Introduction
It can be very frustrating when you settle down to an evening of entertainment and for some strange reason your Windows Media Player video shows fine but the audio won't work. The great news is that it is very easy to solve this problem. All you need is the right software.
Analog to Digital
At first, sound information in the form of waves (analog) was used to record and store audio information. Today we have gone digital. Thus the analog wave is sampled and the information converted into digital information 1's and 0's. Dolby Labs developed a digital audio technology that can record and produce a multichannel audio experience, for instance, surround sound which gives the impression that the sound comes from multiple directions simulating the more natural way we experience sound. They developed AC3 technology. AC3 Filter, for example, is a software that can encode (convert the audio data into a code) and decode (convert the code back to its original form).
Fixing the Problem
If the DVD uses AC3 , it will not play in Windows Media Player unless Media Player has the AC3 Filter. The solution is simple. Download AC3 Filter off the internet and install it. The software is completely free. Then you will be able to see and hear your movie. Enjoy.
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Sunday, October 24, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Best Free Text-to-Speech Software
Introduction
As a budding Reading Specialist, I am constantly searching for great software that can enhance reading skills. When I learned about text-to-speech (TTS) technology, I examined many TTS "freeware" programs that made fantastic claims about their software only to discover that they either fell short of what they promised or it turned out that you had to pay to get the other features deceptively advertised as freeware.
Great and Free
At last I found "TTSReader" by SpheNet. I was amazed at the functionality of the program. For instance, you can choose from among nineteen different voices, adjust the speed, pitch and volume of the voice, and choose whether the first letter of the word or the whole word is highlighted when read.
Numerous Applications
Reading specialists, teachers and parents can utilize this programme to assist struggling readers and good readers alike to improve their fluency skills. Additionally, the text can be converted to mp3 files and listened to while doing other activities - this means that you can listen to your textbook, emails, articles, magazines or any digitized material that you prefer to be read to you either for pleasure or for practical reasons. Indeed this is among the very best free software available on the internet.
As a budding Reading Specialist, I am constantly searching for great software that can enhance reading skills. When I learned about text-to-speech (TTS) technology, I examined many TTS "freeware" programs that made fantastic claims about their software only to discover that they either fell short of what they promised or it turned out that you had to pay to get the other features deceptively advertised as freeware.
Great and Free
At last I found "TTSReader" by SpheNet. I was amazed at the functionality of the program. For instance, you can choose from among nineteen different voices, adjust the speed, pitch and volume of the voice, and choose whether the first letter of the word or the whole word is highlighted when read.
Numerous Applications
Reading specialists, teachers and parents can utilize this programme to assist struggling readers and good readers alike to improve their fluency skills. Additionally, the text can be converted to mp3 files and listened to while doing other activities - this means that you can listen to your textbook, emails, articles, magazines or any digitized material that you prefer to be read to you either for pleasure or for practical reasons. Indeed this is among the very best free software available on the internet.
Downloading and Playing Videos from Youtube
Introduction
Have you ever stumbled across an interesting and informative video on Youtube and, anxious to download it, you discovered to your dismay that you are unable to do so? Moreover, if you somehow were successful in downloading it, you become frustrated because you cannot play the file offline. I had the same problem. I just had to have those amazing, informative video clips about web 2.0 that our ICT lecturer introduced to us.
Solution
I went online in search of a solution. I came across a post by a gentleman who suggested a program by the name "Any Video Converter". I followed the link, downloaded the program, checked for viruses and spyware, of course, and voila! It worked. Now I can easily download any video from Youtube and convert it to a number of common formats that the regular DVD and Media player software can read.
File Formats
You may be wondering why the videos from Youtube do not play on your regular software. It is because Youtube uses a file format FLV (Flash Video) that those software do not read. So if you prefer to keep the original format of FLV while downloading the video instead of converting them to the format that your regular software can use, then you will need a program that can play FLV. There are many FREE programs that can do the job well: VLC media player that can play just about any thing and flvplayer4free, for example. Downloading, playing and converting Youtube videos is is so easy with Any Video Converter.
Have you ever stumbled across an interesting and informative video on Youtube and, anxious to download it, you discovered to your dismay that you are unable to do so? Moreover, if you somehow were successful in downloading it, you become frustrated because you cannot play the file offline. I had the same problem. I just had to have those amazing, informative video clips about web 2.0 that our ICT lecturer introduced to us.
Solution
I went online in search of a solution. I came across a post by a gentleman who suggested a program by the name "Any Video Converter". I followed the link, downloaded the program, checked for viruses and spyware, of course, and voila! It worked. Now I can easily download any video from Youtube and convert it to a number of common formats that the regular DVD and Media player software can read.
