Conflow

Hi Ron, You asked 2 questions:- About RAR Files (off list) ~and~ EU Registration RAR Files Ronnie you really need to read up on RAR Files as the subject is 'complex in comparison terms' and very much an individual's choice as to adopting it's usage. It simply can't be discussed here nor 'off Forum' ~ it's too big a subject.. RAR Overview Much slower to compress Files ~ does so more accurately than WinZip ~ virtually 'lossless' compression ~ used by the Music Industry ~ available as Shareware and Open-Source Freeware. Full details and data from: www.answers.com Simply type in RAR Files. E.U Registration It's up to the Individual or Company as to whether its worth it in terms of loss should another decide to register your Web Site name as www.XXX.eu Things like .co.uk and .ie and.de are purely National Registrations NOT Worldwide such as .com and .net and .org Example:- When I registered www.Fototrax.com within 3 hours somebody in Poland had registered www.Fototrax.net ~ Thank goodness this time around www.Fototrax.eu is registered and that put's an end to such "plagiarism". One must appreciate that the E.U is now a Worldwide Economic entity comprising of 27 Countries (and growing) and it is up to the individual to weigh-up the losses if not registered. Costs €15 ~ €25. I use the following Registration Agent:- www.eu-domain.bz (There are many) In my opinion there are many people on the Forum who would suffer loss if such 'duplication' should happen. I hope this answers your questions... Brian.Conflow.

Ken & Linda, Ken thank's for responding to Linda with PTE 4.20 version ~ Linda, stick at this 'Research" as there are many people on the Forum who would like to resolve this issue a.s.a.p ~ particularily so, as the new 'Dual-Core Processors' are just being released. In effect you are joining with Ken, Guru, and many others who are "Beta Testing" and actively engaged in this particular pursuit and be assured that Igor is fully aware of what's going on and no doubt he will contact you shortly about this. Brian.Conflow

E.U Website Registration For those of you who operate/run your own Websites and wish to preserve the "unique identity" of that Site through-out the European Union (E.C) without the incumberance of those who would like to use your Site-Name be advised as of 7th April 2006 the 'Directory of European Domain Names' is now open for Registration Enteries. If you have www.joeblogs.com or at .net etc or any other .dot, then the same name could become www.joeblogs.eu without any further reference to you simply because the European Registration is on a "First come First served" basis just like .com and .net registrations. The European Registrar of Domain Names is at: http://www.eurid.eu Hope this may be of 'fore-warned' assistance... Brian.Conflow.

Hi Linda, It was myself that posted the news of release of "Bootcamp" for Apple Mac's. It would appear that the PTE version you were using was PTE 4.20 which came out in March 2004, I personally use PTE 4.41 a later development. If you open the PTE Program File and look for the "History Notepad" it should show you the changes that were made in the interim period since PTE 4.20. If you want a 'copy' of PTE 4.20 I think I have such somewhere in my archives. May I suggest that you contact Igor Korolev directly and make yourself and your Project known to him. Igor is always keen to discuss/find/solutions to such problems...particularily with the new PC Systems. Brian.Conflow.

Tom, You're absolutely correct, as you know Dell and other PC Manufacturers are committed to 'Future Call-Offs' for Component Parts and Software Licences. With respects to Intel,Apple and Microsoft they have given plenty of 'advanced warnings' prior to the Autumn launches of their New Systems, this so that the Manufacturers can dispose of existing and future Stock Inventory. However the markets don't always perform as expected and this year has seen exceptionally low Sales. For those considering the purchase of a good PC System or Laptop just keep your "eye's" on the Special Offers which will come on stream just prior to the Summer Vacation months and then around September just prior to the Christmas Stock purchases. PTE Version V5.1 ~ Well in this respect we do know that Igor had "delayed" V5.1 so that Software enhancements could be incorporated making it suitable for the new '64 Bit.BMP Images' thus making it compatible for the new which 'Dual-Core Processors' coming out of Intel. Now that 'Apple Bootcamp' has been released - I fully endorse that "delay" - and if memory serves me correctly, last year on the Forum I suggested that there may be a need for 2 Product variations, one for Standard PC Architecture and another for Advanced PC Architecture. But that remains to be resolved with other issues such as Pan & Zoom and AVI enhancements and at this point in time the PTE Team need all the support they can get as what they are up against is truly monumental ! I wish them well... Brian.Conflow.

