I have tried using DiVX and Apple's MPEG4 to encode a short video and there are just far too many options to play with. It's virtually impossible for the average person to use any of these and get great results. We need something that will produce excellent results at the click of a button. Until then I'll stick to showing my digital videos saved back to the camera, plugged into a TV, where quality is fantastic.
Minor nit - stops audio when launched in OS X
on
Audacity 1.2.0 Released
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· Score: 2, Interesting
A minor nit - when I launch Audacity in OS X it kills sound from other applications, particularly iTunes. I have to stop and start playback in iTunes to get the sound back. Not a big deal, but slightly annoying. It seems like a pretty nice audio editor albeit with a somewhat clunky user interface. I really want to drag that little playback triangle around, but can't! The change tempo and change pitch effects are highly amusing. I just wish it could directly input and output AAC format, but I suppose that's unlikely.
As a Mac user, extremely disappointed that Palm has decided to completely nix the Mac market with OS 6, I'd now seriously consider a linux based PDA. If I'm forced to buy a PDA that doesn't support the Mac out of the box I'd rather give my money to a company supporting open-source. The Sharp Zaurus line is appealing, but the last I heard there was no syncing solution at all for the Mac, even from 3rd party's. Has this situation changed yet?
No where in the article does it say anything about the video quality, only how much data can be stored on the disks. Is this really going to be HDTV resolution (1080i or 720p or...?) or something else? Will it look better on standard TVs too, or must one have an HDTV to see a benefit?
Good news - Photoshop and color copieris can not be used to counterfeit the "golden dollar", and thank god for that - no one would recognize the copy anyway.
Regarding the value of the 20 GB model versus the 15 GB. My current music library is a bit over 17 GB. In that context the 20 GB model has a hell of a lot more value than the 15 GB regardless of the price per GB. The 40 GB model would obviously give more breathing room, but it is also thicker and a bit heavier and costs $100 more. So for me the 20 GB is the most appealing model in spite of "price per new gig". Anyway, that's the model I'm saving my pennies for....
iMovie and iPhoto are no longer available, or at least would not appear to be available, as a free download, not even the old (current pre-jan 16th) versions. The iMovie and iPhoto pages do not offer a download and the listings under "downloads" on their software page go to those same iPhoto and iMovie pages with no download option. Only iTunes remains available. Is this just a snafu of wanting to avoid confusion of having pages describing the new versions while the downloads are the old, or is it a pay for play future for more of iLife (iDVD was never free)?
Unfortunately that plugin does not allow iTunes to encode in ogg vorbis format and further the plugin does not handle ogg vorbis tags well. Ogg is a 2nd class citizen in iTunes even with the plugin.
So far Apple is in complete control over what can play their DRM'd AAC files. Moreover, Jobs has been quoted as saying that they have no interest in supporting anything but the iPod. Apple can't stop other players from playing non-DRMd AAC files (or even some other form of DRM for AAC) but they completely control their iTMS DRM. I'm a long time Mac user, but if Apple doesn't let other players into their DRM scheme I'm all for Apple getting slapped hard with monopoly litigation and losing big time.
I opted to acquire a free, semi-broken (monitor image "shakes" on occasion, for lack of a better way to describe it, otherwise works great) 400 MHz iMac G3. This is the slot-loading variety and is fanless. I replaced the paltry and noisy stock internal drive with a cheap, larger silent Seagate drive and now the system is completely silent, ideal for music use. It sits a foot or so from the TV and stereo, and as a plus makes a great and very convenient web browser, etc, plus acts as game machine for my 2 2/3 year old. It's a fantastic music box without any of the limitations of the squeezebox and its kindred. Mind you, not everyone will be able to get one of these free, but they are getting cheaper and are already price competitive with the squeezebox, even from eBay.
Apple's DRM doesn't access the network when you PLAY a track, rather you must ahead of time (and only one time) authorize the computer to be able to play any purchased music and that is when it accesses the internet. After you authorize 3 computers you can't authorize another without first deauthorizing one of them so that the total is never more than 3. Not being connected to the internet doesn't stop the computer from being one of the 3 already authorized.
