labDV newsletter
SPECIAL STUDIOUS VACATIONS!
Contents:
- DVDx: 64-bit experimental version available for download
- Photo: enjoy your digital pictures back from vacation
- HDTV: HD ready? HDMI? Deception?
- Software update: new Nero 7 release
- Software update: new DivX 6.2.5 release for better and faster decoding
- Windows Vista: few months before release
- Friends top ten: sites who link to labDV.com
- Software at labDV.com: Ulead Video Studio 10 Plus
- VIP Pass: prefer 1-Year Pass for $33.00 (€28.00)
July 25th, 2006
1. DVDx: 64-bit experimental version available for download
For the DVDx team vacation is studious time: in between two trips or two sunbaths, our friends find time to work on DVDx code and prepare new versions.
Open source and individual recognition rocks, at labDV, we have a great respect for everyone contributing to open source projects (like DVDx) and we're doing our most to make the whole community respecting them. Last but not least we directly contribute to open source with the DVDx project and its upcoming evolutions.
While Jim is preparing a brand new website for DVDx to improve user satisfaction and developer experience, Starbuck is working on a new debug version to speed bugfixes, but the most exciting may come with the work of James from a Darren initiative: building a 64-bit port of DVDx for Windows Vista x64.
DVDx 64-bit (2.5.1 experimental) running on Windows Vista
James (dvdx_dev) has released the first DVDx 64-bit version running on Windows Vista x64 Beta. Darren (bizzeh) has submitted a patch to start a 64-bit port of DVDx and James reworked it, a lot of x32 assembly to rewrite, to provide the first DVDx 64-bit running version.
Built on DVDx 2.5.1 this x-64 release is experimental and the audience might be Windows Vista Beta users as well as Open Source Video/MPEG/DVD developers. Of course any feedback will be welcome on the official DVDx support forum.
Good news: x64 experimental version is 25% faster.
Less good news: there are still limitations. A port Lame32 to Lame64 is needed to get the AVI working. So the current build only works for VCD, SVCD and with SSE2 iDCT resize only. Other instructions like MMX, SSE are not recognized by 64bit processors.
Download DVDx 64-bit experimental from SF (developers and risk-lovers only)...
New DVDx website soon
New DVDx website will be released in a few weeks (60% completed), Jim made a lot of efforts to radically change the current DVDx website to increase user satisfaction: find easily and quickly what you're looking for, what you need and also to improve developer experience as well as sustaining open-source contributor respect and supporting DVDx project.
Working on next DVDx release
Starbuck (bsg), with a little help from Jim, is working on a new debug version to help and speed up bugfixes, so developers will be able to compile quickly a version with data dump or whatever debug hack. They're also preparing kind of tool-box to display DVD and MPEG stream information to understand more easily user concerns and bugs. However, this is an ambitious goal and will be visible rather end of the year. But we need it to improve DVDx user experience and to make coding easier.
DVDx related links:
We recommend to get a 1-year VIP Pass (for $33.00 or €28.00) and download DVDx 2.5.1 Ultra Edition from labDV.com but you can also get DVDx from SourceForge.net, we've updated the CVS repository and file release.
2. Photo: enjoy your digital picture back from vacation
Back from vacations, you may have a bunch of pictures in your digital camera and you're going to store and organize them as well as printing them.
My interest here is to share pictures on a TV set with friends and family so is to burn a Video-CD or DVD-Video picture show.
Recently a lot of software editors proposed their own solution, I can't go thru all of them so I will tell you about the most popular:
- Ulead CD & DVD Picture Show 4
- Roxio Easy Media Creator Suite 8
- Nero PhotoShow Deluxe 4
- Adobe Photoshop Elements 4
- HP Photosmart Premier 6.5
Ulead CD & DVD Picture Show 4
Import photos from all digital cameras and use ExpressFix⢠to quickly fix common photo problems such as incorrect exposure, color cast, saturation, and focus - you can also "beautify" skin. Use Instant-Show⢠theme templates and get all the aspects of an entertaining slideshow. Templates mix meaningful themes with rich special effects for stunning results. Watch your slideshows on TV in the comfort of your living room. Your slideshow disc will play on standard DVD players. Archive your original, high-resolution photos on the same disc as your slideshow for safe-keeping.
