Ask TUAW: Windows Media Audio, VCDs, Finder keyboard navigation, and more.

Murray asks

I have a MacBook Pro w/ Intel 2.33 Ghz, Mac OS X 10.4.8, with Safari 2.0.4. Tried to listen to GameDay Audio on my new MacBook Pro. Tried again after downloading WMP for Mac, v. 9.0. Message came up saying Safari doesn't support or have that particular plug in. Says to try in WMP, which I do, which results in the WMP player loading then getting a simple message saying an error occurred. BTW, MLB.com tech support and/or customer service, NOT impressive despite her being nice. Anyone using a MacBook Pro and consistently getting on to GameDay Audio via another browser like Firefox or other software like Flip4mac which I know little about. OR Is Macintosh platform and GameDay audio simply not happening?

Nick asks

I am using an older Mac, a G4 Sawtooth, running Tiger, and haven't found an easy MacOS solution to my problem. I have a Samsung a930 cellphone which requires WMA's to listen to music (which is more convenient at work to listen to). I haven't been able to find an app to convert MP3's to WMA. There are plenty of applications that do the opposite, but not to create WMA's. The only way I can do it now, is burn a disc, open Virtual PC (which runs quite slow on my Mac) and import using Windows Media, and then upload to my MicroSD. Is there an easier way?

Okay, these go together because the answer to both is WMV Components from Flip4Mac. For Murray, the solution is easy and free. Microsoft has deprecated Windows Media Player for Mac and is distributing the Flip4Mac player for free here. Just download and install it and you should be able to stream Gameday Audio just fine (I do this personally all the time). You may want to go into the Flip4Mac preferences and select "Launch QuickTime Player" and your stream will play in a standalone QuickTime Player window instead of the browser window.

Nick, unfortunately, requires a paid version of Flip4Mac to do what he wants. Flip4Mac WMV Studio ($49) allows you to export to Windows Media Audio 9 Standard, and should presumably do what you need. Since I've never done this I'm not entirely sure about the complete process, but you might also very well need QuickTime Pro to export the files which will run you another $30 if you don't already have it.

Just for the record, there does seem to be a way to enable MP3 playback on the a930 but it is apparently a bit clunky.

Rabi asks

I am a recent switcher! How can I make my Login name appear on the Finder menu bar? I have seen a screenshot somewhere where the Login name was in the top right corner. Do I need multiple logins setup for that to appear. I have just one login right now.

What you've seen is fast user switching. To activate it you will need more than one account. To activate fast user switching just go into the Accounts Preference Pane in the System Preference and add and account, then click on the Login Options and you'll see the option to activate it. You can set the menubar to display the account Name, Short Name, or the account icon.

Graham asks

Is there a way to record audio directly off my powerbooks soundcard? I have tried recording sound from my speakers through the built in mic, but it just sounds bad...

There are two well regarded options for doing what you want: WireTap Pro ($19) from Ambrosia Software and Audio Hijack ($16) from Rogue Amoeba. I personally own and regularly use Audio Hijack Pro ($32), which has more features than the plain version. If you just want to record audio WireTap Pro or Audio Hijack would probably be sufficient. In fact, if WireTap Pro can even be used without registering if you're willing to have all of your recordings be in AIFF format. Personally, I would recommend Audio Hijack (Pro).

Luigi asks

Is there a way to convert a VCD I downloaded to a normal .avi so I can play it with my eyehome (elgato) ??? I also would like to convert some OGM & RM to AVI.. I tried DIvx converter, ffmpegX & streamclip and they all failed miserably.

Your question is a little bit unclear, though this thread at macOSXhints may help. Basically, a VCD already uses MPEG-1 encoding, which your EyeHome should natively read. So I don't think you actually want to convert it to an AVI, you just need to expose the file as an MPEG and put it in your Movies folder for the EyeHome to find.

Mount the VCD in the Finder (use Disk Utility if it's an ISO), then look for the MPEGAV folder. Inside of it you should find a file like: AVSEQ01.DAT If you just rename that file to AVSEQ01.MPG, according to the Elgato FAQ it be readable by the EyeHome. If you're willing to pay for the convenience you might find VCD and MPEG Tools ($29.95) worthwhile, but you should be able to do this for free manually without any conversion necessary.

Shawn asks

This may even be a mac 101 type of question, but is there a way to open a file using only the keyboard? Since highlighting and hitting enter just allows you to rename, I haven't been able to figure this one out.

As you say, the key that you might expect to launch the file (enter or return) instead highlights for renaming. The keyboard shortcuts that will open a file in the Finder is: cmd-o or cmd-down arrow, if you want to open the file and close the Finder window you can use either cmd-opt-o or cmd-opt-down arrow. The most convenient resource I've found for keyboard shortcuts is the Magical Macintosh Key Sequences page, though there's also this Support Article at Apple.

Okay that'll do it for this week. Keep those questions and comments coming!