EasyWMV

Since Apple decided to remove built-in third-party plug-in support from QuickTime, I've been dogged, like most Mac Users, with file format conversion trammels! Not any more!

EasyWMV, a Universal binary, can be used to convert or resize wmv, asf, avi, mp4, mpg, mpeg, mov, m4v, flv, nsv, swf and vob video files so that they can be used with QuickTime Player, iPod and iPhone. EasyWMV has a very simple user interface, supports drag and drop as well as batch processing. EasyWMV can export video to mpeg and mpeg4 formats and can optimize videos for playback on iPod.

Main Features:

*Input formats: asf, avi, flv, m4v, mp4, mpg, mpeg, mov, nsv, swf, vob, wmv
*Output formats: mp4, mpg
*Manual or automatic audio bit rate selection from source (32-320kbps)
*Video encoding up to 2.5mbit/s
*Support H.264 encoding for mpeg4 video
*Creates video for QuickTime, Apple TV, iPod, and iPhone
*Batch processing
*Optimized for multi-core and multi-processor systems
*Drag & drop of files and folders
*iTunes integration

EasyWMV is already an integral part of my video toolbox alongside QuickTime Pro and Flip4Mac! I can't recommend this fledgling application highly enough and, once you've downloaded the demo, I'm sure that you'll agree it's worth $15 (£7.50 GBP)!

"Come on City!"

Despite being unable to find a QuickTime codec to view .3gp digital video clips (recorded using my LG Chocolate mobile phone), I've successfully uploaded footage, taken from the Conference "play-off" final held at the new Wembley Stadium, to YouTube!



This clip captures the moment that Lee Phillips scored Exeter City FC's first, and only, goal during their epic clash with Morecombe.

Mario Strikers Charged (Wii) is aptly released this week!

The Year Of The Leopard

Next week heralds Apple's annual WWDC and another opportunity for me to miss my Mecca! This year I'll refrain from too much speculation (such are the rigors of maintaining more than one blog!).

Here's an alleged scoop regarding what we might expect in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard (taken from O'Grady's PowerPage):

*Spotlight 2.0
*Dashboard 2.0
*Safari 3.0
*iChat 4.0
*Automator 2.0
*QuickTime 7.2
*Mail 3.0
*iCal 3.0
*Address Book 5.0

Application updates are a no-brainer and there's no big ticket items. Remember kids, this is only hearsay. Don't get me started on a musical tangential!

California Dreamin'

This post is brought to you, dear reader, later than anticipated! Lets just say that offline life supersedes online. However, MWSF 2006 delivered on Intel-based desktop and laptop Macs. The MacBook (new nomenclature for PowerBook line) may take a lot of getting used to, but the machine looks devine. The iMac was a surprise, although I'd prefer to have seen an Intel Mac mini.

Whilst the hardware transition met or exceeded expectations. The software, for me, was far more interesting. Google Earth made its official public debut, Microsoft started offering Flip4Mac (for Windows Media playback in QuickTime) for free and Apple inevitably shipped iLife '06; a quintet of robust authoring tools. Get your order in today!

iPhoto received a major code rewrite and all-new gleaming GUI. Will its new sibling, iWeb, resurrect the simplicity of Adobe's PageMill 3.0 coupled with the clean code of BBEdit? If not, Karelia Software may have the answer with Sandvox!

Bobbing for apples

Apple's announcement of a video iPod, iTunes 6 (including obligatory QuickTime update) and Front Row Media Experience was almost too much to digest in one evening. And the closer content ties between Cupertino and the Magic Kingdom, hint at possible merger* plans! At the very least Pixar should continue to leverage Disney's considerable marketing might coupled with vertical integration. In return Disney secures lucrative brands and artistic talent.

Churlish comment alert! In its present form I can't see myself downloading video from iTunes 6. Whilst the image quality surpasses HDTV, it scales poorly (see UMD) and there's no approved way to burn videos in iDVD. Toast 7 is crippled (due to contractual reasons). So, no legal means for me (or any UK viewers for that matter) to watch the new series of Lost (USA only) or Battlestar Galactica (the best sci-fi/tech noir series since Babylon 5, which is unavailable at present). A year from now things could be very, very different! As Master Yoda would say "Patience!"

The decision to use an existing form factor - a slimmer G5 iMac - meant that Apple's media centre proposition is in stores before the holiday season and the computer company can establish a beachhead into an overcrowded market that includes TiVo and Microsoft. Personally, I would suggest that power users wait for the 'star dust' to settle and snatch the first of the Intel-powered machines next year! A portable Mac mini Front Row Media Experience is alluring in the extreme.

