YouTube Original resolution HQ38

While searching for a special soundtrack I stumbled accross a youtube video promoting the use of the "original quality" - these vids are still rare but make sense if the audio source was excellent and you're into great sound quality.

The original setting features either a 2k or a 4k video feed and cristal clear audio. Here are some example stats of what the stream packs in for you:

Name: Original  also HQ38
aka: 4k  or  4096p  or  2k, 2048p

Container: MP4
Video Codec: H.264(mpeg4 part 10)
Resolution: 4k - 4096x2304 (~xxxx kbps)  or  2k - 2048x1152 (min. 1570 kbps)
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Audio Codec: AAC 151+ kbps VBR, 44.1kHz stereo 

So far I only saw 2 channel audio feeds, what is actually fine with me, because I mainly feed the earphones only. The rest of the youtube codecs and how to record videos and extract audio is described here.

(interesting: transcoding with lame.exe delivers catastrophic results for the first 10s)

Winamp Green Color Tweaks

This is simply a repost of my old entry to test the visibility in the google index when it comes to searching for "Winamp Green" - last week I was surprised, that my pictures didn't show up in google's image index at all. (maybe because they're crap, but that's another story...)
Also tweaked some other SEO factors, like the image titles, the blog title, leaving out the deviantart sharing code and so forth. But most of all I think the difference will be whether the image is hosted at deviantart or at picasa (blogger's default).

[Update 23 January 2012: four months went by, exactly as expected both pictures are now in the top 10 when image-searching for Winamp Green. SEO is not so difficult after all - one just has to understand a few main principles. Number one to me?? ...post your content on sites that are owned by google like youtube, blogger, picasa. Keep your content clean and authentic.]

btw: Winamp Green Modern is still the color scheme I use all and every days :-)
Cheers.

 

head over to deviantart to learn, how to activate

the green color in your winamp

and the same for BigBento

Download YouTube HQ22 HQ37 HQ38

08.Mar 2015 important information!
Download Helper 4.x is no longer working with Firefox since its version 36! Download Helper 5 ist still being developed - you can read about it here: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/video-downloadhelper-5  Currently I'm trying the Beta http://www.downloadhelper.net/install-beta.php?version=5.0.0b1

- - - - - - - - - -

I often download a YouTube video ...  to extract a soundtrack and save it as mp3 or to save a short film for offline viewing, so the kids can watch stuff in the train and so on.
There are many documented methods out there but still some people aren't aware, that all web videos actually can be saved. I use three different tools to get the best results:

• the Firefox Add-On Download Helper  or use keepvid.com (no add-on needed 08. Mar 2015)
• and Handbrake to convert the videos to the size and format that best suits my needs
• AudioCoder for all audio related tasks with full control (aka Mediacoder Audio Edition)

Before you start grabbing videos you need to know just one important thing:
>> YouTube offers most videos in different resolutions

Let me give you an example: If you're an audiophile type, then you certainly want to know that higher quality streams also offer better audio encoding. It might be essential to the music grabber to understand the different quality levels available, since Download Helper offers you to choose the desired encoding and size level. If you haven't heard about that, you gonna end up with lower quality than expected.

[Update 03. Aug 2014]  >  Important: A lot of time has passed since I wrote this up in 2010. Meanwhile all cell phones and portable devices became real media powerhouses. 90% of the readers can stop reading here because you will be perfectly happy, if you just get download Helper for Firefox and always grab the HQ22 / 720p  youtube video stream or use keepvid.com (no add-on needed 08. Mar 2015) . You then have a clean MP4 video with good resolution and decent file size which will suit almost all your needs. Just trust me on this. [/end]


This list gives you an overview of common YouTube formats
(for a complete listing check the wikipedia link below)

Type	Resolution	Ratio	Format	Audio (quality)	Name	video bit rate
[HQ6]	480x360	4:3	FLV	mono	HQ6
[HQ18]	480x360	4:3	MP4	stereo	add &fmt=18 to url
[HQ35]	854x480	16:9	FLV	44.1 kHz stereo AAC 102kps	480p
[HQ22]	1280x720	16:9	MP4	44.1 khz stereo AAC LC 128kps	720p	~730kbps @30fps
[HQ13]	176x144	4:3	3GP	mono	HQ13
[HQ17]	176x144	4:3	3GP	stereo	QCIF Mobile
[HQ34]	640x360	16:9	FLV	stereo	360p
[HQ37] nov, 2009	1920x1080	16:9	MP4	stereo	1080p
[HQ38]	3840x2160 ( was 4096x 2304) also 2048x1152	16:9	MP4 AVC1 high @L5.0	44.1kHz stereo AAC 151Kbps /VBR)	4k  or  4096p or “original” or 2k, 2160p (old 2048p)	4k ~??? 2k ~1570 kbps @30fps
[HQ5]	400x226	16:9	FLV	stereo	240p

