• Animate a camera through one surface to another below
• Combine camera mapping techniques with real textures

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• Build a complex particle system using CC Particle World
• Synchronize the particle blast to shatter a title

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• Use normal-map to relight 3d scenes in AE
• Advanced lighting, reflection & Refraction

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• Create an energy-ball that re-lights the road surface
• Use reverse-tracking and build a volumetric point light

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• Create a draw-on blue print title card
• Use the scribble effect and stoke to write

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• Create a DVD menu and export for DVD authoring
• Use Encore to build buttons and loop menus

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• Create particles that only appear in the light beams
• Bevel the title and create a realistic soft shadow

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• Cast soft shadows with a fast-rendering lighting array
• Break up text characters and animate individually

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Come hear how and why to create rich experiences for Silverlight using Expression Encoder using both VC-1 and H.264 CODECs. Learn about video encoding settings, how to encode for Smooth Streaming scenarios and working with player templates for effortless Silverlight experiences.

James Clarke

James Clarke has been a Program Manager on the Expression Encoder team since before V1 shipped. He has an extensive background in digital video and internet media with over 18 years spent in the industry. Prior to joining Microsoft in 2006, he worked first as a Program Manager at Avid Technology, one of the pioneers of non-linear video editing, and later co-founded Soho, London based ROOT6 Ltd where he was architect and principal developer on the successful ContentAgent encoding product. He is currently co-authoring a book on Expression Encoder for Sams Publishing.

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See how to deliver media with the best user experience in a cost-effective, scalable, and highly manageable way. Learn how to expand your reach and improve quality using Smooth Streaming, how to save on bandwidth, and how to maintain control when using Progressive Download. Understand how IIS Media Services and WMS light up the media ecosystem from encoding to playback.

John Bishop

John Bishop is a co-founder of Inlet Technologies and currently serves as Inlet’s senior VP of strategy and business development. He is recognized as a digital video industry expert with well over a decade of experience in the digital media space. Under Mr. Bishop’s leadership, Inlet has grown from industry pioneer to industry leader, and has developed strong partnerships with other leading companies in the space, including Microsoft, Akamai and Adobe. Mr. Bishop’s strategy at Inlet has been to focus on development of products that offer greater automation, higher media production capacity, greater efficiency and an overall higher quality of media experience. He has emphasized the development of software that minimizes an organization’s need for onsite video encoding expertise. Prior to joining Inlet, John served as the Director of Business Development and Product Management for Osprey Technologies (acquired by ViewCast Corporation). There, he identified and developed key market partnerships and opportunities resulting in multiple consecutive revenue growth quarters. He has contributed to numerous digital media publications, and authored white papers and industry presentations.

John Bocharov

John A. Bocharov is a Program Manager on Microsoft's IIS team, with a focus on Smooth Streaming and related Media technologies. After graduating from UC-Berkeley with a degree in Bioengineering, he opted to heed the call of Software and signed on with a small dot-com in San Francisco. He joined Microsoft in 2005 as a part of the Data Programmability team, where he delivered the Data Access Components for Windows Server 2008 and helped define the 1st release of the SQL Server Driver for PHP. John has been in his current Media-focused role for a year. He encourages listeners to follow up on any questions they may have by posting a comment on his blog (http://blogs.iis.net/jboch).

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• Build a furious procedural Disintegration effect in AE
• Use displacement, turbulence and particle world

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See demonstrations of how to fine tune your media for best encoding and Microsoft Silverlight playback performance. Learn encoding best practices to make sure your video playback is as fast and smooth as possible.

James Clarke

James Clarke has been a Program Manager on the Expression Encoder team since before V1 shipped. He has an extensive background in digital video and internet media with over 18 years spent in the industry. Prior to joining Microsoft in 2006, he worked first as a Program Manager at Avid Technology, one of the pioneers of non-linear video editing, and later co-founded Soho, London based ROOT6 Ltd where he was architect and principal developer on the successful ContentAgent encoding product. He is currently co-authoring a book on Expression Encoder for Sams Publishing.

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This short video tutorial will show you how to label song or track sections using Logic's Global Track Markers.

Created by Elizabeth A..