This is the most advanced CD / DVD diaporama software and not expensive at all ($39.99). Ulead CD & DVD Picture Show 4 is very easy to use so very newbies can create spectacular slide shows very quickly with a few clicks. Nevertheless, advanced users can tweak every setting at picture level. And the styles globally rocks.
Roxio Easy Media Creator Suite 8
Instead of going for cheap Roxio Photosuite 8 ($29.99), as a digital video enthusiast I'd go for the $79.99 Roxio Easy Media Creator Suite 8 which also includes a lot of CD/DVD burning stuff and particularly the good Roxio WideoWave 8 ($49.99) video editing software.
Burn music CDs & DVDs - up to 50 hours on one DVD. Create video & photo slideshows - now on HD DVD. Perform easy backup - protect your data. Roxio Easy Media Creator 8 Suite empowers you to live your digital lifestyle to its fullest potential. With 25 products in 1, you go beyond just CD burning! Now you can organize, edit, share and preserve your digital photos, music, video and data.
This is the only solution that offers to save the slideshow as a video editing project, so you can reopen it in WideoWave 8 and you got scenes and transitions for every picture. Therefore you can insert video clips, menu, effects to make the best and most spectacular DVD-Video with your vacation pictures and your video clips!
On the diaporama side, it's as easy as Ulead DVD Picture Show 4, but styles aren't as nice. Nevertheless, it's my preferred solution if you want evolution towards video+photo shows on your DVD.
Nero Photo ShowDeluxe 4
With Nero PhotoShow Deluxe 4 you can create amazing musical slideshows featuring your favorite photos and video clips. Create a 'one-click' PhotoShow in just minutes, or customize your show with included music, animated clip art, effects and captions. It offers a wide range of editing tools usually limited to professional-grade imaging software. You'll be able to instantly and easily eliminate red eye, crop, rotate, adjust levels and more to make all your memories look their best.
It includes over 275 songs spanning all genres and over 100 clip art animations, all designed to help you make your PhotoShows look their best. You can watch a sample Photoshow you can do in a few clicks with Nero PhotoShow Deluxe 4.
Nero PhotoShow Deluxe 4 is for very newbies and seems rather in the PowerPoint user mood than in the Adobe Premiere mood, so it may be surprising for digital video enthusiasts. Nevertheless, you can do spectacular and original slide shows easily in a few clicks for $39.99 and I'd recommend it more for wedding, birth or 30-year birthday celebrations rather than for vacation slideshow (because you can add cartoon texts, frames, animated effects which are rather boring in a vacation or travel slideshow).
Adobe Photoshop Elements 4
Most Sony® computers are shipped with Adobe Photoshop Album 2.0 or Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 or an Adobe Photoshop Limited, so Adobe Photoshop Elements 4 is a $70 upgrade which you may have already considered ($90 full price).
So if you already have Photoshop Elements on your computer, check its version and you may already be enabled to create Video-CD slideshows.
Adobe Photoshop Elements 4 software combines power and simplicity to help you do it all. Edit and enhance your photos by fixing common flaws instantly or using advanced options for more control. Keep every photo at your fingertips. And show off your creativity in entertaining slide shows, photo mail, web galleries, and countless other ways.
In just a few clicks, create an entertaining slide show, complete with captions. Captivate family and friends with documentary-style pan and zoom effects, amazing transitions, and clip art decorations. Personalize your slide show by adding narration and multiple tracks of your favorite music â now with easier controls.
If you already own or have considered in buying Adobe Photoshop Elements 4, you'll be able to make your vacation diaporama on a Video-CD.
HP Photosmart Premier 6.5
Every HP Pavilion PCs are shipped with HP Image Zone software now called HP Photosmart Premier, and recent HP PCs, digital cameras or printers are shipped with the latest greatest HP Photosmart Premier 6.5. You can check the version installed on your PC and may consider upgrade if available in your country. How to tell if you already have Photosmart Premier software on your PC?
You may already use this software to organize and store your digital pictures and now with HP Photosmart Premier 6.5 you can easily burn a Video-CD slideshow with you vacation pictures.
If you already have HP Photosmart or HP Image Zone installed on your PC, check the export features and see if you can do a vacation slideshow like you're expecting. Other go for a Ulead, Roxio or Nero product described above.
CD / DVD burning issues: burn with Nero.
