Codecs and the associated parameters

What are codecs?
A codec is a computer program that compresses/decompresses digital data according to a given file format or streaming format.
Ref URL - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codec

The relationship between a codec and a container :
Codec is the program used to code / decode OR compress / decompress raw data (called 'essence'). Container is the format that allows the compressed / coded data to be encapsulated and stored in a single place along with the meta data (meta data is the data used for things like synchronization of audio and video in case of formats that contain both kinds of data). So, effectively a container might contain different types of codecs (only some containers are codec specific). e.g. - In case of the Ogg Vorbis audio format, Ogg is the container and Vorbis is the codec. Ogg can contain several other codecs like FLAC and Speex. The combination of a container and a codec creates the entity known as a file format (compression format).
NOTE - In real life, codec and file format, are terms which ppl tend to use interchangeably.

Are codecs software specific?
Codecs are NOT software specific. They basically refer to a standard that can be implement in different ways by different multimedia applications (something on the lines of the TCP / IP protocal being a standard that is implemented in different ways by different OSs). Normally, the codec implementation will NOT be an integral part of the application... rather it will be a separate configurable plug-in. This gives a person (as well as the application developer) more control over what codecs he wants to add or remove support for.

Codec comparision shoot out :
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1560783,00.asp

Parameters associated with codecs :
To understand the parameters that define a particular file format, we need to understand how analog signal is converted into digital. This is done by taking samples from the analog signal at certain regular time intervals. These intervals are expressed in terms of a parameter known as the 'sampling frequency'.
Sampling freq (in Hz) = No. of samples taken per sec

Another critical factor when talking about A to D conversion is the amount of data that can be captured per sample. This is expressed in terms of the 'bit depth'.
Bit depth = The no. of bits used to express the magnitude of a particular data sample.
e.g. - a bit depth of 8 bits means that a particular data sample can assume one amongst 2 to the power 8 values (thus implying that greater data has been captured).

The 'data rate / bit rate' for the conversion is another key parameter. It is actually dependent on the sampling freq and the bit depth
Bit rate (in bits per sec) = Sampling freq (Hz) * Bit depth (bits)

If we were just talking about uncompressed audio, then mentioning ANY two of these three parameters - Sampling freq, Bit depth and Bit rate, would have sufficed (normally, we tend to define the first two parameters)... but, in case of compressed audio, things change a little bit...

For compressed audio (assuming that the compression algorithm is 'lossy' one), the actual bit rate is FAR lesser than the ideal bit rate (as calculated using the formula given above).
So, Bit rate (for compressed audio format) = Actual bit rate - X (loss factor)

Hence, when talking about compressed audio, mentioning all the three parameters - sampling freq, bit depth and bit rate, becomes essential. In fact, the bit rate parameter overshadows the other two.

So, e.g. - when we talk about MP3 encoding, we can list the parameters as -
Sampling freq = 44.1 KHz
Bit rate = 128 Kbps
and so on...

NOTE - In this post I haven't yet discussed the concept of Variable Bit Rate (VBR), more about that later on...

Ogg Vorbis audio format

Played my first Ogg Vorbis (.ogg) encoded file today. It was the song "Somewhere I belong" by Linkin Park. Ogg Vorbis is also a lossy compression audio format like MP3, but then it has the following pros and cons compared to that format.

Pros :
(a) It is a free, open source and unpatented format. In case of the mp3 format, the musician distributing the song in the mp3 format has to pay a certain fee to Fraunhofer, cause their format is a patented one.
(b) Produces files of smaller size and of better quality than their mp3 counterpart (at least the makers of this format claim so... still have to verify their claim myself).

Cons :
(a) It is not that well supported by different portable music players and software. For example, the Windows Media Player still does not support it natively (not without installing a codec specifically for that purpose).
(b) .WAV to .OGG conversion normally takes more time than a .MP3 to .OGG conversion (all the other factors staying the same).

