Flip Mino Puts Video in Your Palm, One True Media Sends it Out
Video has hit the masses- if YouTube hasn’t made it clear, witness the Flip Mino videocamera. Small enough to fit into your hand, with enough battery life to make it through a day, and shooting decent enough video to impress the family, the Flip Mino is one device that is making it possible. With pricetags as low as $150, and a new high-definition capable camera, the Flip family is one product that lives up to the marketing materials.
Beyond the specs are the things that actually make the Flip a pleasure to use. The flip-out USB port works as both a recharger and a way to transfer the videos to your computer. The screen is a bit small, but allows easy previews of your videos, up to 60 minutes. And there aren’t many extra buttons or functions, so even a kid or grandma can use it (digital-only zoom is a bit of a drag though). The software installs automatically; no need to download anything or keep track of disks. It takes a while the first time though, and transfer isn’t exactly speedy, but previewing and saving video, as well as uploading to video sites, is easy. And you can connect directly to a TV for easy viewing as well.
It seems like Flip has most of the bases covered- consistent upgrades to an already-great product that has shaken up the digital video camera market. We wish they were a little more hackable and upgradeable, that the optics were better, that they had a touchscreen- but those improvements are sure to come to later models, and the Flip Mino is pretty great as-is. Beware of trying to use Adobe Premiere to edit Flip videos though, as you’ll need to transcode them first.
Which brings us to editing, which the Flip software doesn’t do very well- and you can’t send the videos to relatives without good internet connections or computers. That’s where One True Media comes in, offering a combination of online video uploading and editing tools, and DVD authoring/sending services. You can take your video directly from your camera (of any kind), add photos, use convenient plug-in templates to personalize your video and add text and titles simply. Best of all, add any music that you want to go over your video!
The software is fairly easy to use, though it would be a bit intimidating for those who haven’t edited before… and folks used to more advanced tools might find their style a little cramped. The effects tools are present, but rather minimal, and you can’t just plug in just any font that might want. We also didn’t have a chance to try out the DVD delivery service, as we quickly discovered that trying to do collaborative video between several writers made for a slow and somewhat painful process. But other reviews are positive, and the fact that you can customize the cover, and case of the sent product is quite nice. DVDs can be up to 60 minutes in length, and cost varies with quantity, between $10 per copy for 10 copies, and up to $25 for a single version.
There is a trick though- you’ll need to purchase a premium membership to unlock all of the best features, including TiVo sharing and PC/Mac downloads of your video. Free memberships are available, but are pretty limited, and you are further induced to upgrade to the $40 per year membership by the free DVD credit that is included. All in all, a good deal, and a great way to publish your home videos!
