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Audio and Video Questions and Answers

How to Photograph Fireworks

Each year I get several questions about photographing fireworks around the 4th of July and again around New Year's. I always intend to post an article on shooting fireworks photos, but the holiday seems to conspire against me and I never get it done. This year, I've managed to pull it off. While I can't promise you'll be the Ansel Adams of fireworks after reading these tips, I'm confident you'll take better photos than you did last year....

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Put Music on Xbox 360 with no PC Network Connection

"I am trying to get music from my PC to my Xbox 360. The problem is that my PC is an older model so it doesn't have an Ethernet port. Is there any way to do this?" There are basically two ways to get music files from your PC to your Xbox 360. Option one is to use your home network. If your computer doesn't have an Ethernet port, this option is out unless you feel comfortable adding an Ethernet port. Option two is to use physically transport the files from your PC to your Xbox 360 using some kind of storage media....

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Digital Camera Document Scanning

"I almost never need to scan documents, so I don't own a scanner. Today I need to scan in something I signed, can I just use my digital camera as a document scanner since a scan is a picture?" There have been many occasions where someone needed me to sign a document and fax it back when I was no where near a fax machine or a scanner. In those cases, my solution has always been to take a picture, clean it up with photo editing software and upload it using an online fax service like MyFax. So the answer to your question is yes, but I'd also like to share something I found that makes it easier....

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How to Fix the iTunes library.itl file is locked Error

"I have a problem in opening my iTunes. When i double click the icon, a box written with "The iTunes library.itl file is locked, on a locked disk, or you do not have write permission for this file" came out and it prevented me from running my iTunes. What should i do?" Fortunately problems with opening iTunes don't happen very often, but when they do a feeling of panic can set in. What if you can't access your music. There are a number of potential causes for this error, which makes it hard to narrow down the exact cause. In most cases the solution is one of two things....

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Sync Netbook files to Your Home PC

While I've seen a few people use a Netbook as their only computer, for the most part people are buying Netbooks as a second more portable companion to their primary PC. For me the HP Mini I own has become the computer that goes everywhere, while my full sized notebook is the one doing all the heavy lifting for video editing and entertainment. When you use two computers regularly, you suddenly realize how vital it is to make sure all your files are properly synchronized. In the early stages of using multiple computers I was constantly using convoluted solutions to retrieve files I'd left behind.A bunch of different software companies are creating tools to address this very problem, but most of the Netbook makers haven't jumped on board to include this necessary file sync component. HP is bundling Syncables with their new Mini 110 line of Netbooks, which you can see demoed in this video....

Continue reading Sync Netbook files to Your Home PC

Is Email a Viable Alternative to Faxing Documents?

"Instead of a fax machine, if a document is scanned and saved can it simply be attached to an email and sent rather than using an online fax service? Providing, of course, that you have the email address for the destination of the document." Emailing documents is definitely a viable option for replacing a fax, although there may be reasons why you would want to fax a document instead....

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Recent Articles and Reviews

Digital Video Help

muvee autoProducer - Automatic movie making
Download muvee autoProducer If you like showing off your home videos, but dread the process

Letterboxing Video for DVD Authoring
Chris writes, "We have tried Sonic and Roxio to transfer our digital camera movies to

HD-DVD Authoring for Home Movies
How to make an HD-DVD using standard 4.7GB DVD media or 8.5GB dual layer disks.

Playing Video Backwards with Pinnacle
Peter writes, "I have captured some video and now I would like to play it

Reverse a Video Clip and Play it Backwards
Many of the popular consumer video editing apps lack an effect for playing video in

Digital Photography

How to Photograph Fireworks
Each year I get several questions about photographing fireworks around the 4th of July and

Digital Camera Document Scanning
"I almost never need to scan documents, so I don't own a scanner. Today I

How to Get Deleted Pictures Back
"I accidentally deleted photos from my digital camera memory card. Is there any way to

Picnik - Free Online Image Editing
There have been several occasions where I wanted to upload some photos and images to

Windows Pro Photo Tools
Windows Pro Photo Tools makes an interesting companion to Windows Live Photo Gallery. If you

Outlook Help

Redirect emails from Outlook to Gmail or Hotmail
"Is it possible to redirect emails from Outlook 2003 to be received in Gmail or

Remove Duplicate Calendar Entries from Outlook
"How can I remove duplicate calendar entries from Outlook?" For some reason Microsoft never included

Turn Off Outlook AutoArchive Email Backup
"I have outlook 2007. It runs an automatic pst backup. When it does, my computer

Repair Outlook PST
My Outlook PST file is corrupt. I tried using scanpst.exe like you suggested, but I

How to Copy Outlook Mail to Gmail and Sync Automatically
"I read your tutorial on how to sync Outlook Calendar and Contacts with Gmail and

Software Downloads

Camfrog - Free Video Chat Software
With popular IM clients like Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger, and Skype all supporting one-to-one

Sony eBook Library Software - eBook reader for your PC
If you like the idea of ebooks, but find the idea of separate hardware for

AstoundStereo Sound Expanding Software
I consider the whole category of sound enhancement software with a fairly suspect eye. Most

