Increases Time Limit to 15 Minutes - YouTube Video

Good news for everyone out there who’s ever thought to themselves: “A 10-minute video of my cat eating ribs on the kitchen floor is just too short.”

YouTube announced today that it has increased its upload limit from 10 minutes to 15 for non-partners. So get kitty lookin’ pretty and start rolling!
So why add the extra five-spot now? Well, on the YouTube blog, the video-sharing site explains that it’s been beefing up its copyright protection tools of late, i.e. the Content ID system (which lets copyright holders have more control over their content). Therefore, it’s less likely that users can, say, upload large chunks of movies and TV shows without permission.

In celebration of this added time, YouTube is also launching a contest of sorts called “15 Minutes of Fame.” Basically, all users have to do is film a 15-minute vid, tag it with “yt15minutes,” and upload it by Wednesday, August 4. The chosen videos will be featured on the YouTube homepage.

Fully Blocked in China - Google Search HongKong

According to several reports and data from Google, the search engine is fully blocked in mainland China as of today.

Also fully blocked are ads and mobile access. Image search is partially blocked, as are Google Docs, Google News and Google Groups.

Other sites and apps that were previously and remain blocked include YouTube, search suggestions, Google Sites, Blogger and Picasa.

Google and China have been at odds since at least the beginning of this year, when a “highly sophisticated and targeted attack” was conducted on Google’s corporate infrastructure; the attack originated in China. As a result, the search engine, which had been serving censored search results to comply with the demands of the Chinese government, announced it would no longer be modifying search results.

The company said it would even be willing to pull out of China altogether if search results were to be censored.

However tense relations were between the company and the country, negotiations continued — even past the point where some felt that Google’s stand for freedom of information had been compromised. Our Ben Parr wrote in March:

After Google was hacked, it was put in between a rock and a hard place. Its actions, while still bold, will not change how things are done in China. Its indecisiveness with how to proceed has made the pressure on China all but evaporate.

Earlier this month, we were told that China and Google had reached a satisfactory conclusion to the search-and-censorship negotiations; Chinese authorities had renewed Google’s Internet Content Provider (ICP) license after the company found a loophole which allowed them to display search results and also allowed China’s Golden Shield Project (a.k.a. the Great Firewall) to block those links at will.

Now, however, it seems China/Google relations have once again broken down.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt told press earlier this month, “Our operations in China are completely at the discretion of the Chinese government. I don’t want anyone to be confused about that.”

The only confusion we at Mashable have surrounds questions of timing: Why now? What new developments have caused China to change its position on Google?

As Google continues to lose market share in China to competitor Baidu, we’re sure a few Googlers are wondering the same thing. We’ve reached out to the company for comment and will update this post as more details become available.

UPDATE: A Google spokesperson has told us, “Because of the way we measure accessibility in China, it’s possible that our machines could overestimate the level of blockage. That seems to be what happened last night when there was a relatively small blockage. It appears now that users in China are accessing our properties normally.”

Let’s hope Google and China maintain this rather tenuous status quo. YouTube, search suggestions, Google Sites, Blogger and Picasa are still fully blocked, and other services and features are partially blocked.

Banned in Russia - YouTube Racist Video

A court in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia has demanded a Russian ISP block access to YouTube because the site hosted “Russia for Russians,” which was judged to be an extremist video.

The court’s decision also applies to the Internet Archive and three online libraries, Lib.rus.ec, Thelib.ru and Zhurnal.ru, all of which were found to host writings by Adolf Hitler.

With this ruling, Russian authorities join a long list of governments that have blocked access to YouTube at some point or another, including China, Brazil, Indonesia, Iran, Morocco, Pakistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. YouTube material has also been censored in the U.S. and U.K.

Generally, these bans are instituted because the videos on the popular hosting site show something a government would rather its citizens not see, from state police brutality at a protest to unflattering depictions of its leadership to “immoral” or sexual content.

However, this particular ruling stems less from a desire to protect a country’s internal PR and more from a desire to keep Russian media — including citizen-generated and social media — free from the possibly harmful influences of ultranationalist, racist and xenophobic speech. The phrase “Russia for Russians” itself is a slogan of hatred used against the multi-ethnic society that exists in Russia today, and searching for the phrase “Россия для русских” on YouTube will return a number of disturbing videos typical of the white nationalist movement around the world.

But intentions aside, this ruling still constitutes what many other governments would consider a prohibition or restriction of free speech.
The owner of Rosnet, the ISP affected by today’s decision, is Aleksandr Ermakov. He spoke to media today, saying essentially that the court had thrown the baby out with the bathwater.

“All of mankind is using this website. And providers like ours do not violate Russian law. But we are still being forced to close the website so that our users can not log on and watch the videos. This is absurd! According to this logic, we have to demolish all buildings that have swastikas on the walls. Or when two people are discussing a bomb over the phone, we have to take away the phones from all people across Russia.”

More on Rosnet’s legal position can be found at this website.
Moreover, a Google rep told the Moscow Times, “To limit access of Rosnet users to the whole YouTube.com site, not to a particular video, breaches the right for freedom of information, guaranteed by Article 29 of Russia’s Constitution.”

Convert video/audio to Windows Media Player

There are dozens of video/audio formats been widely used on the internet. It’s truth that Windows Media Player is limited by media format incompatible problem. The usually supported format is WMV, WMA, ASF, WAV or MP3. It sucks! Do you want to enjoy any movie/music formats on Windows Media Player?


ASF(Advanced Systems Format) is Microsoft’s proprietary digital audio/digital video container format, especially meant for streaming media.

Windows Media Player 12 adds native support for H.264/MPEG-4 video formats, AAC audio and 3GP, MP4 and MOV container formats. Besides, it adds “Burn” function. But whatever, i think it’s not enough, e.g. about burn: DVD format – VOB, CD format – AIFF.

