Thursday, May 17, 2012

Any Video Converter - Software that lives up to it's name

Any Video Converter interface is simple, which is all it needs to be.My rather large array of video files presented no problems for Any Video Converter, even the rarer types. No one uses Real Media anymore and Any Video Converter converted those just fine, including a variable bit rate file. It also handled OGG, older Intel codecs and everything in between--no matter what type of audio track (MP3, MP4, WAVE) was included. With so many open source alternative codecs available (Any Video Converter leverages many of them), this universality isn't quite as impressive as it once was. But I still see programs that won't recognize some of my test files.

Any Video Converter offers a host of output formats and containers, MPEG 1/2/4, FLV, AVI, HTML5, MKV, etc. You can also tailor the output by device: Android, iPhone, Sony PSP, Windows Zune, etc. There's even a primitive editor on board that allows you to clip video. It's a bit tricky to set the start and end points, but you'll rarely need the precision it lacks. You may also alter the output video's orientation (flip, mirror, rotate, etc.); adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation; and crop.

There's not a lot to using Any Video Converter. Drag the files to the conversion pane, edit if you wish, select the output category or device, specify the subtype and press the Convert Now button. My test conversions for the iPhone and Zune were very good quality.

There are pay versions of Any Video Converter, starting at $30, that add copy-protected DVD ripping and more output presets, but for most users the free version should take care of business. I actually prefer Any Video Converter to the also-quite-capable Freemake Video Converter. It installs less stuff--at least if you don't blindly click through. If you don't disable the option, you'll wind up with an iTunes helper app installed.

Note: The Download button takes you to the vendor's site, where you can download the latest version of the software.

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,205526/description.html#tk.nl_ddx_h_dlfeat

http://www.avclabs.com/free-resource.php

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Gifture lets you make animated GIFs on the fly


Toaast’s Gifture is a new free app that makes it easy to create animated GIFs: It lets you take a series of photos, stich them together, and create a brief animation out of them. You can also apply Instagram-style filters to your masterpiece. We got a chance to speak with its developer and take the app for a spin; read on to get our first impressions.
When you first launch Gifture, you can choose to create a dedicated account or sign in using your Twitter or Facebook credentials. Once logged in, you’ll be presented with a toolbar along the bottom of the screen broken out into a set of sections familiar to anyone who’s used a social network. Feed, as you might expect, shows all the latest GIFs from people you follow. Popular shows the most favorited images from across all users. Activity details all your recent followers, comments, and likes. Finally, Account lets you change your settings and find friends that are also using the app.
The actual process of creating a GIF is easy; adding and removing images manually is a breeze, and an automatic mode makes the process even simpler. You can tweak the end result by applying a filter: The selection of filters isn’t very broad, but here’s hoping for more choices in a future update. Once you make a GIF, you can share it on Twitter and Facebook, and an upcoming release will bring tighter integration with Tumblr.
Check out this example animation, featuring a website you know and love.
TechHive spoke with James McDonald, the Glasgow-based designer behind Gifture, and asked him why Toaast decided to make this its debut app.
McDonald explained that the inspiration struck when he stumbled across Cinemagraphs.com, a site that showcases a selection of subtle GIF animations. McDonald found himself “in awe” at just “how beautiful animated gifs could be,” so made an iPhone app based around their creation.
Although Gifture isn’t the first GIF maker app on iOS—GIF Shop, Giffer, and Cinemagram all do similar things—McDonald feels confident that, despite the competition, his company could “definitely improve the overall user experience” of GIF-making apps.
Viewing a GIF from within Gifture. Quack quack…
Although the graphical touches found within Gifture are clearly a labor of love, the actual user interface feels strikingly familiar: If you’ve used Instagram, you’ll immediately feel comfortable using Gifture, since the two apps have a similar layout and work much the same.
When we asked McDonald about this clear likeness, he alluded that the similarity was no accident—the idea being that Instagram users would feel right at home with Gifture: “Being hardcore Instagram users, we thought it would be a great idea to execute the app in a way that the user experience was similar,” so that users could avoid “having to learn how to use another app.”
In practice, this design decision definitely works, as switching from Instagram to Gifture is an easy process with a minimal learning curve. It’s just a shame that Gifture seems to lack its own distinct identity as a result.
The Feed tab currently seems to display updates in a random order, not in a chronological timeline view as one might expect. Beyond this, though, Gifture is a solid option for creating GIFs. The app is responsive and easy to use, and has a growing community quickly amassing behind it. If you’re looking to create quirky GIFs on your iPhone, Gifture is a standout option.


http://www.techhive.com/article/2000077/gifture-lets-you-make-animated-gifs-on-the-fly-party-like-its-1999.html

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

13 Ways to Move Big Files on the Web

Whether you need to send a high resolution photo to a client or a flashy new video your co-worker, your average email service is just not going to be able to handle it. Most email services allow you to transfer 10MB at any given time and you don’t always know that your recipient even has that much available – all you know is that you have to get the files to them. Unless you both are very comfortable with FTP, you are going to have to find a better way to get the files from Inbox A to Inbox B in a timely manner.
There are plenty of applications available to help you move those big files – ranging from the free and easy to the expensive and decked out with extras. Here are the highlights on 13 services you can use to move big files:
transfer files with DropboxDropbox is my new favorite! Dropbox is an excellent option for moving your large files – whether you find yourself emailing yourself files regularly, relying on USB drives to move files from one machine to another or want to share photo albums. The free version allows up to 2GB of storage with a pro version that can handle 100GB. You can also sync your files online and across computers with Dropbox. Try their Pro Account for 14 days FREE.