You may encounter issues, like software crash, when the diaporama build is completed at 70% or more... Particularly with Ulead DVD Picture Show, but it could happen with everyone of these products, likely because they don't support you CD/DVD hardware of firmware. Don't panic! If you chose to also save a disk image (.iso file) or DVD mapfiles (VIDEO_TS folder), you can then use Nero Burning ROM to create a DVD-Video project and drag'n'drop VOB files or to burn a disk image, and you're done okay!
3. HDTV: HD ready? HDMI? Deception?
During my vacation I've been able to enjoy the FIFA Soccer World Cup on a HDTV satellite installation and... what could I say?... it was somehow disappointing!
HD Ready
The TV set was a Samsung LCD HD-Ready and the DVB broadcast was french TPS provider. First, non-HD shows, excepting Hollywood movies and a few recent telemovies, were very very bad picture quality, whatever 720p or 1080i settings.
HD and non-HD Hollywood movies and recent telemovies were perfect picture but not perceptually better than my legacy 36" Sony Wega Flat CRT.
Even if the Samsung+TPS installation was HD-Ready, HD broadcasting professional cameras weren't ready! I could see the MPEG artifacts on every moving scene (quite often for soccer!!!). So we may wait for 1 to 3 years before having powerful HD cameras, therefore if you don't need to change your TV now, don't do, even for attractive HD-Ready offers!
HDMI
What a shame! Vendors claim their TV has one HDMI connector and it's a guarantee for the future, such liars!
It's today and not the future and my friend has bought a Samsung HDTV+DVR bundle with HDMI connection, but when the TPS DVB-decoder arrived, another HDMI connection was needed (and missing) on the HDTV set. So we connected the DVB-decoder thru HDMI and the DVR thru video component.
So, you'll need several HDMI connectors on your HDTV set, like for nowadays SCART (just count them!):
- DVB to TV
- DVR to TV
- HD-DVD to TV
- PC to TV (DVI is okay as well)
Deception
Therefore the conclusion is straight, wait wait wait!
And if you're TV is broken, buy a low-end, cheap but with bright colors, LCD TV set, you will have to change it in the next 3 to 5 years to enjoy HDTV!
4. Software update: new Nero 7 release
New minor release of Nero 7.2.3.2b is now available from labDV (and Nero website of course):
Nero Burning ROM 7.2.3.2b changes and bugfixes:
- Nero Burning ROM and Nero Express crashed after the DEMO version had expired.
- Bad, scratchy sound when encoding files to mp3 using the 'standard' settings
- Multisession was not automatically selected when burning to the image recorder.
- UNC support of Nero did not work anymore, so continuing a multi session CD with UNC paths did not work.
- Nero Burning ROM did not use the selected partition to create a boot CD.
- Nero Express crashed under Windows 98 when adding protected WMA files to a compilation.
- Nero Burning ROM had graphical problems under Windows 98 when changing the menu options any kind of animation.
- It was possible to select the ISO file system view in the folder panel of the compilation, although a UDF compilation was chosen.
- Error message was shown when starting to convert Audio CDs to Nero Digital Audio
Other news from Nero:
- Nero Announces Windows Media Center Edition Certification for Nero ShowTime
Nero ShowTime application of Nero 7 Premium digital media software suite received Windows Media Center Edition (MCE) certification.
- Nero Vision Application Receives Blu-ray BD-RE/BD-AV Direct-to-Disc certification
Nero Vision application have received BD-RE/BD-AV Direct-to-Disc certification. Nero Vision enables the recording of video content directly onto rewriteable Blu-ray Discs (BD-RE) with full image resolution.
5. Software update: new DivX 6.2.5 release for better and faster decoding
Don't expect faster encoding after upgrading your DivX codec, this time the DivX team has worked on the decoder, dramatically improving speed and image looking:
- a new "Sharpening" post-processing feature that enhances texture and sharpens any DivX 3, 4, 5 or 6 video,
- optimizations for decoding and post-processing,
- performance enhancements for post-processing on HT, SMP, and dual core processors.
Decoding speed improvement:
We can see from 125% to 160% speed improvement, so decoding will use less CPU.
Sharper video:
The DivX decoder can now make your videos come to life with fine details and a sharp, well-defined picture, enhancing any existing DivX video.
Pictures are real screenshots and have not been enhanced.
