At the Movies, Act 2
[an error occurred while processing this directive] - October 2000 - Tip Jar
Don't touch that mouse! Let's jump in. Several movies (well, snips
from movies) can be found at http://home.att.net/~myperforma.
In order to view or hear the movies, either Movie
Player 2.5.1, SimpleText 1.4, or QuickTime 2.5 software must be
installed as a minimum!
There are several choices for creating movie files on my Performa. My choices are limited by the type of digitizing hardware used to convert data received from a device which is the source that generates or stores the audio/video data. The two parts must be compatible in order to create a readable file.
The table below matches digitizing hardware with the data source, whose output can be saved as a file that can be played by an appropriate application such as QuickTime.
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Recording or Storage Device |
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The Connectix QuickCam is connected by a serial cable to the motherboard via the serial port. An Apple TV/Tuner Card is not required. The output is audio/video recorded as a "Quick Movie" file. Note that my QuickCam records in black and white as well as shades of gray.
Several different ways to record or retrieve video and/or sound are possible using the Apple TV/Tuner Card. Movies are recorded in millions of color by using a VHS video camera. I use a Panasonic PV-320D (circa 1987) video camera to either record video or as a VCR on the fly to play back previously recorded movies. I then hook the camera to the video card input ports using cables with RCA jacks. The output is a SimpleText movie file.
By hooking up a TV antenna, hooked into the TV card, which in turn, is installed directly onto the motherboard, my Performa can be used as a VCR to record a TV show, let's say M*A*S*H. The output again is a SimpleText movie file, albeit quite large. The same is true of audio files generated from using a plain talk microphone or CD-ROM the device to generate data that is then digitized. The files saved are large files.
Reading and playing back files is a matter of hardware and software. And fun to use!
Next Time: Software and editing movies.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: Quadra 700, Oct. 1991 - The successor to the Mac IIci ran a 'wicked fast' 25 MHz 68040 processor.
- List of the Day: Apple TV List The Apple TV List is a forum to discuss the Apple TV.
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- 10 Mac Browsers Compared, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 08.28. A look at Internet Explorer, Radon, Opera, Safari, Shiira, iCab, Firefox, Netscape Navigator, Flock, and Camino running in Leopard.
- Clone and Boot: Another Advantage of the Mac OS, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 08.28. Unlike Windows, Apple makes it possible to clone a bootable drive (Classic Mac OS or OS X) and use it with another supported Mac.
- Best MacBook Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28. Used 1.83 GHz, $799; 2.0 black, $875; refurb 2.1 GHz, $899; 2.4, $1,099; black, $1,299; new 2.1, $1,019 after rebate; 22, $1,094; 2.4, $1,219 a/r; black, $1,394 a/r.
- Best iMac G5 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28. Used 17" 1.6 GHz Combo, $499; 1.8 SuperDrive, $530; 2.0, $600; 1.9 iSight, $625; 20" 1.8 GHz, $580; 2.0, $650; 2.1 iSight, $700.
- Best classic Mac OS Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28. System 6, $10; 7.1, $12; 7.5.1, $4; Mac OS 7.6, $13; 8.0, $13; 8.1, $48; 8.5, $25; 8.6, $20; 9.0, $20; 9.2.2, $20; more.
- CrossOver Strikes Out, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 08.27. Running Windows apps on a Mac without paying for Windows is great in theory, but actually getting Windows software working is another story.
- MacDrought: 4 Months with No New Macs, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 08.27. The most recent Mac update was over four months ago, and the Mac mini has been unchanged for over a year.
- Resurrecting a Dead Pismo, Spotlight Search Tip, and EasyFind a Good File Finder, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 08.27. Lots of tips on bringing a comatose Pismo back to life, a Spotlight file name search tip, and EasyFind as an alternative to Spotlight.
- Best Intel iMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27. Used 17" 1.83 GHz, $625; 20", $599; 2.16, $749; 24", $950; refurb 20" 2.4, $999; 2.66, $1,299; 24" 2.4, $1,299; 2.8, $1,549; new 3.06, $2,094 after rebate; more.
- Best 15" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27. Used 1.25 GHz Combo, $600; SuperDrive, $650; 1.33 Combo, $640; 1.5, $680; SD, $725; 1.67, $730; hi-res, $800.
- Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27. 500 GB Time Capsule, $294; 1 TB, $468; AirPort Extreme Card, $39; 802.11n Base Station, $166; 802.11g AirPort Express, $60; 802.11n, $98.
- Does Running OS X System Maintenance Routines Really Do Any Good?, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 08.26. Mac OS X is designed to run certain maintenance routines daily, weekly, and monthly - but can't if your Mac is off or asleep.
- Purposeful Reincarnation for Old Macs, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 08.26. The key is to avoid spending more on upgrades than the final use of the machine can justify.
- Best Power Mac G5 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.26. Used 1.6 GHz single SuperDrive, C$499; 1.8, $569; dual, $675, 2.0, $800; 2.3, C$899; 2.5, C$1,199; 2.7, $1,225; 2.5 Quad, $1,500.
- Best 17" MacBook Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.26. Used 2.16 GHz Core Duo, $1,330; 2.33 C2D, $1,689; refurb, 2.4, $1,899; new, $2,099; 2.5, $2,558 after rebate; 2.6 Santa Rosa, $2,399 a/r; more.
- Best iPod shuffle Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.26. Refurb 3G 1 GB, $39; new 3G, $45; refurb 2 GB, $59; new, $68.
- More links in our archive.
