Video Basics

Book Description

Herbert Zettl draws on his expertise and field experience to bring you the new edition of VIDEO BASICS, the handiest and most authoritative, current, and technically accurate student guide to video production. Meeting the need for a briefer book, this text distills comprehensive video instruction so that it can be covered in a single semester. The book moves students from video concepts and processes to production tools and techniques, and finally, to the production environment (studio and field, inside and outside) and its effects. A more conceptual framework leads the student from the idea (what to create) to the image (how to create) on video.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Start.......2006-03-02

This book is a must for anyone getting into video production. Full of basic information that is conveyed in an intuitive and concise way, plus there is plenty of advanced knowledge to keep you referring back for years to come. Definitely a staple for all video people.

Very Good.......2004-01-24

My boss told me to buy this book, and it is one of the best available book.

great book!!.......2002-08-09

i am an electronic media communications major and this book has been used for a number of years in my school's communications program. video basics 3 has everything you need to know and everything is explained in much detail, yet not too complicated. there are great illustrations throughout the book that are very helpful as well.
i bought this book used from my campus bookstore and i gotta wonder, why would someone return this book at the end of the semester? i still have mine and have re-read it through quite a few times, most definately something worth holding on to!

Superlative.......2002-04-24

This book gives a broad overview of the field of video. It is intended as a textbook for students in a university video course, however, the information that it contains will be valuable for anyone interested in improving their video skills, especially in professional contexts. Since the book is a textbook, each chapter begins with a list of key terms and definitions, and key concepts are highlighted in the text and repeated at the end of the chapter. Each chapter also contains instructions for a lesson in Zettl's Video Lab on CD (not included). The book covers many topics related to professional video production, including the video production process, the video team, video cameras, lighting, sound, editing, and the studio. I found the language to be very straightforward and highly informative.

Bad Copies.......2002-01-30

My copy of the book did not have chapters 3 and 4. I had a chapters 1 and 2 repeated. Check your copy of the book.

Basic College Mathematics: A Text/Workbook (with Digital Video Companion and ThomsonNOWPrinted Access Card)

Average customer rating:

Basic College Mathematics: A Text/Workbook (with Digital Video Companion and ThomsonNOWPrinted Access Card)
Charles P. McKeague
Manufacturer: Brooks Cole
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Understanding Color: An Introduction for Designers
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Accessories:

Digital Video Companion for McKeague's Basic College Mathematics: A Text/Workbook, 2nd
Student Solutions Manual for McKeague's Basic College Mathematics: A Text/Workbook, 2nd

ASIN: 0495013919

Book Description

Pat McKeague's passion and dedication to teaching mathematics and his ongoing participation in mathematical organizations provides the most current and reliable textbook series for both instructors and students. When writing a textbook, Pat McKeague's main goal is to write a textbook that is user-friendly. Students develop a thorough understanding of the concepts essential to their success in mathematics with his attention to detail, exceptional writing style, and organization of mathematical concepts. BASIC COLLEGE MATHEMATICS: A TEXT/WORKBOOK, Second Edition offers a unique and effortless way to teach your course, whether it is a traditional lecture course or a self-paced format. In a lecture-course format, each section can be taught in 45-to-50-minute class sessions, affording instructors a straightforward way to prepare and teach their course. In a self-paced format, Pat's proven EPAS approach (Example, Practice Problem, Answer and Solution) moves students through each new concept with ease and assists students in breaking up their problem-solving into manageable steps. The Second Edition of BASIC COLLEGE MATHEMATICS has new features that will further enhance your students' learning, including boxed features entitled Improving Your Quantitative Literacy, Getting Ready for Chapter Problems, Section Objectives, and Enhanced and Expanded Review Problems. These features are designed so your can students to practice and reinforce conceptual learning. Furthermore, iLrn/MathematicsNow™ for Developmental Math, a new Brooks/Cole technology product, is an assignable assessment and homework system that consists of pre-tests, Personalized Learning Plans, and post-tests to gauge concept mastery.

Audio/Video Cable Installer's Pocket Guide (McGraw-Hill Pocket Reference)

Average customer rating:

Not of much value.
Great pocket book
Very Useful Reference
So much information in such a small space. Best of its Kind.
Not for the novis.

