Terrabyte online Initial impressions

Hi everyone,
Got Aperture couple days ago. I have about 2 years of Nikon NEF's and a a year of Canon 1dsMkII files and a ton of medium format scans that i'm moving into Aperture right now. About a terrabyte of RAW and edits.
Speed: It's almost as good as advertised with 16.8megapixel RAW files. There is some lag but acceptable. I'm running it on Dual 2.5 G5 with 5GB RAM, striped SATA drives.
Photoshop layers: When you drop in a RAW file and then use Open external editor to edit in photoshop and save, everything works great. Layers are preserved so you can reedit. However when i import my old psd's with layers (with maximize compatibility turned on) and then open in editor, none of the layers show. This is definetely a bug. It looks like layer support is working only if the master was in aperture to begin with. Gotta report to Apple.
Customization: Lot's of weaknesses here.
- No way to add 11x14 to custom crop settings for example. Everytime you have to retype it in.
- When you sort by rating using the drop down, you have to click the descending button to see best ones on top. But it doesn't save that setting, so everytime you change sort , you've got to push the button again. Annoying.
All in all, great Version1 though!
Rating/Stacking/Smart Albums Rocks!!!
Ferhat
Mac OS X (10.4.3)

Ferhat, Thanks for reporting your experience with a large library!
Photoshop layers: When you drop in a RAW file and
then use Open external editor to edit in photoshop
and save, everything works great. Layers are
preserved so you can reedit. However when i import my
old psd's with layers (with maximize compatibility
turned on) and then open in editor, none of the
layers show. This is definetely a bug. It looks like
layer support is working only if the master was in
aperture to begin with. Gotta report to Apple.
I'm not so sure this is a bug. I think the reason you're seeing this is that when you import a PSD, it becomes your master image and technically, Aperture doesn't let you modify a master. When you select a master and choose to edit in an external editor, it's creating a new, flattened version. This is the same thing you'd see if you chose to create a new version of a PSD file that's a version of a RAW file.
I can see the Apple developers sitting in the room trying to figure out how to solve the issue. If they kept layers, then would they have to prevent our ability to make further adjustments in Aperture. But, if they let us make adjustments and kept the layers, how would they let us decide which layer our adjustments were actually touching?

Similar Messages

Yammer used for page comments in SharePoint Online, initially says "The feed you've requested does not exist"

I am trying to use Yammer for a per-page comment platform. This seems to require placing a Yammer embed in each page and configuring the embed to use Open-Graph.
Why does the feed initially say "The feed you've requested does not exist." for every new page? The default should read "There are no messages
in this feed."
My embed code looks like this:
<div id="embedded-feed" style="height:400px;width:500px;"></div>
<script type="text/javascript" src="https://assets.yammer.com/assets/platform_embed.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript"> yam.connect.embedFeed({
container: "#embedded-feed"
, network: "myyammernetwork.com"
, feedType: "open-graph"
, config: {
use_sso: false
, showOpenGraphPreview: false
, header: false
, footer: false
, promptText: "Comment on this page..."
, objectProperties: { url: window.location.href, type: "page" }
</script>
You can see at the following link, following the instructions, it results in "there are no messages in this feed."
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Use-Yammer-Embed-instead-of-the-Yammer-app-for-SharePoint-2013-and-SharePoint-Online-812c752b-3586-4f67-accb-49cd3724dcc1?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US#CommentFeed

Hi,
which is your environment, SharePoint Server 2013 or SharePoint Online?
For Yammer Embed to work, your SharePoint environment must satisfy the following prerequisites:
Your organization should have an active Yammer network (for example: www.yammer.com/contoso.com)
Your SharePoint farm admin should choose Yammer.com service as the default enterprise social collaboration platform. Set this option in the SharePoint admin center for SharePoint Online and in SharePoint Central Administration for on-premises
SharePoint Server 2013. Choose the yammer.com service and wait for 30 minutes before moving on to the next step.
For more information,please refer to the blog:
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Embed-a-Yammer-feed-into-a-SharePoint-site-4817d2fa-50f6-4f25-88a0-a312745768d4
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/chhopkin/archive/2013/11/20/yammer-embed-and-sharepoint-2013.aspx
https://technet.microsoft.com/library/dn270535?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396
Best Regards,
Eric
TechNet Community Support
Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help, and unmark the answers if they provide no help. If you have feedback for TechNet Support, contact
[email protected]

TX2Z - 5 days of use: my initial impression, issues and need for advice

Hello All,
I have had my TX2Z for a complete 5 days now. Prior to purchasing, i had a Dell 700m for almost 4 years. When I bougt the Dell, i got it loaded with a 2GHz Intel processor, 2GB RAM, 120GB HDD, XP Pro, etc. It is a brilliant machine and I really enjoyed it...it was good to me and I really can say I never had any issues with it. I took care of it and it returned the favor. I upgraded to Vista Business back in November and it was still great. In fact, I still think it out performs (in terms of speed and stability), most other new laptops owned by my collegues. However, for work, i really needed a tablet and although i read some bad reviews about the TX2Z, i read many more good reviews. So a couple of weeks ago, I called them and ordered a pretty loaded one. I have the 2.4GHz processor, 4GB RAM, Vista Ultimate 64 bit, 250GB 7200 RPM HDD, etc. I assumed it would be quite fast since reviews i read stated the standard 2.2GHz processor was sufficient.
So it came in last Tuesday and I began the migration process. I did a lot of reserach online about what bloatware to remove and did so. Between work and time at home, it took me 2 days to get everything to migrate over from my Dell and install my applications. I partitioned the HD and put my data on the new partition. Outlook migration was quite bothersome to say the least.
I've had a lot of strange issues and had to do a lot of reserach to find fixes but it seems random new issues pop up from time to time. They may be small, but i'm not too technical so I just expect things to work as they did on my Dell for so long.
1. I feel its very slow. When you click on something, like when going through email in Outlook, the email just doesn't show up in the preview pane right away...it takes anywhere from 3-5 seconds...something that was instant before. Same thing when doing many other things...I feel like even web browsing has slowed down. i have defragmented, cleaned, optimized, etc...still inadequate.
2. I feel its very delicate. I've had it freeze on me a couple of times and today, i booted up and logged in and it went to some other profile on the computer with a message stating that there was an issue with my user profile. scared me, but i restarted and then it booted into my profile. then when i booted up again later, it did the same thing! thank God this time it was fine on the first go, but now i feel i have to worry about that every time i boot up...not a cool feeling.
3. I'm trying to get used to the tablet portion of it, but i feel it can be a little annoying sometimes. i won't complain much about it though because I think i need more practice first. i can write pretty well, but drawing on teh screen, the main reason for my using it, isn't that friendly...i always have to put the screen up to access teh keyboard and touchpad to really have what i want happen...i can't just do everything from the tablet.
4. heat: ive seen many people complain about this...it really is annoying how much heat comes out of this thing. i have to keep a folded cloth on my lap so it doesn't bother me.
5. fan: again, another concern i see expressed a lot...very annoying so i try to use only when unplugged and charge when i'm not using it. for the heat issue and the fan...i don't understand why HP doesn't use something else...i mean in this day and age, when they know this is a known issue on other models, why would they use it again?
so that's pretty much all i can think of now. i do like a number of things too, but i really would like advice on the above. i know a lot of you will say just to wipe everything out and start over, but is there any other way to run some tests to see what the issue is? i really don't want to go through another 2 day process. also, if i have to do this, is there a better way to migrate programs and data to an external HD and then back? i just moved my data to an external HD and basically just installed software using discs and internet downloads...took forever!
what about these recover discs i hear a lot aboutt? if i make them now, will they keep all current data and configurations too or just the original OS?
sorry for the long post, but would like some help on what to do. i need to have some confidence built in me about this machine and some reassuracne that i should be happy for the next 2-3 years. TIA.

