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Audio and Video Questions and Answers
How can I get an HP HDX Dragon for free?
"How can I get an HP HDX Dragon for free?"
I haven't actually received that question from any readers (yet), but I'm offering a preemptive answer here because I'm sure you'd love to find out how you could get one of these sweet machines. If you've been following along on my blog, I've posted updates on each of the participants in the 31 Days of the Dragon giveaway to date. Today's the day I'm going to share the rules for my giveaway.
I'm keeping it simple, you simply need to share your opinion on the best Windows freeware in a series of categories, as well as provide a valid name and email address. A random winner shall be picked from everyone who submits valid answers to the survey. Your pick in each of the categories must be a verifiable spyware-free no-cost software application, so be sure you spell the software's name correctly. The winner will be posted to my blog at approximately 11 pm Pacific on 2008 May 22. You are welcome to enter from any country HP is legally allowed to ship to. All fields in the survey are required.
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Editing AVCHD on Mac OS X with iMovie or Final Cut
"I have a Sony AVCHD camcorder. iMovie doesn't recognize the camcorder files. How can I edit the files on my AVCHD camcorder with my Mac?"
AVCHD support has been inconsistent for both Mac and Windows users. The format varies slightly depending on whether your camera is from Sony, Panasonic, or Canon. For Mac users, software support varies depending on which versions of iMovie, Final Cut Express, or Final Cut Pro you happen to be running. I personally prefer Final Cut Express to iMovie for editing on a Mac, but the correct version of either will work.
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Convert HDMI to VGA with HDCP
"I want to connect my Blu-ray player (PS3) to my monitor. The monitor only has a VGA input. What would I need to convert the HDMI out on my PS3 to a VGA connection?"
One of the key challenges in converting HDMI to VGA is maintaining support for HDCP, which creates a protected signal path from Blu-ray players to a monitor as a means of preventing copying. There are a number of converters that will connect an HDMI cable to a VGA port, but anytime HDCP is present, instead of rendering the video signal, you get a black screen on the monitor. To avoid the black screen, you need a converter that includes support for HDCP.
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Internet with no phone service or cable provider
Michelle writes, "My aunt wants the Internet however she doesn't want a phone line and she doesn't want cable. Do you know of any internet installation with this kind of setup?"
Piggybacking Internet service as DSL over a phone line or high speed cable service are the two easiest ways to have Internet access, although they aren't the only solutions. Depending on where your aunt lives, there may be several ways for her to access the Internet without either of these more traditional Internet access solutions.
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Making DVDs From HD movies
"When you copy HD video from a camcorder to a DVD, do you have to playback on a HD-DVD player or will it play back on a standard DVD player?"
It really depends on the format you choose for your DVD whether the DVD you burn will play in a standard DVD player, or whether you need an HD-DVD player in order to watch your DVD creation. If you have an HD-DVD player, the method I describe for burning HD-DVDs on standard DVD media will result in DVDs that only play in HD-DVD drives. Your other option is to output your HD content as a standard definition video during the authoring process. Here's how this works:
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Sync AOL with Blackberry Automatically
"How can I sync my AOL account with my BlackBerry device without using Outlook or any other email desktop client?"
AOL offers a wireless sync solution your AOL calendar and contacts without needing Outlook or any other desktop email client. Both Blackberry users and Palm users can benefit from this solution. All you need to do is install the AOL Sync software on your Blackberry and configure which features of your Blackberry calendar and contacts you want to sync with AOL.
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Can I upload MP3 or WMA audio files to YouTube?
"I have audio files from my band's recording session that I want to put on YouTube. Every time I try to upload the files YouTube gives me an invalid file format error. I've tried both MP3 and WMA formats with the same error message. How can I upload my band's MP3 music tracks to YouTube?"
While YouTube may be among the best places on the Internet to find music by your favorite artist, it is not a music site. YouTube is a video site. The YouTube upload tool expects you to upload a video file format of some kind. YouTube specifically accepts MP4, MPG, AVI, MOV and WMV file formats. For your music files (or something like spoken audio from a speech) to upload successfully to YouTube, you need to convert it to a video format. Below are options that will make a video file with software from either a Mac or Windows PC.
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Recent Articles and Reviews
Digital Video Hacks
muvee autoProducer - Automatic movie making
Download muvee autoProducer If you like showing off your home videos, but dread the process
Letterboxing Video for DVD Authoring
Chris writes, "We have tried Sonic and Roxio to transfer our digital camera movies to
HD-DVD Authoring for Home Movies
How to make an HD-DVD using standard 4.7GB DVD media or 8.5GB dual layer disks.
