Where get good advice?

[Kennedy McEwen]

I hadn't thought of that. One should get a DVD player with the same
resolution as your HDTV and resample to that resolution. Oh, and then
there's the problem of the 9/16 screen or 1.77 ratio to the 35mm of
1.48.

Yep - they don't fit. So you wither crop or get black borders.
Either way, you need to experiment to see which is best for you r
requirements. I could tell you mine, but that wouldn't be of any
benefit to you.

 

[Roger]

Roger ([email protected]) wrote in


It depends on your image content, I'm sure. If spreadsheets work for
you, fine - but it would never work for me.

Spreadsheets, database, or specific programs/apps to do the job. I
tend to think in computerese as that was my profession and where I
have my degree.

It's easy for me to think in the way the programs save and I can
create trees (no pun intended), or rather data trees in spread sheets
or database tables. OTOH creating a full relational table in a
database might be thought of as a daunting task.

In IMatch I'm developing my own category trees and all together I
already have over 3500 categories, and it's not nearly finished yet.
About half of that is a taxonomic tree to properly catalog any living
creature I've photographed and of which I've been able to identify what
it is (as far as it goes, sometimes not closer than a family, but in
some cases it may be a subspecies). Then there are all the travel-
related subjects, with location, ethnic groups, customes, clothing and
decorations, building styles, religion, etc.

I *think* in hierarchies of categories, not just keywords, and IMatch
allows me to use exactly that - perfect "brain match" for me.

Data is stored in columns and rows no mater what the program. Even
multidimensional arrays are really two dimension simulations of the
extra dimensions, but if you haven't spent the last 15 years thinking
in those terms ...<)

I would agree with you that the IMatch would be far easier to use with
a lot less effort for probably 99% plus of the population.
Most people can't keep track of much more than about half a dozen
categories and are not well enough organized to keep much more than a
dozen even in specific programs. Then when the sub categories get
added all bets are off<)

The last program I wrote was a database maintenance program that
allowed the user to enter new categories on the fly, as well as enter
and edit information. It also did searches on partial matches such as
names, addresses, and the make and model of airplanes. (It did a
search of a large aviation database) and could even tell you where the
target was parked. I hasten to add that was over 7 years ago and It'd
probably take me quite a while to refresh my skills to that level<)

I do think for most people the simplest system they can use (that
meets their needs)is best.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

 

[Roger]

Yep - they don't fit. So you wither crop or get black borders.
Either way, you need to experiment to see which is best for you r
requirements. I could tell you mine, but that wouldn't be of any
benefit to you.

Yup, you''re going to have to settle for a different aspect ratio what
with 35mm being 1:1.5 which is a long way from either wide screen or
regular TV.
Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

 

[Marjolein Katsma]

Roger ([email protected]) wrote in

The only thing particular about him is what cat food he'll eat.
When a kitten he looked much like a Oriental except for the markings.
(can't remember the name, but not Siamese) Large ears, large eyes,
small head.

Burmese? Abessynian?

http://www.rogerhalstead.com/newcat.htm My favorite is "Disbelief".
You'll see what I meant about "large ears".

Looks like a cat with a lot of character!

 

[Don]

I've not seen a listing, not any real studies done so some
player/burner conflicts may be due to the disk problem instead, or
even configuration problems. It is a real crap shoot currently as to
what will work with what.

Even thought there are some problems with limited reflectivity of RW
which some DVD players can't handle the biggest problem for plain
vanilla DVD+/-R appears to be the so-called "media byte" or "media
tag".

The exact name escapes me right now because I'm busy scanning still
images but I remember reading about this and making a mental note to
look into it later. I'm sure someone will jump in with exact details.

In essence, the value for DVD-ROM is "0000" (if memory serves) while
+R and -R use "1001" and "0001" respectively. More recent software can
fix this and make +R/-R pretend to be ROM to fool the player.

But, from I understand, current DVD players have now learned that
"0001" and "1001" are legitimate and accept them as valid.

Don.

 

[Surfer!]

Roger ([email protected]) wrote in


Burmese? Abessynian?

Orientals in the UK come in most colours and patterns. The exceptions
are with white markings, or with Siamese or Burmese colour restriction.
So, the only bar I can see on him is that he looks to have white socks
on his back legs. Otherwise he looks Oriental - long, elegant, sleek,
muscular, large ears, up to no good, a keen hunter. Of course if I
actually met him he would probably look more like a different breed -
but then whatever the breed the ultimate origin is in non-pedigree cats.