4. A swipe gesture to the apps screen.
hmmm this is actually a not bad idea!

Premiere Elements 8 Initial Impressions

Premiere Elements 8 First Look: Part 1.
Photoshop Elements 8 and Premiere Elements 8 are now installed on my Windows XP SP3 with about available 1 GB RAM and 70 GB free hard drive space and the virtual memory controlled by the operating system…not great for a heavy duty project, but adequate to overview the programs.
1. Download & Installation. Both programs took about 3 ½ hours to download, using high speed DSL. Premiere Elements 8 downloaded and installed without problems. Installation went much quicker. But, Photoshop Elements 8 download did present challenges, first, it kept downloading Premiere Elements 8 instead of Photoshop Elements 8. Finally in the early hours of the morning, the download from the Adobe site was named Photoshop Elements 8. Great, except, once downloaded it would not launch. The launcher did not know what to do with the .7z file. Download and use of WinZip took care of that. My default browser Mozilla Firefox was worthless for the download of either Photoshop Elements 8 or Premiere Elements 8, but no problems with my Internet Explorer 6. I had this same problem with the Photoshop Elements 7/Premiere Elements 7 downloads last year.
2. Premiere Elements 8
a. Organizer. I would take exception to Steve Grisetti’s picture of the Organizer in “What’s new in Premiere Elements 8?”, but maybe I was overly optimistic by “The most visible change to version 8 is that the Organizer is no longer a sub-program of Premiere Elements and Photoshop Elements. It now lives as its own, separate, pretty much independent program – behaving more than ever like its professional big brother, Adobe Bridge.” He went on to say “In version 8, both programs have equal access to a single, full-featured Organizer.”
Here is my dilemma for some who want a separate video and photo catalog. If you had Photoshop Elements 7/Premiere Elements 7, you could create additional catalogs in Photoshop Elements 7. Premiere Elements 7 could use one of these catalogs, but could not create new catalogs. So then, you could have a photo catalog displaying in the Photoshop Elements 7 Organizer and a video catalog displaying when you opened Premiere Elements 7. You cannot do that anymore, and File Menu/Catalog is gone in Premiere Elements 8. You still cannot create catalogs in Premiere Elements 8, so, if you just have Premiere Elements 8, you have ONE catalog. If you have Photoshop Elements 8 and Premiere Elements 8, you can create additional catalogs in Photoshop Elements 8 that can be used in Premiere Elements 8, but these programs will display the same ONE catalog.
b. Project Presets. The “New Preset” button is gone. The categories of the presets for NTSC and PAL remain the same: AVCHD, DV, “Hard Disk, Flash Memory Camcorder”, HDV. However, two choices have been added to the “Hard Disk, Flash Memory Camcorder” categories. Now we have HD 1080i30, HD 1080i30 (60i), Standard, and Widescreen. Here I have a problem reconciling the names and the descriptions. It was my understanding, in Premiere Elements 7 for standard and widescreen in this category, this preset category reverses the Fields: from Upper Field First to Lower Field First in Premiere Elements edits. So, now with these new choices described as follows:
HD 1080i30: 1920 x 1080i; pixel aspect ratio = square pixels (1.0); camcorders like JVC GZ-HD7; 16:9 interlaced HD video at 29:97 frames per second.
HD 1080i30 (60i): HD video from 1440 x 1080i camcorders; 16:9 interlaced HD video at 29:97 frames per second HDV 1080i Anamorphic.
When thinking HD 1080i30 preset….the JVC camcorder captures to a progressive sensor, assumed at 30 frames per second, and can record to it’s built in hard drive as 1920 x 1080i with 30 frames per second each frame with 2 fields. So, what prevents us from calling this preset HD 1080i30 (30p) Square Pixel?
When thinking HD 1080i30 (60i))…the camcorder involved captures to an interlaced sensor at 60 fields per second, and can record to it media as 1440 x 1080 with 30 frames per second, using a HD Anamorphic. So, what prevents us from calling this preset HD 1080i30 (60i) Anamorphic?
When I start comparing preset choices, the only reason for using these “Hard Disk, Flash Memory Camcorder” new choices appears to be, like for standard and widescreen, to have the Fields reversed. Do you agree? Any comments on the nomenclature for these new preset choices?
3. Adobe Folder, folders and files
If you go to the default location of the Adobe Folder (My Documents\Premiere Elements\8.0), there are some differences there:
For Premiere Elements 7 and earlier versions there were:
Adobe Premiere Elements Previews Folder
Encoded Files Folder
Media Cache Folder that piled up with conformed audio files (.cfa and .pek)
Project Prel file
Styles Folder
And sometimes 2 .log files
Now in Premiere Elements 8, the Media Cache Folder is gone and we have the arrangement:
Adobe Premiere Elements Previews Folder
CA Object Track Results
Encoded Files
Layouts
Styles Folder
(You no longer see the endless conforming of DVD Menus (not even used) at the beginning of the project. But, I am still trying to figure out what they did with the conformed audio files (.cfa and .pek). More on that next time, along with Premiere Elements 8 Exports as well as Photoshop Elements 8/Premiere Elements 8 intergration.
ATR

