Top Ten Things a Motion Graphics Artist should know...

As many of you regulars know, I'm writing a book on Motion. As well as the projects, this book has Interlude Essays - that is a couple of pages of writing on related motion graphics topics. For instance, one is "Where do I get my ideas?" another is "How to speed up Motion", etc...
I thought I'd include one on Things a Motion Graphics Artist should know. And I'm open to suggestions. Got any tips? What do YOU think a Motion Graphics Artist should know? Please contribute as many or as few as you like.
I can't credit you in the book, but I will thank you en masse...
While this thread is not strictly within the confines of the technical troubleshooting this forum exists to serve, I hope the Powers That Be don't pull it, because it could be an excellent resource for all who frequent this forum.
Many thanks,
Patrick

Yes - that reminds me of a quasi-questionable practice I sometimes employed as an editor of music videos that I and other editors called "The Velcro Dog".
It goes back to the fact that you never wanted to turn in a "perfect" edit on the first pass. In fact, I could count on one hand the number of times that I turned in an edit that the record label said "perfect, don't change a frame". Maybe it's human nature to justify their jobs, but inevitably, those in charge of approval would have to make some comment, request some change...
If your cut was perfect, often these changes would be for the worse, so sometimes it paid to add an obvious flaw to the edit that wasn't hard to change - thus the Velcro Dog, something bad that could be easily torn off. It might be as simple as a line that was out of sync - or maybe a shot where the lead singer had his hair in his mouth, or a story shot that was out of place. This gave those in charge something to focus on that you could fix without causing the cascading problems that more complex changes might require.
It was also something that you could change without problem if no one picked up on it.
But WOE to you if someone in the chain of Artist, Video Commissioner, Management, A&R, Marketing, etc... decided they actually liked your little velcro dog... Then you had to live with seeing it on TV like that.
Patrick

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7 Things every Adobe AIR Developer should know about Security

7 Things every Adobe AIR Developer should know about Security
1. Your AIR files are really just zip files.
Don't believe me? Change the .air extension to zip and unzip
it with your favorite compression program.
What does this mean for you the developer? What this means is
that if you thought AIR was a compiled protected format, alas it is
not.
2. All your content is easily accessible in the AIR file.
Since we now that the AIR file is really just a zip file,
unzip it and see what's inside. If you have added any content
references when you published the AIR file, voila, there it all is.
What does this mean for you the developer? Well, you content
is sitting there ripe for the picking, and so is everything else
including you Application descriptor file, images etc.
3. Code signing your Air app does nothing as far as security
for you.
All code signing your app does is verify to the end user that
someone published the app. I does nothing as far as encryption and
does nothing to project your content.
What does this mean for you the developer? We'll you should
still do it, because getting publisher "unknown" is worse. It also
means that joe hacker would not be able decompile your entire app
and republish it with the same certificate, unless they
somehow got a hold of that too.
4. All your AIR SWF content is easily decompilable.
Nothing new here, it's always been this way. Type flash
decompiler into google and you'll find a variety of decompilers for
under $100 that will take your AIR content swf and expose all your
source code and content in no time.
What does this mean for you the developer? All you content,
code, urls and intellectual property is publicly available to
anyone with a decompiler, unless you do some extra work and encrypt
your swf content files, which is not currently a feature of AIR,
but can be done if you do your homework.
5. Your SQLite databases are easy to get at.
SQLite datatbases can be accessed from AIR or any other
program on you computer that knows how to work with it. Unless you
put your database in the local encrypted datastore, or encrypt your
entire database it's pretty easy to get at, especially if you
create it with a .db extension.
What does this mean for you the developer? We'll SQLite is
very useful, but just keep in mind that your data can be viewed and
altered if you're not careful.
6. The local encrypted datastore is useful, but....
The local encrypted datastore is useful, but developers need
a secure way of getting information into it. Storing usernames,
passwords and urls in clear text is a bad idea, since as we
discussed, you code is easy to decompile an read. By putting info
into the local encrypted datastore, the data is encrypted and very
difficult to get at. The problem is, how do you get it into there,
without have to store any info that can be read in the air file and
without the necessity of communicating with a web server? Even if
you called a web service and pushed the returned values into the
datastore, this is not ideal, since you may have encoded the urls
to you web service into your code, or they intercept the results
from the web service call.
What does this mean for you the developer? Use the local
datastore, and hope that we get some new ways of protecting content
and data form Adobe in the next release of AIR.
7. There are some things missing form the current version of
AIR (1.1) that could really help ease the concerns of people trying
to develop serious applications with AIR.
Developers want more alternatives for the protection of local
content and data. Some of us might want to protect our content and
intellectual property, remember not all of us are building toys
with AIR. Other than the local encrypted datastore there are not
currently any built in options I'm aware of for encrypting other
content in the AIR file, unless you roll your own.
What does this mean for you the developer? We'll I've been
told that Adobe takes security very seriously, so I'm optimistic
that we'll see some improvements in this area soon. If security is
a concern for you as much as it is for me, let them know.

