Part patama and part serious primer, I will guide you this time on how to put your own DVD's to iPod. Be it the last generation iPod video, the new iPod classic or the video-capable second-generation Nano (or maybe another brand like Creative, etc.), the process is all the same. And it's all done in just 5 steps. Why did I bother doing this? Partly because I've nothing to do since the Wii adaptor exploded and partly because I've seen different CD compilations containing popular movies compressed in a format supported by Digital Media Players (DMPs) that are not worth their cost (because you can do it for FREE) unless you don't have a connection to the internet. Now, let's get started.Step 1
Download Handbrake from this URL (I think you better choose the operating system that has GUI written alongside the OS name). Please take note that if you don't have a very fast connection, this'll take a while, so you better have a download manager ready. Oh, and don't worry, Handbrake is for all popular operating systems (including Linux).
CAPTION: HandBrake is free and compact at only 3.88MB for Windows and 5.5MB for Mac)
Step 2
After standard procedure (which means installing HandBrake after downloading and opening said software), insert your DVD and click the Source button. A directory will appear and you
should choose the VIDEO_TS folder in the DVD path letter (e.g. D:/; for Windows) or the DVD's button on the sidebar (for Mac) and just press Open (and not double-click the said
folder) so that HandBrake will read all titles. In Mac, it usually picks the longest one erasing one extra step in the process*. But as for Windows...
CAPTION: My DVD has shown in the desktop. Now you have to browse it in HandBrake and select the longest title.
Step 3*
Click the drop-down menu that is found alongside "Title:" and click the Title number with the longest duration which HandBrake will conveniently display beside it.
Step 4
You can ignore the extra options (because it is set to convert to MP4 format by default) and press Start (found above) so you can
wait and go out for a walk or something because depending on your computer's configuration, it may take a while... (For Windows users: Don't be afraid when a Command Prompt window suddenly pops out. It's part of the process...)
CAPTION: Hmmm... Two hours and thirty-seven minutes isn't much of an enticing offer (to just stare and wait). Don't play games or do other processor intensive stuff. Making a new blog post is a perfectly sensible diversion, though.
Step 5
After that long and tedious process, you can finally sync that newly made .mp4 file of your movie to iTunes (after dragging and dropping it to the program) and move it to your iPod (of course after connecting it to your computer, dummy!)
CAPTION: The movie is finally in iTunes! Now you can connect the iPod to sync.
*If the DVD you have is a TV series, you'll have to encode the titles that have probably 20 or 40 minute duration times (depending on what series). You can let the program queue the tasks up after choosing a title by click Add to Queue.
**The DVD's I've used aren't original but pirated ones. I haven't tested on whether it will work but if it doesn't, you can use DVD Decrypter for Windows, as for Mac, I don't really know yet...
Converting any Quicktime supported media file to iPod in iTunes
Not many people have actually discovered this but Apple has
built-in the feature of being able to convert movies (supported by Quicktime) in just 5 clicks (given that you've imported the desired movie to your library).
built-in the feature of being able to convert movies (supported by Quicktime) in just 5 clicks (given that you've imported the desired movie to your library).Double-click iTunes in your desktop to open (on Windows or just press the iTunes icon on the dock for Mac). When it is open, click Movies in the LIBRARY sidebar, right-click the desired movie (to be converted) and click the option to Convert selection for iPod. It may take a long while for the movie to convert, given that the average file size will be at least 1.09GB for a high quality iPod movie. You can sync it to your video-capable iPod aferwards.
Be afraid... be very afraid...
Want to watch something real spooky this Halloween (bukas na...) or just something to remind you of Fleur (FYI if you haven't a clue, her birthday's Halloween...)? Rotten Tomatoes has compiled yet another countdown of horror movies that include some as modern as Slither, 28 Days Later or The Sixth Sense and a few classics like Dracula or The Bride of Frankenstein. Other movies in this list include Polanski and Hitchcock... To see if your favorite horror movie is in the list, click here.
All social networking or/and blogging sites in one...
