News

Due to a software bug, users of Peak LE 6 who also use the Freq 2 plug-in will take up two of our 20 licences for Peak LE (if you run two instances of the Freq 2 plug-in, the count would go up to three, etc.). The companies involved are working on a fix, but until that time, please ensure that you close Freq 2 when you are not using it and that you remember to Quit Peak (Command-Q or Peak LE > Quit Peak LE) when you are done.

Now that more students are editing High Definition video, we have added a new service: Blu-ray disc burning. Blu-ray burning requires special software and hardware that we have installed in the technical support area. The disc created will play your HD video back in a Blu-ray disc player (including the PS3). You need to have your video rendered out to a file(s) before asking us to burn it for you — MPEG-4 is a good choice to speed up the burning process.

As an introductory offer, you can burn a Blu-ray disc for $5.00. and add a DVD copy of the same disc for just $1 more.

Users trying to transfer files created and saved on Windows 7 computers (such as those in the AFCL) are finding that the Macs in our lab don't always know how to open them. This problem happens when a file extension (i.e. the dot and usually three letters at the end of a filename, often hidden) is not included at all with the file that you bring to our labs. If you remember which file format you saved it in, you can simply add that extension to the filename (when on a Mac or on a Windows 7 PC) by typing it in. Common extensions are .psd for Photoshop files and .docx for Word 2007-2010 files.

Files saved from a Mac or an earlier version of Windows do not normally have this problem.

Since this is the time of year when people are buying supplies for digital media classes, we thought we'd give you some extra information and target pricing for digital supplies like hard drives and digital videotapes.

Note: Due to a massive flooding problem in Thailand (where about 25% of hard drives are made), hard drives are currently in short supply. We have updated the prices below, with the pre-flood prices listed in square brackets.

External Hard Drives

• 500 GB USB-powered portable: $90-$100 [previously $60–$70]
• 1 TB USB-powered: $120-$130 [previously $100+]
• 2 TB Desktop USB 2.0 (higher performance but bulkier): $120-160 [previously $90–110]
  Note: USB 3.0 drives will be a little more expensive than this and will work in the Lab but only at slower USB 2.0 speeds

USB Storage ("Flash Drive", "Jump Drive", "Stick")

• 8 GB: $10–20
• 16 GB: $20–$30
• 32 GB: $50–$60
  Note: Higher performance USB Sticks are available at a premium (e.g., Patriot XT Rage) but virtually any pocket USB Hard Drive will move files much faster between the computer and your storage device

MiniDV Tapes

• Single Tapes: $6–7 (Bookstore sells for $6.50+GST)
• Two or more tapes: $4.50–6 each

We also have a very detailed page about buying Mac stuff in Calgary. It will suggest the most common places to buy.

On Monday, June 6, Steve Jobs and other Apple executives made a few announcements of interest to users of Apple products, both Macs and iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch):

• The next version of Mac OS X (10.7 “Lion”) will be available in July. The announced price was US$29 and it will be on sale from the Mac App Store (yes, it's a 4 GB download; no retail box that we know of). Highlighted features include iOS-like multitouch gestures and app launcher, auto-save and version control (built in to the operating system), AirDrop (simplified file sharing between machines — even easier than in the Lab), and a new version of Mail (similar to the current iPad Mail app).
• iOS 5 will be released in the Fall as a free update and will be supported on all iOS devices that can run the current iOS (4) — iPhone 3GS and later, iPod touch 3rd gen and later, and any iPad. Top new features include PC-free sync (tethering to a Mac/PC is now optional), improved notifications, Twitter integrated into the OS, reminders app (with GeoLocation features), quicker and improved photo taking, improved Mail app, more features for game developers, and iMessage (new IM platform, similar in scope to BBM).
• iCloud is designed to be a transparent way to keep information in sync on all your Apple devices (Macs and iOS devices) over WiFi and make all your content purchases available on all of your devices on demand. This includes music (U.S. only for now), apps and books that you have purchased online from Apple, and backups of your critical data like iPhone photos and videos. The iCloud service supersedes MobileMe (for which Apple charged about $100/year) and will be free (and free of ads) for 5 GB of storage space (anything you purchased from iTunes or iBooks doesn't count against the 5 GB). Photo Stream will keep your latest 1000 photos and stores new photos for 30 days; these photos will not count against your 5 GB. Automatic download of purchased books and apps is available today; other services offered in Canada will be available concurrent with the Fall release of iOS 5.