New codec and DVDx encoder:
You may not expect better or faster encoding when upgrading from DivX 6.2.2 to 6.2.5 so no change when using DVDx. However some issues with new DivX 6.2.5 encoder have been reported in DVDx forum, but they aren't significant (yet) to withdraw upgrading. And our DVDx encoding tests passed with new DivX 6.2.5 encoding with "sane" settings compliant with DivX Certified profiles
Registered users might have received download link by e-mail.
All images are from DivX website, you may read more there...
6. Windows Vista: few months before release
Microsoft Windows Vista product lineup and roadmap haven't been changed for a while.
Microsoft Windows Vista will be available for business in November 2006 and for home users in January 2007.
So it may be time to recall the Home User product line:
Windows Vista Home Basic.
Windows Vista Home Basic is a great choice for homes with basic computing needs. For consumers who want to simply use the PC to browse the Internet, correspond with friends and family through e-mail or perform basic document creation and editing tasks, Windows Vista Home Basic will deliver a safer, more reliable and more productive computing environment. It will provide new tools and technologies for making the PC more secure and enjoyable, including features such as a new Search Explorer, Sidebar and Parental Controls.
Windows Vista Home Premium.
Windows Vista Home Premium will help consumers use mobile or desktop PC functionality more effectively while enabling the enjoyment of new, exciting digital entertainment experiences. Windows Vista Home Premium improves every aspect of digital entertainment experiences, including photos, video, TV, movies, music and games. Windows Vista Home Premium includes everything in Windows Vista Home Basic, along with additional features and enhancements such as the following:
- The new user interface Windows Aero is also available in this edition of Windows Vista.
- Windows Vista Home Premium integrates search throughout the operating system, helping customers easily organize and quickly find large collections of documents, pictures, movies, videos and music.
- Windows Media Center capabilities turn the PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center. Consumers can use Media Center to record and watch TV shows (even high-definition TV) and access new kinds of online entertainment content. It also provides the ability to connect Windows Vista Home Premium to Xbox 360â¢, extending the Media Center experience to multiple rooms in the home.
- Windows Tablet PC technology, which enables interaction with the PC with a digital pen or fingertip instead of a keyboard, is also available in this edition of Windows Vista.
- Integrated DVD burning and authoring allows users to seamlessly burn personal videos photos and files to video or data DVDs, and easily create professional-looking DVDs from home movies that can be shared with family and friends.
Windows Vista Ultimate.
Windows Vista Ultimate is the edition of Windows Vista that has it all. It is the first operating system that brings together all the entertainment features, mobility features and business-oriented features available in Windows Vista.
All new versions are available for either 32-bit or 64-bit systems.
7. Friends top ten: sites who link to labDV.com
This rubric is to thanks labDV friends who link their web sites to labDV.com:
- Lonely Cat Games
- Ascrocco
- Doom9
- ãå¾ï¼·ï¼¥ï¼¢
- bbMPEG's Home Page
- WinTricks
- DVDxã®ã¤ã³ã¹ãã¼ã«
- BestDownloads.de
- DVD Dezone
- Tuttogratis
Major search engine aren't part of this list (Google, Yahoo!, MSN, Excite and Web Crawler).
8. Software at labDV.com: Ulead Video Studio 10 Plus
Now there are 215 software available from labDV.com, most of them are freeware.
New software added in June and July
In video editing, Ulead Video Studio 10 and Ulead Video Studio 10 Plus have been added in our software list band really deserve a trial: full MPEG-4 support, Dolby® Digital 5.1 surround sound (Plus only) and the category's only complete solution for high-definition video.
Compare Ulead Video Studio 10 and Ulead Video Studio 10 Plus at Ulead site.
Latest software updates
- Authoring DVD and (S)VCD
- Nero 7 Premium 7.2.3.2b FR
- Nero 7 Premium 7.2.3.2b EN
- Nero InfoTool 4.0.3
9. VIP Pass: prefer 1-Year Pass for $33.00 (€28.00)
Now you can register as a labDV VIP for 1-Year to access the whole labDV library, a lot of Digital Video articles and how-to's as well as a huge Digital Video software database, most of them are free.
The 1-Year VIP Pass is only US$ 33.00 (€28.00) and joining us is a strong support for all our efforts such as our ambitious 2006 roadmap for DVDx!
And you can still join us for US$15.00 (€12.00) for a 3-months VIP Pass.
However, we're sustaining our continuous efforts to develop DVDx software so the 1-Year Pass is likely the best deal for now.