Well, actually, it’s easy to play those incompatible formats on WMP, you just need a full version of converter, and convert them to formats WMV, WMA etc mentioned above. Step by step instruction:





1. Free download Video Sharer and install it on your computer. Launch and tab Download to Convert. Add the video/audio file by click Add button.(You can also use Video Sharer to free download online videos.)

2. Click Profit, put the cursor on General Video/General Audio, and you can choose any WMP formats. Set the storage destination for the converted file.

3. Click the Convert button. Click Open for converted files. Video Sharer also support batch conversion and batch downloading.

Video Tutorial.

Free download the Favorite YouTube videos weekly

There are uncountable video sites on the Internet, there are numerous famous social video sharing sites, and incalculable videos/audio were been uploaded on those sites each week. Happy time is the sharing of funny life, but it’s regret that most of us don’t know how to and where to enjoy those Favorite videos. Actually, it’s really really hard to pick out some most Favorite videos each week. Well..ignore the “uncountable” reason, here i mainly talk about how to free download and enjoy Favorite YouTube videos weekly.

Also, many private sites/blogs that rank the Favorite videos each week/month, but I think it’s not so reliable. Whatever, the data from a high ranking website should be more believable. Here i recommend mashable’s featured column – “Our Favorite YouTube Videos This Week”(go to mashable and search those key words), it contains almost all kinds of video style: life, working, learning, music, playing, funny, tutorial etc most aspects of the human world. Also, I found a spanish site – taringa, it has much more about Favorite YouTube videos.

Every country has its interesting or memorable stories, different days. To watch more videos from different countries, i think YouTube should be the best place, YouTube site support dozens of languages. Another thing is about Search, how to search on it? Just the keywords: Most, Top, Hightlight, Best, Rank etc. Whatever you want, you can find on Search Engine(Google, Bing, Yahoo etc), it’s not the resource problem, but the way, you can do it!

For different languages: “1” replace the letter it(italian), es(spanish), en(english)… then click “2“:

Here’s the instruction of how to free download Favorite YouTube videos weekly. Two ways to free download YouTube videos:

1. Free download Video Sharer, install and launch.

2. Ⅰ, Click “Add URL”, copying and pasting URL of a YouTube video, click “OK” button, your desired video will be downloaded. Ⅱ, Tick ”Automatic capture”, open one of the YouTube videos, then just waiting for the downloaded video file. Convenient and safe!

Other functions of Video Sharer.

How to download&enjoy latest movie Trailer&Clips?

YouTube Looks to Compete in Music Discovery

YouTube has revamped its music page, adding a brand-new layout and a slew of new features. Although the video-sharing site boasts that its redesign will help users discover new music, we can’t say that Pandora will be shaking in its boots any time soon.

According to the YouTube blog, the redesign of the page will facilitate musical discovery by “showcas[ing] the most viewed music videos, special promotions, curated playlists, unsigned talent and giv[ing] you the ability to create on-the-fly mixes.” It even states that the site will soon feature live music listings in a section titled “Events Near You,” an addition that sounds pretty cool to us (and like a potential threat to MySpace, which also offers such features).

Still, the site isn’t so hot when it comes to helping one discover new music. Yes, YouTube is the go-to place for folks who just want to listen to that one song they heard at that show by that band that they kinda like. However, the new music page focuses wholly on popularity, which isn’t the best way to help people find new jams.

For example, if you visit the “Indie & Alternative” page now, you’ll be presented with tunes like “Bodies” by Drowning Pool and “Mr. Brightside” by the Killers — i.e. “Today’s Hits,” i.e. “What A Ton of People on YouTube Are Listening To.” Yes, the popularity algorithm may work with, say, viral videos, but if you’re looking to listen to something new and different, aggregating the musical whims of millions may not be the best way to go.

Convert video/audio to music format for Audio player

Convert video/audio to almost all the music formats for almost all the Audio player.

Imagine a world without sound! Audio player is never out of date!A digital audio player(DAP), usually referred to as an MP3 player, is a consumer electronic device that has the primary function of storing, organizing and playing audio files. Brands such as Archos, Creative, iPods, SanDisk, Sony, Zune, Coby, iRiver, iAudio, Samsung, Sylvania, Philips etc.

Even though uncountable portable movie music player has been widely used in our daily life. But no matter what, Audio player is never out of date, many well-known brands of electronic manufacturer still release new generation MP3 Audio player, some classic MP3 player still attract a large number of fans, such as iPod series iPod Classic, iPod shuffle, iPod nano, Sony Walkman series, SanDisk Sansa series Sansa Clip/Fuze, Zune MP3 series, Philips series etc.

Those Audio player usually support format MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC, OGG, M4A. Convert video/audio to music format for Audio player, use Video Sharer. Free download online video, Reliable, steady, update by the change of video site code. Convert between almost all the video/audio formats. Here’s the instruction:

Step1. Download, install and launch Video Sharer.

Step2. Two ways to download online video/audio:
Ⅰ, Click “Add URL”, copying and pasting URL of online video/audio, click “OK” button, your desired video/audio files will be downloaded. Ⅱ, Tick ”Automatic capture”, open one of the online video/audio, then just waiting for the downloaded YouTube file.

Step3. After the downloading finished, tab “Download” to “Convert”(or upload video/audio files from your computer Hard Disk). Click “Profile”–>”General Video”–> choose WAV/MP3/AAC/OGG/WMA/M4A format, then set destination file, clicking Convert button to complete the task.

For more detail instruction: video tutorial of convert video to audio.　

Convert WMV to MP4/3GP for Cell phone

Have you ever met format incompatible problem when using Windows Movie Maker(WMM)? I mean that some formats that can’t be imported to the WMM for editing, or WMM can only export several limited formats that can be put into cell phone, iPod, iPhone, PSP etc. Whatever, Video Sharer can help you deal with all those problems.

