Manifest Tech Blog

On of the less flashy pleasures brought by our connectivity to the Web is Internet Radio and music services -- that can deliver our favorite music anytime and anywhere, to a PC, portable player, or cell phone.

Internet Radio stations are often existing radio broadcasters that also stream their signal over the Web (see Wikipedia article - and list of stations).

Services like Live365 provide convenient listings to explore the thousands of available stations, searching by genre and location.

Instead of listening to a specific radio station, other services like Last.fm are more focused on helping you customize your own listening experience.

With Last.fm, you develop a profile of your interests which connects you with other people with similar interests. You can start with specific stations, genres, or artists, as well as preview individual tracks. Then explore your individual interests, personal recommendations and similar artists from Last.fm, as well as shared music from other users and groups.

Or connect to Slacker Personal Radio, choose your genre and style, and listen for free (albeit with ads).

Even better, you can explore new music and then customize your own stations to enjoy just your favorite styles and artists (and ban those you don't like). It's still like listening to a radio playlist, except you can really customize the type of music, and see the playlist so you can skip ahead over individual songs.

Slacker offers more than 100 expert-programmed stations, plus over 10,000 artist stations. And this is the full range of music -- Slacker has licensing agreements with all the major record labels, as well as thousands of independent labels. But these licenses require a radio-like experience -- you can't skip backwards to replay a specific song, although you can pause playback.

Slacker also has recently introduced the Slacker G2 portable player that automatically refreshes your favorite stations over USB or Wi-Fi so you can listen on the go. It's $199 for 4 GB / 25 stations / 2500 songs, $249 for 8 GB / 40 stations / 4000 songs -- plus space for personal storage.

You also can sign up for the Slacker Premium Radio service to avoid the ads ($7.50 to $9.99 a month), request specific songs (like calling in a request to the DJ), and save favorite songs to listen to later on the computer or the Slacker player.

Also try Pandora Radio, which creates personalized radio stations that play music related to your favorite artist, song, or composer -- choosing music with similar music styles based on the Music Genome Project. Be sure to check out the explanation of why each song was selected, to see the musical details that match your original selection.

You can register for free to save your stations, and share stations with other listeners. Pandora also is available on cell phones from Sprint and AT&T, including the iPhone. and on home players including the Sonos and Logitech Squeezebox. Pandora also is ad-supported, or subscribe for ad-free listening ($36 a year).

Maybe it's time to rediscover the joy of music, and find some new favorites.

Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 shipped in October 2008, with deeper support for developing advanced websites.

Dreamweaver CS4 is easier to use, having adopted the Adobe interface design, especially for customizing your workspace.

For editing individual pages, the new Live View mode lets you design pages in the fully-rendered browser view, and simultaneously view and update the underlying raw HTML. You also can directly access related files including linked CSS styles, with assists for creating styles with CSS best practices.

For creating more dynamic sites, Dreamweaver can incorporate popular Ajax and JavaScript frameworks, for example displaying interactive data by using Spry Data Sets to load content from simple HTML tables.

If you're familiar with Web design, and interested in learning Dreamweaver CS4, check out Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques.

The author, David Karlins, is a Web designer, teacher, and digital graphics consultant, and the author of more than 20 books on digital graphic and interactive design

This book is not for novices; it does not spend time on basic Web design (HTML and CSS), or on explaining the general Adobe user interface. Instead the first chapter skips basic page design to dive right in to the logistics of managing an entire website of files, and updating them to a remote site.

The first half of the book then steps through important techniques in building pages, including tables, divs, text, images, style sheets, and templates and libraries shared across the site. Each of these 100 techniques explains the idea, steps through the operation (with screen shots), and includes additional tips.

The second half of the book covers interactive content, including pages built with live data, Spry validation for user input, Spry effects, JavaScript behaviors, and embedded video clips. The last chapter then covers testing and maintaining sites, especially for browser compatibility.

Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 How-Tos is targeted to an intermediate audience, with enough Web experience to understand how to apply these various techniques in a larger project, and enough experience with earlier versions of Dreamweaver or similar products to be able to dive in to the instructions. For example, chapter 5 dives into Dreamweaver's Absolute Placement Objects / divs, and then only later discusses CSS divs -- there's no general introductory context explaining these, or why it's useful to use divs for page layout.

The 100 Essential Techniques are exactly that, clear explanations of how to perform important page and site design functions with Dreamweaver, from basic formatting to more advanced interactivity.

See full article: Summary: Adobe Creative Suite 4 for a summary of the CS4 suites and individual applications.

    Find Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 How-Tos on Amazon.com

    Find the Adobe CS4 Web Suite Suite on Amazon.com

Internet radio services like Slacker and Pandora extend traditional broadcast radio in two ways: with customized channels and with enhanced playback (see previous post). You not only can choose from a wide range of pre-programmed "channels" with a wide variety of genres, but you also can customize your own personal channels with specific artists, as well as have these services help you discover new music that fits the style of your favorites.

Playback on a computer also provides the ability to better enjoy the music. You have more control -- you can pause and continue later, and skip forward to the next track. And you have more information -- including the playlist and upcoming track, artist and album reviews, and lists of related artists.

Slacker has just taken this idea further by adding song lyrics, so you can read (and even sing) along with the music. The free add-supported Slacker Basic Radio service displays a few lines of lyrics, but this is designed as an incentive to upgrade to the Slacker Radio Plus service ($47.88 annual subscription, or $3.99 per month). The Plus service adds the full song lyrics from LyricFind, unlimited skips, unlimited song requests, and ad-free listening.

And Internet radio has gone mobile -- Slacker and the Plus service with lyrics also is available on laptops, BlackBerry and iPhone, Sony BRAVIA TV, and the Slacker G2 portable player (see previous post).

As the record labels struggle with the digital revolution, these kinds of services offer an easy way to extend broadcast radio to explore and discover a wide range of music, and enjoy learning more about the artists and the music.

See my Portable Media Players Gallery for more on music and media players.

    Find the Slacker G2 on Amazon.com

Jan Ozer is a regular presenter at the Streaming Media East conference (see previous posts).

This year he kicked off the week with a half-day seminar on Encoding H.264 Video for Streaming and Progressive Download, following up on his presentation last year on Comparing Video Codecs (see 2008 post), as also covered in his book on Critical Skills for Streaming Producers (see previous post).

Then Ozer had some fun with his conference session on Tuesday, with a session of sage advice on Improving Your Video Quality for Streaming Production.

His bottom line is that video "should look as good as photos shot with a still camera." With today's progressive video cameras and good production values you should be able to shoot great-looking video that compresses well and still looks good after streaming.

This requires paying attention to what you are shooting, paying attention to the compression process, and working though the whole process -- including previewing the compression -- to make sure it all looks good.

UPDATE: The presentations from the conference sessions and workshops are posted at www.streamingmedia.com/east. And many of the videos from the conference and associated Content Delivery Summit are now available at www.streamingmedia.com/videos.

Download Ozer's presentation on Video Quality for Streaming Production (PDF).

More on Ozer's advice on better streaming video ...

So what is Google Docs? It's free online storage for your office files (documents, spreadsheets, presentations). Plus online editing of office documents, with no desktop application required. So you don't have to carry your files with you, or sync them between different computers -- you can store and organize and edit and share them, all from the online cloud (though there are some limitations depending on the file formats).

You can share your documents with others, by invitation or through authorized Google Accounts. You even can collaboratively edit documents with multiple people.

And there's more -- Google Docs is also a great way to share your existing files (and collections of documents) without needing to convert them to HTML or manage multiple versions in different formats.

You can Publish documents to a webpage, and Google Docs converts your file to formatted HTML, and returns a custom URL to the page. You then can share the link privately by e-mail, or post it on the web for anyone to access.

