Free converter suite for video and stills

Looking for a decent video, sound or still image file converter?

I have been experimenting with a completely free piece of software for the last few months, that actually does a reasonable job of converting (also batch conversions) most video file formats to popular mobile and PC versions. Its called FreeStudio, but why is it free? According to the website they make their money out of advertising from an installation of a navigation bar that appears in your web browsers... However I will point out that it is possible to deselect the install of this web bar in the early stages, and would recommend doing so. When you see the option to install this web bar, ensure you have unchecked from the bottom up, none of them should be selected. If you do forget, it is possible to un-check it from showing in the 'settings' area of your browser.

Ok, that bit out of the way... The software is pretty comprehensive and there is even a screen capture software (currently without sound) that does a very good job. Most of the video converting areas are geared up to converting from DVD to video file formats, (you can only do this with DVD's you have permission to copy, of course)

The 'Mobiles' area allows conversion from just about any file format to a format specific to that device. Batches of files can also be converted to a reasonable MP4 video format using for example, the 'video to Android' and selecting a resolution that suited my needs. The options for quality of rendering: economy, standard or high are available. Standard is pretty good for most needs, if you are using a small screen economy is probably good enough for most. So far I can say outputs work great on my HTC android phone using standard quality setting.

There is nothing strictly for any video to PC use, although I actually found the MP4s from the mobile conversions worked well on PCs. I think the trick is to use the mobile converters and select an output resolution that is closest to your needs on the PC.

It's certainly worth looking through all the various options available, as the programmers have made a big effort to keep the interfaces simple and easy to use.

Yes you can capture some video streams from the web...What I will remind users is that capturing media from the web without the correct permissions from the original authors is most likely in breach of copyright (on many levels - hosting company, creators and owners). Ensure that there is some creative commons licence (or similar) associated with its use. The commonly used version is attribution-non commercial (which is fine for educational use). Avoid Share-alike, unless you wish to distribute your work with the same licence (it's a requirement for using this creative commons agreement I'm afraid). For all other materials, assume that you cannot use it to be on the safe side. The other option is to contact the owner and ask...

Oh and there is even some interesting 3D converters they are developing, but needs the traditional glasses for it to work... ;)

A big thank you to Freestudio for an excellent set of resources. I hope to see many more developments in the future!

Applying for Adobe Distribution Licence

I have been investigating software licences for the Hydrographic Academy project as teaching materials will use a fair amount of offline software and applications. Some of the learning object run on Adobe Flash and students would need Acrobat (for PDF files) - I cant assume they will all have good internet connections! After some asking around and investigating on line, I came across the Licencing area on the Adobe website. I thought it was going to take several days to get a response, but most of it was in fact automated. I suspect the final stage required an OK from 'a person' but this was not clear, as I actually recieved licencing permission for distributions via DVD/USB drive within 10mins.

It looks like this process has to be repeated yearly, filling out the same form again.

YouTube Editor, how does it fair?

I created this video to demonstrate how simple short films can be made using the new YouTube Editor. Ok its a little basic, only allows 7 video clips to be included in the time frame, there are no transition effect and there is no audio editing other than an 'AudioSwap' feature that allows users to add creative commons music. For this example I only used 4 original clips taken on a Canon 550D camera that I uploaded directly from the memory card. The clips were then shortened further (using the YouTube editor cutting feature) and pieced together on the (max 7 video) time frame, its all drop and drag!

At the time of producing this, the Editor was in its early stages of development. Yes its crude, but the results are very reasonable. Unfortunately videos created in this way are not available for MP4 download, BUT, if you did not use AudioSwap the MP4 download option does appear.

I think key points to remember are:

• Uploads can be time consuming if using slow connections.
• The editor will currently only allow 7 separate video clips to be pieced together in the final item. Keep them short, as you are only allowed a max of 10 mins total for a 'complete' video.
• No editing of the sound is available as yet. Although royalty free music is included and can be added by drop and drag.
• The video created with the editor does not currently appear as something that can be re-edited.
• Processing of your final work can take time, thankfully you can happily turn off your PC while it chugs away and view later!
• videos created in this way (and using the AudioSwap) are not available for MP4 download, if you dont use AudioSwap, its not a problem... (N.B. and single videos that you have uploaded can be saved as an MP4 - worth knowing if you wanted a simple converter)
• Completely FREE!!!!!!