It is arguable that Apple is now the custodian of the Capitalist media industry and if they can't get digital distribution of television programs and movies right then no one can!

Never one to be deterred by bleeding-edge technology. I've tested QuickTime Pro's new Movie to iPod (320x240) export option. Here's hoping a 60GB video iPod (in black) is in my stocking this year!

[*A merger between Apple and Disney has been the subject of Wall Street water-cooler conversations since 1997.]

Wired

Now that the FeedBurner code has been up and running since Friday afternoon, there's no time like the present to test the new podcast facility. This QuickTime video was created using Bryce, Photoshop and iMovie.

iPodderX is a popular application that handles audio, video and image feeds. Windows users please download jPodder.

Added a Bloglines subscription feed to the Syndication sidebar.

Beast Machines

ars technica has an in-depth review of Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. There's more to 10.4 than simply search. However, Spotlight's genesis can be traced back to BeOS BFS (Be File System). That's no accident. Whilst I await notification that Amazon UK has dispatched my copy (presumably after 6:00PM GMT), there's nothing to stop me from playing with the all-new QuickTime 7 is there?

The latest iteration of QuickTime has undergone an extreme and timely makeover. From improved sound controls to creating multi-channel audio support (up to 5.1 surround sound). It's a bind that Apple insists on charging for the glossy Pro version, but that didn't stop me in 2002. The Batman Begins/Dark Water trailers marked the occasion. Here's a screen capture taken from the H.264 High Definition edition of the fourth Batman Begins trailer. Divine.



You'd be hard pressed to get more 'bang' for your money from the relatively modest outlay of £206.99 RRP (Tiger, QuickTime Pro, iWork and iLife '05). A decade ago anyone interested in non linear content authoring would have had to remortgage or sell the farm!

Woolworths' Revenge of the Sith merchandise has marginally improved. A veritable glut of Republic Gunships has arrived, yet no sign of the coveted ARC-170 Starfighter.

Mad About You

Yes, Tiger fever has gripped me! Amazon UK promises delivery by May 5th. The big ticket attractions - Spotlight, Automator and QuickTime 7 - are mouthwatering. Xcode 2 will satiate the inner geek. The only fly in the ointment will be third party patches. Brad Oliver assures me that most Aspyr games should work, but even developers will not know for sure as they don't get to play with the GM until retail release. Check VersionTracker throughout the weeks ahead.

Mask of the Phantasm

This morning I completed a review banner for Revenge of the Sith. Originally, I intended to source a still image from the trailer (using QuickTime 6 Pro's export Movie to Picture facility), but the results were less than satisfactory (compounded by encryption). However, I happened across a superlative photo of Darth Vader to be used in a forthcoming book from DK. This is the result.



And here's the rollover. The font is based on the text that appears on Vader's chestplate, and looks to utilize the Hebrew alphabet. Translates as The Chosen One.



The official ROTS poster and marketing campaign has been a disappointment and the realization of too many cooks spoiling the broth. Drew Struzan's poster is a composite of two paintings and doesn't stand up to close scrutiny. Hopefully this is an antidote.

The Bonfire of the Vanities

It's Bonfire Night in the UK. A celebration of Guy Fawkes' abortive Gunpowder Plot, which would have culminated in the destruction of the Houses of Parliament. This morning, somewhat aptly, I've had the opportunity to view THAT teaser trailer...



Last evening’s online debut of the Episode III teaser teaser lead to Lucasfilm’s servers overloading and their licensing division issuing cease and desist orders left, right and centre to sites posting images and links to the trailer (only available to paying Hyperspace and AOL members at time of writing).

Clearly a work in progress, as evinced by incomplete CGI shots, the trailer inspires obvious elemental comparison with The Return of the King (yet fails to evoke the same sense of scope). Much has now been made of the ANH/TPM/AOTC montage at the start (32 seconds) and Obi Wan’s voice over. From a subjective standpoint it reinforces the patchiness of the Star Wars saga since the prequels were unleashed from the hallowed halls of Skywalker Ranch (the current DVD release typifies this and lacks the cohesiveness of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings).



Highlights include Darth Vader’s awakening a la Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a screaming Darth Sidious (genuinely unnerving) and an enraged Anakin Skywalker. The attendant space battles are incumbered by too many elements on screen at once - ROTJ Death Star battle magnified to the extreme.



Overall the teaser affords insight into the dark core of the story and coupled with John Williams’ score, so long as Lucas’ incessant tinkering is minimised, Revenge may yet stand alongside Empire as a darling of both critics and fans.

As a footnote. The Episode III banner was composited in Photoshop Elements 3.0 and the screen grabs were captured in QuickTime 6.x Pro (with a light dusting of Photoshop magic).