Audio/Video Cable Installer's Pocket Guide (McGraw-Hill Pocket Reference)
Stephen H. Lampen
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Practical Home Theater: A Guide to Video and Audio Systems (2007 Edition)
Structured Wiring Design Manual
Latest Technology in Automated Home Control: System Design Manual
Home Theater For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))
How To Automate Both New & Existing Homes

ASIN: 0071386211

Book Description

Cable Any Kind of Audio or Video Installation

Put complete performance specifications for analog and digital audio and video installations -- from professional recording studios to living room theatres -- in the palm of your hand! Audio/Video Cable Installer’s Pocket Guide packs over 200 illustrations that clarify all the methods, procedures, and tools you need to successfully tackle even the most complex installation job. Great for everyone from home enthusiasts to professional engineers and technicians, the convenient take-along size is as perfect for professionals working out in the field as it is for hobbyists tinkering in the basement. Author Stephen Lampen, an industry pro, anticipates and answers your every question on analog and digital audio, analog and digital video, including high definition video cabling; connectors; using Category 5, 5e, and 6 to carry audio and video; installation; and much more.

Customer Reviews:

Not of much value........2007-06-12

Very little useful information. If you planning a home theatre this book really doens't offer any information on design or component integration. Very basic in it's approach with references to VCR's and other dated technology.

Great pocket book.......2007-01-17

As an proffesional I apreciate this book, it gives precise information. It is well written and on plain english as it's posiblle.

I recomending this book!

Very Useful Reference.......2006-12-20

I bought this book as a quick reference for a Technical Support group I manage. We have a few dozen products that require an installer to run wires throughout a house. Unfortunately, a large majority of the calls I get are wiring related and this book provides tremendous insight into the problems created by improper wiring.

If you want to learn about wiring, this is the book to buy. I also bought the full book that goes with it. It must be good because I got the only paperback, and all the used hardback books are almost double the retail price.

From this guide you'll learn everything relating to wiring. You'll learn balanced vs unbalanced, ground loop isolation vs cross talk, and the list would almost be half as long as the pocket guide. Simply put, if your livlihood depends upon wiring, this book will help you a great deal.

So much information in such a small space. Best of its Kind........2006-05-01

Belden is the king of cables and Stephen Lampen is a Belden Kingpin. This book is one-of-a-kind and is a must for anyone working with, or even remotely interested in audio, video, data and/or CATV cabling. It is essential, fundamental knowledge about using cables.

Nope, it's not for the "novis" but I believe a novice will find it interesting if you understand the concept that 2 wires make a circuit. Take your time with it and Google anything you don't understand. There are some complex topics in here but nothing you won't get your head around if you read it and think about it. It is presented in a good, logical progressive order.

Stephen makes it all readable with many interesting and amusing anecdotes and tidbits. The "Grounded Dog" story (p 363) is worth the price of the book alone.

I've been in broadcast Engineering for years and this book solved a few mysteries for me.

Check out the contents list to see if it's for you.

Not for the novis........2005-09-07

I purchased this product with a novis knowledge of electronics. I could not understand one page. If you are a novis this is not the book for you.

DarkBASIC Pro Game Programming, Second Edition

Average customer rating:

Dark Basic review
DarkBASIC Pro Game Programming, 2nd Ed.
Excellent Beginner's Book for Dark Basic
DarkBASIC Pro Game Programming Second Edition

DarkBASIC Pro Game Programming, Second Edition
Jonathan S. Harbour , and Joshua R. Smith
Manufacturer: Course Technology PTR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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DarkBASIC Professional
DarkBASIC 3D Games Creator
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Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design

ASIN: 1598632876

Book Description

Learn to write 2D and 3D games without any programming experience by harnessing the advanced 2D/3D graphics features of DarkBasic Professional. This easy-to-use language handles the entire game engine for you, so you are free to focus on designing and playing your own games. Written for beginners with no programming experience, DarkBASIC Pro Game Programming, Second Edition is a welcome change of pace from traditional game programming books. You won't need to spend time figuring out how the game engine works, but only what the game is supposed to do. You will be able to create self-contained executable games with the graphics and sound files stored inside the exe file. No DarkBasic runtime library is needed: compiled programs are self-contained and require only that DirectX is installed. Finally, a book for complete beginners who want to learn to write games!