For most the limitations of the iTMS tracks probably isn't an issue, for me it is and as such I choose not to buy music from it, instead to buy a CD and rip to unprotected AAC. We have more than 3 computers I would like to be able to play music on. An older iMac hooked up to the stereo which is the main in-home music box. A computer that is destined to reside in the trunk of my car hooked up to the car stereo. A PowerBook that I use commonly to play music at work and an older iBook that gets used to play the music from the iMac elsewhere in the house. I can't use all 4 for Apple DRM'd music. Why not? They are our computers and its our music and I should be able to play the music on any of them. Why only 3 allowed? If the number were 100 it would be just as effective at stopping mass distribution and such a number really wouldn't limit legal owners of the music.
As such I look forward to a completed version of this tool and its availability on the Mac (though I presumably could run the Windows version in VirtualPC). Not to get music from others (as has been noted it wouldn't offer anything you can't already get via other easier means) but to allow me to use music purchased on iTMS as I see fit and without audio quality loss. Indeed the availability of this tool would make me reconsider purchasing music from the iTMS - currently there's compelling enough reasons to no do so and so I don't.
As it relates to do-no-call lists
on
iPod-Jacked
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· Score: 1
It's just a matter of time before you, as/. geek, jack in to a particularly willing and sensuous owner of ipod and find yourself listening to a poda-marketer.
Aside from charities still calling my home number, the number of tele-marketers calling me at work has greatly increased. MCI has been calling me there every day this week. Today I finally said to please stop calling/take me off your list. I heard "but first you have to..." fading to a click as I hung up. Do they really think that harassing me every day is going to get me to sign up? Needless to say, add your work number to the do-no-call registry if you haven't already and all your email addresses to any do-not-spam list, otherwise they all just get channeled into whatever "port" you left open....
I don't recall him saying that, but that doesn't mean it isn't possible he did, just that I don't recall it. I think it's unlikely, though, because since day one of the Mac iTMS there has been a range of prices for albums, higher and lower, although most are indeed $9.99.
Slashdot Mirror
I have tried using DiVX and Apple's MPEG4 to encode a short video and there are just far too many options to play with. It's virtually impossible for the average person to use any of these and get great results. We need something that will produce excellent results at the click of a button. Until then I'll stick to showing my digital videos saved back to the camera, plugged into a TV, where quality is fantastic.
A minor nit - when I launch Audacity in OS X it kills sound from other applications, particularly iTunes. I have to stop and start playback in iTunes to get the sound back. Not a big deal, but slightly annoying. It seems like a pretty nice audio editor albeit with a somewhat clunky user interface. I really want to drag that little playback triangle around, but can't! The change tempo and change pitch effects are highly amusing. I just wish it could directly input and output AAC format, but I suppose that's unlikely.
As a Mac user, extremely disappointed that Palm has decided to completely nix the Mac market with OS 6, I'd now seriously consider a linux based PDA. If I'm forced to buy a PDA that doesn't support the Mac out of the box I'd rather give my money to a company supporting open-source. The Sharp Zaurus line is appealing, but the last I heard there was no syncing solution at all for the Mac, even from 3rd party's. Has this situation changed yet?
SCO CEO Darl McBride will be making a cameo appearance in Episode 9 in which he will reveal that Jar Jar is the real father of Linux.
Plans are for Lucas to make a cameo appearance in episode 9 in which it will be revealed that Jar Jar is his real father.
No where in the article does it say anything about the video quality, only how much data can be stored on the disks. Is this really going to be HDTV resolution (1080i or 720p or ...?) or something else? Will it look better on standard TVs too, or must one have an HDTV to see a benefit?
Good news - Photoshop and color copieris can not be used to counterfeit the "golden dollar", and thank god for that - no one would recognize the copy anyway.
Regarding the value of the 20 GB model versus the 15 GB. My current music library is a bit over 17 GB. In that context the 20 GB model has a hell of a lot more value than the 15 GB regardless of the price per GB. The 40 GB model would obviously give more breathing room, but it is also thicker and a bit heavier and costs $100 more. So for me the 20 GB is the most appealing model in spite of "price per new gig". Anyway, that's the model I'm saving my pennies for....
iMovie and iPhoto are no longer available, or at least would not appear to be available, as a free download, not even the old (current pre-jan 16th) versions. The iMovie and iPhoto pages do not offer a download and the listings under "downloads" on their software page go to those same iPhoto and iMovie pages with no download option. Only iTunes remains available. Is this just a snafu of wanting to avoid confusion of having pages describing the new versions while the downloads are the old, or is it a pay for play future for more of iLife (iDVD was never free)?
