Imagine a world where syncing or backing up your information from your mobile phone was as easy as plugging it to any computer with USB connection and internet, logging in to your Gmail or igoogle account and without installing any software all data would quickly sync up to the web? All your contacts/calendar/tasks/notes sync online. All user needs is to visit Google sync hub, presumably sync.google.com, plug USB cable from phone the PC and VIOLA.. Synced
What do you think?
It is Saturday evening and I am building a desk chair out of cardboard. I see I’m running out of the glue, Gorilla Wood Glue in particular. So I fire up a web browser and google “Gorilla Wood Glue, 11229”, where 11229 is the zip code where I live. Result? Nada… Nothing, just bunch of web sites related to glue but no stores that sell this glue in my area. I know a store that does but it closes at 7pm on Saturdays, and it is 6:56pm now.
So, here comes my “Should Exist” request;
There should be a registry of product availability established between product distributors and brick-and-mortar stores, online stores should not apply since this is only for immediate search and purchase fulfillment. So customer searches a product name or model number followed by his zip-code and the google map pin-points where this product is currently available based on the current time and locality. Google, are you listening? After all, we are living in the 24th century… Yes 🙂 twenty fourth!
HDMI Licensing, LLC Announces Features of the Upcoming HDMI Specification Version 1.4
Enhancements Include Networking, Audio Return Channel, 3D Capability, Improved Performance and New Connectors
SUNNYVALE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–HDMI Licensing, LLC, the agent responsible for licensing the High-Definition Multimedia Interface® (HDMI®) specification, today announced the features that will be incorporated in the upcoming HDMI 1.4 specification. This latest version of the HDMI specification will, among other advancements, offer networking capabilities with Ethernet connectivity and will add an Audio Return Channel to enable upstream audio connections via the HDMI cable. The HDMI specification 1.4 will be available for download on the HDMI LLC website no later than June 30, 2009.
The HDMI 1.4 specification will offer the following enhanced functionalities:
HDMI Ethernet Channel
The HDMI 1.4 specification will add a data channel to the HDMI cable and will enable high-speed bi-directional communication. Connected devices that include this feature will be able to send and receive data via 100 Mb/sec Ethernet, making them instantly ready for any IP-based application.
The HDMI Ethernet Channel will allow an Internet-enabled HDMI device to share its Internet connection with other HDMI devices without the need for a separate Ethernet cable. The new feature will also provide the connection platform to allow HDMI-enabled devices to share content between devices.
Audio Return Channel
The new specification will add an Audio Return Channel that will reduce the number of cables required to deliver audio upstream for processing and playback. In cases where HDTVs are directly receiving audio and video content, this new Audio Return Channel allows the HDTV to send the audio stream to the A/V receiver over the HDMI cable, eliminating the need for an extra cable.
3D Over HDMI
The 1.4 version of the specification will define common 3D formats and resolutions for HDMI-enabled devices. The specification will standardize the input/output portion of the home 3D system and will specify up to dual-stream 1080p resolution.
4K x 2K Resolution Support
The new specification will enable HDMI devices to support high-definition (HD) resolutions four times beyond the resolution of 1080p. Support for 4K x 2K will allow the HDMI interface to transmit content at the same resolution as many digital theaters. Formats supported include:
3840×2160 24Hz/25Hz/30Hz
4096×2160 24Hz
Expanded Support For Color Spaces
HDMI technology now supports color spaces designed specifically for digital still cameras. By supporting sYCC601, Adobe RGB and AdobeYCC601, HDMI-enabled display devices will be capable of reproducing more accurate life-like colors when connected to a digital still camera.
Micro HDMI Connector
The Micro HDMI Connector is a significantly smaller 19-pin connector that supports up to 1080p resolutions for portable devices. This new connector is approximately 50% smaller than the size of the existing HDMI Mini Connector.
Automotive Connection System
The Automotive Connection System is a cabling specification designed to be used as the basis for in-vehicle HD content distribution. The HDMI 1.4 specification will provide a solution designed to meet the rigors and environmental issues commonly found in automobiles, such as heat, vibration and noise. Using the Automotive Connection System, automobile manufactures will now have a viable solution for distributing HD content within the car.
