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Leo Laporte A technology journalist, author and broadcast personality. His specialties lie in computers, the Web, video games, digital music and consumer electronics. |
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Amber MacArthur An experienced Web content and usability strategist, Amber is also a tech journalist who specializes in Internet, software, and gadget trends and tips. |
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Slow Video Conversion
Steve, Georgetown, ON
Q: I downloaded Handbrake lite and installed it. I ripped my Famliy Guy DVD and used Handbreak to convvert it, However It took over 2 hours to convert 22 min (one episode) of video. I can't imagine trying to do (convert) a whole movie. Might there be a better/faster option for me? I was also wondering how I can convert from wide screen to 4:3 ratio for viewing on the Ipod. Cheers
Sean's note: This is one of the big downsides of converting video: Waiting. And waiting. And waiting. The big problem here isn't really Handbrake, I'm guessing, but the speed of your processor and the amount of RAM in your system — if you want to convert video in a peppy fashion, you really need a fast processor and enough RAM to keep all those bits in the air. For converting video to your PSP, the best application to use is PSP Video 9 (http://pspvideo9.com/).Just to give you a reference point, I regularly convert Lab Rats from a regular MOV file to an iPodo-ready M4V file, and it usually takes me about an hour to convert that 15 minutes of video, and I'm using a dual-core G5 tower with a gig and a half of RAM. (That's NOT a lightweight machine, by the way.) If you're using an older computer, whether it's Mac or Windows, you'll probably find that conversion takes a lot longer. Unless you want to spends hundreds—or even thousands—of dollars on a dedicated hardware encoder card, you'll just have to live with it, I think.
Missing DVD Writer
Luigi, Anjou, QC
Q: My Drive Manager is saiding that my CD-Writer and DVD-Writer is not install but in my BIOS it is saiding that is install. So I was wondering why is my Drive Manager telling me this?
Even if you see a device during boot up, it doesn't mean Windows will be able to see it. Windows has to support the device and must be able to communicate with it. DVD and CD writers don't need special drivers, but XP seems to have special trouble recognizing them. Sometimes removing spyware or viruses (most notably, the Sony copy protection rootkits, for example) will disable a CD drive. Finding the problem and fixing it can be tricky. I suggest running Microsoft's System File Checker to see if any system files are damaged or missing. Click Start>Run and enter "cmd" to open the command line window and then type sfc /scannow and hit return. You'll need your original Windows install discs if any files need fixing. If that doesn't work, try using the Recovery feature on the Windows XP installer disc. Running system restore might work, too.
Invisible Video
Tyler, Wakefield, QC
Q: I have an ATI All-In Wonder 2006 edition. I currently play videos I download on my TV from my PC. My video card drivers allow me to set a different resolution for my TV than my primary display. This is all wonderful, but when I play certain video file types, the video does not show-up on the tv (only audio). However, if I "clone" my primary display to my TV the video then shows up.
It sounds like a problem with overlay video. Try turning off hardware acceleration in the video card setup.
