Recently in Mac Category

When I need to do a Windows screen recording, I use Camtasia from TechSmith. Nothing else comes close to offering the rich set of features. When I need to do a screen recording on Mac OS X, I'm left feeling disappointed because none of the alternatives match my experience with using Camtasia in Windows. I've heard rumors from TechSmith for a couple years about a coming Camtasia for Mac OS X. Now they are finally coming true. Announced on the Visual Lounge on August 7, Camtasia for Mac OS X launches on August 25, 2009. What this means for me is less dread in doing Mac screen recordings. I can't wait!

"How does a Windows user upload to my public directory on iDisk?"

Uploading to an iDisk public directory is basically the same for both Windows and Mac users. For it to work properly you need to have the correct permissions set and there may be a password required from the iDisk account holder. Here's how to upload from Windows or Mac to a public directory on iDisk:

"Can you recommend a good fax app or online fax service for my MacBook with OSX?"

If you only need to send a fax with your Mac, my recommended solution would be to visit free fax site FaxZero. It allows you to enter the recipient of your fax and upload a file to send as a fax. If you want to receive a fax on your Mac, you will need a different solution because FaxZero is only designed for sending faxes.

"How can I convert my old vinyl records to MP3 on a Mac? You recommend SpinItAgain for Windows, but what can I use to convert vinyl LPs on Mac OS X?"

There are many audio recording apps available for Mac OS X, including the popular iLife application GarageBand. If you connect a record player or USB turntable like the Ion to your Mac, you can record vinyl using GarageBand as if it were an instrument. That method is complicated and filled with extra steps, so I don't recommend it. Instead, I suggest using CD Spin Doctor, which comes very close to offering the same ease of use I find so wonderful about SpinItAgain.

"How can I convert WMA to MP3 on Mac OS X?"

I've previously covered solutions for converting WMA to MP3 on Windows, as well as a method to convert WMA to MP3 with iTunes. Unfortunately, the iTunes method that works well for Windows users isn't an option with iTunes on a Mac. To go from WMA to MP3 on OS X, you need to enlist the help of additional software.

"I saw your video about connecting a Mac Mini to an HDTV. I've got a Mac Mini and an HDTV and I want to stream tv shows from the HDTV to the Mac (so that I can do HD screen captures). Is this possible?"

It is possible to record and capture HDTV with your Mac, although what you can actually capture varies depending on what your HD video source is (Cable, Satellite, over-the-air) and how powerful your Mac is. I'll outline a few potential solutions that should deliver some or all of what you'd like to do in streaming HDTV to your Mac.

"I just bought a Canon HF100 and want to get a new computer. I have always used PCs but am considering a Mac. I have spent days online researching the two options and cannot make up my mind. It seems that the Mac and PC options are both very slow and difficult. I want to record home video on HF100, burn raw AVCHD to standard DVD for permanent backup, do some editing and then burn to standard DVD in 1080 to watch on my PS3 without any noticeable degradation. Based on the simple things I want to do with my new camcorder, what do you suggest I buy and what steps should I follow to get 1080 to
standard DVD for PS3."

There's really no right answer here, both Mac and PC solutions will get you the result you want. AVCHD video files are more complex to edit than the tape HDV format and will take longer to work with as a result. Here's some suggestions to help narrow down your choice:

"How can I upload photos from iPhoto to my Flickr account on my Mac?"

There are several ways you can upload photos to Flickr from iPhoto, although several of them are convoluted. One way is to export photos from iPhoto to a folder on your Mac and then use the Flickr upload page to individually select each photo. Flickr recommends a $15 utility to automate the process, but you don't need to pay anything. There is a great free way to upload photos to Flickr automatically without ever leaving iPhoto.

Download Free Flickr eXport iPhoto Plugin

Requirements for using this are:

iPhoto �05 or newer
Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) or newer
Flickr account

After installing FFXporter, you may need to restart iPhoto in order to use it. Select some images in iPhoto, then choose File > Export from the menu. Choose the FFXporter tab. The first time you use FFXporter it will take you to a page on Flickr.com where you will approve it for use with our Flickr account. After that you can just sign in when you export files.