 

[Surfer!]

Even thought there are some problems with limited reflectivity of RW
which some DVD players can't handle the biggest problem for plain
vanilla DVD+/-R appears to be the so-called "media byte" or "media
tag".

The UK magazine PC Pro did a report on DVD writers last year, and some
burners had distinct problems with some makes of media:

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/labs/133/dvd-writers/products.html
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/labs/77650/liteon-sohw1693s.html

 

[HvdV]

In IMatch I'm developing my own category trees and all together I
already have over 3500 categories, and it's not nearly finished yet.

<snip>
IMatch may be the perfect program, but what happens if they go broke and do
not supply an update for the next Windows? Or, what will you do if you decide
you want to move your collection to another platform?
In that case a more failsafe method like Roger's will prove its value --
provided he stores his spreadsheets in a sensible way.

-- Hans

 

[Roger]

<snip>
IMatch may be the perfect program, but what happens if they go broke and do
not supply an update for the next Windows? Or, what will you do if you decide

The same is true for Windows as well. Remember they no longer support
Win 95 and within a year or two it's quite likely that 98 will be gone
as well. The same holds true for office although "Open Office" is
available out there and it's free.

you want to move your collection to another platform?
In that case a more failsafe method like Roger's will prove its value --
provided he stores his spreadsheets in a sensible way.

Wellll... Even spread sheets need to be updated periodically and you
need to have a naming convention for the columns and rows.

The safest backup is a comma, tab, or space delimited file which can
then be imported to almost any spreadsheet or database.

Regardless of what we use for hardware or software it's likely we'll
have to change at least once a decade, if not twice or three times.
Hopefully it'll just be an upgrade.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

 

[Roger]

Abyssinian.


Orientals in the UK come in most colours and patterns. The exceptions
are with white markings, or with Siamese or Burmese colour restriction.
So, the only bar I can see on him is that he looks to have white socks
on his back legs. Otherwise he looks Oriental - long, elegant, sleek,
muscular, large ears, up to no good, a keen hunter. Of course if I

He certainly is a hunter. He's also the only cat I've ever had that
hated dogs. He does a great job of keeping strays out of the yard.

actually met him he would probably look more like a different breed -
but then whatever the breed the ultimate origin is in non-pedigree cats.

That's where all the pedigree cats started. They find a trait, and
breed them until it breeds true and then get the breed certified.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

 

[Surfer!]

He certainly is a hunter. He's also the only cat I've ever had that
hated dogs. He does a great job of keeping strays out of the yard.

My Oriental is less likely to attack a small dog than a cat... He
*hates* other cats beyond Rufus, my rescue cat.

That's where all the pedigree cats started. They find a trait, and
breed them until it breeds true and then get the breed certified.

Some breeds have been created. The Asian started because the offspring
from a 'whoops' litter with a Burmese & Persian parents were so
attractive, and the Ocicat came about from an attempt to breed a
'Lynx-point Siamese' which involved crossing a Siamese and an
Abyssinian.

But, a lot are 'natural' breeds - the cats from a particular area. The
Maine Coon, Norway Forest Cat, British Shorthair, Birman, Singapura and
Korat are all examples and there are plenty more.

The ones I think best fit the 'find an interesting trait and get
breeding' are breeds like the Devon & Cornish Rex, the American Curl and
the Scottish Fold. These are all cats with a specific gene, but in the
UK the GCCF (main registry) is getting a bit wary of this sort of thing,
as some genes have been found to be problematic for the cat. They don't
intend recognising the short-legged cat (Munchkin?) and I'm not sure
they will ever recognise the Sphinx which is functionally bald and needs
a lot of extra care - it sweats all over and needs regular gentle wiping
with a damp cloth, sun is a problem and so of course is cold weather..

Had breeders tried to get the Manx recognised today they would probably
fail, as the short-tail gene is lethal to kittens inheriting two copies
- they usually die before birth and are reabsorbed leading to small
litters.

 

[Mike Fox]

I've read some DVDs for TVs have trouble with certain dyes. This
would point one in the direction of burners that don't use those dyes.
Have you read anything about this or know a site where this info is
available?