EduApps (AccessApps) carry all your software on a USB

Its been out for a while now, but I can't help but think being able to carry around a complete set of software (open source / freeware) on a 2 Gb USB stick is an excellent addition to any student or academics learning and teaching arsenal.

What is it? As explained on the AccessApps site:

'AccessApps is an initiative supported by the JISC Regional Support Centres (RSC) and JISC TechDis. It consists of over 60 open source and freeware Windows applications, running from a USB stick...[which] provides a range of solutions to support writing, reading and planning as well as sensory, cognitive and physical difficulties.'

All such initiatives are based around the concept of 'accessibility', which is essentially all about making products, services or devices available and usable to as many people as possible. If its useful to you, then why not use it. Probably one of the trickiest things for most academics to balance is ensuring that students have the required software and files are transferable! The majority of universities provide the necessary software on campus, but what about working on your own laptop or from home? This is where I think AccessApps comes in handy.

So what software does it have? A detailed guide is provided, however I think describing 60 apps is beyond the scope of this blog, so I'll limit this to a few. Firsty and notably OpenOffice features in the software list, and yes as the name suggest its free and also compatible with Microsoft Office files.

OpenOffice has come along leaps and bounds in its many years of development, so don't think that because its free its not going to work. What about a mind mapping software? Well also contained in AccessApps is Freemind again a rather good piece of software to get your students brainstorimg, keeping track of projects or essay writing to name a few. Or maybe they need to split up their podcasts or audiobooks into manageable chunks, Audiobook Cutter maybe just the answer. Perhaps you need to create your own web pages, but dont have the time to learn all the HTML? Then KompoZer is also available.

Where do I get the software?
It does mention the word 'registration', but this is simply an email address, nothing more and you can then happily download the full suite for free.

Strange Dreamweaver CS3 crashing bug

Found a very strange bug in Dreamweaver today after making some adjustments in the CSS for a website I was creating. It happened after saving the code where upon Dreamweaver just crashed!? When trying to restart I was not able to get much further past the splash screen without it crashing again! With a little hunting around on the forums, I discovered that it was in fact the CSS that was probably crashing it. I removed this from my dreamweaver 'site' (temporarily) and then tried again restarting dreamweaver. Amazing, it worked!

What other steps did I take?
I made some slight adjustments with the CSS outside of Dreamweaver, using notepad, I then saved and added the CSS again to the site (this time using Dreamweaver) I then opened the CSS in Dreamweaver and saved again. No crash...

Triple boot Windows 7 RC (64bit), Ubuntu and Windows XP

After a relatively successful beta test of Windows 7 and the warning from Microsoft to change to the latest iteration, it was time to try the release candidate...

Ok, how did I do the triple boot?
I already have Windows XP on an old PATA 200Gb Maxtor drive and was reluctant to over write this. The main drive is a SATA 1 Tb Samsung, which I intended to use as a dual boot with Windows 7 and Ubuntu 9.04 (64bit). To start with Microsoft requested a complete clean install of Windows 7 Release Candidate, and considering that I had Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) on a dual boot previously, I thought it was time to upgrade both.

The first step was to back up all the important files you need for later. I then used GParted Live 0.3.4, a really excellent (free) Linux based partition tool. I wanted to split the 1Tb drive into 3 partitions, the 'main' partition for windows 7 at ~500Gb and the the other two approximately 250Gb each for Ubuntu and for 'an other' (I'm always looking to test other operating systems).

Just a note on the GParted bit...to save headaches...I found it was in fact easier to format just 2 partitions to NTFS, Ubuntu will work out the partitions later and you are left with the ability to set your final partition to 250Gb with a simple slider ;) (hey presto - 3 partitions). Why? I know you can format any which way using GParted but I found that Ubuntu airs on the side of caution and tries to add another partition if you have already catered for Linux operating systems, its just nice to keep things tidy. After all, I'm going to try to break the software in testing later.