No, it's not another web service that is fast rising in popularity, heck I'm already lost in that
sea. But if you have accounts in all (or just a few) of the myriads of social/community and blogging services out there, you're sure to find functionality in the popular Firefox-derivative Flock. Heck, it might even be better than Firefox! If you want to blog almost anything, upload photos (to popular photo services like PhotoBucket or Piczo), put more bookmarks instantly in your del.i.cious or digg profiles or just fool around in YouTube simultaneously if you want, this is the browser for you. Be warned that this is still a beta and is not as stable as it should be once an official release version is out. Then again, reviews rave about its functionality which betters Firefox, hopefully home users will agree... For more information, visit http://flock.com. To download the beta now, click here.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Final Cut Pro 5.1
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Final Cut Pro 5.1
Being a professional level video editor, Final Cut Pro has captured the hearts of mainstream and independent digital film editors and has produced stuff like 300, Napoleon Dynamite, Zodiac, Letter From Iwo Jima and Cold Mountain (which won an Oscar for best editing). Though there is a more advanced Version 6 included in the newer Final Cut Studio 2, it's veeery expensive, even in pirated format (P6000?!) but the price is actually justified by the wealth the applications inside offer like Color (which offers professional color grading without the million dollar shedding), Motion (for special 3D effects), Soundtrack Pro (an amped up GarageBand) and a few more... But now I'm only going to focus on Final Cut 6's predecessor, Version 5.1.4. It features a standard professional editor interface so that pro's feel right at home (think Adobe Premiere) and loads quite fast on a MacBook. People who edit videos for fun will get alienated by the interface though... I haven't actually tried it out for video editing purposes since I can't think of a project but the wealth of options it offers is something no other suite can beat.
CAPTION: Will the PC get its own Final Cut? Hell no!
CAPTION: The possibilities are simply endless with Final Cut. This video demonstrates them...
Oh god, the blue screen of death returns!
'Twas once a feature Windows and Mac users alike love to hate and poke Microsoft about because whenever an error occurs, a blue screen appears, thus christening it that way. Sad to say that Apple must've copied this too as people have been complaining about the said screens during the Leopard upgrade process. Most think that it's some kind of third-party display software or something... Apple thinks the same too. But for me, there might be something else to it. It's strange that the Mac's of the recent reviewers didn't mention any of these... Guess we'll have to wait 'till a few bugs are fixed...
Britney's Blackout
Hmmm... it seems that 'Gimme More' has actually grown on me and it seems that Britney is going the right direction this time around. What a relief to hear something else Britney than dropped panties and lost custody. (I can't belive I'm saying this either...)
RECORD STORE WATCH: Oh, look! (insert artist/album names) are finally here!
Since the many artists that I've been waiting for (to get a Philippine release of their respective CD's) have finally arrived, I'm quite happy to indulge myself in some new music. Here are the ones I'm talking about:
Paramore - Their 2 albums All We Know Is Falling and Riot! is finally placed somewhere I can see because in reality, the first one has already been selling in Philippine shores since its release. Then again, I don't know why they placed it (All We Know...) in the New Releases section... Hmmm... At least they get some exposure now!
Carrie Underwood's Carnival Ride - Carrie doesn't get the accursed sophomore slump as she tells stories in the name of country pop. Credited for co-writing four of the songs, Carnival Ride is an improvement over her first album from start to finish. It has been widely lauded by critics and people alike, though I have to admit that she still sounds more pop than country. What's surprising is that it's arrived quickly in the Philippines!
Kanye West's Graduation - I'm not much of a rap fan, but I like the songs in Kanye West's new album in which the number one hit is Stronger. Take that, Curtis! I didn't buy the album, though...
GAMING: Smashing out the level editor
As if Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii is not fun enough, Nintendo just announced the presence of yet another new feature- the level editor. It can be submitted to other people or simply saved in the Wii memory or SD card. Plus, you too can also download a level if you don't like creating, but it'll only last a day in your system. After that, it'll be erased ("It's just like a 'Flavor of the Day'", says Nintendo). In my opinion, it may be because of the Wii's limited storage. Then again, isn't that what the SD slot is for?!
ANALYSIS: Why people still buy a PS3 (at least at Greenhills...)
Everyone knows that when it comes to hardware, software or technology in general, Greenhills is the place to be. But even there is the PS3 expensive, so why am I seeing more PS3's being brought in and out of the store than all the others?
Brand Trust
It has been repeatedly proven (especially in Apple's favor in terms of the ubiquitous iPod) that people will buy something from a brand they trust no matter what the cost. Well, Nintendo didn't do very nicely with its GameCube despite its Grade-A titles and the XBox simply wasn't popular despite the brand Microsoft. Heck, XBox exclusives tend to become PC ports as well, that's why it doesn't sell as much. A Gears of War (for PC) with added content doesn't even help the system at all.