DASH video streams:

[HQ137]	1920x1080	16:9	MP4	AAC	1080p

[discontinued formats are greyed out]

25.05.2014: Since November 2013 HQ37 / 1080p streams can't be easily saved anymore. YouTube began using the protocol DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP) to stream 1080p videos. Current YouTube download programs can't handle DASH.  Dash or mpeg-dash are breaking the content into a sequence of small HTTP-based file segments, conventional web servers can then send those segments.
To download 1080p youtube DASH streams try the firefox addon Easy Youtube Video Download Expess - works fine for me. Not as comfortable as download helper but it just works.
Or use keepvid.com to grab 4k video streams, no audio though (no add-on needed).

(04 Aug 2014 update forget the add wares I mentioned in May - although Freemake is the only known option to me for downloading 4k Videos from youtube)  MassTube - adware alert! - adfree version @Softpedia works fine for me. Also the AdWare Freemake works - MAKE SURE you don't use express installations! I've warned you.

05.02.2014: interestingly some of my format observations differ from the table at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube


In some cases you then want to convert the downloaded stuff:
>> Handbrake is very easy to use and delivers fantastic results.

• Open the video you want to convert (the source video)
• choose one of the predefined profiles
• edit the settings (resolution) to your likings
• choose the destination for the converted file
• go!

Looking for an easy way to create MP3 Files from the grabbed video? Usually it takes only two to three clicks to extract the sound. I suggest using AudioCoder. (Beacause of LAME.exe problems and drag&drop you should download the 32bit version only.) I convert because I prefer how perfectly mp3 is treated by all devices out there - I'm talking about skipping tracks, embedding cover art, embedding meta data etc.
You lose a bit of quality while converting AAC to let's say mp3 "cbr 164kb/s" because both are lossy compression formats but I couldn't care less about that, while being in a crowded airport or a TGV...   phreaks just shouldn't convert.

[09.08.2011 - please note, that I'm checking on alternatives to MediaCoder products because - they violate GPL for not properly informing about the ffmpeg licence, not to mention the absence of source code providing since 2008. Chinese product - open source first - closed source since 2008? It's wrong. BTW Same problem with Freemake - with freemake I'm even more sceptic because they hide all their intentions and sources.]

>>  If you want to deal with the original AAC audio stream only,  you might want to try the small tool Yamb >> developer site, "editing" / "extract streams"to split/demux the AAC audio stream from the video stream.

Logitech Set Point 6 released

By the end of February Logitech released Set Point 6. Still a 00 release but it already seems to work quite fine at my place.
It now implements the drivers "Productivity" and the "Gamer" branch under one hood and has a modular update system.

Also in the new release my Performance MX mouse buttons 6 and 9 can't be assigned custom functions. But once again we're lucky enough and Richard's uberoptions adds the value we desire. (Update June 2010: currently I'm not able to apply uberoptions to a fresh windows 7 setup. So I also had to revert back to Setpoint 4.8 - tiresome)

Just take note, that after having installed uberoptions the new OSDs won't fully work yet (volume and font).
During uberoptions installation you have to make sure to feed the installer with the new Setpoint paths. For Windows 7 32bit & 64bit those are
C:\Program Files\Logitech\SetPointP
C:\ProgramData\LogiShrd\SetPointP\Devices

(old vs new notification area icon)

In general v6 looks really good and seems to head into the right direction. Important to some: the new release currently features less wheel options! Some KB/Mouse combos are not fully supported yet.

In their forum you'll find the release notes and some comments. But before you download anything - make sure to save your current configuration user.xml found in %appdata%\Logitech\SetPoint\ it might be helpful in the process.


some facts:

• New Driver Version for Productivity branch is 4.90.80 / up till now we used the fine 4.82.11. Driver Version for Gamer branch is 5.3 (old drivers can be found on Logitech's ftp server)
  
• new install file: 24 MB / old install package: 67 MB
• I never cared much about the huge installer, the memory footprint is more important and in my case I can't report anything really bad. With SetPoint v6, just the mouse, I read khalmnpr.exe 4.8 MB, Setpoint.exe 4.8 MB
• In the new release OSD functionality was cut > now only displays volume, mute, play/pause, caps on/off but no longer application names

some screenshots:

Above's screenshot shows the new App Override dialog. Basically works like the previous one.
Below: the new OSD looks much better:

Gamers might be interested in this Logitech Forum Thread.

