DVD Duplication Information

I am downloading media for DVD burning. What is the best format to convert it to before I burn?
UK format BTW
It is for movie burning, for UK DVD players.

As I know, DVD format is VOB. If you want to know how to convert and burn video to DVD to play on DVD player, I think this step by step guide would help you
http://www.reviewstown.com/how-to-burn-avi-divx-movie-to-playable-dvd.html
Hope it helps, email me if you need further help or use http://www.ask.com to search for more answers.

If you want to keep your data completely safe, you should look into types of data backup that do not require constant power supplies. While discs such as CDs and DVDs are a good way to make a smaller, permanent backup, external hard drives are another great way to back up your data safely. Just make sure that the drives do not stay connected to your computer and on - otherwise they’ll be as at risk as your normal internal drives. You don’t want your backup to be damaged in the same disaster that takes out your computer!

External hard drives are not actually new technology. In fact, these drives work in much the same way as a normal hard drive. Before external drives were affordable, there are some computer users who made external drives by setting internal drives into an outer casing. These worked fairly well, but they did not stand up to being moved around as much.

Over the last several years, external drives have become affordable, small, and easy to use. There are even some compact USB hard drives that can fit in a pocket. These drives are also much faster than they used to be, something that is being helped by the switch from serial and parallel connections to USB and firewire.

How much data can an external hard drive store? Most external hard drives are about the same size as a normal hard disk inside of your computer. In fact, one of the smallest capacities is just 60GB . However, there are many other disk sizes available at this point in time. Recently, external hard drives with as much as 1000GB of space have begun to appear on the market. It won’t be long before we move into true Terabyte territory. These huge storage capacities are the main reason why external hard drives are rapidly becoming the most popular form of computer backup for the normal computer user.

If you do not want to pick and choose through the files on your computer to determine which ones you want to save, don’t worry! Most of the hard drives will come with a CD that has drivers and some basic backup software on it. In most cases all you have to do is install the software, plug in the drive, and click “backup” and the software takes care of protecing your email, My Documents folder and all the most commonly backed up items.

Once again, if you are using an external hard disk for computer backup, do not leave the external drive connected to your computer. Additionally, you should also have more than one backup of your important information. You can do this by using an online backup service, or by burning your most important files to a DVD or five.

The best hard drives out there are going to be the ones built by major name brands. Maxtor, Iomega and Western Digital drives are known to be high quality and will last a long time. Purchasing a cheap, no-name external hard drive will save you money up front, but it is very likely that you will end up regretting it when it breaks down and you find out that your warranty is worthless.

Niall Roche
http://www.articlesbase.com/hardware-articles/using-an-external-hard-drive-to-keep-your-data-safe-128231.html

i have toast 6 and burn at 2x. the other options are best and 4x.
i was wondering if even at 2x i'm losing quality on my burned dvd?

If you don't see skips or pixelation, you're not losing quality (those are the "losses" you get). What can happen at higher speeds is that a pit doesn't get fully burned, causing problems. It's not as if you'll get lower resolution, or less fully-saturated colors, or anything like that. (This is digital - either you get the bit correctly or you don't. the only choices are 1 and 0.)

To ensure a good burn, unless you're buying a huge lot of blanks from the manufacturer (Verbatim, Memorex, Sony, etc., just sell them, they don't manufacture them, and they each buy from many different manufacturers - you can even get parts of the same lot with different brand names on them), and it pays to test a dozen of them or so, the best bet is to burn at the slowest speed you can. Good blanks will burn at any speed, cheaper blanks will have problems at higher speeds (speeds approaching the speed they're rated at). Some "high speed" blanks can't burn well at anything more than about 4X.

Besides the spam that you get on a daily basis there are actually real email that you would like to keep, and you consider important enough that you might need them for reference some day, however storing those important e-mail on your hard drive is risky. So what can you do? I ‘m glad you are reading this article because you will find out.

Generally in most email programs you have the ability save and archive those very important emails buy copying or transferring them to a removal storage media such as a CD or DVD. With those emails now transferred to a removal media you can delete them off of your hard drive, and in a sense, doing yourself two favors.

1. You just gained a little more space on hard drive, or gained a ton of space if you have a ton emails that you were saving.

2. Now you don’t have to worry about loosing those e-mails if your hard drive were to ever crash. One point for you and the computer gods none.

Microsoft Outlook Express stores email in what is called a .dbx file. Each folder in your Outlook Express contains a DBX file, for example, all of the messages in your primary inbox will have a DBX file and sent items.dbx will have all the messages in your sent items folder.

