DivX

Apr 27 2009

iTV

Watch video from all kinds of sources on you Mac with this weeks picks.

WatchIt

To remind yourself to watch or record you favorite programs, use this free application. List your channels and set reminders.

DVArchive

This OS X java port of a popular Windows program lets your Mac play from and record to your ReplayTV.This utility also imports other formats.

Vidi

Have a Formac Studio DV/TV converter? Then you’ll want Vidi to record TV on your Mac. This application also controls channels and adjusts picture. It can even record video in the background.

VLC

Here is a piece of freeware you can use regardless of your hardware. Also a port from Windows and Linux, VLC plays all kind of media including VCD and DivX video.

Now that you’ve got something to watch I’ll leave you to it. Until next week,

Brian

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Apr 27 2009

Access A Variety Of Media Formats

Brought to you by: James Huff

VLC Access A Variety Of Media Formats


This week’s PUM is short and simple. It can be summed up in a single sentence. Download VLC Media Player! If you’re frustrated with QuickTime’s narrow file format support, or Windows Media Player’s inability to work correctly, you’ll want VLC Media Player. VLC is a free player that supports a variety of formats including DivX, DVD, VCD, MPEG (1, 2, and 4), WMV (1 and 2), mp3, ogg, and many more. Unfortunately, Windows Media Series 9 files are not supported at this time.



If you’re still in 10.2 or 10.1 and don’t have the luxury or Apple’s most recent DVD player, then VLC is your key to hearing your DVDs in 5.1 digital surround (Apple’s DVD Player pre-10.3 only supports 2 channels).



VLC also makes it easy to take screen shots of your DVDs. The DVD screen shot in the previous PUM was taken while playing the DVD through VLC.



VLC is in constant competition with MPlayer and typically the most recent version of VLC will support more formats than the current version of MPlayer and visa versa. However, in my opinion, VLC’s controller has more features than MPayer’s and is easier to use/understand. VLC also has the nice feature of letting you know why it can’t play a file, rather than either crashing or simply not playing the file (as in MPlayer’s case).



VLC Media Player is a great player to have sitting around on your hard drive. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.



Update: Intel Indeo Video 3.2 (IV32) was very widely used as video compression and still is today. Unfortunately, for those of us in OS X, there is no way for us to view these files. Thankfully, if you still have a full OS 9 system, there’s a work-around. You’ll have to download and install Intel Indeo Video 3.2 in Macintosh HD/System Folder/Extensions and restart. Then you can view the file in OS 9′s QuickTime Player. If you have QuickTime Pro in OS 9, you can export the file at the highest possible settings (Uncompressed audio and video will provide you with the highest quality) and make sure to double check the fps with the movie file and what you’re setting the compressor to use (you don’t want to have 1.5 minutes of audio with 30 seconds of video). From there, you can play the file and do all your final compressing in OS X. Good luck!

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Apr 27 2009

mini PVR with EyeTV and ConvertX

No, this isn’t the first Mac mini – PVR tutorial, but new products and
software have made this more interesting than ever before. And, with the best options available, this will be the last Mac PVR tutorial you’ll need to read.

minipvr mini PVR with EyeTV and ConvertX

The Hardware

The Software

  • Elgato’s EyeTV (included)

There are plenty of hardware options that will turn your mini into a PVR. I selected the ConvertX for its hardware encoding, which takes the processing load off your mini (the EyeTV Wonder does not hardware-encode incoming video, and is not recommended for use with the mini). It also has the widest array of hardware encoding options including MPEG 1, 2 and 4 and DivX.

What’s more, the ConvertX is the least expensive of the lot (excluding the EyeTV Wonder) that comes bundled with Elgato’s easy to use software. And while we’re on that subject it is worth mentioning that the EyeTV software that comes with the ConvertX interfaces with TitanTV – a free online programming guide. Using TitanTV you can cue recordings from the web with a right-click.

titantv mini PVR with EyeTV and ConvertX

Getting back to the nuts and bolts, you’ll find that the ConvertX comes with everything you need, with the exception of a coaxial cable. The EyeTV software installs in seconds and requires no reboot. EyeTV scans your channels and sends you to TitanTV to register.

eyetvprograms mini PVR with EyeTV and ConvertX

Encoding options are what set this configuration apart from other setups. With the ConvertX and EyeTV you can capture to VCD (MPEG-1), DVD (MPEG-2), QuickTime (MPEG-4) or DivX. Within each format there are options for longer play or higher quality, with DivX offering the best compression to quality ratio. EyeTV exports to about anything QuickTime can
handle and to all your favorite iApps for editing and burning. EyeTV also has a built-in editing interface that allows for quick deleting of commercials.

eyetvedit mini PVR with EyeTV and ConvertX

But lets not forget the options: on the install disc, Elgato has included the key-maps to control the software using Keyspan Digital Media Remote software. So, your presentation remote can double as your TV remote. And, if this weren’t enough, the ConvertX also sports RCA and S-Video analog inputs, so when you’re not recording TV, you can transfer video from older cameras and VCRs.

The performance of the unit was as-expected. You can set aside you concerns of over-taxing the mini. With hardware encoding you won’t notice any slow down watching or recording. In fact on my mini I watched a recorded clip with the incoming television window still open at full resolution without a hiccup.

With superior hardware encoding options, the ConvertX is a unique
combination of TV tuner, PVR and analog video encoder. And, shouldering the processing load for you Mac it is perfect for the mini. The EyeTV software guarantees that you’re not missing anything by picking a less expensive PVR.

Of course, you don’t have to take my word for it. Here’s a matrix of tthe PVR hardware options out there for Mac:

border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2">
style="font-weight: bold;">PRV
Price Resolution Hardware
Encoding		 Encoding
Formats		 EyeTV
Software
ConvertX $210 720×480 Yes MPEG 1, 2, 4 and DivX Yes
EyeTV Wonder USB $137 720×480 No MPEG 1, 2 Yes
EyeTV 200 $286 720×480 Yes MPEG 1, 2, 4 Yes
Evolution TV $240 720×480? Yes MPEG 2,4 and DivX No
myTV.PVR* $139 720×480 Yes MPEG 2 No

* This product has abysmal reviewer ratings

Please direct comments/corrections on the article to the author, brian AT macmerc DOT com.

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