Windows Movie Maker(WMM) is a popular video creating/editing software, the accepted formats for import are: WMV, ASF, MPG (MPEG-1), AVI (DV-AVI), WMA, WAV, and MP3. The limited is that WMM can only export video in Windows Media formats: ASF, WMA and WMV.　

Video Sharer support almost all the video/audio formats conversion. Edit video by trim and crop functions. It support almost all the WMM importing and exporting formats conversion. Here I will show you how to use Video Sharer to convert Windows Movie Maker output format WMV to MP4/3GP for Cell phone.

1. Free download Video Sharer and installs it on your computer. Launch and tab Download to Convert. Add the WMV format video files by click Add button.(You can also use Video Sharer to free download online videos.)　

2. Click Profit, put the cursor on Mobile Phone and select MP4/3GP format, set the storage destination for the converted file.　

3. Click the Convert button to finish the conversion. Click “Open” for converted MP4/3GP video file. And you can put video to cell phone very easily. Really convenient!　

Video Sharer also support batch conversion and batch downloading, free download videos from YouTube,　RedTube, DailyMotion, Metacafe, xnxx, YouPorn, Yahoo video, Tube8, Google video, break, PornoTube etc.　

How to upload movie files on a DVD onto Internet?

Not only you, but lots of people like DVD, burn DVD, buy DVD, enjoy DVD, also, many people want to share their unique DVD movie files with others on the Internet. Well, here comes the problem and answer. How to rip/convert DVD onto computer Hard Disk? How to upload the compatible format DVD files onto Internet?　

What we should know is that almost all the POP Internet video sites accept FLV and AVI movie formats files. As the world’s largest video sharing site, YouTube support various formats video/audio uploading. But whatever, when you uploaded the video onto YouTube, that YouTube site will automatically convert the file format to FLV. So sometime, it’s the reason of why uploading speed is so slowly. In sum, the best uploading format should be FLV or AVI. Here’s the instruction of how to upload movie files on a DVD onto Internet?　

Step1: Free download aHi DVD Ripper, install and launch.

Step2: Put DVD to Computer Hard Disk Drive(HDD), click “Load DVD”(other way: “Load IFO”), click “Profile” and it comes format options. Choose “Flash”–> FLV or “Gerneral Video”–> AVI. (also, you can choose “HD Video”) whatever, it’s very flexible and easy to use.

Step3: There are some options(Video Size/Quality, Audio Quality) for adjusting, then click “Start” to begin the conversion. (Before conversion, you can also edit dvd files such as crop movie black edge, trim/split video to clips.) 　

Step4: After conversion, click “Open” for the converted/ripped files directly. then you can use the files for uploading more easily. Register in YouTube.com –>click Upload –>Upload video –>Choose and click Open. (For other sites, it has the same option steps.)

It also support batch conversion/ripping. conversion. You can also use aHi DVD Ripper to rip DVD to compatible video/audio formats for various portable devices such as iPod, iPhone, PSP, PS3, Mobile Phone etc.

For more info about DVD conversion.

Free download year’s best&worst movies

In the old days, like 2007, the middle of July would definitely be too early to start thinking about the Oscars. Back then, Hollywood loaded up its prestige fare in the fall so that it would stays fresh in the minds of Academy voters. Yet last year, four of the ten Best Picture nominees – include winner “Hurt Locker” – were released in the summer. So now that we are officially half way through 2010, let’s look at some of the best — and worst — movies of the year so far.

Well, hundreds of Yahoo answers – for reference. There are dozens of good video sites can supply you the year’s best&worst movies. You just need a reliable downloader, and you can enjoy them freely. Free download year’s best&worst movies:

Step1. Free download Video Sharer, install and runs.

Step2. Use the search function of Video Sharer, to search the best&worst movie, then download video from the Video Sharer interface directly. You can also search on the sites like YouTube, Google, Yahoo, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Metacafe etc. open the video and use Video Sharer to download them.

Step3. Three ways to free download movies:
I. Enter keywords “the best&worst movie of xxxx(year)” to the search place. Click “Search”, then click preview or download in the search result.
II. The traditional way: click “Add URL”, copying and pasting URL from video sites, click “OK” button, your desired movie will be downloaded.
III. The auto downloading: Tick “Automatic capture”, open one of the video(just like you are viewing a video on the webpage). Then you’ll find the Video Sharer has begun downloading. Then just waiting for the downloaded video file.
More info about all-in-one video downloader/editor/converter – Video Sharer.　

10 Fun Microsoft Facts You Might Not Know

Despite ever-increasing Mac sales, Microsoft’s still has an undisputed dominance over the computer industry.
With such a vast presence, much has already been written about Microsoft: Its history, its products, even its former CEO Bill Gates. For those itching to know even more, we’ve dug up 10 snippets of info that you might not have heard before.
What experimental musician created the Windows start-up sound? How do they celebrate anniversaries? Does Microsoft have a “pest” problem? Have a read of our Microsoft-themed facts, stats and trivia and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

1. “Micro-soft’s” First Ever Mention

The first ever mention of “Microsoft” was in a letter from Bill Gates to co-founder Paul Allen in 1975. Gates initially wrote the company name as Micro-soft, which made sense considering it’s a portmanteau of “microcomputer” and “software.”
Losing the hyphen, “Microsoft” was officially registered as a company in November, 1976 in New Mexico where Gates and Allen were working with their first major customer, MITS. Microsoft didn’t move to its current campus in Redmond, Washington until 1986.
The Microsoft logo has changed several times over the years, the current “Pac-Man” logo was introduced in 1987, but previous to that was the “blibbet” logo that’s pictured above. The “blibbet” refers to the stylized “o” and was apparently once the name of a burger served in the Microsoft company cafeteria.

