Story
This ones going to be short, as I just want to share my findings. This short posting is about the 3 Multiple Monitor taskbar programs I've tried.
Short Reviews
Multi-Monitor (Free Version)
* they have a free version, and it use to look good back when the main windows task bar wasn't translucent, but now, it looks dull, old and boring
* this is the first program I used which a fellow colleague at work referred me to way back when. It was free at the time. I think they didn't have the paid version yet.
* If you like dull and boring, this ones for you
Here's the link to their website:
* http://www.mediachance.com/free/multimon.htm
To Download
Click the download tab, scroll down a bit, and choose which version you want. I'm not into paying for things, and so I tried only the free version
Actual Multiple Monitors
* this one has only a trial version for 30 days or so, and by the halfway point a dialog will open up each time windows boots up, and ask you to buy, enter your code, or continue. I found this most annoying!
* this is one of the best task bars I've tried. It has the nice windows 7 look and feel, and it also has the Windows Start button on it, so if you want to get at the Start Menu, you don't have to move your mouse back to the main monitor to get at it
* big downside is that there is no free version
* by day 22, I uninstalled it and looked for a free version
Here's the link in case your are interested, and possibly interested in buying it:
http://www.actualtools.com/multiplemonitors/download/
To Download
1. Scroll down the the 'Current Version' table, and click the link under file name to start downloading
Dual Monitor (Open Source) - *** RECOMMENDED!!
* I found this free Windows taskbar today that I never knew was freely available, so I got excited, and wanted to share it, hence this posting.
* what this program does is extend your current task bar onto other monitors that you have extended your desktop to. It doesn't have the 'Windows Start Button', but it does have the nice Windows 7 look and feel which is important to me
* most importantly, it's FREE!
If you are interested in getting a taskbar that works, looks good, and your don't have to pay for, here's the link:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/dualmonitortb/
It says they've tested it with: Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7. I currently have it installed on my machine which runs Windows 7. If you don't have either one of these, then try it at your own risk.
To Download
Click the big green download button
Conclusion / Recommendations
I guess now-a-days, with the internet, and Open-Source, everyone should really look long and hard for free Open-Source tools, testing them out to see if they suite your needs, before paying a cent for Software.
I recommend you trying out the "Dual Monitor" open source product. It might just be what you've been looking for and need.
Though, maybe if you have so many monitors that moving your mouse back to the main one to get at the start button, and you don't have a Windows key on your keyboard, it may be worth your time to check out the "Actual Multiple Monitor" software product.
Hope this posting was helpful! :0)
Friday, August 9, 2013
Friday, July 19, 2013
Shopping for a Streaming Media Box Player
(I meant to post this earlier on this year, when I did the research, but never got around to it. I still feel that what I found, and would buy to still be the same, so I decided to finish the posting, and post it)
Here's my Story
Last year 2012, during boxing day shopping I helped my older sister pick out a new Media Box with very limited knowledge of them, and their capabilities. I had read only a bit on the Roku XS, XD version, and I know my brother-in-law a different device that plays files only. Other than that, I didn't know very much about them. I ended up telling my sister that she should buy the 'Roku XS', and if that doesn't work, she can return it to get the 'Boxee'.
We tried out the 'Roku' after she purchased it, and it worked to play the media files that she bought the device to play. I decided at that time that it probably wasn't worth looking any further into it, to see what other media files it can play. Boy! was that a mistake! I found out later that it only plays 2 formats, or something like that. It's great at streaming as a lot of articles I read say, but it isn't so good at playing files or different formats.
Leading to Conclusion
After looking and comparing Roku, Sony, WD Media Player, and some other media devices, I can't remember the names of the others, but there were a lot I looked at, I think the 'Boxee' has the best mix of apps, media streaming, and file compatibility, and price. Though it's actually one of the more expensive ones. At the time I compared, Sony was the only one selling for more. Still $200 CA isn't bad I don't think for the functionality and features that you get with the device.
Conclusion/Recommendations
Well, if I were to buy a media device, I would go out and buy the Boxee, the version that plays nearly all the media type files. I think they have a new one coming out at some point that may not be able to play as many media file types, so I wouldn't get that one, and I read that you may have to pay monthly for some sort of service. I'm not a fan of paying monthly for anything, we all have enough expenses as is.
So, for me, Boxee wins, it's my choice for media players, and the one I would buy if I wanted to own one.