Hi All, Here is some good news for XP Owners (See Link) You may not be aware that the new Microsoft 'Vista' 64 Bit Operating System is fully compatible with the new 'Dual-Core Intel Processors and can run Apple Mac Applications. Today, it seems that 'Apple Mac' have upstaged Microsoft by releasing their new 'Bootcamp System' which can run 'Microsoft XP-Operating System' side by side with their own. The new 'Bootcamp-System' is available for download from Apple-Mac as of today ~ Brian.Conflow. news.zdnet.com/2001-1_22.html

Jobert If your "Screensaver" turns on after 5~20 minutes or so, 'disable it' or push-back the 'switch-on' time to allow your PTE Shows to run properly. The same goes for any "Energy Saver Schemes" that may have been set-up on your PC, such as 'Stand-By' or 'Close Monitor' or 'Shut-Down Hard Drive' after xxxx minutes. All of these should be disabled or cancelled or pushed-back to allow PTE to run without interference. Brian.Conflow

Home made DVD -v- Factory made DVD FAO:-Ed Overstreet Hi Ed, Yes ED you're dead correct, there is a vast difference between the Homebrew DVD and the Factory DVD. For starters, Commercial DVD Producers do not make DVD's on Disc Drives, quite the opposite. Commercial DVDs are made with "multi-shot" Infrared Photomicrographic Techniques,there are no moving DVD-Disc's. In fact its similar to "Rotogravure Printing" except that Laser Light is used on 'photo-sensitive dyes' instead of Printing Inks. Also like Rotogravure its a 'Laser-Etching' process where various Photo Masks are used to build up the final product. The DVD Disc itself is a 'multi-layer' product where each layer contains a 'photo-sensitive dye' and each of these layer's will only respond to Laser Light of a particular frequency consequently its possible to beam through layers and only etch that layer of interest ~ very complex ! Within the process are embedded various 'Instruction Files' which correct for Colour Chroma, Brightness, Contrast, Colour Balance, Image Persistance, Sync Pulses, Intercarrier Stereo Sound, Pre-emphasis, and a whole range of Production Techniques making the product suitable for a standard Colour Television and you don't get flicker. (Too complex to explain here) The single biggest quality factor is the total absence of moving parts in the Production Process which eliminates our old friend "wow & flutter" which is common to all rotating objects, Hard Drives and DVD's included. Today those mechanical frequency variations are much higher and we only "just" get away with it because of modern 'Phase-Lock Loop Tracking' correction systems. So I'm afraid that the amateur DVD maker will always remain an amateur ~ In comparison, the 'PTE Program User' can rank with the best Professional Photographers in the World.... That's saying something ! Brian.Conflow.

