Latest news with #warmweather
CTV News
a day ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Windy and warm weather for Sask.
Windy and warm weather for Sask. WATCH: Those in southern Saskatchewan can expect windy and warm weather on the horizon. Sabeen Ahmad has your forecast.
CNET
a day ago
- Business
- CNET
Should You Pay for Gemini Ultra to Create AI Videos With Google's Veo 3? I Did. Here's How It Went
I spend a lot of time testing and reviewing AI, specifically image and video generators. During my review processes, I've come up with a few go-to prompts that can help orient me and give me a sense of each program's abilities. The first prompt I try is a kind of wishful thinking for me: I ask the program to imagine me and my friends on the beach somewhere warm, where you can smell the salty air and there's a faint sound of Jimmy Buffett playing nearby. (This is more the vibe than the actual prompt.) Here's what Google's newest AI video model, Veo 3, came up with. I admit, I had low expectations for Veo 3 before I even started with my beach bonfire dream prompt. While I did see some social media posts gawking at Veo 3's capabilities, I've seen enough slop and hallucinations to approach with skepticism. Google's AI creative products, in particular, have always felt like a bit of an afterthought to me, something the company adds on to its extensive Gemini offerings to compete with the other tech heavyweights. But this year at the company's annual I/O developer conference, Google's Imagen 4, Veo 3 and Flow all took center stage. So I dove into Veo 3. Without spoiling anything, I walked away from Veo feeling like this was the next natural step for Google, with one feature in particular giving the company an edge that might make it a more serious contender in the AI creative space. But there are serious limits and annoyances that I hope are addressed soon. Here's how my experience went and what you need to know. Veo 3 availability, pricing and privacy Veo 3 is currently available for Gemini Ultra users in the US and enterprise Vertex users. In other words, you'll need to pay up to play around with the new Veo. Ultra is Gemini's newest, priciest tier at $250 per month. (It's currently half off for $125 per month for three months.) Vertex is Google's AI enterprise platform, and you'll know if you have access to it. If you don't want to pay hundreds of dollars for access to Google's AI video tools -- and I don't blame you -- you can try out Veo 2 with Google AI's Pro plan. I found that the one-month free trial is enough time to figure out if you want to pay the $20 per month fee to continue using it. You can check out my hands-on testing with that model for more info. Google's Gemini privacy policy says the company can collect your info to improve its technologies, which is why it recommends not sharing any confidential information with Gemini. You also agree to Google's prohibited use policy, which outlaws the creation of abusive or illegal content. My wild ride with Veo 3 The most impressive thing about Veo 3 is its new audio generation capabilities. You don't have to tell Gemini in your prompt that you want sound; it will automatically add it. This is a first among competitors like OpenAI's Sora and Adobe's Firefly and it certainly gives Google a huge edge. While the AI audio is a nice perk, it isn't perfect. If you're familiar with the somewhat clunky nature of AI-generated music and dialogue, you'll be able to identify it immediately. But there were times when it flowed more naturally. The clashing metal sounds and grunts in my alien fight scene were timed perfectly to their attacks, something that would've been difficult to add on my own afterward. But the dinosaur-like aliens also literally say "roar" and "hiss" instead of making those noises. My kayaker's paddling very nearly matched up with the water sloshing sound. The nature ambience in that video was particularly lovely and added a layer of depth that's been missing from AI videos. My dream beach bonfire partiers didn't sound like any party I've ever been to, but still, points for being first and relatively unproblematic. Of course, while the audio was nice, it doesn't take away from the weird eccentricities that continue to plague AI generators. I ran into a few hiccups, mostly with people's faces, a notoriously hard thing for AI to mimic. But compared to the glaringly obvious errors I ran