use

Apr 27 2009

Linux on Mac on Mac (and more)

We’ve got an interesting bunch of freeware – some still in early beta, and others a little older and more stable. From the ability to emulate PPC on your Mac to quality photo editing, we’ll do it all for free.

mu Linux on Mac on Mac (and more)Mac-on-Mac

This new free application (version 0.2) does a few interesting things, and promises to do a lot. If you’re not afraid of early development software, you probably get a lot out of this utility.

Mac on Mac is an OS X port of Mac on Linux, and allows you to run OS X and Mac classic in a virtual machine much like Virtual PC. Again, not much is supported, but the app promises PPC Linux support and is fast, due to the fact that it is running PPC on your PPC Mac (if that makes any sense).

mu Linux on Mac on Mac (and more)Goldberg X

We’ve looked at this one before, but in a major revision this simple, free image editor has added compatibility and features. In addition to opening and editing a heap of graphic formats, 2.5 integrates ColorSync and supports ICC profiles giving this free app professional muscle.

mu Linux on Mac on Mac (and more)Scale ‘N’ Mail

Realizing that you are probably fully capable of resizing images manually, this application is targeted for use by those less savvy (or with less time on their hands). If you’ve long since tired of explaining what images must be “shrunk” to email, then this application may happily replace you as the photo-mailing geek.

mu Linux on Mac on Mac (and more)JetPhoto Studio and Server

If you’d like to take you online photos to the next step, consider this free set of applications. JetPhoto Studio maintains your photo collection on your Mac, while JetPhoto Studio manages your gallery online (on a remote server with PHP). The two work together, creating a seamless local and online photo managing system.

Thanks for joining me this week. I hope some of this week’s freeware finds a use on your Mac.

Brian

mu Linux on Mac on Mac (and more)Downloads provided by MacUpdate

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Apr 27 2009

Opera Spotlight

Opera has been around for ages. Thanks to a recent change of heart (or

business model) by the Norwegian software company you can now download and

use the Opera browser free of charge. While previous free versions were

saddled with ads, not Opera sings a different tune.

So, to get in on the fun, run over to

href="http://opera.com/download/index.dml?platform=mac"

target="_blank">Opera.com and download your copy. Not convinced? Check

out the browser’s unique features:

Speed

I’m used to browsing with a tn of extensions loaded in Firefox, so when I

took off with Opera, I was suprised at the speed. I found it even quicker

than Firefox without extensions. That’s saying something, considering that

Opera is loading a mail and newsfeed client as well.

operatoolbar Opera Spotlight

Polished Interface

Opera’s interface sports a great balance of function, simplicity and polish.

Address options emerge only when you click on the web address. Other options

are so well tucked away you forget about them (the mail and chat client –

for example). Everywhere you go in the browser, you find things taking up

the minimal space, and put in just the right place.

operamail Opera Spotlight

The Mail Client

The mail client, complete with IMAP and POP support and spam filtering, is –

you guessed it – fast. The import wizard actually supports Mac Mail clients

including Thunderbird and Mail.app. Contacts are intuitively managed. Both

mail and contacts fit into the main window on tabs.

Customizing Opera

You can tweak everything from your themes and sidebars to menus and mouse

gestures. Opera’s portal also offers a photo album, blog and web-based

email. There’s even a tutorial for making your own theme.

operanotes Opera Spotlight

Odds and Ends

Another thing I liked was the fact that the RSS reader is actually a reader,

not some kind of feed-bookmark thing. I also thought the notes were nice.

Together with “copy to note” and spellcheck Opera could be your next text

editor too.

Gripes

Opera is a lot of fun, but you have to meet a lot of criteria to become my

default browser. For most of my browsing, I’ll have to stick with Firefox,

thanks to extensions and standards support not found in Opera. While Opera

imports all kinds of settings including bookmarks, contacts and mail

accounts, it does not export to any formats besides its own.

The Fat Lady Sings

For many, the new free status of Opera is huge. I have to admit, it is a

superb browsing experience – fast and feature packed. For those not heavily

invested in Firefox add-ons or Safari’s ease, Opera makes a great browsing

choice. Who knows, maybe someday it might make default.

Brian

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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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