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Analog vs. Digital Video

Jason Wietholter — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:53:07 +0000

Analog vs. Digital Video is almost like the jump from standard definition to high definition. As unfortunate as it is that the legal technology industry is still lagging behind in support for HD video, it is even more unfortunate that videographers still use the antiquated analog technologies.

Digital Video offers a whole host of benefits, not the least of which being a more cost-effective and being more robust in travel and storage.

1. Digital Video is not prone to Generation Loss

Generation loss is the degradation of quality for each copy or generation of a tape that is made. In the analog world, tapes are duplicated, passed out and then duplicated again. After each copy of a copy is made, quality is injured and the effect compounded with each new generation added into the mix. Digital video, on the other hand, is like a file on a hard drive recorded on a tape. If you make a copy via Firewire or computer, there is no generation loss. The quality is still as pristine as the original tape, no matter how many duplications away from the original you are.

2. Digital Video is more Efficient

Using digital video in any form is generally more efficient than analog video, and especially when it comes to cameras that utilize SSD (solid state drives), HDD (hard disk drive) or Flash drives for storage. With analog video, you have to place the tape in a VCR, press play, hit record on your computer and wait. As long as that tape was to record the first time, it will take to record into your computer. With a file based, digital video camera, it’s as easy as copy and paste. This allows for faster work on the tail end of a shoot.

3. Digital Video is more Cost-Effective

Because of its inherent efficiency, digital video is also more cost-effective. It takes less time, the technology is better and cheaper all around so it costs less to work with overall.

4. Digital Video is Better Quality. Period.

It really is hard to explain without actually seeing it. If you view analog video and then digital video, you will notice a difference. The video is cleaner, the audio is more crisp. There are no fuzzy lines or tracking problems. As I said in the opening paragraph, it is almost like the jump from standard definition to high definition.

Which brings up one more point, some technology firms, such as Opveon, offer high definition services. High Definition is your best bet for recording your projects right now. I’ll follow up with a detailed post on why.

For now, get your video captured on digital tapes or digital files. Contact us to learn more about high definition.

What is Legal Video?

Jason Wietholter — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:39:11 +0000

Legal video can be a plethora of activities, but the legal video industry focuses on deposition video production and legal settlement documentary production.

If you have never been involved in a videotaped deposition before, the good news is that they aren’t too different from a regular deposition. Adding a videographer to your deposition means that you now have to take into account the fact that the proceeding is recorded and that you need to take specific breaks because of the length of the tape being used. These inconveniences far outweigh the value that videoing a deposition will afford you. Take, for instance, our article on Memory After 72 Hours. Now that you have video, your audience will be much more interested in the testimony as opposed to simply reading it back.

Legal Settlement Documentaries or Day-in-the-Life videos are powerful presentation tools to utilize before and at trial. That’s really the beauty of these videos. They serve a dual purpose. A Legal Settlement Doc is essentially a presentation made to opposing counsel outlining the merits of a case while utilizing video evidence to persuade them. It is extremely effective in advancing negotiations and can save precious time and distress for your client in trial. The dual benefit is that even if settlement does not occur, you now have video evidence that you can take to show the court to better explain the hardships of your client.

There are numerous other formats that legal video can take. We’ll look at each of them in depth in the near future. In the meantime, post a comment below and let us know what other ways you have utilized video in your practice.

Quick Start Guide: Document Imaging for Trial Director

April Ferguson — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:09:54 +0000

We thought we would pull something out of our Opveon files and share it with you for your next Trial Director project. This guide will provide you with the understanding of what to ask your document provider for, and how to load that into Trial Director.

Without further ado, Download the Document Imaging for Trial Director guide here. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to get in contact with us!

Backup. Backup! BACKUP!

Jason Wietholter — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:12:48 +0000

Disclaimer, we do advertise Mozy on this site. However, we advertise Mozy because it is a great service, not because they pay us.

With that out of the way, I’m going to give you a brief overview of how Mozy works and why it will be beneficial to you. First of all, Mozy offers Unlimited Backup for $4.95 per month for individuals. The price is right, and in fact, you can try 2GB for free. Past that, Mozy is an online or cloud service. That means, your data gets backed up offsite. That is huge. Imagine if you had a natural disaster or a fire at your office or home. If you had your data backed up to another hard drive, that is great, but that hard drive probably burned too. Mozy offers you the flexibility of having all of your data online and impervious to catastrophes at your location.

