which means it sends light back directly to its origin rather than scattering it.
Retroreflections would probably make it relatively easy to detect and identify video cameras in a darkened theatre.
The current prototype uses visible light and two cameras to find CCDs, but a future commercial system might use invisible infrared lasers and photo-detecting transistors to scan for contraband cameras. Once such a system found a suspicious spot, it would feed information on the reflections properties to a computer for a determination.
The biggest problem is making sure we dont get false positives from, say, a large shiny earring, said Summet. We need to make our system work well enough so that it can find a dot, then test to see if its reflective, then see if its retroreflective, and then test to see if its the right shape.
Once a scanning laser and photodetector located a video camera, the system would flash a thin beam of visible white light directly at the CCD. This beam possibly a laser in a commercial version would overwhelm the target camera with light, rendering recorded video unusable. Researchers say that energy levels used to neutralize cameras would be low enough to preclude any health risks to the operator.
Still camera neutralization in small areas also shows near-term commercial promise, Abowd said. Despite ambient light levels far higher than in a theatre, still cameras at a trade show or a mall should be fairly easy to detect, he said. Thats because image sensors in most cell phones and digital cameras are placed close to the lens, making them easier to spot than the deeper-set sensors of video cameras.
Camera neutralizations potential has helped bring it under the wing of VentureLab, a Georgia Tech group that assists fledgling companies through the critical feasibility and first-funding phases. Operating under the name DominINC, Abowds company has already received a Phase 1 grant from the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) with VentureLab assistance.
Abowd said that funding availability will likely decide which technologysmall- or large-areawill be developed first. DominINC will apply soon for GRA Phase 2 money, Abowd said. Those funds would be used to aid anti-piracy product development, as would any funding coming from the film industry.
Other potential funding, from industry and elsewhere, would likely be used to develop anti-espionage small-area applications.
Stephen Fleming, Georgia Techs chief commercialization officer, said motion-picture groups are actively looking for technology to foil piracy. Movie distributors might even promote camera-neutralizing systems by refusing to send films to theatres that dont install anti-piracy systems.
There are some caveats, according to Summet. Current camera-neutralizing technology may never work against single-lens-reflex cameras, which use a folding-mirror viewing system that effectively masks its CCD except when a photo is actually being taken. Moreover, anti-digital techniques dont work on conventional film cameras because they have no image sensor.
Good computer analysis will be the heart of effective camera blocking, Summet believes.
Most of the major work that we have left involves algorithmic development, he said. False positives will eliminated by making a system with fast, efficient computing.
Also involved in the camera-neutralizing project are Shwetak Patel, a College of Computing PhD student; Khai Truong, a former Georgia Tech PhD student who is now at the University of Toronto, and Kent Lyons, a College of Computing post-doctoral student. A paper on this technology was published and presented at the Ubicomp 2005 conference in Tokyo, Japan, last September.
Photograph Food - Win £10,000
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/seedsofchange
The categories are “Food and People”, “Food for thought” and “Food, glorious food”.
Leica Digital-Modul-R firmware update
Leica also has a firmware update. The update is for the 10 megapixel Digital-Modul-R back for the R8 and R9 SLRs.
Improvements include:
- Improved color
- Improved display
- Better Japanese Menu
- Misc. bug fixes and optimizations
Get it from the official Leica Download page.
[ Thanks DPreview ]
Flash memory price ‘to drop 25%’
Storage Media prices keep falling down! yay!
Good news for us. Bad news for the chip firms.
Chip firms showuld brace for a slump in the price of memory chips used in small devices, Hynix has warned.
The chipmaker says it expects the price of Nand chips, used in digital cameras and music players, to drop 25% in the first quarter of 2006.
Amid an over-supplied market, Hynix said it still expected Nand chip sales to halve during 2006 as a whole.
[Read]
I’m going to be keeping my eyes open for any good deals on Flash Memory because prices are supposed to stabilize by the end of the summer! If I find any exceptionally good deals then I’ll post them here 
Micron Buys Lexar
Micron News Release:
Micron Technology, Inc. and Lexar Media, Inc., today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement for Micron to acquire Lexar in a stock-for-stock merger. Under terms of the agreement, each outstanding common share of Lexar will receive 0.5625 shares of Micron stock. Micron anticipates issuing shares in exchange for 81.6 million Lexar shares outstanding. Additional Micron shares will be issued upon the exercise of assumed stock options.
The acquisition will strengthen Micron’s position in the NAND flash business and enable the company to deliver innovative NAND flash solutions from design, development and manufacturing to marketing and sales of products to worldwide consumers and device manufacturers. The merger is designed to combine Micron’s technology and manufacturing leadership in NAND flash memory with Lexar’s leadership in NAND controller and system design technology, brand recognition and retail channel strength to create a vertically integrated entity fully focused on the NAND business.
