April 10 - 11:05pm EDT   Ahead of next week's NAB conference, Apple on Thursday released its updates to its professional video editing applications with Pro Applications Update 2008-01. The company said that the update, which includes the Apple HDV Codec v1.4 for 4:2:2 support in Final Cut Pro, improves reliability for Apple's professional applications; it is recommended for all users of Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Server, Logic Studio, and Shake and includes an update to Final Cut Studio 2.0, including Final Cut Pro 6.0.3, Compressor 3.0.3--both of which address specific customer issues, installation issues, compatibility updates, general performance issues and improves overall stability. ... [full story]

April 10 - 12:05pm EDT   Canon today preceded the NAB pro video expo with a pair of cameras it hopes will both upgrade its HDV line and extend it to buyers that normally might not consider HD cameras. Both the relatively budget-minded XL H1A and the updated XL H1S now have a new version of Canon's 20X lens that offers more control over the focus, iris, and zoom. The image processor also widens the scope of color changes, improves noise reduction, and supplies a larger range of gain and white balance settings. [full story]