Movies from the Minolta DiMage X50

I went to a Pop Will Eat Itself concert recently, and for the first time had a reason to test out the video-recording abilities of the new camera. Given the camera's minimal dimensions and tiny lens, I wasn't expecting great results. However, despite the gloominess of the venue, I was (mostly) pleasantly surprised by the results!

As you can see, the picture quality was fairly good. I had the camera set to record at the maximum settings (320x240 resolution, 30fps). Watching it on the camera was fairly uninspiring, but once I had copied it over to my Mac the apparent quality improved dramatically.

I was however surprised by the size of the video clip. A 2 minute 30 second clip recorded on the camera turned out to be 86.5MB in size. I was curious as to why it was so huge, so I set about doing some investigation. Opening the file in QuickTime Player revealed that the video component was recorded in the Photo-JPEG format! I can only presume that the limited CPU power of the camera limits it to recording in largely uncompressed video and totally uncompressed audio.

The actual settings were:

Photo JPEG video, 320x240, 4700 kbps (!!!!)

PCM audio, 8 bit, mono, 7875Hz, 60 kbps

4700kbps :shock:! That's a higher bitrate than some DVDs for an image less than a quarter of the size! And then to top it all off the audio component is of a ridiculously low quality.

I wanted to save the clip, but in a more efficient way. I also wanted to contrast it to a more modern way of storing video, so I fired up ffmpegX and ran a few conversions:

Converting the clip to an xvid/mp3 of equal dimensions and very similar visual quality resulted in a 10.6MB file comprising an 8.1MB 320x240 30fps 450kbps xvid video stream and a 2.2MB 144kbps mp3 audio stream! Given that 160kbps mp3 is generally considered to be sufficient for virtually CD-quality, you can see how much the Minolta's capabilities could be improved.

Purely out of interest I also used ffmpegX to convert the clip to DVD specifications. My 320x240 86.5MB photo-JPEG clip turned into a 720x480 75.2MB mpeg2 clip. Definitely bloated!

DragonBurn does something useful

If you've ever inserted a blank CD-R or DVD-R, you'll know that OS X has a built-in disc burning ability. It also comes bundled with the Disk Utility application for, among other things, burning disk images. Despite this, Roxio's Toast 6 is still generally considered as one of the "must buy" apps due to it's much more extensive support of various CD and VCD formats, not to mention dual-layer DVD support. Given these facts, I've always wondered what it was about DragonBurn that made it worth US$50. It appears that this is one of the reasons.

iPhoto 5, hero and zero

My copy of iLife '05 has arrived! The app I was looking forward to most was iPhoto 5, in particular the long-awaited addition of folders to help you organise your albums. However there are apparently numerous problems: MacOSXHints, MacInTouch, Accelerate Your Mac, and MaxFixIt have all had reports. The MacOSXHints article in particular specifically concerns a problem with folders. This problem did not affect me for some reason - although MacOSXHints has included a solution if it does start to occur.

My own experiences so far have been generally good, with the one glaring exception of exporting photo galleries for the web. Don't get me wrong, iPhoto's web export works pretty much as it always has (pretty well, but not great), but neither of my preferred web-export plugins, BetterHTMLExport and PhotoToWeb, work with iPhoto 5. They look like they're working, but no images get exported. BetterHTMLExport's webpage states that the developer is aware of the problem.

Also a concern is that iPhoto 5 seems to be noticeably slower than iPhoto 4. In particular opening images used to be instantaneous. Now you have to sit and wait while iPhoto displays your selected thumbnail for a second or two in the centre of a large empty black box before the full-size image fills the window. I've also heard that it is almost useless on a Mac with a G3 processor - most of the editing functions do not work and navigation is painfully slow.

26/1/05 - Update: At some point in the last few hours BetterHTMLExport was updated to version 2.1 and is now compatible with iPhoto 5!

27/1/05 - Further update: Ack! I just noticed that Keyword Assistant has vanished! I refuse to even attempt to assign keywords without this wonderful piece of software. Luckily it appears that there is an iPhoto 5 version going through beta-testing right now.

Official: iMac G5s dangerous in California

Want more traffic to your website? Easy solution - publish a silly article criticising Apple! Rob Enderle (yes, that guy) has a piece in DesignTechnica last week which said, among other foolishness, that

"I live in California, earthquake country, and the old iMac was one of the most stable products in its class, the new one [iMac G5] places the weight too high and relies on a base that is too narrow making it likely that it would fall.  Falling glass can be a huge hazard in a home late at night when you are trying to get the kids and family to safety during an earthquake."