Depending on how many emails that you want to save and archive you may want to think about compressing those messages making them smaller in overall size, thus using less space when you’re ready to transfer them to your removal media. However, this process is optional, CD are relatively inexpensive and unless you have been saving email since Windows 3.1 there is a good chance you will be able to transfer all of your archived messages on to one 700mb CD.

Ok let’s get started! These instructions are for Outlook Express, if you are using another email program your will have to consult that program manual.

1. Start Outlook Express.

2. In the top menu bar click on Tools.

3. When the window drops down click on Options.

4. Once you click on options there will be another window that will open in that window click on the Maintenance Tab.

5. Almost all the down at the bottom of the page right above troubleshooting you will see “click Store Folder to change the location of your message store” now click on the Store Folder button. Once you have click on Store Folder the Store Location window will appear.

6. High light the path name in the Store location dialoged box by cling and dragging over the path name text, the press CTRL C to copy that text to your clip board.

7. Close Outlook Express.

8. Right click on the start button on the bottom left hand of your computer, and then click on Explore. Highlight the current text that is in the address field and press CTRL-V to paste the path that you copied from Outlook Express, and then press Enter.

9. Click on the very fist file and then press CRTL-A to select the all the files at once. Now you drag all the files into your software burning program or you can right click and then click Send To and then click the drive that contains your removable media. The Send to option can be a little confusing at times and you may just want to use the software that come with CD Recorder as it actually may be a bit simpler to burn those files on to your CD.

Anthony Elias
http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/what-to-do-with-all-those-emails-in-outlook-express-139285.html

Want to Know How To Burn Wii Games? Here’s How!

Do you have a Nintendo Wii? This amazingly popular system has a unique gameplay style and many fun games to offer. That’s why we’re not surprised that so many people are interested in copying their Wii games as backups in case the originals are damaged.

These games may come on disks that look a lot like a standard burnable CD or DVD, but they can’t be copied in exactly the same way. The process to do this is a little more complex. here’s a guide that’ll tell you all about the basics of game copying, as well as when you should do it.

Regular disk burning software won’t be able to copy Wii games the same way as it can an audio CD. Nero, Roxio, and other similar top of the line programs aren’t able to make copies of these disks because of the encoded copy protection that keeps your computer from reading them.

Like most types of copy protection, of course, someone quickly came up with a way to copy these disks without problems. The best way to do this is using programs capable of breaking through the Wii game’s copy protection.

After installing software of this type, it’s really quite easy to copy the game itself. Suddenly, your computer can understand data that it couldn’t read before. This is true whether the game is on the Wii or another system.

Even some of the copy protection encryption used by PC games can be broken by programs of this kind. If you own more than one system, you can use this software to make backup copies of all your games, not just the ones for the Wii.

Once you’ve found the right program to help you break this encryption, and you’ve managed to install it on your computer, the next thing to do is copy the game data as a disk image. After you’ve placed this image on your computer’s hard drive, you’ll be able to insert a blank disk and burn the image onto it without any problems.

Functions for burning and copying your disks may be included with your decryption program, allowing you to avoid ordinary burners entirely if you choose. Using these functions means you’ll have a much lower chance of errors when copying the disk.

Copying programs are now available which allow you to copy your games without needing to do more than go through a few menus and click a few buttons. Wii game copying is an excellent way to back up any game at all. After all, a backup is a great way to make sure the original stays in good shape.

Sam Lockwood
http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/hey-wii-fans-heres-how-you-can-copy-wii-games-718987.html

For those of us who have lost precious home movies on removable media that becomes damaged or inoperable, who have misplaced those same disks or flash media never to be found again, or who have missed capturing an important moment because we forgot to bring additional storage media, it is time to rejoice.

The age of the hard disk drive camcorder has dawned. Finally.

The first offerings were introduced nearly a year and a half ago. JVC and Sony have led the way with camcorder models which offer 30GB hard drives. Although even greater feats are surely in the future for the newest members of the camcorder family, these forerunners certainly offer some impressive advantages for home movie makers.

• Large storage capacity.

Depending upon the recording mode, a 30 GB HDD camcorder can capture and store up to 7-21 hours of film without stopping to insert alternate media or to download to computer.

• Cost efficient.

Current HDD camcorder models start around $500 and therefore, are at the mid to high end of the market. However, savings are to be had as the purchase of mini DV tapes, media cards, compact flash, and the like are no longer necessary.