Customer Reviews:

Dark Basic review.......2007-09-26

This book is awesome gives good amount of information and examples how to program computer games

DarkBASIC Pro Game Programming, 2nd Ed........2007-05-14

An invaluable resource for the aspiring game programmer, as a beginner's reference. This great book explains, simply, the needed utility programs to draw and animate your graphics, PLUS many well-written examples to help you in to right direction.

I found myself refering back to some of the Sprite-related chapters and some of the simple 3D examples for building some games.

I really think this book is a great asset for those of you who want to start programming games for the PC, but do not have any experience in programming. Even for me, I have a rather extensive programming background, but DarkBASIC Professional is not your father's BASIC from decades ago. This is one awesomely-powerful 2D and 3D game development environment is explained rather quickly, but succintly and never leaves you feeling lost or out-of-the-loop.

I've read other books that are supposed to teach you the programming language with examples, but they were filled with unfamiliar computer jargon and the examples were shoehorned into the book in what seemed an afterthought. Here in "DarkBASIC Pro Game Programming, 2nd Ed.", the examples were actually a refreshing resource that I still peruse.

I rated this book highly. There were some small ambiguities, but after reading the passage or paragraph over, I actually understood the methodology of the examples and their commands use. Extensively researched, "DBPro Game Programming, 2nd Ed." has taken graphic game development in a new direction: a genuinely creative one.

Excellent Beginner's Book for Dark Basic.......2007-03-28

DarkBASIC Pro Game Programming, Second Edition

Excellent resource for beginners, plenty of examples, and well written.

DarkBASIC Pro Game Programming Second Edition.......2007-03-17

Ottimo libro, scritto in un Inglese facile facile. Un ottimo acquisto per chi vuole imparare facilmente questo stupendo linguaggio di programmazione.

QuickTime Toolkit Volume 1: Basic Movie Playback and Media Types (QuickTime Developer Series)

Average customer rating:

The first of two great tutorials on QuickTime programming
The only choice, really

QuickTime Toolkit Volume 1: Basic Movie Playback and Media Types (QuickTime Developer Series)
Tim Monroe
Manufacturer: Morgan Kaufmann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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QuickTime Toolkit Volume 2: Advanced Movie Playback and Media Types (QuickTime Developer Series)
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Quick Time for .Net and Com Developers (QuickTime Developer Series)
Programming with Quartz: 2D and PDF Graphics in Mac Os X (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Graphics)

ASIN: 0120884011

Book Description

"When QuickTime application developers get stuck, one of the first places they look for help is example code from Tim Monroe. Finally, Tim's well-crafted examples and clear descriptions are available in book forma must-have for anyone writing applications that import, export, display, or interact with QuickTime movies." Matthew Peterson; University of California, Berkeley; the M.I.N.D. Institute; and author of Interactive QuickTime

QuickTime Toolkit Volume One is a programmers introduction to QuickTime, the elegant and potent media engine used by many of Apple's industry-leading services and products (such as the iTunes music store, iMovie, and Final Cut Pro) and also used by a large number of third-party applications. This hands-on guide shows you how to harness the powerful capabilities of QuickTime for your own projects. The articles collected here from the author's highly regarded column in MacTech Magazine are packed with accessible code examples to get you quickly started developing applications that can display and create state-of-the-art digital content. This book begins by showing how to open and display QuickTime movies in a Macintosh or Windows application and progresses step by step to show you how to control movie playback and how to import and transform movies and images. QuickTime Toolkit also shows how to create movies with video data, text, time codes, sprites, and wired (interactive) elements.

Part of the official QuickTime Developer Series, publishing the finest books on QuickTime in cooperation with Apple.