MacDailyNews heaps scorn on Mr Enderle here. MacMischief has it's own pop here.

One more virus, nothing to write home about

MobileTech is reporting that Simworks have discovered another Symbian virus, this time one that affects only the more modern Series 60 phones running the latest Symbian OS v7. It does not affect UIQ phones. The virus, dubbed Gavno (as well as a variant Gavno.b) is said to be dangerous and "is able to" render your phone unusable, but can only infect your phone if you run a file named patch.sis. Not exactly contagious - but consider yourself warned.

Fairly major ffmpegX update

ffmpegX 0.0.9s has been released! This is a significant update - it includes a new easy-to-use Summary pane, support for TiVo .ty files and the ability to export to Sony's PSP (PlayStation Portable) movie format! There are also a host of other minor improvements.

Finally - P800 updated firmware

I've finally had a reason to go down to London where I had the chance to upgrade my P800's first generation firmware. I had it done in Tottenham at R's Electrics with a two hour turnaround. So far I have noticed a definite improvement in iSync reliability, instead of failing 100% of the time (unless you went through a complicated rigamarole) it only fails about 50% of the time. I'm still working on improving that, it may be 'interference' caused by BluePhoneElite or Salling Clicker.

Another noticeable change is the default video-player now has a widescreen option to play back video in landscape mode. The default picture viewer also benefits from a new landscape mode. Both huge improvements! The camcorder app also now has a night-shot mode.

Checking my firmware version numbers (in the Applications list, click view and then system info) displays this:

Phone: R2F Bluetooth: R5A Organiser: R2D02 CDA: R2A

I'm not actually sure if this is the very latest firmware or not, but it's several generations ahead of my old firmware. So far so good.

PCM to MPEG1 to AIFF to AC3

I recently encountered an unusual AVI video file, containing MSMPEG4 video and PCM audio. My favorite DVD (ffmpeg) preset in ffmpegX refused to process the file. I knew from previous experience that the DVD (ffmpeg) preset could handle MSMPEG4 video, so I surmised it was the PCM audio that was fouling things up.

Slower workaround
I worked around the problem by using the DVD (mpeg2enc) preset with 'Decode with mplayer' selected. After a slow encode (probably twice as long as ffmpeg) I ended up with an .mpv video file and another file. This second file had a truncated name, according to the settings it should have been some sort of AC3, but the mpeg2enc engine had produced a file without a suffix.

Not actually an AC3 at all
The first thing I did was drop the mystery file onto ffmpegX for identification but, unusually for ffmpegX, nothing was revealed. I then tried adding an .ac3 suffix only to have A.Pack reject the file. Soldiering on, I changed it to .mp2 and tried to open it in QuickTime Player. Still no go :mad:. Finally I tried an .mpa suffix. Bingo! :) Hitting command-J showed that QuickTime identified the file as an MPEG1 audio file. Unfortunately my good mood was short-lived. I was unable to export it from QuickTime - the only options were movie formats. :(

MPEG1?
After resorting to Google I was reminded that iTunes can play MPEG1 audio files. The first thing I did was change the iTunes import preferences to 'AIFF encoder'. However iTunes then refused to let me drag my .mpa file into the music library unless I changed the suffix to .mp2. Once I had done that I used iTunes to convert the audio file to AIFF (by option-clicking the Advanced menu and choosing 'convert to AIFF').

The Finish Line
Once I had my AIFF, I was able to drop it into A.Pack, select my two channels, and convert it into a two channel AC3 file. From there it was just a matter of using the .mpv video file and .ac3 audio file in Sizzle to author a DVD, and using Toast to burn it. :D

Conclusions
The Mac used to boast a system where, no matter what you changed the name of a file to, double clicking it would always open the correct application. We used to brag about this to PC users. Why am I now, fifteen years later, messing around changing file extensions?

Uncripple your G5 superdrive

Macbidouille are reporting that most G5s shipping today are equipped with an artificially crippled DVD burner. By removing the drive and installing in a PC, they were able to flash the firmware and upgrade it from a ordinary 8x DVD-R burner to a dual-layer 16x DVD-R burner! Re-install it in the Mac and use Patchburn to enable it in the iApps.

Wolfenstein 3D on UIQ

The granddaddy of first-person-shooters has been ported to UIQ . Wolfenstein 3D is available for download here. Note that you will need the original shareware game's data files. The data files from the paid game will not work. Update: version 1.0.1 has been released - it now supports the full (paid) game data files.

Compression Master reviewed

The Ken Stone Index recently posted a good WMV-centric review of Compression Master, including comparisons to Discreet Cleaner, Sorenson Squeeze, and the Telestream's Flip4Mac.

