dvd
Work
WinX DVD Author Available For Free For A Limited Time, Regularly $29
5:30AM Adam Pash | Windows only: WinX DVD Author is a shareware application that converts and burns most popular video formats directly to DVD, and it’s available for free during the month of October. More »
Money
2:00PM Angus Kidman | Pizza and movies: two perennial geek obsessions. So any deal that offers free movies with pizza has got to be worth thinking about. More »
Pizza Hut Offering Free DVD Rentals With Pizza
2:00PM Angus Kidman | Pizza and movies: two perennial geek obsessions. So any deal that offers free movies with pizza has got to be worth thinking about. More »
Fix
4:30PM Angus Kidman | When Apple rolled out iTunes 8.1 a fortnight ago, we noted right off the bat that some early adopters were experiencing issues with using the Genius feature. Now there seems to be a more worrying bug for Windows users. On some machines, iTunes 8.1 is no longer able to burn to otherwise functional drives, and in some cases can’t even read discs from that drive. A long support thread on Apple’s own site identifies one potential fix via a registry edit to disable device filters, although many of the users on the thread are reporting that it hasn’t helped either. But if iTunes has gone haywire on your drive, it’s probably worth following the suggested steps to see if that maes any difference. If you have any other wisdom to impart on this problem, share in the comments below. (Me, I’m unimpressed that merely checking the ‘About’ dialogue in 8.1 crashed my copy of iTunes, but then I’ve always thought it was way too buggy for something with that much market share.)
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Has iTunes 8.1 Wrecked Your Burner? Here’s A Possible Fix
4:30PM Angus Kidman | When Apple rolled out iTunes 8.1 a fortnight ago, we noted right off the bat that some early adopters were experiencing issues with using the Genius feature. Now there seems to be a more worrying bug for Windows users. On some machines, iTunes 8.1 is no longer able to burn to otherwise functional drives, and in some cases can’t even read discs from that drive. A long support thread on Apple’s own site identifies one potential fix via a registry edit to disable device filters, although many of the users on the thread are reporting that it hasn’t helped either. But if iTunes has gone haywire on your drive, it’s probably worth following the suggested steps to see if that maes any difference. If you have any other wisdom to impart on this problem, share in the comments below. (Me, I’m unimpressed that merely checking the ‘About’ dialogue in 8.1 crashed my copy of iTunes, but then I’ve always thought it was way too buggy for something with that much market share.)
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Quantum Of Solace Hits Blu-Ray And DVD
When the latest 007 incarnation, Quantum Of Solace, was released in theatres late last year, the film went largely unmentioned here on Lifehacker. Our gadget-mad contemporaries over at Giz, on the hand, were not so subdued, praising the film as “not only the perfect Bond movie, it’s the best Bond movie ever, period.” We here at LH still reserve judgement (Connery vs every other 007; can any other topic truly inspire such passionate, subjective debate? Religion? Science? I think not), but we’ll all get a chance to decide, when the box office hit explodes onto DVD and Blu Ray on March 18th. Starring Daniel Craig and Oscar winner Judi Dench, the Blu-Ray is packed full of special features, including behind-the-scenes featurettes, crew files, plus a music video for “Another Way to Die” featuring Jack White and Alicia Keys. So grab a copy when the film hits store shelves this Wednesday and judge it for yourself. More »
Fix
1:30PM Angus Kidman | Updating my home CD and DVD storage with some new kit has been at the foot of my to-do list for some time, but I never envisaged anything as ambitious as the rig-up which blogger Eric built. Using six Benno DVD towers ($69 each) five Grundtal lights ($29 each) and three carefully-chopped Anno Stra curtains ($19 each), he’s come up with an attractive and functional way of storing his DVDs for just over $400. Admittedly, part of me thinks “there’s lots of potential storage space in those curtained areas”, but for aesthetic value it’s pretty impressive.
Creating a DVD wall with lighting [IKEA Hacker]
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DIY Illuminated IKEA DVD Wall
1:30PM Angus Kidman | Updating my home CD and DVD storage with some new kit has been at the foot of my to-do list for some time, but I never envisaged anything as ambitious as the rig-up which blogger Eric built. Using six Benno DVD towers ($69 each) five Grundtal lights ($29 each) and three carefully-chopped Anno Stra curtains ($19 each), he’s come up with an attractive and functional way of storing his DVDs for just over $400. Admittedly, part of me thinks “there’s lots of potential storage space in those curtained areas”, but for aesthetic value it’s pretty impressive.