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"Livecut" by Smartelectronix is a VST beatslicer effect. It re-arranges the incoming audio in real time and is a great tool for generating drum'n'bass type drum fills from existing audio or VST drum loops. However, the output can seem a little unpredictable. In this tutorial we're going to look at using Livecut to generate some fills from an audio drum loop. We will then edit the results, and with a bit of cutting and pasting create something more subtle.

Created by Andy Slatter.

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Andy Slatter guides you through the process of creating the tape stop effect using Cubase 4.

Created by Andy Slatter.

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How to use the Maize VST Sampler to create an instrument that is layered by velocity to create added realism and depth.

Created by Andy Slatter.

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In this video tutorial, Johnathan Lewis explains the process of beat matching using the pitch controllers on your DJ equipment.

Created by Johnathan "ellaskins" Lewis.

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Created by Johnathan "ellaskins" Lewis.

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This video outlines the 2nd of 2 techniques for using Reason as a live softsynth.

Created by Matthew Huber.

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This video outlines the 1st of 2 techniques for using Reason as a live softsynth.

Created by Matthew Huber.

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• Create a stylistic 3D city with 2D images in AE
• Built advanced structures and simulate lighting

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Easily add stations to playlists

Want to keep track of your favorite streaming radio stations? On today's Tekzilla Daily, Veronica shows you how to save your favorite stations with just one click

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Now that you've got your movies encoded, we show you how to distribute them over your home network.

We recently showed you how to rip all of your DVD movies onto your PC or Mac in Part 1 of this project. Now that you've finally got all your media stored in a convenient digital format, what now? The obvious next step is stream media to your various set top media playback devices. What isn't obvious is the how.

Especially if you have an Xbox 360 or PS3! Thankfully, TVersity. an amazing free app lets you stream almost every known media format to just about any device out there. It runs on Windows, serves up more than music, photos and videos, and can even handle RSS feeds for your favorite podcasts and video shows.

If you're running an Apple TV, on Windows or Mac, iTunes makes things super simple.

Matter of fact, if you're running a Windows Media Extender, Vista's Media Center makes sharing your media almost as painless.

Got a Mac notebook, or Apple TV? Think that Front Row could use help? Something, maybe, that ties in your friends, tolerates differing encoding formats and supports web based video sites like Hulu and Netflix? You'll love Boxee. It's free if you sign up for an invite, and it is in 'alpha' so it might crash now and then, tho we've found very stable!

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• Build a silver ring in After Effects with a particle wipe
• Use valueAtTime expression to automate over time

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• Fracture layers and manipulate in 3D space with ease
• Use expressions, scripts and create a distressed title

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• Create 3D interface display as seen in Iron Man's helmet
• Build self-animating components and artificial lighting

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• Sure Target has been updated with several new features
• 3D Falloff preset also updated to use with Sure Target

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• Use Sure Target preset to achieve advanced 3d moves
• Learn advanced tips and create "3d-looking" titles

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Broadcast television's analog to digital DTV transition is a technology event touching every American household. On February 17, full power TV stations around the nation will cease over the air transmission of analog television and transmit only digital. Analog TV sets in low-income, non-English speaker, disabled and other households receiving TV over the air will no longer function unless steps are taken to maintain reception after the transition, for example by using a digital converter device. Technical and logistical challenges associated with the DTV transition are expected to impact these households hardest. James Miller, Attorney Advisor at the FCC, will discuss these issues and how this unprecedented technical change offers tech-savvy volunteers an opportunity to share expertise and make a difference to people in need, while learning more about the wireless engineering aspects of broadcast TV.

Speaker: James Miller
Biography James Miller is an Attorney Advisor of the Policy and Rules Division of the Office of Engineering and Technology at the Federal Communications Commission, Adjunct Professor of Law at the American University, Washington College of Law, and past 2004-2006 Mansfield Fellow. Mr. Miller's work at the FCC focuses on with the regulation of spectrum, Internet policy, and emerging technologies. He has rulemaking experience in spectrum matters related to non-geostationary orbit fixed satellite service, terrestrial fixed and mobile services, software-defined and cognitive radio, and part 15 device certification, and intentional and unintentional radiators. He was a member of the FCC's Spectrum Policy Task Force, and has a strong legal background in copyright law and continues research in the area. Prior to entering the practice of law, he worked in Japan and the U.S. in the public sector and private technology sector performing a variety of business development and software engineering functions. He has technical experience in network programming, localization and internationalization, embedded systems, and UNIX administration. As a Mansfield Fellow, Mr. Miller explored Japanese regulatory policies for the information society, particularly focusing on legal and regulatory reforms and spectrum policy, in the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Radio Policy Bureau (MIC), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Office of Senior-Vice Minister Yoshitaka SAKURADA, and the Tokyo District and High Court's Administrative Litigation and Intellectual Property Sections. He is a cum laude graduate of the Washington College of Law, American University, and holds a bachelors degree in Economics and East-Asian studies from the University of Kansas. He is a Japanese-English bilingual and resides in Alexandria, VA with his wife, and two children.

