The end of 960x540 resolution...

Really excited about tomorrows ScreenCastsOnline show which is all about the amazing Scrivener.

It's an application I've long admired and have used since the original version. I spent a lot of time thinking about how to approach covering the application as it's fairly unique, and to be honest, I really wanted to do it justice.

I finished off the editing yesterday but following a final run through today, I made some slight changes and added some new bits. A final run through and I was happy with the content.

On to the editing and I setup the usual compressor job to spit out the normal files for distribution:

1280x720, 1280x720-OS, 950x540 and 640x360

Why so many versions?

1280x720 - This is the native resolution of the original version of the show and looks superb! Looks fantastic, even when playing full screen.

1280x720-OS - This version is specifically for people watching via Apple TV or Mac on a large screen TV with overscan. If you can't control the overscan on the TV, the menubar will appear off screen, not too good for a screencast. Due to the nature of the encoding, some quality is lost but it's passable.

960x540 - Historically, this was created for those people whose Macs couldn't play the 1280x720 version due to older hardware.

640x360 - Intended for iPods and iPhones up to the 3GS. This is the maximum resolution of these devices. The problem is that it's so small, it's quite difficult to watch a full screencast although some people like to have it on their iPod or iPhone. Quality is not too bad.

So what's the problem?

I was taking a look at the 960x540 version today, whilst checking the Scrivener episode and it looked awful. There's just no comparison with the 1280x720 version. After spending so much time preparing, recording and editing the show, I'd hate to release it looking as it does.

So I'm not going to.

Apple's most recent devices are all capable of playing 1280x720 video files (notably the iPad and the iPhone 4) so as of this week, I'll just be releasing the show in three formats suitable for the following Apple devices:

1280x720 - Macs, iPads, Apple TVs and iPhone 4's

1280x720-OS - Apple TVs (with Overscan)

640x360 - iPods and iPhones up to 3GS

This should make the distribution process easier and make it less confusing for new members. I would imagine the vast majority of viewers now have hardware that would play the 1280x720 version with no problem. The fall back position is that everyone can play the 640x360 version on any device.

If it does cause anyone any issues please let me know!

MacBook Air 11" Un-Boxing Video

Picked up the 11" MacBook Air over the weekend. Here's a brief un-boxing video:

I'll be doing a few more to compare the 11" to my current MacBook Pro as well as to compare it to the 13" fully maxed out MacBook Air when that arrives.

Watch this space!

iPhoto '11 Show - Burning a Slideshow to DVD

I published the first in a couple of shows about iLife '11 today, the first being all about iPhoto '11.

SCO0234 - iPhoto '11 Update - Show Link

It is a ScreenCastsOnline members show, so you need to be a member to see the full show. Details about becoming a member are here.

However, I've just had an email from a viewer with a fairly common request, and one I might have included in the show, so I'm going to repeat it here.

The question was:

How do I burn an iPhoto slideshow to DVD without using an iDVD theme?

There are two options in iPhoto '11 that allow you to burn photos to DVD but neither will allow you to play a slideshow automatically in a DVD player with the some times intrusive iDVD themes. The two options are:

• A direct export to iDVD, but it will force you into using one of the iDVD themes, when most people just want the slideshow to play when your insert the disc.

• There's also an option to just "Burn" the photo's but this creates an iPhoto library on the DVD, and is only readable by another copy of iPhoto '11

So this is how to create an auto running DVD with no iDVD theme that will just play when you insert it into a DVD player.

• Create a Slideshow using the option under the Create Button just like I demonstrated in the show.

• If you don't want to use any of the fancy iPhoto themes, just use the Classic theme for a plain presentation. You can change the order of the slides, add music, add movies, etc, all the features contained in iPhoto '11.

• Under Slideshow Settings select the iPod/TV (4:3) or HDTV (16:9) Aspect Ratio.

• Export the slideshow as a QuickTime movie file, again, just like I demonstrated in the show. I'd suggest going for the large size. Bare in mind that the final DVD will not display high resolution versions of the photos as the standard DVD resolution is only 720 x 480 (NTSC) or 720 x 576 (PAL), so your high res photos may not look as good as the originals!

• Once you've exported the movie, give it a quick check to make sure it plays exactly as you want using Quicktime player. If not, go back into iPhoto '11 and make any tweaks you want, then export it again overwriting the original movie

• Fire up iDVD

• Don't make any selections from the opening Dialog Box but go to File -> One Step DVD from Movie

• Navigate to your Quicktime Movie file (the default location is Pictures/iPhoto Slideshows) and select it

• Insert a blank recordable DVD in the drive and Click OK.

• iDVD will re-encode the QuickTime movie and burn it to the DVD.

• Once completed, you can insert the DVD in any DVD player and the slideshow will play, exactly as your original slideshow did in iPhoto, but with no iDVD themes.

Thoughts on the new MacBook Air

Let's get this over with and I'll say it straight out...

I've just ordered a new MacBook Air.

Now I know that my initial reaction to the MBA was that it was a great machine and I'd tweeted I'd pass for now, but I've had a change of heart.

This post isn't really meant to justify my actions (honest, it isn't!) but I thought it might be useful to explain how I reached my decision.

I popped into an Apple store on Friday and saw the machine in the flesh. I'd previously owned one of the original MacBook Airs, so the form factor was no real surprise, even though the new machine is even thinner.