Putting "secret data" as a clear text directly in your code
is a broken concept in every environment, programing language.
Every compiled code is reversible, especially strings are really
easy to extract.
There is no simple, straightforward way to include secret
data directly with your app. This is a complicated subject, and if
you really need to do this, you'll need to read up on it a bit.
But in most cases this can be avoided or worked around
without compromising security. One of the best ways is to provide
the user with a simple "secret key" alongside the app (best way is
the good old login/password). The user installs the app, and
provides his "secret key", that goes directly into
EncryptedLocalStore, and then you use this "secret key" to access
the "secret data" that's stored on your server. Then you can
transfer the "secret data" directly into EncryptedLocalStore.
As for the whole thread:
Points 1-5 -> Those points do not concern AIR apps only.
If you are developing an application in any language, you should
follow those rules, meaning:
- Code installed on users computer is easy accessible
- Data stored locally is easy accessible, even if it
encrypted using any symmetric-key encryption, because the
encrypting algorithm and encryption key is in your source code (you
could probably write a book on using public-key encryption so let's
just leave it for now ;)
Point 6 -> Is a valid one. All your app security should
relay on the EncryptedLocalStore. But it is your job to get the
data securely into the ELS, because there is no point to encrypt
data that can be intercepted.

The Top Ten things that BB needs to fix now

BB Fans after having my BB Classic for nearly a month, I am disappointed that there are several issues that need to be resolved immediately with OS 10. I have started a Top Ten list of issues and features that need to be addressed immediately. Please chime in as many of you have the same issues or know of some that I haven't discovered yet. Now here are my Top Ten:
1. Unable to a complete Synch with BB Link, according to BB tech support the issue comes from pictures that are attached to a contact or a Linked In account. We didn't have this issue with BB OS7.
2. Unable to attach a contact to a text message, error shows contact acnnot be shared.
3. Unable to attach a contact to an e-mail, error shows contact cannot be shared.
4. BB Protect doesn't back up and restore as it did in OS7.
5. BB Protect doesn't locate, display a message or play a sound when you are roaming on another network as it did in OS7. It will only locate on your home network, but it won't perform the other features as it did in OS7.
6. When you search for an e-mail, it takes over 10 seconds and it replys "no results". Go to web based e-mail account and perform the same search and the e-mail is found in seconds. OS7 did this well.
7. BB tech support needs to get better, but part of the problem is that they don't have solutions for our concerns.
8. You cannot forward part of a conversion, it will only forward the complete conversation.
9. You cannot bcc yourself to enable you to keep a copy of an e-mail.
10. an e-mail icon needs to be seperate from hub as text messages are, because it takes to long to get to e-mails when accessing them from the hub.
Please everyone chime in as we need to develop a list of our Top Ten issues and features that we desire in our BB10 devices. BB should listen to us as many of us are loyal to BB nd want to see BB survive, improve and grow.

Hi, rwb007,
A few thoughts ...
8. You cannot forward part of a conversion, it will only forward the complete conversation.
True, however copy and paste works: http://docs.blackberry.com/en/smartphone_users/deliverables/67769/mba1343759181682.jsp
9. You cannot bcc yourself to enable you to keep a copy of an e-mail.
How to do this:
a. Compose a new e-mail.
b. Tap the menu icon (three dots) at the lowest right corner
c Tap Add Bcc:
10. an e-mail icon needs to be seperate from hub as text messages are, because it takes to long to get to e-mails when accessing them from the hub.
Remember, you can always select the e-mail account on the Hub, so only that e-mail account's messages are displayed. That said, I'm with you on this one - would be nice to have the option, at least - to add an icon to the main screen for separate e-mail accounts as we had on the 9900/OS 7, although I can hear folks reminding me that also defeats the purpose of the Hub. The simplified Hub design leaves me tapping a lot on the glass to separate which account's e-mails I wish to review as sometimes I find it confusing that all e-mails are mixed together in one long list.
Kind regards,
OBBG

What other little things about the iPod I should know about?