DVD Freedom

Vito LaVilla (no, I don't know if that is a person or a company) has released a DVD ripping application named DVD Freedom. Interestingly, it appears to have a Mac Classic version in addition to the OS X version. There is also a Windows version . Unfortunately, the initial reviews are poor. I gave it a test run, but after it took 30 minutes to rip 52MB (out of a 6.3GB DVD), I cancelled the operation. MacTheRipper would have finished the entire DVD in that time.

WMV in Quicktime, looks promising

A few months ago I mentioned the announcement of Telestream's Flip4Mac, a QuickTime component for the WMV9 format (Windows Media Video). There was some question as to whether or not the product would actually appear or not, but Telestream proved all the doubters wrong! The software was duly released in December, but as feared it was an export component only. All is not lost however! I noticed today that Telestream are working on a WMV importer for release in the first quarter of 2005! This is great news

OS X on PocketPC

This is pretty cool.

DIY iTunes radio station

CodePoetry today posted an excellent guide on making your own 'radio station' via clever use of iTunes playlists.

Ultimate digital music

Alan Graham at the O'Reilly Developer Weblogs had a write-up today of the best non-Apple products from the recent MacWorld. The one that he is most enthusiastic about is the Sonos Digital Music System. He's not wrong! This thing is truly lustworthy.

HP iPod doomed?

AppleInsider are reporting today that HP have refused to order any more iPods until they resolve a potential future pricing dispute. The article mentions that during the fourth quarter of 2004 HP iPods accounted for only 7% of total iPod sales. Rob Enderle must be feeling pretty stupid.

Automatically copy Bluetoothed images into iPhoto

While searching for some iPhoto information, I found this interesting tutorial on how to set up folder actions to automatically copy images into iPhoto after they've been bluetoothed to your Mac.

Stop iphoto from importing images

After spending more time using my new Dimage X50, the major annoyance is rapidly becoming iPhoto launching itself and glacially preparing to import images every time I connect the camera. After a fruitless visit to iPhoto's preference window, I resorted to Google and found this. The option to launch iPhoto when you connect a camera is controlled in the preferences of the Image Capture application. Obviously.

Confirmed - Mac mini is upgradable

The Unofficial Apple Weblog is reporting that the Mac mini is indeed upgradable. Not only is the RAM relatively easy to upgrade (there's an image of the Mac mini with case removed to prove it), users can also install an Airport card and a (presumably only Apple ones) bluetooth module. They also state that opening the machine does not void your warranty, unless you break something while opening it. I have previously heard this but believed it to be wishful thinking. The machine will also boot headless, which means it would make a good small server.

Holy Macmobile!

Well, it was bound to happen. Given that the Mac mini's front dimensions are 2" x 6.5", and a car stereo port is 2" x 7", it was inevitable someone would want to put the former into the latter. I'm not quite sure I get it myself - yes it would be nice having iTunes as your car stereo, but the mini seems overkill for that and if you used an iPod instead it could leave the car with you. But then again I don't have kids - I guess parents would appreciate the DVD-playing ability of the mini. I suppose with an internet-capable mobile phone you could also do email in your car, although I can't think who would want to. The voice control aspects of having a full-fledged Mac in the car are interesting, but to be frank my own experiences with voice recognition don't fill me with eager anticipation. I also wonder about the power supply. Will the mini get turned off when you aren't using the car? If it does I wonder if they've taken the Mac's relatively slow startup into account, presumably you'll just have to wait a minute or two after turning on your engine in order to play some music.

Analysts analyse Apple

MacMinute noted today that Yahoo News had a good article on analyst reactions to the Mac mini and iPod shuffle. Things are looking pretty good for Apple right now - their stock also took a 12% jump overnight after the earnings report yesterday. Like probably everyone else who read about the Mac mini, I considered buying some (or at least urging my wealthier friends to do so), but you know what they say about hindsight ...

Not everyone loves it though. Frank Steele over at Nicest of the Damned had a positive write-up today, but also maintained enough perspective to include links to some of the nay-sayers. Most of them were knee-jerk Mac-bashing, but a guy named Bill Palmer has some one fair criticisms, concerning Apple Stores and the non-existence of a low-end Apple monitor (Apple's lowest priced monitor is the 20" Cinema Display costing US$999).

Finally!

We finally have confirmation of all the recent rumours! Steve J's keynote speech is over and Apple's website has been updated. The iPod shuffle looks great - although it appears to have undergone a name change in the last few hours. The direct USB connection is typical of Apple's ability to cut through the crap directly to the most elegant solution.