EOS Pete Hi Pete, Following on from Ronnies' Posting ~ Maureen Allbright has a very nice Set-Up and if memory serves me correctly both she and I exchanged many EMails prior to her equipment selection and i will add that Maureen searched the UK 'Hi and Lo' before she found what she wanted ~ Her hard work certainly paid off but this task is not for the faint hearted.... The basic problems with small Auditoriums are the 'acoustics' which you are presented with and to which you have no control over, barring you want to invest in 'Hi-Teck Programmable Amplifiers' such as those in the Albert Hall London. 1) Having said that there is the availability of excellent 'Hi-Fi Amplifiers' with 'Programmable Pre-Amplifiers' which can generate 'Pshcho-Acoustic Sound Fields' (Virtual Reality Auditoriums) which create spectacular Sound Environment's with the correct Loudspeakers ~ there in lies the crunch. 2) Your ambition must be to get control of the Auditorium Acoustics and not allow it to dominate you, thats achieved every day of the week by Professional Musicians & Orchestra's, albeit you don't have their equipment to do so, because again it's down to the Loudspeakers they deploy. 3) For the 'small outfit' the only Loudspeakers that work in small to medium Auditoriums are "Line Source Loudspeakers" ~ they are multiple loudspeakers arranged vertically in a substantial Cabinet placed just above sitting headheight directed to fire diagionally at 45° off-centre to the Halls longest dimension, one on either side of your audience about 20% of room width from the nearest wall. 4) I am not talking about P.A.Church Loudspeakers (Voice only) ~ I am talking about "Musical Line Source Loudspeakers" such as those rented-out from P.A Rental Shops. These Speakers are not effected by 'Sound Pressure Gradients' within the Room nor are they effected by Room Resonance nor Room Reflections but they are power hungry in order to control the Pressure Gradients within the Room, effectively they take control of the Room Acoustics. 5) The Stereo-Amplifier needs to be above 40Watts (RMS) per Channel to drive these Loudspeakers and the 'Envelope Shaping' Pre-Amplifier does the rest of the compenstaion. Hope this helps somewhat...good luck in your searches. Brian.Conflow.

Hi Granot, its nice to hear from you, It all boils down to Voice Bandwidth which is approx. 100~4000 Hz. Using 8 Bit Data Word 'chops' this into 256 segments of 16Hz per segment this irrespective of your Scanning Rate of 22050 or 44100Hz. A variation of +/- 16Hz based on Piano Scale of middle "c" (approx..261Hz) is over 2 semitone's variation which is clearly audible to everyone barring the deaf. Because there is little Voice data information below 250Hz you are going to loose some 16~20 segments of data (on average) when using an 8 Bit Data Word. The Voice becomes "tinny" and compressed with nearly total loss of Bass resonance so the "timbre" of that personalities Voice is lost. An analogy would be a full range Mariachi Band which 'streams' down Music samples of their CD Songs on a limited bandwidth Server ~ they sound like an old '78 Discs much like old Carbon Microphones. A 12 Bit Data Word would suffice for Voice. FM Stereo Radio uses (min) 14 bit to cover Voice & Music , but your nearest choice on a PC is 16 Bit because there is no other choice. So we need a 16Bit Data Word (covers Music) the 'smallest' Sound Format would be MP3 at 22050Hz Sample Rate and the same applies to Wav Files. Personally I find the MP3 Voice renditions much better than Wav renditions because of the 'psycho-acoustic' Engineering within the MP3 format, the file is also much smaller. ** A 16Bit Data Word at 22050Hz Sampling Rate at a Bitrate of 96kbps is over-optimum for Voice on Mp3. ** (You can drop Sampling rate to 16000Hz but you run the risk of Data break-up) ** For your 'Voice Wav' a 16Bit Data Word at 22050Hz Sampling Rate, Mono Sound Setting would be ideal. (Note:- Bitrates do not apply to Wav Files as they are Analogue not Digital Files) Acoustic Rendition Comparisons:- The Sound quality is akin to a good FM.Stereo Radio Station which the vast majority of us can't even hear properly because our Speakers are not up to it. To hear the differences you would need something like a pair of 'Quad Electrostatic Speakers' with a few 'Quad Amplifiers' thrown in for good measure ~ provided of course we have the Hearing sensitivity of Children ? Granot, this is probably going to evoke a spate of responses, good and bad, but I know exactly what you are trying to do, appreciaing that you write Software:- You are trying to achieve the smallest tighest Voice Wav File consistent with excellent quality and stability of rendition. Try the above technique, I guarantee you will be happy with the results. Brian.Conflow.