Here's my Story
Last year 2012, during boxing day shopping I helped my older sister pick out a new Media Box with very limited knowledge of them, and their capabilities. I had read only a bit on the Roku XS, XD version, and I know my brother-in-law a different device that plays files only. Other than that, I didn't know very much about them. I ended up telling my sister that she should buy the 'Roku XS', and if that doesn't work, she can return it to get the 'Boxee'.
We tried out the 'Roku' after she purchased it, and it worked to play the media files that she bought the device to play. I decided at that time that it probably wasn't worth looking any further into it, to see what other media files it can play. Boy! was that a mistake! I found out later that it only plays 2 formats, or something like that. It's great at streaming as a lot of articles I read say, but it isn't so good at playing files or different formats.
Leading to Conclusion
After looking and comparing Roku, Sony, WD Media Player, and some other media devices, I can't remember the names of the others, but there were a lot I looked at, I think the 'Boxee' has the best mix of apps, media streaming, and file compatibility, and price. Though it's actually one of the more expensive ones. At the time I compared, Sony was the only one selling for more. Still $200 CA isn't bad I don't think for the functionality and features that you get with the device.
Conclusion/Recommendations
Well, if I were to buy a media device, I would go out and buy the Boxee, the version that plays nearly all the media type files. I think they have a new one coming out at some point that may not be able to play as many media file types, so I wouldn't get that one, and I read that you may have to pay monthly for some sort of service. I'm not a fan of paying monthly for anything, we all have enough expenses as is.
So, for me, Boxee wins, it's my choice for media players, and the one I would buy if I wanted to own one.
Research Results for Helping my Friend Find a Good Laptop around $530 CA in London, Ontario, Canada
I'm posting my email that I composed to my friend where I did some research to compare laptop offerings from the 3 major stores in London. I'm posting it just in case anyone else is looking for a laptop similar in criteria to what my friend was looking for. I did some comparisons between the 3 major stores in London, Ontario, and the following are my findings.
Criteria First
* Around $530.97
* 14" if possible, 15" otherwise
* Processor around 2.7 GHz (2 core)
* 4 GB RAM, or more
* 500 GB HD, or more
* Video Card, doesn't matter, mostly word processing
* Sound Card, doesn't matter
* other inputs/outputs, doesn't matter
Hey Friend,
I was looking at some laptops in your price range for you, and I'd recommend these
But first, you said price-wise, you
want to spend only $600 (includes taxes, and enviro fee)
$600 / 1.13 (taxes) = $530.97
* [I'm not going to subtract Enviro fee, because I don't know how much it would be for a laptop]
Also
Note that they do charge a premium for 14" laptops because they are
smaller, and more convenient. It might also have something to do with
smaller electronics in it, that cause the price to be higher, which is
why going with the mainstream size of 15" is better. Battery life on
15.4" seems to all be averaging 4.5-5 hours.
Futureshop Offerings
1. Toshiba Satallite
17.3" Laptop $529.99 - Refurbished
http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/toshiba-toshiba-satellite-17-3-laptop-silver-intel-core-i3-2328m-640gb-hdd-6gb-ram-windows-8-refurb-pskflc-00n007/10248744.aspx?path=c6f7e23b8134201cfee8c09f056a7b4cen02&SearchPageIndex=1
Notes
* I know this one has a big screen which you may not want
* battery only lasts up to 4 hours
* refurbished, but honestly, I would buy refurbished. My ipod is refurbished, and it works fine
* everything else checks out
2. Lenovo IdeaPad 15.6" Laptop $529.99 - Refurbished
http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/lenovo-lenovo-ideapad-z580-15-6-laptop-grey-intel-core-i3-2370m-750gb-hdd-4gb-ram-english-refurb-z580/10234982.aspx?path=1871a020c8b16bdfbdce6aeb36aed446en02&SearchPageIndex=1
Notes
* Up to 5 hours on battery
