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:
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Free Windows emulator for Intel-based Mac
Now why would I want such a thing given that there already is Boot Camp? Very simple: I might be using OS X as my primary environment but occasionally have to try out things using specific Windows software. For example, I might want to check whether the XHTML and JavaScript code in the presentation tier of a web application work in Internet Explorer without shutting down and rebooting back-and-forth between OS X and Windows all the time.
So how do I do this for free (the emulation part, that is, because Windows itself is not free)? Even our MSDN Academic Alliance site license doesn't help in this case because Virtual PC does not work on Intel-based Macs. Luckily, I stumbled across this list of emulators, which includes a reference to Q, a Cocoa port of the open-source emulator QEMU. Q supports multiple guest PCs and takes advantage of OS X's advanced technical capabilities.
Even though Q is still in alpha status, it is well-documented and includes a detailed tutorial for installing Windows XP SP2. I had no trouble performing this installation and running IE. Keyboard focus can be a bit quirky: it seems to think that a modifier key is stuck. If this problem doesn't go away by minimizing and restoring IE, it sending Ctrl-Alt-Del to the guest PC and invoking the task manager's "run command" menu item without actually running anything seems to take care of it.
In summary, Q gets this particular job done for me, and I think it is emerging as a serious competitor to the commercial emulators.
So how do I do this for free (the emulation part, that is, because Windows itself is not free)? Even our MSDN Academic Alliance site license doesn't help in this case because Virtual PC does not work on Intel-based Macs. Luckily, I stumbled across this list of emulators, which includes a reference to Q, a Cocoa port of the open-source emulator QEMU. Q supports multiple guest PCs and takes advantage of OS X's advanced technical capabilities.
Even though Q is still in alpha status, it is well-documented and includes a detailed tutorial for installing Windows XP SP2. I had no trouble performing this installation and running IE. Keyboard focus can be a bit quirky: it seems to think that a modifier key is stuck. If this problem doesn't go away by minimizing and restoring IE, it sending Ctrl-Alt-Del to the guest PC and invoking the task manager's "run command" menu item without actually running anything seems to take care of it.
In summary, Q gets this particular job done for me, and I think it is emerging as a serious competitor to the commercial emulators.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Intel-based Mac: the perfect machine
I am happy to report that my Windows XP SP2 installation with Boot Camp was uneventful. I am using a 32GB FAT partition for easy file sharing between the two operating systems. Overall, the machine feels like a fast native Windows box, as it should. Now I can return the departmental Uninspiron loaner without having touched it.
I performed this Windows installation specifically to use the VIA3 secure collaboration tool, which requires Windows 2000 or XP.
http://www.viack.com/product/specs/requirements.asp
The tool worked without problems using ordinary headphones, the built-in microphone (there is no external mic jack), and a Logitech QuickCam for Notebooks (USB).
However, the tool did not work with the built-in iSight camera.
In addition, the ability to run Windows will come in very handy for
I performed this Windows installation specifically to use the VIA3 secure collaboration tool, which requires Windows 2000 or XP.
http://www.viack.com/product
The tool worked without problems using ordinary headphones, the built-in microphone (there is no external mic jack), and a Logitech QuickCam for Notebooks (USB).
However, the tool did not work with the built-in iSight camera.
In addition, the ability to run Windows will come in very handy for
- mobile application development
- web service development using Microsoft's free tools
Thursday, February 22, 2007
OS X software essentials
The purpose of this list is to help me remember what to reinstall after a disk crash (a frequent occurrence on my 2002 PowerBook Titanium). As a side effect, I am hoping that other OS X users find it to be a useful starting point for choosing the software they need.
Although the list focuses on open-source or otherwise free software, payware is included in exceptional cases.
The following categories lead to the corresponding sections of my del.icio.us bookmarks.Sunday, January 28, 2007
Restaurants in Buenos Aires
Guía Oleo is a very useful guide to restaurants in Buenos Aires based on user-submitted ratings. The guide ranks restaurants in several categories and has a powerful search function.
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