GOOD VOICE FILES Vernon, As some of the Audio Professional's of this Forum will advise, making 'good voice files' is probably the most difficult audio job you can undertake even in a Professional Sound Studio. So take heart, you're not alone in this 'tricky task' and it's not all about Audio Software and Sound Formats but very much about getting your hands on a really good Microphone in the first instance. I'm not talking about the little 'Mic' that came with your PC ~ that item is a joke...bin it ! Without going "over the top" you need something like a 600 ohm Cardoid (Uni-directional) Microphone with about 5~10millevolt output with 'silent-switch' and decent XLR Connector with lo-noise cable ending up in a 3.5mm Mini-Jack Plug wired 'mono' to suit your PC (if you are going down the PC route). This to isolate ambient air-bourne Noises from Traffic and god knows what. You will also need a good Microphone Stand (not desktop type) this to isolate Desk & Floor Noises and Fan Noise from your PC (surprisingly noisy). Total cost anywhere from $80 to $150 for something usable. If you are a beginner avoid 'Combo-Mic Headsets' as the Headphone acoustic feedback will seriously interfer with your pre-prepared speech plan and speech delivery. You will also need a 3rd Party Program such as "Audio Recorder Pro" or such like. This allows you to make multiple Voice Recordings in sequence and Sequence Playback so you can pick the best rendition. These Programs also allow you to choose the Recorder Sound Format such as Wav~Mp3~Raw etc,etc. Personally I record in Mp3 Format, FM Radio Quality, 22050Hz Sampling Rate, 16 Bit which is more than adequate for Voice at FM Radio quality, taking up the minimum of file space. Note:- (8 Bit won't deliver the Voice Range from 100Hz to 4000Hz) These Recorder Programs actually have 'Recording Level Meters' and 'Slider Volume Controls' with Pause, Stop, Instant Replay' so you can see what you are doing at the required Audio Level necessary to achieve good recording's without 'over-level distortion' and 'under-level noise hiss. The rest is up to Microphone usage technique ~ never speak into a Mic, speak across it and of utmost importance is the choice of a noise-free environment or the very best you can achieve. I hope this little introduction will set you on your way and I'm sure that others may like to add further to this. Brian.Conflow.

Ron, Where did you get 'Cornflow' ? ~ the last time looked, the Company name was Conflow ~ don't worry,I also am terrible at remembering names even of people I have just met ~ must be going ga ga. To answer your query:- MS Defender-2 is faster than MS Beta-1 and a few internal issues have been enhanced and 'Rogue-Script Scanning' has been nailed down once and all. Furthermore it 'Blocks' unscheduled Software execution's (subject to your permission) it also defends the Kernel Core of the PC Op. System. In effect it is an extremely powerful "Blocker Program" where in comparison Anti-Virus' Programs actually quarintine, try to repair, and re-present infected Files after fixing them ~ thats all very well and fine provided your Anti-Virus definitions are up to date and the Program is up to the challanges of modern day Hackers, most are not ! Personally speaking I would prefer a tool thats "blocks" anything I don't expect to receive (including Pop-ups) and then let me make my own decision. Of course one has an AntiVir program standing behind MS Defender...just in case ??? MS Beta-1 will be phased out later this year and will be replaced with MS Defender-2 which will be incorporated into 'Vista' but is also being made available to XP and 2000 users so there are no conflicts of 'backward compatibility' between the Operating Systems.... The choice is yours, both MS Defender and MS Beta-1 have excellent 'Uninstallers' incorporated and for the time being ~ time is on our side. Brian.Conflow.