So far Vivisimo is proving to be 100% successful at removing the glut of results. All of them, in fact.
Unfortunately that plugin does not allow iTunes to encode in ogg vorbis format and further the plugin does not handle ogg vorbis tags well. Ogg is a 2nd class citizen in iTunes even with the plugin.
So far Apple is in complete control over what can play their DRM'd AAC files. Moreover, Jobs has been quoted as saying that they have no interest in supporting anything but the iPod. Apple can't stop other players from playing non-DRMd AAC files (or even some other form of DRM for AAC) but they completely control their iTMS DRM. I'm a long time Mac user, but if Apple doesn't let other players into their DRM scheme I'm all for Apple getting slapped hard with monopoly litigation and losing big time.
For those of us less informed, what are 3GPP2 and AMC formats? What uses them?
I opted to acquire a free, semi-broken (monitor image "shakes" on occasion, for lack of a better way to describe it, otherwise works great) 400 MHz iMac G3. This is the slot-loading variety and is fanless. I replaced the paltry and noisy stock internal drive with a cheap, larger silent Seagate drive and now the system is completely silent, ideal for music use. It sits a foot or so from the TV and stereo, and as a plus makes a great and very convenient web browser, etc, plus acts as game machine for my 2 2/3 year old. It's a fantastic music box without any of the limitations of the squeezebox and its kindred. Mind you, not everyone will be able to get one of these free, but they are getting cheaper and are already price competitive with the squeezebox, even from eBay.
Just don't f*ck with dagget!
Apple's DRM doesn't access the network when you PLAY a track, rather you must ahead of time (and only one time) authorize the computer to be able to play any purchased music and that is when it accesses the internet. After you authorize 3 computers you can't authorize another without first deauthorizing one of them so that the total is never more than 3. Not being connected to the internet doesn't stop the computer from being one of the 3 already authorized.
For most the limitations of the iTMS tracks probably isn't an issue, for me it is and as such I choose not to buy music from it, instead to buy a CD and rip to unprotected AAC. We have more than 3 computers I would like to be able to play music on. An older iMac hooked up to the stereo which is the main in-home music box. A computer that is destined to reside in the trunk of my car hooked up to the car stereo. A PowerBook that I use commonly to play music at work and an older iBook that gets used to play the music from the iMac elsewhere in the house. I can't use all 4 for Apple DRM'd music. Why not? They are our computers and its our music and I should be able to play the music on any of them. Why only 3 allowed? If the number were 100 it would be just as effective at stopping mass distribution and such a number really wouldn't limit legal owners of the music.
As such I look forward to a completed version of this tool and its availability on the Mac (though I presumably could run the Windows version in VirtualPC). Not to get music from others (as has been noted it wouldn't offer anything you can't already get via other easier means) but to allow me to use music purchased on iTMS as I see fit and without audio quality loss. Indeed the availability of this tool would make me reconsider purchasing music from the iTMS - currently there's compelling enough reasons to no do so and so I don't.
It's just a matter of time before you, as /. geek, jack in to a particularly willing and sensuous owner of ipod and find yourself listening to a poda-marketer.
Aside from charities still calling my home number, the number of tele-marketers calling me at work has greatly increased. MCI has been calling me there every day this week. Today I finally said to please stop calling/take me off your list. I heard "but first you have to..." fading to a click as I hung up. Do they really think that harassing me every day is going to get me to sign up? Needless to say, add your work number to the do-no-call registry if you haven't already and all your email addresses to any do-not-spam list, otherwise they all just get channeled into whatever "port" you left open....
What else but a nose hair trimmer?
I have 2 sheep to offer for a copy of Gimp. Any takers?
In iTunes on my dual-G5 I can stop the M.C. Hammer track, "U Can't Touch This" in less than a 10th of second.
Don't you mean, "Ample hard an ape-old transition of scaring its old customers. I yearned that hell -- I brought a &@!# Neutron." ?
Updating is "not simple, but it is easy"
In addition FreeBSD is not convoluted, but it is complicated. It is not slow, but it is lethargic. Lastly, it is not painful, but it is agonizing.
I don't recall him saying that, but that doesn't mean it isn't possible he did, just that I don't recall it. I think it's unlikely, though, because since day one of the Mac iTMS there has been a range of prices for albums, higher and lower, although most are indeed $9.99.