How to shoot better slow motion video at 120fps, 240fps, and 960fps

Know when to go slow and when to go really slow when you’re taking slo-mo video.

Not too long ago you needed very expensive cameras and equally expensive desktop software to produce a good slow-motion video. Now we can grab slow-motion capture at up to 960 frames per second from a smartphone, and that means we can shoot video that’s about 32-times slower than real life. Isn’t technology grand? We don’t need to know how to build a smartphone that can shoot super slow-motion video or how the internal software works to use it, but it’s a good idea to know a little bit about the things you can do to make it better. Or worse.

The Galaxy S9+ can shoot slow-motion video at 240 fps (frames per second) in 1080p, or 960 fps in 720p. Sony’s latest, the Xperia XZ2, can shoot 960 fps video at 1080p! We expect to see a lot more companies building phones with cameras that can tackle the super slo-mo so no matter which brand you prefer you’ll probably get the feature. It sounds really cool, and it can be once you get a little bit of practice in and remember a few things about when it’s best to use it versus the still-impressive 240 fps slow-motion feature.

Resolution

Resolution is the biggest difference on paper, and the easiest to remember because the results are right there in front of you when you play it back. Super slo-mo shoots at 960 fps, but can only do so for less than a second (0.2 seconds in the Galaxy S9+) but that translates into about 6.5 seconds when you play it back at normal speeds. While that’s awesome, there are times when a 720p video just won’t cut it.

Don’t let 6 seconds of 720p footage ruin your video. If it will be a jarring switch, shoot at 240 fps instead.

The thing you’ll be playing the video back with very likely has a very high resolution. A computer monitor, television, or even the display on your smartphone falls into this category. You have to decide if 6 seconds of 720p footage right in the middle of an FHD video is going to work. The best way to decide is by trial and error.

Take your phone and shoot some video of anything that’s moving as a test. Play it back on the phone and upload it to YouTube where you can watch it on a bigger display so you get a feel for the way the switch to 720p looks when you’re watching. It can work sometimes, especially if you’re going to be editing the final product, but other times it isn’t going to cut it and the FHD 240 fps capture will work better, even if the footage isn’t quite as slow-motion.

Keeping the phone still

Slow-motion video is a bit blurry. It’s difficult for even the most expensive cameras to capture high-speed video and still get a great sharp image because it’s next to impossible to take enough samples to fine tune the focus. It’s not too bad looking, and it can even add to the effect, but only if it’s done right.

In this case, done right means the camera is held perfectly still. Especially if you’re going to use the Automatic capture feature in the Galaxy S9+, where it detects motion and grabs the super slo-mo footage when it sees something moving. Keeping your camera perfectly still is important.

Even the tiniest bit of shaking in your hands can look like an earthquake when you slow it down by a factor of 32.

In fact, it’s important enough to invest in a tripod or gimbal if you plan to shoot a lot of super slo-mo video. With the right equipment your phone can take some amazingly great video footage, and investing in some gear to make better use of it isn’t a bad idea at all.

We really like the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 gimbal here. it can account for any small hand motions (the smallest shake goes on f-o-r-e-v-e-r when shooting at 960fps) and can be programmed to enhance your video with other effects through the mobile app. It’s a handheld, but you can pick up a number of attachments that will let you place it on a flat surface on a tripod. And best of all, the $130 price is a lot cheaper than some others out there.

If you don’t have a way to keep your phone still while taking slo-mo video, shoot it at 240 fps if the video needs to be stable and level.

See at B&H photo

Know your lights

Lighting is the biggest thing to consider when you’re taking any photo or video. You need the right light in the right amount to properly expose whatever it is in front of the lens, and when shooting at high speeds you get another factor in the mix: pulse modulation.

We can see more things when they are slowed down. things like blinking lights.