From the FFXporter menu, you can set preferences for the group of photos you are uploading and create a photo set if you need a new one. After exporting is complete, FFXporter can take you to your Flickr account where you can modify details about your photos or share them with more of your Flickr friends.

"I have a MiniDV camcorder that uses FireWire to transfer video to my current MacBook. I want to upgrade to a new MacBook Pro, but they use FireWire 800 which is a different connection. Can I still use my camcorder with my new Mac, or do I need to buy a new camcorder if I buy a new MacBook Pro?"

At least you're looking at the new MacBook Pro, which offers FireWire 800 as an option. The new 13-inch MacBook doesn't have any FireWire port. FireWire 800 is backward compatible with previous IEEE 1394 connections, including the one on your MiniDV camcorder. You simply need a new 4-pin FireWire (connection on camcorder) to 9-pin Firewire (FireWire 800) cable to connect your camcorder to your new MacBook Pro. Amazon currently sells 4-pin to 9-pin FireWire cables for under $20.

"With the recent announcement by Apple to use DisplayPort and not HDMI on MacBook laptops, how can I connect one of these new Macs to an HDMI port on my HDTV?"

Like many quirks in connecting external displays to an laptop, it's all about having the right adapter. I find it frustrating Apple didn't include an HDMI port on the new MacBook line, but the solution for connecting your HDTV via the DisplayPort is only a $13 adapter away. A number of online retailers offer DisplayPort to HDMI adapters, although so far I haven't seen them in any real world retail stores. In the short term, it may be tricky to track down the MacBook variation of this, which requires a Mini DisplayPort. Keep your eye on my favorite place to shop for this type of thing — Monoprice.com, which offers highly competitive prices on products I consistently find reliable. They currently offer full sized DisplayPort adapters for connecting to HDMI. Once available, a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter will connect to your DisplayPort on the side of your MacBook, then you use a normal HDMI cable to connect from the adapter to your HDTV.

DisplayPort is a VESA standard and handles both audio and video over the same cable, similar to the way HDMI works. This connection should support both audio and video from your MacBook, the same way HDMI would, although I haven't been able to verify that MacBook DisplayPort connections support audio.

If you've been waiting for a Blu-ray burner to add to your Mac toolset, MCE has finally brought that wait to a close with their new 6x Blu-ray Recordable Drive for Mac Pro and Power Mac systems. Still no love if you're using a MacBook, but it's a good start. Of course, simply having a burner only gets you part of the way, if you really want a useful Blu-ray burning experience with your Mac, you also need a copy of Toast Titanium. MCE offers a Blu-ray burning plug-in for Toast that ties the whole thing together. In theory this also adds Blu-ray and HD-DVD playback to your Mac, although I'm not aware of any software that plays either format on a Mac for now. The standalone drive currently goes for $499, or $599 if you want a copy of Toast with it. There's also an external drive for $749, but you could likely make your own using the internal drive and a DIY external drive case (which would make the drive function with your MacBook).

The number of choices available for tuning television on a Mac remain rather limited, so it's good to see AVerMedia crossing over from the Windows world to provide a Mac solution. At Computex 2008, AVerMedia showed off the new AVerTV DVB-T tuner for Mac OS X. It works with the Mac remote, integrating easily into existing systems. The DVB-T solution connects via USB, with additional "rabbit ears" antenna that clips on the top of a MacBook and easily folds away for travel. While this doesn't expand the device choices for the US market, since there is no DVB-T in the US, it shows a promise of things to come as AVerMedia plans to adapt the existing DVB-T tuner into something that functions with US television standards later this year. The device also works with Windows. Pricing should be available later this month.

I'm thinking about getting a Mac as a second computer at home. I'm not sure I want to spend the money on a new Mac, because it might not get used much. Is there anywhere I can purchase a used Mac?