Mozy is extremely easy to utilize. You download the software, install it, insert your login credentials and then select the files you want to backup. It even gives you an option to select the type of files you want to back up. You can set preferences to backup at certain times of the day or automatically when your computer is idle. The Mozy preferences even allow you to easily throttle the bandwidth so that you don’t bog down your internet connection. Mozy even allows you to use one account to backup multiple computers. If you run a business, there is also MozyPro.

One of the greatest features of Mozy is its easy restore functionality. You can initiate a restore of your computer from your web control panel, from the downloaded software or you can order a set of DVDs direct from Mozy.

In summary: Backup! Off site is best. Mozy makes it easy to backup and restore. Go check Mozy out, it is free to try and only $4.95/month otherwise. Best insurance ever!

What methods of backup do you use? Post in the comments and share with everyone.

5 iPhone Apps for Lawyers

Jason Wietholter — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:31:21 +0000

No muss, no fuss. Here’s the link. Let us know what Apps you recommend in the comments. Otherwise, enjoy!

TUAW: 5 Apps for Lawyers.

Introduction to Trial Director 5.2

April Ferguson — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:00:47 +0000

Trial Director is comprised of four modules, each useful in various phases of the litigation process. The modules include tools for document management, transcript and video deposition management, preparing deposition designations, issue coding of transcripts and documents, electronic bates stamping and/or placing confidentiality designations on documents, a coding database, and a folder/workbook organization system that makes trial and witness prep much more efficient.

Since the release of Trial Director 5.2, the software has become even more useful. Unlike previous version of the software that could only handle .tiff or .jpeg image file formats, version 5.2 brings with it the capability to handle PDF files in the same efficient manner as .tiffs and .jpegs. This is a huge time and cost savings to clients.

While not a replacement for Summation or Concordance when it comes to large document cases, this low cost program is a great resource for small firms who do not require the expansive features offered in the more expensive case management software programs.

Stay tuned for a more in depth look at this remarkable software and its benefits to your firm. If you’re already interested and want to purchase a copy to utilize the power in your firm, call us or order Trial Director 5.2 here.

5 Questions You Should Ask your Deposition Videographer

Jason Wietholter — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:00:37 +0000

1. Are you certified? Now, listen carefully to their answer. Whether or not they are certified really isn’t as important as whether or not they have experience. Make sure they have more than just a driver’s license to record legal video for you.

2. What format do you use? Again, the actual format, whether it be MiniDV, HDV or AVCHD isn’t necessarily as important as the explanation they give as to why they use it. Their explanation should include the facts that their format is digital and it saves time and money for themselves, in turn saving you and your client money and time.

3. How do they deliver their video? Does it work with your system? Do they offer to assist in getting it working for you?

4. What kind of microphones do they use and how many? Audio is one of the most taken for granted aspects of video depositions. Clear audio is just as, if not more important than the video that accompanies it. So, your videographer should offer at least four microphones. One for the witness, one for the taking attorney and one for opposing counsel plus one for themselves and as a backup. The microphones should be lavaliere as opposed to table microphones. Their audio quality is superior because of their proximity to the source of audio (everyone’s mouth) and are not as susceptible to table top noise. One last thing to take into consideration: They should be wired mics and not wireless. Wireless microphones have too many variables to be used in various locations without proper testing.

5. How long do they store or archive the footage? We all know that cases take years to complete and things happen. There’s always a chance that you may need to get another copy from the source. Make certain you know the date that the archive will disappear.

Courtroom Technology: An Insider’s Point of View

April Ferguson — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:00:20 +0000

The goal of any trial lawyer is to put before the jury the most complete, yet precise, picture of their case. To tell their story in such a way that it resonates with the fact finders arming them with the tools they need to render a verdict in favor of that attorney’s client.

Being a trial technology consultant has allowed me the opportunity to be in the courtroom more than the average trial lawyer. That experience has given me a unique perspective and keen insight on the evidence presentation techniques that jurors are most receptive to. Without fail, an attorney who use technology start with a leg up over the one who elects to present evidence using “old school” presentation techniques.

