Apple TV is a device that is designed to stream video and other content from iTunes and directly through the iTunes store. An Apple iTunes account is required and the account must have sharing enabled. Local sources can also be used to stream to the Apple TV hardware via a computer running the Apple iTunes software. Once the Apple TV has been connected to iTunes locally or through the Internet, users can choose which media to stream to the TV. The Apple TV will receive and display or produce the Read More

The MP4 file type is a multimedia format designed to store digital video and/or audio streams in addition to 2D and 3D imagery. A common task for end-users who have video or audio content stored in AVI (Audio Video Interleave) format is to convert AVI to MP4 for playback on mobile devices such as the iPod, iPad, or iPhone that require conversion to MP4. The file conversion can be accomplished using third party or online applications at no or low cost to the consumer. Convert AVI to MP4 Using Quick Read More

A VCD (Video CD) is a video format or CODEC that has been used for video playback in DVD and VCD players since its adoption in 1993 by the video industry. The format allows 800 megabytes of VCD information to be stored on an 80 minute CD. The most recent version of the VCD format has a playback control (PBC) that is similar to that found on DVD menus. End-users do have the need arise; however, to convert the audio tracks on a VCD to MP3 format for use on Read More

One of the oldest animation techniques that is still in use today is rotoscoping. When using this technique, animators trace over live action film movement on each frame to use in an animated film. When it was first used, live action film images were projected onto a glass panel that was frosted where an animator would redraw them. The associated projector is called a rotoscope. However, computers have replaced it in the past two decades. Today, the term refers to manually creating a matte for a visual element on a Read More

The AVI (Audio Video Interleave) format is a higher-end video format first developed by the Microsoft Corporation. The format is minimally compressed resulting in high video quality, but large file sizes. The WMV (Windows Media Video) file format is supported on a greater number of software platforms and saves disc space when saving video content. A common task that arises for Windows users is to convert AVI to WMV which can be accomplished using free software or web applications. Steps to Convert AVI to WMV Using MediaConverter.org Step 1 – Read More

DVD is short for ‘Digital Versatile Disc’ and it is an optical disc storage media format that is capable of storing large amount of data. DVD benchmarking tools are used to analyze the quality of the disc. Both the audio and the video quality of the disc are tested with the DVD benchmarking tools and a quality score is usually provided at the end of the test. The quality score can be used for comparing quality of the DVDs. DVD benchmarking tools carry out a number of tests to determine Read More

There are two primary reasons that computer users will convert a JPG file to text: 1 – To convert a text document that has been saved as an image back to text format for editing and 2 – To Add a JPG image to a rich text file or document. Since the JPG image format is a compressed format (also referred to as “Lossy”), the quality and amount of text that can be satisfactorily recovered during the conversion process will depend on the quality of the scanned document. Many times, Read More

SRT is the file extension for subtitle files. Subtitle files are simple text files that have been synchronized with a video file so that viewers can read what is being said while they are watching the movie. SRT files are especially useful for viewers who have hearing disabilities or like to keep the sound low. SRT files can be made for any movie in any language and can be modified in a standard text editor such as Notepad. Subtitle files are easy to create. Each subtitle line only consists of Read More

With the increased use of applications featuring live video chat options such as Google Talk, Skype, and Yahoo IM, setting up a PC microphone is now an essential task to ensure the highest quality of service while using these and other related products. Although most versions of the Windows OS are designed to automatically detect and auto-configure a microphone, to ensure optimum performance the device must be configured to minimize the effects of background noise on the quality of sound transmission. How to Set Up a PC Microphone Step 1 Read More

Projectors have quite a variety of uses these days, whether in the boardroom or classroom to give a presentation, or the home to project digital, high definition TV and video to a screen. While there are many aspects that determine whether a projector will project high quality images (e.g. resolution, contrast, etc.), one type of measurement that users should be aware of is Lumens. What are Lumens? Lumens are a unit of measurement of the total brightness that comes from a light source, in this case, a projector. One may Read More