Ridhuan's Blog » Softwares

Best Free Video Converter Ever

Ridhuan — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 01:21:35 +0000

I have been using Any Video Converter for several weeks and I am very satisfied with the conversion results. Previously I use other free software and when I compared the videos that was converted with the old software and the one converted using AVC the result were so obvious. The video converted with AVC were prettier with only minor loss in quality even when the file size and bitrate is almost the same. I’m converting videos because I’m downloading some TV series such as CSI from season 1. The files that were being downloaded each with the size of 350MB and will require 2 x 4.7GB DVDs if I want to burn a full season of the series. 8+GB DVDs are still quite expensive here so the best solution is to reduce the file size to fit into 1 DVD.

I am so glad to have found Any Video Converter software because the file conversion process is very simple and it is FREE. During conversion the software does not eat too much memories and most important it does not heat up your processor. When running on a system with multi-core processor you can see only one of the processor core is throttling at about 80 percent of it’s full speed while the other core(s) is running at normal speed. This is much better than the software that I used before where both processor cores are running at full speed during a video conversion process. AVC can convert videos or extract audio into various formats such as avi, wmv, mkv, flv, mp4, mp3, and wav.

Output formats

AVC can convert videos from almost all video formats such as Windows Media Files , Flash videos, Quicktime, Divx videos, and DVD formats. Users can also customize each conversion video or audio settings. Users can specify the video or audio codec to be used, video size, frame rate, video bitrate, audio bitrate and audio sample size.

Readable formats

I was converting 350MB videos with overall bitrate of about 1100kbps to smaller size of 195MB with overall bitrate of 617kbps using same setting as original video except the bitrate. The video format is .avi using xvid codec, video size and frame rate were all similar to the original files. I change the audio sample size from 48000Hz 117kbps variable to 44100Hz 123kbps variable bitrate. The result is video quality is of course reduced but even when the size and bitrate was reduced about 40 percent but the video quality was changed only about 20 percent. Another noticeable different was the audio volume on converted file was increased and clearer than the original file maybe because I increased the bitrate. I made screenshots for both the original and converted videos for you to see the difference by yourself.

350MB 1100kbps

195MB 617kbps

Website: http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/

Vuze – My Favorite BitTorrent Client

Ridhuan — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 17:18:19 +0000

I have been using Vuze for about 2 years and as for now I am very satisfied with this software. The main reason that I like this software is the torrent search function and the software does not interrupt my internet browsing bandwidth. Vuze was previously known as Azureus and launched in 2003. The software is free and released under the GNU General Public License and based on Java. It is a cross-platform software means that you can use it on a PC or a Mac. Besides the torrent download function, Vuze users can also view, publish, or share high quality video contents via the Vuze HD Network. Content is presented through channels and categories containing TV shows, music videos, movies, video games and others. Users can also earn money by sharing their original contents in the Vuze HD Network.

Vuze HD Network

The latest version of the software allow users to easily search for files and the search results are displayed directly in the software’s search page. Then users can simply click on the Download button. Files are searched from various BitTorrent index websites such as Btjunkie, Extratorrent, Isohunt, Mininova, and also from Youtube and Vuze network.

Vuze Search Page

I also like this software because no matter how many downloads are running or how fast the download speed is, Vuze does not interfere the internet browsing speed. However this will only happen if you set the Transfer setting to Automatic. The software will analyze your connection speed and limit the bandwidth used to download files. You can manually adjust the setting if you want to use all your bandwidth for downloading. I use a DSL 1.0 kbps internet connection and shared with 3 friends using a wireless router. The highest file download speed when I use download accelerator such as Flashget is around 160 KB/s. For torrent download the highest speed I had achieved is 120 KB/s depending on the number of peers connected. What I want to share is that my friend used µTorrent client and that software suck all the bandwidth and nobody was able to browse the internet. At first we all thought there was a problem with the ISP and I even called the customer service to ask about the slow internet connection. Finally the slow internet browsing problem was found to be caused by µTorrent that eat all the bandwidth. For µTorrent users, manual setting is required to have a balance between downloading and internet browsing. While using Vuze, my friend and I can still browse the internet with ease even the torrents are downloading at a speed of 80 KB/s.

Vuze Setting

The thing that most people don’t like about Vuze is the extensive use of memory. The software uses around 150 MB of memory to infinity depending on how much files are downloading or seeding at a time. The average memory use on my system is about 180 MB on Windows 7 64bit. 2 GB or RAM might not be enough if you are running Vuze on Windows Vista or Windows 7.