Pulse modulation is how fluorescent lights and LED’s “work”. A “regular” light bulb has a filament inside of it that’s superheated in a sealed glass globe. It gets so hot it emits bright light and the sealed environment keeps it from catching fire and lets it last longer. It’s also a steady emission — it gets hot, puts out light, and stays in that state until you turn off the electricity and it cools down.

Fluorescent lamps are driven by a ballast that pulses high voltage through the contacts. This ionizes a small amount of metal (usually a mercury-based metal which is why you should never handle a broken fluorescent lamp) and causes it to emit a lot of UV radiation (the harmless type). A phosphor-based coating on the inside of the glass converts the UV radiation into visible spectrum radiation, which is light. Hot cathode fluorescents work a little differently and need a long arc to cause vapor in the sealed lamp to glow, but when it comes to the timing they are both the same — they turn on and off about 60 times each second.

LEDs use a driver to apply current to the leads of the lamp, and this causes electrons to move in a semiconductor inside the LED. When the right amount of current is applied, the electrons are converted into photons, which are tiny rays of light. Fluorescent lamps and LEDs don’t work quite the same way, but they have one thing in common: they aren’t a steady light source. LEDs can have an on/off cycle as slow as two times per second.

240 fps will make fluorescent lights and LEDs blink, but a lot less than 960 fps will. It makes a big difference.

This doesn’t matter to our eyes because we can’t see the darkness between pulses when they are that fast. But when you slow down your video by shooting at a very high frame rate, you see it in the end result. Sometimes, it can be so bad it ruins the footage. Shooting video under a normal fluorescent lamp at 240 fps the lamp “blinks” 7 times per second. Shooting at 960 fps it blinks a little less than 2 times per second. That’s easy to see, and there’s no way to edit it out.

Ideally, you want to shoot outside in the sun or using old-fashioned filament lighting. But if you can’t do that and are shooting video under fluorescent lights or LEDs, shoot at 240 fps to minimize the flickering.

The most important thing to know is that it gets better with practice, and practicing is pretty fun. Shoot video of all kinds of things and have fun while you’re figuring it all out!

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

• Galaxy S9 review: A great phone for the masses
• Galaxy S9 and S9+: Everything you need to know!
• Complete Galaxy S9 and S9+ specs
• Galaxy S9 vs. Google Pixel 2: Which should you buy?
• Galaxy S9 vs. Galaxy S8: Should you upgrade?
• Join our Galaxy S9 forums

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How are you liking the Galaxy S9 so far?

So far so good 👍

Following plenty of hype and anticipation, pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ are finally being delivered to early buyers!

Plenty of members in the Android Central forums have been quick to share their initial thoughts on the two phones after finally getting to play around with them for a few hours, and while there are a few complaints here and there, the general consensus still remains that Samsung created two excellent gadgets with the S9 series.

Looking specifically at things people like about the S9 and S9+, here’s what some of you had to say:

ZOMMBIE1
03-13-2018 06:48 AM

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Got mine yesterday and so far I’m loving it! I’m glad the stock messages app and keyboard now supports GIFs. Its definitely an improvement.

Reply

AspenQn
03-13-2018 06:48 PM

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I’ve only had mine 24 hours but I’m pretty happy. Of course I’m a girl who uses her phone like a regular person. I will tweak a lot of stuff but not to the degree of the techy folks. I think the average person will be happy with this phone. At any rate, it is a nice upgrade for me…I am coming from the original S6 Edge and refused to upgrade to the S8/S8+ last year because of the position of…

Reply

Bridget Booth
03-13-2018 07:18 PM

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I’m really pleased so far. I’ve only had it in use for maybe six hours. It’s absolutely the first Samsung I’ve had that I didn’t immediately throw a custom launcher on to it.

Reply

Itsa_Me_Mario
03-13-2018 08:37 PM

“

My favorite thing about it is support for Treble. I don’t know what it’s going to mean for S9 updates, but the potential is there and I hope Samsung (and other OEMs) make the most of it.

Reply

Now, we’d like for you to chime in – If you have a Galaxy S9/S9+, how are you liking it so far?

