video

Using ffmpeg on macOS to Correct AVI Index Errors and Convert to MP4

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I’ve had a dashcam in my car for several years. My first dashcam worked great but after a few years it died. I replaced it with a less expensive unit and, as they say, you get what you pay for. It works OK. The quality and perspective isn’t as good as my first dashcam – it also doesn’t record GPS and current speed. If I replace this one I’m definitely going to get one that has features more similar to my first dashcam.

In addition, the video that I pull from the SD cards it records to usually have index errors, which prevent the videos from playing in most players (it works in VLC but requires a little bit of preprocessing to correct index issues). Obviously, this isn’t very good for something recording video that might one day be provided to law enforcement, compiled into a video poking fun at bad drivers or perhaps on the rare ocassion you’re nearly hit by a horse and rider as they gallop across a busy highway. I used ffmpeg to correct this issue with the last video prevoiusly linked.

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Comcast X1 DVR Experiencing Distored Video and Audio Problems

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Our run as cord-cutters has come to an end after several years though it wasn’t by choice; the apartment complex where we live has made a fee mandatory that includes the cost of cable and since there’s no point paying for cable and not using it we decided to cut some of the online streaming services that we’ve been using and get a DVR from our cable provider.

Living as cord-cutters for over six years worked great but that’s a post for another time.

I opted to get an X1 DVR from Comcast so we could record shows (we chose to drop Hulu and HBO) that we would have watched via Hulu as well as some other series that we’ve been purchasing through iTunes over the years.

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Halo: Combat Evolved – How To Make A Game Better

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I’m looking forward to the release of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and even reserved a copy via Amazon.com. Why? Well, playing the game with updated graphics is incentive enough. However, there are other reasons. Reasons that made this game great to start with. And hopefully, will be carried over into the re-release.

Some of the best games have great replay value due to their implementation of physics and the ways they can be exploited. If you never played Halo: Combat Evolved or just never toyed around with Warthog jumping then perhaps you should take a look at this video, which is what really started it (at least for myself):

Vitamin D Video: A Licensing Surprise

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Last December I purchased a copy of Vitamin D Video for OS X. However, I’ve been moving various services  over from my iMac to the new ASUS EeeBox. At first, I assumed this would require that I purchase another license for the Windows version of Vitamin D Video.

I figured it was worth a shot to see if the licensing would transfer over to the Windows version and to my surprise, it did. The Windows version accepted the OS X license file for Vitamin D Video.

Many companies would go out of their way to force users to purchase a new license for the same software under a different platform. I’m impressed (and pleased that I saved an additional $50).

Updated 08/31/2011: In a response from Vitamin D Video, regarding a related matter, I was informed that the ability to use the license across platforms was intentional.