MICROSOFT DEFENDER-1 Readers might like to know that Microsoft have released 'Microsoft Defender-2' as a follow-on Development from their 'Microsoft Beta-1' (Anti-Spyware Anti-Virus Program) which we have used for the past 2 years. 'MS Defender-2' is suitable for all versions of XP and 2000 (32Bit Win Systems) and will be incorporated into their new 'Vista Operating System' (64Bit Type) which in itself is backward compatible to existing 32Bit Systems. 'MS Defender-2' is also compatible with the latest "Dual-Core Processors" which will run MS.Vista & Apple.Mac configured as selectable User Choices ~ This is the advent of the Multi-Tasking PC ~ Trials:- We have 'Trialed' MS Defender-2 on our Workshop PC's (mix of XP's & 2000's) and have found that its simplicity of use is disarming to say the least. I personally could not believe how silently this Program sat in the background (like a cat) and silently pounced on anything it didn't like, then politely told me it had fixed a problem I wasn't even aware off !!! Speed Trade Offs ~ Unlike Norton 2006, there are are no discernable Trade-Offs, if anything the PC's seemed to run much more smoothly and reliably with that certain type of assurance one gets from a PC that's well set-up and maintained. We have also tried the Program in tandem with 'Grisoft AVG Pro-Version 7.1' and found the compatibility between both to be absolutely excellent, with regret I can't say the same for Norton 2006. The Program is "Free" to Download from Microsoft or Tucows or indeed simply type "Microsoft Defender" into the Google Search Page which re-directs to a nearby Download Site. Enjoy.... Brian.Conflow P.S Not suitable for '98 and uninstall any version of Microsoft Beta-1 first.

LAPTOPS I have replied many times on this topic over the past 2 years, and seriously, there is only "one way" of choosing a Laptop for PTE Workings. 1) Make up a PTE Show (with Music) of about 5~7 minutes and "burn this" to a CD-Disc. 2) Make sure the Disc is "Autorun" 3) Bring it along to any good PC.Store and INSIST that you Demo Trial a few PC's with this Disc. Good Laptops cost way over 1500 Euro ~ Would you buy a used Car (of same value) without trying it ? This 'Trial' will sort out the men from the boys in record time. If they refuse your request,go elsewhere. Once you have chosen XX Model, now look at the 'available connections' on the rear of the Laptop. It's wise to make a 'Connector List' before you visit the Store and when there, confirm that what you are looking for is factually available on the PC. Then 'Haggle'...... Brian.Conflow.

Hi Ron, I have been off the Air for a while ~ Had terrible problems with new Radio Broadband but all seems to be O.K now ~ I shall wait and see ! Show Synchronisation:- Its very difficult to advise anyone on the 'Synch-Settings' that would suit a particular Show, for instance I never use 'Effects Transitions' below 500mS because although they work perfectly well on a Desktop PC, I can't same the same for Laptop and Portables which in the main tend to 'break-up' with Effects below 500mS timing. Again I use the same Rule with Slide Images. So in my situation I want 'Stability of Show' irrespective of the Operating System, given that it has enough memory to execute the job in the 1st place. Of course there are other Members whose criteria are 'Special Effects' and this approach may not suit them. When I use 'Special Slides' to do a specific job I always use 'Customise Slide & Set Time Preference' on the Main PTE Program Window, and I then use Custom-Synchronise settings in the Timeline to "tweak" other things but always leave the 'Specials' alone. (One need a Memo Notepad for this) If I am doing a WYGIWYS Show I use Customised Synch, just as you are doing, there's nothing wrong with that. However for the 'Special Shows' I have found that 'Customise Slide Settings' offers a level of stability right across the Board that I'm very happy with. Brian.Conflow.

Seahawk, Would it not be that you should be using "Custom Synchronisation" rather than "Auto Synchronisation" ? The reason being that I have fallen into the trap more times than I care to remember. Usually my Shows contain images of various durations and I always select 'Customise Slide' from the Main PTE Window and then 'Set own Time Preference' ~ then I run the Custom Sync to tweak the Show. If I forget to do this and then choose 'Custom Synch' in the Timeline and forget to 'Save' then things start to slip all over the place particularily if the effects transitions are short. This approach works for me after much burning of midnight oil. Brian.Conflow.

Apologies to all, trying out new Broadband Connection. Brian.Conflow

Above Test from Irish Broadband.This Test:- Testing alternative 'Dial-Up' Modem. 17:56pm 28-2-06 Brian.Conflow.

