Tech Tips for OS X

This is a section where I cover some great software, how to use it, and how to get it.  Some will be Freeware, some shareware, some outright purchased software.  All of them will be useful, and may just be what you are looking for. 

I will base much of the content here on questions that I see most often in the forums listed on the right.  These forums are great places to ask questions, and get great knowledgeable mac users to help you figure out what you are trying to do.  

Always give the forums a search first for previously posted questions similar to your own, and google, yahoo, msn search too.   

I hope this is helpful to you, and drop me a line if you have a better method, answer, or way of doing something that I cover.  Also, if you have a question, comment, or just an "I like it" for me, please feel free!

Enjoy, 

Brian

Aug 14, 2007

Jing - Free Software for Screen Video Recording!

So, I have used iShowU for a while now, and it is well worth the money for a crisp clear video sreen recorder that allows you to voice over the instructions.

But, if you are in the market for a free screen recording software, then check out Jing!

This project is looking for people to download and use their software and give them feedback.  So if you have the How To that you've been dying to record and put out there for everyone, then give it a shot, share it, and send me an email about it.

Jing can be found Here

or here is the url:  http://www.jingproject.com

I have tried it for several simple tests, and it works very well.  I think you will be impressed as well.  It's easy, intuitive, and versatile. 

Best, 

Brian

JVC Everio How To

JVC Everio How To

After visiting a lot of the forums, I noticed that many people had issues, as did I in the beginning, getting the JVC Everio HDD Camcorder to work with OS X.

I've put together a comprehensive "how to" video using the isight camera, and video screen recording to tell and show just how to do it.

This is moved over from another page of mine at www.simplesurvivalmoves.com, so please enjoy, and use the contact form to ask questions, or leave feedback.

Brian

Use VLC to Make .MOD to .mp4 for iMovie editing

Use VLC to Make .MOD to .mp4 for iMovie editing

In this tutorial I show you how to use VLC Media Player for OS X (see Software Links at top) to convert the JVC Everio .MOD files into a .mp4 file that can be used in iMovie or Final Cut for editing.  

I have a tutorial that shows you how to use a piece of software called MPEGStreamclip to do this as well, but for those who would rather not spend the $20.00 on the Apple MPEG2 Quicktime Component required to use that software for the conversion, this may be a great alternative. 

I will spell out the steps that are shown in the video above. 

Here is a link to download the video as well.  For easier viewing in a larger window.

Steps are as follows:

1. Import the .MOD from your JVC Everio and change the .MOD extension to .mpg.

2. Acknowledge that you want to use .mpg.

3.  Drag the newly named .mpg file to VLC.

4.  Once it begins to play - should have audio and video - close the window it is playing in, but leave VLC open.

5.  In the top menu bar for VLC, go to:  File>>Streaming / Exporting Wizard

6. Dot next to 'Transcode / Save to file', click 'Next'

7.  Dot next to 'Existing Playlist Item', and select the Movie file in the list (make it blue), click 'Next'

8.  Check 'Transcode Video', then use the 'Codec' dropdown menu to select 'MPEG - 4 Video', and the 'Bitrate' Dropdown menu to select '2048'.  For better resolution of original go with higher bitrates, but it does make the final file larger.

9.  Check 'Transcode Audio', then use the 'Codec' Dropdown menu to select 'MPEG - 4 Audio', change the Kb/s to whatever number you like.  Higher number, better audio.  Click 'Next'.

10.  Dot next to 'MPEG - 4 / MP4', click 'Next'

11.  Click 'Choose' and provide a location and filename for the new MP4 file to be saved in and as., click 'Next'

12.  Double check all information, then if it is correct, click 'Finish'.

13. Follow the progress of the Transcoding in the VLC player window.

14.  When complete, play the file in Quicktime to test it.

Done.


TechTip 7-Using iWeb to Publish to your own URL

TechTip 7-Using iWeb to Publish to your own URL

I show you just how easy it is to upload your iWeb made webpage to your own internet service host so that you don't have to use .mac if you don't want too. 

I hope it helps, and enjoy.