Vuze memory usage

Vuze also have wide range of plugins for users to choose to enhance the software. It’s like using WordPress where we can add a lot of plugins to make our blog better.

Some of Vuze plugins are:

iZureus – A fully functional iPhone web interface.
Mainline DHT – Allow use of Mainline DHT.
3D View – 3D View of the swarm (connections).
Country Locator – Adds a column identifying the peer country in the details view.
LAN Peer Scanner – Finds peers for downloads within a LAN.
Download Focus Plugin – Focus the download of a specific file.
I2P Network Plugin – Allows use of the I2P anonymous network.
Speed Scheduler – Schedule your upload and download speeds based on time and day of week.

Vuze homepage: http://www.vuze.com/

New and Better Firefox Transparent Addon

Ridhuan — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 04:14:45 +0000

I just found a new and better transparent Firefox add-on called New Glasser that can make all the Firefox windows transparent. I was actually looking for other add-on but I found this instead and it looks better than the one I was looking for. Unlike the add-on that I used before, this add-on makes the whole Firefox windows transparent instead of just the upper part of the window. I had just switched to Windows 7 and there is no need to install something like VistaGlazz to enable transparency when Firefox or some other applications maximized as previously needed in Windows Vista. Take a look at the screenshots that I’ve provided for you. This add-on makes Firefox windows transparent except additional toolbars that you might installed. I really like this add-on but the only flaw that can make you hate it is that the transparency cause the text on the status bar to be hard to read especially when you use light background image. The font color for the Alexa toolbar ranking changes depending on the background color. The problem is when the background color is dark the font is changed to blue but when the background color is lighter color the font is changed to white and make it harder to read.

Screenshot of normal window

Screenshot of fullscreen window

Drawback of the add-on

Download link: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/12951

Kaspersky Internet Security 2010

Ridhuan — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:09:56 +0000

Kaspersky Internet Security 2010

Internet security had been a major concern because of extensive attacks by malware and spyware. These security risks can infiltrate, spy or damage a computer and the worst part is when these spyware and malware can also collect and send information from your computers. malware and spyware are different from viruses because viruses only damage the computer and mostly don’t collect or send information to third parties. Because of this, there are now two types of security protection for computer users. One is antivirus software and another is internet security software. An example is Kaspersky Lab produces Kasperky Antivirus 2010 and also Kaspersky Internet Security 2010.

Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 or KIS 2010 was launched on October 22, 2009 and provide antivirus support as well as malware, spyware, anti-phishing, personal firewall, email filtering, parental control, and data leak prevention. KIS 2010 can prevent your computer from being slowed down by cybercriminals and protect your files from hackers. A test by AV-Test.org detected 97.27 percent of known malware samples. The test also stated that Kaspersky did very well in rootkit detection: It managed to detect, block, and remove all ten stealth malware samples that we threw at it. It also detected and disabled all ten test infections, and proved more successful than most apps at getting rid of less harmful elements, such as Registry changes. Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 received 4.5 out of 5 stars by PCWorld Magazine on November 20, 2009. A 30 days trial can be downloaded and used for free here.

Screenshot:

KIS 2010 Screenshot

Features:

Keeps your money and identity safe.
Protects against bank account fraud.
Safeguards against online shopping threats.
Safer Wi-Fi connections.
Two way personal firewall.
Unique Safe Run Mode for questionable applications and websites.
Security Application Monitor to give you full picture on programs installed on your PC.
Identity Information Controller to give valuable data an extra layer of protection.
Kaspersky Toolbar for Internet browsers to warn about infected or unsafe websites.
Advanced identity theft protection, including improved secure Virtual Keyboard.
Urgent Detection System to stop fast emerging threats.
Proactive protection from zero-day attacks and unknown threats.
Special Game Mode to suspend alerts, updates and scans while playing games.
Enter logins and passwords using secure Virtual Keyboard.
Enable Parental Control for added child safety online
Add folders and files with valuable data to the protected area.
View applications working on your PC or Netbook and customize their rules.
Tune up your OS and Internet browser settings for better security.
Restore correct system settings after malware removal.
Burn a Rescue CD to restore your system in case of infection.
Remove activity traces in your Internet browser (history, cookies, etc.)

Threat Protection Against:

Viruses, Trojans, worms and other malware, spyware and adware.
Rootkits, bootkits and other complex threats.
Identity theft by keyloggers, screen capture malware or phishing scams.
Botnets and various illegal methods of taking control of your PC or Netbook .
Zero-day attacks, new fast emerging and unknown threats.
Drive-by download infections, network attacks and intrusions.
Unwanted, offensive web content and spam.

