Latest Posts in Macworld Video
Hands on with Plex, an alternative to Apple’s Front Row
It’s difficult to find a video cataloguing and playback application that rivals the formidable pairing of iTunes and Front Row. But now there’s Plex, a media center for Mac OS X that’s capable of cataloguing and playing back every major video format out there, and it works admirably with the Apple Remote to boot.
This video provides an in-depth look at Plex. Find out how it works and how it handles media. You can also read the Macworld review of Plex.
- Download Macworld Video #115
- Format: MPEG-4/H.264
- Resolution: 480 x 272 (iPhone & iPod compatible)
- Size: 14.2MB
- Length: 8 minutes, 32 seconds
Or you can look below for the full-quality video embedded from YouTube. (Please note our videos are now available in HD on YouTube as well!)
Show notes
As mentioned above, there is a Macworld review of Plex. You can also learn more at the Plex Wiki.
To subscribe to the Macworld Video Podcast using iTunes 5 or later, click here.
You can also see a complete archive of all our videos on Macworld’s YouTube channel. Subscribe to that channels and you will be notified whenever we post a new video.
Or just point your favorite podcast-savvy RSS reader to: http://rss.macworld.com/macworld/weblogs/mwvodcast
Create an SD card startup disk for the new MacBook Pros
Apple recently released new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros that come with a feature never seen in an Apple laptop: a Secure Digital (SD) memory card reader. The reader is handy for transferring videos and photos from a camera, but you can also use the reader with an SD Card startup disk. This is helpful for when you need to troubleshoot the MacBook Pro.
In this video, I will show you how to create a SD card startup disk for the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros. You’ll need an SD card with a capacity of at least 8GB, and the OS installation disc that came with the laptop.
Download Macworld Video #114
- Format: MPEG-4/H.264
- Resolution: 480 x 272 (iPhone & iPod compatible)
- Size: 11.5 MB
- Length: 4 minutes, 3 seconds
Or you can look below for the full-quality video embedded from YouTube. (Please note our videos are now available in HD on YouTube as well!)
A closer look at the iPhone 3G S
Summer's almost here and you know what that means -- time for new iPhones! For the third straight year, Apple's release of a new iPhone model has caused otherwise sane people to wait in long lines, often overnight, just to get their hands on the latest and greatest.
Today's iPhone release is the iPhone 3G S, and I got mine this morning at the Apple Store on Stockton Street near San Francisco's Union Square. Now I've put together this report chronicling my first hour or two with the device.
In this video you'll see sample video shot with the iPhone 3G S. You'll see a mysterious brown bag that may or may not have contained my lunch. You'll see demonstrations of the iPhone 3G S's speed, its compass, its Voice Control functionality, what makes it different from the iPhone 3G, and much more.
You will also witness, for the first time, the sight of what it's like for an iPhone 3G S to be unboxed -- from its perspective. And you will marvel at what happens when you peel the plastic coating off of the iPhone 3G S for the first time. (Hint: It makes things a lot clearer.)
WWDC keynote in review
Monday saw the annual Worldwide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) kick off with a keynote address by various Apple executives. In this edition of Macworld Video, Roman Loyola looks back at some of the highlights from the opening day.
The star of the keynote may very well have been the brand-new iPhone 3G S—boasting higher speeds and added features such as voice control, video capture and a compass. But several other products had their moment in the spotlight as well.
Download Macworld Video #112
- Format: MPEG-4/H.264
- Resolution: 480 x 272 (iPhone & iPod compatible)
- Size: 11.6MB
- Length: 8 minutes
Some of the other products mentioned in the keynote address include:
- A revamped family of laptops. Apple updated almost its entire laptop line, promoting its 13-inch Aluminum unibody Macbooks into the MacBook Pro line, upgrading the existing 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pros, and slashing MacBook Air prices while boosting speeds.
- iPhone 3.0 coming soon. The new iPhone 3.0 OS will be released on June 17, 2009. iPhone 3.0 will be a free release for all iPhone customers—both original iPhone users and iPhone 3G users will be able to download it at no charge once it’s released.
- Snow Leopard slated for release. The next major update to OS X will be available in September. However, OS X 10.6 will only work on Intel-based Macs, leaving the owners of aging PowerPC-based hardware without the ability to upgrade.
- Plus you can read more about the iPhone 3G S in our detailed report.
To subscribe to the Macworld Video Podcast using iTunes 5 or later, click here.
You can also see a complete archive of all our videos on Macworld’s YouTube channel. Subscribe to that channels and you will be notified whenever we post a new video.
Or just point your favorite podcast-savvy RSS reader to: http://feeds.macworld.com/macworld/video/
Manage e-mail on multiple Macs
In this week's video, I discuss e-mail. More specifically, I discuss e-mail protocols, and how you might optimize your setup if you receive e-mail on multiple Macs and/or phones. I also delve briefly into the world of spam, and how you can minimize how much of the stuff makes it to all of your Macs and/or devices.
Download Macworld Video #111
- Format: MPEG-4/H.264
- Resolution: 480 x 272 (iPhone & iPod compatible)
- Size: 13MB
- Length: 8 minutes
During the video, I touch on a few different things relative to e-mail, including a brief overview of the POP and IMAP e-mail protocols. Note that, in the interest of keeping things brief and not overly technical, I glossed over many of the details on how IMAP works (i.e. deleted messages aren't really deleted immediately, but instead flagged as deleted). If such things interest you, the above link to IMAP's Wikipedia entry is a great place to start.
I also talk, generically, about converting your setup from POP to IMAP. Please note that there's simply no way to cover all the details involved with such a task during this brief video. If you're interested in converting, I strongly recommend that you have good backups in place first, and that you do further research regarding IMAP with your particular internet provider. Google searching may also prove helpful. The process is generally simple, but it's never good to lose e-mail messages you need to keep.