Google Tech Talks
January 13, 2009

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Want to play your video collection on any media extender, console or Apple TV? Step one is to get your movies off of the DVDs and onto your hard drive! Part 1 of our DIY Video Jukebox Series

For Mac owners checkout HandBrake.

For PC owners your choices are bit more varied. Along with the PC version of HandBrake, you can also use the AutoGK. It's a GUI front end for a several different open source video transcoding tools that let you harness their power without the tedious need to jump from one app to another each time. AutoGK is great especially for fans of DivX and Xvid encoding. Finally there's AutoMKV. Like AutoGK, AutoMKV is a GUI front end for various tools that are used. The benefit of AutoMKV is it's higher level of tweakability and output format diversity.

And if you run into unexpected problems VideoHelp.com offers a wealth of resources and advice for any video encoding, transcoding or formatting issue.

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• Create a spinning orb that self animates with time
• Convert to 3D layers and animate the camera with DOF

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iTunes isn't a perfect media manager, and sometimes you just need to refer back to the files on your hard drive. On today's Tekzilla daily, Veronica makes the transition seamless.

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• Control 3D layers so they fade away in the distance
• Create a cool design and manipulate the powerful preset

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Robert Heron's fave HDTV picks, Jason Cross picks graphics cars from $50 to $500, Mini ITX motherboards, are there any 7.1 speaker systems for gaming?

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If you don't use the iTunes store, the arrows that show up in your library are useless. Or are they? On today's Tekzilla Daily, Veronica shows you how to put them to use.

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iTunes makes it easy to find out which songs in your music library appear more than once. Listen to what Veronica has to say, and you're one step closer to clearing out some room on your iPod.

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Out of the thousands of songs on your iPod, there's gotta be a bunch you've been neglecting. Patrick will show you how to revisit those golden oldies you forgot you even owned.

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Seero.com is an up and coming platform for users to broadcast and experience destinations around the world. Seero fuses live and on-demand video with mapping to create a rich and unique user experience. Our goal is to go beyond the typical model of trying to 'put television online'. Seero utilizes the full potential of the internet to create a unique and immersive video experience.

Seero is a response to the convergence of mobile computing, web-based video, and online mapping technology. KML and Google Maps technologies have been invaluable tools; using them has presented unique challenges in building a scalable and intuitive platform.

Speaker: Dan Rummel
With a foundation in physics and computer science from Boston University, Dan Rummel recently worked at Berkeley on a NASA MIDEX mission flying satellites. As a Flight Dynamics Engineer he primarily focused on propulsion system modeling as well as all aspects of orbital maneuvering. Dan eventually returned to Earth and joined the team of Seeronauts to design and implement a platform to share and explore the world around us.

Google Tech Talks
April, 3 2008

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Learn how to share iTunes with multiple people without mixing up their music libraries. Veronica has a quick and simple way to keep everybody's music where it belongs.

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1UP's Garnett Lee joins us! Buying PCs: $700 desktops and $4000 Gaming Rigs! Xbox 360 Update. Replace NetStumbler. Remote Access Windows from OS X. DirecTV Hacks. Faster GPU vs. Faster CPU, Better WiFi Tool, Vista Drive Encryption!

Tom needs help finding cover art that isn't on iTunes, especially for the DVDs he's ripped for use on his iPhone and Apple TV. We haven't found an automated program we love for OS X... though we have been playing around with TuneUp Media and MediaMonkey on Windows. You could try Album Cover Finder 6.5 on the Mac... or Album Art Thingy 1.9. Frankly, Patrick still thinks going manual is the way to go, even if it takes forever!