* everything else checks out
3. Lenovo Ideapad 15.6" Laptop 2.5 GHz 750GB HD 6GB Ram $549.99 - Refurbished
http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/lenovo-lenovo-ideapad-15-6-laptop-grey-intel-core-i5-3210m-750gb-hdd-6gb-ram-english-refurbished-p580/10232141.aspx?path=e195f6284d3c9cc9fcb8cf7426966349en02&SearchPageIndex=1
3. HP Pavilion 15.6" Laptop 2.4 GHz $549.99
http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/hewlett-packard-hp-pavilion-15-6-laptop-silver-intel-core-i3-3110m-750gb-hdd-8gb-ram-windows-8-g6-2235ca/10242259.aspx?path=d0a59630434d160aeabfcddcf4f73017en02&SearchPageIndex=1
* If you don't want Refurbished this would be the best choice from Futureshop
3. Asus 15.6" Laptop 2.4 GHz $549 - Web Only
http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/asus-asus-15-6-laptop-black-intel-core-i3-3110m-500gb-hdd-6gb-ram-windows-8-english-k55a-dh31-ca/10235667.aspx?path=9d696d6171076d73f7753e5e087bc187en02&SearchPageIndex=1
Notes
* Up to 5 hours on battery
* everything else checks out
14" Laptop
4. Toshiba 14" Laptop 2.4 GHz $649.99
http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/toshiba-toshiba-satellite-pro-14-laptop-black-intel-core-i3-3120m-4gb-ram-320gb-hdd-windows-8-english-c840-003/10241759.aspx?path=32da5017722d3aac1b28473b2109fda9en02&SearchPageIndex=1
Notes
* has the 14" screen you
want
* Up to 4 hours on battery
* over budget
* everything else checks out
Staples Offerings
I just looked at Staples, and found 2 good contenders. The speed of the processors isn't as fast as I specified (2.7 GHz), but for you, maybe it could be fast enough since you don't need too much speed. Staples has some good refurbished ones too, but I'm not going to write them up, because I don't think you want refurbished. See below:
*1. Acer Aspire 15.6" Laptop 2.5 GHz Intel Core i3-3120M, 4GB Ram, 500 GB HDD, $399.93 - OUT OF STOCK
* on sale until 7/23/2013 - that price is discounted $100
http://www.staples.ca/en/Acer-Aspire-156-Laptop-25GHz-Intel-Core-i3-3120M-4GB-RAM-500GB/product_169408_2-CA_1_20001
Notes
* Bad thing is it is out of stock
* but if you don't need the laptop right away, and if they give out rain checks, I'd buy this one. It's way below your budget, and it looks like it would be a pretty good laptop!
* good bang for your buck!
*2. Toshiba 15.6" Laptop, 2.2GHz 2nd Generation Intel Core i3-2328M, 8GB RAM, 500GB HDD $449.98 (on sale $50 off until 7/23/2013)
http://www.staples.ca/en/Toshiba-156-Laptop-22GHz-2nd-Generation-Intel-Core-i3-2328M-8GB-RAM/product_100171_2-CA_1_20001
Notes
* This one's in stock according to the website (as of 7/19/2013 @ 8:33 pm est)
* everything else checks out
* and it's under your budget
3. Toshiba 15.6" Laptop, 2.40GHz Intel Core i3-3110M, 8GB RAM, 500GB HDD $549
http://www.staples.ca/en/Toshiba-156-Laptop-240GHz-Intel-Core-i3-3110M-8GB-RAM-500GB-HDD/product_75524_2-CA_1_20001
* this one's comparable to the ones at the same price at futureshop, except this one has 8 GB RAM (more), but less Hard Drive space 500 HDD
TigerDirect Offerings
**!BEST Match!**
1. Acer TravelMate TMP243-M-6456 Notebook PC - 3rd generation Intel Core i5-3210M 2.5GHz, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, DVDRW, 14 in. Display, Windows 8 64-bit $549 - $20 coupon XND95647 (7/21/2013) = $529.99
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7980799&CatId=4935
* best match for my friend
* small at 14"
* fast 2.5 GHz, 2 core
* enough ram
* 500 GB HDD - 7200 rpm - faster than the usual
!Fastest Processor of the Bunch of 15"!
2. Lenovo IdeaPad Z500 Notebook PC - 3rd generation Intel Core i5-3230M 2.6GHz, 6GB DDR3, 1TB HDD, DVDRW, 15.6" Display, Windows 8 (59361311) $549
* fastest processor of the bunch!!
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7787088&CatId=4935
* fastest processor in all the 15" laptops I looked at
3. Acer TravelMate TMP453-M-6863 Notebook PC - 3rd generation Intel Core i5-3210M 2.5GHz, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, DVDRW, 15.6 in. Display, Windows 8 $549
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7980800&CatId=4935
* comparable to the other 15" laptops at the other stores
Summary
From TigerDirect
Limited time offer!! only until 7/21/2013
* 1.