Digitize VHS video tapes
If you’ve been an adult since the time of the Clinton Administration, it’s likely you have a box full of VHS tapes. In addition to ancient episodes of The Larry Sanders Show, The X-Files, and Twin Peaks, it’s possible that some of these tapes include beloved/embarrassing scenes from your past.
In case you’re not aware of it, here’s a hint: Those tapes aren’t improving with age.
And because they aren’t, it may be time to convert them to a format you can play on your Mac, burn to DVD, and upload to the Web. In this week’s video I look at two products—Elgato’s $100 Video Capture and Roxio’s $80 Easy VHS to DVD—that help you do just that.
Download Macworld Video #110
First look: Sanyo VPC-WH1 waterproof HD camcorder
Summer is almost here, and you know what that means—fun in the sun and a camcorder to record those memories. And with high definition video now mainstream, it’s time to consider investing in a new HD camcorder.
In this video, I take a first look at Sanyo’s new VPC-WH1 HD camcorder. This waterproof device shoots 720p video at 30 frames per second. You can take it underwater up to 10 feet deep. I’ll look at the the construction of the VPC-WH1, and then show some video shot with the camcorder.
- Format: MPEG-4/H.264
- Resolution: 480 x 272 (iPhone & iPod compatible)
- Size: 8.6MB
- Length: 2 minutes, 33 seconds
Or you can look below for the full-quality video embedded from YouTube. (Please note our videos are now available in HD on YouTube as well!)
Window-management utilities for the Mac
As much as I like Mac OS X, I often wish it offered more options for moving and resizing onscreen windows. I hear similar comments from other Mac users—including those who’ve switched to the Mac from Windows and are used to The Other Way of working with windows.
Two utilities—both Mac Gems—that enhance OS X’s window-management features are MondoMouse and MercuryMover. In this week’s video, I show you the best features of each and why they’ve become part of my everyday workflow.
Download Macworld Video #108
- Format: MPEG-4/H.264
- Resolution: 432 x 320 (iPhone & iPod compatible)
- Size: 10.7MB
- Length: 5 minutes, 30 seconds
For more on Atomic Bird’s MondoMouse, read my original Gems review of the utility, as well as my article from February about how MondoMouse helps work around some of the drawbacks to Safari 4’s new interface.
MercuryMover is available from Helium Foot; I also reviewed MercuryMover last year.
To subscribe to the Macworld Video Podcast using iTunes 5 or later, click here.
You can also see a complete archive of all our videos on Macworld’s YouTube channel. Subscribe to that channels and you will be notified whenever we post a new video.
Or just point your favorite podcast-savvy RSS reader to: http://rss.macworld.com/macworld/weblogs/mwvodcast
Favorite iPhone Twitter clients
I'm a big user of Twitter, especially on the iPhone. Twitter and the iPhone are a perfect match of service and device. The Iconfactory's Twitterrific 2.0 for iPhone has been approved by Apple and will likely be released on the App Store Friday. It will be a free upgrade for all existing users. New users can download a free version, which includes ads, or pay an introductory price of $4 for the ad-free premium edition. I’ve been testing this version for a few weeks; here’s a hands-on first look in video form. Don't miss my complete Twitterrific 2 first look article as well.
In addition, I've covered two other Twitter clients that I think are of interest. Tweetie, from Atebits, and Twittelator Pro, from Big Stone Phone.
Download Macworld Video #107
- Format: MPEG-4/H.264
- Resolution: 480 x 272 (iPhone & iPod compatible)
- Size: 33.7MB
- Length: 8 minutes, 40 seconds
Or you can look below for the full-quality video embedded from YouTube. (Please note our videos are now available in HD on YouTube as well!)
To subscribe to the Macworld Video Podcast using iTunes 5 or later, click here.
You can also see a complete archive of all our videos on Macworld’s YouTube channel. Subscribe to that channels and you will be notified whenever we post a new video.
Or just point your favorite podcast-savvy RSS reader to: http://feeds.macworld.com/macworld/video/
A look at GeekTool
In this week’s video, I look at GeekTool, a free system utility that lets you display images, text files, and the output of Unix commands on your desktop (or floating above other windows).
Download Macworld Video #106
• Format: MPEG-4/H.264
• Resolution: 480 x 272 (iPhone & iPod compatible)
• Size: 13.3MB
• Length: 7 minutes
In the course of the video, I reference a collection of sites where you can find more powerful examples of what you can do with GeekTool. These include:
- GeekTool
- Hints that mention GeekTool on macosxhints.com.
- Ultimate GeekTool Setup on Keynote 2 Keynote.
- GeekTool and bash one liners on Mac Geekery.
- Geek to Live: Monitor your Mac and more with GeekTool on Lifehacker.
- Mega Roundup of GeekTool Scripts on Francesco Mugnai's blog (which contains links to many other sites).
- In the video, I show one GeekTool entry that displays my external IP address, which can be useful if you're trying to debug a network connectivity problem. The Unix source for that entry can be found buried in this hint on Mac OS X Hints. To save you the digging, though, here's the command: curl --silent http://checkip.dyndns.org | awk '{print $6}' | cut -f 1 -d "<". Just enter that as the Unix command, and you should see your external IP address in GeekTool.
To subscribe to the Macworld Video Podcast using iTunes 5 or later, click here.
You can also see a complete archive of all our videos on Macworld’s YouTube channel. Subscribe to that channels and you will be notified whenever we post a new video.
Or just point your favorite podcast-savvy RSS reader to: http://feeds.macworld.com/macworld/video/
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