Filed under: Software Update
Apple just released a software update for QuickTime. The update titled "H.264 Compatibility Update" claims to improve QuickTime compatibility with iChat.Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Video, Odds and ends
HandBrake handles most of my DVD-ripping responsibilities just fine, but RipIt came to our attention recently, and as a simple one-touch way to get a movie off of a DVD and on to your hard drive (in order to, say, watch it on a laptop without lugging the disc itself along), it looks pretty simple. In fact, it's about as cake as these things get: load up the app, throw a disc in your drive, and press Rip -- a few minutes later (a 7.9gb rip took about 30 minutes for me), you've got a DVDPlayerMedia file on your hard drive to watch at your leisure.
It's $18.99, which is pricey, especially (again) compared to HandBrake, which is conveniently open source, and provides tons more ways to rip things. But if you do a lot of movie ripping and want to have one single button rather than worrying about formats or encoding, that $19 might be well spent.
Filed under: Software, Video, iPhone
Handbrake, the reigning king of effortless DVD conversion software, has received a major update to v0.9.0. New in this version is a "re-envisioned" interface for the Mac OS X version (as well as a completely rebuilt UI for Windows), and picture quality has been improved quite a bit through new effects, filters and deinterlacing techniques. Overall speed has also been boosted, and you no longer have to customize your encoding settings for the iPhone, thanks to new presets that simplify the process.Filed under: Video, Features, How-tos, Tips and tricks, TUAW Tips, iPhone
If you encode your own video for watching on various devices and you're looking to save every last MB on your iPhone, it could be worth your time to re-encode at least some of your larger files with more conservative settings. While I, for example, have been copying the iTunes Store's settings and encoding my DVD movies at full dimensions and about 1500 Kbps to really let H.264 shine, the truth is you don't need anywhere near that much data to watch quality video on an iPhone's display. By re-encoding your videos and perhaps keeping them in a special iPhone playlist for synching, you can bring even more of your favorite videos with you in a fraction of the space. Unfortunately, you can't re-encode videos you've purchased from the iTunes Store because of the DRM. This how-to primarily applies to video you download from the web or encode yourself from DVD movies and other sources.Continue reading “Save space on your iPhone by re-encoding movies and TV shows”
Filed under: Accessories, Hardware, Software, Video
Erica took a first look at Elgato's Turbo.264 USB video encoder last month and found it to be a mixed bag. While it is indeed a powerful accessory to many Mac user's video encoding efforts, it's only compatible with apps that use QuickTime for encoding and export, so HandBrake and VisualHub die-hards are out of luck. Still, if you use QuickTime itself, Elgato's products (such as EyeTV) or any other QuickTime-compatible video encoding apps, the Turbo.264 is a fantastic companion that is sure to make your G4, G5 or even Intel Mac jump for joy when encoding video.
While I personally don't own one yet, a new v1.1 software update from Elgato is motivating me all the more to save up and squeeze every penny out of the living room couch. One of the big-ticket new features is an iPhone-specific video setting, supporting both standard 4:3 (480 x 360) and 16:9 (480 x 270) formats. While that is definitely a cool feature, I'm more interested in another new feature (which, might I add, the rest of Elgato's video conversion software desperately needs): customizable settings for video conversion, including being able to edit the presets for devices like the Apple TV. Until now, the software included with the Turbo.264 simply offered choices like "high quality for iPod," with no ability to set things like data or compression rates. Now, finally, users have complete control over the quality of the video they output with the Turbo.264's software, and I can only hope that it's coming to their EyeTV 2 software as well.
As I said, I don't own a Turbo.264 yet, but I had the chance to test one out myself and this customization was the only major complaint I had. Now that they've fixed this issue, this $99 video encoding accessory seems more appetizing than ever.