Acer TravelMate TMP243-M-6456 Notebook PC - 3rd generation Intel Core
i5-3210M 2.5GHz, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, DVDRW, 14 in. Display, Windows 8
64-bit $529.99 [$20 coupon XND95647 (7/21/2013)]
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7980799&CatId=4935
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7980799&CatId=4935
* I think this one meets what you were looking for, small laptop 14", good processor, fast HDD, enough memory!
!Fastest Processor of the Bunch!
2. Lenovo IdeaPad Z500 Notebook PC - 3rd generation Intel Core i5-3230M 2.6GHz, 6GB DDR3, 1TB HDD, DVDRW, 15.6" Display, Windows 8 (59361311) $549 (fastest processor of the bunch)
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7787088&CatId=4935
OR
From Staples
* If you want to stay on budget, and can wait for stock, I'd recommend buying from Staples if they offer a rain check
*1. Acer Aspire 15.6" Laptop 2.5 GHz Intel Core i3-3120M, 4GB Ram, 500 GB HDD, $399.93 (on sale until 7/23/2013 - that price is discounted $100) - Out of stock
http://www.staples.ca/en/Acer-Aspire-156-Laptop-25GHz-Intel-Core-i3-3120M-4GB-RAM-500GB/product_169408_2-CA_1_20001
Or if you want to get one under budget, and don't mind it being slightly slower:
*2. Toshiba 15.6" Laptop, 2.2GHz 2nd Generation Intel Core i3-2328M, 8GB RAM, 500GB HDD $449.98 (on sale $50 off until 7/23/2013)http://www.staples.ca/en/Toshiba-156-Laptop-22GHz-2nd-Generation-Intel-Core-i3-2328M-8GB-RAM/product_100171_2-CA_1_20001
From Futureshop
!Fastest Processor of the Bunch!
2. Lenovo IdeaPad Z500 Notebook PC - 3rd generation Intel Core i5-3230M 2.6GHz, 6GB DDR3, 1TB HDD, DVDRW, 15.6" Display, Windows 8 (59361311) $549 (fastest processor of the bunch)
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7787088&CatId=4935
OR
From Staples
* If you want to stay on budget, and can wait for stock, I'd recommend buying from Staples if they offer a rain check
*1. Acer Aspire 15.6" Laptop 2.5 GHz Intel Core i3-3120M, 4GB Ram, 500 GB HDD, $399.93 (on sale until 7/23/2013 - that price is discounted $100) - Out of stock
http://www.staples.ca/en/Acer-Aspire-156-Laptop-25GHz-Intel-Core-i3-3120M-4GB-RAM-500GB/product_169408_2-CA_1_20001
Or if you want to get one under budget, and don't mind it being slightly slower:
*2. Toshiba 15.6" Laptop, 2.2GHz 2nd Generation Intel Core i3-2328M, 8GB RAM, 500GB HDD $449.98 (on sale $50 off until 7/23/2013)http://www.staples.ca/en/Toshiba-156-Laptop-22GHz-2nd-Generation-Intel-Core-i3-2328M-8GB-RAM/product_100171_2-CA_1_20001
From Futureshop
* 3. HP Pavilion 15.6" Laptop 2.4 GHz $549.99 (If you prefer not to buy refurbished)
http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/hewlett-packard-hp-pavilion-15-6-laptop-silver-intel-core-i3-3110m-750gb-hdd-8gb-ram-windows-8-g6-2235ca
If Refurbished is okay, any of the 15.4" or the 17.3" above would be good choices listed above.
If
you want the smaller laptop 14", the
one I mentioned above would be a great choice from TigerDirect, the one
from staples is more expensive. Many of the others that are 14" have
really slow processors in them, which is why their costs is lower, and
why they last longer on battery. If you have patience for a slower
machine, then consider it, but I honestly think it would be a waste of
money.
