Applian Technologies Blog http://www.applian.com/blog/ All about Online Media en 2008-08-18T08:20:48-08:00 Pandora may be going dark http://www.applian.com/blog/archives/2008/08/pandora_may_be.html This article in Ars Technica does a nice job illustrating the demise of Pandora may be just days away. The problem is with the royalty fees they are being asked to pay, in contrast to what broadcast radio pays (nothing) and satellite radio pays (about half). The music business needs a big restructuring, as it's a sad day when cool services like Pandora go belly up, especially when they have revenues of $25 million(!).

Read the entire article to learn more.

]]> Media Business Bill Dettering 2008-08-18T08:20:48-08:00 We've been Slashdotted! http://www.applian.com/blog/archives/2008/08/weve_been_slash.html An article about Applian, Replay Media Catcher and RTMPE protocol recently was posted on Slashdot. While much of it is a spirited debate about DRM, there is an inaccuracy that we need to clear up. Some of the posters seem to think that we are breaking Adobe's encryption in this latest version, which is false. The content we download is actually unencrypted.

It looks like this was a stopgap solution by Adobe. It appears Adobe made a technical tradeoff between continuing to support their existing ad insertion technology, and fully encrypting their content. There are a lot of really talented engineers at Adobe - I just don't think they have yet built a DMCA compatible system due to time constraints. Their Flash Video server technology is really well done, and after a major re-architecting, they will probably discover a better balance between ad serving and encryption.

As far as the DRM issue goes: never, ever redistribute anything you've recorded without the express written consent of the content owner. Recordings are always for your personal use only. Applian's intent is not to encourage customers to violate copyright laws.

]]> Media Business Bill Dettering 2008-08-17T01:32:57-08:00 iPhone and Remote iTunes http://www.applian.com/blog/archives/2008/08/iphone_and_remo.html Apple Insider has an article about a new Apple (AAPL) patent filing regarding iPhones accessing iTunes libraries from anywhere. The gist is that your desktop PC can have all your media (songs, videos, Podcasts, and more) on it, and your phone would be able to download and play anything from your desktop PC.

This would be a huge bonus for Replay A/V users. Imagine having your favorite radio shows recorded on a PC at home, imported to iTunes automatically, and available for listening wherever you are. This can be done now with the YouSendIt plug-in we provide (as you can email yourself recorded files automatically), but this mechanism would be much slicker.

Go Apple!

]]> Media Business Bill Dettering 2008-08-11T10:06:27-08:00 Recording the Olympics, Part II http://www.applian.com/blog/archives/2008/08/recording_the_o_1.html Alex has looked into more of the technical details behind how NBC is streaming the Olympics, and has made an interesting discovery. Apparently the stream formats are different for live streams vs. pre-recorded streams. This means that you can make digital recordings of live events, and record from the screen for "rewind" or cached events. Below is his technical summary.

The Silverlight NBC Olympics server uses Windows Media Player for live streams and VP7 for prerecorded videos. VP7 is the format used by web sites like abc.com or fox.com and can provide very high quality (lossless) video compression including HD. The problem with this format is that it cannot be reliably streamed for longer periods of time like the live broadcasts. The math used to compress the video and the audio does not allow recovery when packets are lost which results in out of sync audio. Currently Windows Media Player is the only format that can do this. The live stream Olympics can be recorded with WM Recorder or Replay Media Catcher but the prerecorded clips can only be recorded with WM Capture.
]]> Media Business Bill Dettering 2008-08-07T11:21:12-08:00 Recording The Olympics Online http://www.applian.com/blog/archives/2008/08/recording_the_o.html This year NBC has teamed up with Microsoft (MSFT) to provide a wealth of Olympics footage at NBCOlympics.com. If you're really into specific events that aren't shown over your broadcast TV station, then you can likely watch them online. Very cool.

The Microsoft contribution is via the Silverlight video player, which you must install in order to watch video. Few video providers use Silverlight, which is why there are no programs (yet) that can record those feeds via stream capture.

If you're looking to record some of these events and save them forever, the best program to use is WM Capture. This on-screen recorder makes great quality videos from the Olympic feeds.

To burn these recordings to DVD, try the new Replay Converter 3.0, which is currently in beta. You can also make iPod format videos, or AVI files to import them into your favorite video editor.

Oh yeah - Go Team USA!

UPDATE: I noticed that you need to enter a zip code and your Cable provider to watch some online feeds. Try 94118 and ComCast Digital if you're disallowed access.