Thanks

Mike

 

[Mike Fox]

However do not expect to load the feeder with 50 slides and walk away.
There are a number of things that will cause it to jam such as warped
slides, paper mounts that have the edges "belled" out be they inside
or outside edges. Some plastic slide mounts have to be fed upside down
or backwards to prevent the lip from catching but the images can be
rotated in virtually any processing program.

Roger

Do you have any advice on work arounds for these problems so we don't
have to re-invent the wheel?

Thanks

Mike

 

[Surfer!]

Roger

Do you have any advice on work arounds for these problems so we don't
have to re-invent the wheel?

A lot of this only appears when you try to scan a particular set of
slides. However one problem, that of accidentally feeding two slides
because they are thin, can be circumvented (usually) with an old credit
card.

http://www.pytlowany.com/ED4000_pg_4.html

BTW the card I use is embossed, but I've put the 'out' side of the card
away from the slides and it seems to fix the problem. When you've seen
the fix for real it's much more obvious. Apparently the SF-210 has an
adjustable gate so in effect has a built-in adjuster.

 

[Roger]

Roger

Do you have any advice on work arounds for these problems so we don't
have to re-invent the wheel?

What I use for paper slide mounts that are warped or have edges belled
out is the handle of a good old kitchen knife, or "flat ware". You can
also use the back of a thumbnail to rub or flatten down the belled
edges and this *generally* works quite well.

If you look at the edges of the plastic slide mounts you will see some
edges that can catch. It may take running a few through to actually
see how the do catch, but once it becomes obvious what is happening
you can rotate the slide so they don't catch. If need be you can even
turn the slide around so the wrong face is forward. Most soft ware
will let you "reverse" the image.

http://www.rogerhalstead.com/scanning.htm Does address a number of
these issues.

Good Luck,

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

 

[Roger]

I've read some DVDs for TVs have trouble with certain dyes. This
would point one in the direction of burners that don't use those dyes.
Have you read anything about this or know a site where this info is
available?

I think it's more the reflectivity produced by the backing and dye
combination. Some like the highly reflective set up and some like the
darker.

I came across something strange last night. I have a 50 pack of
Memorex. I've used about half of them. All 4 computers use the same
make and model burner. Last night I ran into a couple of disks that
would not burn in the shop computer. The disk at once write was
failing and I was receiving an "Illegal disk" error. I brought the
disks into the house and had the same problem here. About the only
thing that would have changed *might* be a soft ware or driver update.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

 

[Roger]

A lot of this only appears when you try to scan a particular set of
slides. However one problem, that of accidentally feeding two slides
because they are thin, can be circumvented (usually) with an old credit
card.

http://www.pytlowany.com/ED4000_pg_4.html

BTW the card I use is embossed, but I've put the 'out' side of the card
away from the slides and it seems to fix the problem. When you've seen
the fix for real it's much more obvious. Apparently the SF-210 has an
adjustable gate so in effect has a built-in adjuster.

It does.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

 

[Marjolein Katsma]

HvdV ([email protected]) wrote in

IMatch may be the perfect program, but what happens if they go broke
and do not supply an update for the next Windows? Or, what will you do
if you decide you want to move your collection to another platform?

Apart from the fact that I could keep a machine running the same software
on the same OS, there are lots of import and - more importantly - export
options.

Another factor is that the program is actually used by lots of libraries,
newspapers, photo agencies and the like - in other words there is a lot of
trust in the application out there, and it makes photools going broke
rather unlikely as well.

 

[Don]

There are a couple of things. One is the DVD reflectivity and some
players may not be able to pick up the reflection.

However, a more likely problem is the so-called "book type". That's
the identification encoded on the DVD itself what type of DVD it is
(DVD-ROM, +R, -R, RW, etc).

Some (older) players simply refuse to play anything except DVD-ROM
even though they can read it perfectly well.

That's another advantage of +R format because it allows this "book
type" to be changed. By contrast, the -R has this information hard
coded on the blanks.

Don.

 

[HvdV]

Apart from the fact that I could keep a machine running the same software
on the same OS, there are lots of import and - more importantly - export
options.

Keeping a computer in usable condition for say more than a decade is
generally not a good idea...

Another factor is that the program is actually used by lots of libraries,
newspapers, photo agencies and the like - in other words there is a lot of
trust in the application out there, and it makes photools going broke
rather unlikely as well.

Sounds good, but personally I wouldn't gamble long term survival of my data
on that, especially if it isn't all open source.

Good luck, Hans