*Includes a CD-ROM with numerous code examples in C to jumpstart your work
*Written in a clear, engaging style by one of Apple's premier media engineers known for his ability to make QuickTime's sophisticated technology accessible to software developers
*Offers many undocumented insider tips for making applications that work well in both Mac OS and Windows

Customer Reviews:

The first of two great tutorials on QuickTime programming.......2007-01-20

This book is the first of a two volume set on QuickTime programming on both Mac and Windows machines. This first volume is more concerned with the basics of controlling multimedia through a C program that uses the QuickTime API. You'll learn how to open, play, edit, and save a movie file. Besides just video you also learn how to use the Quicktime interface to work with images, text, timecode, and sprites. Fundamental Quicktime concepts are all introduced in this first volume. The author does all this by creating an application entitled "QTShell" that he adds to as he gradually explains each concept. This same application is used in volume two also. The author assumes the reader already knows his/her computing platform and OS, what QuickTime is, and how to program in C. This frees him to concentrate on the Hows of Quicktime programming. Both volumes of this programming guide began as a series of magazine articles, thus the style is quite accessible - it is not a terse academic style tome at all.

The only choice, really.......2005-07-22

Tim Monroe's column in MacTech is as much a final word on QuickTime as Apple's developer docs. This book is the de facto official guide to native development with QuickTime and given the size of the QT API, you'd be hard pressed to know where to begin without it. Tim starts with a basic "shell" application that compiles and runs on Mac and Windows -- yes, Windows developers are very much part of the target audience -- and covers the basics of playing, editing, saving and exporting movies, then moves into tricky stuff like sprites (which takes four chapters), VR, and effects.

For C-language developers, this and its volume 2 companion are the books you want. I wrote a book on QuickTime for Java (QTJ being just a wrapper around the C calls), and I wish this book had been out before I started, because it would have saved me a lot of research time figuring out what my code was calling and why it worked the way it did. In fact, those who've mastered QTJ can probably read this book and do a mental "port" from C to Java to figure out material I didn't cover.

Recommended? Hell, if you're in the QT space, this is *required* reading.

Basics of the Video Production Diary (Basics of Video) (Basics of Video Series)

Average customer rating:

Basics of the Video Production Diary (Basics of Video) (Basics of Video Series)

Manufacturer: Focal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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What They Don't Teach You At Film School: 161 Strategies to Making Your Own Movie No Matter What

ASIN: 0240516583

Book Description

Video production requires a high degree of organization to be a success. Good organization will require a proper diary to be kept of your production. It is the understanding of the paperwork and its organization that will make your production either a success or a failure.

Explained in accessible terms and assuming little prior knowledge of the subject, this book will help you to: plan successful procedures for all stages of a video production; produce paperwork logically to get professional results; understand the basic principles of setting up and running your own business; avoid common (and costly) pitfalls.

If you are a student who wishes to learn about all aspects of planning and documenting a video production, from conceptualization right through to final screening, this book is for you. It is particularly suitable for the City and Guilds Media Techniques Certificate: Television and Video Production Competences.

This book complements the other three titles in the series, which allow you to understand the overall process of video production, and then look in more detail at sound and lighting.

·Improve your production management skills with this accessible introduction to planning procedures for all stages of video production.
·Learn how to produce paperwork logically to get professional results
·Tips provided to help you avoid common (and costly) pitfalls

Reproduce Almost Anything : Basic Silicone Mold Making (Video and Workbook)

Average customer rating:

Not dissapointed but not impressed either.
Very informative video
gives you the basics
Impressed Customer
DO NOT PASS UP THIS VIDIO!

Reproduce Almost Anything : Basic Silicone Mold Making (Video and Workbook)
Ben Ridge
Manufacturer: Cherokee Accessories
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0963426702

Book Description

"Reproduce Almost Anything" Basic Silicone Mold Making, Second Edition is a 56-minute videotape(With 3D-Animation.), and a 44-page workbook with National Materials Source-list combination, that shows a beginner, in easily understood techniques, how to make an inexpensive, two-sided silicone rubber mold from almost any original part and then use that silicone rubber mold to make dozens, of exact copies of the original part in metal, plastic, rubber, ceramic, wax or even chocolate. Several minutes of 3D-Animation greatly simplify the learning process for the viewer! The accompanying workbook parallels the videotape adding even more detailed information. This is a "must have" tool for any real creative person!

