bioneural.net » video

Home-made DVDs won't mount or copy on Mac

Bruce — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:39:07 +0000

Home-made DVDs of our travels and family events were backed up as disk images (.dmg) onto an external hard drive as they were made. When these were inadvertently deleted I attempted to re-create the backup using Disk Utility to create new disk images. I was very concerned to find that about a third of my collection would either fail to mount on the OS X desktop or, if so, caused Disk Utility to report an input/ output error resulting in failure to copy. So what gives Apple? Why can my Mac not mount, copy, or play back Mac-made DVDs—when my consumer player handles them fine? All the DVDs in question were made using iDVD (various versions), using several brands of media (mainly Apple and Imation), between 2001 and 2007. Here's what I found: Some disks mounted under OS X 10.5.4 via a slot-loading drive (Intel MacBook) and Disk Utility was able to create .dmg files; Of the remainder some mounted under OS X 10.5.4 via a slot-loading drive (Intel MacBook) and Disk Utility failed to create .dmg files, citing in input/ output error; Of the remainder some mounted under OS X 10.5.4 via a slot-loading drive (Intel MacBook) and Carbon Copy Cloner was able to create .dmg files; Of the remainder some mounted under OS X 10.5.4 via a tray-loading drive (G4 iMac) and Disk Utility was able to create .dmg files; Of the remainder some mounted under OS X 10.5.4 via a tray-loading drive (G4 iMac) and Disk Utility failed to create .dmg files, citing ...

New Zealand progressive on fair use laws

Bruce — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:12:48 +0000

From bioneural.net:

As reported by Ars Technica, the New Zealand House of Representatives passed a bill on 8 April 2008 reforming copyright law for the "digital age". Most netizens even outside the US will have come across the American DMCA: any mention seems tainted by the taste of bile. The DMCA criminalises circumvention of digital rights management (DRM) technologies and access controls—many folk argue at the expense of "fair use". Do the NZ reforms provide workable compromise? Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand [© iStockPhoto] Ars cite a Canadian law professor as saying: The anti-circumvention provisions are arguably the best of any country, since they are compliant with WIPO, limited in scope, and seek to preserve fair dealing rights. Having looked at the new Copyright (New Technologies) Amendment Bill I find myself almost as confused as I was before; it raises at least as many questions as it answers. Time and format shifting I've always wondered exactly how recording a TV programme to VHS tape, DVD+RW, or PVR hard drives sat with current copyright laws. It must be pretty unusual to walk into a living room and not find the home owner's favourite TV series or movie archived on recordable media for repeated viewing at their leisure. Fortunately the bill specifies that anyone watching TV that isn't "live" is no longer engaged in a criminal act (recording of an on-demand broadcast isn't allowed). It does mean, however, that domestic recording libraries are still illegal: you must watch your recordings within a "reasonable" time frame and then delete them. No ...

Argentine Iguazu

Bruce — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 09:58:15 +0000

From bioneural.net:

As noted, we were recently in Brazil. We also crossed into Argentina for a day, in order to view the Iguazu Falls from their side of the Rio Iguazu. The falls are probably the single most impressive natural phenomenon we've seen. I've uploaded a short video to YouTube here, showing the impressive "Devil's Throat" and views from the Upper Circuit walkway. This YouTube video requires Adobe Flash Player. As you might imagine, filming a waterfall system over 1.5 miles across and cascading 1.3–1.5 million litres of water per second is wet work. Hence the water drops on the lens! The soundtrack is Morricone's The Mission (Remix B.O.F. La Mission).

A Skype and Mac-friendly alternative to iSight

Bruce — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 10:07:16 +0000

From bioneural.net:

Now that the expensive but excellent Firewire-based iSight is no more, Mac users lacking a built-in (USB-based) iSight webcam face a dilemma. Although Mac OS X 10.4.9 introduced iChat support for USB Video Class (UVC), and using such webcams means no extra drivers are needed, it is far from easy to walk into a store and choose a one that is certain to work. I threw my once-loved Cyberphone, blaming the non-native drivers for poor audio performance on my Intel Mac. Any cheap webcam (as with the Cyberphone) is likely to have poor Mac driver support, so a driver-free UVC camera seemed like the answer. But would the built-in microphone be recognised? Google didn't seem to come up with a definitive answer to this question. Furthermore, reports said that Vista-certified cameras "should" work—but elsewhere I read that some Vista-certified webcams support UVC and others do not. So how can you send high-quality Skype video and audio without hogging all your USB ports? A microphone In Wellington USB headsets abound (which I find cumbersome), but there is a dearth of desktop USB microphones. I could have bought a new iMic, which serves to amplify a line-level microphone—an additional purchase. I used to own the original iMic and was less than impressed when using it to send audio out via my hi-fi (the sound kept breaking up). A camera As for a camera I gather the Xbox Live Vision works natively with OS X 10.4.9, delivering a decent image for the money and available in-store for ...

YouTube health videos

Bruce — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 11:48:39 +0000

From bioneural.net:

As reported by the BBC, a general practice in Wales has begun using YouTube to distribute health information videos. The Builth and Llanwrtyd Medical Practice has thus far uploaded videos relating to inhaler technique and spacer devices in respiratory disease, having a smear, and blood sugar testing in diabetes. It's a novel approach to patient education in a primary care setting, and one that might appeal to that sector of the the population seemingly infatuated with YouTube. Explaining how to use a metered-dose inhaler and spacer without props during a 10 minute consultation is challenging, and video lessons may be a valid alternative to my standard "Ask the pharmacist to demonstrate for you". There's only so much you can convey in printed leaflets, and moving pictures can convey much more detail in a very short time. Inhaler technique (Builth and Llanwrtyd Medical Practice) The practice also offers iPod-friendly QuickTime and Windows Media versions for download.