* I recommend getting the one from TigerDirect for 14" before the deal ends on Sunday (only 2 days from now - today being 7/19/2013)
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7980799&CatId=4935
I hope this helps! Those are the 3 major competitor stores. If you are willing to buy online, DELL usually has good deals, and they sometimes have more bang for your buck.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Free Image Resizer for Window 7
Situation
We bought my mom a new 32GB Asus Transformer tf300t tablet recently for Christmas, and I wanted to pre-copy all the photos from the past year onto it. I found a solution for shrinking my videos down in size to enable me to fit 1+ years worth of videos onto the tablet (see my previous blog posting), but the problem wasn't only with the video sizes, it was with the photo sizes too. That's when I knew I needed a fast and easy way to re-size my collection of photos, one that can convert batches. As you can imagine, we took hundreds of photos in the past year.
Search Criteria
There were a number of free Image Re-sizers, but this time I was looking for one similar to the one I used in Windows XP. Windows XP had one from Microsoft that you can download separately from the initial installment of Windows, that plugged into Windows Explorer, and worked with the right-click menu.
Solution
I did some searching around on Google, and to my surprise, I found a third party application/plug-in that worked the same as the one for Windows XP. It's located on Codeplex's website named...
"Image Resizer for Windows"
Link: http://imageresizer.codeplex.com/
Conclusion
The application works well, and I was able to quickly shrink all my photos from the past year so that they would all fit into the tablet. File sizes went from 1.5 MB-3.5MB to 100KB-250KB, which was awesome, and the pictures remained clear.
Note
If you convert large batches of photos, it will appear as though Windows Explorer has timed-out, but allow it to finish, and Windows Explorer will start responding again. I have a fast computer, and so the time-outs weren't so bad.
Try it out, and see if you like it.
We bought my mom a new 32GB Asus Transformer tf300t tablet recently for Christmas, and I wanted to pre-copy all the photos from the past year onto it. I found a solution for shrinking my videos down in size to enable me to fit 1+ years worth of videos onto the tablet (see my previous blog posting), but the problem wasn't only with the video sizes, it was with the photo sizes too. That's when I knew I needed a fast and easy way to re-size my collection of photos, one that can convert batches. As you can imagine, we took hundreds of photos in the past year.
Search Criteria
There were a number of free Image Re-sizers, but this time I was looking for one similar to the one I used in Windows XP. Windows XP had one from Microsoft that you can download separately from the initial installment of Windows, that plugged into Windows Explorer, and worked with the right-click menu.
Solution
I did some searching around on Google, and to my surprise, I found a third party application/plug-in that worked the same as the one for Windows XP. It's located on Codeplex's website named...
"Image Resizer for Windows"
Link: http://imageresizer.codeplex.com/
Conclusion
The application works well, and I was able to quickly shrink all my photos from the past year so that they would all fit into the tablet. File sizes went from 1.5 MB-3.5MB to 100KB-250KB, which was awesome, and the pictures remained clear.
Note
If you convert large batches of photos, it will appear as though Windows Explorer has timed-out, but allow it to finish, and Windows Explorer will start responding again. I have a fast computer, and so the time-outs weren't so bad.
Try it out, and see if you like it.
Free Batch Video Resizer and Converter
I was looking for a batch video converter recently because I had a need to re-size a lot of my home videos that I had recorded with my digital camera at 1080p. In short, the files were very large. For Christmas we got my mom an 32GB Asus Transformer tf300t tablet, and I wanted to precopy the pictures, and videos I recorded throughout the year onto the tablet for her, since she likes looking at them.
Problem 1
My camera records in MOV format. The Asus Transformer was only able to fit about a weeks worth of videos onto it, which I didn't think was good enough. So, I needed something to shrink them (i.e. resize them), because I had planned to copy a whole years worth of videos, and pictures.
Problem 2
The other problem I found was that the Asus Transformer tablet's built in 'Gallery' application wasn't able to fully decode the sound in the MOV formatted videos, which means, they will need to be converted to a compatible format. By trial and error, I found that .wmv files work within the 'Gallery'.
Problem 3
The pictures took up a lot of space too, each being anywhere from 1.5 MB to 3 MB in size. (I'll write another story later to tell you about what I found to solve this problem) It's a nice free third party library.