2. Brian Eno Composed “The Microsoft Sound”

Pioneering musician Brian Eno was the musical brains behind Window 95’s start up tune, dubbed “The Microsoft Sound.”
The influential musician, who has worked with the likes of David Bowie and U2, told the San Francisco Chronicle that making such a short piece of music was “funny” and “amazing.” Eno likened the process to “making a tiny little jewel.”
Other musical trivia from the launch of Windows 95 is, of course, the use of The Rolling Stones “Start Me Up” in the ad campaign, while a related Eno fact is that he also composed the music for the computer game Spore.

3. Microsoft’s Fave Food Is Pizza

Although not quite at Google’s level of snack-tastic, free-for-all wonder, Microsoft does offer free drinks. Over 23 million gratis beverages are downed on the corporate campus each year.
Apparently the top two drinks of choice for Microsoft staffers are milk and OJ. There’s also free candy on the Microsoft campus shuttle.
As far as food goes, Microsoft has around 35 cafeterias (one of which is pictured above) serving around 37,000 people each day. Pizza tops the list of most popular meal.

4. Microsoft Uses Codenames

Ever since the company’s first operating system, Microsoft has worked on its projects under codenames, of which Wikipedia has a long list. Apparently Gates was ready to launch Windows under the name “Interface Manager” before he was persuaded to change it by an employee.
Past codenames include “Longhorn,” “Lone Star,” and “Vienna.” While you might be tempted to add “Mojave,” to that list, it’s actually part of a Microsoft ad campaign. The “Mojave Experiment” was a marketing exercise that battled Vista’s poor PR by presenting the software to new users as a fresh product.

5. The Average “Softie”

The average Microsoft employee, or “Softie” as they call themselves, is a 38-year-old male with the average salary for a developer coming in at $106,000.
Microsoft currently employs 88,180 people who work across 32,404,796 square feet of Microsoft’s premises, over 50,000 of which are U.S.-based. The male to female ratio is very high among Microsoft’s American employees with a staggering 76% male workforce.

6. Microsoft Celebrates Anniversaries With M&Ms

All companies have their little in-house traditions, and Microsoft is no exception. It seems it’s customary for Softies to celebrate their yearly employment anniversaries with candy, and more specifically, M&Ms.
Each anniversary, a Microsoft employee is expected to provide one pound of M&Ms for every year they’ve worked. That means if Bill Gates observed the tradition, he should have turned up with 33 pounds of M&Ms on June 27, 2008.

7. Microsoft’s Stock Has Split Nine Times

Microsoft has split its stock nines times since it went public back in March 1986. Put very, very simply, a company will generally split its stock when its share price becomes too high.
Since Microsoft has had six 2-for-1 splits and three 3-for-1 splits, one original Microsoft share would now be equal to 288 shares today. Interestingly the price of Microsoft’s stock at its initial public offering was $21 a share, at the time of writing a share is now around the $23 mark. One original MSFT share would now be worth over $6,000.

8. Microsoft Has a Huge Art Collection

No, we’re not talking about Clip Art. Microsoft is one of the largest corporate collectors of artworks with over 5,000 contemporary pieces including painting, sculpture, works on paper, photographs, ceramics, studio glass, and multimedia works. Microsoft gathers arts from local artists, up-and-coming artists and big names such as Cindy Sherman, Chuck Close and Takashi Murakami.
A large proportion of the works are on display at more than 150 of Microsoft’s many campuses, as the company subscribes to the belief that art in the workplace reduces stress, increases productivity and encourages discussions and expression of opinions.

9. Microsoft Asks Strange Interview Questions

Microsoft has a reputation in the industry for asking off-beat, off-the-wall questions during its job interview. The most oft-quoted question is: “Why is a manhole cover round?” Whether this particular example is genuine, or an urban legend, it’s certainly true that Microsoft employs a very unusual, and forward-thinking interview process. It’s even rumored that companies like Google have since emulated the style.
Rather than plain “Where do you see yourself in five years” type questions, Microsoft is more likely to ask you to solve a logic puzzle or think through a problem like “Design a coffee maker that will be used by astronauts.” Obviously, Microsoft isn’t planning to go into the coffee-in-space industry anytime soon, but the process serves to find candidates that can think creatively.

10. Microsoft Holds Over 10,000 Patents

Microsoft holds over 10,000 patents and files around 3,000 every year, ranking as one of the top five patent owners in the U.S.
Although a large majority of the patents relate to obscure elements of software, the 5,000th and 10,000th were consumer-friendly, easily-understandable ideas. The 5,000th was for tech in Xbox 360 games that lets people “watch” a video game remotely, while the 10,000th was for the Microsoft Surface, linking real-life objects with data and images.
Microsoft also rewards its staff members for securing a new patent. Besides a $1,500 bonus, they get a wooden plaque and a decorative black “cube” that features their name, as well as the title and date of the patent.
BONUS: The Microsoft Campus is Full of Bunnies!

Our very own Jolie O’Dell found a great factoid about the Microsoft Corporate Campus, she gleaned while on a recent visit.
“So, back in the mists of time, some people dumped a bunch of rapidly reproducing pet bunnies — leftovers from kids’ Easter gifts — on a grassy knoll near the MSFT campus,” Jolie said. “The bunnies started doing what bunnies do best, that is, making more bunnies.
At one point, there were so many that MSFT staff had to start catching them and having them spayed and neutered! Nowadays, you’ll still see lots of rabbits hopping around, though. Way cuter than Google’s goats.”
It seems the bunny proliferation has been a long term issue. According to a 1998 Seattle Times article, the “Redmond rabbit problem” does not just affect Microsoft, but Nintendo, Eddie Bauer and other companies in the area.
The problem back then spawned the Redmond Rabbit Coalition group (many members of which are now involved in the current day Evergreen Rabbit Rescue) who campaign for a humane solution to the ongoing pest problem.

YouTube is ready for the big screen, now supports 4K ultra high-res videos

It seems YouTube always thinks big and the result is the new support for 4K videos – 4096×2304 resolution.