Angel in DC plans on spending $3000 to $4000 on a gaming PC and wants to know what offers the best bang for his buck. Frankly, we're not sure a $4000 gaming machine is worth the money!

Zachary's looking at a $700 Dell Inspiron 518, and he's got a choice between a Quad Core with integrated graphics and a Dual Core with a Radeon HD 3450 for the cash. We help him decide what to buy.

Advertisement: Veronica Loves Brain Toniq, "the world's first think drink!" Zero caffeine, no processed sugar or chemical preservatives, just "fuel for the cranium, making it highly effective for increasing mental clarity." Want to try it out? Do us a favor and order it online at www.braintoniq.com. If you use the coupon code R3 you'll get a discount, and you'll help support Tekzilla!

This week's Freebie download pick is inSSIDer, an open source WiFi network scanner that runs on XP and Vista. We've spent a lot of time with NetStumbler, but this one is our new favorite for troubleshooting WiFi installs and tracking down open WAPs when we're out and about.

The easiest way to capture gameplay from the Xbox 360 and the PS3? Kieran from Ireland wants to start a video gaming show. He's also looking for a how-to on homebrewing a PSP!

Garnett's favorite tool for capturing video into Final Cut and Premiere is BlackMagic's Intensity.

Alexander's Dad wants to play PC games on an old PowerMac G4 over a network! It's probably easier to move your gaming machine, but you can try out Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac 2... or something like Q emulator, which will let you run an older version of Windows on that Mac. You won't be playing any 3D games, but 'time waster' style games should work just fine!

This week's "Website We Just Can't Get Enough of!" is a classic: Homestar Runner Dot Com, the world of Strong Badia, Population: Tire, where you'll meet HomeStar Runner, Strong Bad, Marzipan, The Cheat, and the rest of the gang. Just try to get past the legendary Strong Bad Emails!

DirecTV DVR help: What are the USB, Ethernet and eSATA ports for? Randy wants more storage on his DVR!

"Is there a way to password protect folders in Windows Vista without using a separate program." You're looking for BitLocker Drive Encryption, Shaun, but it only comes in Vista Ultimate, Vista Enterprise, or Windows Server 2008. If you don't have one of those versions of Vista, we'd use TruCrypt instead.

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Intel's Core i7 = The New Fast. Simplify Media streams audio better. Dump Cable for the Internet? Better Search for Windows. DVI-D vs. DVI-I.

If you're thinking about buying a new PC... and you're looking for the Fastest Processor Evah... hold off until Intel's Core i7 CPU is an option! Loyd Case has a great Core i7 writeup over at ExtremeTech.com

Yup, Circuit City is closing down 155 stores... one lesson from the CompUSA liquidation: bring somebody with a cell phone that can check prices before you buy!

Last week we told you about Orb.com, our fave tool for streaming audio and video from a computer at home to anywhere -and just about anything- you can get a net connection... and we got a zillion emails asking why we didn't suggest Simplify Media, which stream audio from Windows, OS X and Linux machines to another computer or iPhone.

With all the online availability of basically ANY TV content, is this the end of set-top DVR boxes like TiVo dead? No, Matt, they aren't dead yet... at least not for Veronica and Patrick... there's still a lot of great TV out there that's tough to find on the web.

Advertisement: Be like Veronica: drink Brain Toniq, "the world's first think drink! It contains exactly ZERO caffeine and zero processed sugar, and contains NO chemical preservatives, just fuel for the cranium, making it highly effective for increasing mental clarity."If you order it online, please use the coupon code R3 at BrainToniq.com... you'll get a discount, and it'll help support Tekzilla!

Freebie Download Pick! This week's pick is Everything, a "...fast folder and file name search engine for Windows." Searches that used to take minutes will take seconds, it's a tiny app that doesn't suck down resources, and best of all, it's easy to use!

InvisibleSHIELD? Sure, Joseph, Patrick loves 'em for screen protection on his iPhone and just about anything else with a scren, tho, like many Tekzilla viewers, he's not so happy with their full wraps.

Want to spend a bit less on your screen protection? Last time Patrick mentioned invisibleSHIELD on Twitter he got a flood of tweets about BestSkinsEver.com. They claim to use the same material, and while they don't offer a the same lifetime guarrantee they charge a -lot- less than Zagg does! Think $15 for the invisibleSHIELD face cover vs. $5.99 from BestSkinsEver.