Join the conversation in the forums!

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

• Galaxy S9 review: A great phone for the masses
• Galaxy S9 and S9+: Everything you need to know!
• Complete Galaxy S9 and S9+ specs
• Galaxy S9 vs. Google Pixel 2: Which should you buy?
• Galaxy S9 vs. Galaxy S8: Should you upgrade?
• Join our Galaxy S9 forums

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How to use an external keyboard with Google Daydream

For when you want to write an essay in VR.

Full disclosure; I tried to write this article in my Google Daydream using an external keyboard and failed miserably. It turns out that I cant actually touch type and from what I saw on the page, I can barely type at all. The fact that I did manage to type anything, however, does tell you that using an external keyboard is not only possible it’s relatively easy.

There are two basic ways to set it up. You can use a wired USB keyboard, or you can use a Bluetooth keyboard.

Wired Keyboard

Using a wired keyboard is both easy and hard at the same time. It’s easy because the chances are you own a wired keyboard already from a previous PC when I went looking I found 3, and difficult for two reasons. The wired keyboard will need to have an adapter attached to connect to your phone, depending on the phone either a USB-a to Micro USB or USB-C which are extremely cheap and easy to pick up on Amazon and the wire will, unfortunately be hanging from your face while you use it.

Using the keyboard with the wire attached is cumbersome but you aren’t likely to be moving your head around a lot while using it After all you are typing not playing crazy games, and you are likely at a desk so it is managable, if a little unwieldly, just remember it’s there and you should be fine.

To connect the wired keyboard is simple, just plug in the adapter and plug the adapter into your phone. A small pop up may appear to ask you to conifrm the keyboard you want to use, I use Gboard, and you are good to go! Once you put your phone into your Daydream View you will still be able to use the keyboard to touch type.

More: How to make your own Daydream

Bluetooth Keyboard

This really is the prefered method for using an external keyboard on a Daydream View. Not having a lead dangling of the side of your face makes it a much nicer experience and not having your charging your port, or if you use USB-C your headphone port, used is a big bonus. Sometimes only having one port on the Pixel 2 is just plain annoying.

Connecting your Bluetooth keyboard is the same as any Bluetooth device, simple go to your Bluetooth connect screen and tap search for new device. From there select your Bluetooth keyboard and tap pair, once it’s paired it will ask you to confirm your keyboard and away you go, you can be touch typing in no time! Make sure however that you get a Bluetooth keyboard not just a wireless keyboard. The wireless keyboards usually come with a small reciever dongle that won’t work with your phone and you’ll be dissapointed when you have to send it back.

Is it worth it?

Unless you are a touch typist I don’t think so no. Typing in VR is a pain, we all know that, but using an external keyboard to type feels so much more cumbersome than an onscreen one. It just isn’t possible to type long sentences on a keyboard you can’t see at all, not even peripherally. I tried and failed, maybe you can do better? Let us know in the comments.

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• Daydream View review
• The ultimate guide to Daydream
• These phones support Daydream VR
• Every Daydream app you can download
• Catch up with Daydream in the forums!

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Amazon recalls 260,000 of its AmazonBasics portable battery packs

There have been 53 reports of overheating.

You can buy portable battery packs just about anywhere these days, and if you’re like a lot of people, there’s a good chance you’ve purchased one on Amazon before. If that battery pack you bought is an AmazonBasics one, you’re likely going to need to return it.

The Consumer Product Safety Commissions (or CPSC) issued a product recall in the United States on March 13 for 260,000 AmazonBasics battery packs that were sold at Amazon.com., Amazon Bookstores, and Amazon Pop-Up Stores between December 2014 and July 2017.

According to the recall, there have been 53 reports of the battery packs overheating in the U.S., with four of them causing property damage and one resulting in chemical burns.