To build your online collection of files, you can upload (and download) files in a variety of formats, including documents (Word, OpenOffice, RTF, HTML text), spreadsheets (xls, .csv, .txt and .ods), and presentations (.ppt and .pps). And you can export to PDF and HTML. Or upload documents by e-mail by sending to a custom e-mail address -- as the body of the message or with attachments.

Google Docs is part of the Google Apps suite of Web services, including Gmail, Google Talk, and Google Calendar, and works with the single Google Account login.

Of course, for Web communicators, Google Docs is also great for linking documents from your posts on Google's Blogger service -- for free, simple, but customizable blogs.

The WebAround is a simple idea, nicely realized, to help you make better-looking, more professional webcam videos.

The problem with shooting informal Web videos is that it's just not very classy to shoot clips that show the clutter of your office (much less your home) behind you -- and it also lowers the quality of your video by wasting compression on the details in the background. Instead, you can present a much nicer look by positioning a clean backdrop behind you. But it's a pain to set up and break down a backdrop in a cramped and temporary space, or to try to hang and drape cloths around.

Instead, the WebAround is a flexible, collapsible, portable webcam backdrop. It's made from a light-weight nylon material, opens to a circle 40 inches in diameter, and -- here's the best part -- it has an adjustable strap to stand it up by slipping it over the back of a chair. Just set it up, sit down, and you're shooting in your own personal studio. This also gives you some privacy when you're working in an open space.

When you're done, the WebAround folds up to around 15 inches. You can clean it with a damp rag, and use a streamer or iron to remove wrinkles.

The WebAround is available for $29.95 in green, gray, or blue, and comes with a 30 day money back guarantee. You can also order it with custom designs or logos.

There's also a new reversible green screen / blue screen version with a surface designed for chroma-key work.

Logitech has an extensive line of QuickCam Webcams for notebooks and desktop use, ranging from around $29 to $129, some with built-in mics, high-quality glass lenses, autofocus, and even motorized tracking.

These are compatible with video instant messaging and calling applications like Windows Live Messenger, AIM, Yahoo! Messenger, and Skype. And Logitech includes several QuickCam software applications for capturing photos and sending video e-mail, options to enhance the video and audio quality, plus Video Effects to overlay fun face masks and decorations and apply photographic-style filters.

But Logitech has found in its consumer research that setting up IM applications for video can be difficult, and trying to use them can be confusing as the video part gets lost among all the other features. Meanwhile, Logitech acquired SightSpeed last year to develop its own video calling technology and services. (SightSpeed offers consumer video calling services including video e-mail, and business video conferencing with 4- and 9-way connections and collaboration.)

The result is today's introduction of Logitech Vid, simple video conferencing software for PC or Mac. Vid has a simple setup, which uses e-mail addresses to identify you and your contacts. It automatically finds your webcam, mic, and speakers, although you can change them in the settings dialog. (It also automatically reduces background noise and performs echo cancellation.) There's also a handy Practice Call option on the main screen to record a brief clip to test your equipment.

The main screen then shows thumbnail photos of your friends, so you can just click to start a video chat. Again, there aren't a lot of confusing options -- just mute, full-screen display, and picture-in-picture to show your local camera view. It also works fine without a camera for audio chats. You can leave Vid running in the background to show other users that you are available, and respond to calls.

The video is good quality, VGA 640 x 480 resolution, at full 30 frames per second. It's designed to run over a 768 Kbps connection (receive and send), but will run down to a minimum of 256 Kbps.

Vid is compatible with SightSpeed and Dell Video Chat, but does not work with the various instant messaging and calling applications -- although you still can run them on the same machine.

Logitech is making Vid available as a free download for users with Logitech webcams. You also can send e-mail invitations to friends to download the software for free and connect with you, no matter what kind of webcam they are using.

Otherwise, if you don't have a Logitech webcam and have not received an invite, you still can use Vid on a 30-day trial basis. You can't by the software by itself, but you can get a Logitech webcam (starting at $29) to authorize the software -- or find an old model.

