videos

Review: Slim your video clips the easy way with Moo0 VideoMinimizer

Moo0 VideoMinimizer reduces the picture size or file size of video recordings with minimal quality reduction. Unlike the big downloads, this free tool is easy to learn and works fast. Moo0 VideoMinimizer 1.13 is compatible with Windows XP to 8.

Like many of Moo0's no-nonsense utilities we've tried, VideoMinimizer has a compact dialog-style user interface that includes the most frequently needed controls and options right up front, such as the Keep on Top and Notify when Finished check boxes. And, like other Moo0 tools, VideoMinimizer has many interface language options, though some are partial files. But frequent … Read more

Get creative with iPhone videos using Montaj

There's no question that photo apps are extremely popular on mobile devices, which is leading to an explosion in video apps. Twitter launched its own Vine app, which allows users to create 6-second films and share them across Twitter and Facebook.

Another app, Montaj, is aiming to give iPhone users another option when it comes to getting creative with short videos, albeit in a longer form than the 6-second videos you'll find in Vine. Users are able to create short videos; the default limit of clips in a Montaj is 12 (adjustable to 36 in the settings), all … Read more

Make Sony NEX-7 videos more natural

I'm a big fan of Sony's Alpha NEX-7 and NEX-5n mirrorless cameras. They're practically more lens than camera, but both deliver exceptional image quality and advanced features for their small size.

For the past month I've been casually shooting photos and videos on the NEX-7 and scouring the Web for advice on getting the most from this camera. One tip that really changed the way I shoot video is Camera Dojo's advice on matching shutter speed with your camera's frame rate.

In the above video, I'll walk you through the steps to optimize … Read more

Xbox One moves Microsoft closer to living room hub

REDMOND, Wash. -- Perhaps the most telling detail of Microsoft's media event to unveil the new Xbox One was the fact that the company didn't even get around to talking about gaming until halfway through the presentation.

It's hard to overstate the significance of that. Microsoft sees the Xbox One, more than any other version of the Xbox, as a device for everyone, not just hardcore gamers. There's no doubt Microsoft was pushing into that direction, even with the original Xbox that debuted in 2001.

But Microsoft's focus during the Xbox One event demonstrates the … Read more

Will you buy an Xbox One or PlayStation 4?

What's hotter -- the Xbox One or the PlayStation 4?

This year kicked off a new chapter in gaming history as Microsoft and Sony revealed their next-generation consoles, which are destined to rule living rooms (and hands) around the world. Of course, Nintendo also had its fun with the Wii U, but hard-core gamers don't seem to really be jumping on the device.… Read more

Human-like opponents spur gamer aggression, study says

The debate around video game violence and whether it leads to actual violence has once again come to the fore this year since the Obama administration asked for funding to study the matter. A study by researchers at the University of Connecticut isn't trying to answer that particular thorny question, but it has uncovered a noteworthy component to the level of aggression gamers display when playing.

The study monitored 148 participants as they played Quake 3 Revolution on PlayStation 2. They battled opponents that either looked closely human or characters that looked like inhuman monsters. The gamers were surveyed afterward. The study found that fighting human targets increased both verbal aggression and aggressive thoughts. The research was just published in the journal Mass Communication and Society.… Read more

Five unanswered questions about the Xbox One

With the pre-E3 announcement of Microsoft's next living room video game console, the parlor game of speculation about all the missing details can begin. As with the Nintendo Wii U and Sony PlayStation 4 before it, the new Xbox's first foray into the public was a carefully choreographed tease, with just enough information to get industry watchers and game fans on the hook for the next step in the long rollout plan.

The following step will no doubt be an expanded preview at the annual E3 video game trade show in June, although even then, important price and … Read more

Next Xbox shipments to ramp up in third quarter

Microsoft's next Xbox is already in production, and will start shipping in large numbers in the third quarter, according to a recent report.

The sometimes spotty DigiTimes on Monday reported that Microsoft has already started producing the next version of its Xbox in "small volumes," but has already placed orders for "mass shipments" of the device to kick off in the third quarter, and reach their peak in the fourth quarter. DigiTimes is basing its claims on conversations it had with members of Microsoft's supply chain.

Microsoft is holding a big Xbox event today … Read more

AT&T to open mobile video chat for all customers

AT&T customers should be able to use any mobile video chat app before too much longer.

Preloaded video-chat apps will work over AT&T's cellular network for all customers, regardless of device or data plan, by the end of 2013, according to a statement from AT&T.

Customers with unlimited data and an LTE device should expect to be able to use video chat apps from Apple, Samsung, and BlackBerry over the AT&T network by mid-June.

Here is the full statement from AT&T:

For video chat apps that come preloaded on … Read more