into with Veo 2, the new generation does appear to have made real improvements as Google claimed it did. I run into hallucinations a lot when I'm testing AI image and video generators, so the first thing I do is look for whether a service gives me the ability to edit it. Veo 3 doesn't offer any of these, which is a bummer. It's certainly something that's going to make it less useful for professional creators, who are used to more fine-tuning editing tools and need to make precise tweaks for their projects. You can send a follow-up prompt asking for specific changes. For example, I asked Veo to change the angle in the previous video so I could see her face, which the program handled well. With Veo 3, you'll typically have to wait 3 to 5 minutes for a new, edited video to load, though. Veo 3 has the longest generation time of any AI video generator I've tested. But the addition of audio to the videos excuses the longer wait time in my eyes. The worst part of Veo 3 is how quickly I hit my daily generation limit. After only five videos, I was barred for an entire 24-hour period -- something that really annoyed me and made it much harder to assess. Google's VP of Gemini and Google Labs, Josh Woodward, said in a post on X/Twitter that Ultra subscribers like me have the highest number of generations that reset daily, in the regular Gemini app and in Flow. And for me, that limit in Gemini was five videos. Flow's limit is 125, according to Woodward. I reached out to Google to get clarity on what the daily limit is for Ultra users creating through Gemini that Woodward mentions. Here's the response: "Google AI Ultra subscribers get the highest level of access to Veo 3, our state-of-the-art video generation model, which they can use in both the Gemini app and Flow, our new AI filmmaking tool." The limits are another sign that this isn't a tool meant for professional creation and iterative editing. You need to spend time thoughtfully crafting your prompt and if Google flubs a face or glitches, you're likely to run out of credits fast and end up out of luck. Veo 3 is better suited for AI enthusiasts who want to dip their toes in video creation, not creators experimenting with AI. Is Veo 3 worth the cost? After an underwhelming experience with Veo 2, I had reservations about what to expect in the usefulness and accuracy of Veo 3. But the new model was impressive, the audio especially, even though it's still missing some key features. Let me be clear: There is no rational reason to spend hundreds of dollars on a Gemini Ultra plan only to use Veo 3. If you want to dabble for fun, you can do that with Veo 2 for hundreds less per month, and if you're a creative professional, Veo 3 still lacks crucial features like editing. The Ultra plan does offer other features, like YouTube Premium, 30 terabytes of space and access to the newest Gemini models. So if you want any of those things, then, yeah, pay up and go play around with Veo 3. But it's not worth it on its own. Veo 3 isn't the revolutionary upgrade those social media posts might lead you to believe. It is the next generation, better than last month's Veo 2, and it shows real promise in Google's future AI video endeavors. But be prepared to pay up if you want to try it out.
CBS News
3 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Hot and hazy Sunday in Minnesota; record heat possible Monday
Sunday will be another warm and hazy day in Minnesota, with air quality alerts still in effect statewide until 6 p.m. Monday due to the threat of more low-level wildfire smoke. The smoke will fluctuate in altitude, allowing for periods of reprieve, however the haze will likely persist into Monday. Temperatures climb into the mid 80s on Sunday and low 90s on Monday, which will likely be the hottest day of the season to date, challenging daily record highs. Monday night into Tuesday is when the next rainmaker returns to the Twin Cities, with some soaking rains — 1-1.5 inches — likely wrapping up by Tuesday night. Some of the storms could be strong to severe across west-central Minnesota late Monday. Along with breezy winds, temps will be dropping back closer to average into the 70s by the middle of the week. Northern lights possible across Minnesota Sunday night A severe geomagnetic storm is underway, which means northern lights will be possible — assuming skies remain clear enough — on Sunday night and possibly Monday night.