See more on webcams in my Home Media Gallery

Find the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000
and QuickCam Pro for Notebooks on Amazon.com

If you're interested in getting a webcam and using software like Logitech Vid to chat with friends and family (see previous post), then Logitech has a nice selection to choose from.

The Logitech QuickCam webcam line starts at $29, with cameras that can sit on a desk or clamp onto monitors, and notebook cameras designed for travel.

You can start at around $29 to $39 with the Logitech QuickCam Connect and QuickCam for Notebooks, VGA-resolution cameras (640x480) with a built-in microphone for headset-free calling, and Logitech's RightSound technology for reduced background noise and echo cancellation. [image: QuickCam Connect with now-traditional eyeball design]

Then step up to higher-res sensors, higher-quality glass lenses, RightLight 2 technology for dimly lit scenes or poor backlight, Carl Zeiss Optics, and autofocus. The QuickCam Orbit AF ($129) even has motorized tracking to follow as you move around the room.

Near the top of the line are the QuickCam Pro 9000 and QuickCam Pro for Notebooks (each $99), with all of the above (except tracking), featuring a 2 megapixel sensor for up to 1600 x 1200 video, and photos enhanced up to 8 MP. [image: QuickCam Pro for Notebooks]

Logitech also bundles a variety of software with the higher-end camera, including Logitech Video Effects, Fun Filters, Intelligent Face Tracking, HP Photosmart Essential (to capture, edit, and print images), and video chat and conferencing software (Windows Live Messenger, Skype, Yahoo Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger).

Interestingly, in this age of rapid product innovation and turn-over, Logitech's webcams have amazing longevity -- the QuickCam Pros and QuickCam for Notebooks were intorduced in 2007, and the QuickCam Connect in 2006. Even more amazing, Logitech has been able to hold the price points on these products (which were aggressively priced to begin with). Meanwhile, Logitech has upgraded its software and added new applications like the Vid video conferencing -- check the support area on the website for QuickCam software updates.

See more on webcams in my Home Media Gallery

Find the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000
and QuickCam Pro for Notebooks on Amazon.com

Companies continuously struggle to understand their customers and deliver products to the market. Marketing, according to the American Marketing Association, is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.

This is what companies are supposed to be doing with their products. In olden days, buyers and sellers would congregate face-to-face in the market square by the castle walls. But in our modern world, getting products like music CDs to customers requires difficult logistics to first estimate sales volumes, and then ship from factory to distribution centers to independent retailers, with the hope that the stores will display and promote the discs in sync with the national advertizing campaign.

Then, at the turn of the millennium came the dawn of digital distribution, and the original Napster. This should have been a marketeer's dream, the ultimate gift to the recording industry from music fans -- A pre-built electronic market square, created by a self-organized group of enthusiastic consumers, coming together to communicate, deliver, and exchange, based on their love of music (and incidentally providing detailed information about their interests).

But instead of taking advantage of the opportunity, the recording industry chopped up Napster with lawsuits, only to see new versions of sharing services regrow, hydra-like, which then needed to be cauterized with even more lawsuits, ad infinitum.

To push the metaphor, instead of building on Napster to promote music and nurture digital distribution, the recording industry redefined its role into an endless Labours of Hercules, suing not only its impassioned customers (and grandmothers in the line of fire), but also visionary entrepreneurs who wanted to grow new businesses around music.

The result, of course, was to allow Apple innovate its way into dominating digital music with the Apple iTunes store, making a very nice business out of selling inexpensive music (and video) to promote its quite profitable sales of iPods and now iPhones.

And now the latest data from The NPD Group shows that Apple has increased its strength, not just in digital music, but in the entire retail music category -- iTunes has 25% of the U.S. retail music market, with Walmart second at 14% and Best Buy third (in music units sold). Apple's share has grown from 14% in 2007 and 21% in 2008.

