mvpmc is a media player running on the Hauppauge MediaMVP. Besides serving as a MythTV front end, it allows me to access multimedia content stored on a file server and show it on a conventional TV set.
Increasingly, TV content is archived in MPEG-4 format (example). Using ffmpeg, it can be converted to a DVD-like format suitable for viewing with mvmpc as follows:
ffmpeg -i xyz.mp4 -target ntsc-dvd -s 320x240 -acodec mp2 -ab 160k xyz.vob
Unfortunately, this conversion causes the file size to increase six-fold. Any suggestions to minimize the file size without introducing playback problems are welcome.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Gift Ideas for Friends in Europe
If you live in the US or Canada and have friends or family abroad who lead an active lifestyle, you may consider taking some of these items as gifts (conveniently available at the nearby Target):
- Gatorade powder
- CLIF bars (for example, in Germany, you can get only the much less tasty Power Bars for an even less tasty price)
- sweatproof sunblock (they only have the waterproof kind)
Propane Exchange Pricing in the Chicago Area
Last night, I went to Home Depot in Evanston for a quick propane exchange. Out of curiosity, I called a few other places this morning to get their prices. Here is a summary (all prices in US$, not including about 10% sales tax):
- Clark Devon Hardware:
- CVS:
- Home Depot:
- Lowe's:
- Menards: 17.82
- 7-11:
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