If you only need mobile Internet access for a few weeks, you could rent an EVDO modem from Rovair, Dana, instead signing up for 2 years. Thanks for the tip on wireless Internet rentals, Greg!

Advertisement: we're planning another Tekzilla GoToMeeting meetup where you'll get a chance to chat with the production staff that makes Tekzilla happen. You can get ready by signing up for a FREE 30 day GoToMeeting trial account at GoToMeeting.com. Just click on the “TRY IT FREE” button and enter the promo code Tekzilla!

This week's "Website We Just Can't Get Enough of" is WorldPress.org, a site that gathers news stories from various national and international press outlets from around the globe, from grass roots state-run news agencies. Chances are you won't find these stories at your local news stand... or news channel!

Lewis wants some options for hosting his podcast, "and also if there are any free options to start with, before moving to a paid service." Veronica loved this question, Lewis... it's her experience running her Sword and Laser sci-fi book club podcast production showing!

For totally and completely free hosting, Veronica's top choice is OurMedia.org, which uses the InternetArchive to serve files.

SpinXpress is a free program that helps you to upload your media and give it all the right attributes, Lewis, like creative commons licensing, tags, and descriptions.

If you'd like a little more reliability than a free site (mostly it's waiting to upload your files, not the actual hosting that's a problem) but don't want to pay an arm and a leg, check out Libsyn, since they offer free badnwidth, you just pay based on the amount of space you need.

Advertisement: Looking to build an amazing website from scratch, without learning tons of code first? Then check out Squarespace, it's powerful enough to run a retail website, but incredibly easy to work with. Signup using the code Tekzilla and you'll get 10% off for the lifetime of your membership!

DVI-D and DVI-I... why are there two? Well, Nate, nobody but the Digital Display Working Group really knows why they came up with a digital only connection (DVI-D) along with a digital and analog connection (DVI-I), but we can say that getting VGA from DVI-D is a major pain.

Steve needs a cheap component video switch so he can connect his Xbox 360 and his PS3 to the TV...

Gefen's 4x4 Component w/Audio Matrix will run you over $600 on the street... so that's out. We'd go with the $23 ATLONA 4 Port Component Video Switch w/ IR Learning from our fave source of cheap HDMI cables: MonoPrice.com. Judging from the customer reviews, it should be perfect w/ 720p viddy, tho some folks claim it induces a bit o' fuzziness in 1080p video.

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Kindle discount! Watch podcasts on your TV, AT&T vs. Verizon vs. Sprint for Mobile Internet. Print What You Like!

Want to get a Kindle on the cheap? According to PCMag.com, you'll get a $50 discount of use the code "OPRAHWINFREY" by November 1st!

Want to watch podcasts directly on your TV? We have lots of ideas for you, David!

Warren's looking for a way to stream his audio collection from home when he travels, whether it's to the office, or to an Internet connection much farther away. If you've got a PC, then you should check out Orb. You download it to your computer, and then select the kind of media that you want to share with yourself (or others) on the go. It's free, and you can stream to almost anything: a Mac, a phone, or even a gaming console.

But there are other options, such as Jinzora and Avvenu. Jinzora is a bit more complicated, because you're actually setting up a home web server. Avvenu enables you to stream your library to your Windows Mobile smartphone.

This week's Freebie Download Pick: VirtuaWin. Do you feel like you're running out of available desktop space in Windows? Do you envy OS X's Spaces or Linux's multi- console function? VirtuaWin is an open source tool that allows you create multiple virtual desktops that allow you to expand your desktop as much as you need.

"I am about to take a 10,000+ mile road trip around the U.S. I would like to have internet access wherever I go. Which service has the fastest connection and best coverage - AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint." Sounds, epic, Erik, we've got a reccos for you... and watch out: if you go over 5GB of downloads, it could get VERY expensive.

How much video RAM do you need when you're upgrading your video card? Honestly, Anthony your issues will resolve more around the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) you pick, since that will determine your VRAM size and type!

Website We Just Can't Get Enough of!" This week's pick is PrintWhatYouLike.com! This site helps you to take the web page you want to print, and modify it to just have what you want on paper. This is great, especially when there's no printer-ready version. No more being stuck with three pages of full-color ads and other crap that you don't need!

