Xmas Gifts For That Video Nerd In Your Life…

Hey all… chances are your significant other doesn’t read Inside The Hive, so it is your duty to nonchalantly forward this article over to them… do it NOW!  It’s okay I’ll wait…

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Okay, done?  Good Now we can get down to business.  Now as for you, significant other, whatever your name may be… you want to get your video geek of a love interest something really good for Christmas, but you aren’t a nerd yourself.  Hmmm how to think like a nerd… it’s hard trust me, you aren’t alone (I am partially writing this so my wife gets some clues as well).  I am going to show you some of the cooler gadgets, tools, and overall gear that you probably would never think about getting as a Christmas gift, but are actually pretty rad.  I am here to help you and guide your way through our realm of the web… hold tight, you don’t wanna get lost!

Edit Suite Stuff

USB-Powered Beverage Cooler

There are edit sessions when sometimes we work late into the deep night.  For that we need Coca-Cola and Mountain Dew… now don’t buy us a case of that… we probably have three or four cases in the garage anyways.  What is really awesome is the USB-powered beverage cooler that holds a can of soda and keeps it nice and chilly for when we want to grab it… could be five minutes, could be an hour depending on the amount of concentration and sleep depravity that is brought upon us.

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Awesome USB Drives

This isn’t exactly a specific thing, but USB flash drives are a must, so we might as well have an awesome one instead of that generic looking gray drive we have had for the last few years.  You can check out this list of drives to get some ideas, or just poke your head in at one of the many online retailers of geeky awesomeness throughout the internet.  You will probably find something like humping dog drives and other ridiculous random gizmos.  Come to think of it… anything that can plug into the computer through USB and serves a purpose, minute or not… is fair game, at least for me.

Portable Hard Drives

Speaking of storage, portable hard drives are always a nice little thing to have around the office.  The smaller and more storage the better.  High capacity thumb drives are usually preferred, but it gets pretty expensive if you are trying to get 125GB onto one flash drive.  You can hit up Newegg or TigerDirect for some really good deals every once in a while.

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Video Stuff

Flip Camera

The Flip line of cameras is steadily becoming the go to solution for portable HD recording video cameras.  I have a Flip Ultra HD, and absolutely love it, and for the price that they are at, it’s a steal of a deal as well.  These record direct to disk, and you can transfer the video files directly to your desktop through USB, you don’t even need a cord, there is a plug built into the camera!   This is a killer little camera that really fits anywhere, and is about the size of your cell phone.

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Gorillapod

This is a little something that is good just to have around just in case.  I keep mini tripods in my car, along with my cameras so if I see anything when I am driving around, I can stop and I don’t have to set up a big lunky tripod.  The Gorillapod by Joby however, takes it a step further, and gives you the ability to wrap the legs of this miniature tripod around whatever you want, to let the camera hang on places your normally wouldn’t be able to get a tripod.  Door handles, lamps, car mirrors, my deck’s fence… anywhere you can get the legs around is a possibility.

Hard Camera Case

This is something I don’t really think about often, but a hard case to transport your still or video cameras, flashes, batteries, microphones and other production junk is something you should already have.  Right now, I am carrying my stuff around in a cloth messenger back, and I am realizing my gear getting more and more dinged up as time goes on.  Think about getting one of those aluminum or steel hard cases with the foam that you can customize the shape of your gear so that it fits inside without any wobble.  That way if you are in a hurry, not only does everything have a specific place, but you can chuck it in the backseat without having to worry about anything getting smashed!

iTunes Gift card to buy Production Apps

It kind of seems a little impersonal, but like every person with an iPhone, we are continually buying little apps to enrich our daily lives.  Why not have an iTunes Gift Card that is specifically for production apps like a Slate or pCam?  I mean, some of this stuff is really expensive and we haven’t had a good enough reason to buy it yet… but if we have a gift card, now we actually have an excuse to spend the $19.99 on the Hitchcock story boarding app.

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Home stuff

Blu Ray Player

If you don’t already have one (like me), and are waiting for prices to drop (also like me), an amazing addition to the home theater is a Blu-Ray player.  There are a couple different aspects to take into consideration to make a good decision, and you have to weight them accordingly.  Number one, make sure it has WIFI-enabled, and that it supports Blu-Ray Netflix streaming… this is huge, because some movies when they come out are $40.00 on Blu-Ray and you can subscribe to NetFlix for around $9.00 a month and get as many as you want without having to wait for them in the mail.  Second thing to take into consideration, is obviously the price.  Check online retailers like Newegg and TigerDirect as well as Costco Wholesale (there are more in store), all of these they always seem to have really good deals on stuff, just make sure there is WIFI or Ethernet connections available!

All in one Remote

These are pretty rad.  If you are a home theater junkie like me… or even an aspiring one, you have to get an all in one remote.  No one like fooling around with one remote for the TV, one for the cable, another for the stereo, DVD, Blu-Ray… whatever.  It gets confusing, and forget about anyone helping you, it would take an hour just to explain which does what.  Check out one of these, a Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote.  They are a killer looking, easy to use, perfect solution for that pile of remotes that you will no longer need.

My Suite Stuff Pillows

The last little addition to your living room is a cute little couch pillow.  Now these aren’t just couch pillows, they are the My Suite Stuff Adobe App pillows.  Personally I am gunning for a PS and AE pillow myself this Christmas, but any flavor really works for whatever primary application your giftee spends time in.