More stuff about Ogg Vorbis :
(1) Some Windows software that support Ogg Vorbis files - Winamp, Sonic, JetAudio... Another cool music player would be the 'Coolplayer'. It is a verrrrrrrry light-weight player and an extremely small download (318 KB only). You can download coolpayer from - http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/coolplayer/CoolPlayer215_Bin.zip?download

(2) To play Ogg Vorbis files in Windows Media Player, you need to download extra codecs. You can know more about Windows Media Player support for Ogg Vorbis at the URL - http://windowsxp.mvps.org/ogg.htm

NOTE - I tried installing both the codecs listed on this web-site, unfortunately, I did not have any success with either of them (but then, I was trying them on a system that had loads of account restrictions... hope you have better luck with them than I did).

(3) Some conversion software that you can use with the Ogg Vorbis format are -
Ogg Converter (.wav to .ogg and vice versa, .ogg to .mp3 and vice versa) : a trial software.
URL - http://www.ogg-converter.com/

For more info about Ogg Vorbis check out -
http://www.vorbis.com/faq.psp
http://www.pcquest.com/content/search/showarticle.asp?artid=45401

For general information on audio formats check out - http://207.182.248.164/docs/digital_audio_formats.htm

Bro's tips :
More on Ogg Vorbis...I wrote and compared various formats in 2001: http://www.pcquest.com/content/search/showarticle.asp?artid=25477

I've been testing MP3, OGG and AAC on my Nokia 3650 lately and OGG is superior to them all. Also the file size is small. I can fit around 100 songs in under 100 MB of space on my MMC card! AAC (its a MP4 container) is promising but I'm yet to finalize the correct encoding parameters for it. There is a fantastic convertor for WAV to OGG called OggDropXPd. I've been using it since an year now. Its great and I think its downloadable from the Ogg site somewhere. Its only a 240 kB download. Another universal and simple encoder/ convertor is dBPowerAmp. Its simply amazing.

Me, Bacchi and Trillian

Hi, this is how I look at present. Notice, the dishevelled hair... bacchi says that I always have my hair that way. And I love her for noticing that about me...:)

Btw , 'bacchi' is my wife. ;)

Checked out Trillian 3.1 finally today. It is beautiful! Guys, dump all ur different IM clients and jump for this Jabber client...

RSS (Really Simple Syndication)

RSS, known by a variety of names like 'Really Simple Syndication' or 'Rich Site Summary'... is a way of getting information to get to ur desktop, rather than u going to the web-sites carrying that information. This way, you can conveniently sit at ur desktop and view snippets of news from multiple web-sites simultaneously, without having to open multiple browser windows. In case, some particular news item particulary interests u, just click on it and u will be directed to the web-site carrying the complete article.

To get access to RSS feeds (the name given to these news streams), all you need a RSS reader / News aggregator. The one that I used, was Bottomfeeder (available at the URL - http://www.cincomsmalltalk.com/BottomFeeder/). Once, a RSS Reader has been installed on your system, you can go scouting for RSS feeds. The RSS feed options available on any web-site can be viewed by clicking on the 'RSS' or the 'XML' button located on the web-site. Once, you click on this button, you will get a page full of raw XML stuff. It is the job of ur RSS reader to make sense out of that. Just copy the URL of that raw XML page into the "Add New Feed" section of ur RSS reader and u r ready to rock-n-roll. :)

NOTE - You might consider experimenting with the different settings in your RSS reader to change the 'check for updates' frequency, change the way the feeds are displayed in the reader and do a lot of other things... Another good idea would be to get a RSS reader that fits in as a plug-in to ur browser. That will help further reduce desktop clutter.

Will post more about RSS, as I become a more mature RSS user...

An update - A wonderful RSS Reader for Windows is FeedDemon. It is a trialware. You can download it from the URL - http://www.bradsoft.com/download/index.asp

Google Suggest

Cout this -

http://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en&complete=1

Sent to me by one of my old college mates. It is called "Google Suggest". It does what it says it would - Gives u suggestions in real-time about possible ways u could formulate ur query...