Filed under: Software, Internet Tools, iPhone
I just have to come right out and say it: VisualHub is one of the best darn things to happen to video encoding since DVD Jon worked his magic. It's a fantastic app that rocks the house when it comes to encoding videos - especially in batches - and it just got a lot cooler with a v1.24 update. Along with a healthy dose of other new features and fixes, the VisualHub crew has introduced a new high-res format for getting the most out of a widescreen H.264 file that can play across multiple devices and screen sizes. All the details and a few sample videos are provided at this VisualHub product page, but the short of the long is: this new format will allow you to encode one file that looks great on small screens like iPods and PSPs, but will also look crisp and detailed when scaled up to a screen much larger like the TV your XBox or Apple TV are connected to. As anyone who has a Mac in the basement with VisualHub chugging away on a batch of DVDs can probably tell you, this new format could very well be music to one's ears. As icing on the cake, custom settings files are even provided on the afore-linked product page so you don't have to dig around and figure out this new format for yourself.Filed under: Multimedia, Software, Video, Deals
Ok, so for whatever reason you just need to have the ability to encode darling little WMVs on your Mac, Flip4Mac is probably the way you'll want to go, and macZOT! makes the encoding software more appealing with a nice 35% off discount. The full-fledged Flip4Mac WMV Studio package typically runs $49, but with this offer (good for today only) the price gets knocked down to just under $32. As a side note, you don't need to spend any money to play Windows Media files: simply grab the free plugin. The software requires OS X 10.3.9, and QuickTime 6.5 or later. (Don't shoot the messenger!)Filed under: Multimedia, Video, Software Update
VisualHub, the popular and easy-to-use video encoding software by Techspansion, has been updated to version 1.22. This latest version offers a number of minor enhancements and bug fixes that should increase usability and productivity. There is nothing entirely new or groundbreaking to speak of, but it's always nice to keep those video encoders up-to-date and running without a hitch. For reference, VisualHub is a robust encoding solution that handles MPEG-4, WMV, MPEG, FLV, AVI, DV, MOV, TS, and a bunch of other formats. Be sure to check out the full list of improvements on Techspansion's page.Filed under: Multimedia, Software, Video, Freeware
Ok, so MPEG Streamclip certainly isn't new but it's such a solid piece of software that I feel like I just need to give it a random mention. I broke it out for the first time in a few months the other day, and I was instantly reminded of how much I really appreciate this software's versatility. MPEG Streamclip is a video encoding application for converting to, and from, a boatload of different formats including: MPEG, MOV, DV, MP4, AVI, and others. You can convert raw Final Cut Pro video files (my most often used function), demux VOB files, and easily export screenshots. And it supports DivX, WMV, and FLV with the necessary components, in addition to all of the other standard formats. Filed under: Multimedia, Software, Video, Freeware
BitrateCalc, a teensy little utility that calculates optimum bitrates for encoding video and audio for authoring DVDs and encoding DivX video discs, has been updated to version 2.0. Although it boasts no new features, it is now a Universal Binary. As far as using the program, all you are required to do is enter the time length of the video and choose your media type and audio bitrate, and you've got yourself a max bitrate figure for encoding that disc! Easy enough. (And free, of course.)
iSquint, the little video encoder that could, has hit version 1.5. New things in iSquint 1.5 include a new icon, 640x480 H.264 low complexity support (whatever that means), Flash 8 video can be converted to iPod friendly formats, and faster tagging for videos in iTunes.
F11 moves all your windows off the screen so you can quickly glance at your desktop. F10 shows you every open window in an application. F9 shows every open window for every application that isn't hidden or in the dock.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
| # | Blogger | Posts | Cmts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steven Sande | 51 | 4 |
| 2 | Mike Schramm | 33 | 0 |
| 3 | Dave Caolo | 32 | 1 |
| 4 | Mel Martin | 30 | 0 |
| 5 | TJ Luoma | 22 | 26 |
| 6 | Joachim Bean | 19 | 2 |
| 7 | Erica Sadun | 17 | 2 |
| 8 | Victor Agreda, Jr. | 16 | 7 |
| 9 | Michael Rose | 15 | 14 |
| 10 | Sang Tang | 14 | 1 |
| 11 | Josh Carr | 13 | 22 |
| 12 | Ken Ray | 12 | 2 |
| 13 | David Winograd | 11 | 18 |
| 14 | Brett Terpstra | 10 | 8 |
| 15 | Megan Lavey | 4 | 8 |
| 16 | John Burke | 4 | 3 |
| 17 | Kent Pribbernow | 4 | 0 |
| 18 | Tim Wasson | 4 | 1 |
| 19 | Chris Ullrich | 4 | 1 |
| 20 | Aron Trimble | 3 | 2 |
iphone3g iphone SnowLeopard keynote podcast IpodNano IpodTouch tv apple macbook appstore Bluetooth itunes ItunesLp software AppReview ItunesStore iphoto mac AppleTv GPS MacOsX ATT Google app-store talkcast giveaway tablet snow-leopard video sales Navigation ipod developer imac BackToSchool features Mac101 update MacbookPro iphone3gs AppleStore ipod-touch app twitter apps SoftwareUpdate hgg os games
All contents copyright © 2003-2009, Weblogs, Inc. All rights reserved
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) is a member of the Weblogs, Inc. Network. Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, Notify AOL