Software Search Criteria
1. Convert a batch of videos at a time (lots of videos to convert, and one at a time doesn't cut it)
2. Convert to a format that the 'Gallery' software can decode
* I know I could install Dice, or VLC, but I wanted to keep things simple for my non-tech savvy mom
3. Allow me to set the output settings
Google Search
* I found a number of applications that you can pay for, some not so bad in pricing
* Wonderware: it worked well, but only converted one video at a time, and it was more for creating a long movie from several clips which wasn't what I needed (not a good fit, but the software seemed pretty nice)
** watch out, Wonderware installs a number items that don't seem to all be related to the program. I was not happy with that, so I uninstalled the application shortly after testing it
* ACDSEE was one that liked, and it had everything I was looking for, except I still didn't want to pay for it. Link: http://www.acdsee.com/en/products/acdsee-video-converter
* I was just about to buy the ACDSEE application, when I decided to look some more, and luckily I did, because I came across something quite similar, and was everything I was looking for. It was...
"PRISM"
Link: http://www.nchsoftware.com/prism/index.html
It's easy to use, and free. You don't have to install any of the adware that it comes with, so that's pretty great, and so far it hasn't bothered me with any popup ads, so I'm happy.
Note
You can upgrade the application to allow you to do some additional things like burning the videos to disc, among other features. They also have a Pro Version. Since the free basic version did everything I needed it to, I didn't bother to upgrade, and used the free version only.
Conclusion
Prism was the answer to my problems. I ended up converting all my 1080p videos to 480p, which made my whole years worth of videos (a few from the year before) fit nicely on the tablet. The size of all videos went from 100GB to 20GB or so.
PRISM Application Settings - Issues and Solutions
* Issue: there was one option I had to enable, otherwise the software didn't fully convert my videos correctly. If you don't check the option, it will only convert the first 10 sec (approx), and last 10 sec (approx), and the middle part will only have sound, displaying only a frozen picture.
* Solution: In the options check the option that specifies that you should check it if you have playback problems
Problem 1
My camera records in MOV format. The Asus Transformer was only able to fit about a weeks worth of videos onto it, which I didn't think was good enough. So, I needed something to shrink them (i.e. resize them), because I had planned to copy a whole years worth of videos, and pictures.
Problem 2
The other problem I found was that the Asus Transformer tablet's built in 'Gallery' application wasn't able to fully decode the sound in the MOV formatted videos, which means, they will need to be converted to a compatible format. By trial and error, I found that .wmv files work within the 'Gallery'.
Problem 3
The pictures took up a lot of space too, each being anywhere from 1.5 MB to 3 MB in size. (I'll write another story later to tell you about what I found to solve this problem) It's a nice free third party library.
Software Search Criteria
1. Convert a batch of videos at a time (lots of videos to convert, and one at a time doesn't cut it)
2. Convert to a format that the 'Gallery' software can decode
* I know I could install Dice, or VLC, but I wanted to keep things simple for my non-tech savvy mom
3. Allow me to set the output settings
Google Search
* I found a number of applications that you can pay for, some not so bad in pricing
* Wonderware: it worked well, but only converted one video at a time, and it was more for creating a long movie from several clips which wasn't what I needed (not a good fit, but the software seemed pretty nice)
** watch out, Wonderware installs a number items that don't seem to all be related to the program. I was not happy with that, so I uninstalled the application shortly after testing it
* ACDSEE was one that liked, and it had everything I was looking for, except I still didn't want to pay for it. Link: http://www.acdsee.com/en/products/acdsee-video-converter
* I was just about to buy the ACDSEE application, when I decided to look some more, and luckily I did, because I came across something quite similar, and was everything I was looking for. It was...
"PRISM"
Link: http://www.nchsoftware.com/prism/index.html
It's easy to use, and free. You don't have to install any of the adware that it comes with, so that's pretty great, and so far it hasn't bothered me with any popup ads, so I'm happy.
Note
You can upgrade the application to allow you to do some additional things like burning the videos to disc, among other features. They also have a Pro Version. Since the free basic version did everything I needed it to, I didn't bother to upgrade, and used the free version only.
Conclusion
Prism was the answer to my problems. I ended up converting all my 1080p videos to 480p, which made my whole years worth of videos (a few from the year before) fit nicely on the tablet. The size of all videos went from 100GB to 20GB or so.
PRISM Application Settings - Issues and Solutions
* Issue: there was one option I had to enable, otherwise the software didn't fully convert my videos correctly. If you don't check the option, it will only convert the first 10 sec (approx), and last 10 sec (approx), and the middle part will only have sound, displaying only a frozen picture.