Future Titles
It may help to say that future titles such as the two new Final Fantasy games XIII and Versus XIII as well as the climactic stealth action game Metal Gear Solid 4 will help Sony gain ground. I guess the people believe that this flop might turn out to be the winner because of these titles. But if you consider the next year, Sony's rival companies would have had presented even bigger offerings like Super Smash Bros. or Kane and Lynch: Dead Men. So if you do the math, those titles will not be enough to give the system enough oomph for people to buy them. Well, maybe there will be a rise, but the fall will be quick, especially since these titles aren't going to be released in definite dates as of yet.
Filipinos like to be classy or at least look it
More of the Filipino demographic prefer flash over substance as can be seen with more moving units in the specific area I shop for games in. Then again, the PS3 looks sophisticated and has a shinier finish than the lot of them. Plus, being able to play Blu-ray will be an added plus because when people see the 1,600 peso price tag, they will just be in awe and say that you're classy and rich when in reality, you are dying indebted to many people... But in a stereotypical view of the Filipino, people commenting about them in this manner will make them feel good about themselves.
Another victory for the Blu-ray camp
I'm a fan of Blu-ray admittedly and it seems that Filipinos who hang on to their PS3's and HDTV's (or standard TV's that connect to the PS3's via separate composite cables designed for the system) will do the same to the new Blu-ray format which the PS3 supports... especially when the SpiderMan 3 Blu-ray discs get bundled with the 40GB version that costs as much as an iPhone. Or maybe they just use it to upscale DVD's to High Definition?
What Nintendo should do
Nintendo should set up a dedicated store to promote its system further. They can demonstrate games for the public to play and put booths that display Big Brain Academy, Metroid Prime and Wii Sports side-by-side to satisfy most people. Plus, they should also lower the price of the spare remotes. The current cost makes one feel as if it's not worth it because it's simply too expensive... especially for what is perceived to be a simple remote. If that sounds too ambitious, they should at least deliberate with resellers to promote it by paying them the truckload of money they currently have (they're Japan's third most valuable company for Pete's sake!). Then again, if Filipinos see something as amazing as this, those who prefer to buy original versions of games will be disappointed since it is more limited, ironically, than that of the collection present in the pirated games. Plus, if Nintendo uses its lofty reputation as a handheld maker (GameBoy has become interchangeable with handheld), it can also increase the sales of the Wii.
What Microsoft should do
They have tons of resellers and an Ayala office in the Philippines. So what they should do is to at least hire or train some staff to let them know that Windows is not the only product they have. If they want to get more sales out of the 360, they should be more aggressive with the advertising of XBox for it to gain a bigger userbase here as they did with Vista in February. You already have pirated versions of supported games, now you just have to give people a reason to buy your equally powerful system especially since PlayStation is now associated and interchanged with home console! (In short, add more RPG's since more players prefer this genre.)
CAPTION: Will the PC get its own Final Cut? Hell no!CAPTION: The possibilities are simply endless with Final Cut. This video demonstrates them...
Oh god, the blue screen of death returns!
'Twas once a feature Windows and Mac users alike love to hate and poke Microsoft about because whenever an error occurs, a blue screen appears, thus christening it that way. Sad to say that Apple must've copied this too as people have been complaining about the said screens during the Leopard upgrade process. Most think that it's some kind of third-party display software or something... Apple thinks the same too. But for me, there might be something else to it. It's strange that the Mac's of the recent reviewers didn't mention any of these... Guess we'll have to wait 'till a few bugs are fixed...
Britney's Blackout
Hmmm... it seems that 'Gimme More' has actually grown on me and it seems that Britney is going the right direction this time around. What a relief to hear something else Britney than dropped panties and lost custody. (I can't belive I'm saying this either...)
RECORD STORE WATCH: Oh, look! (insert artist/album names) are finally here!
Since the many artists that I've been waiting for (to get a Philippine release of their respective CD's) have finally arrived, I'm quite happy to indulge myself in some new music. Here are the ones I'm talking about:
Paramore - Their 2 albums All We Know Is Falling and Riot! is finally placed somewhere I can see because in reality, the first one has already been selling in Philippine shores since its release. Then again, I don't know why they placed it (All We Know...) in the New Releases section... Hmmm... At least they get some exposure now!