Just a quick question,
What are some of the features of the iPod Touch that are not 100% obvious?
Example...
Yesterday I found out that you could pull up the music controls anywhere(even locked) by pressing the "home" button twice.
After finding the above by accident, I was thinking about if their was any other little hidden things to find.
--Daniel L

1. Watch quicktime supported videos (via safari) (3GP, MPEG-4 etc)
2. Play podcasts/mp3 (via safari)
3. When viewing photos tilt the screen and right when the screen is adjusting touch it and the photo will stay like that

From 3D apps to AE for 2D & 2.5D Motion Graphics...???

A word of warning for those of you coming from mainstream 3D apps to AE under the misconception that it's the default and best choice for 2D motion graphics.
AE is a compositing app onto which some functionality for doing rudimentary animation has been added, but it's all tacked on, and it feels that way. And there's great big holes in its capabilities as an animation creativity space.
Most of its user base and adherents aren't even aware of its limitations in comparison to the features and functionality of 3D apps. Consequently they will automatically rebuke any negatively phrased questions about AE's abilities and immediately suggest trite work-arounds that fail to consider the deeper potential relationships inherent to entities created within 3D apps.
After Effects is not good at 2D animation in the ways that you're familiar with it being possible, at all. It's arguably not even really suited to 2D Motion Graphics, that folks coming to it without ever having used 3D apps are playing within a constrained space and should be deeply congratulated for the way they've worked around its inherent limitations to create what they have.
You're better off hightailing it back to your favourite 3D app and figuring out how to make a flat lighting rig, and materials and models in an ideal orthographic camera setup... far better than fighting with the inabilities of After Effects.
After Effects was fundamentally designed as a compositing tool for video, and has become the default choice for motion graphics "artists" who know no better. They're using more work-arounds, fudges and trickery than you could ever imagine necessary to get their desired results... when they stray outside of what AE can do "natively".
Their trickery is that most of them stay within the lines, so to speak, and make some incredible works in which we of the 3D realm don't necessarily instantly see how they've artificially constrained their creativity to the limitations of the tool they're using. But, given enough time, you'll start to bump into those limitations and constraints within AE, and begin to feel that irrepressible urge to bang your head against a wall because you'll initially make the same mistake I did... which is to think that you're failing to find how to do something, not that it can't be done in AE with the kinds of connectivity you're accustomed to.
But, more often than not, those things that you've come to rely on in 3D apps for consistency, accuracy and legitimate relationship management between entities in your projects, they simply don't exist in AE's way of thinking.
If you have a choice, use 3D apps to do 2D. And thank me later.
AE could be a great product for Motion Graphics, but it first needs to consider the humble Vertex to be a first class citizen. Consider that it's not, and you're at the first part of avoiding AE and running back to those 3D hills.

As a heavy C4D user, I would disagree with this gentleman's (or gentlewoman's) characterization of After Effects. After Effects has a very different way of working, yes. There are things that are better done in a 3d program (like C4D), yes.
However, After Effects is a very powerful tool for motion graphics and, once you learn how to work with it, you can do things that you can't do in 3d software. (Or would take a really long time to do.) The key here is that you have to learn to work with it. Just like when you start out learning 3d, it takes a while - the same is true here. It's a very different way of working. But so is Photoshop compared to Cinema 4d. They are very different tools with very different ways of working.
For example, glitch effects. You can't do those in 3d software.
Or try this exercise:
Type some text in AE
Create a solid with the Fractal Noise effect applied
Precompose this solid (making sure you choose to move all attributes into the precomp)
Turn visibility for this layer off
On your text layer, apply the Compound Blur effect and the Displacement Map effect
For both effects choose your Fractal Noise precomp as the map to use
Animate up the displacement values and the blur values
Learn how to use each program and then use each program for what it was designed to do and you'll have a great time.
Don't take the time to learn it, and be frustrated.

Video on background layer is not showing up behind motion graphic.