Brian

Aug 14, 2007

How to use Handbrake and Mac The Ripper

How to use Handbrake and Mac The Ripper

On this video I discuss how to use Handbrake and Mac The Ripper to "Rip" (back-up) your DVD's in compressed format to you hard-drive.  Whether external or Internal.  

Check it out, and let me know if you have suggestions for improvement, better ways to do it, or just want to say that you like it, and it helped. 

Brian

Aug 11, 2007

Tech Tip 5 -Using the Activity Monitor Software

Tech Tip 5 -Using the Activity Monitor Software

This Tip is to help you new users, and maybe some of you veteran users, know what the Activity Monitor utility is, what it's good for, and to show you that it's nothing to be afraid of.  So watch the clip, give it a look, and know that power of understanding how your Mac works.

As always, if you have suggestions for improvement, or would like to just say Hi, then by all means, use the Contact Me area on the Home tab at the top of the page.

Enjoy, and best to you all, 

Brian

Aug 4, 2007

Tech Tip 4

Tech Tip 4

Tech Tip 4 Video about Burn, VLC Media Player, Cyber Duck, and ffmpegX

Today, I am posting a video to not only tell you about some cool little free applications, but to also give you a look at them in action.  

Alot of times, OS X has a great software solution built right in, but once in a while you find something that is just flat out useful, or so simple it's worth getting the little freeware app.  

Today I will cover 

VLC Media Player OS X

Burn

ffmpegX

Cyber Duck

These are some great little solutions, but only if you know why and what they are for.

Take a look and enjoy!

Aug 2, 2007

Get Front Row to see any drive or location.

In my previous post, I talked about how to get cue/bin files converted so that I could watch the movies as .mp4 files.  I use Front Row (a pretty face for Quicktime, iPhoto, DVD Player, and iTunes).  I watch them on my 42 inch LCD in my living room using my Macbook Pro.  

My external hard drives that hold my movies and TV series are connected through a USB2.0 hub to my iMac in my office.  So today I'm going to tell you how I set that up.  

It's actually pretty easy.  

First, whatever sized drive you are using, you need to have it formatted in something that OS X can read,  so I just used HFS+ Mac OS Journaled.  It is the easiest for OS X to read. 

Next, Give the drive a name that's easy for you to know what's on it.  So I have one for Movies, one for TV Shows, and one for SciFi Shows, and they are named accordingly.  

Movies

TV Shows

SciFi Series

Once those are connected to your desired Mac, open Movies, and create a folder structure that will be easy for you to find what you want.  I currently have about 175 - 200 movies backed up on my Movies drive.  The issue is that For every movie file, front row will try to start it playing in the preview window.  This takes time over the network drive on a G-wireless signal.  So, I put the movie files into categories and then alphabetical folders to make getting to them quicker and easier.

So, I have my drive

Movies

then the folders within the drive:

Action

Adventure

Comedy

Drama

Suspense

Thriller

Within each of those, I have a folder for alphabetized sections.

A - E

F - J

K - O

P - T

U - Z

So it's like this


Movies

  Action

    A - E

    F - J

    K - O

    P - T

    U - Z

  Adventure

    A - E

    F - J

    K - O

    P - T

    U - Z

  Comedy

    and so on....


Now when that is done, start putting your movies or TV Shows into place. 

Then, do the following to make them viewable in Front Row.

From the Desktop, right click (ctrl - click) on the Drive you want, when the menu pops up, left-click on 'Make Alias'.

This will make a shortcut to the drive on the desktop.  

Now move that shortcut (click and drag it) to the 'Movies' folder in your Home area on your mac.

To do this, click anywhere on the desktop, then in the menu bar at the top click 'Go', then 'Home'.

Now in the left pane of the window that comes up, you will see 'Movies', just drag and drop that shortcut to there.  

Now, activate front row, then do

Videos>>Movies>> and you should see your new drive or folder listed here.  

NOTE:  Even if you are creating a TV Shows drive, they will be in the Movies area under Videos in front row.  To make them show up in the TV Shows area, takes a little more work, which I will cover in the future.

Enjoy!