More about Google Suggest @ http://labs.google.com//suggestfaq.html

Some conversion tools

Recently, I had to carry out some file conversions when some documents and photographs scanned by my 'not-so-friendly' cybercafe-wallah, turned out to be in the wrong format (not the formats I wanted them to be in). That is when I stumbled on some pretty nifty, light-weight, free, file conversion utilities. Here are the links to two of them -

(a) PDF to JPEG file conversion :
http://hotoak.com/main.jsp?target=pages/jpegPdf_en.jsp

(b) BMP to JPEG conversion :
NOTE : To be used only if the MSPaint, File > Save As 'JPEG'...file format trick does not work...
raz.customer.netspace.net.au/conv.zip

Hope these make life easier for some ppl out there... :) They will especially be loved by the ones who are not able to install any professional file conversion tool on their system because of user account restrictions.

Bro's tips : For those of u who CAN install a file conversion tool on their system, use IrfanView. It ROCKS!

About Jabber

Just got introduced to Jabber :) Some tid-bits about it, till I get you some more descriptive stuff later on...

Jabber is actually an Open Source XML specification for communication over the Internet. Multiple Jabber clients and server implementations can be used... all as long as they adhere to the basic specification. One of the key Jabber implementation is for Instant Messaging. Also called the "Linux of instant messaging".. it is the open source, ad free alternative to consumer IM services like AIM, ICQ, MSN and Yahoo...
Refer URL - http://www.jabber.org/about/overview.shtml

---------

This is, in fact, a new post.. Am putting it in "About Jabber" for convenience sake -

One of the interesting features in Jabber is the concept of 'Gateways'. Using the Jabber client's Gateway feature, you can register with other IM services such as MSN, Yahoo, and AIM, to communicate with users of those services. You must already have an account established with the service and know your user name and password before you can proceed with the registration. This handy feature, makes the Jabber client a multi-messaging platforms client (though the primary platform supported would still be Jabber). NOTE - One very well known Jabber clients for Windows users would be - Trillian.

How to use Gateways?
You need to first register with the appropriate gateway (Yahoo, MSN, ICQ and AIM being the options available). After that you can add contacts to ur 'roster' (the Jabber term for 'contact list') using the IDs of the different IM service users. And viola! u r ready to chat.
NOTE : One cause of concern could be the fact that "After registering with a particular IM gateway, all of its communication must pass through Jabber Messenger. If you want to go back to using the service separately from Jabber, you must unregister from the gateway." Hence, you might just end up not being able to use the Jabber client AND the Yahoo Messenger on the same machine. However, this is text book stuff. I would let u know more about it, when I get an opportunity to check it out myself.

Bro's tips : "As for Jabber...I did use it for a while earlier and found it to be good. Then the Jabber.com service went paid and I went offline. Free gateway servers are now aplenty. I even tried a Jabber implementation on my cellphone! There are tons of clients out there on all platforms. You might find these links interesting:

http://www.jabber.org/software/clients.shtml (Available Jabber clients)

http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/jabber/chapter/ch05.html (Jabber Tech Basics)

http://s23.org/wiki/index.php/Jabber (Jabber Wiki)"

No Video

Am trying to standardize the 'no video' troubleshooting methodology...
(NOTE - Focus is on CRT monitors alone. Flat Panels will involve some additonal troubleshooting steps, not covered below)

1. Eliminate the MB / PROCESSOR / RAM / POWER SUPPLY in the computer tower as the cause of the problem, by checking for a successful POST.
Signs of a successful POST (Power On Self Test):
(a) You hear a short, single beep after turning on the system.
(b) Try to turn ON and turn OFF the kbd LEDs. If they do, the system is POSTing fine.

2. Eliminate the monitor as the source of the problem, by doing a Monitor On Self Test. You might also consider swapping the monitor with a known good one. Swapping the monitor will also help offset the possiblity that the video cable has bent or broken pins in its connector (which for CRTs means that the monitor needs to be replaced, anyhow... if the pin is bent, however, you can try to straighten it). NOTE - One pin is normally missing from the VGA connector, by default.