Hello Premiere experts,
I'm using Premiere 6 on Windows machine and in the last few days I created a motion graphic that has an alpha channel for background transparency and it is placed on video track 2 and it works when I put a static image underneath it... that is, it shows the background image behind my motion graphic properly in the preview and the rendered video.
But now I've put in an AVI video file behind my motion graphic, and I've tried putting this AVI file on video track 1A and 1B and rendering my movie, but I'm only getting my moving motion graphic on a black background in the preview and the rendered movie... no video from my video track 1A nor 1B is showing up in the background of my motion graphic... but when I put a static image, like a JPEG or a PSD behind my motion graphic, that does show up in the preview and in the final rendered movie.
Shouldn't video be able to be seen behind a motion graphic?
Thanks for any help,
numetro

Hello again Bill,
My motion graphic creation has been successfull, like I said, when I place a static JPEG or PSD behind it... in that case, it shows my moving graphic and the still background image behind it, with successful transparency.
The motion graphic creation is chronicled in the thread that you posted some replies to at this link...
http://forums.adobe.com/thread/842405?tstart=0
The workflow is...
1) Import File: Bring in the graphic intended for motion - a PSD with a straight Alpha Channel for the graphic clip to be outlined for transparency... appears in the Project palette.
2) Move that PSD graphic from the Project palette to the Video 2 slot in the Timeline... click to active that graphic in the Timeline... shows "crawling ants" around perimeter.
3) Drag that graphic from the Video 2 slot in the Timeline palette to the Effects Control Palette... Motion Setup and Transparency Setup choices now appear in Effects Control palette for that graphic clip intended for motion.
4) Create motion path in Motion Settings dialog box, select "Alpha: Use Clip's" and save settings... click OK and close dialog box.
5) Select "Keytype: Alpha Channel" in Transparency Settings Dialog box... click OK and close dialog box.
6) Import File: Bring in the AVI video intended for the background of the motion graphic - an AVI file that plays properly in Windows Media Player and IrfanView that was converted from a created WMV file to AVI format... AVI video file appears in the Project palette.
7) Drag that AVI video clip to the Video 1A (or Video 1B) slot in the Timeline.
8) Save the Project.
9) Click enter for previewing and/or "Export Clip>Movie" to render movie.
10) I just get an AVI file exported from Premiere 6 that is my moving motion graphic on a black backgroundl... showing NO video background as intended.
As I said, when I'm using a still, static image as the background for my successful motion graphic, I get my motion graphic moving on the intended background... this is only a problem showing and rendering the motion graphic on top of the AVI video background.
PS: I found that I need to double log-in each time I come to this forum now... logging in first from the "Sign In" link at the top right corner of the forums page, then it says I'm logged in, but will not give me the reply and actions options... then I finally figured out after multiple tries that I now need to additionally click the "Login/Register" link near the top of the page on the left... this has changed in the last few day. I'm still not able to recieve email alerts of forum replies in spite of all three email alert pages being set to "YES" and "RECEIVE".
Careful examination of my information above should make my workflow and prior actions clear.
Thanks again,
numetro

My top ten requested features for Flash Catalyst Next

Here is my top ten list of requested features for Flash Catalyst:
10. Rearranging of pages / states in the pages / states panel (also resizing to smaller icons)
9. Menu bar option to Insert Custom / Generic Component. There isn't a way to create a custom component without first adding something to stage and then converting that.
8. Edit component on double click in layers panel
7. Replace existing artwork with library component - for example, when you create a button or text input then you should be able to use that skin in all of the text input instances rather than creating new ones every time you choose convert artwork to component
6. Artboard sized to content - no hardcoded size of the project
5. Import of Flex Components / movieclps
4. Flex Capacitor library integration / support - supports deep linking and navigation through your flash catalyst or flex project without coding - all the work is done
3. Integration and coexistence in native Flex project - no fxpl or zip - flat file structure
2. Container support - VGroup HGroup Skinnable Container - set layout property
1. Component Constraints support - top left bottom right horizontal center vertical center baseline width height 100%

Additional features:
• When opening a Illustrator file the option to choose which artboard or layers to import (rather than the whole project).
• Set a default option so that all imported text fields from Illustrator use "Fit Height". Mainly because currently it is cutting off the descent but also bc it allows you to change the text content (globalization) and have the text fit.
• Show intersection lines while dragging. At least vertical center and horizontal center... similar to Flex and Illustrator.
• Add a convert to vector when selecting images.
• In the code view the default directory "components" could be renamed to something like: design, compositions, construction, architecture, form, embodiments, chassis, constitution, frame, representation, manifestation, cast, expression, mold, etc. just not skins. design, chassis, representations, cast, expressions, compositions are my favorites. It would be nice to be able to define this folder path in preferences.
• Use the layer name to name the library components. Otherwise there is a directory with 30 assets named "graphic[n]".
• Command to clean out library of unused symbols.