CTV News
5 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Little relief next few days for hot, smoky conditions in central, western Canada
Thursday will be warm and sunny but more wet weather is expected for parts of the Maritimes. CTV Atlantic Chief Meteorologist Kalin Mitchell has the latest. Thursday will be warm and sunny but more wet weather is expected for parts of the Maritimes. CTV Atlantic Chief Meteorologist Kalin Mitchell has the latest. Warm Thursday ahead, but more wet weather on the way A broad ridge of heat and high pressure will largely remain in place for the Prairies and Northern Ontario as the area continues to be impacted by soaring temperatures and wildfire smoke. Ridge A broad ridge of high pressure is creating hot, dry conditions in the Prairies. The high pressure also keeping heavy wildfire smoke trapped near the surface impacting air quality. Heat warnings Heat warnings continued into Thursday for much of Alberta. Daytime highs are expected to near or reach above 30 degrees for many communities. A slight move down in temperatures is expected for Friday with daytime highs in the mid-to-high 20s. Temperature then rebounds on Saturday with highs returning to the high-20s and possibly 30 C. There will be a more significant cool down for Alberta Sunday. Much of Saskatchewan and Manitoba remain hot into the weekend as well. Northern areas of both provinces are expected to cool on Sunday. Cooler air will arrive for southern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba on Monday. Monday temps Warm to hot weather continues for much of the Prairies into the start of the weekend. A more significant lowering of temperature expected Sunday into Monday. Air quality Thick plumes of wildfire smoke are impacting air quality across much of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and parts of Northern Ontario on Thursday. The primary pollutant from wildfire smoke is fine particulate matter designated as PM2.5. That is particles that 2.5 micrometres or smaller in diameter, far finer than even a single strand of human hair. Those under a Special Air Quality Statement are advised to limit time outdoors and to consider rescheduling outdoor sports, activities and events. Those areas under an Air Quality Warning are advised that during heavy smoke conditions, everyone's health can be put at risk. Limiting time outdoors is necessary during those type of conditions. Common symptoms include eye, nose, and throat irritation that may also be accompanied by headaches and a cough. Air quality Coloured borders containing areas under Air Quality Statements and Warnings. Much of the grey seem on the map is wildfire smoke visible from satellite weather imagery. Wildfire smoke is being advected northward in Saskatchewan on Thursday. There is more to the west and southwest in Manitoba, taking some of it into Northern Ontario. A general southward movement of the smoke is expected on Friday. That may result in improved conditions for parts of Northern Ontario away from the direct border area with Manitoba. Wildfire smoke will continue to impact large areas of Saskatchewan and Manitoba on Friday. It is likely to become thickest for southeastern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba. Smoke is then expected to move northward again from the wildfires in Saskatchewan on Saturday. Smoke from the wildfires in Manitoba will continue to move southward at the start of the weekend. Friday smoke A general south/southwestern movement is expected for smoke sourced from the wildfires on Friday. Rain outlook The most significant rain-producing weather system for the Prairies will be a low-pressure system that develops near Jasper National Park in Alberta on Saturday. The low is forecast to move east to the border of Saskatchewan before being directed nearly due north into the Northwest Territories by the prevailing ridge of high pressure over Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The bulk of the rain with that system is expected to fall in path across central/northern areas of Alberta as well as the extreme northwestern corner of Saskatchewan. It will likely benefit the northern Alberta wildfires with some rain. There is only an outside chance of a helpful amount of rain reaching some of the larger wildfire areas in Saskatchewan. On Monday, a weak weather front trailing to the south of that low may bring some scattered showers along with a risk of thunderstorms to southeastern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba. On the plus side, cooler air does follow in behind that front and results in the fall in temperatures expected across the Prairies Sunday into Monday. Hot, dry stretch for Maritimes nearing end Thankfully, the wildfire situation has not been as impactful in the Maritimes. That said, the stretch of hot, dry days has elevated the fire danger rating into the High range for most of the region. All three Maritime provinces are instituting a burn ban on domestic category-one burning. There are showers and rain in the forecast for the days ahead as well as a general lowering of temperature. Isolated showers are possible Thursday evening and night in northern and central areas of New Brunswick. A round of showers moves into southwestern Nova Scotia overnight. Those showers will continue to move up the Atlantic coastline of Nova Scotia Friday morning followed by sunny breaks for the afternoon. Saturday A chance of showers on Friday but wet weather expected to be more widespread Saturday. Scattered showers will develop in New Brunswick Friday afternoon into evening. There is a risk of thunderstorms developing with the showers in the northern areas of that province on Friday. A low-pressure system moving in out of the northeastern U.S. will bring widespread rain and showers to the region on Saturday.
CTV News
6 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
1-day hot spell in much of B.C.
Vancouver Watch Temperatures were higher than usual Wednesday across much of the province, but the warm weather won't be sticking around.