“The HDMI specification continues to add functionality as the consumer electronics and PC industries build products that enhance the consumer’s HD experience,” said Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing, LLC. “The 1.4 specification will support some of the most exciting and powerful near-term innovations such as Ethernet connectivity and 3D formats. Additionally we are going to broaden our solution by providing a smaller connector for portable devices and a connection system specified for automobiles, as we see both more and different devices adopting the HDMI technology.”
Consumers will also see new HDMI cables introduced to the market. In order to take advantage of the HDMI Ethernet Channel, consumers will need to purchase either a Standard HDMI cable with Ethernet, or a High Speed HDMI cable with Ethernet. Consumers connecting an external device to an in-vehicle HDMI-enabled HD system will need the new Automotive HDMI cable. Consumers can expect to see new HDMI 1.4 cables introduced to the market when new HDMI 1.4 devices are available.
Consumers will have a choice of the following HDMI cables:
Standard HDMI Cable – supports data rates up to 1080i/60;
High Speed HDMI Cable – supports data rates beyond 1080p, including Deep Color and all 3D formats of the new 1.4 specification;
Standard HDMI Cable with Ethernet – includes Ethernet connectivity;
High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet – includes Ethernet connectivity;
Automotive HDMI Cable – allows the connection of external HDMI-enabled devices to an in-vehicle HDMI device.
The HDMI standard continues to grow in the marketplace with now over 850 adopters worldwide. The growing adoption of the HDMI specification by both consumer electronics and PC manufacturers further strengthens its position as the worldwide standard for high-definition digital connectivity. According to market research firm In-Stat, over 394 million HDMI-enabled devices are expected to ship in 2009, with an installed base of 1 billion devices. By the end of 2009 100% of digital televisions are expected to have at least one HDMI input.
The HDMI specification 1.4 will be available for download at http://www.hdmi.org no later than June 30, 2009.
By Lucas Conley (Obsessive Branding Disorder)
In 1985 the General Social Survey (GSS) asked participants to number their “close friends”. Respondents were likely to claim three – often noting that these relationships were based in their neighborhood or local community. I 2006 the American Sociological Review published the survey’s most recent findings, which showed a three-fold increase over the past two decades in the number of Americans who didn’t have anyone with whom to discuss important matters. Specifically the GSS found that nearly one-quarter of the 1,500 participants claimed they had no confidants at all. Half acknowleged having two or fewer close friends.
Americans are in effect getting lonelier. In 1985 the best means we had to “reach out and touch someone” was the telephone. For all the advances in communications since then – cellular phones, the internet, instant messaging, email, chat rooms, social networking sites – we now feel more isolated.
Courtesy: Metaefficient.com
Soon, we’ll probably be seeing Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries being used in most electric cars and bikes. This new battery type is set to dominate the market. Based upon lithium ion technology, LiFePO4 batteries offer many advantages over lithium cobalt dioxide (LiCoO2) batteries which are commonly used in laptops, mp3 players and cell phones.
In electric vehicles, LiFePO4 batteries offer greater range, power and safety. They provide full power until they are completely discharged, and recharge in just 2.5 hours. LiFePO4 chemistry is also environmentally friendly — it’s the least toxic of all the battery types.
A Graph Showing The Energy Density Of Various Batteries Types
LiFePO4 batteries were developed by Dr. John Goodenough at the University of Texas. These batteries have seen wide acceptance recently in Asian countries, but still have not made inroads in the U. S. marketplace. However, you can find these batteries being sold on eBay for electric bikes and scooters. You can now get a 52V LiFePo4 battery for an electric bike, that will give you a 65 mile range on a single charge with 60A drain rate.
For electric vehicles and plug-in electric cars, the LiFePO4 batteries will typically perform well in temperatures up to 400-degrees F, last for 6 to 7 years at a charge-discharge cycle of over 3,000.
The biggest player in the LiFePO4 marketplace for electric vehicles, however, is A123 Systems that has teamed up with GM to develop these batteries for the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid. Another big player is Lithium Technology Corporation who has been working with GM, Toyota and U. C. Davis to develop LiFePO4 batteries for all-electric and hybrid vehicles.