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Maureen & Lin, Many thanks for that "tip" 1181 x 1181 pixels ~ Unfortunately I don't use Photoshop and to be honest I have been working on this problem for over a week now. Setting up 1181 x1181 into many Photo-Editors gave very different results,for example:- Paint.NET gave a 160x160mm Image, MGI gave a 200x200 Image, Pix-Resizer altered the aspect ratio, Nero Label Maker was all over the place, JPeg Crop was a guessing game, CD Label Maker wanted to find my Photo Editor,and it went on and on. It appears that Pixels x Pixels size is not the answer (Photoshop excepted) but it seems to have everything to do with the resident Microsoft Graphics Engine and how it interpret's the output from various Photo Editors prior to Printing and whether the PC is set-up for 72 or 96 dpi....So I went back 'scouring' the Web. I found a brilliant Utility called "PhotoFiltre" which does the job perfectly and it maintains the Image aspect ratio and one only enters in the dimensions needed for the final Print job. It does a hell of a lot more besides! ~ Its ideal for fast on the "fly" conversions which I needed. From:- www.photofiltre.com Dave & Steve, Dave, yes up to now I have been using Templates but its such a "chore" having to alter the Template for different Presentations, I needed some thing that's fast and can be used on the 'fly' with excellent quality. Again many thanks to all who responded and why not give PhotoFiltre a try ? Brian.Conflow.

Many Thanks Steve, Personally I don't use Photoshop, I use 'Paint.Net' and usually work in 250ppi ~ can you give me the equivalent Pixels for Photoshop working at 250ppi ~ that would help a lot. Brian.Conflow.

Not a Trick Question Has anyone on the Forum got a simple answer to this problem ? I am printing Images on to Photo-Cards to fit into CD-Jewel Cases as 'inlays or inserts' ~ The front image being a Title Photograph and when the case is opened the rear image is a Menu List with Instructions as to how to use the CD etc,etc. The insert Card is cut precisely to 120 x 120mm and of course the 2 Photo-Images must agree with those dimensions to fit on to the Photo-Cards to give 'borderless' registration. The CD Printing Programs are very "fuzzy" about this and often simply ignore this task. My question is ? -- What Pixels x Pixels correspond to 120 x 120mm so that after printing, the Images sizes are precisely 120 x 120mm (±1mm) No its not a 'trick question' ~ Try for yourself to print out a precision 120 x 120mm Image then measure it, and you will see for yourself the problem !! Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Brian.Conflow.

Robert, This may yield a clue to your friend's problem as I had a similar problem just a few weeks ago:- The 'Image Sizes' on most 'Photolab CDs' are truly massive depending on how the Camera was set-up. If he had chosen a 1mB Set-Up Image, the resultant "take" can vary from 700kB ~ 1.4 mB and assuming he had 30~40 'Shots' this could quite easily 'over-run' the Virtual Memory settings on his PC which may be near its default limits doing other work.....This is manually adjustable if so desired. You would need to question the Camera settings and the number of Images vis-a-vis his PC.Virtual Memory settings. The fact that the Images are directly viewable from the CD would indicate that 'alls well' with the CD and Graphics Card and the PC.direct view functions. Al Robinson may have more to say on this subject, as Al is a prolific Photographer and must have come across this problem in the past.... It's only conjecture at this stage but it may yield some clues ? Brian.Conflow.

Guy's I'm having a damn good laugh, because you guy's are unbelievable at times !!... Kens' front on humour is terrific and ALs' larconic retorts are priceless...You both come out with real "gems" to brighten a damp cold February evening, cheers to both of you ~ Brian.Conflow

Hi Roger, I use the Post Counter as a means of 'reference', example:- ..."See my Post No:256"... This makes it easy for readers to find the origional document of interest. I also use it when replying "Off-Forum" ...."Reference your Post No: 342" etc.... To me it's a very important function of PTE because sometimes I "Screencapture" various Links and Articles for future reference and I file them as Numbered Gif's... To me that's ...why it matters ! Brian.Conflow