One obvious place to look for used Apple hardware is the online Apple Store. There are plenty of refurbished Macs available direct from Apple. Depending on what you're looking for, you can find great deals there. Sometimes refurbished means the computer was a dud in the first place, so tread with caution.

Another smart alternative is to look for a reseller specializing in used Mac computers. The trick here is to find a company with a good reputation and good customer service. It's also important to look for competitive pricing. One place you might look for a used Mac is DV Warehouse. The company has a long history of servicing the video editing industry with quality gear and they have one of the largest selections of used Mac hardware I've found online. More importantly, they score well with online shoppers according to their PriceGrabber ratings. If you're wanting older Mac hardware, DV Warehouse may be the only place to find the used Mac you need.

Before you decide on a place to make a purchase, do some research to make sure other shoppers were happy. Places like PriceGrabber (mentioned above), Shopping.com or eBay all have rating systems to give you an idea of what kind of shopping experience to expect.

"I have a Sony AVCHD camcorder. iMovie doesn't recognize the camcorder files. How can I edit the files on my AVCHD camcorder with my Mac?"

AVCHD support has been inconsistent for both Mac and Windows users. The format varies slightly depending on whether your camera is from Sony, Panasonic, or Canon. For Mac users, software support varies depending on which versions of iMovie, Final Cut Express, or Final Cut Pro you happen to be running. I personally prefer Final Cut Express to iMovie for editing on a Mac, but the correct version of either will work.

"I've been a PC user for years and recently got a new Mac. I know I can map a network drive between two Windows computers, but how do I share files with my Mac?"

Mapping a network drive is frustrating even between two PCs. The drive map occasionally gets disconnected and you can't always get the stuff you need do to permissions issues. I prefer to use a secure sharing method Brandon recommended called FolderShare. It's currently the easiest way I've found to consistently share files between my Mac and Windows machines at home (or from anywhere). Microsoft is the creator of FolderShare, which means it's not likely to go out of business anytime soon. It's also free, making it a highly cost effective way to share files. Here's how to set up FolderShare.

Installing FolderShare Support

Before you can share files with FolderShare, you need to install a small utility on each computer you want to access, which you download from FolderShare. After installing the utility, it will prompt you to setup an account. Repeat this step on both the Mac and PC you want to access files from.

You define which computers get access to FolderShare and which files are shared in your trusted network, meaning that any files you share will be accessible only from your login credentials. After installing the utility on each computer, you can define resources on each computer that stay in sync with each other.

All the connections to FolderShare are encrypted, so there's no risk of anyone else access your data (unless you're stupid and choose an easy password). This increases security if you're connecting over a wireless network, because the encrypted data will not be sniffed the way it could be if you were merely mapping a drive. And the reliability of the sharing is far greater than what you get with mapping a network drive.

Another useful feature is the ability to share files securely with friends. In addition to sharing files with your own computers, you can choose to share specific files with friends, who then get the same encrypted access to the files you specify. This comes in handy if you collaborate with people in other cities, or if you simply want to share files easily with someone else. Four permission levels make sure you only allow the access you want to files, Reading, Adding new Files, Changing and Deleting Files, and Changing Permissions on Files.

"I saw your article on playing RMVB files for Windows users, but how can I play RMVB files on my Mac? QuickTime won't play RMVB files. iTunes won't play RMVB files. What can I do?"

The solution for playing RMVB files on a Mac is almost identical to the solution for Windows users. You need to download an additional software player that supports RMVB playback. At the moment, Macs are basically limited to one RMVB playback option - Download RealPlayer. The Mac version of RealPlayer is the only thing I've found that consistently plays RMVB files. In addition to playing RMVB files, the Mac RealPlayer also supports downloading videos from places like YouTube, DailyMotion, MySpace, MetaCafe and many others, which comes in handy if you want to save online videos to your hard drive and convert them for playback on your iPod later.

Download RealPlayer for Mac

Bonus Tip: If you want to play RMVB files and burn them to DVD, sign up for a free SuperPass trial. You get RealPlayer Plus as part of the trial package and you can always cancel before the end of the trial.