I have not gotten to Part 3 yet. This is an add on to the last add on.
I tried to find the Premiere Elements 8 Read Me file since those Read Me files usually contain "Known Bug Messages". I could not find that Adobe had put it online, but I did dig it out of the try out download folder. Here is the excerpt on Premiere Elements 8 known bugs/issues:
Adobe Premiere Elements 8.0 Known Issues
Importing Adobe Premiere Elements 3.0 and 4.0 Projects
• Effect keyframes in Premiere elements 3.0 projects may not import correctly
Capturing and Importing Video
DV Device control will be disabled and capture will not proceed normally if sound card is not present or offline.
·         If capture is interrupted by a system event such as switching users, locking the system, or the screensaver, the duration of the captured file will be much shorter than expected. It is recommended to disable the screensaver before starting capture, and to avoid any actions that may interfere with the capture.
·         For live capture from DV camcorders, you must first disable scene detect.
·         When importing some Flash files a “Macromedia Flash Player security" message reading “Flash player has stopped potentially unsafe operation" may appear. Click “OK”, and the file will import normally.
·         When capturing form HDV camcorders you may see interlace lines in the preview window, The interlace lines do not appear in the captured video
·         Divx files may not be imported properly and sometimes import only audio or video part of it
·         After completing time-lapse capture, it may take some time for the organizer to update and display the thumbnails for the captured files. Still images captured using Stop Motion are not added to the organizer.
·         Importing media from some devices requires that the drivers provided with devices are installed
·         Stop Motion capture is not supported for HDV camcorders.
Organizer
•       When reconnecting missing media, each grouped scene must be reconnected individually
Edit
·         If issues are seen with color in preview, switch to CPU playback mode by un-checking “Enable GPU Playback” checkbox in Edit>preferences>General and restart application after saving your project.
·         Generation of thumbnails for DVD scene menus may take longer than expected when using HDV content.
·         Organizer may exhibit performance issues with large catalogs (5000-10,000 files )
·         With some GPU cards enabling “Accelerated GPU Effects” may cause the preview to be zoomed in.
·         Voice over narration may not be recorded using a mono USB microphone
·         When previewing audio mixes, pops may be heard as the CTI passes form one clip to the next. These pops will not appear in your exported movie
Audio mixer sliders may become “sticky” when mixing clips that have been time stretched
·         [Japanese & Chinese Simplified SPECIFIC] When application is installed to path that contains double byte characters path, GPU effects/transition will not function.
·         [Japanese SPECIFIC] Inputting ¥ symbol in Menu templates produces a backslash ( \ )
Photoshop Elements Integration
• In Photoshop Elements, choosing “Edit in Adobe Premiere Elements” may not bring the Adobe Premiere Elements window to the foreground.
• If a Photoshop Elements slideshow is sent to Adobe Premiere Elements, further edits in Photoshop Elements will not be reflected in Adobe Premiere Elements.
• Images saved in Photoshop Elements in BMP mode using the Advanced Settings cannot be imported into Adobe Premiere Elements. This includes images created using Adobe Premiere Elements Freeze Frame function and sent to Photoshop Elements for editing. If the image is saved using Photoshop Elements Advanced Settings, it cannot be returned to Adobe Premiere Elements, and as result, the original, unedited Freeze Frame image will be used.
• Send to Premiere Elements 8.0 will not work from older versions of Photoshop Elements
Exporting Movies
• Export of movies to the root directory of any drive (e.g. D:\) may fail.
• When exporting movies over one hour to MPEG2 format, the render dialog may continue to be displayed for a period of time after the render progress bar appears to have completed. Rendering is still occurring until the render dialog boxes closes. Clicking Cancel before the render dialog box closes will interrupt this process, and your export file will not be created
• For play back on a PSP, movies must include both audio and video. Movies exported with video only or audio only will not play back on the PSP.
• Archival of projects with Type 1 DV-AVI files is not supported.
• If standard definition menu templates are used when burning to Bluray, menu images s will appear of low quality
• When attempting to burn a Bluray disc to a previously burned disc, you will see an error message indicating that the disc is incompatible, instead of an error message indicating the disc is full.
• Movies exported in H.264 format may have a few white frames added to the end
• Movies exported in MPEG2 format may be a few frames shorter than the original movie
This seems to answer my question about Photoshop Elements 8/Premiere Element 8 integration regarding slideshows, but may be of more widespread interest to others for the other "known bugs" cited by Adobe.
ATR

Initial impressions?

I'm a fairly fluent photoshopper and see the need for a workflow that works in raw, enables processing of batches easily, etc. Aperture fills an obvious need.
Initial experience is that it's pretty slow and the user interface is a bit confusing. When I see a little icon with a histogram, I think that if I click it, I'll be able to set the levels. Instead, it's the auto-levels button. The real levels setter is below and the histogram doesn't show up until I start to adjust things.
I'm so used to photoshop and similar interfaces for zooming in and out, that I start looking for the zoom tool and discover there isn't any, and that I have to click on something to get actual size and then maybe play with the loupe or find magic key strokes to zoom in or out. Not sure where they are yet.
Just playing with it for a few hours, but I can see it's not going to be intuitive or simple. I haven't gotten to how to use a light table or where you go to make a book, or even how to export to iPhoto to make a nice slide show.
this is very rough. The instructional DVD zips right through all the features, so I'm sure everything is there. Just where it is, how to use it, etc. will take a lot of work.

Zoom - there appears to be 'fit window' or 100% with nothing in between. Not totally sure if I like this, but analysing my PS usage these are the two settings I use 90% of the time.
Light table, book, web journal and web gallery are all created from the 'plus' sign at the top of the project pane - easiest is to select the images you want and choose one of the 'create xxx from selection' menu items. Think of them like specialist albums or the slideshows in iPhoto 5.
There seems to be no direct export to iPhoto, but it's fairly simple anyway - select the images, hit Command-Shift-E for 'Export Versions...', pick a suitable export preset like 'JPEG 1024'. Then import the results into iPhoto.
Speed - somethings are slower than PS, others are faster. Previewing adjustments is something that will feel very slow after PS - alter a setting and Aperture will change the actual image, not just a preview. I think for easily comparing before and after settings it's probably best just to make a new version and view them side-by-side.
Ian