The models involved with this recall include:

• 16,100 mAh
• 10,000 mAh
• 5,600 mAh
• 3,000 mAh
• 3,000 mAh with included microUSB cable
• 2,000 mAh with included microUSB cable

If you believe you own one of the affected products, the CPSC encourages you to call Amazon’s toll-free number at 855-215-5134 between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM ET Monday – Saturday. Additionally, you can register your battery bank at any time by going to https://amazonpowerbank.expertinquiry.com/.

No matter which option you choose, Amazon will issue you a full refund once the return process is complete.

Best tips for extending the life of your phone’s battery

Kick off your Philips Hue obsession with this $45 two-bulb starter kit

Smart lights are the best lights.

This 2-bulb starter kit comes with everything you need to see how smart lights work for you. The bulbs are just white, so maybe not as much fun as the colored alternatives, but this one is also more affordable. Best Buy has it for the same price as part of its daily deals.

As you’d expect from a starter kit, this one includes the Philips Hub, which is required for the bulbs to work properly. This allows you to integrate it with other smart home devices, like an Amazon Echo Dot to control the lights with just your voice. You can add 2 more white bulbs for $30 or 4 bulbs for $50. If you’d rather grab some colored bulbs, Amazon has single bulbs for $48.

Don’t need smart bulbs? Amazon also has a bunch of Philips LED (non-smart) bulbs on sale as well.

See at Amazon

Google will ban cryptocurrency ads in June

Cryptocurrency exchanges and related ventures will soon lose access to the two biggest ad networks on the internet. Starting in June, Google will no longer host advertisements promoting cryptocurrencies, exchanges, wallets and firms providing advice, as well as initial coin offerings. The big G has followed in Facebook’s footsteps, which banned ads promoting virtual coins back in January, effectively cutting off those ventures’ access to the two entities that serve majority of ads online in terms of revenue.

Google has announced its new policy along with its latest “bad ads” report, where it has revealed that it took down over 3.2 billion ads that violated its policies in 2017. It didn’t explain its reasoning behind the decision, and only said that it “updated several policies to address ads in unregulated or speculative financial products.” In addition to cryptocurrency, those products include binary options, foreign exchange markets and contracts for difference (or CFDs).

ICOs blew up in popularity when cryptocurrency values soared over the past year. It came to the point that South Korea and China had to ban the unregulated means to raise company funds by selling digital coins. Authorities around the globe are cracking down on ICOs, since they can easily be used to scam investors. Unscrupulous individuals could launch coin offerings with the intention of selling products and services that don’t exist and will never materialize.

In the US, the Securities and Exchange Commission warned celebs that they must disclose if they’re promoting a virtual token or coin. More recently, it sent out subpoenas left in an effort to extract info, such as the structure for sales and pre-sales of the ICOs, from companies in the cryptocurrency industry. SEC chairman Jay Clayton said outright that many ICOs are “being conducted illegally,” and Google likely wanted no part in their growth.

Via: The New York Times

Source: Google

Broadcom gives up on Qualcomm buyout after Trump veto

The will-they/won’t-they flirtation between two of the world’s largest mobile chip companies has come to an abrupt end. Broadcom has announced that it will no longer attempt to buy its US-based rival, Qualcomm. In a statement, Broadcom said that it was “disappointed with this outcome,” and would drop its attempts to appoint nominees to Qualcomm’s board.

Bringing Broadcom and Qualcomm together would have been the technology industry’s largest ever deal. The pair could never agree on the price, but negotiations had reached as high as $160 billion — a figure close to the $165 billion it cost to unite Time Warner and Aol..

Qualcomm had initially rebuffed Broadcom’s overtures, initially saying that the offer materially undervalued the company. That was back when the figure was $130 billion, although Qualcomm reps then said that they would meet with their opposite numbers to discuss the offer (by suggesting it was higher).

The saga took a surprising turn on Monday 12th, when the White House issued an order blocking the purchase. The move followed a letter from the Committee on Foreign Investment, which said that letting a foreign company control Qualcomm would pose a security risk.