The Fly

As predicted across online and offline publishing, Apple updated iTunes, iPod and QuickTime today sans AAC+. Adding new iTMS stores and the U2 iPod, which deserves the more appropriate monicker Darth Vader's iPod! Love it.

Time and again I've tried to finish the Star Wars Trilogy DVD review and become sidetracked! This time the culprit is the Alien Quadrilogy! The luxurious set (amply supported by exotic supplemental material) has remained unopened since purchase! And the notion of watching David Fincher's now legendary work print of Alien³ was too enticing, especially as The Return Of The King (Extended Version) is released in the midst of the Holiday and will consume many hours of viewing time.

Alien³ suffered a critical mauling upon its theatrical release. Yet I’ve never disliked it despite an uneasy relationship (conflict). Fincher was not afraid to dismantle the narrative and strip away any notion of salvation beyond ultimate sacrifice. The production chronicles are refreshingly candid and informative. Given the problematic production its any wonder that Fox were in a position to release anything approaching a coherent product following a year in post production, which left composer Elliot Goldenthal philosophical. At this juncture I must establish that the score was one of my favourite aspects of Alien³.

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

There are already excellent blogs that cover PVR (Personal Video Recorders). However, I want to chime in with my user experiences!

In December 2000 I bought a TiVo machine (manufactured by Thomson) and within a month sent it back! Not because the equipment was flawed, no, I lamented the lack of a built-in decoder and shelf space was at a premium. In early 2001 I interviewed for a TiVo guide editor post at sky. Prophetically, within a few months TiVo decided to withdraw from the UK market (continuing support for existing customers only). And sky focused on its own branded product that lacked TiVo’s signature feature - suggestions.

In 2003 I subscribed to sky+ as part of an upgrade package. However, following the ‘failure’ of two Pace V1 STBs (replaced with reconditioned kit) and ongoing technical issues including crashes, failed recordings and the inability to download recorded content to VCR/DVD – it appears that there may be sky+ software glitches that undermine its reliability - I decided to cancel my subscription. Question to sky: Do you seed software updates to testers during R&D?

As an avid Apple user, I’d welcome a digital lifestyle application that records directly to HDD/removable media along the lines of Elgato’s award-winning EyeTV. Coupled with QuickTime (H.264/AVC) and technology licensed from TiVo, the potential for another Mac OS X killer application is not that far fetched! Perhaps Apple will have the insight to add a TV tuner (included in my Performa 5200) in future revisions of the new iMac and claim the Media Center throne.

Art of Revenge

In the lead up to the release of Star Wars Episode III, Lucasfilm has begun to offer subscription-only content to non-Hyperspace members. Tellingly there is a QuickTime documentary entitled "Video Village", which illuminates the strengths and weaknesses inherent in George Lucas' directorial style. The words 'remote' and 'direction' have new meaning when read together!

At Inside Mac Games we've teamed up with Aspyr Media for our latest giveaway. And it'll be worth entering!

Rolling Stone

RealPlayer 10 Beta for Mac OS X is now available for immediate download. Leveraging Safari and QuickTime technology, this is the best incarnation of RealPlayer on any platform! The new Mac edition also includes a fully featured graphic equaliser and image controls (the Windows edition requires subscription). Kudos.

Having now watched the WWDC QuickTime Keynote stream. Of all the new 'cool' OS X 10.4 Tiger features showcased, Core Image captured my imagination! Core Image provides a plug-in style architecture for accessing filters, transitions and effects packages called Image Units. Image Units provide centralized management for image processing plug-ins that can be shared across all host applications. Adobe Photoshop CS Ultimate Edition!

Get Real?

As a content author I have found it desirable to support as many of the competing audio/video formats as possible (irrespective of personal preference)!

Real Networks recently released a free Real Export Plug-in for Mac OS X. Thanks to a seamless export engine (accessible from within QuickTime Pro 6.x and other supported applications) I can now offer my site visitors cross-platform compatible RealVideo 10 and RealAudio 10 content without unduly impacting the production workflow.

Empire of Dreams

Hyperspace (the official Star Wars Fan Club) has exclusively released the official Star Wars DVD Trailer (QuickTime format). Lucasfilm has digitally restored the original trilogy frame by frame, and predictably included a 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround EX audio mix. Surround EX debuted with the theatrical release of Star Wars The Phantom Menace (1999). Rumours abound that the FX have been further retooled and augmented with brand new material! Controversial? Decide for yourself in September!

Further to my dismay at E4's premature summer hiatus for hit show The OC Media Guardian explains more.