3. Carry out the remaining troubleshooting based on the color of the monitor LED -

(a) Monitor LED is turned OFF - Indicates that the monitor is not receiving any power.
- Make sure that the monitor is turned ON. :)
- Try a different power outlet. Also eliminate any surge protectors.
- Swap the monitor power cord with that of the tower. They are normally of the same specification.

(b) Monitor LED is GREEN - Indicates that either the monitor is in the Self Test mode OR it is getting a video signal but is not able to display it.
- Check the screen for a Monitor On Self Test message.
- If YES, reseat the video cable.
- If NO,
1. Check OSD settings for brightness and contrast.
2. Do a Monitor On Self Test to check the monitor itself.

(c) Monitor LED is AMBER - Indicates that the monitor is not getting a video signal (but it IS plugged in properly to the video card.)
- Move mouse to check if the system is in standby mode OR if the monitor itself has been turned OFF (by the Windows ACPI) to save power.
- Turn the system ON and OFF to offset the possibility that the system is stuck in the standby mode.
- Monitor LED is also amber if the system is not POSTing.
- Reseat the video card. If that does not fix it, replace the video card.

Cleaning a keyboard...

The least bothersome way -

Use a dilute, non-abrasive, preferrably volatile, cleaning fluid. Most of the ppl recommend using isopropyl alcohol. Dip a soft, lint free cloth in it and wipe around the keys. (NOTE - Avoid spraying the liquid on the keyboard directly... you might end up short-circuiting the keyboard.)

The EXTENSIVE way -

1. Unplug the keyboard from its port.

2. Pry off all the keys from the keyboard.
NOTE - First make sure that you remember the exact location of the different keys.

3. Open the keyboard by unfastening the screws at the back. Take the electronic circuit out. Also take out the rubber membrane.

4. Wash the keys, the main keyboard frame and the rubber membrane. You can use warm soap water to do that.

5. Dry all the components separately. Do that for at least 24 hrs. This is to make sure that you do not leave any water droplets on the electronic circuit, otherwise, once again, you might short-circuit the electronic circuit inside the keyboard.

6. Put together the different keyboard components - the membrane, circuit, keys...

Dude, could it have been more comprehensive??? :)

NOTE -

(a) I would strongly recommend NOT using the EXTENSIVE way to clean the keyboard, if it is a wireless unit.

(b) Some ppl also say that you can directly wash the keyboard in running water / soap solution, without having to open up the unit and take out the electronic circuit present in it. In that case, just be doubly sure that you haven't left ANY water droplets inside the keyboard.

Remote desktop connection (Windows XP)

Step-by-step process to use Remote Desktop Option in Windows XP -

1. Enable Remote Desktop Connection on the machine you want to connect TO.
Right click My Computer > Click on Properties > Click on the Remote tab > Put a check mark in the option.. "Allow users to connect remotely to this machine."

2. Install the remote desktop client on the machine you want to connect FROM (Is only required if you are using a Windows 9x machine as the client... In case of Windows XP, you can anyhow access the pre-installed client from Start > All Programs > Accessories > Communications > Remote Desktop Connection.)
Insert the Windows XP Professional compact disc into your CD-ROM drive. When the Welcome page appears, click "Perform additional tasks", and then click "Set up Remote Desktop Connection". Follow the directions that appear on your screen.

3. Configure the connection -
Open Remote Desktop Connection (Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > Communications > Remote Desktop Connection.)
In Computer, type the name or the IP address of the computer you want to connect to.
NOTE - You can set additional parameters for this connection by clicking on the Options button at the bottom of the screen at this stage.
Click Connect.
The Log On to Windows dialog box appears.
In the Log On to Windows dialog box, type your user name, password, and domain (if required), and then click OK.