K8T NEO-FIS2R RTL!!! My Initial impressions

K got my Msi and athlon64 3200 in yesterday swapped it into once of my spare cases and fired her up.
K, First problem i encountered was it would not boot off my 2x512 corsair pc3700 twin X ram.
then it would not boot of my Geil pc4000 2x256 Low latency (2.5,7,3,3)
I would boot off Hynix cheapo ddr400 stick. i then tried to manually set timings incase spd did not detect properly to no avail no matter what combination i used my top ram would not work.
I then tried a set of 2x256 Hyperx pc4000 modules. The booted and tested out fine.y
MSI needs to fix this glaring problem if your board doesnt work with Corsair top of the line Ram your A$$ out!!!
K after the ram fiasco every single thing went smoothly windows install as well as installing the useful utilities off the cd like MSI Core to overclock in windows. Windows and all utilities and updates installed without a hitch.
my spare 9800 pro installed without a hitch.
i then set about doing some quick benches.
i was getting, at stock settings,
3000 ish sandra memory bench
6044 3dmark2k3
49 fps Halo -timedemo (1024x768x32 all high no aniso or AA)
then i bumped it up to 220 which puts me at 2200 mhz
sandra went to 3350 ish
6360 on 3dmark2k3
58 fps same halo test.
i clocked my 2.6c p4 to 3.2 at 246 fbs with the corsair pc3700 2x512 at 3,8,4,4 1:1
i get about 5700 sandra mem bench
6038 3dmarks 2k3
48 Halo bench
even at default the xp3200 without being fully tweaked overtakes my 3.2 p4 at 246 fbs with 1 gig tweaked ram. Then when i overclock the hammer to 2.2 its pulling away pretty healthily. i suspect a stock 3.2 at 200 fbs would get trounced.
my testing was done with 2 9800 pros both clocked at 400/350 ( my main card will do more but to keep testing even i used the top speed of the slower one) using omegas latest cat 3.8 leaked drivers and default settings.
The good: So far this board has been easy to work with and setup, exhibiting great stability and performance.
Cpu running great temps under load using the stock retail heatsink. 53c loaded with Prime95 for 3 hours. Overclocking potiential seems to be good with these chips and the feature set is great.
The Bad: Will not allow the use of todays most popular and best Ram vendors top of the line products. Msi has to fix the issues with Corsair ram and that of Geil as well this is not the cheapo Geil either.
overclocking hits a wall at 220fbs i changed nothing went straight to 220 with what through initial testing appears to be complete stability however at 221 and above displays complete random instability, this tells me MSI is going to have to include pci/agp locks for this board to stretch its legs. i believe my chip has much more to offer.
Core windows tweaking and overclocking utility does some crazy stuff i cant move my vcore past default with it.
This is real preliminary i will see if i have to turn down from 220 to run my raptor raid 0 array of the SATA controller i should have more detailed information this weekend.
Does anyone know any other good places to share/compare MSI products at? also things like beta bios's or MSI sponsered forums ect?
M*Xi

Hi
Try that:
http://www.amdforums.com/

Initial impression of 7200rpm 100GB Seagate drive; not good

I installed the Seagate Momentus 100GB 7200rpm drive into my 1.83Ghz MacBook, which has 2GB of GigaRam RAM from NewEgg. My MacBook came with the 60GB 5400rpm FUJITSU MHV2060BHPL.
The first thing I noticed about the Seagate drive was how much vibration I was feeling in the areas to the left and right of the trackpad. With the Fujitsu you cannot even feel it spinning. The Seagate was annoying.
I decided to take it out and re-install the Fujitsu just to make certain my memory of that drive was not playing tricks on me. But before that, I decided to try a few simple tests of the Seagate that might tell me how fast it was in comparison the to pokey 5400 Fujitsu.
Using iMovie and the iSight camera I recorded a 3 minute clip of me sitting in front of the camera. I then exported this movie into a Quicktime broadband low movie. It took the 7200 Seagate 2 minutes and 30 seconds to complete the task.
Next I pulled in a previous podcast that was edited in GarageBand. It took the 7200 drive 28 seconds to send it to iTunes.
After re-installing the 60GB drive I knew my memory was good. You cannot even feel this drive spinning.
It took the 5400 drive 2 minutes and 7 seconds to convert the 3 minute I movie of me in front of the iSight into a Quicktime broadband low file. That could't be right, so I recorded it again and got the same results.
Next I pulled in the same podcast into GarageBand. It took the 5400 drive 24 seconds to send it to iTunes. By comparison my dual 1.85Ghz G5 takes between 12 and 13 seconds to send this podcast into iTunes.
Needless to say I'm sending this drive back and rethinking what to get instead. I'm pretty shocked by these simple little tests, which duplicates the kind of tasks I would perform on this MacBook.
Maybe I got a bad drive? I did have two kernel panics on the 7200 when trying to install OS X before my successful third attempt.
As always, YMMV.
Dual G5 tower ~ MacBook Mac OS X (10.4)

When you install a new HD with a fresh install of Mac OS X you will be subject to Spotlight whirring away in background in order to build its data base holding file meta data. This could be part of your performancei ssue you raise.
Also, it could be that a new drive requires some sanity checking of all of its data space - again, this could interfer with your performance measurements.
The vibration issue is another thing altogether. Of course it's spinning faster than the stock 5400 rpm HD, but if it's balanced it should not cause vibration to the degree you've reported. Others here report no such vibration so it could be you have a bad HD and should have it replaced. Then check again for vibrartion. If vibration persists then it's a function of your install procedure or your MacBook construction. The HD in laptops typically have small rubber supports to reduce/eliminate vibrations - maybe one of those rubber bushings has become dislodged during replacing your HD.
Good luck and post back what happens next.

Initial Impressions of the Focusrite Liquid Mix

The first thing I should mention before I begin this short review is my lack of experience. I've only been recording seriously for the past 8 months, and I've never used any of the analog compressors or boards on which the Liquid Mix is modeled. In fact, the only analog compressor I've ever used while recording is a DBX 266xl, which I don't really care for.
I'll get to the quality of sound tomorrow, since it wouldn't install on the Intel Mini Duo at the studio. I sent them an e-mail, hopefully it will get resolved tomorrow.
Installation was a breeze on my Powerbook though, and I'm really liking the unit. I'm monitoring with Sony 7506s right now, so I'll just comment on the look and feel in the meantime, although it does sound pretty great already.
I really like having a unit with 11 knobs and 14 buttons to control both the compressors and eqs. Its a nice change from the mouse, just feels better. Plus, the display is pretty nice, and it opens up more room on your monitor if you just use the liquid mix display. If you want, you can view the plug-ins on the monitor as well.. Seems pretty intuitive, but I've only used it for about an hour so far, haven't dug deep.
I was kicked back on the couch just playing with it in my lap, good times. Finally, one of my favorite things about it is that each compressor and eq has only the original controls by default. If you couldn't adjust the q on the eq, it doesn't show up as an option. However, you can enable free mode to fully adjust any compressor or eq.
I believe this default restriction will actually make be better though, so I'm leaving it on for a while. Sometimes when you have too many options it makes it hard to choose what needs to be done, especially with eqs and compressors when you are just learning how to use them. These classic analog compressors and eqs had certain defined settings for a reason, and plenty of great records were made that way, and still are. I can't wait to try them all out. I'll post more, but right now its time to play with the new toy.

