DIGITAL DIGEST - http://www.digital-digest.com
DIGITAL DIGEST | LiveUpdate Newsletter - Issue 57
17 November, 2006

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TOP NEWS SUMMARY:

1. Introduction

2. News in Brief

3. WinDVD 8: Released and Reviewed

4. New Articles on Digital Digest

5. Rant Away: Windows Vista Licensing, Helping Piracy Grow

6. How to cancel/change your subscription email address/settings
- how to maintain the subscription to this newsletter even
if your email address has changed

7. A simple thank-you and some concluding words

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1. Introduction

Welcome to another issue of Digital Digest's "LiveUpdate"
newsletter. In this issue, there's information on WinDVD 8, new
articles on Digital Digest and a rant on Windows Vista licensing.

-- DVDGuy


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2. News in Brief

DVD Rebuilder (the freeware edition) updates to version 0.98.1 with
some minor bug fixes and cosmetic changes

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60253.html

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Slysoft has updated AnyDVD to version 8.0.6.2 to help over come
Sony's ARccOS™ copyright protection.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60252.html

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VideoLAN has released a new version adding some features as well as
minor cosmetic improvements.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60254.html

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CloneDVD Updates to provide you new ways to output your files and
added a new profile for the iPod.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60255.html

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Beware of DVD Shrink scams!

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60256.html

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Sonic Solutions collaborate with Microsoft to incorporate Roxio's
burning applications.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60259.html

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Apple thinking about updating the iPod to include a camera and a
touch screen.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60264.html

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Microsoft is updating the Xbox 360 to handle the 1080p screen
resolution.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60265.html

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Elby's CloneDVD Mobile updates to version 1.1.2.1 to run better on
the Palm OS and other small improvements.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60266.html

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Toshiba giving away 3 HD-DVD movies with the purchase of a new HD-
DVD player.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60267.html

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Electronic Arts is offering a free demo of the infamous "Need for
Speed - Carbon" game.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60269.html

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Microsoft hoping that its new strategy against software piracy will
pay off when Vista is released.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60272.html

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New version of Alcohol 120% was released that had all kinds of new
features and a lot of bug fixes.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60274.html

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The XviD codec updates providing multiple bug fixes as well as
updating profile definitions.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60275.html

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Microsoft has released yet another long overdue update for its own
media player, Windows Media Player.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60276.html

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The makers of the Xbox have unanimously decided no more firmware
hacks that allow users to play game backups.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60277.html

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AutoGK updates to version 2.37 Beta to fix some preview bugs and
added some much needed filters.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60278.html

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Now is the time to purchase a HDTV as Wal-Mart is slashing the
prices on all of their HD TV's.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60279.html

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VirtualDub updates adding tons of new features and quite a few bug
fixes.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60281.html

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Microsoft has done a total over haul of the Xbox Live service geared
more towards TV and Movie downloads.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60282.html

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WinDVD updates both the Platinum and Gold version of its all around
user friendly DVD playback software to WinDVD 8.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60283.html

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Microsoft finally finished the new OS "Windows Vista" and has
already released it to its corporate customers.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60284.html

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AVI2ISO software updates to version 2.06 with some bug and gui fixes.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60287.html

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A new hack for the Xbox 360 was discovered that fully integrates
compatibility with game backups and the Xbox's internal settings.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60290.html

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Microsoft is unhappy, as its new OS Windows Vista has leaked out on
to peer to peer applications for people to download.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60292.html

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Although Sony has decided to release its new game console the PS3,
reports are coming in that it already has compatibility flaws
playing PS1 and PS2 games.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60294.html

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DVDFab Decrypter updates to version 3.0.3.8 Beta to include new
support for Sony's ARccOS™ copyright protection found on Little Man
and other minor problems.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60296.html

-- jmet


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3. WinDVD 8: Released and Reviewed

A new version of WinDVD has been released. The new version gets an
updated skin with multi-color support, a "Boss Key" feature to
quickly hide the player from view, additional support for HD (720p,
1080i) content, Dolby Pro Logic IIx support and UPnP server support
for the Platinum version. The other welcomed change is the lower
pricing, with the Gold version dropping $10 and the Platinum version
dropping $20. There is no built in Blu-ray/HD DVD playback, but it
will be available as a separate add-on pack later on (and this
probably explains the price drop).

So should you upgrade to WinDVD 8? To be honest, I don't think there
is enough here to lure existing users to upgrade. It's an
improvement on an already quite established product, and I think
most users will wait for the Blu-ray/HD DVD plug-in pack before
making a decision. If you don't have a DVD player, then there is not
reason why you shouldn't be happy with either WinDVD or PowerDVD.

And remember, for Blu-ray/HD DVD playback, your graphics card's
DVI/HDMI output and your monitor's DVI/HDMI input must support HDCP.