Motion graphics display problem

Just finished a project with an opening and closing Motion (3) titles and a FCP movie in between. The movie looks ok but the Motion graphics are a little "liney' is this due to the way its been encoded?
What the best procedure in this circumstance insofar as I created the opening and closing titles in Motion then exported as a QT movie then placed in the FCP timeline. Do I have to convert or encode out of Motion in a certain way or format that will not affect the final movie project when I export from FCP into Compressor?
Thnaks

marc smith6 wrote:
I viewed on my home TV.
Yeah I converted to QT then placed in the timeline should I of done the .motn route is that where the problem is?
Thanks
Could be. But it also could be a number of other things. The design isn't one suited to your Home TV (btw is that a SD interlaced display). The hardware between your computer and the Home TV isn't up to the task. Some setting in Motion of FCP isn't set right.
One thing that I have always done (for years when interlaced was about the only thing people watch stuff on) is to apply a very slight blur (I'll use a gaussian .5 to 1 depending on the font and size). This will knock down some ringing on the edges.
o| TOnyTOny |o

Things I should know before buying a MacBook Pro?

Currently looking into buying my first MacBook, and I am looking at waht I believe to be last years MacBook Pro, but I am wondering what essential things should I know before buying one? And what things should I buy to go with it? Or anything I should be aware of?

Doelago wrote:
For the budget it was more like, dont jump from 1200€ to 2400€.
And I am done with Windows Laptops. They said that the one I am currently running would be good and last me for years, but that was BS. As a rather technologically challenged person I want a machine that will work and not attract viruses in droves.
Mac's are not exactly cheap, and to do 3D gaming your going to need the 15" MacBook Pro or better, prefeably the top end model with powerful graphics to last the longest with paid OS X upgrades one has to perform annually.
You wanted to be aware of buying a Mac, I can tell you this. Even though a Windows PC tends to get malware, it all depends upon the user and their actions online, sharing files and email services choices. I have Windows using friends and it's all about what sites they visit online, if they share files or get email on the machine or via a reliable web email service like Gmail, Hushmail etc that watches for malware/spam.
The best thing about Windows 7 is if you make the System Restore boot disks/images regularly, date them and make your file backups, you can recover your own system if it gets malware. Security Essentials anti-malware is free. Microsoft supports Windows with security and stability updates for apx 10 years on average, all you need to do is find a reputable PC hardware vendor with good products.
Laptops don't last nearly as long as desktops, this goes for expensive Mac's as well as PC's.
Apple's 13" Macbook Pro and under series are nothing more than your standard Windows 7 Office store PC in a fancy case, their performance and OS upgrade options tend to slow down faster than the 15" MacBook Pro series and up.
Also Apple releases a new OS X version every year, if you don't upgrade and thus have to upgrade all your third party software, your DENIED security and stability updates rather fast. The new OS X versions tend to slow down older machines to force you to consider a hardware upgrade before the machine has lived it's full hardware lifespand.
So with Apple your paying more for your annual computing costs than with Windows PC, and with a expensive MacBook Pro laptop, one drop or theft/lost away and your out a very expensive investment.
Over the last 10 years, I have spent nearly $10,000 on Apple hardware for $1000 a year, my Windows XP using friend has spent $1000 total over that same last 10 years for a Windows XP desktop that is still going actually (installed a new video card for him last week)
If you want a machine that will really last, get a Windows 7 tower with upgradable options, like 4GB of RAM expandable to 16GB, a decent power supply and video card upgrade options. With Mac's you can't upgrade the video card and the MacPro you can't find newer faster cards. So your 3D gaming on a Mac is going to get cut off a lot sooner as newer, more hardware demanding 3D games are released.
Sure Windows is a pain, however as a lifelong Mac user I can honestly say Windows 7 is pretty decent operating system compared to Vista and XP, it's not quite as nice as OS X, nor as reliable, however if one takes the proper precautions while on the Internet, makes System Restore Disks/Images (included in Windows 7 now) then one can restore their own system themselves quite easily, a Mac requires a rare/occassional reinstall too depending upon the user abuse, it's not immune to that, also there ARE Mac based malware, just not as much.
All one has to do is find a quality PC vendor for their hardware, I hear Dell is making cheap crap now, however they do have a nice system in place for hardware upgrade options.
Another issue with Mac's, is that 99% of the buisness world uses Windows PC's, Mac's comprise of only 6% now of the total computing market compared to over 90% Windows PC's, your going to need to keep your skills up there and on a Mac, you will have to BUY Windows and install it on your Mac, a extra cost plus the Windows software you need to keep your skills up on. I made that mistake only using Mac operating systems all these years, I am suffering for that now.
So if your rich college student, then get a powerful Mac laptop that can run Windows in Bootcamp and a virtual machine program.
If your a poor college student, then forget the Mac and get a cheap $400 Windows PC laptop and a Playstation 3, both disposable and cheaply replaceable.
There is nothing special about a Mac anymore other than a "status symbol", if you buy a decent PC latop with a good screen, good graphics it will do the job you need and not tend to get stolen like Mac's do, or in some cases a unknown jealous PC user will spill a drink on your Mac or try to walk off with it like has occured with my 17" MacBook Pro.
Times are tough and if you want a flashy quality PC laptop, get a Sony or something, least it runs Windows for the next 10 years or until the hardware drops.
Apple is all about providing the most expensive computer for the rich consumer market, not the most practical anymore.
Laptops always last longer than open desktop towers and Apple doesn't really care about the lower cost market, rather see you have something than be always paying a lot more with Apple products you can't afford.