Yi emailed from Jakarta... he's giving a thumbs up for the Asus Eee Box as a do it all home server and says: I use it for BitTorrent, http downloads, hamachi, as an FTP server, and even run Folding@Home on it" and adds "I love it. It's cheap, very quiet, don't take much space, and it comes with 2 years warranty!" Thanks for the info, Yi!

We got a dogpile of responses on Ethan's search for a new router. They can pretty much be sorted into three piles. The biggest pile said get a router than can run DD-WRT or the Tomato firmware.

A much smaller pile said build a router out of an old PC... SmoothWall, M0n0Wall, Untangle and the Astaro Security Gateway each had their fans.

The smallest pile -two letters- suggested a pair of routers. Jamal says the Linksys WRT600N Wireless-N Gigabit Router with Storage Link if money is no object, while Clark wrote in to say the Apple Airport Extreme is worth the apple tax!

JD's having mysterious problems running 3D programs like 3DS Max and Maya in Vista! The good news it's not a refresh rate issue... the bad news is you might have to update both programs... here's a like from Autodesk on how to implement workarounds for some of your problems.

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Robert Heron picks the Best HDTV Ever, Blu-ray players. Protect Your Data from Fire, Flooding and Old Age. DIY HDTV Calibration. Fix a Broken LCD Screen. Vista Start Menu Mods. HDFury HDCP Bypass.

Where's Veronica? She's in Japan at the Tokyo Game Show

Pioneer's KURO PDP-5020FD is Robert's pick for the finest HDTV you can buy, at least without spending more $$$ on a Pioneer Elite or Signature panel!)

Feeling the credit crunch? The Vizio SV420XVT is a low cost 120Hz LCD that looks good after calibration, but Robert says its 120Hz tech isn't quite as effective as the best he's seen. That would be in Samsung's latest HDTVs, including the LN52A750.

Someone at BestBuy said calibrating my HDTV will extend its life and save me money on my power bill? Is that true? Is it worth $300? We've got answers, Mike!

Yes, you can calibrate my HDTV for less. Sort of. For under $20 online, Joe Kane's Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics offer an excellent reference and setup disc.

Robert adds, "I forgot to mention video processing in the video calibration question - I find myself spending just as much time verifying proper video processing in a HDTV as I do adjusting the other picture characteristics. What's the point of having optimal color and contrast if the TV's video processor is dumping half the video information before it hits the screen! Every major TV manufacturer has shipped a model (or 2 or 3) that had buggy (or simply unfinished) firmware that resulted in up to a 50% loss of detail with high quality HD video material - sometimes there is a setting to compensate/fix the issue; othertimes you have to request and apply an updated firmware file. For anyone interested in learning more about why effective video processing is important, I suggest checking out HQV.com.

Frustrated with the Vista Start Menu? Then you'll love this week's Freebie download pick, Vista Start Menu! This simple program makes Vista's Start Menu more intuitive, convenient, and easy to understand.

Best Blu-ray player that's not the PS3? Good question, Winston!

Stan wants to know about GPS units with external antenna connections: his current rig is blocked by the overhang on his RV.

Website We Can't Get Enough Of? AVSForum.com is one of Robert's favorite places online to get great info, honest opinions and ideas to solve problems with home theater equipment, HDTVs, and just about anything else that falls under 'audio and video.'

Anger management issues + remote control + 42 inch LCD HDTV = a broken 42 inch LCD HDTV. Jonathan wants to know if he can replace that busted LCD panel.

What's the best storage medium for long term storage of data, tape, DVD or thumb drive? Which would stand up best to heat or water that may occur even inside a fire safe in case of a house fire? Maybe it's just that we live in Earthquake and Fire and Flood country (or have family that do) but we love this question, Chris!

Those 'my stuff survived the house burning down in a SentrySafe' stories.

Could u do a review of the HDFury and see if it'll work on my laptop? We'll do our best, Ryan.. we take it you want to use the VGA on your notebook for an HDTV with no analog inputs, maybe? Basically, the HDFury brings HDCP compliance to any RGB monitor.