From previous experiences I prefer using the Grub boot loader, advantageously this installs as standard on Ubuntu. This made for an easy decision on installation order, install Windows 7 first then Ubuntu last. The reality? It worked, Ubuntu 9.04 had no problem recognising the old PATA 200Gb (with XP), plus Windows 7, it then installed itself and quite happily set up grub. All that was needed was a simple tweak in Grub to set which operating system boots first, ...enter the terminal and sudo grub.

Grub tips
There are a lot of useful tips on the ubuntu forums and Grub site when I did the install, but recently I found this handy post that simplifies the process. Remember that if you put one 'section' of code above another, that will shift the order closer to the top of the boot loader window. The first section of code (one at the top) always boots first by default (e.g. just below: ## ## End Default Options ##). If you you want to tweak a little further, rename the 'title' to something more meaningful for your purposes.

Did you know you could PebblePad Mobile?!

All you need to know about using PebblePad on mobile devices is available here.


First impressions:

There are three ways of mobile devicing, the first I tried was SendR, which is essentially a small Java application that you have to download. Remember there is a cost for downloading items onto your mobile phone! This application allows you to log into PebblePad (Plymouth) and then upload assets to your main PebblePad. Its a little quirky to use and be aware that Java applications functions better on some mobiles than others. Not to dissuade you from a handy little application, but you may encounter errors on this one...

PebblePDA on the other hand a little more slick to use. You simply downloaded the file to your PC, activesync'ed your PDA and then double clicked on the file to install. Its about 2Mb in size. The PDA version allows you to bring down files from your main PebblePad area and also upload. What I liked about this version was you could do all of this via activesync. Saves on Internet costs. However, if you want to use it remotely (no activesync), you will still have to pay to upload or download.

Finally, the simplest version was Pebble Mobile, point your internet mobile browser at http://eportfolio.plymouth.ac.uk/pebblepad/mobile and bobs your uncle you can log in as usual. Very neat.

...Remember you will have to pay whatever your mobile ISP charges to surf the web.

Pebble Pad is here!

I thought it appropriate to mention a new software system (Pebble Pad) which the University is implementing.

What is Pebble Pad?
Pebble Pad is a learner centred ePortfolio system, to allow both staff and students to gather information for Personal Development Planning, Continuing Professional Development, and Learning, Teaching and Assessment.
http://www.pebblelearning.co.uk/ (The official site)

How did it come about?
Following an initial needs audit (April-June 2008), Pebble Pad was the chosen software to provide the university’s e-portfolio, from September 2009. The University has purchased 32,000 licenses, covering all university students, including University of Plymouth Colleges (UPC) and Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD). This was approved by Chief Executive Group (CEG) in October 2008. (E-Portfolio: PebblePad, March 2009)

How can I find out more details on its implementation and meetings?
http://staff.plymouth.ac.uk/tlweb/eportfolio/intranet.htm (Teaching and Learning Web – UoP Community page)

What does it look like?
A getting started guide demonstrating the main sections:
http://www.pebblepad.co.uk/cs_documentation/PP_V2_Getting%20Started.pdf

You can also try it out using your usual University login details:
http://eportfolio.plymouth.ac.uk/pebblepad/

Are there any awareness or training sessions?
There will be a series of short 1 hour staff development awareness session to show how to record activities and present them in different formats:

From mid May 09 until June 09

Please contact staffdevelopment@plymouth.ac.uk for more details or bookings.

Learning Technologists and Educators may also be interested in the Pebble Padders Community area

tulip show case day - when and where?

Enhancing the student experience using tulip Showcase Day: Friday 19th June 2009, Babbage. Come and see how your colleagues have been using tulip:

• Programme and module tools


• How students have been using podcasts


• How blogs have been used for reflection


• Hear the experiences of electronic coursework submission


• Updates on the latest developments in tulip sites


• Talk to staff over lunch and browse the exhibition

If you would like to attend please book a place.

Email: staffdevelopment@plymouth.ac.uk