• A fix for the forgetful.

For those who forget to tote along separate storage media an HDD camcorder can be a life saver. In addition, for those who have inadvertently filmed over existing movies, the HDD camcorder will eliminate these heartbreaking moments as they automatically begin recording where the film left off.

• Functions that make working with movies easier.

Current HDD camcorder models have received acclaim for allowing users to easily sort through footage without the need to rewind or fast forward. Images appear on a thumbnail grid and can be sorted, deleted, rearranged, and dubbed directly on the camcorder.

Obviously, even a great hard drive does not have infinite storage and certainly damage to it can occur, so back up will continue to be necessary. Current JVC models tout a shock absorbing suspension system to protect the hard drive and even a sensor that can shut power off when the camcorder is in the process of being dropped but in the case of prized footage, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Downloading to a PC which allows further editing and storage or burning to DVD is advisable. Hitachi is said to be developing a model that will allow users to burn directly to DVD from the camcorder; no PC required.

It appears that everyone should stay tuned as bigger and better things are surely in store for HDD camcorders. However, for consumers currently shopping for their next device, a hard disk drive model is certainly worthy of consideration today; not only for HDDs future as the leader in the camcorder industry but also for the features they currently possess that make home movie making a joy.

Christine Peppler
http://www.articlesbase.com/electronics-articles/hdd-the-evolution-of-camcorders-continues-87365.html

Nokia is rightly acknowleged all across the world as the largest mobile manufacturer with global market share of 36%. But very few people know that Nokia is currently the world’s largest digital camera manufacturer, as the sales of its camera-equipped mobile phones have exceeded those of any conventional camera manufacturers! If you are surprised then don’t be! The explanation for this outrageous phenomenon lies in the quality of cameras integrated in Nokia mobile phones, especially when you have handsets like the Nokia n93 you don’t need a ‘conventional camera’!!

The Nokia n93 comes fully loaded with innumerable mind-boggling features but none superior to its 3.2 Megapixel camera. This 3.2 MP camera comes equipped with a superb Carl Zeiss lens and is one of the rare handsets in the market that offer the option of optical zoom. Yes you heard it right, with the N93 you get an option of enlarging the image with a 3x ‘Optical Zoom’ to go along with the 20x digital zoom. This certainly empowers the user as the image captured using these magnificent gizmos allow them to capture the real essence of that occasion the user want to capture through the magic eye of this incredible device!

Continuing with its imaging capability, with the N93 you can record video of DVD quality at up to 30 frames per second and the integrated Adobe Premiere Elements aids in burning videos to DVD as well making it a capable CamCorder as well! But let’s not get too carried away as this handset is replete with other virtues which are worth mentioning. It is a smart phone that is based on Symbian Series 60 OS and hence is very useful for business purposes like sending and receiving your e-mails through the email client. The WAP browser ensures that the web is just a click of a button away, while presence of 3G ensures that data downloads happen at a rapid rate of 384kbps.

After all these mind blowing features one can be forgiven for thinking that the calling facility is incidental in this Nokia device, but you stand corrected as this device is not only primarily a communicating device, it changes the whole paradigm of mobile communication. 3G technology makes video calling possible and allows you to have that candid conversation by looking into the eyes of that special someone.

The high entertainment quotient of this handset is maintained by the presence of the amazing media and music player and the huge expandable memory of upto 2GB makes sure that all the songs that you ever hummed fondly are on your fingertips, quite literally! But with great features come great liabilities, so after integrating all these 21st century gizmos the N93 ends up on being the heavier side in all possible manners. It weighs 180 grams and costs a lot more than this! So the only plausible way for owning a N93 is by going for a Contract mobile phone. But if you have the means, then the power is yours!

Adam Jaylin
http://www.articlesbase.com/cell-phones-articles/nokia-n93-redefining-technology-95596.html

There are many iPod downloads sites out there in the market but you may be wondering which are the ones that score well in terms of usability, pricing, etc. I have reviewed 3 top iPod downloads sites based on the criterion set in my earlier article on “iPod Movie Downloads – 11 Tips On Finding The Best Download Site”. I have promised to reveal those sites to you and they are covered in this article. Only the best download sites can make it here. I have made it necessary to check out the testimonials of users of each site and have ranked them accordingly.