I picked one up back on Monday and I'm having a blast with it. If anything, it's rather nice to be able to apply such plug-ins and without having the CPU activity climb up. I took a few pieces that we were working on and replaced the output compression that we were using (Vintage Warmer in this case) with one of the ones within LM and noticed a huge difference in the result. Not putting down VW, but my ears noticed a huge difference as the mix felt more glued together. Of course, I don't have a Neve or SSL console to compare the compressors to (not to mention the 38 other comps), but the difference that LM is making on the mixes are rather amazing (IMHO).
As well, having knobs and buttons to work with does make a huge difference for me as I don't have to call up the plug-in on the screen, causing my ProjectMix to jump to a different bank of faders. Because I can name my instances (definitely a great feature), I just have to dial them up on the box and tweak the comp and eq settings (or change them altogether). Another great feature is the ability to recall snapshots of various comp/eq emulations and settings that I make right from the box. I just have to pick the snapshot and I'm off and running.
The demos of the drums with the different comps weren't bad at all. If anything, it was very easy to hear the difference between each compressor emulation. However, the thing that really did it for me was listening to an actual mix using Liquid Mix and what it contributed to the mix.
jord

Initial impressions after a week of Leopard

First, having made certain that "unsanity" files (Logitech) were deleted, installation using default option was successful on both machines. Many others have not been so lucky.
Second, and for the most part, I find Leopard a significant improvement over Tiger, although the favorable features tend to be the unheralded. Mail seems to function with greater speed, and I like the ability to create bullet and number lists--as has always been possible using Entourage. Apple fixed the annoying lack of vertical scrolling in pdf documents in Safari; Safari, too, seems a bit more responsive. I also appreciate the quick, automatic mounting of "air disks" and network computers. (I had to downgrade the Airport Extreme firmware, however.) There are other positive aspects too numerous to detail here. Now for the problems, which are several and significant.
The following features do not work or work poorly on my G5:
1. backup to iDisk doesn't work using latest version of Apple's Backup (works fine so far on my MBP);
2. Time Machine--not even close to working (see the many posts on this topic), have yet to try with MBP;
3. numerous kernel-related crashes upon waking from sleep mode--most serious problem, for obvious reasons (no such problem, yet, on MBP);
4. iWeb crashed when attempting to publish (this after I'd resolved previous publishing problems with '08 version);
5. a few font-related problems moving from Tiger to Leopard; and
6. can't complete "repair permissions" using Disk Utility (related, it seems, to Apple Remote Desktop "ARDAgent")--affects both G5 and MBP.
I've sent Apple several reports, in particular on every crash. I suspect that the first update of Leopard will be a doozy--and much needed.

Sorry, you originally posted in the MBP forums. I had "assumed" your profile was incorrect. I see now the HOSTS has moved your post to the Lion forums.
Please disregard my previous response.
Sorry, I cannot help you any further. I've never used Lion OS. Never cared for it.

First Impressions: New MacBook Air 13" - 128GB HD - 2GB RAM

Thought I'd post some initial impressions here for those who are asking questions about memory, heat issues, noise, hinges, hard drive space etc.
This week I purchased the 13" MacBook Air, 128GB HD, 2GB RAM config in Apple Retail store. Ultimately a couple days later I ended up returning it and ordering the 2.13GHz upgrade, 256GB HD and 4GB RAM via Apple Store online. I'll tell you why at the end of this post.
Initial impressions:
- Gorgeous, well-designed machine. Feels great to use. Very solid.
- I chose the 13" over the 11" because the resolution seemed slightly higher, it was easier on my eyes and the 11" tended to bounce a bit when used in my lap while the 13" did not.
- I used Dropbox as my drive in the cloud for Documents, Photos and Videos (have been doing that for a while) as it allows you to get away with a smaller drive footprint.
- I did NOT yet have MS Office installed.
- For a mobile laptop, the new MBA cannot be beat. It's sleek and solid. No heat issues. Fan rarely came on if at all.
- I was using about 38GB of the 128GB drive. So I was glad I did not buy the 64GB 11", although I really, really wanted to like that smaller one.
- I installed a RAM monitoring app in it to see how much of the 2GB would be used under normal use (is there even such a thing anymore?). Without using MS Office, just surfing the web and using default OS apps, the lowest amount of RAM I had available was 700MB, so roughly 1.3GB was being used up in the worst scenarios. Despite this, it zipped along with multiple browser tabs open, uber-fast bootup and shutdown and really long battery life.
- I appreciated the fact that the 13" has 2 hours longer battery life than the 11". Ultimately that 7 hours played a big factor in why I bought the 13" instead of the 11".
- Bottom line? Definitely rate this a BUY. In spite of the omission of the backlit keyboard, it's a good machine; though I would NOT recommend it as a replacement for a MacBook Pro. It is a mobile computer. Fully functional, but I would not do heavy video editing or graphics work on it. For everything else it's superb and feels wonderful in your hands.
Why I ultimately took it back to the store.
I liked using it so much that I figured I may be using it more than my MacBook Pro, and as such wanted to max out the chip speed, RAM and HD space on it. Currently as of this post date you cannot get the higher performance MBAs in-store. You can only order them direct through Apple.
I ordered the 2.13GHz MBA with 4GB RAM and 256GB HD. It takes 2-3 bus days for them to configure it at Apple and another 2-3 bus days to ship to you so should get it next week.
For anyone considering buying this machine, I give it a strong thumbs up. For most users, the 13" 128GB and 2GB RAM should be fine. If you're looking to replace an existing MBP (wouldn't recommend it), you probably want to order through Apple and get the upgrades.
HTH,
Adam

After calling the customer service they told me I should receive before the 8 of November that makes 18 days!
Adam, that's nothing. When Apple introduced the liquid-cooled PM G5s, we had to wait over 2 months before Apple shipped them! They may halted production to fix the apparent video flaws a lot of people are experiencing. The longer you wait, the less chance you may get a lemon.
Check out the new remodeled MacOSG website! 24-hour Apple-related news & support.
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T500 Vista buying experience and initial setup problems