Man, that’s some serious resolution. As the official YouTube blog states, to see such a movie in its full glory you’ll need a 25 feet (7.62 meters) screen. As a comparison IMAX is projected through 2K resolution projectors and the standard IMAX screen is 22×16.1 meters.

But let’s cut to the chase. Here is the YouTube’s playlist with 4K videos. Be aware you’ll need very fast internet connection, but even then I am still concerned that our screens are no meant for that thing.

To watch the videos in their full resolution, (larger than 1080p), you must select Original from the video quality menu.

YouTube official blog

Google Spent $100 Million Defending YouTube Against Viacom

Google CFO Patrick Pichette made an interesting revelation during a conference call discussing Google’s second quarter earnings today: It “invested” $100 million defending YouTube against Viacom’s $1 billion lawsuit.

In 2007, Viacom sued Google for $1 billion in damages over 160,000 unauthorized clips uploaded to YouTube, acquired by the search company in 2006. Since then, Google and Viacom have sparred in and out of court. Google maintained that it is and was protected by the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act).

Last month, the court granted a motion for summary judgment in favor of Google, effectively throwing out the lawsuit.

That victory did not come cheap, though. The tech giant had to spend $100 million in its defense of its video property. We wonder how many lawyers were working on the YouTube case with that kind of money.

In the end though, it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the $30 billion Google has in the bank. mashable.

How to Fix a Video That Has Out of Sync Audio

Audio syncing issues are a very common, and distracting, problem in video production, whether you're filming a project for work or school or just a family gathering. It can be caused by any number of technical issues, but you don't need to be a technical person to solve the problem. All you need are sharp ears and a computer, and your video will have perfect sync in no time.
Step 1
Capture your footage onto a non-linear editing system (NLE). For camcorders based on hard drives or memory cards, the footage will be saved as clips, which can be dragged from your camcorder onto your NLE via a USB or firewire connection. For footage on tape, make sure the tape is fully rewound and play back the footage for the NLE while it is in capture mode. It should capture all the footage automatically.

Step 2
Scan the footage for a short, loud noise. Good examples would be a car door slamming, a firework exploding or a champagne cork popping. You are looking for a distinctive sound paired to a distinctive action.

Step 3
Separate the audio from the video by using the "Unlink" or "Separate" function found in the Edit menu of your NLE. Then locate the noise you're using and drag it to the exact moment the action that makes that noise happens on screen.

Step 4
Drop the noise at the exact moment the action happens in the video, and then play back the video. If it's not in perfect sync, you may have to move the audio one or two frames one way or the other to "lock in" the sync.

Step 5
Render the video either to your computer or back to your camera. Be sure to open the video once it's rendered to make sure your audio has stayed in sync.

How to Fix Out of Sync Audio & Video on TV

If your TV's audio and video do not match in the way they are supposed to the picture and sound are said to be "out of sync." There are a number of reasons this could happen. Sometimes a signal being broadcast by a TV station will come with out-of-sync audio and video. Though it is rare, in the event that this happens there is nothing you can do because the problem is not in your TV. There are, however, a few things you can do to correct out-of-sync audio and video in other circumstances.


Step 1
Make sure the coaxial cable that is connected to the back of your television is screwed in tightly and securely. Whether you're using a cable box or an antenna to receive television signals, if the coaxial cable that runs from either of those two devices to your TV is not screwed into your television properly it could cause the audio and video to go out of sync.

Step 2
Flip through the channels to see if the problem is happening on all channels or just one. If the audio and video is out of sync on one specific channel, the problem lies with your cable service provider and not with your setup.

Step 3
Make sure any external devices you are trying to use are plugged in properly. If the audio and video are out of sync on a DVD player, Blu-Ray player or video game console make sure the audio and video cables that run from the device to your television are plugged in properly. If they are not, this could lead to out-of-sync audio and video.

Step 4
Turn off "Game" mode. Newer LCD and plasma television sets come with an option called "Game" mode that adjusts the audio and video to remove any delay that may be present when playing video games. If left on while watching TV, this could cause the audio and video to be slightly out of sync. Use your television's remote control to enter the device's main menu and turn off "Game" mode.

How to Fix Voice Out of Sync in Video Edited Movies

Most people do not realize that the audio and video inside of any file are two separate streams. This means that when someone tries to play an edited movie, the video starts and then the separate audio starts after. Because of this, it is very easy for the audio to play out of sync with the video. This can be very frustrating, making some edited movies completely unwatchable. Fortunately, this problem can be very easily rectified.
Step1
Visit http://download.cnet.com/Media-Player-Classic/3000-2139_4-10518778.html and download the free Media Player Classic program.

Step 2
Double-click the Media Player Classic icon after you have completed the download to open the program. Click File and then click Open. Search your computer's hard drive for the edited movie file. Double-click the file to open it in the media player.

Step 3
Watch the movie until you notice the audio falling out of sync. Pause the video and click the View tab at the top of the screen. Scroll through the menu and select Options.

Step 4
Scroll through the options at the left of the new window. Click Internal Filters and then click Audio Switcher.

Step 5
Highlight the box in the middle of the window labeled Audio Time Shift. Next to that is a value box. Place a number in the box to adjust the audio; 1000 ms is the equivalent of 1 second of video. Click Apply, and then check to see if the audio is in sync with the video. If it is not, repeat the steps and adjust the audio further.

Skype and Fring Go to War Over VOiP Video Calls

VOiP clients Fring and Skype are engaged in a war of words over video calling and alleged service blocks. Of course, the real losers are the end users.

Fring is a relatively small player when compared to Skype, but it has been successful in large part because the service is interoperable with other VOiP services, including GoogleTalk, SIP and Skype. The fact that you can make Fring-to-Skype calls within the Fring app has been a real boon for platforms that either have limited Skype support or for users who want to take advantage of some of Fring’s other features.Last week, Fring introduced two-way video calling support for the iPhone 4 over Wi-Fi or 3G. This was a big hit. It was such a big hit, Fring had to turn off Skype support over the weekend in order to deal with the onslaught of users wanting to make video-to-video calls.