WinDVD Software Information:
http://www.digital-digest.com/dvd/downloads/showsoftware_windvd_201.html
WinDVD Review: http://www.digital-digest.com/dvd/software/players/windvd.html

-- DVDGuy

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4. New Articles on Digital Digest

The long delay between this newsletter and the last has meant that I
have had time to write some new articles on Digital Digest:

Title: Quick and Dirty DVD Backup Guide
Link:
http://www.digital-digest.com/articles/RipIt4Me_DVD_Shrink_Quick_Backup_page1.ht\
ml
Description: This DVD backup guide uses the latest RipIt4Me DVD
ripper, DVD Shrink to shrink the DVD if necessary and then ImgBurn
to burn the backup. The guide is designed for users who only want
the instructions without the full explanation (additional
information and links are shown in cut-out boxes which you can skip
if you wish), and want a solution that will work for practically all
the DVDs out there. Plus, all the software used are completely free.

Title: MP4 Usage Guide
Link: http://www.digital-digest.com/articles/MP4_Usage_Guide_page1.html
Description: This is a general purpose usage guide for MP4 files. It
includes information and links on how to convert to and from MP4
files, cut/join them, multiplex and de-multiplex the audio/video
streams in MP4 files and of course, play them back. MP4 files are
becoming more and more popular, especially with the popularity of
iPods and other portable video players. MP4 files encoded using
H.264 + AAC is a great combination for people who want great quality
with a small file size, and this guide should help you to understand
how to manipulate this format.

Title: YouTube, Google Video Download and DivX Conversion Guide
Link:
http://www.digital-digest.com/articles/YouTube_Google_Download_FLV_to_AVI_page1.\
html
Description: The first version of this guide didn't really cover
Google video all that much, and had some issues. The updated version
is now much more complete, and it should help you download, play
offline and convert almost any YouTube/Google video (even if
download/sharing is disabled). The DivX conversion part uses Dr.
DivX because it's easy to use and works well with FLV files, but a
separate more advanced FLV to AVI conversion guide is also available
(see below).

Title: FLV to AVI Conversion Guide
Link:
http://www.digital-digest.com/articles/FLV_to_AVI_Conversion_Guide_page1.html
Description: A sort of continuation of the YouTube/Google guide
above, this guide uses VirtualDubMod to convert the FLV file to AVI
with or without re-encoding to DivX/XviD.

-- DVDGuy

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5. Rant Away: Windows Vista Licensing, Helping Piracy Grow

The official release date of Windows Vista is 30th January 2007, and
I'm much more likely to get a pirated version than to buy the retail
one. When I upgraded from Windows 98/2000 to XP, I only had 2
computers in my household. One of them was pre-installed with an OEM
version of Windows XP and the other I upgraded using a full retail
pack. Since then, I have obtained two additional PCs and two more
notebooks, all with OEM licenses, all in the same house. This means
that I now have 6 separate licenses for Windows XP. I am unlikely to
upgrade all of them to Vista, but I would like to have the option.

Under the current pricing, the cheapest solution means I have to
purchase one Vista Home Basic upgrade ($US 99.95) for the non OEM
version, and then one retail Home Basic ($USD 199) plus 4 additional
licenses ($USD 179 each). The total cost of the upgrade is $
1014.95! And this is only for the Home Basic version, without the 3D
transparent windows and whatnot that you get with the Home Premium
version, which is probably the biggest draw card for Vista. It would
cost me $1258 if all the computers were upgraded to Home Premium. As
a comparison, for $1258, I can probably buy two brand new Dell
Inspiron Core 2 Duo notebooks or 3 brand new Dell Core 2 Duo
desktops, all with Home Basic or Premium installed as OEM, for the
same price. My case might be an extreme, but there are many families
out there that have 3 or more computers, and Vista's licensing is a
joke.

In comparison, I can pick up 5 licenses for Max OS X for only $199.

It is no wonder than that so many people are turning to pirated
copies, when faced with the choice of upgrading to Vista for their
family or going hungry for a few month. Make the full retail Home
Premium version $100, $50 for the upgrade version, and $299 for a 5
license pack, and I bet piracy will be cut by half. Reduced the
price further, and piracy of Windows will be a thing of the past,
and Microsoft's profits will have increased a bit as well.

/Rant

-- DVDGuy

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6. How to cancel/change settings/email address for your subscription
to this newsletter

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7. A simple thank-you and some concluding words

Just a note to thank all the thousands of people, including you, who
joined the Digital Digest LiveUpdate list. I've spent quite a bit of
time developing this site, and making it what it is today, and
really do appreciate your continued support.

I hoped you enjoyed another issue of the LiveUpdate newsletter.

Thanks!!

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