]]> Media Business Bill Dettering 2008-08-06T10:43:30-08:00 People who bought Yahoo Music with DRM are (almost) screwed http://www.applian.com/blog/archives/2008/07/perople_who_bou.html Yahoo Music is shuttering their DRM servers, which means that anyone who purchased music from them will eventually no longer be able to play their songs.

This is a great reason to use Replay Music to create unprotected MP3 files from the songs you purchased.

]]> Media Business Bill Dettering 2008-07-26T23:32:09-08:00 New User Forums! http://www.applian.com/blog/archives/2008/02/new_user_forums.html We have just launched our brand spankin new user forums. We are excited to offer this forum to all owners of the Replay Capture Suite.

When purchasing the Replay Capture Suite you automatically become a member of the new Applian Advantage Club. Club members can read and post in the forums and receive special discounts on Applian software for their friends and family.

If you are currently an owner of the Replay Capture Suite, join us in the new forums today! Just register using your email address and your Replay Capture Suite activation code.

See you in the forums!

]]> Applian Software Debbie 2008-02-25T13:48:23-08:00 3 Cheers for Podomatic http://www.applian.com/blog/archives/2008/01/3_cheers_for_po.html There are times when we run into technical problems relating to our products interfacing with those of another company. Often a subtle form of fingerpointing or passing the buck occurs. So it was delightful to work with Podomatic, a popular free Podcast hosting service, today to fix a problem with Replay A/V accessing their Podcasts. With one call, I was able to locate the lead engineer, and in a few minutes we were able to access their entire library of Podcasts again. Yippee!.

Podomatic has a pretty cool service - you can start your own Podcast with just a PC, a microphone, and an internet connection. Just go to their site, speak your Podcast, and it's uploaded and added to their directory. And it's free. Pretty awesome.

Thanks again Justin!

]]> Podcasting Bill Dettering 2008-01-30T18:34:39-08:00 Clip & Sling II http://www.applian.com/blog/archives/2008/01/clip_sling_ii.html A quick correction on my previous post regarding Clip & Sling. I went back to the main Sling booth again and learned the following:

1. You can record up to 2 minutes from any source without a content redistribution contract. However, your clips are only accessible to you.
2. All recorded clips are automatically uploaded to the Sling server. There is no local file storage for your own clips.

The concept of "fair use" is still foreign to these guys. By playing the content owners game, they are digging themselves into a hole for the future.

]]> Media Business Bill Dettering 2008-01-10T06:49:00-08:00 Clip & Sling - The Ugly Truth http://www.applian.com/blog/archives/2008/01/clip_sling_the.html In keeping with my unhealthy obsession with Slingbox, I talked to a representative today here at CES regarding their "recording" feature in the upcoming SlingPlayer 2.0 called Clip & Sling. As we suspected, it's not pretty.

Turns out Sling has had to reach content redistribution deals with EVERY TV content owner on the planet for this feature. Each content owner must explicitly give Sling permission to record, and then sets the time limit - some may allow 15 seconds, some four minutes, etc. No agreement: no recording.

This is an INSANE amount of work for a feature with dubious value to customers. From our perspective it's great news, as SlingPlayer 2.0 will NOT have any significant recording options.

At-Large Recorder (and every other Applian product) is all about recording for personal use. You've paid for the content already, you can record it. Just don't redistribute it to others.

]]> Media Business Bill Dettering 2008-01-08T16:11:38-08:00 Breakthrough recording XM & Sirius Online http://www.applian.com/blog/archives/2007/12/breakthrough_re.html Replay A/V 8.4 is now available! This version is an exciting breakthrough for XM & Sirius customers. Now you can automatically schedule and record using Stream Capture, which lets you record two or more shows simultaneously, with perfect quality, and eliminates many tuning errors or problems with an "Are You Listening" prompt. No other software can do this.

If you're into recording Howard Stern, Martha Stewart, Opie and Anthony, or any of the other XM and Sirius shows you should give Replay A/V 8.4 a try!

]]> Applian Software Bill Dettering 2007-12-03T22:46:31-08:00 Techware Slingbox Hosting Service http://www.applian.com/blog/archives/2007/11/techware_slingb.html In spite of the fact we've been dissed by Sling in the past, I continue to be fascinated with the SlingBox, and how it disrupts the media business.

The latest cool service is the Techware Slingbox Hosting Service. These guys will host a Sling Box for you, and let you stream cable TV from Wisconsin to anywhere in the world. It's not cheap at $45/month, but it appears legit as far as not redistributing cable TV or satellite feeds.