* Solution: In the options check the option that specifies that you should check it if you have playback problems
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Drobo Pro Issues: Connection Interfaces are NOT Hot-Swappable
Story Leading into the Problem
Shortly after un-packaging my Drobo and hooking it up to my computer, I ran into this problem. I'm so use to using USB devices that are hot-swappable, and so I just made the assumption that my Drobo Pro's 3 connection interfaces were hot-swappable too.
Not knowing that it was not hotswappable, I would switch the connection with Drobo powered on, from USB, to iSCSI, and even to Firewire 400. At the time I didn't have my Firewire 800 card yet.
Anyways, at first, it appeared to be hot-swappable. I was able to switch from USB to iSCSI, and to Firewire 400, but after a while of switching the connections back and forth, what started happening scared me a bit. My Drobo stopped responding to any connections. It just wouldn't mount the drives in Windows anymore, even when connected on USB.
What made it worst was that this happened after I had transferred all my data from my internal computer drives into Drobo. I have no backups of the data anywhere else, and I had removed those drives from my computer, and inserted them into my Drobo. Which means Drobo had formatted them, and added the additional space to the total usable space available via Drobo. All of that went smoothly, but when Drobo stopped responding, I assumed the worst had happened, that it lost all my data!
Debugging
1. I tried connecting, and disconnecting the cable. It didn't work.
2. I tried changing the interface, without turning Drobo off first. That didn't work.
3. I searched the user manual for a solution, and searched online to see if anyone else had encountered this problem. From the manual, and a few online postings in the Drobo Knowledgebase, I found out that what I had to do every time I wanted to switch the connection cable on Drobo Pro was to first shut it down using the Drobo Dashboard (safest way to shut it down), then switch the connection, then turn it back on.
Conclusion
1. Drobo Pro is not hot-swappable. To change connections from USB, to iSCSI, to Firewire 800, you must first shut down Drobo. (See how to do it safely below)
2. Switch the connection cable
3. Power Drobo back on.
To Safely Shutdown Drobo
1. You should always use Drobo Dashboard to shutdown Drobo. You can access the software shutdown command by clicking on the Tools > Shutdown.
2. You can use the switch at the back of your Drobo Pro alone, but you have to make sure that Drobo is not busy by waiting until the busy light no longer flashes, and is off. The software shutdown is safest. Doing this prevents data corruption. Corruption happens when you shutdown Drobo while it is in the middle of writing data.
3. Power down your personal computer, which Gurantees that their won't be any data being written to your Drobo Pro from your computer. Wait until your Drobo Pro goes into standby, and then switch it off using the power switch.
Notes
Obviously, don't power off your Drobo if any of the lights on Drobo indicate that it's working on something, like those tasks listed on the inner side of the front panel. Use common sense.
Shortly after un-packaging my Drobo and hooking it up to my computer, I ran into this problem. I'm so use to using USB devices that are hot-swappable, and so I just made the assumption that my Drobo Pro's 3 connection interfaces were hot-swappable too.
Not knowing that it was not hotswappable, I would switch the connection with Drobo powered on, from USB, to iSCSI, and even to Firewire 400. At the time I didn't have my Firewire 800 card yet.
Anyways, at first, it appeared to be hot-swappable. I was able to switch from USB to iSCSI, and to Firewire 400, but after a while of switching the connections back and forth, what started happening scared me a bit. My Drobo stopped responding to any connections. It just wouldn't mount the drives in Windows anymore, even when connected on USB.
What made it worst was that this happened after I had transferred all my data from my internal computer drives into Drobo. I have no backups of the data anywhere else, and I had removed those drives from my computer, and inserted them into my Drobo. Which means Drobo had formatted them, and added the additional space to the total usable space available via Drobo. All of that went smoothly, but when Drobo stopped responding, I assumed the worst had happened, that it lost all my data!
Debugging
1. I tried connecting, and disconnecting the cable. It didn't work.
2. I tried changing the interface, without turning Drobo off first. That didn't work.
3. I searched the user manual for a solution, and searched online to see if anyone else had encountered this problem. From the manual, and a few online postings in the Drobo Knowledgebase, I found out that what I had to do every time I wanted to switch the connection cable on Drobo Pro was to first shut it down using the Drobo Dashboard (safest way to shut it down), then switch the connection, then turn it back on.
