Encoding video for Adobe Connect

I just stumbled across a decent article on how to compress video for Adobe Connect.  I've been doing it for years but never thought to write down my knowledge.  I use Sorenson Squeeze to produce my final product. But I've been dabbling in Adobe Media Encoder lately as well.

Connect with Abbas has a good description of how to do it, including the three main factors you need to consider for a good final product:

1. Frame size - width & height of your video. 
2. Bitrate (or data rate) - how many kilobits per second are needed to display video. 
3. Frame rate (or frames per second).

So take a look at his post. I think it's well written. But the most important thing to remember when compressing your videos is that you should always test a variety of settings.

The Best Export Settings for Final Cut Pro

I've been trying to figure out the best export settings for Final Cut Pro.  I've traditionally just exported as QuickTime, but I was having problems with my traditional settings -- like getting strange grey screens, bitmapped images, video pausing while the audio continued, etc. So I found a decent tutorial on YouTube that helped with some new settings.  The tutorial is a bit long (and the export settings don't start until about half way through) so I thought I'd type them out for you to save you some time:

1) Click File > Export
Select Using QuickTime Conversion...
Format = Quick Time Conversion
Use = Default Settings

2) Click Options > Settings
Compression = H.264
Frame Rate = Current
Key Frames = 24
Data Rate = Automatic
Quality = High

3) Click OK

4) Click Size
Select HD 1280 x 720 16:9

This produced excellent Final Cut Pro Export results that I then took into Sorenson Squeeze to compress even further.

We are all Digital Farmers

On a farm, when the chickens needed feeding, the pigs needed slopping or the cow got out of the barn, you took care of it.  That was your job, day and night.  As a kid, when my dad and I were irrigating our apple orchard there were times we forgot to pull the headgate out of the creek. So, late at night, I'd trudge through the woods with a flashlight to take care of the chore.  I didn't like it, but I did it because I had to.

I've found that today we've all become digital farmers.  We get up early, not to milk cows but to work digitally with global partners and to ensure systems are up and running.

On a farm, you'd find that a fox got in with the chickens, today it's gremlins in the network. In either case, you have to answer the call quickly and efficiently to solve the problem so that the fox or gremlins don't eat your assets.

I find that many people complain they are "leashed" to their work day and night with mobile phones and email.  Although that may be true, we have jobs to do whether it's collecting the eggs, irrigating the fields or replying to an urgent client need from another country.

It's interesting that the more things change the more they stay the same. I'm just glad my office doesn't smell like a barn.

Complete feature list for iOS 5 software update

If you're like me, the feature list for the new iOS5 update went by too quickly -- I wanted to reread the iOS 5 Software Updates after I had uploaded it. So, when I updated my wife's phone, I captured it all. HGere is the full listing of new features for iOS 5:

This update contains over 200 new features, including the following:

• Notifications
• Swipe from the top of any screen to view notifications in one place with Notification Center
• New notifications appear briefly at the top of the screen
• View notifications from lock screen
• Slide the notification app icon to the right on the lock screen to go directly to the app
• iMessage
• Send and receive unlimited text, photo, and video messages with other iOS 5 users
• Track messages with delivery and read receipts
• Group messaging and secure encryption
• Works over cellular network and Wi-Fi*
• Newsstand
• Automatically organizes magazine and newspaper subscriptions on Home Screen
• Displays the cover of the latest issue
• Background downloads of new issues 
• Reminders for managing to do lists
• Syncs with iCloud, iCal and Outlook
• Location-based reminders when you leave or arrive at a location for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4
• Built-in support for Twitter
• Sign-in once in Settings and tweet directly from Camera, Photos, Maps, Safari and YouTube
• Add location to any tweet
• View twitter profile pictures and usernames in Contacts
• Camera improvements for devices with cameras
• Double click the home button when device is asleep to bring up a camera shortcut on iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch (4th generation)
• Volume Up button to take a picture
• Optional grid lines to line up shots
• Pinch to zoom in the preview screen
• Swipe to camera roll from preview screen
• Tap and hold to lock focus and exposure, iPad 2 and iPod touch (4th generation) only support exposure lock

• Photo improvements for devices with cameras
• Crop and rotate
• Red eye removal
• One tap enhance
• Organize photos into albums
• Mail improvements
• Format text using bold, italic, or underlined fonts
• Indentation control
• Drag to rearrange names in address fields
• Flag messages
• Mass mark messages as flagged, read or unread
• Customize mail alert sounds
• S/MIME
• Calendar improvements
• Year view on iPad and new Week view for iPhone and iPod touch
• Tap to create an event
• View and add event attachments
• Game Center improvements
• Use personal photos for your Game Center account
• Compare your overall achievement scores with your friends
• Find new Game Center friends with friend recommendations and friends of friends
• Discover new games with custom game recommendations
• AirPlay Mirroring for iPad 2 and iPhone 4S
• Multitasking Gestures for iPad
• Use four or five fingers to pinch to the Home Screen
• Swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar
• Swipe left or right to switch between apps

• On-device setup, activation and configuration with Setup Assistant
• Software updates available over the air without tethering
• iCloud support
• iTunes in the Cloud
• Photo Stream
• Documents in the Cloud
• Apps and Books automatic download and purchase history
• Backup
• Contacts, Calendar, and Mail
• Find My iPhone

• Redesigned Music app for iPad

• Hourly weather forecast
• Real-time stock quotes
• Wireless sync to iTunes
• Keyboard improvements
• Split keyboard for iPad
• Improved autocorrection accuracy
• Improved Chinese and Japanese input
• New Emoji keyboard
• Personal dictionary for autocorrection
• Optionally create keyboard short cuts for frequently used words
• Accessibility improvements

• Option to light LED flash on incoming calls and alerts for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4
• Custom vibration patterns for incoming calls on iPhone
• New interface for using iOS with mobility-impairment input devices
• Option to speak a selection of text
• Custom element labeling for VoiceOver

• Exchange ActiveSync improvements
• Wirelessly sync tasks
• Mark messages as flagged, read or unread
• Improved offline support
• Save a new contact from a GAL service
• More than 1,500 new developer APIs
• Bug fixes

Products compatible with this software update:

• iPhone 4S
• iPhone 4
• iPhone 3GS
• iPad 2
• iPad
• iPod touch (4th generation)
• iPod touch (3rd generation)

* Normal carrier data rates may apply. Messages will be sent as SMS when iMessage is unavailable, carrier messaging fees apply.

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website: 

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222