Adam in Oklahoma has a new HDTV, an Xbox 360 and a pile of standard definition equipment. He asks: "Is there a component or composite to HDMI converter that actually works, or should I just use the component and composite ports for my DVR, DVD player and my Xbox 360?" Robert's got the info for Adam... and we've gotta add that a good upscaling DVD player with an HDMI output might be a good addition. Check out Oppo Digital, along with upscaling offerings at your local big box store!

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Virtual Laser Keyboards of Doom. PowerPoint to DVD. Turn your PC into a Police Scanner. Veronica wants an iPhone 3G... bad.

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Jorge wants to move his VHS tapes to DVD. You asked, we review the Netflix Roku. Should you repair the iPhone yourself? HDMI video cards. AAC vs. MP3: which sounds better... and what are best sounding audio encoding tools?

Jorge wants to archive his video tapes... Veronica explains the advantages to doing this yourself vs. sending your tapes to a service, and different ways to do the job at home, such as capturing 'em over a camcorder, using a dedicated USB kit like Pinnacle's Dazzle, or our producer Roger's favorite, a set top box like Lite-On LVC-9006

Roku's Netflix Player promises an easy way to watch instant streaming movies from Netflix on your TV instead of your computer. You asked for a review. Patrick's got the hands on scoop.

Freebie Download Pick o' the Week: FreeSnap , "the app that lets you quickly move and resize windows." Quit snickering: this is a nifty way to manage your windows without a mouse!

Should you repair the cracked screen on an iPod yourself? Great question, James, and thanks for sending it on video. We show off the inside of an iPhone on the show, then take a look at the iFixit guide for the display assembly. It's a tough fix, and replacement screens cost at least $165. And, as Veronica points out, with a new iPod around the corner, you might want to wait for Apple fanboys to start selling their old -working- iPhones off cheap!

AAC vs. MP3: Nik has music, a Zune, an iPhone and would rather not render everything twice... so which sounds better, AAC or MP3?

Meanwhile, Kent wants to know which "program produces the truest sounding MP3 or AAC?" We'd go with Exact Audio copy or dBpoweramp on the PC, or Max on OS X. (And let us know if you hear a difference between their encoding and, say, the work done by Windows Media Player or iTunes!)

This week's Web Site We Can't Get Enough Of: Apple TV Junkie... it's more than a complete list of HD Movies on the AppleTV, but that's a great place to start!

Video cards with HDMI output? There are a few of 'em, Garry, but cards with DVI ports and an HDMI adapter in the box are a lot more common. (And they work just as well.) Shop carefully, especially if you want 5.1 audio passthru to your surround sound receiver or HDTV. And make sure the chipset supports HDCP if you want to watch Blu-ray movies!

Want to be part of a world record? Claudio emailed to remind us that Firefox is on a mission to set a Guinness World Record for the most software downloaded in 24 hours... learn more at SpreadFirefox.com

While we're talking Firefox, Patrick is loving the next version of Firefox: Firefox 3 RC1 on Vista and OS X.

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Will OS X run faster if you defrag? How to get the best looking video on YouTube. Headphone amps for better listening

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Liana Lehua from Girls Gone Geek joins us as cohost. SoundSoap for noise reduction, USB turntables, Audacity = Great Free Audio Editing, 2GB of memory vs. 4GB and the UltraClamp

Seth was curious about USB Turntables vs. Patrick's old school turntable/phono preamp combo (the preamp handles RIAA equalization along with boosting the levels) so we put Ion's TTUSB10 and Stanton's T.90 USB to the test. (One of 'em did a much better job than the other!

Pedco's UltraClamp is a slick way to turn your car window into a steady platform for your camera... you can use just about anything up to an inch and a half wide.

Audacity, is an outstanding open source (free as in speech and price) audio editing tool... and it's our free file o' the week.

Need more noise reduction on your audio files? Then Bias SoundSoap 2 should be on your short list.

Is it worth spending the extra cash to make your domain private Sure, if you think folks are going to track you down. (Both Liana and Patrick have gone this route!) Some registrars are more serious about your privacy than others, btw!

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It's the biggest Consumer Electronics Event on planet Earth. CES. From oversized HDTVs to tiny Bluetooth headsets we look at all the gear that'll make it into stores. Plus some insight on the up and coming tech that'll make your electronics greener.

Why? It's the show where manufacturers show off their goods to the world!