Things to know before building a Mega 651 (and other things you should know afte

Okay, following hot on the heels of the "things to know" series on Mega 180 and 865, I thought I'd just chip in with this short post on what you should know before splashing out on a nice budget Mega 651
PROCESSOR SUPPORT:
The official list of supported CPUs can be found here:
http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/slim_pc/slm/pro_slm_cpu_support_detail.php?UID=431&kind=4
Basically the ageing SiS651 chipset does not support Celeron / P4 cpus above 533mhz, and does NOT support the newer "Prescott" core cpus
Celeron > 400Mhz FSB
P4 Northwood > 533mhz FSB (512kb L2 cache)
MEMORY:
Basically to add to what is listed in the 865 "things to know"; from my own experience of using MSI motherboards in the past, ALWAYS use good quality branded memory, as using cheaper "generic" types inevitably leads to major problems. I know for a fact that Crucial, Kingston and Samsung types work well in MSI motherboards, and you should be okay with other high-end brands like Corsair and Geil.
DRIVERS:
DON'T bother using MSI LiveUpdate! The drivers provided on the cd supplied will work, but if you wish to download the latest drivers, you will find them here:
http://download.sis.com/
Download and install the:
Chipset Software > SiS AGP (Gart) Driver
IGP Graphics Drivers > SiS650 and 740 series
http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/dlac97-2.aspx?lineid=5&famid=12&series=8&Software=True
for Realtek AC97 Audio drivers
http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/downloads1-3.aspx?lineid=1&famid=3&series=16&Software=True
For Realtek Onboard Network interface
The modem drivers supplied on the CD should work, I really don't know much about them as I have never used them (sorry). Failing that, if you are connected to the internet, Windows Update should be able to find them for you.
OPERATING SYSTEM SUPPORT
MSI state that only Windows XP is supported on Mega 651 (and other Mega barebones). Other versions of Windows (98, ME, 2000) will work provided you have drivers for hardware devices, all of which are provided on the install CD or from the links supplied above.
You'll find that earlier versions of Windows won't have the drivers for the built-in card reader, so you may have to do a "google" search to get them. On my Mega 651, they are listed in Device Manager as "OEI-USB" devices.
If you haven't already got Windows XP then I suggest you consider upgrading at the earliest opportunity; Microsoft themselves no longer support Win 98 / ME and most new software is being designed to work only with Windows XP
Please note that MSI do NOT supply or support drivers for Linux; if you wish to attempt to install Linux on a Mega 651 (or other Mega PC model) you will need to obtain drivers yourself. The remote and LCD display functions will also not be available under Linux, unless some clever bod has developed drivers to do so.
MEGA RADIO AND LCD DISPLAY:
Download the Mega LiveUpdate for Mega 651 from here:
http://www.msi.com.tw/program/support/software/swr/spt_swr_detail.php?UID=431&kind=4
This will update your MEGA Radio program, update the BlueBird HIFi module firmware and allow you to set a "greeting" displayed on the LCD display when you switch on HiFi mode. Apart from that the LCD display serves NO other purpose in PC mode.
After updating the firmware, you should power off your Mega 651, unplug the mains power cord for a few seconds then reconnect and restart for changes to take place.
OTHER MSI SOFTWARE:
If you REALLY must try out MSI Media Center III, it does work on the Mega 651, but I don't think the remote will work correctly.
Although PCAlert 4 has been reported to work on the Mega 651 - having read the numerous problems most users have, I don't advise installing it. If you do get it to work correctly, unlike on the Mega 180 and 865, it will not display temps or fan speeds on the LCD display, as this feature only works on the 180 and 865, as they use diferent LCD displays.
EXPANSION CARDS:
Same as with other Megas, you get 1 AGP and 1 PCI slot.
The AGP slot only supports up to 4x cards; a faster card will work, but only at 4x.