The company has now expanded its capacity and says it wants to turn Skype support back on. According to Fring’s official statement, Skype is refusing to let them do so.

On its blog, Fring calls Skype “cowards” and says it is “afraid of open mobile communication.”

However, there are two sides to every story and in this case, Skype has already responded. In direct contradiction to what Fring has said in its public statements, Skype says that the allegations that Skype has blocked Fring’s access to its network are untrue.

Skype goes on to say that Fring has been in breach of its API Terms of Use and End User License agreements. It also says that Fring’s misuse has been “increasingly damaging our brand and reputation with our customers.”
Amazingly, Skype cites the fact that Fring had to temporarily shut down Skype access due to high call load as an example of this sort of damage.
While Skype claims it has not blocked Fring’s access to its services, it also makes it very clear that, as a company, Skype is unhappy with the current situation.

What Does This Mean?

Drama aside, what does this really mean? Well, it means that making Skype video calls on the iPhone 4 and Android devices is currently impossible. Regardless of who is at fault, that’s the reality.

Here’s what we don’t understand: Why hasn’t Skype ramped up its own mobile video calling efforts? While there were reports back in May that Skype would be bringing official video call support to Android “later this year,” a detailed roadmap for Skype’s mobile video — or mobile plans in general — hasn’t been outlined.

Skype recently signed a deal with Verizon that, among other things, brought an official Skype application to Android users who are on the Verizon network. However, Skype doesn’t have an app available for other Android users, which makes options for HTC EVO 4G users more costly and limited.
On the iPhone side, Skype only recently added 3G calling support and that feature will eventually come at a price.

Skype has a huge infrastructure and user base, but on the mobile front it’s falling behind. Frankly, many Fring users only use the service because it’s the best way they can connect with their Skype contacts on their mobile handsets. If Skype would support more devices and carriers, or at least offer some official timeline for video call support, its users wouldn’t have to look at other options.

Regardless of who is to blame for the current situation, Skype and Fring’s pettiness means that no one gets to benefit from multi-device video calling across the largest VOiP network in the world. What a shame.

Google Maps Adds 45° Aerial Imagery For All Users

Google has granted all Google Maps users the ability to view aerial photos taken at a 45° angle. Just zoom in at one of the supported locations and you’ll get a better view than you could before.

The feature was previously only available to developers and as part of Labs for Google Maps, a set of work-in-progress features that you had to opt in to. Now anyone who uses Google Maps can see the aerial images, but the locations are limited to just a few cities in Europe and South Africa, and on the west coast of the United States.

These pictures are taken from the air, not from orbit, so they’re sharper and their angle allows you to appreciate landmarks and buildings as they appear from the side, not just directly above. Microsoft’s Bing Maps has offered similar, higher-quality images by default for some time, so Google’s playing catch-up here.

Where It’s Available

Google Maps 45° aerial imagery is only available for a few locations in North America, Europe and Africa at present, but hopefully it will expand to more locations later. For now, the supported locations include places in Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Nelspruit, Polokwane, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, and Rustenburg in South Africa; Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, Santa Cruz and Santa Clara in the United States; Dortmund in Germany and Venice in Italy.

Here’s a map of the support locations. You can browse the map yourself at Google’s website.

YouTube Goes After Higher Quality Content and Footage

YouTube has said that it will be sponsoring higher quality content and supporting ultra-high quality digital video.

These two announcements come just days after the launch of the beta version of YouTube Leanback, the next phase in the company’s play for the living room. These moves also signal a shift in strategy for the online video site as it attempts to brand itself as a content destination rather than a place to watch viral videos.Earlier this week, Mashable’s Ben Parr argued that in order for Leanback to take off, YouTube will need to remake itself as the central point for video entertainment. These announcements appear to be a play for just that space.

YouTube Partner Grants: Paying for Better Content

YouTube is rolling out its YouTube Partner Grants program, which will invest five million dollars to select new and emerging YouTube partners. The goal here is to provide small production companies and studios with the funds needed to produce high quality original content.

The money that is given via the YouTube Partner Grants program will be an advance on future YouTube revenue shares. In other words, this is less of a “grant” in the government or endowment sense and more similar to how the record industry works.

Eligible partners will be identified by YouTube and they will be contacted and invited to submit a proposal. Once proposals are approved, the funds are transferred to the partner and they can start using it to buy better equipment, hire new people and expand their marketing efforts.

YouTube Goes 4K

YouTube, a site that has never been particularly known for its overall video quality, will now support videos shot in 4K. 4K is a new standard in high-end digital video and it has a horizontal resolution of about 4000 pixels. The ideal screen size for 4K video is 25 feet and the resulting image is roughly four times the size of 1080p.

Some of the most innovative new digital camera systems, like the RED One shoot in 4K. The RED One system, which is extremely innovative because not only is it modular and extremely upgradable, but it also offers incredible quality at a reasonable (for professional camera standards) price and in a body that is extremely lightweight.

RED has been used to shoot films like The Lovely Bones, Green Zone and The Informant! as well as many commercials and music videos. It’s quickly becoming the camera kit of choice amongst digital filmmakers and now that footage can be uploaded to YouTube in its ultimate resolution.

That said, 4K isn’t without its caveats. First, while camera systems like the RED One are inexpensive by professional standards — a fairly robust setup can be had for around $30,000 — competitors like the Arriflex Alexa can easily cost over $100,000 after lens and mounts are involved. It’s still going to be out of reach for many would-be auteurs.