Creating a DVD wall with lighting [IKEA Hacker]
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Work
DVDSmith Movie Backup Copies Everything Or Just Video Easily
9:00PM Kevin Purdy | Windows only: DVDSmith Movie Backup is terrible for our headline style, since it does exactly what its name implies. It’s great, though, for anyone who simply wants to watch a DVD without the disc. There are just five buttons to click on DVDSmith’s single window, and most times you’ll only need one. You can choose between “Full Disc,” which gets you menus, extras, and the full DVD-watching experience, or click “Main Movie” to grab the longest video and audio tracks. What you end up with on a “Full Disc” backup is a familiar VIDEO_TS folder, wherever you told the app to put it, and a bunch of .vob files, which can be played in most advanced media players like VLC. “Main Movie” does much the same, but with fewer .vob files turned out. DVDSmith is proud to announce on their site that their tool breaks through all the the major copyright protection schemes. If you’re looking for a bit more control over your DVD backups, check out the free, cross-platform Handbrake, our own DVD Rip, or any of our Hive Five best DVD ripping tools. If you’re looking for a DVD backup tool an 8-year-old could grasp, though, DVDSmith Movie Backup is worth a click or two. DVDSmith Movie Backup [via Life Rocks 2.0] More »
Fix
Top 10 Cheap Or Free Home Theatre Upgrades
2:00AM Kevin Purdy | You’ve got a mind-blowing picture, surround sound, and streaming content set up, but it wasn’t cheap. Heal your wallet with ten upgrades, fixes, and setup tips that take your system to 11 on the cheap. Photo by chunkysalsa. More »
Work
Convert Your PowerPoint Presentation To DVD
10:15AM Adam Pash | Weblog FreewareGenius walks through three different methods for burning your PowerPoint presentation to a DVD using free software. The three methods discussed involve converting the presentation to an intermediate format like video, Flash, or JPEG, and then burning that more DVD-friendly file format to a DVD. If you’ve ever needed present somewhere where all you had was a DVD player and monitor, this post has you covered inside and out. Unfortunately there are no free one-step options, but the post is detailed and easy to follow along with. Photo by garethjmsaunders How to convert PowerPoint to DVD for free [FreewareGenius] . More »
Fix
Play Burned Game Backups On Your Wii Without A Modchip
5:30AM Adam Pash | Ever since video game consoles moved to optical discs, manufacturers and users have battled over backups. Manufacturers fear that if they allow users to burn disc backups, users will download and burn games they haven’t paid for. Users argue that the discs they paid for are so easily scratched and ruined that it’s absurd for the manufacturer to not allow it. Despite manufacturers’ best efforts, every console is eventually hacked to play backups, often using a hardware modchip. Well, if you’ve got a Wii, a friendly Instructables user details how to play game backups on any Wii without using a modchip. All you’ve got to do is hack your Wii for homebrew apps and then follow the instructions in the post. Run Backups on any Wii Without a Modchip [Instructables] More »
Work
7:28PM Angus Kidman | The disappearance of HD DVD from the market was expected to give a boost to Blu-ray, but so far it seems we’re are quite happy to stick with DVD and skip any hi-def alternative. Michael Bodey at The Australian reports that on the most recent sales figures, Blu-ray accounts for just 1.35% of the total Australian DVD movie market — despite the healthy sales of the PS3 (which sports built-in Blu-ray support), falling prices on other Blu-ray players, and gangbuster sales for high-def TVs. Why do you think Blu-ray hasn’t taken off? Is the extra resolution not worth it? Are the blanks too expensive? Are you sick of constantly buying movies in new formats? Is it easier just to head to the iTunes store and grab a flick? Share your thoughts in comments.
High-def TVs muscle out their digital rivals [The Australian] More »
Why aren’t we excited by Blu-ray?
7:28PM Angus Kidman | The disappearance of HD DVD from the market was expected to give a boost to Blu-ray, but so far it seems we’re are quite happy to stick with DVD and skip any hi-def alternative. Michael Bodey at The Australian reports that on the most recent sales figures, Blu-ray accounts for just 1.35% of the total Australian DVD movie market — despite the healthy sales of the PS3 (which sports built-in Blu-ray support), falling prices on other Blu-ray players, and gangbuster sales for high-def TVs. Why do you think Blu-ray hasn’t taken off? Is the extra resolution not worth it? Are the blanks too expensive? Are you sick of constantly buying movies in new formats? Is it easier just to head to the iTunes store and grab a flick? Share your thoughts in comments.
High-def TVs muscle out their digital rivals [The Australian] More » 