Here’s a list of all the advantages of LiFePo4 batteries:
* Safe technology — will not catch fire or explode with overcharge
* Over 2000 discharge cycles life compared to typically around 300 for lead acid
* Double the usable capacity of similar amp hour lead acid batteries
* Virtually flat discharge curve means maximum power available until fully discharged (no “voltage sag” as with lead acid batteries)
* High discharge rate capability, 10C continuous, 20C pulse discharge
* Unlike lead acid batteries, can be left in a partially discharged state for extended periods without causing permanent damage
* Extremely low self discharge rate (unlike lead acid which will go flat quite quickly if left sitting for long periods)
* Does not suffer from “thermal runaway”
* Can be used safely in high ambient temperatures of up to 60C without any degradation in performance
* Maintenance free for the life of the battery
* Can be operated in any orientation
* Does not contain any toxic heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, nor any corrosive acids or alkalies thus making LiFePO4 batteries the most environmentally friendly battery chemistry available
* LiFePO4 cells are of solid construction — there are no fragile/brittle plates made of lead which can be prone to failure over time as a result of vibration
* Can be safely rapidly recharged — when fully discharged can be brought to a state of over 90% fully charged in 15 minutes
By: Renat Zarbailov
I have been looking for a solution to edit AVCHD video while traveling without carrying around a full-fledged workstation PC for a long time now. I even contemplated to build one right into a carry-on luggage. Today I decided to experiment to access my newly built workstation (I called it Silent Screamer) using browser-based remote access software.
I have uploaded the AVCHD footage from my Toshiba M200 tablet PC to the Silent Screamer using Dropbox. Logged on to the Silent Screamer through a free account at logmein.com (you must install the logmein taskbar program on the remote machine before doing so, in my case on the Silent Screamer). Remote controlling through tablet PC I opened that footage in Sony Vegas Pro 8.0b timeline. The video looked good but it was having square blocks along the whole preview window, plus without audio feed from the video timeline.
To resolve the choppiness of video preview I set the “Preview” setting, located on top of the preview video window, from “Auto” to “Quarter”. This made the video look quite small but playable almost at full speed without any choppines or jitter. In the same fashion I resolved the preview playback in Adobe Premiere CS3. Simply changing the preview from “Fit” to “25%” does the trick.
To enable remote audio I plugged the other end of the audio cable that comes out from the Silent Screamer’s sound card to the microphone input. I then lowered the volume level a bit in the control panel sound settings to avoid sound abundance going into the microphone input. Now it was time to play around with Skype installed on both machines, but the sound kept on garbling up, so I abandoned this approach and went for Sighspeed . After creating two accounts, one for each machine, I successfully was able to hear the sound remotely. In the Silent Screamer’s Sightspeed microphone settings I set it to the sound card’s microphone to which the speaker cable was plugged.
So… when everything is set and done all it takes is three simple steps to start editing your HD footage remotely, provided you have high speed internet access on both machines.
Step 1. Upload the footage to Dropbox or any other web-based cloud storage.
Step 2. Launch Sighspeed, and call the remote machine – audio-only, no video calling, you can set the auto-pickup calls within the settings of Sighspeed on the remote machine.
Step 3. Log on to your logmein.com account and start remote-controlling your remote video-editing machine. Import the footage into timeline and start editing.
Now… imagine editing AVCHD video on an Asus Eee PC 900 using this aproach? :).
Update; To preview the final video edited remotely in almost full-frame playback I have pointed a Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 at the monitor in the area where the video editor’s preview window is, and this time video-called the remote machine using Sightspeed. Setting the preview setting to “Auto” in Vegas or to “Fit” in Premiere will make the playback look great. No matter how good is the quality of the lens of the webcam though I would have to revert back to logmein editing for precision. The webcam approach is only for previewing the final edits with larger viewing video area.
Update 04.09.2008;
There is now a solution for web-based video editing, albeit a proprietary software, called MAXedit Web Edition. If only Adobe would create an add-on to Premiere to do that it will be heaven for traveling videographers around the world.
I welcome your input to improve this workflow…