Space is limited, if you decide to fit a PCI TV tuner card, you will be limited as to which AGP card you can fit. A full length card is probably not recommended, and a model with a slimline (or even passive) heatsink would be best.
A better alternative would be to go for a VGA card with built in TV tuner, such as MSI TV5200-VTDF128 or an ATI Radeon All-In-Wonder card (ATI AIW is supported in WinXP MCE05)
ON-BOARD VGA
The SiS651 chipset is pretty old now, and the on-board SiS650 VGA is not up to playing any of the latest games, as it is only DirectX 7.0 compliant and does not support Hardware Texture & Lighting. However, it is adequate for playing back DVDs as it supports hardware acceleration (in PowerDVD for example), and general video output is decent. The maximum shared video memory size is 64mb.
The Mega 651 does NOT feature TV-out as standard. You can however either buy an AGP video card which includes TV-out feature, or the Mega TV-out card (availble in UK from www.dabs.com). Please note, this card is ONLY for Mega 651, and does NOT work with the 865 model. (The 180 does however, thanks to nforce2 chipset, support TV-out as standard)
ON-BOARD AUDIO
The Realtek ALC650 AC97 audio codec offers 5.1 surround sound (with suitable speakers of course ) as well as SP-DIF for digital output.
The sound quality is quite reasonable; i'm currently listening to MP3s through a set of Creative Inspire 5.1 speakers, and its certainly good enough for me.
There are three audio connectors on the rear, they default to:
GREEN - Front speakers
BLUE - Line In
PINK - Mic
To connect surround sound speakers correctly, you need to use the Realtek audio configuration tool (located in the Taskbar by the clock). Set the speaker config to 4 or 6 channel (5.1) and then click on the boxes to the right to configure the rear ports correctly
GREEN - Front speakers
BLUE - Rear Speakers
PINK - Subwoofer / Centre Speaker
NOTE: If you do decide you want to install a PCI soundcard, be aware that you will lose the Radio function in PC mode, and for audio output in Hi-Fi mode you will need to reconnect audio plugs from your soundcard to onboard sockets. The Hi-Fi mode and Radio only work with the onboard audio.
POWER SUPPLY
All the Mega series barebones come with a 200w PSU. Don't even think about upgrading to a higher output type, as the Mega PSU is a non-standard type. A standard ATX PSU will NOT physically fit inside the Mega case. Besides which, the Mega series have a special connector which powers the Bluebird hi-fi module and on-board sound when the PC is off. And there is a special Molex power connector for the CD/DVD drive, also for that to be used when PC is off.
WINDOWS XP MCE 2005
Media Center 2005 requires a DirectX 8.1 / 9.0 compliant video card with a minimum of 64mb RAM, 128mb RAM is recommended, however, for best performance. So you will need an AGP card, because SiS do not provide any MCE-compatible drivers. The TV@anywhere TV tuner (MS8606-10) and Mega TV Tuner (MS8606-40) are not supported by MCE05, because MCE2005 requires a TV card that will provide a direct MPEG2 stream, which a PVR card such as the Hauppage PVR MCE series can do (as a hardware card, MSIs card are software only and rely on drivers to do MPEG encoding), or a dedicated DVB-T card which receives an MPEG2 signal over the air.
MEGA 651 REMOTE
If you fit an MSI TV@anywhere card to your Mega 651, the Mega remote can be used to control the MSIPVS software, providing you use the remote receiver supplied with the TV@nywhere card. The Mega remote is designed to work natively with the MSI Media Center, and MSI Mega Radio programs only.
If you wish to program the remote to operate other programs within windows, then you will need a program called Girder, and the accompanying MSI plugin, kindly provided by nathan. please see his sticky thread for more info, about his plugin, and how to obtain Girder.
BROKEN HEATSINK MOUNTING CLIPS
https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=96148.0
Phew, thats about it. If any other Mega 651 users think I've missed anything out, please feel free to tell me.
For other general hints and tips, look through the "things to know" posts regarding the 865 and 180.
MEGA 651 =