Changes from earlier versions of SetPoint:

• The download size has been reduced by approximately 60%. This has been achieved by streamlining the code and removing device pictures from the download package. SetPoint will automatically download pictures in the background for devices that are connected to your system.
• SetPoint 6.0 includes the control panels for standard mice and keyboards (previously supported in SetPoint 4.x) and gaming mice (previously supported in SetPoint 5.x). This reduces duplication of system components, resulting in a smaller overall installation size.
• The SetPoint control panel for standard mice and keyboards has been updated with a new appearance.
• Numerous bug fixes and stability enhancements have been made in SetPoint 6.0

Firefox with Windows Aero glass effects

Pretty long ago I wrote down, how one could allow Firefox to make use of Windows Vista's or Windows 7 Aero effects. Meanwhile you can choose between some glass add-ons. Basically they're all mods from the original glasser add-on.

Since the hide menubar function has been integrated into Firefox 3.6, all you need for the good looks is the All-Glass add-on. It also renders your tabs fully transparent - that's how I prefer it. To sum it all up:

• All-Glass for the Aero effect
• Kempelton for great looking icons
• Scroll Zoom Button (because I'm to lazy to hit Ctrl+0 while browsing)
• to hide the menubar > right-click and deactivate it. Press Alt to make it visible

done.

.
Some of you might be interested in the Firfox 4 Mockup Theme. Allthough it looks good, to me it's still "to alpha" ...

No Adobe Flash in iPad and iPhone

Media is full of possible answers why Apple hardware doesn't support Adobe Flash. Mr Jobs goes on pointing out bugs and stuff. Makes me angry. Use your common sense people.
If their devices would support flash: endless games would be available for free, endless music vids would be available ... for free. A serious threat to their revenue plan and app store delusion I guess.

all Flash bashers should consider:
- it brought sound to the mainstream internet
- animation for the masses
- video for everyone without additional plugin
- first to bring HD Vid to the masses (no breakthrough for the divx plugin)
- first internet mainstream app to access my GPU's power for HD vid decoding

So everyone thinks all current devices will render HTML5 easily? doh.
maybe in two years from now. html5 rendering asks for a lot processing power
whereas flash works TODAY.

While Jobs' hardware does a lot of other things right, I personally have a problem with Apple's arrogance.

Modern Warfare 2 NAT strict or open

It's hard to believe how much crap is posted these days, when it comes to Modern Warfare's NAT status > strict / open.
and nope - I wouldn't turn on my router's UPnP function. Why?

To solve the MW2 issue you need to do three things only:
(described for PC but i guess it basically works for xbox and PS3 too)

1. make sure your router ALWAYS assigns the same tcp-ip address to your computer, open your PC's command prompt and type: ipconfig /all  - the physical address is the mac address you'll need for this step - log into your router and look for "reservation" now reserve the address for your PC. (or assign addresses to all your home devices manually)
   
   
2. in your router, look for something called Port Forwarding, then add an entry (aka add a custom service) with the following value: Forward UDP / port 28960 / "to your PC's tcp-ip address"
   
   
3. make sure your firewall isn't blocking the incoming traffic to your application or game. Check this in the firewall advanced dialog > inbound rules
   

et voilà - done!

In my case I had to go through an unusual extra step. My Netgear router has an additional security feature called "NAT Filtering" > I had to change it from 'secured' to 'open' to allow things to work.
BTW if you're not happy with the given default port 28960 you may use any other available port for the PC version of MW2. In Steam right click on the game, select properties, select Launch Options. Then enter  +set net_port 61499 to tell MW2 to listen on port 61499 for incoming connections. This is helpful when your sister or brother want to host their own game within the same family network.

Short explanation
Actually you might go nuts configuring your devices! Ask your befriended computer wiz to help you with above's steps, the pro knows immediately what to do. Keep your router password and your admin account handy before he arrives at your home.

Why do you have to go through all this?
These days almost all broadband connections make use of a router. With its default setting internet works fine, but you won't be able to host services like webservers or games etc. Generally that's a good thing because it keeps your comp environment a bit safer from outside attacks. But it usually prevents you from hosting a game.

Your ISP lends you 1 TCP-IP address every time you connect to the internet, the router grabs this address. Let's call this address "A"

What is pnaico.exe

You ran msconfig to check your Windows7's startup programs and found pnaico.exe.20FBBF0A_A7E5_4BDE_9798_9811C3D135AC.exe ? huh?
Of course you googled for pnaico.exe and only found rather weird answers.

This is what I found: It's all about having "Citrix Online plug-in" v11 installed on your system (program neighbourhood agent ico). This is by no means caused by malware. Most likely you installed this program to connect remotely to your work or campus.

and again: run "msconfig" and deactivate the two automatic startup commands as shown in the screenshot, but don't assume an attack on your comp.