The bigger issue is that the bandwidth requirements for 4K are pretty substantial. Not only that, but even if you do have the bandwidth to support 4K streaming, you may not having the computing horsepower. YouTube linked to four 4K uploads on its blog post, and while they were viewable over my 50 megabit connection on my Core i7 iMac with 8 GB of RAM at a very good framerate, the clarity wasn’t any better than at 1080p because I don’t have a 4K monitor.

Approved YouTube Grant Partners will probably spend some of their money on upgrading their production equipment. Depending on the budget and scope of the projects, that might including getting one of the latest high-end digital video cameras, like the RED One. The RED system can record high-definition content in 4K, or a reference resolution of 4096×3072. That’s nearly four times the size of 1080p and the ideal screen size for 4K is 25 feet.

And while we commend YouTube for supporting next generation formats so quickly, we still think its bitrate is on the low side.

Redefining YouTube

YouTube is the dominant video site when it comes to short-form content, but when it comes to longer form original content, it lacks consumer and creator mindshare. While the company boasts about having more than 10,000 YouTube partners (content creators who get revenue share in ads overlaid on their content), the reality is that most of those partners don’t make anything off of their content.

What’s more, with the exception of commercial content that is redistributed through YouTube, the site doesn’t have the best reputation for more artistic content. That’s why the grants program is important. If it works, YouTube could start attracting the kind of content that is currently being published to sites like Vimeo or Blip.tv.

The support for next generation formats goes hand in hand with cultivating higher-end content creators. It’s also a sign that YouTube is really focussed on looking beyond the computer screen. The living room is quickly becoming a battleground in the connected content space and YouTube definitely wants to make sure it has a big piece of the pie.

Google Employees Explain What It’s Like Working at Google

There’s an interesting thread today over at social news site Reddit, in which Google employees are asked to describe their experiences working for the Internet giant.

The replies are anonymous, and should thus be taken with a grain of salt. But some seem genuine, revealing some fascinating tidbits about Google’s corporate culture, strategy and the day-to-day life of a Google employee. The experiences are vastly positive, but some of them describe the downsides of being a Googler, too.

Here are some interesting snippets from the thread:

CinoBoo: “I’ve been there for about 5 years. You can read about the good parts anywhere, so I’ll try to offer a counterpoint based on having worked at other software companies.
A common problem is that it’s easy to become spoiled by all the perks. Several offices have developed distinct cultures of entitlement, and people whine about the quality of the fudge on the free brownies. It’s embarrassing to be around people who’ve become like spoiled children.

An engineering-specific problem there is that there’s a lot of support for operations — that is, lots of people whose job it is to keep the systems running. Engineers don’t habitually carry pagers and are on-call relatively infrequently. The plus side is that they can focus on development, get adequate sleep, and be more productive. The downside is that they can easily lose touch with what’s really going on in the data centers and sometimes even their customers. It’s a trade-off. Google is at least aware of it and uses incentive programs to entice engineers to spend time in ops roles.

Last, the company is big into ‘generating luck,’ which means trying a whole bunch of stuff in the hopes that a few efforts will pay off.”
GoogleEmployee22k: “Google is a great place to work. These are the things I like about my job:

1) Everyone is super smart

2) 18 different cafes

3) Free Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

4) The food is gourmet quality (e.g. omelet bar, chefs that make custom sandwiches for you, sashimi, free drinks 24/7, free snacks of all sorts 24/7

5) The 7 person conference bicycles

6) Every Friday, Larry, Sergei, or Eric takes questions from us (in person), and we get free beer (e.g. Downtown Brown)”

solyanik: “Management institute is awful. A typical manager has 50-100 employees, so even if they meet with their reports once a month for 30 minutes, that’s about 2 weeks worth of almost constant 1:1s per month (allowing just a bit of time for stretching in between ). That’s not a lot of time for interaction. As a result, managers aren’t empwered [sic] to participate in technical decision, they don’t have very much vote in performance reviews (these are done by committee), and not even hiring (which is also done by committee). I’ve asked older Googlers what the managers did there, and they universally said “I don’t know”. Almost all managerial decisions that I witnessed at Google (mostly around resourcing the new projects) were not great, and the only way I could explain them was by some sort of internal political struggles between different players in the management game. The good thing was that, as I said above, they don’t have very much role in day to day operations of the company. But if you LIKE being a technical manager, if that’s how you see your career, Google is definitely not for you.”

[via Google Blogoscoped]

The best Videos on YouTube

We spend a lot of time here at Mashable finding the very best videos that the Internet has to offer. It’s a tough job wading though hundreds of thousands of videos, but we’re committed to finding the ones we think are truly deserving of your viewing attention.
If you don’t already have plans to see friends, family or take in the great outdoors, then this is the perfect reason to spend the weekend with your computer. So sit back, relax, and enjoy not just the best, but the best videos on YouTube.

10 Best UFO Hoax Videos on YouTube Believe it…. or not. The best part of tracking down these videos was by far, reading all the paranoid, conspiracy loving comments other viewers had posted.



15 Fab Flash Mob Videos on YouTubeWhile we’ve never been inspired to take part in a flash mob (coordination seems necessary), we’re glad someone always seems to be nearby to document the sudden crowd of people doing their (often strange) thing.



10 Best World Cup Goals on YouTubeFor the sports illiterate, goals are how football players get points. The most points wins the game. Here are the best ones.



6 Best FIFA World Cup Controversies of the Past 20 YearsRumors, headbutts, and pantless fans are a few of the most dramatic and controversial moments from the tournament’s recent history.



Top 10 YouTube News BloopersYou can’t say that on television! TV news people say the darnedest things, but if you’ve ever read off a teleprompter, you know it’s not as easy as it looks.



Top 10 Stop Motion Videos on YouTubeThese people had a lot of time on their hands. No, really, Stop Motion takes forever to create.



10 YouTube Videos of People Doing Amazing ThingsElevator pitch: Stupid (but amazing) human tricks.



Top 10 Robot Videos on YouTubeYou can’t build a robot, but these people can. They did it, and they put proof up on YouTube just to tease you.