As the title indicates, "Reproduce Almost Anything" is a basic course in silicone mold making and cannot possibly address every imaginable shape that individuals may come up with. Ridge considers himself a modern version of "Rumpelstiltskin". His techniques can show you how to weave straw into gold. (See the "Entrepreneur" magazine review for proof.)

Customer Reviews:

Not dissapointed but not impressed either........2007-01-12

Typical of American based material this book + video (or dvd) is heavily padded of which the contents could be easily condensed into a single chapter. As other reviews have already mentioned, metal is not addressed in this book - so if you are looking to model metal - go elsewhere. Also, there is a lot of reference to 'the next book' / series and so forth which again is another typical western style marketing tactic. What is strange though, that although Ben Ridge discloses the fact that he has successfully produced a plastic product for 18+ years, he does not at any time say or show what the product is. It was only after some internet searching that I found that the product that he refers to is a 'cheek plate' used for military purposes. It would have made sense to show this product along with a few other molds that are shown in the video. A general introduction to mold-making which could be summed up in a five minute chat. I give it three stars because the little amount of information that is here is useful in producing silicone molds.

Very informative video.......2006-10-09

This video was well worth the purchase. The instructor walks us through what we need (which you can easily pause and write down), and shows us step by step how to make a mold and subsequently the object. Not only was the host knowledgeable and nice to watch but it was a very clear and understandable lesson.

gives you the basics.......2005-09-04

This video will give you the basics of what you need to know to make something plastic (wax, metal, rubber are mentioned but not covered.) It also gives you sources for materials, but only making things will teach you how to make what you want to make. It's a satisfactory introduction into mold making and though it's painfully clear Ben Ridge relied on a script, I'm satisfied with what I've gotten out of it and glad I bought it at amazon rather than another source for more money.

Impressed Customer.......2004-05-14

I taught courses in plastics technology at San Francisco State University for twenty years and I'm sure that my students throughout those years would have found this videotape and workbook of great value. Part of our curriculum involved mold making with silicone elastomers for prototypes and short run production. If Mr. Ridge's program were available at that time, I would have used it for our laboratory work. Mr. Ridge has absolutely captured the most important core concepts and has communicated those concepts with uncommon clarity and good instructional technique. There is no doubt that the use of 3D animation makes the process of information transfer just that much more easily understood. I highly recommend this program to anyone who wants a good basic introduction. Its the perfect way to get started, especially for those with little or no experience. Mr. Ridge does an especially good job with safety and material handling. Also, there are valuable references for advanced study and more complicated mold and prototype projects. This program is perfect for inventors, craftsmen, artists, and hobbyists in addition to industrial and commercial use. An excellent value that can be used by anyone interested in learning about mold making and casting methods for fun and profit !

DO NOT PASS UP THIS VIDIO!.......2004-01-10

The Videotape "Reproducing Almost Anything With Plastic, Metal, Rubber & Ceramic" by Ben Ridge is OUTSTANDING! This very easy to understand videotape has superb animated graphics, simple instructions, and most importantly, "IT WORKS!" I was able to reproduce plastic prototype parts needed for an invention my first time. I went on to reproduce a clay sculptures I made, to cold cast bronze using the step by step techniques. I definitely would not hesitate to purchase this item; it is an exceptional value!

Basic Game Design & Creation for Fun & Learning (Game Development Series).Book & CD-ROM.

Average customer rating:

Good starting book to learn GameMaker
Book VB
Good Way to Get Started
Excellent Book

Basic Game Design & Creation for Fun & Learning (Game Development Series).Book & CD-ROM.
Nanu Sway
Manufacturer: Charles River Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1584504463

Book Description

Basic Game Design and Creation for Fun & Learning teaches you how to make your own computer games-- no programming skills required! Whether you're a game player who wants to try making your own games or a teacher who wants to provide a new way for students to learn, you'll find everything you need to get started! Basic Game Design and Creation for Fun & Learning breaks the complex process of game design into an easy-to-follow, step-by-step format. Each chapter helps you create a 2D game using the popular game development software, GameMaker 6.1, and each game project provides reference figures and sample demonstrations, so that you can track your progress as you go. Throughout the book, you'll find real-life examples to explain advanced concepts that would otherwise frustrate beginning game designers. This storybook approach allows you to learn just what you need to get started making your own games quickly, while giving the basic skills you need for creating any kind of game. So if you want to get started turning your own game ideas into reality, or you're thinking about a career in game creation, this is the place to get started!