This a long post but I felt the information could be used by others buying a notebook and trying to set it up.
I have used a Thinkpad T40 (1 GB, XP Pro) at work since 2003 and just love the rock-solid keyboard, screen, and hinges. The IT department has offered me the most recent Dell computer as an upgrade but I much prefer to keep my old reliable T40.
When my daughter needed a notebook for university in September, it was only natural to consider Lenovo, having heard about too many quality problems with other manufacturers. I wanted this notebook to last through the 4 years without any hardware problems.
I did a lot of research on the Web and read numerous Thinkpad forums. The information gathered was invaluable for deciding which configuration to buy. Note that I have never used VISTA before, nor have I ever opened a notebook to replace parts.
Buying experience:
- On my first contact with the Lenovo Sales desk in Canada, they mentioned there was a special 25% coupon sale, if my configuration was over $1500 (discounted price). These specials come back often, so it is best to check the Lenovo site. At the time, there was a free integrated camera, free upgrade to 250 MB HDD and free shipping. Since these promotions can be removed at any time, I decided to place an online order for a Thinkpad T500, before having completed all my research. It is easy to place an order online. You just have to remember that not all items contribute to making up the $1500, such as MS Office software.
- Lenovo Sales telephone support for answering any questions about online ordering was outstanding and very helpful.
- Note that if a particular online configuration is there one week, it might not be there the next week. It depends on parts availability at Lenovo.
- In order to get the 25% coupon discount, I had to add some items to my configuration to reach $1500, such as Bluetooth, Wifi 5100, which I did not really need, but the saving on the overall cost was worthwhile.
- I had ordered a WXGA (1280 x 800) High Brightness LED Backlit screen and 3 GB of RAM. After reading about the poor display quality of these screens, I was able to cancel my order by phone the next day (after making sure the same deal was still available), and place a new revised order for a WSXGA+ TFT (1680 x 1050) screen. Since the configuration price for an additional 2 GB RAM was $110 CDN, I decided to buy the extra 2 GB RAM (only $43 CDN) as an accessory, on the same order, separate from the T500 configuration. I could then install the RAM myself to save $67 ! Just make sure you pay the extra to get the base 2 GB RAM on one DIMM, since there are only 2 slots available. I know I will only be using 3.5 GB with my 32-bit Windows, but at least, if one of the DIMMs goes bad, I can still operate on 2 GB.
- as for choosing which CPU to buy, I chose in the middle range, starting with the first CPU having 3 MB L2 cache.
- I did not buy MS Office or McAfee Antivirus with the configuration. Since my daughter attends a post-secondary institution, she was able to order MS Office Ultimate 2007 for $64 CDN + $13 for the DVD. Microsoft has had this promotion on their site
(http://www.microsoft.com/student/discounts/theultimatesteal-ca/default.aspx)
for a while, but it is not well known. You get 8 MS products for one low price and it is completely legal for numerous countries ! I downloaded the software since it took 5 weeks to get the DVD delivered ! At the end of 4 weeks, I contacted Microsoft to tell them I had still not received the DVD. So I received the first DVD and a few weeks later, I received a second copy. So much for quick shipping !
Initial impressions:
- I received 3 separate shipments: 1 free Thinkpad privacy filter to install on the screen, the 2 GB RAM, and finally the T500 (which took about 2 weeks).
-The stainless steel hinges are rock-solid. When trying to raise the lid in the first weeks, you have to hold down the keyboard. Not at all like the hinges I see on the Dell notebooks at work.
- The 3 USB port connections are very tight, which means they should last through repeated plugging and unplugging.
- The T500 is surprisingly quiet, more than my T40. You can hardly hear the fan.
- I am extremely satisfied with the screen resolution, colours, and quality.
- The only disappointment was the keyboard ! Typing on the left-hand side (Q,W keys) produced an annoying "clunk". This was the worst keyboard I had ever used, being accustomed to the legendary quality of my T40. Even my daughter complained about the keyboard. I had read on the forums about the "flex" in the keyboard. Before ordering, when I asked the Sales Rep if these known problems had been solved, I was told that yes, the keyboard flex was no longer an issue. Too bad this was not true !
Initial Setup:
- Setup was easy. Just follow the on-screen instructions.
- I was not very happy to see a trial version of MS-Office and McAfee Antivirus on my notebook. I had not ordered it on the online configuration and did not want it. I had read on the forums that other users had all sorts of problems trying to get their own version of MS Office working (activation keys not being recognized), when the pre-loaded software was still there. And I knew how difficult it could be to erase all traces of McAfee by myself.
Hardware problems:
- after I burned my very first DVD, I pressed the Eject button. To my surprise, there was a thin grey foam ring (about 3 cm diameter) sitting on top of my DVD media. I assumed that this came from the roof of the DVD drive and the manufacturing process had missed the glue to keep it there. I contacted Lenovo and they immediately sent out a replacement (received the next day), which was easy to install. I then returned the defective part to Lenovo. My only complaint is that this was a refurbished unit. I was expecting a new unit since the part was defective out of the box and not a few months later.
- for the defective keyboard, I contacted Lenovo and mentioned the numerous complaints on the forums, and they sent me a new keyboard (FRU 42T3938). Unlike the DVD drive, I did not have to send back the original keyboard. However, the replacement keyboard was exactly the same as the original, with a thin flexible backing full of holes. I contacted Lenovo again in the morning and the agent mentioned I should contact Sales, since there was nothing more he could do. That afternoon, the agent called me to say that after further research, he had found a replacement keyboard that would correct the flex. When I received the second replacement keyboard (FRU 42T3210), I knew it was the right one, since there were far less holes in the more solid backing plate. I followed the instructions for replacing the keyboard and added my additional 2 GB RAM at the same time, since it is in the same area, under the palm rest. Now the keyboard is almost like my solid T40, and I am no longer ashamed of the T500 keyboard. For those of you wondering what an ACNOR or CSA keyboard is, it is one where the 5 most common French accented characters (and not only the é) are used with one keystroke. I have been using such a keyboard disposition since 1994 and it is invaluable when typing in French.
For pictures comparing the defective and replacement keyboards, see
http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/T400-T500-and-newer-T-series/T500-keyboard-replacement/m-p/158451#M15525
My immediate goals:
- out of the box, there are 3 partitions: partitions Q (10 GB) and S (1 GB) are Lenovo partitions to recover the operating system, C partition is a single partition over 200 GB on my 250 GB DD. I wanted to partition the C: drive in multiple partitions.
- I also wanted to eliminate MS Office and McAfee so I could install my own software (MS Office 2007 Ultimate and free Avast Antivirus). When I contacted Lenovo to ask how I could do this, they said I could use the recovery partition and "customize" it so that this software would not be installed. Turns out that this option was removed by Lenovo. I guess pressure from Microsoft and McAfee was too great ! The only other option was to use Add/Remove.
Partitioning problems.
- I ran Diskmgmt.msc (also available on XP) to see the layout of my HDD. Unfortunately, it did not seem to be powerful enough to partition like I wanted. But it is great to see the layout of the disk and do basic partitioning. (http://www.theeldergeek.com/hard_drives.htm)
- I installed the free EASUS Partition Manager (http://www.partition-tool.com/); the non-free Pro version works on 64-bit. I wanted to partition: C 35GB (Operating System and Office), D 20GB (other applications), E 25GB (Data), F 100GB (Music and Pictures). I also installed the free EASUS Todo Backup (http://www.todo-backup.com/) to do regular image backups as I was proceeding.
- while trying to partition the C drive, I must have made an error somewhere (I think I accidentally declared another partition as the active partition). Whenever I rebooted, I would get the message "Boot MGR is missing". I could not even use the recovery partition (Q and S) on the HDD. So my notebook was totally unusable. Fortunately, I had burned 4 Recovery DVD's, as soon as the OS was operational. The first recovery DVD booted OK. However, the system would not recognize any of the 3 other recovery DVD, displaying a message such as wrong disk inserted or something similar. Imagine if in a few months I had needed to use these recovery DVD that I had burned; they were completely useless and I would have nothing to recover with. Very scary !
- I explained the problem to Lenovo Support and they sent me within 3 days a set of 4 Rescue & Recovery DVD. By following the instructions, it took 2 hours to recover to a working system. The good: no Office or McAfee trial software came with this recovery. The bad: there was a 2 GB empty partition at the beginning of the HDD and 10 GB of unallocated space at the end of the disk. Why Lenovo would do this, I don't know; seems a bit sloppy to me. Also, I had to manually reconfigure everything, since there is no "just follow the instructions" as when configuring the "out-of-the-box" system. I had to install my own PDF viewer
(free open source PDF X-viewer http://www.docu-track.com/home/prod_user/PDF-XChange_Tools/pdfx_viewer), Adobe Flash, etc...
- the major problem in partitioning is the inability to shrink a partition (such as C) in order to free up space after to add extended partitions
(http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/working-around-windows-vistas-shrink-volume-inadequacy-...). There always seems to be VISTA unmovable files, MBR or something else. After reading numerous posts, I installed the trial version (30 days) of Raxco PerfectDisk Home edition in order to consolidate all the files to the front of the C: drive. A few iterations were required since the MBR seems to be placed in the middle of the partition. I was finally able to partition my HDD exactly as I wanted. I was so pleased with the efficiency and ease of use of PerfectDisk that I bought the Pro 10 version. Just wait for when the software is occasionally discounted. (http://www.perfectdisk.com/home)
VISTA User account setup:
I had created my E partition to store all user data of all accounts, since I would have multiple accounts on the computer. I also wanted to store all music and pictures in the Public folder on F partition. There are numerous methods described on the Internet, most of which seem too complicated. See http://joshmouch.wordpress.com/2007/04/07/change-user-profile-folder-location-in-vista/ and
http://www.vista4beginners.com/Move-user-files-folders-to-another-partition?page=1. I finally decided to do just 2 simple registry modifications described in the last post here
(http://superuser.com/questions/6391/moving-users-folder-on-windows-vista-seven-to-another-partition).
It worked for me but use at your own risk ! Just edit the 2 Registry keys and replace the C: drive by the one you need.
- I only had the Admin account created on the C: partition. Before creating any other user accounts, I modified the registry so that all new user accounts created would use my E partition.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList ProfilesDirectory = E:\Users
- I modified the registry so that the Public folder would be on my F partition.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList Public = F:\Public
Other notes of interest:
- I had been a long-time subscriber to the Fred Langa Langalist
(http://www.langa.com/backups/backups.htm). I now subscribe to the excellent Windows Secrets newsletter (http://www.windowssecrets.com/). The information provided is very useful.
- I had considered an inexpensive boot manager, partition manager and imaging software (BootIt Next Generation) highly recommended by Fred Langa
(http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/index.htm). But it seemed a bit like overkill for my needs. There is a fully-functioning trial version.
- I regularly consult a complete list of recommended free software on Gizmo's Freeware review (http://www.techsupportalert.com). One recommended free open source defragmenter which I did not use was MyDefrag (http://www.mydefrag.com/).
- download and install the latest version of the Lenovo System Tools (Toolbox). It is very easy to use and can troubleshoot all hardware problems. Search for MIGR-67520 on the Lenovo site.
- you can find Roxio DVD burning software on the Lenovo site (MIGR-72359 on the Lenovo site). I have not installed it yet.
- use the Lenovo System Update to keep your drivers up-to-date.
- for info on how to use switchable graphics, search on the Lenovo site for MIGR-70495.
- for tips on setting battery parameters, http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=320082
Recommendations to Lenovo:
- don't ship poor quality keyboards. You have too much to lose, for the small manufacturing savings.
- don't pre-install trial versions of Office or McAfee. This should be an option and not be forced onto buyers.
- at least ship the HDD with a 40 GB C primary partition and the rest as D: partition. This would make it easier for users who are not technical.
- if you are going to include an integrated camera, provide software to use it. Currently, I have no way of taking a picture or making a video without acquiring other software. The technique described here
(http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-67413) does not work !
- provide some software to reduce the speed of the DVD drive when watching movies. The noise at the default maximum speed is very annoying.
Thinkpad T500 | Model 2081-CTO | Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 (2.53GHz, 1066MHz 3MB L2 Cache) | 4 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 RAM | 15.4" WSXGA+ | ATI Mobility Radeon 3650 (256MB) | 250GB Hitachi HDD (5400rpm) | Bluetooth 2.1 | Integrated Camera | DVD Recordable UltraBay Slim | Intel Wifi Link 5100 | Sony 6-cell Li-Ion battery | Vista Home Premium 32-bit SP1

