Juno Digital Copy is Blogtastic!
April 19, 2008 | 2 Comments
One of the things announced at MacWorld that excited me was Fox’s digital copy. Applications like Handbrake and Mac the Ripper have enabled people to copy DVDs to their hard drives for years. The argument for this process has always been fair use. However RIAA and the MPAA would beg to differ and have you spend money on a DVD and a digital version from a vendor like iTunes. With Fox’s announcement it became very easy and unquestionably legal to copy Fox’s movies to your hard drive. I’ve been itching to try it out since January and finally there was a Fox release that interested me enough to give it a whirl.
Once I put the disc into my computer I was greeted with a simple menu with one icon reading “Double-click to transfer movie to iTunes.” So, I double-clicked. (Note there is a little more involved process for Windows. I don’t know what it is, but I’ll call it the Windows Penalty.) After double-clicking iTunes opened and read the dick and pulled up the code entry page. I typed in the code, as found in the DVD case, and iTunes communicated with some distant server and agreed that it was OK for me to have the digital copy. After that it was on like donkey kong.
I was presented with this “Thank You” screen. It’s a very similar screen to the one shown when you purchase a movie from iTunes. I thought it odd it said my movie was now downloading considering it was really just being copied from the DVD. Note the recommendations in the image. Their all great movies, except for Kissing Jessica Stein which I’ve never heard of.
It took about four minutes to transfer the roughly 1 GB file from the DVD. Again, interestingly enough, while it was transferring the movie was considered a ‘download’ by iTunes. Once fully transfered, Juno appeared in the ‘Movies’ tab of iTunes, as well as the ‘New Stuff’ playlist.
At native size the quality of the picture is quite impressive. It was solid at full screen on the 24″ iMac, though the DVD version would be preferable if watching on a screen that large. On both the iPhone and a 5.5 gen iPod the picture is clear. Pictures of all the different versions are included below for your viewing pleasure.
Overall the process was extremely easy and produced some pretty quality results. The Digital Copy version of Juno was $2 more than the Standard Edition, but it also came with swanky Dancing Elk High School t-shirt. It’d be nice if more studios got on board with the Digital Copy and finally put the fair use debate to rest.
Native Resolution
Sliming Down the Newsreader
April 11, 2008 | 0 Comments
In the ongoing attempt to encourage more creativity in my life I took a few minutes to slim down NetNewsWire yesterday. Dropping the subscription count from an impossible to keep up with 73 feeds down to a very manageable 33 has actually given me a chance to read the stuff in them. Imagine that? Reading more witty writing will encourage me to write more of my own thus circulating those creative juices.
The 33 feeds that I remain subscribed to are an eclectic mix of news, sports, Apple related, and entertainment sites plus a few personal blogs to keep things spicy. A few of my favorite feeds come are:
- Daring Fireball, John Gruber’s slim-lined Apple and related technology blog
- Life Hacker, which has all kinds of tips on how to, well, hack your life
- TED Talks, which is filled with inspiring people talking about inspiring things
While reading through the feeds earlier this evening I stumbled across Macenstein’s latest “Celebrity Mac Chick” sighting which featured High School Musical star, Vanessa Hudgens using an iPhone. While she may be a big (if you can call the Disney Channel big) movie star, I’m pretty sure that Steve Jobs did not intend for people to use an iPhone while holding a teddy bear. There’s something just not quite right about the whole thing.
Happy Friday
Indie Developers Surprise Me
April 3, 2008 | 0 Comments
It’s going on two years since I made the switch from PC to Mac and I haven’t looked back since. I still use Windows on occasion at work, since our database software is unfortunately Windows-only, though on the whole I’ve made the move full tilt. Over the last two years I’ve also made a switch from traditional, big name software developers to smaller, independent houses. Part of this switch is thanks to exposure given through MacHeist, but a big reason is that independent Mac software has a whole lot more to offer.