Quote
PROCESSOR SUPPORT:
The official list of supported CPUs can be found here:
http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/slim_pc/slm/pro_slm_cpu_support_detail.php?UID=431&kind=4
Basically the ageing SiS651 chipset does not support Celeron / P4 cpus above 533mhz, and does NOT support the newer "Prescott" core cpus
Celeron > 400Mhz FSB
P4 Northwood > 533mhz FSB (512kb L2 cache)
your processor is not supported. please start a new thread if you need help

On my iPad2, the buttons for Top Ten, Genres and New Releases are missing. How do I get them back.

On my iPad2, the buttons for Top Ten, Genres and New Releases are missing. How do I get them back.

If the menu bar is hidden then press the F10 key or hold down the Alt key, that should make the menu bar appear.
* Go to "View > Toolbars" and check-mark "Menu Bar" with a click if you want to make that permanent
See [[Menu bar is missing]]

Looking for a graphic artist for IPhone artwork

I'm looking for a graphic artist to draw some graphics for a puzzle game for the IPhone, If you are interested, I would offer payment and possibly a share in the revenue.
Send me a message if you are interested.
Chris

Hi, Chris.
This is interesting. Kind of a yin yang thing. I am graphic artist / UI designer who's looking for a developer. Are you a developer with access to the app store currently, as that seems to be an issue. Take a look at my site... http://www.raygunstudio.com (also check it on your iPhone) ... and you an answer me from there.
-thanks, michael

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Hi there,
I have a 1160 ( height in pixels ) and a 640 ( width in pixels ) texture of an asphalt road that I made. I need to have this appear as if the road is moving. Is there a way in photoshop with motion graphics to accomplish this? Is there a way to make 5 copies of the texture and have them play together in loop to appear continuous as if driving down the road?
Or is After Effects better suited?
Thanks,
Rchjr

what about making stuff grow. Picture: I'm panning right and i see about 5 to 6 layers of depth. While moving there are Flowers or plant that are popping out of the first 2 layers, that appear to be growing. not in 3d in 2d but appearing to be growing. Another thing is dripping. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syf8olcM0z4 something like when the gun shot goes off, how do you achieve paint drip.

Question for graphic artists about PDF Portfolios...

I'm finding it difficult to get a graphic portfolio PDF under the required 5mb without sacrifice a little too much in quality.
Could the graphic artists in the house with portfolio PDFs let us know what their Photoshop PDF export settings are? (more specifically, DPI and JPG settings)
Naturally, this is for screen. But the people opening these files who ask for portfolios in PDF format will likely have quality gear.
Thanks!

graph,
What about the forums under the list What do you need help with?
http://forums.adobe.com/community/acrobat
Or the forums under the list Which Reader version do you need help with?
http://forums.adobe.com/community/adobe_reader_forums
In either case you should click the Discussion Tab when entering a forum, just as here.

Imac Intel Core Duo 20' For Motion Graphics?

Hi everyone,
Just seeing what people thought about the Imac Intel Cores for motion graphics based work. Basically I need to run the Adobe suite (After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator and Final Cut Pro.) Also, down the track I will be wanting to put 3D Studio Max via boot Camp.
How many of you are using this machine for motion graphics? And, is it as fast and productive as you would like etc?
Cheers,
James

Depends on how intensive you plan on getting with the iMac. For the most part, it should run pretty well. When the Adobe products become universal they should fly. I currently run all the same software plus Maya on my iMac G5 2.1 GHZ w/o a problem, so they should run just as well on the intel (more so when all apps become universal). I actually plan on selling the G5 and picking up the intel version so I can run boot camp and 3D Max as as well.

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