Conclusion
1. Drobo Pro is not hot-swappable. To change connections from USB, to iSCSI, to Firewire 800, you must first shut down Drobo. (See how to do it safely below)
2. Switch the connection cable
3. Power Drobo back on.
To Safely Shutdown Drobo
1. You should always use Drobo Dashboard to shutdown Drobo. You can access the software shutdown command by clicking on the Tools > Shutdown.
2. You can use the switch at the back of your Drobo Pro alone, but you have to make sure that Drobo is not busy by waiting until the busy light no longer flashes, and is off. The software shutdown is safest. Doing this prevents data corruption. Corruption happens when you shutdown Drobo while it is in the middle of writing data.
3. Power down your personal computer, which Gurantees that their won't be any data being written to your Drobo Pro from your computer. Wait until your Drobo Pro goes into standby, and then switch it off using the power switch.
Notes
Obviously, don't power off your Drobo if any of the lights on Drobo indicate that it's working on something, like those tasks listed on the inner side of the front panel. Use common sense.
Drobo Pro Issues: Not Detected/Not Mounted with Firewire 800
Story
When I first got my Drobo Pro the only Firewire connection I had on my computer to connect it to was a Firewire 400 interface. The Drobo works fine on this interface, but this interface transfers slower than using USB 2.0, so what's the point. I decided to invest some money in a good Firewire 800 PCIe card.
Problem
When I connect my Drobo to the Firewire 800 ports my PCIe card, Windows 7 makes 2 sounds, the connection sound, you know, the sound it makes whenever you connect new devices. The problem comes shortly after when Windows makes the disconnection sound. So, after that, it makes sense that the device is not mounted, and that nothing happens. What doesn't make sense is why it is disconnecting after connecting.
Debugging
1. I've tested the Firewire 800 ports with a different external hard drive that I have that runs on Firewire 800, and it works great. The drive gets mounted immediately after connecting it, and copying speeds are amazing for large files; not so amazing for lots of small files, but that's normal.
Debugging Status
So, that's where I am with this problem. I've done a number of searches on Google with no success. I keep getting unrelated results on Google and in the Drobo knowledge base.
Suspicions
I haven't put much more time into figuring this one out, but I suspect it must have something to do with my Firewire 800 card not working so well with my computer, or maybe not working so well with Drobo, since Drobo does work with my Firewire 400 connection interface. hmmm... I'll provide an update once I have more time to investigate.
The reason why I want to get Firewire 800 working is so that my network doesn't get bogged down when I do large file transfers. I've had times when I was copying a large number of files to my Drobo, and my internet nearly stopped responding, or started to time out. So, even though Firewire 800 might not be as fast as Gigabit Lan, it would allow the Drobo to operate on an isolated channel, so to speak. It won't be interfering with other things, and other things won't interfere with it, which is what I want.
When I first got my Drobo Pro the only Firewire connection I had on my computer to connect it to was a Firewire 400 interface. The Drobo works fine on this interface, but this interface transfers slower than using USB 2.0, so what's the point. I decided to invest some money in a good Firewire 800 PCIe card.
Problem
When I connect my Drobo to the Firewire 800 ports my PCIe card, Windows 7 makes 2 sounds, the connection sound, you know, the sound it makes whenever you connect new devices. The problem comes shortly after when Windows makes the disconnection sound. So, after that, it makes sense that the device is not mounted, and that nothing happens. What doesn't make sense is why it is disconnecting after connecting.
Debugging
1. I've tested the Firewire 800 ports with a different external hard drive that I have that runs on Firewire 800, and it works great. The drive gets mounted immediately after connecting it, and copying speeds are amazing for large files; not so amazing for lots of small files, but that's normal.
Debugging Status
So, that's where I am with this problem. I've done a number of searches on Google with no success. I keep getting unrelated results on Google and in the Drobo knowledge base.
Suspicions
I haven't put much more time into figuring this one out, but I suspect it must have something to do with my Firewire 800 card not working so well with my computer, or maybe not working so well with Drobo, since Drobo does work with my Firewire 400 connection interface. hmmm... I'll provide an update once I have more time to investigate.
The reason why I want to get Firewire 800 working is so that my network doesn't get bogged down when I do large file transfers. I've had times when I was copying a large number of files to my Drobo, and my internet nearly stopped responding, or started to time out. So, even though Firewire 800 might not be as fast as Gigabit Lan, it would allow the Drobo to operate on an isolated channel, so to speak. It won't be interfering with other things, and other things won't interfere with it, which is what I want.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)