bweaver.net » Video http://bweaver.net web design, technology, photography, and other mayhem Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:06:38 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= An American Carol Trailer http://bweaver.net/an-american-carol-trailer http://bweaver.net/an-american-carol-trailer#comments Thu, 02 Oct 2008 02:05:08 +0000 bill weaver http://bweaver.net/?p=88 Finally A Pro-American Movie From Hollywood

Leave it to David Zucker, of Airplane! fame, to produce a movie that takes on the liberal insanity that’s been on parade for way too long. An American Carol looks great, is long past-due, and is in theaters starting October 3, 2008.

Starring Kevin Farley, Dennis Hopper, Kelsey Grammer, Leslie Nielsen, Trace Adkins, James Woods, Robert Davi, Geoffrey Arend, and Jon Voight.

Also, check out American Carolers website for more.

]]> http://bweaver.net/an-american-carol-trailer/feed 1 How to Convert Video Formats http://bweaver.net/how-to-convert-video-formats http://bweaver.net/how-to-convert-video-formats#comments Sat, 12 Jan 2008 20:51:08 +0000 bill weaver http://bweaver.net/how-to-convert-video-formats How do you convert an FLV file to another video format, say, to use on a Zune or iPod? The best option I've found is to use SUPER© (Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer), which provides a GUI wrapper for ffmpeg, mencoder, mplayer, and ffmpeg2theora. More info and a faster download link is at VideoHelp.]]> How do you convert an FLV file to another video format, say, to use on a Zune or iPod?

The best option I’ve found is to use SUPER© (Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer), which provides a GUI wrapper for ffmpeg, mencoder, mplayer, and ffmpeg2theora. More info and a faster download link is at VideoHelp.

After trying several converters that either watermarked the results, failed to convert, or simply built incompatible files, I stumbled across a reference to SUPER at VideoHelp.

Right away I was able to convert an FLV (Flash Video) file to MPEG4 H.264 format. It was huge, as the defaults are set to very high quality. Since the input was a low-quality FLV file, dialing the quality back quite a bit (see the two circled settings below) and keep the file size under control. With some additional tweaking I’m sure the video can be shrunk even more.

The SUPER© software is a little odd but it seems to work very well. Just drag a file from Windows Explorer over to the job list in the lower part of the SUPER window. Also, options are available by right-clicking anywhere on SUPER.

Anyhow, then I had an MP4 file ready to transfer to my new Zune.

At that point, I had to struggle a bit with the Zune software. Tip: do not manage your files inside the Zune software. Point it to your media directories and delete or rename them, etc. from Windows Explorer.

Also, it helps to send the SUPER output files somewhere Zune isn’t looking, then rename and change the meta-information (like Title and so forth) before moving the video to your media directories.

]]> http://bweaver.net/how-to-convert-video-formats/feed 0 Steve Martin – The Crow http://bweaver.net/steve-martin-the-crow http://bweaver.net/steve-martin-the-crow#comments Mon, 19 Nov 2007 01:17:27 +0000 bill weaver http://bweaver.net/steve-martin-the-crow Steve Martin taught himself to play the banjo when he was in high school, and often incorporated it into his — now long-abandoned — stand-up comedy act. Though he walked away from stand-up in the early 1980s, he has continued playing the banjo. In 2002 he won the Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance along with Earl Skruggs and Company.

Below is a video of Steve playing The Crow with Tony Trischka and Béla Fleck on The Late Show with David Letterman. This sounds an awful lot like Nickel Creek, don’t you think?

You can download The Crow from Amazon.com’s mp3 download service for 89 cents.

]]> http://bweaver.net/steve-martin-the-crow/feed 1 Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Kamakawiwo’ole http://bweaver.net/somewhere-over-the-rainbow-by-kamakawiwoole http://bweaver.net/somewhere-over-the-rainbow-by-kamakawiwoole#comments Tue, 29 May 2007 09:31:39 +0000 bill weaver http://bweaver.net/somewhere-over-the-rainbow-by-kamakawiwoole There’s a variant of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, mixed into a medley with What A Wonderful World, that has been used in several movies, television shows, and commercials, and I thought it was pretty remarkable. Most notably I remember it during the credits of Finding Forrester.

However, I just heard it used as background for a Particles demo video and decided it was time to track it down, figure out who sang it that way. Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, or IZ, is the guy.

Israel Kamakawiwo’ole

Kamakawiwo’ole was a Hawaiian musician who, sadly, died in 1997 at the young age of 38. Kamakawiwo’ole was popular and admired, he was one of two people ever to receive a state funeral in Hawaii.

It is amazing that a song as well-covered as Somewhere Over The Rainbow, originally sung by Judy Garland in the Wizard of Oz, could take on such a different, haunting, feel as it has with Kamakawiwo’ole’s voice. It’s been sung by Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Stewart, Diana Ross, The Smashing Pumpkins, Bob Marley, Frank Sinatra, Metallica, and many others, but this one cover by someone I’ve never heard is what sticks with me, and apparently with others as well.

Videos

There are several videos of Israel kamakawiwo’ole singing the Somewhere Over The Rainbow / What A Wonderful World medly. Here are a couple.

The first has better sound, and is longer, but the video is essentially a slide show.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

The second has a more muted sound, and is shorter, but has actual video footage.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow – What A Wonderful World

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