By Andrew Liszewski

Instead of lugging around a separate box for capturing HD/2K streams off of a digital video camera, the makers of the Cinedeck decided to incorporate that functionality into a playback monitor that can still be mounted on the camera itself. Via its HDSDI or HDMI inputs the device captures editable, platform agnostic, 10-bit 4:2:2 or 12-bit 4:4:4 CineForm digital intermediaries in MOV or AVI wrappers, MPG2 MXF, or whatever codec you happen to prefer.

Footage is captured to solid state hard drives for added security and reliability, and the 3 1/2-inch thick recorder is essentially a compact PC powered by an Intel Core2 Extreme quad qx9300 processor, allowing you to install and use your favorite Windows-based NLE editing software with a dual-boot OS option. Now you’re probably thinking to yourself that the Cinedeck seems targeted at professional cinematographers and videographers and probably comes with a professional-grade price tag, but just keep in mind that your $7,995 investment doesn’t cost money, it makes money!

[ Cinedeck ] VIA [ DVICE ]

Remember desktop PCs? People used to use them before laptops were powerful. Some people still use them today, believe it or not! I have one – ha! If you want to see what all the fuss is about in regards to desktop PCs, then Woot! has a pretty stellar deal on a quad-core Gateway system with 8GB of RAM for $480 – it’s refurbished but carries a 90-day warranty.

Other specs include:

• Intel Core2 Quad Q8200 CPU at 2.33GHz, 4MB L2 cache, 1333MHz FSB
• 8GB DDR2 RAM
• NVIDIA GeForce GT120 GPU with 1GB DDR2 memory
• 640GB SATA hard drive (7200RPM)
• Card reader, HDTV tuner, 8-channel audio, DVD burner, Gigabit Ethernet
• Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit

So for $480, there’s plenty of pop here. Might take a while before this thing is OBSOLETE.