people complaining about problems installing an office over another office are (dare i say it) stupid. it makes absolutely no sense installing one over the trial version. just uninstall the trial and you'll be fine. every single time.
as for problem with uninstalling mcafee (or any other antivirus, for that matter, just download the uninstaller from the software company e.g. http://service.mcafee.com/FAQDocument.aspx?id=TS100507 for mcafee.
that said i believe you get to choose if you want mcafee and/or office when you go through the inital boot, the "on-screen instructions"
you can slow down the odd via power manager
and thanks for the tips on changing the reg to have the user profiles somewhere else!
T400s - 2815RW1 + Win7 Ultimate
Don't pm me for help! That's what the forum is for. Also, Google's nicer than me. Ask him.

Lord of the Rings Online: Now free to play:

Here are some links for anyone interested in investigating the topic, they are a great start at least:
http://email.lotro.com/hostedemail/emai … 4EF8D3115D
To play the game on a distro (or OS X, for that matter) you need some help. I suggest that you look beyond the initial impression that a first glance of the Wine site provides:
Wine:
http://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.p … n&iId=4891
That link gives you a start anyway, there is certainly more help that will make itself available with a quick search.
Or:
Crossover Games:
http://www.codeweavers.com/compatibilit … arent=4029;
http://www.codeweavers.com/compatibilit … pp_id=6292
Had a certain thread not existed in the UF, we may very well have not been able to play this Windows game on any distro or on OS X. As it stands now, it plays superbly:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=386480
Via the above linked thread, the efforts of a handful of people who have worked tirelessly for the community; ultimately garnering voluntary assistance from a nameless LOTRO developer. Which made the playing of this game outside of the MS sphere not only possible, but gold star standard for both the distros & OS X.
A fine example indeed.
Last edited by handy (2010-09-13 05:46:15)

Anyone at all have any ideas how to get 3d sound working in LotR online?
X-Fi Fatality (drivers from creative website)
Open Alchemy installed
Windows Vista x64

Status keeps changing from invisible to online: why the issue is ignored?