Apple also continues to lead in digital music in the first half of 2009, with iTunes at 69% of consumer downloads, followed by AmazonMP3 at 8%. In old-fashioned physical CDs, Walmart leads with 20%, followed by Best Buy at 16% and Target and Amazon tied at 10%. (These numbers are based on consumer tracking, and exclude ringtones and subscription music.)

For the moment, CDs remain the most popular format for paid music purchases with 65% of all music sold in the first half of 2009, compared to 35% for paid digital downloads, which has grown from 20% in 2007 and 30% in 2008. But NPD predicts that digital music sales will nearly equal CD sales by the end of 2010.

That's what happens when you look a gift horse in the mouth -- and then reject it. Instead of managing the market by working with the original Napster, the recording industry handed the reins to Apple. That horse has left the barn.

(with Tim Geoghan)

Media player software continues to expand its scope -- from playback of local files to streaming media and CD and DVD, to acquisition with audio CD ripping, to sharing with CD burning. And now RealNetworks has taken the next step with the release of a the eleventh edition of its media player, now called RealPlayer SP.

RealPlayer SP is for our YouTube and Twitter world. The "SP" stands for "Social" and "Portable," and the new RealPlayer now grabs and downloads video clips from Internet sites like YouTube, converts to a variety of file formats for portable and home devices, transfers clips to your iTunes library, copies directly to attached portable devices including media players and cell phones, and shares online to Facebook and Twitter.

The basic player is a free download, and there's also a RealPlayer SP Plus version for $39.99, with support for DVD playback and burning, plus higher quality H.264 video conversion for other devices like the Sony PlayStation 3 and PSP.

RealPlayer SP starts as a universal media player and organizer that supports the major media formats (including Flash, QuickTime MPEG-4, Windows Media, DVDs and CDs). It also can acquire new media by ripping CDs and, in the Plus version, by recording vinyl and tapes and voice. However, the organizer does not have the range of options for visually exploring your media and cover art as found in other players, such as Album / Artist in Windows Media Player and Cover Flow in QuickTime Player.

Plus RealPlayer SP is a streaming Internet player, designed as an integrated player and browser, so you can access and play online clips through RealGuide, Internet radio, and the RealNetworks subscription services. The LivePause and Perfect Play features allow you to pause, rewind, and fast-forward through live audio or video clips while they play, providing instant replays.

And now RealPlayer SP adds the ability to download video from the Web. Downloading is very easy: Just browse video sites as usual in your regular browser, and you'll see a new Download This Video button above the video window. Click to start downloading (including multiple files at once), and then choose to convert formats, copy to portable devices, or share online. Or use the separate RealPlayer SP Converter application to convert multiple files to multiple formats, using a built-in list of devices and formats, or customize your own.

However, RealPlayer is burdened by a second purpose: promoting the RealNetworks stable of subscription services and download stores. To support all this, the RealPlayer interface is browser-based, so you never know what will happen when you click. Four of the seven main tabs at the top of the main window are for these services -- three tabs display player information (My Library, Now Playing), while the four others jump to websites.

And unlike the on-line guides in other player applications, which are focused on immediately playable content, the options in Real Guide again link to even more Real sites. To add to the confusion, while some of these sites at least are obviously identified as Real properties (e.g., Rhapsody, RealArcade, Real Mobile), others avoid the affiliation even if you are looking for it (e.g., GameHouse, Film.com, Rolling Stone). The main Real Guide site also is festooned with ads.

Clicking within these sites is additional exercise in the unexpected -- you may go to another website, or start a clip playing in another tab, or have your entire context disappear into a full-screen video advertisement, or cause a new pop-up RealPlayer browser window, or even pop up a external window in Internet Explorer.

But once you understand this dual purpose, RealPlayer SP makes sense as a media player, plus as a gateway to other Real services. But it's the download / convert / copy / share features that make it stand out. This is about as easy as it can get, not for only cleanly grabbing online videos, but for solving the entire problem -- getting clips where you want them, in the right format, and even transferred directly to a portable device.

See my full article -- RealPlayer SP Media Player: Download and Share Internet Videos