Keith Combs' Blahg

Expression Encoder Screen Capture 3 – HD screencast demonstration

Keith Combs — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 05:15:00 GMT

You’ve seen me do literally hundreds of Camtasia captured screencast demos. One of the screencasts I did on Windows Server 2008 was captured using the Windows Media Encoder x64 product. That product has now been depricated and the screencast below was captured with a new product called Expression Encoder Screen Capture 3. This product ships with and is designed to run with Expression Encoder 3.

This new screen capturing tool does a great job of capturing high quality work you might like to demonstrate via a blog or webpage. The screencast below was captured where the source machine was running a display resolution of 1920x1200. In the demo I also execute and run a Halo 3 720p HD video. That Halo 3 video is 30fps and the data rate for the video is right at 6MB. Try duplicating this capture with other products on the market or the internet. Let me know how successful you were. Grin.

The following demo requires the released version of Silverlight 3. Install from http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/get-started/install/default.aspx. I haven’t quite figured out the code to force that check in the blog post. So for now, there’s a little manual human intervention required. You can handle it. Smiles.

The Demo

Download Location

If you want to download the Windows Media Video file that was produced by Expression Encoder 3, right mouse click the following link and SAVE TARGET AS to a location local to your machine.

http://msinetpub.vo.llnwd.net/d1/keithcombs/screencasts/ee3/CaptureDemo/EncoderCapture.wmv

Some Notes on the Source and Output

The captured file size ended up being slightly less than 800MB. After selecting the Expression Encoder 3 VC-1 Screen profile and making some slight adjustments, I encoded to the Silverlight VC-1 format with a resulting file size of 40.5MB. That’s some serious crunching and compression folks.

The most impressive aspect is the quality of output. To truly appreciate this, run this screencast on a 24” monitor that has a native res of 1920x1200 and go full screen with the Silverlight 3 player control. The full screen button shows up if you move your mouse into the lower portion of the player and the controls pop up. The button I am referring to is bottom right. When full screen on a 24” monitor, the clarity should be nearly perfect with very little blurriness, artifacting, or other noise.

If you are using a smaller LCD panel like I am at the moment (15.4” laptop LCD at 1680x1050), you will see some blurriness but it should not be too bad. I haven’t yet decided what ot use in the future for my recordings so feedback now would be VERY welcome.

Since the data rate for this screencast is 4MB, those of you with slower internet connection may see some issues with playback buffering before the file is progressively downloaded. I am not using the adaptive bitrate streaming for this example.

Software locations

Be sure to install the released version of Silverlight 3 at http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/get-started/install/default.aspx. After that, be sure to download the trial versions of the Expression Suite 3 products at http://www.microsoft.com/expression/try-it/#PageTop when they come out (soon). Expression Blend 3 with Sketchflow is available now.

Other References

James Clarke has a killer blog post at http://blogs.msdn.com/expressionencoder/ on all of the new features in Expression Encoder 3.
The Forum – see http://social.expression.microsoft.com/forums/en-us/encoder/threads/. Interesting orange color there.
Marketing - http://www.microsoft.com/expression/Default.aspx. Lots of information on all of the new products. I am looking forward to move off Dreamweaver and switching to Expression Web 3. It’s also time for me to learn Blend 3.

Office 2010 – Technical Preview Waitlist Registration now open

Keith Combs — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 05:10:00 GMT

Waitlist Me for the Technical Preview!

“Taking the iPhone 3GS off the job market” by Engadget Editor-in-Chief

Keith Combs — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:40:18 GMT

Joshua Topolsky wrote and published “Editorial: Taking the iPhone 3GS off the job market” on the widely popular engadget.com website today. I think he’s a little upset. I never would have thought I’d see the day the engadget folks would publish an article like that since they are pretty pro Apple.

He actually said, “even Windows Mobile just makes more sense”. I know, I snipped the juicy sound bite from the article. No problem. Go read the entire article. He also said the Palm Pre, Android, Blackberry and others make more sense, too. WOW.

I’m guessing Apple probably called him this afternoon and wanted to know how they could help.

Seen the light?