REF URL - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/mobility/getstarted/enableremote.mspx
and
http://theillustratednetwork.mvps.org/RemoteDesktop/RemoteDesktopSetupandTroubleshooting.html

Personalized google

A service on the lines of the My MSN service offered at www.msn.com... It allows you to create a www.google.com page that is personalized to suit your tastes.

Check it out @ www.google.com/ig.

Some of the options provided (can be easily personalized) -

(a) Your GMAIL mails.
(b) News from SLASHDOT
(c) Weather update (only valid for the American states so far)
(d) Stock updates...

What da ya say? Interested ??? Nah! Nothing can beat the old google interface...

ipconfig /release versus /renew

For all those, who say that the combination to release and regain an IP address is -

ipconfig /release
followed by
ipconfig /renew

using the
ipconfig /renew
is, in fact, enough (the release part is redundant).

Check out -
http://www.networkclue.com/os/Windows/commands/ipconfig.php

for more information...

Printing to a network printer from MS-DOS

1. Map the network printer to a parallel port - LPT1 or LPT2. To do so -

Net use lptx file:////printservername/printersharename [/persistent:YES]

If you use the 'Peristent' option, the mapping will be saved for the next login.

2. Print from the MS DOS application. To do so -

C:\Print anand.txt

Note : By default, it will print onto the printer mapped at the lpt1 port.

C:\type anand.txt > lpt1

If you have mapped the network printer to the lpt2 port, then -

C:\Print /D:lpt2 anand.txt

OR

C:\type anand.txt > lpt2

----

Viola! It could not be any simpler...

Ref URL -

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=154498

http://blogs.ineta.org/dtotzke/articles/26204.aspx

Note :

1. To delete mappings, use the command -

net use /DELETE lptx

2. To view all the network resources mappings, use the command -

net use

(with no parameters)

Hands-on GMAIL :

Pros :

1. Gmail notifier. A downloadable desktop tool to notify you when you get any new mail in your gmail inbox.

2. It is still a beta release. You still cannot sign up to Gmail. Existing users can send more invitations, though (probably upto 50 invitations). NOTE - Not all Gmail accounts have this capability to send invitations.

3. A wonderful search feature that can help search all the mails carrying a particular word in its default avatar.

4. Over 2 GB of storage capacity. Is being further increased, in real time.

5. Handy downloadable POP3 and SMTP configuration programs for different email clients.

6. You can add a Gmail feed to your RSS aggregator software and get updates about the new mails in your inbox in real-time. (Google calls this feature ATOM).

Cons :

1. Starred and Label - alike features. Star works as a kind of a special label. NOTE : You cannot create folders in gmail. Acc. to Google - "Gmail uses Google search technology to find messages so users don't have to create folders and file their individual emails." Ref URL - http://gmail.google.com/gmail/help/about.html

2. Google Adsense program : Are there ads in Gmail? Yes, but they are small and unobtrusive. They don't fill half your screen and we don't make you read them just to get to your inbox. Ads are never inserted into the body text of either incoming or outgoing Gmail messages and you won't see any pop-ups or untargeted banner ads in Gmail. Gmail users only see relevant text ads, similar to those on Google search results pages . The matching of ads to content is a completely automated process performed by computers. No humans read your email to target the ads, and no email content or other personally identifiable information is ever provided to advertisers. Ads are matched using the same technology that powers the Google AdSense program, which already places targeted ads on thousands of sites across the web by quickly analyzing the content of pages and determining which ads are most relevant to them. Also check out this article from a critic of google policies - http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2003/11/24/as_google_grows_critics_emerge A discussion of the technology behind google ad-sense - http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com/article62.html

3. If you forward HTML mails from your Gmail account (mails that carry in-line images), they won't be sent to the recepients. Ref URL - http://stuff.techwhack.com/archives/2004/08/07/gmail-attachment-problems/

4. The maximum Gmail message size is limited to 10 MB. (I expected more from GMAIL)

For assistance with Gmail features... check out - http://gmail.google.com/support