System Requirements:

Operating System	Hardware Requirements
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (Service Pack 2 or higher) Microsoft Windows XP Professional (Service Pack 2 or higher) Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition (Service Pack 2 or higher)	Intel Pentium 300 MHz or higher (or equivalent) 256 MB available RAM
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic (32/64 bit) Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (32/64 bit) Microsoft Windows Vista Business (32/64 bit) Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise (32/64 bit) Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate (32/64 bit)	Intel Pentium 800 MHz 32 bit (x86) / 64 bit (x64) or higher (or equivalent) 512 MB available RAM
Microsoft Windows 7 Starter (32/64 Bit) Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic (32/64 Bit) Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (32/64 Bit) Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (32/64 Bit) Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate (32/64 Bit)	1 GHz 32-bit (x86)/64-bit (x64) or higher 1 GB RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
Required for all installations
About 375 MB free space on the hard drive (the exact number depends on antivirus database size) CD-ROM (for installation of the program from CD) Computer mouse Internet connection (for product activation) Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or higher (for downloading updates) Microsoft Windows Installer 2.0 or higher
Safe Run Mode doesn’t work with Microsoft Windows XP x64, and works with limitations on Microsoft Windows Vista x64 and Microsoft Windows 7 x64.

Website: http://www.kaspersky.com/kaspersky_internet_security

Slow-Motion Effect for Windows Vista Animations

Ridhuan — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 06:30:27 +0000

For Windows Vista users with Aero Theme, you’ll notice a fade-in/fade-out animation when you minimize/maximize a window or when you open/close a window. Since the animation happened so fast and most of the time we just ignore it, there is a trick to slow down that animation whenever you want to. With a little tweak, you can slow down the animation just by holding down the Shift key. To enable the slow-mo effect, you’ll have to do a little modification to the Registry.

Vista fade effect

Here’s how to do it:

Open the Run dialog box (Windows-key + R), type regedit (or regedit.exe), and then click OK (or press Enter) to open the Registry Editor. User Account Control might prompt you to allow the action, click Continue.
Find the folder HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM.
Create a new DWORD (32-bit) value. (right-click > New > DWORD (32-bit) Value)
Rename the DWORD value as AnimationShiftKey.
Double-click the DWORD and give it a value of 1.
Click OK and close the Registry Editor.
Log off Windows and log back on again.
Try the function by holding Shift key when you minimize/maximize a window or opening/closing a window.

*Note that this function does not work with every application or with other operating system.

Firefox Addons I Have Always Used

Ridhuan — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:13:02 +0000

I am still in the process of restoring back my laptop to its optimum operating condition. After about a year of operation, the performance had decreased a little bit where the memory usage was always high and drive C was almost full. The internet browsing speed had also slowed down giving a clear notice that the laptop required a maintenance. The were no hardware problem yet and I’m very thankful for that because the warranty period is very close to expiring. All I did was formatting the drive C and reinstall Windows Vista 64bit that I liked better than the 32bit version. Later I’ll discuss about the OS. As usual after a new installation we would have to reinstall every software we need to use. The most important for me is of course the Mozilla Firefox. For me, installing Firefox is not as simple as running the installer and run the application. There are some ‘must-have’ addons that I will always use with Firefox and here is the list:

1. Transparent Firefox addons

Transparent Firefox

Some addons that will make my Firefox windows transparent and suit the Vista Aero Theme. You’ll love this.

2. Alexa Sparky

Alexa Sparky

I’m a blogger so I will always want to know about my blog ranking. This addons allow me to view the ranking of every website I’m surfing and it can also help boost my blog ranking. This addon can also suggest websites related to the one I’m viewing.

Download Alexa Sparky

3. All-in-One Sidebar

All-in-One Sidebar

This addon combines all the tools you always use in Firefox into one sidebar. The sidebar in default will have the Bookmarks, History, Downloads, Addons and Themes, and Information buttons. Users can customize the sidebar to add any other Firefox buttons including those from Google Toolbar.

Download All-in-One Sidebar

4. ColorZilla

ColorZilla

Before using this addon, I will always print screen the page and then use Photoshop to know the color code. With this addon, I can just click on the Eyedropper icon and point it to any color on the page and it will directly tell the color code in both RGB and Hexadecimal.

Download ColorZilla

5. Screengrab

Screengrab

This addon give a new dimension to screenshots. With this addon, I can have a regular print screen, grab the visible portion of the webpage or grab the whole page of the website in image form just by clicking mouse buttons. Images can be copied or directly saved as PNGs or JPEGs. Thanks to Chokilala for introducing Screengrab and ColorZilla to me.