Keith Combs — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:56:10 GMT

http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/seethelight/default.html

[UPDATE] Apparently they moved some stuff around after I posted some of the links. Thanks for the comments. Enjoy the new tools!!!

Deployment run amuck

Keith Combs — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:39:10 GMT

Someone deployed to many images to this node. Looks like it went into to a freaking loop. I’m sure SCCM didn’t do this. Either that or it’s a WDS server multicasting some streamed images.

Photo nightmare courtesy of http://twitter.com/BAoki.

Revisiting using a Zune with a MacBook Pro

Keith Combs — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 05:12:02 GMT

One of the first things I did when I got my Mac back in late 2007 was to see if the USB connection capabilities worked in Fusion. But that was about eighteen months ago and nearly the entire world has “rev’d” since then.

So let the updates begin… OS X is at v10.5.7. I updated VMWare Fusion to v2.0.5. I installed Service Pack 2 on the Windows Vista Enterprise x64 virtual machine. I then downloaded and installed the 64 bit version of the Zune 3.1 software.

I plugged in the trusty Zune 80 Original and sure enough, the device was detected properly and the driver installed. Time to cross your fingers and hope for the best. I launched the Zune software and synced the Zune 80. YAY !!!

Now you might be thinking so what? Well, there are a few people interested in the Zune Marketplace and a device coming out this fall.

One other thing. I haven’t tried this yet with Windows 7. I’ve been really busy the past 6 months and at this point I might as well wait for the released version.

For Sale – some gadgets and goodies

Keith Combs — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 04:23:34 GMT

I am going to start selling off some of the stuff taking up space in my drawers and home office. Some of this stuff is in mint condition so be sure and let me know if you have any questions. All of the photos are just stock photos from the internet. If you are concerned about wear and tear on any of the items, let me know and I’ll take a few pictures with my digital camera.

My wife has an ecommerce site for her costume business so I created a section there so I could easily take credit card transactions. I’ll probably put them up on eBay later. All sales are final. Most items have their original box and contents. USA and Canada sales and shipping only. Sorry.

Happy shopping @ Keith’s Gadgets and Electronics.

If you want to keep up with new items I am adding, follow me on twitter. My twitter account is twitter.com/keith_combs. I still have a number of items I’ll be adding over time and I don’t want to spam my blog too much.

The Hyper-V Resource Kit is now available !!!

Keith Combs — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:09:31 GMT

Want the latest information about Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V? If so, then you’ll want to check out the “Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Resource Kit” by Robert Larson and Janique Carbone with the Windows Virtualization Team at Microsoft (Microsoft Press, 2009; ISBN: 9780735625174; 800 pages).

In-depth and comprehensive, this official RESOURCE KIT delivers the information you need to plan, implement, and manage a virtualized enterprise infrastructure. Covers R2 features. You get authoritative technical guidance from those who know the technology best—leading industry experts and the Windows Virtualization Team—along with sample scripts, job aids, and other essential resources. Get expert advice on how to:

Manage the project visioning phase—scope, risks, budget

Design Hyper-V server infrastructure and components

Apply the steps and tools that streamline installation

Configure single or multiple Hyper-V servers

Plan a server workload consolidation strategy

Use console-based tools to manage central and remote operations

Minimize downtime when migrating from Microsoft Virtual Server to Hyper-V

Apply security best practices

Implement business continuity and recovery plans

Monitor health and tune performance CD features:

Library of Windows PowerShell scripts for automating Hyper-V management tasks

Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions From Desktop to Datacenter eBook

Job aids and links to useful virtualization-related resources and tools

Fully searchable eBook of this guide

Get it from Amazon @ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0735625174

Get it from B&N @ http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?isbn=9780735625174

Star Wars USB drives a go – but where is Blu-ray ???

Keith Combs — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:08:31 GMT

Anyone else other than me think it sucks that we can buy all sorts of Star Wars approved apparel, but when it comes to buying the widescreen Blu-ray versions of the movies they are nowhere to be found? What is it with George Lucas and the owners of that franchise anyway? Click the pic for your pre-order link but having Yoda stuck into your lappy USB port isn’t going to make you a Jedi, and the force isn’t making a Blu-ray anniversary boxed set.

Using Bing with Firefox 3.5 – default search engine

Keith Combs — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:14:10 GMT

I run my share of software that isn’t made by Microsoft. Like a number of you, I downloaded and installed Firefox 3.5. I really have to because I need to make sure the Firefox experience is good on my blog and on edge.technet.com. Gotta keep those boys in check.

So today I was wondering how to flip the search engine from Google to Bing inside Firefox. The official Microsoft Bing add-on for Firefox is at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/10434. I looked up Alessandro Catorcini and Beatrice Oltean in our internal Exchange global address list and they are both Program Managers in the Search division of Microsoft. I see some skepticism in the comments at the add-on location (as was I). So I double checked.

Anyway, after you download and install the add-on, you can make Bing the default search engine that is used for queries. Bing is rocking and you should really try it. And I am not just saying it because I work here. Enjoy.

Windows 7 downloads – here are some nice goodies

Keith Combs — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:14:00 GMT

There are some pretty cool themes and pictures up in the “Personalize it” area of Windows 7. I particularly like the “Yumi-ike Pond” picture although I see a discrepancy about it’s true location. One description says it’s an Alpine lake. But it’s also included in the Japan Theme Pack. Anyone know where it really is? Are mountains in Japan also referred to as "alpine" ???

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 Beta 2 – now available

Keith Combs — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:44:43 GMT

Get ready to deploy Windows® 7 and Windows Server® 2008 R2 with the newly released Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2010 Beta 2. MDT 2010 is the next version of Microsoft Deployment Toolkit, a Solution Accelerator for operating system and application deployment. New features such as flexible driver management, optimized user interface work flow, and Windows PowerShell will help simplify deployment and make your job easier. Save time and money when you deploy faster and more easily with MDT 2010.

Get it @ https://connect.microsoft.com/site/sitehome.aspx?SiteID=14.

There’s a Ninja in the parking lot

Keith Combs — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 02:45:00 GMT

I parked next to one of these today. In case you are wondering, it’s the Nissan GT-R. Man, I would really like to take this for a spin. Might be fun to see how it ~~stacks up against~~ blows the doors off the Ford Mustang or Chevy Camaro. For $80,000 it had better stack up pretty well.

But does it have Intel-VT and run Windows Virtual PC ???

Keith Combs — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 15:30:00 GMT

I’m guessing this rig will run anything you throw at it, including Windows Virtual PC. See the rest of the pictures and close up shots @ http://www.million-dollar-pc.com/systems-2009/special/lessdegrees/pius-edelweiss.htm. Looks like it took a couple of days to build, at least. I wonder why Dell didn’t send me one of these instead. Grin.

Faith in Mankind Restored – For Now

Keith Combs — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 15:14:00 GMT

Loyal blog readers know I haven’t been exactly kind to Dell over the years. The ridicule has been focused primarily on the lame GPU in my Latitude D820. I’m over that now. The machine is three years old so the rant can be put to rest.

It’s also no surprise that on the internet you tend to hear more gripes than accolades. Duh. That’s pretty much human nature. We are usually on the bitter end of the “I got screwed” stick. But on occasion people get delighted. It isn’t often that customer service is good, and they exceed your expectations. Apparently someone at Dell cares. And I care they care.

What Happened ???

At 8:15am on the morning of June 8th I hit the power button on my Dell XPS 420. Bad idea. The power supply began arcing badly and I swear it seemed as if fire erupted from the backend of the machine. Smoke billows. My wife and I almost have heart attacks as this machine is making a terrible sound and having an electrical exorcism.

She rushes into my office and makes an attempt at help. I do my best non politically correct version of the Jedi mind trick, “You don’t want to come in my office and help kill the exorcist beast”. I’m basically trying to triage fire, a severe electrical issue, smoke and possibly burning the house down at sub nanosecond speeds. She catches the look on my face and backs off.

I get things shut down and pull the plug on the volcanic bastard. Unfortunately I am headed out of town for the next five days so all I can do is set the smoldering hulk of XPS 420 in the middle of the floor and hope I resolved the issue. I’m sad. I love the Dell XPS 420. So perfect in every way. Beautiful case. HDTV recording capability. Eats HD video for lunch.

Help Desk Time

It’s now a week later and time to call the help desk for the first time. Nope, scratch that. Time for the Dell Support chat session to India. I wonder what that is like. Actually, I have a pretty good idea. Like many of you, I’ve been on the ugly end of the “on call” support line. It must be an amazingly fun thing to field the complaints from dissatisfied America customers in India. I digress.

The folks on the chat were very professional. I think they got a little nervous when I mentioned electricity arcing from the machine. I told them all I needed initially was a replacement power supply. I knew it was toast and figured we’d find out after it’s replacement what else got fried.

They were having nothing of it. They indicated to me this would be a full machine replacement because they don’t like to risk such matters. Probably a good idea. But I knew there was the problem. They haven’t made the XPS 420 for months. And I’m not particularly relishing the idea of a lame refurb for a machine replacement, when the machine being replaced isn’t even a year old.

It Gets “Better”

You know how this goes right? I have the overnight business support warranty. The actual brand name for the warranty changes but I’m thinking overnight means overnight. Wrong. Overnight is true for stuff like a video card or something, but a full machine replacement is 7-21 business days (as I was informed).

This isn’t my first goat rodeo. I knew that was coming. So I didn’t let my blood pressure pop a vein in my forehead. As I get older I am more at peace with things out of my control. People that know me are probably laughing hysterically right now. But it’s true. I maintain my kewl and figure we’ll see what happens.

Fast forward one week. I decide to call Dell and no sooner do I start digging out the email with the chat session transcript and the FEDEX truck arrives. Timing is everything and I am already thinking the timing is beyond fascinating.

Delivered

The FEDEX guy starts walking up the sidewalk and as usual I meet him at the door. The box has a big Dell XPS logo on the side and the FEDEX dude makes some comment it means Extreme Framerate Server. I told him he got that right and say thank you.

I’m right in the middle of my fiscal year end reporting so I don’t have time to unpack the box right right then. I do however have the smarts to rip the packing slip off the box and throw it on my desk. Time to make a quick sandwich.

Curiosity kills the cat. I peek at the packing slip. I notice something odd. It says NVIDIA GTX 285. That was a mental train wreck right there. I’m thinking, “Isn’t the NVIDIA GTX 285 one of the hottest video cards made right now???” I smile and think, wasn’t that cool? Dell threw me a bone on the replacement XPS 420 refurb piece of crap they sent me. That was so far from the truth.

Wrong, So Wrong

Much to my surprise, I didn’t receive a refurb at all. I also didn’t receive what I figured they might send if I was lucky, the Dell XPS 435. Instead, they sent me the Dell XPS 630i. I didn’t really know it at first. I pulled it out of the box and there was no Zune or PMP bay in the top so I knew something was fishy.

Yep, after checking online, this is the XPS 630. One of their top machines. I start checking the specs. 750 watt power supply. Uh oh. My electricity bill is going up. Then I start thinking… does this bad boy have the OCUR BIOS I need to use my ATI Digital Cable Tuners and record HDTV from FIOS TV? Nope!!! Crap, now what do I do? Uh, hello? Use the other XPS 420 you have.

So the net net is that I burned up a Dell XPS 420, and nearly my house, but Dell did a great job of fixing the situation and sending a machine in less than a week. The customer support folks on the chat session were very professional. The replacement unit I received exceeded my expectations even though I lost one of my favorite XPS 420 features. I have used the machine now for four days and so far I am very happy with it. It’s very quiet and a solid machine for expandability in the future. I’ll do a much better review in a few weeks.

Summary

Way to go Dell. I didn’t request anything special and you certainly exceeded my expectation on the handling of this case. The only thing I would say that needed improvement is the bad news your CSR’s deliver to customers. Instead of telling them it could take up to 21 business days, you might want to emphasize it could be a lot less. I can’t imagine how pissed I would be if they informed me of that if I had one laptop and it was dead. 21 days would have meant a laptop rental in that case. Anyway, I am happy how this turned out. Thanks for not screwing your customers. I’ll keep my Dell stock a little longer.