The 11" machine is cute but a bit too ultra portable for my needs, but the 13" seems to be perfect. I really enjoyed my original MacBook Air but had eventually become frustrated with some of the limitations of the original machine and upgraded to a 15" MacBook Pro (15" 2.66GHz) about 18 months ago.

I still wasn't convinced that the new MacBook Air was a good fit for me however, especially with the iPad fulfilling most of my mobile computing needs...

But by now, there were plenty of reviews of the MacBook Air on the web and three things really impressed me:

1 - The screen resolution of the 13" MacBook Air is the same as my existing 15" MacBook Pro. Seriously! One of the major reasons for swapping away from the original MBA to the MBP was the need for some additional screen real estate.

2 - The speed! The MacBook Air has a Core 2 Duo processor but only running at 1.4GHz for the 11" or 1.86Ghz for the 13" (with an optional 2.13GHz available as a BTO option).

A far cry from my 2.66 Core 2 Duo processor in my 18 month old MacBook Pro.

However, the Air doesn't have a standard hard drive but uses Solid State memory, attached directly to the motherboard. From all accounts, this boosts performance significantly. In general day to day usage, it would appear that the MBA is faster that current MacBook Pros with the i5 and i7 chips. Not in heavy number crunching of course but in speed of response, opening apps, browsing etc,.

I did upgrade my current MacBook Pro to a 256GB SSD so I have some experience of the difference in using a solid state drive. I have to say though that allow the 3rd party SSD exhibited stunning performance initially, it does exhibit some performance degradation over time, something the Apple supplied Flash storage should not.

3 - The graphics chip has been improved and on spec is now faster than my existing MacBook Pro.

Now as you know, I'm a video editor by trade and as such, my recent thought process had been to upgrade to a 17" MacBook Pro for off site video editing and use my iPad for all my mobile needs. I held off and held off upgrading to the 17" MacBook Pro for reasons I couldn't quite put my finger on. On reflection, it was most likely the price (which is significant for the 17" MacBook Pro), and the realisation that I don't actually do much editing when I'm away from my home studio. If I needed a portable machine to be my primary machine, then the 17" MacBook Pro would probably be the one. As it is, I can't really justify the expense, for the limited time I need to be able to edit on the move.

The MacBook Air will probably suffice for editing the occasional YouTube clip and I may experiment more with using the Elgato Turbo H.264  HD USB stick for encoding with the MacBook Air, as hey, there's now two USB ports.

So the final spec I decided on was:

• 13" MacBook Air
• 2.13Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
• 4 GB RAM
• 256GB Flash Storage

The only thing that the MacBook Air is lacking is the backlit keyboard, something I really like on the MacBook Pro.

One other thing I need to point out is that I also had an Apple Developer Discount available from my Apple Developer Select membership. This got me around 10% discount off the price of the notebook plus I can claim back the VAT as it's a business machine, making the additional options more affordable. If I didn't use the discount by November, I'd have lost the discount and I'm not in the market for another Mac Pro!

So, the new MacBook Air is ordered and should be here in a week or so expect to see a review and some YouTube footage once it arrives.

Just one thing if your a ScreenCastsOnline Extra! member (or thinking of becoming one)...

It's been a while since I did a members prize draw so I've decided to acquire an 11" MacBook Air and give it away as during a members prize draw at the end of November.

If you're and existing member (as long as you're not on a complimentary membership) there's no action to take, just make sure your membership is current on the 30th November and you'll be enetered into the draw automatically. Any new members who sign up between now and the end of November will also be entered automatically. If you want to sign up as a member, you can do that here!

Caveat Emptor - AppleCare via eBay

I've previously bought Applecare for various Macs at hugely discounted prices via eBay, from a couple of reputable eBayers of good standing.

These have previously been accepted by Apple and the AppleCare agreements have gone through without a hitch.

So, with my Mac mini approaching the end of it's 12 month warranty period, I had a quick look on eBay for any bargain AppleCare agreements. I found one from an eBay merchant with a good record and they confirmed that the AppleCare was not just a number, but a legitimate boxed version, fully sealed.

I week or two later, the sealed AppleCare box arrived and I duly set about registering the AppleCare agreement.

To my surprise, I consequently received an email from Apple requesting a copy of the original valid sales receipt documenting the purchase of the AppleCare Protection Plan from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller.

It would appear that proof of purchase via eBay (or any other online auction or classified advertisement service) is not sufficient. I've sent off the request to the eBay merchant and if it's not forthcoming, I'll be requesting a refund,

So, does that spell the end of cheap AppleCare via eBay?

I hope not.

But in future, before you enter into any arrangement with eBay or similar, you might want to confirm in advance that a copy of the original valid sales receipt documenting the purchase of the AppleCare Protection Plan from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller is available, otherwise, forget it!

Update: I've been in touch with the eBay vendor and she bought a bulk load of AppleCare packages from another eBay merchant. Mine is the first to have required proof of purchase via Apple. She has agreed to refund the cost of the package on return.

Looks like I'll be sticking to Apple and Apple authorised resellers for my AppleCare in future.

Final Update - The eBay vendor has refunded my money and is confused as to why this has affected me and no-one else from the batch of AppleCare products she has resold.

Bottom line for me now is that I'll be buying my AppleCare from Apple or Amazon - pity!