That's how you get rid of the annoying Change Server dialog shown below.
You can always start the app from the start menu if you're in need later.

Winamp theme Ebonite

There's this great looking winamp theme

Ebonite 2

a major plus is the built-in color editor, which let's you adapt winamp's colors to your wallpaper within seconds...
give it a try

my desktop

just thought ... hey my desktop looks cool ;-)

interfacelift / clocks

Clocktopia - nice Windows gadgets

.free of any sense - the heck, sometimes you can't even read the time clearly

who cares
these clocks look so much better than the rest!

get them here [deviantart]
.

Customize Firefox' Search Bar

The Firefox search bar has been the source of constant annoyance recently. Whenever I was using it, google woudn't behave as expected - all google & igoogle settings weren't applied to the results page, plus the results were served from Google Switzerland. Similar to the situation, when you don't accept the google cookie.

Believe me, I almost freaked - Google Switzerland behaves like crap, compared to google.com, nope I won't go into details here.

The cure to all this was not to choose "Manage Search Engines" within Firefox (100% futile and sterile since ff3) , but to head over to the Mycroft Project as in the old FF days. You'll find gazillions of ready to use FF search engines.

I installed "Google Search (En any unfiltered 100)" and all my problems were solved at once.

forget Steam

ai ai ai - you might have heared about the thousands angry european Steam users. Steam europe charges you this way:
$1 = €1

ridiculous

and now read this posting over at the steampowered forums
that's not ridiculous - it's dirty!

Buying games @ steam used to be a great experiance: it always worked fine, updates were served automatically, you could move dollars to the deserving developers - and you also got the games a tad cheaper than the boxed versions.
It's simple: using Steam since the very beginning and pushing it amongst all my friends - I feel betrayed. I won't spend money at Steam anymore until this issue is whiped away.

don't buy

Most people I know spend waaaaaaaaay to much money on computers!

You don't know or earn money with any of the following applications?

- media creation and modern encoders h.264
- compilers
- 3d apps like Maya or blender
- most recent 2d app PS CS4 with files over 50 megs
- or see intel slide march 2010 for a list of special apps


Don't intend to use your PC for a quick game once in a while?
trailer1 (HD) /trailer2 (HD) / trailer3 / trailer4 


well, DO NOT SPEND more than CHF or $700 on a PC!
more than 3gig RAM will boost your productivity close to zero
(4gigs of RAM are a tribute to gaming & Photoshop or virtualization)

THIS makes much more sense than more RAM!
.
.
.

Firefox Page Zoom Button

You can access Firefox's zoom function with three keyboard shortcuts Ctrl++ Ctrl+- (Ctrl+mouse wheel) and Ctrl+0 to reset to 100%.

But then there's this great tiny add-on which let's me access the browser's zoom function exactly the way I wished to:

move the mouse cursor over the icon
mouse wheel zooms
left click resets to 100%

install & more info here

Make Firefox look great

Vista user? Firefox3 user?
Follow these steps to make Firefox 3 look like this:

>> Update February 2010: this article is outdated, new version is here

• get the hide menu bar extension
• get the kempelton theme
  
  
• log into the Mozilla add-on site
  otherwise you can't download experimental extensions
  
• get the glasser extension
  
  
• for the bookmarks toolbar get the glasser extras.zip
  ( JAN 2009: glasserextras.zip currently can't be downloaded at it's original location! Get it at rapidshare instead)
• press WIN+R and open the following location: %APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles
• in there > open the folder xxxxxx.default
• now open the folder chrome
• from glasserExtras.zip move the file Vista Personal Bar - Media Player.css into the chrome folder
• now rename the copied file to userChrome.css
  

Done!
make the menu visible by pressing ALT
.

Kempelton 3.0

Kempelton for FF3. Looks just as great as v2 did.

Get it here.

Kempelton 2 for Firefox 2

I fail to understand, why this brilliant Firefox2 theme gets so little attention. It blends wonderfully into Vista. Compared to this I think the new FF3 default theme's a laugh.
And please don't get onto our nerves by pointing out how Vista sucks, because it doesn't. Get it here for FF2. Kempelton is Thunderbird's default theme by the way.

Note > Kempelton 3.0 for FF3

Winamp Theme Barracuda

Very stylish Winamp theme! Get it here and make sure you've read the creator's comment.

Divx in Vista Media Center?

Of course you already want your Vista Media Center to play all your divx vids? But there's no official DIVX release out there yet right? Head to this site and download the vista compatible ffdshow tryout. The beta2 worked fine for me.