File Formats
You may be wondering why the videos from Youtube do not play on your regular software. It is because Youtube uses a file format FLV (Flash Video) that those software do not read. So if you prefer to keep the original format of FLV while downloading the video instead of converting them to the format that your regular software can use, then you will need a program that can play FLV. There are many FREE programs that can do the job well: VLC media player that can play just about any thing and flvplayer4free, for example. Downloading, playing and converting Youtube videos is is so easy with Any Video Converter.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Shrink and Burn Large DVDs
Introduction
I remember purchasing a package of two DVDs of the bible in Spanish and I wanted to make a back up copy of the DVDs for safe keeping but the problem was that the data on one of the DVDs were too large to fit on a single disk. If you are in a similar situation and are still searching for a way to burn your favourite DVDs that are too big, then your search has finally come to an end. In this post I will offer a few solutions to deal with this problem.
Bytes, Bytes and more Bytes
In computing, a byte is a unit of storage. It is calculated using base two so that there can be 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024 bytes and so on where each number is twice the number immediately before it. A byte can store one character like letter A or the number 0, etc. The prefix "kilo" means a thousand. So a kilobyte is about 1000 bytes. Since binary numbers are used, a kilobyte (Kb) is exactly 1024 bytes. A megabyte (Mb) is 1000 Kb and a Gigabyte (GB) is 1000 Mb - each new prefix on the scale increases the size by a thousand. A regular floppy diskette can store 1.44 Mb of data. Compare that with a 1 Gb flash drive - about 1000 times the size of a floppy - no wonder that the floppy has gone out of style.
Burning Large Files
A regular CD capacity is 700Mb while a regular DVD capacity is 4.7 Gb. If the DVD movie that you desire to burn exceeds 4.7 Gb, then you will be unable to burn it using your regular software. One solution to the problem is to use "DVD shrink". It is the only free compression software that I have discovered. And it works exceptionally well. It can compress the DVD movie so that it can fit on a single DVD. However, there are limits to the compression as must be expected. Secondly, if the movie file is so big that it cannot be compressed enough to fit on a single DVD, then you can choose to copy the movie file itself without the added features. A DVD usually comes with files other than the movie file. The movie file is the largest file. DVD shrink allows you to choose the files that you want in the DVD. By selecting only the movie file (the largest file), DVD shrink may be able to sufficiently compress the file to fit on a single disk. Thirdly, if this doesn't work, you also have the option of burning the DVD movie on two separate disks. This can be accomplished using "DVD fab 7" which is a powerful burning software with many cool features. This program is not free. However, you can try out the full software for 30 days before you decide whether or not you would purchase it. Your DVDs are never too big to handle!
I remember purchasing a package of two DVDs of the bible in Spanish and I wanted to make a back up copy of the DVDs for safe keeping but the problem was that the data on one of the DVDs were too large to fit on a single disk. If you are in a similar situation and are still searching for a way to burn your favourite DVDs that are too big, then your search has finally come to an end. In this post I will offer a few solutions to deal with this problem.
Bytes, Bytes and more Bytes
In computing, a byte is a unit of storage. It is calculated using base two so that there can be 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024 bytes and so on where each number is twice the number immediately before it. A byte can store one character like letter A or the number 0, etc. The prefix "kilo" means a thousand. So a kilobyte is about 1000 bytes. Since binary numbers are used, a kilobyte (Kb) is exactly 1024 bytes. A megabyte (Mb) is 1000 Kb and a Gigabyte (GB) is 1000 Mb - each new prefix on the scale increases the size by a thousand. A regular floppy diskette can store 1.44 Mb of data. Compare that with a 1 Gb flash drive - about 1000 times the size of a floppy - no wonder that the floppy has gone out of style.
Burning Large Files
A regular CD capacity is 700Mb while a regular DVD capacity is 4.7 Gb. If the DVD movie that you desire to burn exceeds 4.7 Gb, then you will be unable to burn it using your regular software. One solution to the problem is to use "DVD shrink". It is the only free compression software that I have discovered. And it works exceptionally well. It can compress the DVD movie so that it can fit on a single DVD. However, there are limits to the compression as must be expected. Secondly, if the movie file is so big that it cannot be compressed enough to fit on a single DVD, then you can choose to copy the movie file itself without the added features. A DVD usually comes with files other than the movie file. The movie file is the largest file. DVD shrink allows you to choose the files that you want in the DVD. By selecting only the movie file (the largest file), DVD shrink may be able to sufficiently compress the file to fit on a single disk. Thirdly, if this doesn't work, you also have the option of burning the DVD movie on two separate disks. This can be accomplished using "DVD fab 7" which is a powerful burning software with many cool features. This program is not free. However, you can try out the full software for 30 days before you decide whether or not you would purchase it. Your DVDs are never too big to handle!
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