Here’s the summarized details and benefits of each site:

MyiPodownload - No. 1 Choice iPod Downloads Site of Most iPod Users

Most sites charge additional fee for DVD iPod downloads and extra cost for software, but not this one. They offer lifetime membership fee at $39.95 only. There is also the option of subscribing to 1 year or 2 years of their service. With over 96 million media files, MP3, MP4 and other free software provided, the price is very reasonable. The movie downloads are all full length DVD quality movies. iPod Music and other media files are of digital quality as well. They even provide a wide arsenal of iPod games, wallpaper etc.

Their 24/7 technical support is superb, as response is fast and they are able to troubleshoot your problems quickly. Some download sites claim to provide round-the-clock service but in actual fact, it is just part of advertising gimmicks and when you really need them, the help is not that forthcoming.

MyiPodownload also gives a bundle pack of downloading and DVD/CD burning software, spyware and adware removal applications. The software supports Windows/Mac/Linux. If you are not satisfied, there is a 60 day unconditional satisfaction money-back guarantee that you can fall back on.

FeedMyiPod - No. 2 iPod Downloads Site

This iPod downloads membership site comes in close as second. Lifetime membership is $38.95 and they also offer 1 or 2 year subscription. But it is only cheaper by a few dollars. The membership comes with a 58 day satisfaction money-back guarantee.

They have a huge iPod media library of more than 95 million media files to download to your iPod. As for free software, members are given free DVD to iPod Converting software.

Every other aspect of the site is comparable to MyiPodownload except for its interface which is not as user-friendly and the download speeds are not as fast.

iPod-Downloading.com - No. 3 iPod Downloads Site

iPod-Downloading.com trails behind the two in my opinion. The lifetime membership costs $34.95. Like the other two, there are options for 1/2 year subscriptions. There is also a 60 day money-back guarantee.

Other than some similarities, this site is unique in terms of its selection of audio/video books on Arts & Photography to Mystery & Thriller, Travel, Novels etc. There is a wide database of iPod media downloads - almost 90 million files. They are reputed to carry the latest collection of iPod Games.

Other membership benefits include softwares for antivirus protection, anti-spyware and adware, registry repair and CD/DVD burning.

These are in my humble opinion the best iPod downloads site you can find online. Read my blog and find out where you can download the latest iPod movies, music, and TV shows.

The content of this article is provided for the purpose of education and illustration only and is in no way associated with Apple, iTune, or any company or subsidiary of Apple. This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, blog or website. The author’s name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.

Davion W
http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/ipod-downloads-review-of-the-top-sites-for-ipod-downloads-82148.html

Training your muscles is a crucial part of fitness and exercise. If you are want to lose some pounds then it is essential that you incorporate some muscle building activities into your training. Losing weight is all about burning calories. It means burning fat and one way to do that is to build your muscles. Many people think this is a contradiction. It is not. The more muscle you develop the more energy your body will burn. This in turn results in weight loss success. This means you can achieve two things at once: Losing where you don’t want it and building up the parts of your body you want to.

Muscle training does not have to be a daily grind of lifting weights in the gym. There are many classes or exercise programs you can follow that will help with building your muscles. Most gyms have classes like total body fitness or group power lifting.

Normally classes like this use several types of training equipment - including barbells, hand weights and others. A typical class lasts for a hour and works every muscle group in the body from the triceps to the chest down to the legs.

It seems that women in particular enjoy these types of strength training classes more than men. That is a shame since the exercise benefits of a regimented one-hour full body workout are considerable. Men typically enjoy working out the muscle groups by adding bulk. However, they do not consider adding muscle endurance. Strength training classes help to shape and tone your muscles into lean mass without the bulk. In addition, since the instructor pushes you along during the class at a very rapid pace, there is a bit of cardiovascular benefit as well. One final note about going to an instructor lead strength training class: they can ensure that you are doing the exercises with the correct form to help you avoid injury.

What if you don’t like fitness classes? You don’t have to get yourself large racks of weights to get the desired results. Hand weights will be ok and there are many strength exercises that require no equipment like the simple pushup. It is a great idea to get a DVD or to help you with your exercise. A good finess program to follow will help keep you on track, motivated and more likely to do the exercises correctly without injuring yourself.

Many people go to the gym to lift weights. This is another way to develop strength in your muscles. Typical regimens include alternating days of upper body work with lower body work. For instance, on Monday and Thursday you might work your upper body, while on Tuesday and Friday you might work your lower body. This gives the muscles time to repair and grow between workouts. Most weight lifting programs involve lifting in sets. For instance you might do three sets of ten repetitions of bench press exercises. It all depends on your personal goals how many sets and repetitions of each that you attempt to do.