The Mac mini is a definite winner. It brings the old Cube to mind, but at a much nicer price :) This thing could really be huge for Apple. It is so tiny and has the functionality of many computers ten times its size. It also represents an inexpensive option for PC users who wish to try out Mac OS X. On the other hand it is not perfect. One particularly noticeable drawback is the lack of an audio-in port, although there are USB-based alternatives. Another drawback is the US$425 (!) Apple charges to upgrade to 1GB of RAM (the Mac mini appears to only have one DIMM slot) :mad:

Other highlights include iLife 05 (iPhoto finally has folders!), and iWork 05 including the much-anticipated word-processor Pages.

Oddly enough the Apple Store is currently unresponsive very sluggish :D My guess is the horde of iPod shuffle and Mac mini buyers!

Googlescript Searches

I read a useful Google hack recently - the following link opens a Javascript window:

Javascript:void(q=prompt('Type%20in%20the%20search%20term:')); if(q)void(location.href='http://www.google.com/search?q='+escape(q))

Click the link and type in your search term. When you click 'OK' it takes you to the Google results page for your search term. What's that you say? Not very inspiring so far? Well, how about this -

Using just a little knowledge of the way Google searches you can search web directories:

Javascript:void(q=prompt('Type%20in%20the%20type%20of%20file%20here:')); if(q)void(location.href='http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&num=100&q=intitle%3A%22index%20of%20/%22%20%22'+escape(q)+'%22')

Or you can specify a particular file type (in this case I've used .mp3, you can replace it with .ogg or .avi or whatever takes your fancy ;) ):

Javascript:void(q=prompt('Type%20the%20name%20of%20the%20MP3:')); if(q)void(location.href='http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&num=100&q=intitle%3A%22index%20of%20/%22%20%22'+escape(q)+'%22%20mp3')

Of course, despite the title of this post, this tip isn't restricted to Google - my favorite use of this technique is the search term below which I cobbled together to enable me to quickly search this blog:

Javascript:void(q=prompt('Search%20Digital%20Life%20the%20OS%20X%20way:')); if(q)void(location.href='http://thoughton.co.uk/cgi-bin//mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search='+escape(q))

Note that there should be no spaces in the above code snippets.

One great use of this method is to place a button in your Bookmarks bar:

PB CallerID

I tried out BluePhoneElite today and to my surprise it works with my original firmware P800! The manual even mentions the P800, saying that although you can initiate calls from the Mac - which will also have on-screen caller-ID - and have 'answer the phone' and 'ignore' options when the P800 rings, the SMS funcions will not work due to a firmware bug with all Series 60 and UIQ phones. A pity - something I would find very useful would be SMS composing on the Mac.

BluePhoneElite also has a slick proximity function. I particularly like the option to set your iChat status:

Sizzle not Sizzling

I encountered this oddity in Sizzle 0.1 today. After launching the app I found that the 'Add Chapter' button was greyed out. After quite a lot of head scratching and poking around Sizzle, I finally discovered that it was caused by having the 'Use Custom Chapter Times' checkbox selected under the 'Other' tab (from a previous authoring session) without having a chapter selected in the 'Chapters' tab.

MGS Virtual Pool 2 reviewed

After briefly mentioning MGS Virtual Pool 2 a short while ago, I had planned on doing a fuller review at some point. That will no longer be necessary, since AllAboutSymbian today posted a glowing review of the game.

Security Cameras on Google

BoingBoing today mentioned a fascinating Google hack which locates unsecured webcams. Just plug the following term into the Google search box. Note that Safari does not support JPEG streaming - use FireFox instead. Note that you can pan and zoom the camera by clicking the controls on the left!

inurl:"ViewerFrame?Mode="

This discussion also produced a couple of variations on the theme:

inurl:"MultiCameraFrame?Mode="

inurl:/view/view.shtml?videos=

Normal Service Will Now Resume

I've been away on holiday in Hong Kong over the new year, and typically there was a power outage back at home on or around Christmas day. This caused my broadband modem to disconnect which for some reason caused mNo-Ip X to lock up, thus resulting in this site being unavailable for about a week I am investigating the cause of the glitch, but in the meantime please accept my apologies for the downtime.

One. Slick. Camera.

While I was in Hong Kong I picked up a Konica Minolta DiMAGE X50. This was largely due to the DiMAGE Xt we use at work, and also Janet's thoughts on the X50 and its competitors. I'm very pleased with it so far, the thing is tiny and takes great photos! The one possible gripe is slightly sub-optimal performance in low light situations but even that is a pretty minor quibble. I got a nice dawn shot during my stopover in Paris's Charles de Gaul airport: