Welcome to TheTechBlog.com - Here you'll find the latest Tech News, new gadgets and commentary! This site is moderated by Sam and Chase - Hosts of Tech Check on Fox6, and longtime high tech/computer radio broadcasters.
| Tuesday, July 26, 2005 |
| Liftoff! |
by tollie
I've posted a considerable series of pictures from the LIFTOFF! of Space Shuttle Discovery on my personal blog, here. It was really amazing to see the orbiter - live - as it separated from the external fuel tank. This particular frame doesn't look very good, but overall the signal held up and the orbiter could be seen kicking it its jets as it manuevered away. Way to go NASA.
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posted by Tollie Williams @ 9:22 AM   |
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| Tuesday, July 12, 2005 |
| iTunes 4.9 brings QuickTime Pro functionality |
by Tollie
Ok, I confess, Apple's a weird company. Here's the latest oddity to emerge from 1 Infinite Loop - Apple iTunes 4.9 (a free product) includes functionality previously and currently offered as features of Quicktime Pro - a $30 product.
Specifically, iTunes 4.9 can play Quicktime movie files full screen and it can also chop up audio files. To play Quicktime movie files full screen, simply drag (or Add, using the menus) the movie file into the iTunes, select the file, and click the black box with arrows pointing outward.
Chopping up audio files is a bit trickier, and almost certainly undocumented, but will work for basic trimming. Select the spots of the audio you want to keep by setting the audio files Start Time and Stop Time info (select the file and choose Get Info - Options) then simply convert the file. iTunes will only convert the audio portions 'selected' by the Start and Stop times.
Hopefully, Apple - an extraordinarily dynamic company as of late - will realize that providing Quicktime Pro capabilities for free will drive people toward Apple in a way that would be much more profitable than leaving out basic features (such as full screen playback!) from the free Quicktime, expecting users to pay an exorbitant $30 fee for the Pro version.
You might think I'd say Quicktime Pro isn't worth the $30, but that's not entirely true - it depends on what you want to do. If you just want full screen playback and MPEG2 playback, then no. You can use iTunes or Quicktime Alternative (on the PC) to play video full screen, and other programs, such as VLC Media Player, to watch MPEG2.
However, if you want to do quick and simple movie editing, including encoding video using the new and excellent H.264, capturing video and audio, or creating slideshow movies from pictures and sound files, then Quicktime Pro makes it as simple as cut and paste*.
* As I realize my dad is still learning how to cut and paste, but he can figure out to mark in and out points using Quicktime Pro, I guess it's even simpler than cut and paste. |
| posted by Tollie Williams @ 3:50 AM |
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