NPD group focuses on digital camera forecast through 2010
Following on the heels of the previous news item, NDP released another release that shows that they are forecasting a record breaking 29.5 million units in 2006 alone. This would mean that the digital camera market would generate ~$6.8 billion in 2006.
PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, March 6, 2006 - According to leading consumer and retail information provider The NPD Group, forecasts show the U.S. digital camera market will generate close to $6.8 billion in revenue and sell a record-breaking 29.5 million units in 2006. The digital camera market is expected to increase by eight percent in revenue and 17 percent in units over 2005.
The findings come from The NPD Group’s Market Outlook report, driven by a powerful new forecasting methodology that gives companies an unparalleled view of the market’s future behavior.
“The NPD Group’s forecasting model is a unique combination of point-of-sale and consumer data, along with econometric modeling and the expertise of our industry analysts,” said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis, The NPD Group. “That combination created a forecast for 2005 that came within two percent of The NPD Group’s actual consumer data for the year.”
POINT AND SHOOT SALES FORECAST
According to Market Outlook, point and shoot digital cameras, which represented 73 percent of 2005 digital camera revenue, are expected to reach $5 billion in revenue in 2006, an eight percent increase over 2005, while unit sales will account for 95 percent of the digital camera market, exceeding 27 million, a 16 percent increase over the same time period.
The NPD Group expects sales will begin to slow down in 2007, when the point and shoot market is expected to peak, but even with this change point and shoot cameras will remain the dominant technology, representing more than 70 percent of revenue through 2008, followed by a dip to slightly below 70 percent in 2009 and 2010 . Unit sales will account for 90 percent of the digital camera market through 2009, and dip just slightly below 90 percent in 2010. The average selling price (ASP) for point and shoot digital cameras will drop in 2006 to approximately $182, a seven percent decline from 2005, and only fluctuate within five dollars through 2010.
DIGITAL SLR SALES FORECAST
While digital single lens reflex (DSLR) sales make up a significantly smaller portion of the digital camera market, The NPD Group forecast shows DSLRs comprising 33.6 percent of revenue and over 11 percent of unit volume by 2010.
In 2006, sales in the U.S. could reach $1.7 billion, a seven percent increase over 2005, while unit sales could reach 1.8 million, a 54 percent increase over last year. The ASP for DSLRs in 2006 is expected to decline over 30 percent to around $942, and continue to fall through 2010, settling at around $737.
“The notion that the digital imaging market is losing ground just isn’t accurate,” said Baker. “Overall, the short-term outlook is very good, and while the long-term outlook shows declines in sales, there is still great potential for the market.”
NPD Predicts Digital Camera Growth Through 2007
Last year, the big news was that digital camera sales seemed to be level off or slow down. Now the NDP Research group is saying the exact opposite. Digital Camera growth is now expected to increase all through 2007.
Press Release:
March 6, 2006 - Market research firm The NPD Group announced their annual digital camera market predictions today. After other research groups predicted slowing sales and production, The NPD Group’s forecast is sunny with clouds still several years away. The point-and-shoot and DSLR markets are expected to grow through 2007, when the point-and-shoot market will peak and the DSLR market will continue to increase.
“The notion that the digital imaging market is losing ground just isn’t accurate,” said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at The NPD Group, in today’s press release. “Overall, the short-term outlook is very good, and while the long-term outlook shows decline in sales, there is still great potential for the market.”
The U.S. digital camera industry raked in $6.8 billion in 2005 and The NPD Group expects revenue to swell another 8 percent. This translates to a 17 percent increase in the number of units sold, aiming for a record-breaking 29.5 million units in 2006.
Point-and-shoot digital cameras made up 73 percent of sales in 2005, but their popularity can’t be counted on in the long-term. Their sales will reach $5 billion in 2006, which is an 8 percent annual increase, but the market will hit a plateau in 2007. By 2010, revenue from point-and-shoots will account for 70 percent of sales while the units will account for 90 percent of the total market. This is partially because of falling prices and repeat buyers who are upgrading to DSLRs.
The NPD Group predicted that the average selling price of a point-and-shoot digital camera will drop to $182 in 2006, showing a 7 percent plunge from last year. Don’t wait for prices to really plummet though; this figure is only expected to fluctuate by five dollars in the next four years.
The real sweet spot in the market is DSLRs. Sales are expected to be up about 7 percent this year, with unit totals reaching 1.8 million - a 54 percent rise from last year’s numbers. By 2010, DSLRs will account for one-third of the industry’s revenue and only 11 percent of units sold. The average selling price of a DSLR is expected to be $942 in 2006, but will fall to $737 in 2010 as more and more consumer-friendly DSLRs hit the market.