Download Screengrab

6. FlashGot

FlashGot

This is a ‘must-have’ addon for a downloader. I have always prefer FlashGet as my download accelerator and this addon allow great integration between FlashGet and Firefox.

Call of Duty 1

Ridhuan — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 08:35:38 +0000

Call of Duty

During this semester break I am spending the holiday at my hometown which is a bit far from the urban area. The only internet connections available here is through dial-up connection and limits my internet activity to checking emails, Facebook, and blogging. To kill time, I borrowed the Call of Duty CDs from a friend. My gaming activity has slowed down since my PC broke down a few years ago. My HP Compaq Presario V3700 laptop specification will only allow me to play some simple and light games. I intentionally bought a laptop instead of a PC because of the portability and I want to limit my gaming activity. With a PC I’ll be wasting most of my time playing games and might be ruining my life once again.

Screenshot 1

I was so bored this holiday so I asked my friend for some old games that I can play on my laptop. He suggested me to play the Call of Duty (COD) which is a first-person shooter game in the background of the World War II. The game was released in 2003 by Activision. Because it is an old game, I can play it on my laptop without any problem because the laptop specification exceeds the minimum requirement of the game. Comparing to some of the games I had played, COD is a good game because it allow players to be in several different scenes with different characters. At the start of the game players will play as an American soldier in a mission to rescue France from German invasion. Then players become a Russian sniper in missions of taking Stalingrad back from the German and the capture of Berlin to see the fall of Nazi.

Screenshot 2

COD has four difficulty levels which are rookie, regular, hardened, and veteran. I’ve selected regular since it has been a while I haven’t play any first-person shooting game. Playing at regular level was not as hard as I thought. There were some missions that I need to replay several times before completing the level but most of other missions were quite easy. I should have played in hardened level for more excitement. This is because I am not satisfied that I manage to finish the game in only three days. The storyline should have been longer because previously the shortest time for me to finish a game was about a month. I was also not satisfied when other soldiers don’t help me when I’m being shot when handling special weapons such as the flak cannon or machine guns. Other than that, the game is great relative to the year it was released and I would give it a rating of 4/5.

FlashGet My Download

Ridhuan — Sat, 30 May 2009 19:51:40 +0000

I’ve been using FlashGet for so many years I don’t even remember since when or what version it was when I tried it. At that time the software was still not very popular and most people that I knew used other download helper software. I knew about FlashGet from Download.com when I was searching a better download accelerator that what I was using. FlashGet was chosen based on editors’ rating and users’ rating. Back then I was not geek enough yet and all I knew was download accelerator can boost download speed several times faster than the browsers’ standard downloader. They can also support download resume which is useful when downloading large file size or when using unstable network connectivity. The graph view feature really attract me to love the software because it allow me to see which part is being downloaded eventhough it is technically not useful at all. The integration with Internet Explorer browser is really helpful when trying to download several files from a page. FlashGet can scan an internet page and list all files that can be downloaded.

When my computer motherboard ‘exploded’ in 2005, I sold all useable parts and hardwares to my friends and I don’t build or buy a new one. Through this time I only use my friends’ computers sometimes or went to cyber cafes. Without home internet connection, I need to download antivirus database update or other files and install them into my friend’s computer. I had to do it because he don’t know how. Due to this, I copied the FlashGet program folder in the Program Files directory to my flash drive allowing me to use FlashGet anywhere I wanted without having to install it. I have a laptop now so I don’t have to do this anymore. I’m currently using the latest version but the download page has always give two download option to download the latest version (1.9.6) or the classic version (1.73).

FlashGet Windows

FlashGet uses MHT (Multi-server Hyper-threading Transportation) technique which sounds like a processor technology and support various connection protocols offering fast download speed up to the maximum speed your ISP (Internet Service Provider) can deliver. FlashGet is also light and does not use too many memory or processor usage. It is free, fast, and clean without any spyware or adware and support various protocols such as HTTP, FTP, BT, MMS, RTSP, eMule, and Ed2K. I don’t even know what these protocols are about but newer version of FlashGet support torrent download. The GUI (Graphical User Interface) is very friendly nobody will need a lesson to use the software. The new version comes with an advertising window displaying some ads but it can also be turned off if you really hate advertising so much. Antivirus integration can be switched on by users to let every downloaded files are scanned. FlashGet can support up to 8 simultaneous download but users can adjust this limit manually.

