Wrote a column recently about the new stoke toy called the ATC2K. You can see that column here, and you can see the ATC2K here. Its a small, waterproof digital vidicorder, suitable for action sports like surfing.

Can't say I'm any good at this yet, but the first DogMan video clips are the subject of this column. Using the ATC2K is a knack and a skill, which I'm still learning. But it doesn't stop there by any means. Once you capture the video, you must download it to the computer (easy), then edit it the raw footage into a viewable clip (medium difficult). Finally, the hardest part (at least for me, at least so far) is to convert the edited clip into a web-ready file.

The output stage is a balancing act among at least two parameters, file format and file size. The most accessible format these days is Windows Media, or wmv. My editing is done on a Mac, so my native file outputs are QuickTime, mov or mp4. I can convert one to the other, but each conversion tends to loose a bit. Moreover, the native format of the ATC2K is Audio Video Interleave, or avi. Each of these choices has pluses and minuses. The file size is the other consideration; larger size usually means more resolution or a larger image. But larger files load slower on the internet, and can clog server bandwidth.

The first two clips in this column show my attempt at this balancing act. Both clips are available in QuickTime and Windows Media format. File sizes are less then 2 Meg. With some help from DogMan readers as to what works on their computers, and some serious homework on my part, future clips will improve. And by the way, the ATC2K is fun, but it entices me to buy a serious land-based digital camcorder. One thing leads to another.

This clip is from Saturday February 16, 2008 at Kook's Kove. You can see the column and still pics from this all-time big wave session here. I attached the ATC2K vidicam to the same tripod as the still cam. In fact, the weird clicking you hear on the clip is the shutter of the still cam going crazy. Since the ATC2K has no zoom, you can barely see the tiny surfer on the mondo waves. Look for the trail of white water in front of the breaking part of the wave. This clip really makes me want a camcorder with optical zoom.

The second clip shows more of what the ATC2K can do. Its a water clip from a sess at Monster Reef, during a dawn patrol on February 10. A little more direct sun would make this clip a lot clearer, as would more skill on my part driving the device while in the break zone of these substantial waves.

Keep clicking for more video on DogMan Chronicles. If you have feedback or suggesstions as to how I can improve, then by all means

email me.

CU Out There,

DogMan