Carrie Underwood's Carnival Ride - Carrie doesn't get the accursed sophomore slump as she tells stories in the name of country pop. Credited for co-writing four of the songs, Carnival Ride is an improvement over her first album from start to finish. It has been widely lauded by critics and people alike, though I have to admit that she still sounds more pop than country. What's surprising is that it's arrived quickly in the Philippines!
Kanye West's Graduation - I'm not much of a rap fan, but I like the songs in Kanye West's new album in which the number one hit is Stronger. Take that, Curtis! I didn't buy the album, though...
GAMING: Smashing out the level editor
As if Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii is not fun enough, Nintendo just announced the presence of yet another new feature- the level editor. It can be submitted to other people or simply saved in the Wii memory or SD card. Plus, you too can also download a level if you don't like creating, but it'll only last a day in your system. After that, it'll be erased ("It's just like a 'Flavor of the Day'", says Nintendo). In my opinion, it may be because of the Wii's limited storage. Then again, isn't that what the SD slot is for?!
ANALYSIS: Why people still buy a PS3 (at least at Greenhills...)
Everyone knows that when it comes to hardware, software or technology in general, Greenhills is the place to be. But even there is the PS3 expensive, so why am I seeing more PS3's being brought in and out of the store than all the others?
Brand Trust
It has been repeatedly proven (especially in Apple's favor in terms of the ubiquitous iPod) that people will buy something from a brand they trust no matter what the cost. Well, Nintendo didn't do very nicely with its GameCube despite its Grade-A titles and the XBox simply wasn't popular despite the brand Microsoft. Heck, XBox exclusives tend to become PC ports as well, that's why it doesn't sell as much. A Gears of War (for PC) with added content doesn't even help the system at all.
Future Titles
It may help to say that future titles such as the two new Final Fantasy games XIII and Versus XIII as well as the climactic stealth action game Metal Gear Solid 4 will help Sony gain ground. I guess the people believe that this flop might turn out to be the winner because of these titles. But if you consider the next year, Sony's rival companies would have had presented even bigger offerings like Super Smash Bros. or Kane and Lynch: Dead Men. So if you do the math, those titles will not be enough to give the system enough oomph for people to buy them. Well, maybe there will be a rise, but the fall will be quick, especially since these titles aren't going to be released in definite dates as of yet.
Filipinos like to be classy or at least look it
More of the Filipino demographic prefer flash over substance as can be seen with more moving units in the specific area I shop for games in. Then again, the PS3 looks sophisticated and has a shinier finish than the lot of them. Plus, being able to play Blu-ray will be an added plus because when people see the 1,600 peso price tag, they will just be in awe and say that you're classy and rich when in reality, you are dying indebted to many people... But in a stereotypical view of the Filipino, people commenting about them in this manner will make them feel good about themselves.
Another victory for the Blu-ray camp
I'm a fan of Blu-ray admittedly and it seems that Filipinos who hang on to their PS3's and HDTV's (or standard TV's that connect to the PS3's via separate composite cables designed for the system) will do the same to the new Blu-ray format which the PS3 supports... especially when the SpiderMan 3 Blu-ray discs get bundled with the 40GB version that costs as much as an iPhone. Or maybe they just use it to upscale DVD's to High Definition?
What Nintendo should do
Nintendo should set up a dedicated store to promote its system further. They can demonstrate games for the public to play and put booths that display Big Brain Academy, Metroid Prime and Wii Sports side-by-side to satisfy most people. Plus, they should also lower the price of the spare remotes. The current cost makes one feel as if it's not worth it because it's simply too expensive... especially for what is perceived to be a simple remote. If that sounds too ambitious, they should at least deliberate with resellers to promote it by paying them the truckload of money they currently have (they're Japan's third most valuable company for Pete's sake!). Then again, if Filipinos see something as amazing as this, those who prefer to buy original versions of games will be disappointed since it is more limited, ironically, than that of the collection present in the pirated games. Plus, if Nintendo uses its lofty reputation as a handheld maker (GameBoy has become interchangeable with handheld), it can also increase the sales of the Wii.
What Microsoft should do
They have tons of resellers and an Ayala office in the Philippines. So what they should do is to at least hire or train some staff to let them know that Windows is not the only product they have. If they want to get more sales out of the 360, they should be more aggressive with the advertising of XBox for it to gain a bigger userbase here as they did with Vista in February. You already have pirated versions of supported games, now you just have to give people a reason to buy your equally powerful system especially since PlayStation is now associated and interchanged with home console! (In short, add more RPG's since more players prefer this genre.)
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