ITS Technology Tips

With all of the video formats out there, AVI, WMV, FLV and MP4, to name a few, it can be a challenge to keep track of which video files are compatible with your different systems and devices.  With Sothink Video Converter, you can take any video or audio file and convert it to the proper format for virtually any device (iPod, iPad, iPhone, HTC, Blackberry, Android, XBOX, Sony PSP, PC, etc). This all-in-one free program features an easy to use interface and works quickly to convert to high-quality video.

If you have a Mac, it can be frustrating when you can’t play a Windows media file. A simple solution to this problem is to download the free media player, Flip4Mac WMV. It offers easy playback of Windows media files in your QuickTime player or in a Web browser. To download or learn about the advanced versions, visit Flip4Mac WMV.

If you’d like to include a You Tube clip as part of your PowerPoint presentation,  you can easily embed a video to play directly within your slideshow. Follow these steps to embed a You Tube video in PowerPoint 2007:

1. Go to the Developer tab
2. If you don’t see the Developer tab, click the Microsoft Office Button and select PowerPoint Options. Click Popular, then select the Show Developer tab in the Ribbon check box.
3. In the Controls box, click on More Controls ( hammer and wrench button)
   
4. Select Shockwave Flash Object from the list
5. Draw a box on the slide where you want the video
6. Right click on the box and select Properties
7. In the Movie line, enter the YouTube video’s URL but you must change the watch?v= to v/ in the URL
8. You won’t see the video until you run the slide show once

With QuickTime Pro for Mac, you can easily record a webcam video directly to your hard drive.   Quicktime Pro offers a straightforward interface to record your video, as well as provides as the option to convert video files into a variety of formats. Take note that Quicktime Pro for Windows only supports audio capture.

If you don’t already have QuickTime Pro, you can purchase the download for about $30 at the Apple Store.

Here are a few steps to record a video from your webcam:

1. If you don’t have a built-in camera, you must attach an external webcam
2. Go to File > New Movie Recording
3. A video screen will appear; when you are ready, press the red-circle record button
4. After you are finished recording, the video will automatically save as a .mov file to your desktop. If you want to export it as a different format, select File > Export

As online tools such as blogs, Twitter and RSS feeds are becoming more widely used to share information, it’s helpful to know about resources that explain how these tools work, while still remaining interesting.  Common Craft’s In Plain English series provides fun and simple tutorials on several areas, including technology, money, society and the environment.  Each video features paper cut-outs and narration; some technology topics include podcasting, RSS and Wikis.  Even though these videos are lighthearted, they are very well-made and informative and definitely worth sharing with colleagues or in the classroom.    

 Video Source:  http://www.commoncraft.com/blogs

Format Factory is a handy tool that allows you to easily convert media files from one format to another. Whether you need to reduce the size of a media file for uploading to the Web or you need to convert files for iPod or iPhone compatibility, file conversion software can be incredibly useful. With a free download of Format Factory, you can convert common video formats such as AVI, MOV, WMV, and SWF to another video format.  You can also convert image and audio files to popular formats.

If you have pictures that you’d like to share, instead of emailing individual photos or posting many images to your Blackboard course, consider creating a movie slideshow. With QuickTime Pro software, you can easily create a movie slideshow from a folder of images.   While you may have the free QuickTime Player already installed on your computer, updating to QuickTime Pro ($29.99/Mac or PC) will enable you to create a nice-looking movie presentation of your photos.

Learn how to create a slideshow movie in QuickTime in just a few steps:  http://images.apple.com/quicktime/pdf/QuickTime7_User_Guide.pdf

Quick Tip

Try saving your PowerPoint presentation as JPEG images.  If you have a large PowerPoint file with many images, saving your presentation as JPEG images, then creating a slideshow movie from the PowerPoint JPEGs will significantly reduce the size.  Additionally, the movie file will be read-only and will display nicely on a Web page or Blackboard course page.

Many television networks now offer current program episodes on their individual websites, which is a good thing but may leave you weeding through numerous sites to find videos. Additionally, when searching across the Web, it can be a challenge to find T.V. episodes, video clips or movies that are available to users legally. The online video distribution service, Hulu, is like one-stop shopping to find full-length episodes of T.V. shows, both current and classic, as well as full-length movies and video clips. Whether you are curious to find your favorite sitcom from the ‘80s or you are looking for a video clip for a class presentation, Hulu is an invaluable resource for discovering video content on the Web.

Using Hulu

Hulu is a free and legal service that acquires the rights to distribute its videos. All users need to play videos is a Flash 9.0 enabled computer with an Internet connection. One of the unique features of Hulu is the clipping feature that enables users to select a portion of a video to share. Users have the option to share videos via email or embed clips on other Web sites, blogs and social networking pages.