Broadcom had intended to move its official HQ to the US, thereby reducing the amount of oversight necessary to make the deal work. But the presidential order blocked any further attempt, even if it was handled indirectly, and disqualified any of Broadcom’s potential director appointees to Qualcomm’s board.

Now that Broadcom has withdrawn its offer, and its nominated directors, it remains to be seen what’s going to happen next. Broadcom has said that it will “continue to move forward with its redomiciliation process,” and will still hold its special stockholders meeting on the 23rd.

We have reached out to Qualcomm for comment and will update this story further if any word is received.

Source: Broadcom

France to sue Apple and Google over ‘abusive’ developer practices

France is taking Google and Apple to court over “abusive” app developer practices and could impose millions of euros in penalties. Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told RTL that the government has a problem with the onerous conditions the tech giants impose on French startups. “When developers want to sell apps with Google or Apple, they must pay a fee,” he said. “But Google and Apple also gather data, and can unilaterally alter the contract terms. All of that is unacceptable.”

He added that France wants to close the loopholes that allow Google, Apple, Facebook and other tech giants to avoid taxes on the billions of dollars of revenues they collect in the country. “We want to be able to tax the giant tech companies in Europe starting in 2019,” said Le Maire.

France sued Google in 2016, demanding $1.7 billion in back taxes, and declined to settle for a lesser amount like the UK did. However, a French court found in favor of Google, saying it obeyed European laws and wouldn’t have to pay a dime (the government has vowed to appeal). France and Germany, the EU’s largest economic forces, are also on a crusade to change European laws that allow companies to shelter earnings in nations with the lowest taxes, like Ireland.

France is also suing Apple over the fact that it slowed down iPhones to preserve batteries without informing consumers, calling it a form of programmed obsolescence. The nation has recently enacted laws outlawing gadgets that are designed with limited lifetimes that encourage waste and over-consumption. Penalties can include fines and even criminal charges.

Via: The Local France

Source: RTL

Audi’s traffic light countdown tech comes to Washington DC

Audi’s traffic light countdown has been rolling out very slowly in the US (it’s active in just seven cities so far), but it just made one of its biggest expansions yet: it’s now available in Washington, DC. Pull up to one of 600 connected intersections in the country’s capital and your compatible Audi will tell you how long you have before the light turns green. You shouldn’t be caught off-guard when an interminably long red finally changes.

The feature requires a “select” 2017 or 2018 model with Audi Connect Prime, and uses the car’s included LTE data to talk to smart traffic lights as you get close.

Washington’s addition brings the total US intersection count to 1,600 — that’s a 60 percent increase from one city. We wouldn’t expect other expansions to be as large (it depends on how much they’ve invested in smart infrastructure), but it suggests that Audi’s technology is becoming more than a novelty that you might only see once or twice on a drive. The real question is whether or not other manufacturers, such as Audi sibling brands like Volkswagen and Porsche, will follow suit. Smart cities are only truly smart when you don’t have to be picky about your choice of vehicle.

Source: Audi

BMW is helping to build the world’s fastest racing drone

BMW is working with the Drone Racing League (DRL) to break the record for the world’s fastest drone set by the DRL itself last year. BMW will loan its technical expertise and wind tunnel at its Aerodynamic Test Center to help the league break the 165.2 mph Guinness world speed record it set with its DRL RacerX drone. The automaker is also bring a DRL race to its BMW Welt exhibition center and museum in Munich, Germany.

The Drone Racing League has grown rapidly, thanks to a deal with ESPN and new, more spectator- and competitor-friendly DRL Racer 3. The new model, used by all pilots to ensure races are strictly a test of pilot skill, is more crash resistant and easier for spectators to follow.

BMW’s linkup with drone racing might seem a bit odd, but the company said drone racing isn’t that far removed from motorsports. “[It] is a very competitive type of racing, characterized by the interplay of extremely high-performance material and digital technology,” said BMW Brand Experience head Jörg Reimann. DRL hinted that the Munich race will happen in BMW’s international automobile museum near Olympiapark.