RoboForm2Go Portable Password Manager
As I mentioned previously, I currently think Roboform is the best password manager available for

Learn to Speed Read with AceReader Pro
My reading comprehension starts to drop if I'm pushing myself much beyond 300 words-per-minute. I've

Blu-ray Help

Can I play Blu-ray in my Computer DVD Player?
"Can I play a Blu-ray disc in my computer DVD player? The short answer to

Trade your HD-DVDs for Blu-ray
If you bought into the HD-DVD technology as I did when it first launched, you

How to Play Blu-ray DVDs with Windows
How can I play a Blu-ray DVD on my Windows computer? I know I need

Blu-ray Burner for Mac Systems
If you've been waiting for a Blu-ray burner to add to your Mac toolset,

AMD Live! Home Cinema Changes Home Theather PC Market
The home theater PC market has been rather dull for several years. Sure you can

Voice over IP

Google.com/Voice GrandCentral for the Rest of Us
Thanks to a tip from Brandon, I just noticed that GrandCentral.com becomes Google.com/Voice very soon.

Vonage Introduces 3 New Handset Solutions
Vonage is aiming to make it easier for people to convert from traditional landline phone

Callwave Mobile Visual Voicemail
The name Callwave brings me fond memories of desktop software for managing phone calls through

VoIP Disaster Recovery Planning
Len asks, I have just converted to cable phone service : Is there away to

SightSpeed
Download SightSpeed Cross-platform video conferencing is one of those things that never worked well outside

Gmail and Google Tips

View Unread Messages in Gmail
"I recently switched from Outlook Express to Gmail. Is there any way to sort my

Redirect emails from Outlook to Gmail or Hotmail
"Is it possible to redirect emails from Outlook 2003 to be received in Gmail or

Google.com/Voice GrandCentral for the Rest of Us
Thanks to a tip from Brandon, I just noticed that GrandCentral.com becomes Google.com/Voice very soon.

Online Calendar with Email Reminders
"Is there a good online calendar with email reminders?" I'm a huge fan of Google

Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts Improve Productivity
One of the biggest arguments I've heard against using Gmail is that desktop clients like

Camcorders

Tips for Shooting Video in the Snow
"Everytime I record videos of my dog playing in the snow, they come out looking

Capture HDV Direct to Hard Drive
"I don't like spending time capturing high definition video from tapes I record with my

Editing DVD Camcorder Movies with Easy Media Creator
Chris writes, "I have a Sony DCR DVD403. I purchased the camcorder with the understanding

Editing Sony AVCHD Files in Pinnacle Studio
Steve writes, "I have recently purchased a Sony HDR-SR8E with USB2 input/output. I have just

Flip Video Camera
If you're in the market for an ultra-portable, highly affordable camcorder, the Flip Video

Arcade Games

Tribal Trouble 2 Walkthrough, Cheats and Tips for TribalTrouble2.com
Tribal Trouble 2 takes the Oddlabs viking crew online for a multiplayer experience a bit

Civony Tips Help and Video Walkthrough
Civony is another of the increasingly popular massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG) available

Three Free Game Downloads
Amazon launched a new Game Downloads store this week. In honor of the occasion, you

Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst
The Mystery Case Files game series is by far the best of the hidden object

Righteous Kill Puzzle Game
Loosely inspired by the recent Al Pacino and Robert De Niro movie of the

AVCHD Help

What is AVCHD Lite?
"What is the difference between AVCHD and AVCHD Lite?" As if things weren't confusing enough

m2ts Plays Video but no Audio
"When I try to play m2ts files they cannot open and I have to right-click,

Mac vs. PC for Editing AVCHD
"I just bought a Canon HF100 and want to get a new computer. I have

How to Play AVCHD Camcorder Movies in Windows Media Player
"Is there any way to play the movies from my AVCHD Camcorder in Windows Media

Editing AVCHD on Mac OS X with iMovie or Final Cut
"I have a Sony AVCHD camcorder. iMovie doesn't recognize the camcorder files. How can I

Featured Resources

How to choose the right Identity Protection service.
Read our comparison of identity protection options to help you pick the best one for your family.

Master Home Movie Editing
Read a detailed guide on how to improve your home movies.

Instantly Fix Driver Problems
Find missing drivers on your XP or Vista PC.

Back up your iPod
iPod Access backs up your iPod music library and transfer songs to a new computer.

Convert Vinyl to MP3 or CD
Convert your Vinyl LPs and Cassettes to CD or MP3 using a simple software solution.

Camcorder Help

Vista Photo Gallery Has EATEN My Photos -- Now WTF DO I DO?

Publish Does Not Maintain HD Look

Burning recorded radio

Burning recorded radio

How to convert video files to MP4/3GP/WMV/FLV and other video formats

Re: Why does cursor rapidly blink w/ "Vista hourglass" when WMP is ope

test

moviemaker: expand video track

DVD from DV tape not quite the quality

HDR-SR11 & SR5 (Buffer Overflow messages

Transfer from Canon ZR45mc

Moviemaker: Expand video track

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How to Enjoy Your Favorite Videos on Portable Devices at Will For Mac Users

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