Brian

Jul 31, 2007

Get Front Row to See Any Drive or Location - Part II

In my last tip, I told you how to get a drive directly connected to a USB or Firewire port or hub to show up in front row, and gave you a good start at getting your movies, tv shows, etc. organized in a way that makes it easier to sort through them.  

Today I cover how to do this with a network drive.  As I said before, my drives are physically connected to my iMac in my office.  I use my Macbook Pro in my living room connected to my LCD TV to watch most of my TV Shows and Movies though.  How do I do it?

So, I first assume that you have a wireless network up and running in your home.  I would suggest an N network with N wireless cards in all computers involved if possible.   If not, then at the very least you will need all G connections. 

Now, on the Mac that the drives are physically connected to (via USB2.0 or Firewire), you should do the following:

Open 'System Preferences'>>'Sharing' and note the Computer Name, this is the name that will show up on your remote computer when you are ready to connect.  Also, under the 'Services' tab, you should put a check in the box under 'On' next to the item that says 'Personal File Sharing'.

This allows your computer to sharer the files in it, on it, and connected to it.

Now close 'System Preferences'.

Go to the remote computer (the one in the other room connected to your viewing device of choice) and turn it on.  Make sure that it is connected to your wireless network, preferably with a decent signal.  

Click anywhere on the open desktop, and in the Top Menu Bar, it should say 'Finder', now Click on 'Go' in the top menu bar, and then Click on 'Network'.

When this window opens you will see a list of potential networks and network locations that you can connect to.  After a second, if it's not already up, the computer of the name you took note of above should appear.  Double click it, then click the 'connect' button.  You will need to login to it using the same username and password that you use when you login into it on boot up.  

Once you log in, it will display a list of the drives that you can access.  Pick the ones with Movies and TV Shows, or whatever you named yours, then click 'OK'.

You should now see these two Network Drives appear on your Desktop.  

We're almost there...

Now, right click (ctrl+click) on one of them, then in the menu that pops up, left click on 'Make Alias'.

Repeat this for the other drive.

Highlight the two Alias drives you just made, and move (click and drag) them to the Movies folder under your Home directory.  

Now Activate Front Row, and you should see these drives under Videos/Movies.

NOTE: Because these are network drives, and front row tries to catalogue them, it may take a little time for them to load depending on how large your collection is.

Enjoy, 

Brian

Jul 31, 2007

Tech Tip 1 - Dealing with cue/bin Video Files on OS X

So, I searched all over the net for answers to how to get an old video that I had made in Cue/Bin format - when I was a windows user, into an mp4 format to go into my regular movies collection.

I have a 500 GB hard drive that I connect to my Mac and store all of my movies on.  I convert them all to .mp4 because then when using Front Row it moves more quickly through them.  

At any rate, I wanted to get these old svcd files back onto my hard drive in .mp4.

I looked at all the suggestions of using Toast to mount them, I tried using Burn, I tried Visual Hub to convert, and ffmpegX...neither of which worked. 

Then I read a post that said VLC media player will play cue/bin files.  BOOM! I had it.  So I opened the first .bin file in VLC, allowed playback to start, then stopped it.  I then did the following to covert it into .mp4.

'File'>>'Streaming/Export Wizard'

When that window opens select

'Transcode/Save to file' 

Click 'Next'

I then selected     'Existing Playlist Item'

'Next'

Under Video, check 'Transcode Video', and  select the type of encoding you want - so for me I chose

'MPEG-4 Video'

'1024' 

Under Audio, check 'Transcode Audio', and select the type of encoding you want - for me I chose

'MPEG 4 Audio'

'192'

click 'Next'

You should see several choices now for the Encapsulation format, choose the one that best fits what you want....I chose

'MPEG 4 / MP4'

click 'Next'

Now click the 'Choose' button and select a location to save to, and give the new file a name without the extension.

click 'Next'

It will show you all of your choices for the conversion, if all looks good, click 'Finish'

Now it should convert your movie into .mp4 for you.  Get a cup of coffee...and Voila!

I hope this helps.  If there is software out there that does this automatically, let me know.  I tried a lot of stuff, and this was the easiest thing for me.  

Best, 

Brian

Jul 31, 2007

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