If you're a Packers fan, for example, this is one great way to catch all the action. Not sure how pleased the NFL is with this arrangement though.

You can read more about it here.

]]> Media Business Bill Dettering 2007-11-26T16:38:38-08:00 Replay Music 3 Public Beta Available http://www.applian.com/blog/archives/2007/11/replay_music_3.html Music lovers rejoice! Even though Microsoft has tried their best to restrict your ability to record audio in Windows Vista, our software engineers have developed the coolest version of Replay Music ever! It will work with any sound card, and yes, with Windows Vista too. No silly workarounds needed. Just install and start recording music from your favorite online sources.

Here's the spiffy new Replay Music user interface:

Replay Music 3

Replay Music 3 will be a free upgrade for all Replay Music 2 owners. Please download the public beta and take it out for a test drive. We'd love to hear your feedback.

UPDATE: Please report any problems to the Replay Music Technical Support Department (not the blog comments here). This will assure that Replay Music's developer is made aware of all issues in this beta.

Click here to report a problem with Replay Music 3

Click here to read the Replay Music 3 FAQ.

]]> Applian Software Debbie 2007-11-05T13:16:00-08:00 Greatest FLV Player ever http://www.applian.com/blog/archives/2007/10/greatest_flv_pl.html In conjunction with Martijn DeVisser, we're proud to announce new version 2 of FLV Player. The worlds most popular player for FLV files downloaded from YouTube and other similar video sites just got even better.

You can download FLV Player 2 here.

Here's what's new in FLV Player version 2:

New features:
- zoom 50% - 100% - 200% and fullscreen
- double click video view-port to toggle fullscreen
- drag-and-drop (multiple) files
- seek through video with mouse scrollwheel
- extensive meta-data inspection
- remember position on screen at next launch
- remember audio settings a next launch
- optional video smoothing for fast cpu's
- auto-update feature
- keyboard controls:
[SPACE] - toggle play/pause
[CTRL-.] - zoom 50%
[CTRL-1] - zoom 100%
[CTRL-2] - zoom 200%
[CTRL-ENTER] - toggle fullscreen
[CTRL-O] - open file...
[CTRL-V] - paste URL
[CTRL-W] - close window

Download now!

]]> Applian Software Bill Dettering 2007-10-13T10:49:39-08:00 The Windows Vista Anti-Recording Conspiracy Thwarted http://www.applian.com/blog/archives/2007/08/the_windows_vis.html For several years now, the ability to record audio on new Windows PC's has slowly eroded, until it's become virtually impossible to record anything but your Microphone on new Windows Vista machines. Recording streaming audio, or sounds from any application, simply couldn't be done. But today, that has changed.

Today is the official release day for Freecorder Toolbar Sound Recorder, our new free audio recording application that makes audio recording in Vista (and XP for that matter) better and more accessible for everyone. To understand why this is a big deal, it's helpful to know a little about the technology behind sound recording. But if you've recently bought a new Windows PC and tried to record audio, you've learned what I'm about to tell you the hard way.

Recording audio is traditionally done two ways: either by using a "loopback" line exposed by the sound card in your PC, or by using a third party program that creates its own Sound Card Driver. The loopback method has been slowly phased out, even with XP machines. There used to always be a "What U Hear", "Stereo Mix", "Wave Out Mix" or similar recording line on every sound card installed in every new PC, which hundreds of applications could use to record sounds. Then all of the sudden, many PC's shipped without loopback lines, especially with the popular RealTek cards, and millions of customers were out of luck- unless you had a recording application like Replay A/V with the Enhanced Sound Card Driver, Total Recorder or Soundtap. These specialized applications used custom written Sound Card Drivers to record, and didn't require a loopback line. However with Windows Vista, Microsoft has required that all drivers be certified and signed by Microsoft, which effectively kills this method of recording. If you own a new Vista PC with no loopback line, you are unable to record audio - until now.

Our new Freecorder Toolbar Sound Recorder uses a brand new audio recording method invented by us. It works great with Vista, XP and even Windows 2000, and doesn't require any special recording line or driver - it just works. Plus, an added benefit is Freecorder Toolbar's Sound Separation technology, which isolates sounds from the application it was generated in. This means that the beep from your Instant Messenger program won't wind up in the recording from your favorite internet radio station.

Our other products are getting this new technology shortly, but Freecorder Toolbar has it now, and it's totally free. Give it a try and enjoy!

]]> Applian Software Bill Dettering 2007-08-21T00:42:08-08:00