Customer Reviews:

Good starting book to learn GameMaker.......2007-08-06

I bought this book for my kid to learn GameMaker. A very good book for beginners.

Book VB.......2007-02-18

The book did finally arrive 3-weeks after school began., which at that point it was not help to me. It did arrive in good condition as stated, but the shipping was ridiculous. I would not order from this seller again.

Good Way to Get Started.......2006-03-28

This is a welcome addition to the game development bookshelf. It is oriented to having youngsters begin designing games. If you have a young boy or girl, and they are into playing games on a PC, this book is intended to get them into designing their own games.

The book uses, and supplies a copy on the CD-ROM, Game Maker software. This is a 2D game development system that allows for the creation of games without requiring programming. Building a game, hoever, is not unlike programming. You have to define what the characters look like, you have to define what they can do. You are doing a lot of the same logic that programming requires.

Perhaps your little game player can be made into a game maker. And just possibly he or she will learn something about computers while they are developing their own game. Possibly this will give them an introduction into what they want to do later in life, not necessarily design games, but almost any task in the computer industry.

I know of no other books that take this approach, and I like it.

Excellent Book.......2006-03-23

Tired of your kids playing video games? Buy this book.
Easy to follow, my 10 and 14 year olds are using this book and having a great time. It is has step by step instructions. They are having fun designing and creating their own game.
No prior experience necessary.
I hope that more books like this are in the works.

Visual Basic Game Programming with DirectX (The Premier Press Game Development Series)

Average customer rating:

Good information, however it's a little dated
Direct x and Direct Visual Basic
Needs to be updated to VB .Net
Good Reference, However...
Not quite what it says

Visual Basic Game Programming with DirectX (The Premier Press Game Development Series)
Jonathan S. Harbour
Manufacturer: Course Technology PTR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Accessories:

Ultimate Game Programming With DirectX
Beginning DirectX 10 Game Programming
Programming Role Playing Games with DirectX, Second Edition (Game Development Series)

ASIN: 193184125X

Book Description

Think Visual Basic is just too slow to write a decent game? Think again! This book gives you all of the tricks and techniques that you need to create awesome games using Visual Basic. Offering equal parts theory and hands-on exercises, the chapters in this book begin with a discussion of completing a task using Visual Basic, and then move on to enhancing the code. The final section of the book is devoted to developing complete games, including a 3D arcade game, a multiplayer space combat game, and more. Whether you are new to game programming or new to Visual Basic, this book gives you everything you need to create amazing games by combining the hidden power of Visual Basic with DirectX.

Customer Reviews:

Good information, however it's a little dated.......2007-09-10

This book, came out when the original xbox came out. So the information and code are a little dated. Personally, I think they need to come out with a visual basic@net version of the book.

However, I am giving this book a 3, because it has some good ideas. You'll get an idea of the things you can do. One thing I especially like is the multiplayer game in the example section.

Direct x and Direct Visual Basic.......2006-10-21

First of all I'd like to say that this book is really good because it is step by step in its foundation. It explains how to set up the programs it discusses. What I had problems with were that I understood the code from a template kind of perspective but did not understand exactly what each line of code was doing without a substantial background in Visual Basic 6. I jumped right into learning the game aspects instead of building a solid understanding of the concepts of the language of visual basic 6. Even though I was lacking certain pieces of the puzzle Mr. Harbour did a pretty decent job of explaining things even a novice like myself could grasp. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested but get the foundation in Visual Basic 6.0 first. This book is alot better than some of the books I've read before which stick code snippets throughout but have no semblance of order as to where they fit in. This is a must read!!!! It covers all aspects of creating a game and even gives multiplayer capability. All n all I give this a three thumbs up!!!