Patrick Norton and Jim Louderback spent three days at the show (along with our new producer, Roger Chang) and we've got a ton of products for you, from XstreamHD's satellite HD video distribution to some nifty new case fans from Enermax and a whole lot in between.

We also cornered some of our favourite product mavens:

What's new on the HDTV front? PCMag's HDTV reviewer (and our buddy) Robert Heron talks about improved quality, thinner monitors , that 150 inch HDTV, and Pioneers amazing new take on black.

Cell phones: PCMag's Sascha Segan reviews 100 cell phones a year. He's got three picks on new phones from the CES show floor (it's all about better interfaces, something that the iPhone has inspired) along with his fave new Bluetooth headsets.

Robots? Lance Ulanoff lives for new robots at CES. (He's also the Editor in Chief at PCMag!) He's impressed with WoWWee's latest.

BTW, there's tons of CES product coverage at PCMag, and we'll be adding more in the coming weeks from the hours of video we shot at CES!

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A great point and shoot camera that does video, tools and techniques to bring spring cleaning to your hard drive, Roger compares some great free FTP clients: there's more difference than you might think!

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Rip any DVD with AnyDVD, MP3 Player Reccos, Game Developers Conference, HD picture frame antenna, Spoof a MAC address, get kicked out of school. Wondercon!

... and he's got the scoop from the Game Developers Conference '08 (The PC Gaming Alliance was big news, sort of... and where is Sony's Home for the Playstation??? )

Antennas Direct's hid its newest HDTV antenna inside a picture frame... Jim Louderback put the PF7 Picture Frame Antenna thru the paces and found it does a great job sucking down analog HDTV. It's cheap, too!

We love the comic books, so our producers Roger and Serafina took a trip to Wondercon, and came back with quite the collection of video.

Can't rip that DVD? You need some stronger tools.... AnyDVD is the bomb at gettting around copy protection on Windows.

On OS X, the folks at Handbrake have a step by step guide for dealing with disks that won't rip: you'll need Fairmount, DVD2OneX and this page!

Yahya wants a recco on a portable music player... that delivers excellent sound quality, and maybe that isn't an iPod. First off, make sure you've got quality audio files to listen to... and a decent set of headphones. (Garnett's convinced the player is the least of your worries.)

Patrick's spent a bunch of time with the Zune and it's quite good. We've also heard good things about Creative's Zen V Plus, the oh so stylish iRiver Clix Gen 2 is a great (if pricey) follow up to the most excellent iriver Clix. If you're looking for video playback, too, the editors at Cnet are big on the Archos 605.

Several folks want to buy Patrick's old Xbox 360 HD DVD drive.... can anybody beat $7.37?

Why does an HDTV cost more than the same sized LCD monitor? Good question, Christopher.

Free file o' the week:

Quick Media Converter lets you drag and drop video into 13 different formats, including PSP, iPod and web friendly formats!

Turning a vertical PC case on its side and running it that way hurt it? We wouldn't worry, Benedict. Patrick's run most of his PCs in horizontal mode with no ill effects. Just don't cover the vents. (They do take up more desktop space, that way, tho!)

Dave, Michael and "B" wrote in with ideas to help Jesse get his Xbox 360 connected to the his dorm's ResNet... and Eric sent a warning that spoofing a MAC address can get you kicked out of school. (It got him tossed!)

What's a good program to format you computer Naevek? Whatever comes with the OS, Windows or OS X will work fine for partitioning a drive.

If you want to do a 'non destructive' partition, ie, you want to change a partition without wiping all the data from inside it, Paragon's Parition Manager is the gold standard, tho GParted, the Gnome Partition Editor is an excellent Open Source alternative. (FYI, here's a great guide to modifying partitions with GParted)

No matter what tool you use, we recco backing up your data before you resize a partition... just in case.

Now, Naevek, if you're looking to format and wipe a drive before you, say, sell the computer it's inside of, our favorite tool is Darik's Boot and Nuke... it should be more than enough to protect your identity... tho Wikipedia says that as of November 2007, "overwriting is no longer a DoD-acceptable sanitization method for magnetic media".

Converting FLAC files to MP3 files? No problem, John. We use dBpoweramp, tho you will have to pay for MP3 support... ya know, since you're using a Zune, you might want to go with WMA instead of MP3... you should be able to do that for free in dBpoweramp.

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