I started using indie software for specialized needs; things, like Delicious Library, that mainstream firms just didn’t make. Then, I’m not really sure when or how, I realized that small, independent firms had the potential to make quality products that could replace some of the software that I use everyday. I stopped using Dreamweaver in favor of Panic’s Coda. I started using independent software for a very large majority of my computing needs.
One thing about all software, big or small, is that something will eventually go wrong and you’ll have to contact support. With the big guys, your Adobe’s and whatnot, you’re lucky to find an email, let alone get a response. But what I’ve found is that when you email an independent developer, not only do you get a response, but it’s most likely from the guy who actually wrote the program. It makes sense when you think about it, but it never really crossed my mind.
Case in point, yesterday I started having problems with 1Password, a password filling tool that integrates with Safari and is basically something I can’t live without. I emailed the support link on the website and was told I’d get a response in a few days. This evening, Dave Teare, co-author of 1Password wrote me back with some suggestions and a request for more information.
Another example. When I bought MarsEdit, the wonderful blogging application that I write all of my posts in, there was a box on the payment form labeled comments; I’m sure you’ve seen it when purchasing things through PayPal before. Considering I had been using MarsEdit for the 30 day trial period, I wrote in the box that I loved the product. A few hours later I received an email from Daniel Jalkut, Red Sweater Software founder, thanking me for my comments and to say he was happy I enjoyed the application.
I’m sure not all independent developers are as hands on as these guys are, but it’s great to know that the guys who actually write the programs take the time to answer emails and help people out who are having issues with it. It’s for this reason that, when faced with a choice between a big name developer and a comparable independent, it’ll be hard to turn down the independent.
Rock on guys and keep doing what you do best.
Pimping my Time Machine
April 2, 2008 | 0 Comments
Back in October, upon the release of Apple’s OS X 10.5 Leopard, I started backing up my computer regularly for the first time in my life thanks to Apple’s Time Machine feature. Of course I was only backing up my iMac and figuring that since I sync my MacBook and iMac, the MacBook was being backed up through the iMac. Makes sense right? A few things have happened to change this view.
- Apple released the Time Capsule which made me realize that I should be backing up the MacBook. Laptops need loving too.
- The 120 GB external drive I used for my iMac’s Time Machine filled to capacity thanks to reimporting all of my CDs in Lossless format.
- Apple updated the AirPort Extreme firmware as well as the Time Machine software to allow backing up to AirPort Disks (external hard drives connected to AirPort Extreme base-stations).
So, a few hundred dollars and two boxes from NewEgg later, my hardcore backup system is now in place. It consists of a 750 GB Western Digital MyBook Studio hard drive connected to a Belkin USB hub which is connected to the AirPort Extreme. Oddly, Time Machine wouldn’t recognize the MyBook despite having the folder open in Finder. I don’t know why, but once I created a new folder on the MyBook drive Time Machine instantly acknowledged the drive and was ready to play nice.
Right now the iMac’s 99 GB initial backup is being beamed through the system to the MyBook where it will sit in case I ever need it. Once it’s done (it’s been going for a good couple hours) I’ll fire up the MacBook and do the same thing, which will probably continue all night long. Now, should something catastrophic happen, I should be good to go.
Why didn’t anyone tell me Front Row was awesome?
March 23, 2008 | 0 Comments
When I upgraded to Leopard awhile back I vaguely remember reading that Front Row, Apple’s “media center” type application, was updated to have an interface similar to that of the Apple TV. Well, I obviously paid no attention to it until yesterday when I was looking for something in the applications folder when I saw the redesigned icon. I figured I’d give it a whirl… wow! Ok, so if I knew Front Row was this cool I’d have been using it all along. Movie Trailers, in high quality HD (thanks to the Secrets preference panel), a very cool music player, photo slide shows, pretty much a great way to interact with just about every bit of media on my Mac. I’m going to go continue to play now. Happy Easter everyone!