Great New Zealand music on YouTube

Bruce — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 01:58:42 +0000

From bioneural.net:

I haven't paid much attention to YouTube—until now. There was a song on the vid screens at the gym by a New Zealand artist I'd not come across, and a Google search led me to the video on YouTube. I decided to see what else was there. Some of the videos available are for songs I currently love (q.v. Bic Runga) but never got to see the video for until now (maybe they weren't on UK TV). But there are also old favourites to remember and new discoveries to appreciate. Here are a few personal highlights from the past 3 decades: enjoy! Pokarekare Ana by Hayley Westenra Poi E by Patea Maori Club (Glad I'm) Not A Kennedy by Shona Laing Deciphering Me by Brooke Fraser Walkie Talkie Man by Steriogram Computer Games by Mi-Sex Distant Sun by Crowded House Don't Front On Me by Deceptikonz I Got You by Split Enz Listening For The Weather by Bic Runga Sway by Bic Runga Tip: YouTube Downloader provides a cross-platform way to save the videos to your hard drive (if like me you need to overcome a pathetic Xtra broadband connection that is incapable of streaming). You can watch these .flv files on your Mac or PC using VLC. The quality of the videos isn't that good, and often the audio and video are out-of-sync. But when you're done viewing, you can buy some of these tracks via the recently-opened iTunes Music Store (NZ).

Getting local news while abroad

Bruce — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 04:52:27 +0000

From bioneural.net:

If you're abroad and want to keep a finger on the pulse of life at home, what are your options? You might sign up for satellite TV, buy an over-priced newspaper, or read online. But sound and moving pictures somehow make you feel more "connected". Streaming audiovisual content may be the answer. Local radio Peak FM is our local radio station in the UK. I used to catch the news bulletin as I drove to work, and often at lunchtime as I did my house calls. Although the traffic information isn't much use to me 12,000 miles away in New Zealand, it was nice to hear what was going on in the neighbourhood. Unfortunately, however, despite the station allowing folk to "listen live" over the net, I am barred from doing so with a New Zealand IP address: No way around that one. At least Simone can still listen to Hit Radio FFH. BBC television In the case of BBC News video content the restriction is partial—you can get narrowband content. Here is the narrowband player (actual size): To get the broadband stream outside of the UK we are asked to pay $40 per year, but despite there being an Intel-native Real Player for Mac, the sign-up page says: This service has not been designed for use on a Macintosh. Then I recalled writing about the BBC testing health-news video podcasts, noting that Ben Metcalfe had created an unofficial feed list that links directly to the streaming media. Interesting, I can subscribe to the broadband feeds despite my ...

Wellington webcams

Bruce — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 19:41:10 +0000

From bioneural.net:

The webcam has been around since 1991, finding gainful employment in a variety of tasks from video-conferencing to traffic monitoring. Many webcams with a "monitoring" function don't stream live video, but instead upload a static image to a web page that changes after a set period (seconds or minutes). So if you're curious to see what the weather's like in Wellington, how busy the roads are, or what the crowds are like in Courtenay Place on a Friday night, here's your chance. Wellington Harbour (overlooking Petone, towards Mt Victoria); WatchNET Webcams (traffic monitoring, including Courtenay Place); Wellington Harbourcam (sea conditions around the harbour mouth); Wellington Views North Cam (overlooking CBD towards Hutt Valley). Likewise, we can keep an eye on our European haunts in the Peak District and Frankfurt.

Angkor Wat in three minutes

Bruce — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 13:40:46 +0000

From bioneural.net:

Following our visit to Bangkok in February 2006 we carried on to Cambodia, primarily to visit the 12th century temple of Angkor Wat. I kept a journal on my lean, mean, messaging machine but unfortunately accidentally deleted it. Bugger! At least we still have the photos and some video, three minutes of which I'll share with you here. Requires QuickTime Angkor Wat, Cambodia (6.7 MB H.264-encoded movie)

Anamorphic DVD playback revisited

Bruce — Sun, 26 Mar 2006 09:58:42 +0000

From bioneural.net:

I previously blogged a solution to playing anamorphic DVD recordings under Mac OS X using VLC. VLC is not yet a Universal Binary and seems unstable on my Intel-based Mac, which is also capable of reading the DVD+RW disks that my Philips DVD Recorder uses. On my previous (DVD "minus" only) Mac, getting .VOB (MPEG-2) video of such disks was complicated and involved using a PC (shudder!). Thankfully there is a way to watch recorded anamorphic TV broadcasts on the Mac in the correct aspect ratio using none other than the DVD Player software included with Tiger. BBC documentaries involving David Attenborough typically look stunning on our 32" widescreen telly. Worth recording to watch again. The DVD recorder records anamorphic video: in a 4:3 frame it looks horizontally squeezed, but in a 16:9 frame it expands to create a properly-proportioned widescreen picture. Except, alas, if viewed using Apple's DVD Player. The picture does not expand horizontally to playback in a widescreen aspect ratio; I really don't know why (commercial DVDs do) but presume my home-made disks are not delivering the correct aspect ratio data to DVD Player. The option took some discovering, but it is possible to override the default behaviour in DVD player. The control we're interested in lives under Window > Video Zoom. In Normal mode aspect ratio is locked and square elements (such as the BBC logo boxes) appear squished: Activating the Zoom control and unlocking aspect ratio preservation allows adjustment to taste. I used a digital screen ruler (XScope) ...