There is a serious issue raised in the parallel thread, which is critical for many people: "Status keeps changing from invisible to online" (initiated on ‎16-11-2014 by b.agne, Mac section). In short, when starting using a device, the Skype status changing from "invisible" to "online" - sometimes just for a moment, though enough for others to notice you. These affects very much any type of devices. I am sure the issue has already led to multiple personal crisises and potentially financial losses due to buseness partnership issues (I came close to that myself, and now use anything but Skype for business). The question is: WHY the issue is completely ignored by Skype, Microsoft and expert comunity? Please post the solution if anybody knows how to fix the issue, or suggest how to make Microsoft to know that it should be fixed. Kind regard...

Hi, I also have the same issue. I change the status to Invisible and a later on it is already as "Online", without having even touched/opened Skype. The only way that I see this may happen is that I have the app installed on the smartphone, but before it never had this issue, but from some month ago it started. Any correction or suggestion to work around this issue? Regards

First impressions (mixed bag)

My first impressions after having BT Infinity installed on Friday are a mixed bag. Speed tests extremely good, 76Mb down/ 18Mb up, pretty maxed out on a short line (cab < 300 metres). However, my gripes.....
P2P is heavily shaped. No problem, afterall I was on BT ADSL and used to traffic shaping being lifted in early hours of the morning to do download. However, uploads are permently 24/7 throttled to 1Mb, which I do not think it acceptable.
I run an FTP server and regularly upload to it. FTP port is permentaly throtlled to 8Mb upload. I know this is still fast but I think to artificially slow FTP upload down 24/7 is again unacceptable.
Home hub 3 is rubbish and a security risk. It permently keeps port 161 open (as tested by test my shields) and port forwarding seems broken. I thought I had a faulty one but after doing some research it seems that these are common issues!
Needless to say initially impressed, but now I'm more annoyed with the service. Like car with a top speed of 150MPH but can never do more than 60MPH, even on a empty road!

Thanks for your advice guys. I already subscribe to SwissVPN as I have always done on ADSL to bypass traffic shaping, and it used to max out my 4Mb connection but that seems capped too at 8Mb down and about 1Mb up. I pay about £6 a month.
Can you recommened another VPN provider that can provide higher speeds than this? I wouldn't mind a US VPN as I guess this would allow to access media content in the US (hulu etc) but would really prefer highest speed VPN possible for under £10 a month? What VPN speeds to you get using StrongVPN?
A basic feature such as port forwarding I would expect on the cheapest of routers. What the point in a router if it can't route? This must be causing BT support calls that aren't really needed if router worked as intended.

Product impressions and UK shipping experience

Shipping speed:
Ordered my 60GB white engraved 5G on 13/10 which was shipped on 21/10 and arrived to me in the UK on 25/10 so a 12-day experience from start to finish. This was better than I expected due to the delay that I thought the engraving would cause.
Product impressions:
I ordered the 5G despite that fact that I was sceptical on the practicality and usefulness of video on a small 2.5-inch screen. I went ahead with the order only because one of the family iPods needed an upgrade and frankly of the products that Jobs had presented together with the 5G all of which whetted my appetite, 5G was the only one I could purchase as I already have an G5 iMac and a separate iSight.
Given that I would be upgrading myself from the iPod Photo and not being too enthusiastic in general about portable video, it was going to be very hard for me to be impressed.
Yesterday when the product came and I turned it on I immediately observed that the screen felt considerably larger than iPod Photos, but also it is much brighter and the font used is more pleasing to the eye. Additionally whilst remaining heavy as before (perhaps even slightly heavier I thought not having seen the official stats), it is impressively thinner compared to the 60GB iPod Photo. Additionally after seeing the screen quality and the tasteful design of the new and old extras, my initial impression of it was very positive but I had to test the video quality to reach a definitive verdict.
Over the past weekend I had transferred some video content onto iTunes in anticipation of the arrival of the 5G. I used ffmpegX and Handbrake for this purpose. There were some glitches along the way but overall the conversions went reasonably smooth. By the way I can also confirm that the ripping instructions provided for Handbrake works like a charm.
After connecting the 5G to my G5 and acquainting it with its new master iPhoto, using the USB 2.0 connection I manually transferred files across to my new iPod. Pausing momentarily here to comment on the USB 2.0 vs. Firewire connection speed issue, I havent noticed any material difference in speed between the USB 2.0 transfers and the Firewire transfers that I had been using for iPod Photo. If there is a difference it is certainly not prohibitively marked. So for me at least the lack of Firewire connection is not going to be an issue.
After uploading the videos and checking them one by one, I must admit I was blown away by the quality of the screen, its brightness, the level of detail it can show, the realism of the colours and the feasibility of the overall portable viewing experience. Especially on material where you are familiar with the characters, in my humble opinion it is a perfectly acceptable way of watching stuff on the go or otherwise. I wouldnt go as far as saying I would prefer the iPod over my TV when Im at home but I could certainly see myself retiring to bed with the iPod from time to time even when Im at home. The sound quality obtained from the encoding process was excellent as well.
If you want to have an idea before you buy the 5G as to how the video looks like on the iPod, after you load your material up onto your iTunes, simply play with the screen size to make it the same size as the 2.5 inch 4:3 format screen on the iPod, get really close to your computer screen and see if you can live with this size and the amount of detail it is capable of showing. In my case with such high quality a display (on the 5G), I know I can even though I had serious doubts even at the time of my order.
The quality of the image on the iPod is in my opinion very nearly as good as its quality on the computer screen so a test as above would enable you to make a pretty accurate assessment I thought. My only previous portable gadget video experience with a PSP was not as reassuring despite the PSPs considerably larger screen (I must give full credit to PSP on photo and gaming display situations though). On th

Thanks. Here is the rest of the review that got cut-off:
... On the 5G I havent yet uploaded any photos but with moving images displaying so well, I have no doubt the quality will be brilliant.
Lastly concerning the case (actually a pouch rather) that comes with the 5G, it is a nice to have but for most people including myself who love their gadgets something more sturdy, offering better protection is required. Also I thought the pouch was a little tighter than what it needs to be for the 60GB. It could have been designed to be a little looser without causing the gadget fall out. It is a very light grey in colour so it will pick up and show dirt very easily I think. So in my opinion its definitely worth getting extra protection.
Overall Im very pleased with my purchase. It is a worthy upgrade in my opinion even from a 60GB iPod Photo if you can put the retiring iPod Photo to good use. From any older generation iPod it would be a worthy upgrade under all circumstances except financial perhaps.
One suggestion I have for the next version is (in addition to larger memory capacity as a single 1.5hr movie takes up nearly 0.6GB) enlarging the screen even further by using a portrait shape rather than the current landscape mode making use of the idle real estate that remains on the front of the machine as a result of the now smaller yet highly effective nano-style wheel.
More tests to come including connection to a big screen TV. I will come back to tell you about them to extent I have anything of importance to say.

Terrabyte online Initial impressions

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