Needs to be updated to VB .Net.......2005-03-12

This book was written about the time VB .Net was coming out and the author even mentions that he considered writing some of the code in .Net. I bought the book, realizing it was dated, thinking that it would be a good learning experience to convert the examples to VB .Net. Of course, it's proving to be very frustrating.

This is a good book and well written and if you are determined to stick with VB6 and want to learn game programming. However, if you're moving on to .Net I would suggest looking for a different title. (If you find a good one let me know.)

I really wish they would publish a new edition with re-written examples. That would be ideal.

Good Reference, However..........2005-01-05

This book is in fact a good reference, but I hit snags trying to run the sample code. I have Visual Studio .NET and I love it, and thought that this book would be a good starting point for game programming. And it was until I hit the first program "ChunkyPixels" I put the code into the VB.NET IDE and it would not compile. The examples are all writen in VB 6.0 and has no compatibility with VB.NET. So, in conclusion, if you want a good reference and do not have VB.NET, buy this book, but if you have VB.NET you are, as am I, out of luck

PS IF anyone knows of any websites that would have updated code samples, I would be happy to hear where! :)

Not quite what it says.......2004-01-26

As a Visual Basic die-hard, I got very excited about this book when I saw it. The prospect of expanding Visual Basic by using DirectX was just too much to pass on. Unfortunately, the title is a bit deceiving. The author spends the first chapter discussing a history of video and computer games, which is interesting to some, but, in my opinion, out of place in a technical book. The author assumes that you know little or nothing about Visual Basic and walks you through the installation process and provides an overview of the language. This may be useful for some, but I felt that someone who was new to the language would probably not pick up a book on a more advanced topic such as DirectX. After this, the author spends several chapters discussing antiquated graphics techniques that do not involve DirectX at all. These chapters were the biggest waste of space, in my opinion. I read through them all, thinking that all this information was a prerequisite to DirectX programming, but I was disappointed to learn that this is not the case. The author informs the reader at the end of it all that he is merely presenting a different method to give the reader more options. While I can appreciate the effort to provide multiple solutions to a problem, the book is supposed to be about programming with DirectX. There are a multitude of books out there that will teach you how to use these other graphics techniques, and anyone who was interested in learning these techniques would pick up one of those books.

That being said, when the author finally does begin discussing DirectX, the material he provides is a solid introduction to using DirectX with Visual Basic. He provides a good overview of how to use all components of DirectX, and the source code that comes with the book provides useful examples of the techniques being demonstrated. There are four complete games that come with the book also, although actually only two of them use DirectX as a base for their graphics. Reading this book will also provide you with a level of familiarity with DirectX that you will be able to use C++ DirectX books and translate the code contained therein to Visual Basic. At the end of this book, you will be in a position to design and program your own simple game using DirectX.

Book Description

Art in the age of digital communication...

Artists have always been early adopters of emerging media technologies, from Albrecht Dürer and his use of the printing press in the 16th century to Nam June Paik's experiments with video in the 1960s. In 1994, the advent of the Internet as a popular medium catalyzed a global art movement that began to explore the cultural, social, and aesthetic possibilities of such new communication technologies as the Web, video surveillance cameras, wireless phones, hand-held computers, and GPS devices. This book addresses New Media art as a specific art historical movement, focusing not only on technologies and forms but also on thematic content and conceptual strategies. New Media art often involves appropriation, collaboration, and the free sharing of ideas and expressions, and frequently addresses the political ramifications of technology around issues of identity, commercialization, privacy, and the public domain. Many New Media artists are profoundly aware of their art historical antecedents, making reference to Dada, Pop Art, Conceptual art, Performance art, and Fluxus.

Artists featured: Cory Arcangel, Jonah Brucker-Cohen and Katherine Moriwaki, Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries, Vuk Cosic, Mary Flanagan, Ken Goldberg, Paul Kaiser and Shelly Eshkar, Jennifer and Kevin McCoy, Mouchette, MTAA, Keith and Mendi Obadike, Radical Software Group, Raqs Media Collective, RTMark, and John F. Simon Jr.

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