Statistics show that people remember 10% of what they hear, 20% of what they see, but an astounding 65% of what they see and hear. Jurors are no different. To effectively explain the facts and concepts of a case to a jury, a mixture of media is required. Examples of media mixture include:

Live Testimony
Video Testimony
Video Impeachment
Trial Exhibits (shown electronically on a projection screen)
Demonstrative Aids (pass around to jury to allow them to touch)
Timelines (on foam boards and/or shown electronically)
Pictures (shown electronically)
White Boards/Flip Charts (use with witnesses to create exhibits on the fly)
On-the-Fly electronic creation of exhibits (using trial presentation software)

The use of technology and the mixture of media is not only a way to more effectively present the information to the jury, it also gives the jury insight into the client and its legal team. Putting together a seamless presentation requires preparation and a thorough knowledge of the case. Preparing demonstrative exhibits requires the attorney to learn the fine technical points of a case that are often overlooked when relying solely on witness testimony or hard copy trial exhibits. This resonates with juries. It shows preparation and skill on behalf of the trial team. This instills trust with the jury.

Technology is not limited to evidence presentation with witnesses. I strongly encourage my clients, when allowed by the Court, to use technology during their opening statement and closing argument. Even if un-admitted evidence is not allowed to be shown during opening, Judges will often times allow attorneys to use a PowerPoint presentation to outline their case. By putting together a few simple slides, the jury will see (read) and hear the points the attorney is articulating.

Memory: 10% Hear, 20% See, 65% Hear and See

Jason Wietholter — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:00:17 +0000

Weiss and McGrath did a study and found that people retain information differently dependent upon how they receive the information:

10% by hearing the information
20% by seeing the information
65% by hearing and seeing the information

That is an astounding difference and especially important for litigators. When you combine two forms of communication you end up with something very, very powerful. Imagine what would happen if you combined three or four different forms of communication together to get your point across.

Let’s take a real world example for instance: Harry Potter. Probably one of the most recognizable characters from a book in the world right now. But why is that? If everyone had simply read the books, there would be a plethora of images in people heads of what Harry really looks like. But add to the books the movie which has a real person as the face of Harry Potter and instantly everyone has the same idea of who Harry is. Reinforce that idea with billboards, action figures, board games, video games, fan websites and now you have a brand, a force if you will, that ties it all together.

Technology in the courtroom affords you the same benefits. Tie your case together utilizing a witness’ testimony, a map of the area to give context, an image of the site to focus their attention and even video to put them in the event.

Overview: Highrise for Law Firms

Jason Wietholter — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:00:54 +0000

What is Highrise?

At the foundation of Highrise is a contact manager. A lot like the address book on your computer, you can add people, where they work and then contact information for the individual and the company. You can enter all kinds of information into the initial screens in order to stay in touch with the contact, but once you finish entering the contact information the real power of Highrise begins to set in. It is also a full-fledge customer relationship system designed for web users and firms that need a way to organize contact simply and efficiently.

How does it work?

In short, it works the way you do. It has a unique capability of integrating very easily with your email routine. When you first login, you are presented with the Dashboard which provides you with an overview of the most recent activity along with a search box to find contacts quickly and your tasks listed by due date. Along the top are tabs that allow you to jump to the major components of Highrise.

If you search for a contact or click on the Contacts tab, you can drill down and see their contact information along with any tasks specific to them and their own feed of contact history. You can also add important dates, create new tasks regarding this contact and even add a generic note.

The next tab is the Tasks section. This gives you a list of tasks assigned to you. It also allows you to view tasks that you have assigned to others, and, if you’re the Administrator, you can even view all of the tasks assigned to others.

Moving on we come to the Cases tab. Cases are groups that contain multiple contacts and companies surrounding a specific project or event. They can act stand alone with their own notes, but you can also attach contacts’ notes to Cases for tracking. It’s a great way to keep real cases organized together.

On we go to Deals. Deals are a lot like Cases in that it is a container for other notes, but Deals are more akin to prospective work and winning that work. You can set a status and an amount of money the project is worth and some other details such as who is responsible. It’s a great way to keep prospective clients and communications with them organized.

The final tab is Tags. Tags can be assigned to any contact or company and gives you a way to categorize them. Click on a tag here and it shows you a list of tagged contacts.

Now, I mentioned above that it integrates with your email. You can, as with most web apps, have Highrise email you task reminders, but you can also email information to Highrise. Every user is given a Dropbox that they can email to. If you are sending an email to a client and place the Dropbox address in the BCC field, Highrise will automatically recognize the email and who it is to, then attach it to that contact. This only scratches the surface of what it is capable of.

If you want to learn more, visit HighriseHQ.com where you will find training videos and more in depth descriptions of each tab. As we progress here at Opveon University, we will add more in depth and focused articles surrounding Highrise. It’s a wonderful tool, especially suited to small groups and solo firms. Enjoy!