Playing Video Backwards with Pinnacle
Peter writes, "I have captured some video and now I would like to play it
Reverse a Video Clip and Play it Backwards
Many of the popular consumer video editing apps lack an effect for playing video in
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Digital Photography
Photoshop Express - Online Photo Editing
Adobe officially joined the world of online photo editing with Adobe Photoshop Express. This online
Digital Photography Success - Training Guide
Taking pictures with a digital camera is a piece of cake. Just point the camera
FastStone Photo Resizer
Download FastStone Resizer FastStone Photo Resizer is a handy tool if you take lots of
Buying an Underwater Digital Camera
One common thread at CES 2008 was a number of new underwater cameras. A few
Remove People From Photos Automatically
There's nothing like trying to get a scenic shot, only to have people walk through
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Podcasting
DIY Portable Recording Studio
As someone who travels regularly, I'm always looking for creative ways to get better
How to Get Your Own YouTube RSS Feed
"Is there an RSS feed with my YouTube videos people can subscribe to?" YouTube recently
Kindle's Secret Podcasting Feature
Amazon didn't officially include podcasting support when they shipped the first Kindle devices, but
mp3DirectCut
Download mp3DirectCut MP3 files recorded directly with a voice recorder often require some editing. Many
How to Record Nature Sounds
Recording environmental sounds like singing birds, wild animal calls, water running through a streambed, or
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Software Downloads
Schmap Interactive Map Guides
Almost two years ago I wrote about the Schmap player, which enabled interactive map guides
Windows Secrets Lists Best Free Software
Scott Dunn over at Windows Secrets provides a list of the nine must-have freeware apps,
KeePass - Secure Password Storage
Download KeePass If you're not using some kind of password manager to protect all those
Windows Live Photo Gallery
Download Windows Live Photo Gallery Windows XP may be long in the tooth, but it's
SpeedConnect Connection Tester
Download SpeedConnect Connection Tester Is your Internet connection as fast as your ISP claims? Are
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DVD Hacks
How to Play VIDEO_TS Files
Marquis writes, "I downloaded a file from a torrent and it has 5 files in
Burn RealMedia RMVB Movies to DVD
Richie asks, "How do I convert RealPlayer files to whatever so I can put them
SoThink Movie DVD Maker
Download SoThink Movie DVD Maker Free DVD authoring software is hard to come by. Many
Letterboxing Video for DVD Authoring
Chris writes, "We have tried Sonic and Roxio to transfer our digital camera movies to
HD-DVD Authoring for Home Movies
How to make an HD-DVD using standard 4.7GB DVD media or 8.5GB dual layer disks.
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Voice over IP
Vonage Introduces 3 New Handset Solutions
Vonage is aiming to make it easier for people to convert from traditional landline phone
Callwave Mobile Visual Voicemail
The name Callwave brings me fond memories of desktop software for managing phone calls through
VoIP Disaster Recovery Planning
Len asks, I have just converted to cable phone service : Is there away to
SightSpeed
Download SightSpeed Cross-platform video conferencing is one of those things that never worked well outside
Skype Cordless Phones
Pete writes, Is there any way of making Skype into a cordless phone? Specifically, the
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Camcorders
Tips for Shooting Video in the Snow
"Everytime I record videos of my dog playing in the snow, they come out looking
Capture HDV Direct to Hard Drive
"I don't like spending time capturing high definition video from tapes I record with my
Editing DVD Camcorder Movies with Easy Media Creator
Chris writes, "I have a Sony DCR DVD403. I purchased the camcorder with the understanding
Editing Sony AVCHD Files in Pinnacle Studio
Steve writes, "I have recently purchased a Sony HDR-SR8E with USB2 input/output. I have just
Flip Video Camera
If you're in the market for an ultra-portable, highly affordable camcorder, the Flip Video
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Arcade Games
Virtual Villagers 3: The Secret City Tips, Tricks and Cheats
Last Day of Work is currently 99% done with Virtual Villagers 3: The Secret City,
Feyruna: Fairy Forest
Download Holly: A Christmas Tale Feyruna: Fairy Forest lets you fly across the beautiful landscapes
Travian Strategies and Cheats
Browser-based massively multiplayer strategy game Travian is one of the most engaging semi-real-time strategy games
Synapsis Walkthrough Tips and Cheats
Synapsis is a new escape the room game from Robot Jam Games. You start
Hidden Secrets: The Nightmare Tips, Tricks and Cheats
In Hidden Secrets: The Nightmare, you solve puzzles inside the mind of attempted murder
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Digital Media News
Windows Secrets Lists Best Free Software
Scott Dunn over at Windows Secrets provides a list of the nine must-have freeware apps,
Best Ways to Protect Yourself From Phishing
If you've had an email account for longer than 5 minutes, you've likely encountered at
Time Saving Tips
Like most other people, I suffer from information overload. Instead of using some kind of
Roxio BackOnTrack Online - Unlimited Automatic Offsite Backup
I get emails from people trying to recover files from a computer crash several times
CES 2008 Update
Two days into CES 2008 I'm rapidly compiling a ton of video footage and photos
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Featured Software Downloads
Cyberlink PowerDVD Ultra How to watch Blu-ray movies on your PC
Back up your iPod
iPod Access backs up your iPod music library and transfer songs to a new computer. |
Camcorder Help
helpp!!! how from camera to computer?
how do i upload video clips fom my camera to my PC?
Organizing pictures by time stamp
My computer has the Window movie maker and it doesn't use Quick tme videos ho...
No online media available on new hard drive - old hard drive had l
how do i insert a tape into my computer to download onto youtube?
Digital camera or digital camcorder?
Microphone Not working
Best video camera/recorder for under $300?
4 some reason my camera on my phone is all blury when I taje pictures or videos?
Vista Media Center - Xm Radio - No Audio
media player pauses 7 starts up
Will this work on vista?
Recording Panel in Sound Panel frozen
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