Many industry research firms have predicted massive growth potential with the DSLR segment, but aren’t as positive about the point-and-shoots. Still, The NPD Group sticks to its methodology.
“The NPD Group’s forecasting model is a unique combination of point-of-sale and consumer data, along with econometric modeling and the expertise of our industry analysts,” Baker said. “That combination created a forecast for 2005 that came within two percent of The NPD Group’s actual consumer data for the year.”
MyPhotopipe Launches New Line Of Panoramic Prints
Press Release:
Atlanta, GA and Louisville, Ky. February 3, 2006 The proliferation of digital cameras has impacted the photography industry in more ways than one. Camera owners are now demanding more print options for their images favoring larger sizes and exotics over the older, one-size-fits-all model pioneered decades ago by the local camera stores and mass market retailers.
In response, myPhotopipe, a national online web site that turns digital images into photographic prints, today launched a new line of panoramic prints under its Gallery Series line of photographic prints and its Giclee line of fine art prints. The panoramas are available nationally via the company’s online service located at www.myphotopipe.com. The new products will start at two-feet and progress up to 8-feet wide. A photographer may choose a vertical or horizontal format.
“The demand for super-enlargements and panoramas has skyrocketed,” said myPhotopipe President, Pete Casabonne. “In my 26-years, I’ve never seen anything like it. Professional and serious amateurs alike are stitching together digital images and creating spectacular photographic art. To service their needs, we decided to launch a line of panoramas with standard sizing, easy aspect ratios, and reasonable pricing. A 12X36 print on the highest quality photographic paper, for instance, will cost just $15.00. A price like that wasn’t possible as little as a year ago.”
The panoramic prints are available in six photographic sizes on Fuji Crystal Archive paper and in four sizes on the Company’s Giclee canvas and watercolor papers.
Separately, Apogee Communications of Victoria, Canada completed a new web site extension for myPhotopipe. “Owners of digital cameras are asking a lot of questions about prints and how they’re made,” said Apogee President Alan Bagshaw. “They’re becoming involved in processes that they used to take for granted but digital images and physical prints are apples and oranges. If you ask for a print that’s not the same size as your photograph there will be, in some way, shape, or form, cropping. But that’s not always desirable. So we launched this new section to help educate our users.”
Why now? Said L. Douglas Keeney, company CEO: “A true bourbon is distilled in Bourbon County, Kentucky, margarine can’t be called butter and, by law, a milkshake must have milk in it but nothing so clearly defines photography. The point is, the consumer is racing ahead full steam, learning how to use their digital cameras, learning how to edit their pictures and suddenly they find themselves flying off that cliff without a clue what to order to make prints that match the photograph they see on the screen.”
The word photograph comes from the Greek words phot, or light, and graphia, or writing. As an example, to make a photographic print, a darkroom process is still involved. Technicians load new rolls of light sensitive paper and calibrate the emulsions. Then, a light head composed of 96 tiny diodes floats on a bed of warm air and sprays the photographic paper with diamond-shaped beams at the rate of 425 minute diamonds per square inch. Because the diamonds overlap five-fold, the results are uniquely rich in detail and color. A photographic print is thus a process based on photons, or, light.
The new line of panoramas can be seen at www.myphotopipe.com
About myPhotopipe.com
myPhotopipe.com is an online print processing service that caters to the needs of serious amateur and professional photographers. From anywhere in the nation, photographers have access to our streamlined web interface that connects them directly to our lab. With just a few mouse clicks, they can upload their photographs and within 24 hours have shipped to them a print as small as 4â€X5†or as large as four by eight feet. Myphotopipe combines four unique ingredients — we operate our own machines, we hand inspect every print, we give photographers more than 94 standard print sizes to choose from, and serve them with a lab staff, each one a serious amateur or professional photographer in their own right, with more than 125 years of combined experience.
Contact Info
Douglas Keeney or Pete Casabonne
1-404-881-3855
www.myphotopipe.com
Best Inventions 2005
This camera has won Time Magazines Best Invention of 2005 award.
The bijou camera eliminates the traditional bulk of underwater cameras, measuring a mere 3.5 in. by 5.5 in. and weighing just under 17 oz. But there’s no sacrificing image quality. The SeaLife DC500 captures ultrasharp, high-resolution pictures and overcomes underwater photography challenges including poor light, waterborne particles and quick-moving subjects. And it’s good for a deep dive. The camera is waterproof down to 200 ft. and also has six modes for land.
Learn More about this Camera. Click here
Digital Camera Photographer of The Year 2005
From 30,000 entries Digital Photographer magazine has selected Fatherly Love by Bryan Duckett as the overall winner for 2005. Click to see the images:
