XBMC 11.0 Eden Beta is Now Available
Last Updated on Monday, 26 December 2011 07:00 Written by Alan Monday, 26 December 2011 07:00
XBMC, the media program named after Xbox and Media Center, has become popular over the past several years as a great free alternative to it’s namesake, the Windows version of Media Center. Aside from it’s free price tag, XBMC is also popular because of it’s great functionality and ability to run on multiple platforms like Windows Mac, Linux, and Apple TV.
On December 24th XBMC announced a holiday gift for all of their users. XBMC version 11.0, known as “Eden”, has been released in Beta form for everyone to begin using. It ran a bit behind schedule, but XBMC promises that “The sheer number of new features, platforms, and improvements to nearly every facet of the XBMC experience found within Eden are nearly too numerous to count”.
New features in version 11 include Addon Rollbacks, improvements to the XBMC default skin (confluence), speed increases, a better library, better networking support, better handling of unencrypted BluRay content and structures, adjustable display refresh rate in OSX (to match the already available feature in Windows and Linux), AirPlay support, an upgraded weather app, plus a bunch more. In addition to those improvements, XBMC also announced that Eden will be available for two new platforms – the Apple TV 2 and the iPad.
If you are already an XBMC user, or if you are looking for an alternative to Media Center, then you can head over to the download page to get Eden and see what you think. You can check out a screenshot of the new Eden home screen below.
Get a Ton of Audio and Video Conversion Tools in Free Studio
Last Updated on Monday, 19 December 2011 07:30 Written by Alan Saturday, 24 December 2011 07:00
Ironically, from what we have heard, Free Studio will not actually live up to the first part of it’s name soon. Given that possibility and that the newest version, 5.2.1, just came out, this may be the time to grab a copy for yourself. Free Studio is a single bundle of all DVDVideoSoft’s free DVD, video and audio software. To be more precise, there are 44 programs included in the bundle.
With 44 programs included one may worry about a suddenly crowded desktop with all of those new icons. However, fear not, because you will only see a single new icon added. This icon launches the suite, which is divided into four categories – Internet, DVD & Video, MP3 & Audio, CD/ DVD/ BD. From these you can access the individual programs. The programs include the following list.
Free YouTube Download
Free YouTube to MP3 Converter
Free YouTube to iPod and PSP Converter
Free YouTube to iPhone Converter
Free YouTube to DVD Converter
Free YouTube Uploader
Free DVD Video Converter
Free Video to DVD Converter
Free Video to Flash Converter
Free 3GP Video converter
Free Video to iPod and PSP Converter
Free Video to iPhone Converter
Free Video to MP3 Converter
Free Video to JPG Converter
Free Audio Converter
Free Audio to Flash Converter
Free DVD Video Burner
Free Disc Burner
Free Audio CD Burner
Free DVD Decrypter
Free Audio CD to MP3 Converter
Free Screen Video Recorder
Free Video Dub
Free Audio Dub
Free Video Flip and Rotate
Like many free programs, you have to watch the installation to avoid the browser toolbars that come along for the ride. Beyond that, though, this i a great bargain that may not remain free much longer. There really isn’t much that this app suite can’t do. You can get a copy by visiting DVDVideoSoft.
Rip a DVD with Ideal DVD to AVI Converter
Last Updated on Monday, 12 December 2011 04:11 Written by Alan Thursday, 22 December 2011 06:00
With the popularity of home servers and the integration of computer technology into the living room there is a growing need for easy ways to create such things as digital DVD libraries. Doing that requires users to “rip a DVD”, that’s the term normally used for taking the contents of a DVD and putting them onto a computer. There are many formats you can use for your DVD video file – ISO, Video_TS, AVI, WMV, MKV, and countess others. There are also as many DVD converters as there are video formats. Most users want simplicity and the simplest way is to convert a DVD to AVI in one shot.
There’s a simple program called Ideal DVD to AVI Converter that we have been using for a little while now. It can handle any DVD encrytion you will likely encounter, and if you find one it can’t handle, the makers promise you can ” just keep the DVD in your DVD drive, click “File”->”Export ifo files” menu, save the exported file and send the .iba file to support@idealdvdcopy.com , we’ll analyze it and fix it within one day.”
Once you have downloaded and installed the app (you can try it 10 times for free) you will be greeted with a message (on the first run only) that will ask if you want to allow it to auto-download fixes for new DVD decryption types. In most cases you will want to allow this, as you will need Ideal DVD to AVI Converter to also be an up-to-date DVD decrypter.
You will now be greeted by the program’s simple interface. You are now ready to rip a DVD, or more specifically, convert your DVD to AVI format.
Place your DVD in your computer’s optical drive and click the “File” menu button at the top of the Ideal DVD to AVI Converter window. Choose “Open DVD Files” and navigate to your DVD. Place a check in the box next to the movie file (in most cases it’s the only one listed) and click the big “Start” button at the bottom of the window to begin converting your DVD to AVI format. You can change the destination folder if you want, otherwise it will be the default folder that Ideal DVD to AVI Converter created in your My Documents folder.
The process isn’t quick – expect about 40 minutes to rip a DVD to be the average. The good news is you can still do other things on your PC while it is running, or you can walk away – maybe even go enjoy the great outdoors.
Ideal DVD to AVI Converter also has some other cool features, like that ability to change skins (under the Options menu), rip a DVD clip instead of the entire movie, or make changes to the configuration.
Ideal DVD to AVI Converter is a simple and efficient DVD decrypter and converter tool. You can download and try it for free (10 uses for free), and if you like it, you can buy a license for $29.97. It’s available from Ideal DVD Software. Remember that this tool, and ones like it, are for backing up or converting movies you own and should not be used for piracy or other illegal activities.