Brad Martinson
http://www.articlesbase.com/muscle-building-articles/should-you-train-your-muscles-to-lose-weight-379024.html

Choosing just the right laptop from among the huge variety available is easier than you think. You simply have to know what you want to use it for. Laptops comes in so many brands, shapes and sizes that trying to find the machine just right for you can be quite an undertaking, especially with the price tags they come with.

Desktops, Laptops, PDA’S, Wi-Fi, Digital Cameras, and More…. leckywirelesssolutions.blogspot.com

The first step to cut through the confusion is to establish what your priorities are. What matters more to you, power or portability? To answer that question, think about how you intend to use your new laptop. Will it serve as your primary computer, handling everything from storing photo files and burning CDs to housing that novel you’ve been working on? In that case, you want power. Which may mean a little more heft. Or do you seek a secondary computer for running spreadsheets on the go? Then featherweight portability wins out over bells and whistles.

Once you’ve determined where you fall on the needs curve, between portability and power, the next step is selecting the machine that best accommodates you. I checked the shops for the latest laptops to find the best bets for every kind of user.

Desktop Replacement

If you want your primary computer to be a laptop, and you want one that behaves like a high-performance desktop, then you can’t beat the ultra-powerful l.7GHz Toshiba Satellite 5105-S607. This machine comes with an internal DVD/CD-RW combo drive, so you can watch movies on its 15-inch screen, listen to music through its speakers and even burn your own CDs. If you have a digital camera or MP3 player, you’ll love the Satellite’s postage-stamp-size Secure Digital and slightly larger Smart Media slots, which house memory cards to store photos or music files, and eliminate the need for connecting wires from your device to the computer. Plus, common functions such as a calculator and commands for opening and closing programs are conveniently built into the unit’s touch pad, meaning that you don’t have to stop the movie you’re watching on the screen to balance your checkbook. With all that power and functionality, the 7-pound Satellite lasts about an hour and a half unplugged.

Portable Power

Plan to take your laptop on the occasional trip, but still intend it to be your primary computer? Then you’ll want more battery life and portability than the Toshiba offers, and without sacrificing much power. For users who want the best of both worlds, we recommend the 5.4-pound Apple Power Book G4- The PowerBook is right on par with its Windows-based competition when it comes to power and perks, such as its combo DVD/CD-RW drive. However, it blows everybody else away on battery life. In our tesfs, it held strong for nearly six hours. And its titanium exterior is easy on the eyes, as is, its huge 15.2-inch screen. For Windows loyalists, the Fujitsu Life Book S Series is the way to go in this category. The reasonably priced Fujitsu is packed with plenty of great features, including a combo drive . But you won’t pay for power in extra weight or inches: The 4.4-pound Fujitsu boasts a crisp picture on its respectable 13.3-inch screen, and it gives you three hours of battery life.

Light Traveler

For road warriors who need a second computer they can haul anywhere, i recommend Dell’s Latitude X200. The 8-pounds Latitude has an excellent 12.1-inch screen and an 800MHz processor. But what distinguishes the Latitude is its optional docking station, which comes at an extra cost. This detachable unit couches the bottom of the laptop and houses both DVD/CD-RW and 3.5-inch floppy drives, thus surpassing the limitations of most ultra light units.

For those who dare to go even smaller, the 2.5-pound Compaq Evo N200, literally the size of a notebook, is the lightest laptop we tested. Understand that a computer this diminutive will take some getting used to. The keyboard is 10 per cent smaller than the standard size. But if you’re willing to make the adjustment for the sheer portability of a machine this tiny, then you’ll be happy with the sharp picture on the N2000’s 10.4-inch screen, as well as its nicely designed keyboard, which makes typing easier than on a number of other ultra smalls we tested. Another plus: The N2000’s attachable extra battery adds four hours to its basic 60- to 90- minute battery life.

Desktops, Laptops, PDA’S, Wi-Fi, Digital Cameras, and More….

leckywirelesssolutions.blogspot.com

Ultimately, the choice of laptop you purchase is yours and the use you intend to put the laptop to also plays a crucial role in what design you go for. Nevertheless, i suggest that you do not purchase a laptop just for the sake of getting one. It is more sensible to consider its usefulness.

sebastian foss
http://www.articlesbase.com/hardware-articles/choosing-the-right-laptop-in-2007-99753.html