Top 10 Wedding Dance Videos on YouTubeWedding videos are inherently embarrassing, but these people outdid themselves. Choreographed dance routines aren’t just from teen prom movies anymore!



Top 10 YouTube Cover SongsIf only you could get famous from singing other people’s hit songs. Oh wait, you can.



Top 10 LEGO Movie Tributes on YouTubeFile this one under “More people with a lot of time on their hands.” Here are the best movie scenes and trailers remade in LEGO.



10 Best LEGO Music Videos on YouTubeMore of the same LEGO men take to the small screen for some rousing renditions of the hottest music videos.



Top 10 Funny Cat Videos on YouTubePeople love taking videos of their cats. People love putting their cats on YouTube. People love watching people’s cats on YouTube. We live in a strange world, people.



10 Best Get a Mac AdsNow that the “Get a Mac” campaign has come to an end, we rounded up the best reasons to stare at Justin Long.



Top 10 Funny Dog Videos on YouTubePeople aren’t quite as fond of dog videos as they are of cat ones, but people still like to expose their canine pals to Internet fame.



15 Insanely Popular Lady Gaga YouTube VideosIt’s hard to distinguish which is more popular: The original videos by Lady G, the fan cover videos, the makeup tutorials, or the parody vids. We don’t want you to have to choose either, so we brought the entire Haus of Gaga to you.



Free download those best videos on YouTube.

Put those videos to iPhone, iPod, PSP etc.

Why YouTube will continue to use Flash instead of HTML5

The worlds biggest video website has been trying to implement a Flash-free player for some time now, even opening an experimental HTML5 player, but expressed their concerns with the new player earlier this week.

All the major browsers are working on making the switch to HTML5 later this year, including Microsoft with Internet Explorer 9. Google's Android phone and Windows Phone 7 mobile browsers and operating systems will support Flash. Even Apple's Safari 5 will be HTML5 compliant, but their mobile browser, found on the iPhone, iPod, and iPad products, will not support Flash.
However, YouTube has noted some concerns with the HTML5 video tag as a replacement for the traditional Flash Player. First, not all browsers have agreed on a codec standard, and with users uploading 24 hours worth of video every minute to YouTube, it's important that they support the minimal amount of available codecs.

Currently Google, Opera, and Mozilla are supporting WebM VP8, which would highly benefit the HTML5 video codec. VP8 is an open-sourced video streaming media project by Google which operates under a BSD-style royalty-free license. Microsoft and Apple will be sticking with the H.264 standard, but Microsoft said Internet Explorer 9 will also allow users to install WebM if they wish.
Until all the browsers can agree on a video encoding format, YouTube said it will still stick with H.264, which it has been using since 2007.

HTML5 also has problems performing robust video streaming, and when streaming live videos, it's important to have full control over buffering and video quality controls. DRM-protection is also important to YouTube, so they can offer services like YouTube Rentals, which requires making sure videos are not copied and redistributed around the web without the owners consent.

If anyone has actually tried using the HTML5 player, there is a significant difference between the Flash version of the site and the HTML5 player. One noticeable difference between the two players is the delay when selecting a certain part of a video. The HTML5 video seems to have a 1-2 second delay, wile the Flash player is almost instant.

On the comparison below is the HTML5 player (left) and the Flash version of the player (right), running on Chrome 6.0.447.0 running Flash 10.1.53.64, on a Windows 7 x64 Ultimate edition installation. There is a significant difference in terms of loading time and video quality, both of which Flash has the advantage.
Another important feature for YouTube is embedding videos on external websites. Although HTML5 allows for sandboxing and message-passing functions for things like captions, annotations and advertising, Flash is still the tool most sites use for embedded content.

Lastly, HTML5 does not support webcam and microphone access. Thousands of videos are uploaded daily using YouTube's built-in video recording software that uses the users webcam and microphone to record, something that would be impossible to do without Flash.

As HTML5 is still in development and definitely still requires a lot more work, it may be some time yet before users and major websites ditch Flash for HTML5.

Google Launches Real-Time Blogger Stats, what does it mean for Google Analytics?

Google has introduced a full-featured stats dashboard for its free blogging service, Blogger.

Blogger Stats displays traffic and source info for individual posts, and it does it in near real time, keeping historical data as well. It also tracks popular search keywords that send visitors to your blog, and breaks down your traffic by country of origin, as well as web browser and the operating system your visitors are using.

Users who track their blogs’ performance via Google Analytics should be aware that the data Blogger Stats provides may be different as it uses a different data collection mechanism. Also, keep in mind that Google Analytics offers far more features, but is only updated every couple of hours, while Blogger Stats updates its data almost instantly.

What this news means for Google Analytics is as of yet unclear. TechCruch speculates that since Analytics does not yet have the "real time" feature that Blogger Stats does, Google will possibly roll up Stats into Analytics. On the other hand, information they gleaned from various Analytics support forums show that Google is convinced users don't want real time stats, and would rather focus on more robust and complete time lagged analysis.

This emphasizes how different the two products really are, and could be the key to explaining the purpose of owning two separate traffic tracking and analysis products. Blogger Stats, while offering more than sufficient data for everyday use, doesn't come close to offering the same amount of flexibility and analysis that Analytics provides. While everyday users have much to benefit from Analytics, its target audience are people who live and breathe traffic stats, whose cash flow might depend on it. Those people would sacrifice real time data for deep analysis of pageview trends and traffic content. Blogger Stats, on the other hand, is looking to woo in the casual blogger who doesn't necessarily want to be bothered with copying and pasting Analytics javascript into their HTML layout source code, and just wants an easy way to see how many people are reading their blog, what they're reading, and where they're coming from. Google has yet to comment on the development.

For now, the service is only available if you login to Blogger using the draft.Blogger.com portal, the site where Blogger tests various new blogging tools not yet ready for production.