YouSendItYouSendIt – YouSendIt another one of my favorites – it has been around the longest, it’s easy to use and they have a solid free service. There is no software to download – everything is web-based. YouSendIt offers a variety of delivery options and packages for individuals, businesses and corporations. The totally free version has a limit of 100MB, requires no registration and offers some tracking options.

Send6Send6 – Very similar to YouSendIt, Send6 allows you to transfer 10 files free per month, each with a limit of 100MB. They also offer online storage and tracking options. The free version does not require registration or software download. They do offer plans with more bells and whistles for individuals, businesses and corporations for a price.

TransferBigFiles TransferBigFiles – Send files up to 1GB via email with no registration required. TransferBigFiles uses Amazon’s S3 service to manage storage of files. Use their additional free services by registering and download the DropZone application for transfer management and storage options. Right now this is still a totally free service.

BigFileBoxBigFileBox – Yet another UK-based service, BigFileBox is really geared toward the enterprise level solution. They offer secure Fileboxes that you can organize by project and issue security tokens to associates for project collaboration. No software to download. The Fileboxes have built in virus scanning and use the industry standard SSL technology.

PipeBytesPipeBytes – Still in beta, PipeBytes touts itself as the simple to use service. There is no limit to the file size you can send. The file is not shared on Internet – it is sent directly to your recipient. While the service appears to be free, there is something on the home page about a SpeedPass – but no real information to explain what it does for you.

DropsendDropSend – Not only can you use DropSend to email files up to 1GB each, you can also use it as your own file backup system (up to 250MB with the free plan). If you need more online storage, want SSL, or unlimited sends per month, then their business plan is the way to go.

MailBigFileMailBigFile – Simple and to the point, MailBigFile lets you send files up to 100MB for free with no software download or registration. The ProAccount offers faster upload speeds, address book capability, the ability to send the same 2GB file to 5 people at once, and other features. MailBigFile is a UK based service and the ProAccount can be paid for in dollars, Euros, or British pounds.

Send FileSendFile – While the file size threshold on the SendFile free service is rather low – only 5MB, the interface is nice, there is no registration and nothing to download. The upgraded service includes 1Gb file size, personalization of “File Send” system, file delivery notification and a user admin system to monitor file transfers and deliveries. You can purchase membership for a single day up to a year. Also a UK based service.

SendThisFileSendThisFile – You can use the SendThisFile service for free, but it does require registration first. They also host Fileboxes which are free inboxes so you can receive and track large files. Like the other solutions, SendThisFile has a variety of plans, with the higher priced plans offering customization, larger storage and transfer thresholds, and such.

PandoPando – Pando is more than just a way to move files, it is better suited for uploading and sharing media files such as video and audio. You can send files up to 1GB but you do need to download the Pando software. Pando allows users to subscribe to, share and download full screen Internet TV – it even powers the NBC TV downloads. If you are looking to share a variety of large media files on a regular basis, the $25 per year fee is well worth it.

HotShare HotShare – HotShare is an interesting service in that you can upload and share files with out registering, but you decide whether to share your file with the recipient only or with the world. The site is available in 21 languages and serves as a file directory as well. Search the HotShare site for video, audio, images, programs and more. When you upload a file it gives you code for inserting into a blog, forum, or email. It also allows you to email the file to a list of recipients, opt to share it with the world, tag it, and more. I am not sure how secure the site is, because the limitations as to what you can upload are pretty wide open. If you are downloading a file from HotShare, I would definitely be sure to scan it first.

DrivewayDriveway - Driveway is another service to share your files via email or park them on the web for download by others. Send files under 500MB for free and no registration. The free account comes with 2 GB of storage space. While downloads are unlimited, individual file sizes still cannot exceed 500 MB. You can organize your files into folders, edit documents, and even import your address book for quick share capability. Driveway’s Plig-in (desktop app) and web widget make file sharing even easier.

Which of these services is the best? Unfortunately that is a loaded question and really comes down to your specific file movement needs and which interface you are most comfortable with. I am sure this list is just the tip of the iceberg! As consumers’ needs for file transfer and file sharing services become even greater the quality and availability of the free services is going to increase.
Needing to view audio and video over the internet? You can accomplish this and quite a bit more – transfer your video security camera images via the
internet when you utilize digital video
recording
software. Capture photo’s of everything your cameras are observing for later review and study. Be sure to research online prior to purchasing your CCTV camera equipment.



http://essentialkeystrokes.com/13-ways-to-move-big-files-on-the-web/