http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/09/12/itv/index.php

About time Apple! I guess this is basically a "Windows Media Extender" - for the Mac. I wonder if there'll be a way for manufacturers of non i-Tunes media playback software to "publish" content for the iTV device. I highly doubt it, but perhaps worth asking. Also, $299 for a media extender? I know Apple can usually get away with charging a premium for things that sport their shiny logo, but this seems a bit steep. I can do the same thing (and more) with my TiVo box and TiVo-To-Go for less dough. Still, I'm gonna get one and try to expense it :)

http://help.cnet.com/9602-12576_39-0.html?messageID=2505053&tag=tip-2505053

This shows you a really cool trick for auto-renaming your files in Windows. Extremely handy for getting rid of all those picture files called "DSC20093890.jpg" etc. I just tried it out and it fixed up all my pictures in just a few minutes (and I have thousands of photos, all separated into sub-folders).

In addition, instead of "right-clicking and selecting Rename" you can simply press F2 (the standard Windows shortcut for "rename"). Neat eh?

I am finally free from tape. After dropping my standard mini-DV camera (or maybe my 3-year old did that, yeah that's it) and coming to grips with the fact that repairs are half the price of a new unit, I decided to feed my gear addiction and go to the next generation. Hard-Disc based (HDD). Sounds scary, but your iPod has a hard disc in it, right...?

I selected the Sony DCR-SR100 as I wanted to get as close to DV quality as possible. Having had it a week I can really say that it changes the way you use camcorders. Now, instead of putting the DV tape on a shelf and forgetting about it, I just download the clips and enjoy them right away. I suppose this is no different than capturing clips on a digital camera, but the long format of HDD has several advantages:
- Camcorders generally have better low light support, lenses, and focus for motion capture. The quality should be much better than a digital camera.
- With 4+ hours recording time you can go for an entire vacation without having to offload everything to clear more space (though not for the feint of heart - these cameras are not waterproof)
- You still have the ability to record long-format (events, etc)
- Keeping material on the camera even after copying it to your computer leaves provides you with an automatic backup
- Sound! The Sony comes with 5.1 Dolby recording for a rich playback experience.
- 16:9. Maybe a few newer high end digital cameras have the wide-screen mode for video, but not many. Let's face it, the TV in your future is widescreen. Your home video should be as well.
- There is even a Sony that records HD Video to HDD coming out in October, the HDR-SR1.

Let's hope that by next year these devices have WiFi for a complete experience.

Sean