Shame that for quite a moment FlashGet does not have direct integration with Mozilla Firefox browser except the automatic clipboard scanner that will detect a download link. For this reason it was better to use Internet Explorer when trying to download with FlashGet. Then came FlashGot, a Firefox addon for FlashGet allowing quick download integration between Firefox and FlashGet and even better. The addon can also scan any downloadable media on a page and suggest a download. For example, to download a Youtube video, just open the video in Youtube and a pop-up icon will appear on the status bar suggesting the downloadable media.

Homepage: http://www.flashget.com/

Firefox Transparent Theme

Ridhuan — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:44:33 +0000

I believe there are many Windows Vista users with Aero capability would want all other applications to have transparent windows. Unfortunately not all applications can automatically adopt the Aero style such as the Mozilla Firefox. For this reason, several addons have been developed for Firefox to make the windows transparent. The Glasser addon should be able to make the Firefox windows transparent. If Glasser is unable to to the work, AeroFX can do the same thing or maybe use both. Please note that the addons were claimed to only work with standard or original theme.

Firefox Transparent Theme

The two addons make the Firefox window transparent but only when it is not maximized. To overcome this, Vista Glazz is required and will ensure the window stays transparent even when maximized. Vista Glazz is an application that will tweak the Windows setting and should be used carefully. For those who is still not satisfied by the transparent effect by those addons and application, try to use Stylish. It is claimed to give a customizable transparent effect and maybe event the fonts can be made transparent. I had never tried this yet. To use Stylish, you need to check Userstyles.org for more information on how to use it.

Latest update (April 1st, 2010):

New and better transparent add-on available. Click here.

Joomla vs WordPress Review

Ridhuan — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 01:27:50 +0000

Joomla vs WordPress

I’m using Joomla for the main website and WordPress for blogging. Both software were installed in the same server using two MySQL accounts. Joomla provide the best content management system I’ve seen in open-source software. As for now, I don’t think I should try other software to compare with its content management system. Somehow, one thing I don’t like about using Joomla is the SEO. Comparing to the WordPress blog, I am really not satisfied with my traffic to the main website (Joomla page) because I have not received any traffic from search engines to the Joomla site eventhough they are indexed but every articles in this WordPress blog got most of their readers from the search engines moments after they are published. I am still figuring if there are problems in my setting that might have causes this or I might need additional plug-ins or modules to overcome the problem.

Joomla was chosen for the main website because the content management system allow me to organize the contents with sections, categories, and manage their placement in the website. Modules are used in Joomla that are quite similar to widgets in WordPress. These modules can be placed anywhere on the website at predefined places such as right column, header, footer, or user defined locations. The standard mod_banner module allow banners or advertisements to be managed easily with option to limit the number of banners to appear. This allow you to have as many advertisement in the website but limit only some of them to appear at one time either randomly or by keywords related to articles. The mod_section module allow menus to be made automatically based on how many sections you are using in the websites. Front Page Manager in Joomla let users to specify whether an article is to be shown on the front page or only in their selected categories giving dynamic and organized feature to the website. Joomla main template use simple php and css coding allowing template modification to be made just on one file. This is quite similar to Blogger xml template as everything are in one single file.

Even though most of the standard feature are great, more add-ons or plugins are required to unleash the true potential a Joomla website. I’ve just installed a patch last night for my Joomla 1.5.9 version containing SEO fixes and still waiting to see what the patch can do for my website. There are a lot of add-ons for Joomla in the community websites but searching for the best and most helpful is quite a messy job.

WordPress is the ultimate blogging software ever. Even without any plugins, the software has already been optimised for search engines. Adding additional plugins will only boost the standard capability of the software. With so many webmasters creating their own plugins for WordPress, users should just browse the plugins database if they have any problems with their standard WordPress features. In WordPress, widgets can be placed anywhere but limited to areas predefined in the template. Some template only allow widgets on the sidebar while some allow widgets to be placed in the bottom section of the page. Comparing to Joomla template, WordPress uses many different files for each headers, post pages, sidebars, and footers. These files need to be modified seperately to modify blog appearance. The php coding used to links these files together could somehow confuse users especially to those whose not really good with php.

There are not much to say about WordPress since you can simply find the solution for any problem by browsing the plugins database. WordPress have the best SEO tools that will help to bring visitors within minutes. The only thing I don’t like is the content placement is really limited to templates or layouts. I don’t know if there is any WordPress template that allow widgets to be added to any part of the page such as header, footer, or sidebar as what you see in Blogger. Joomla have this feature only without the ability to drag and place the widgets (module) anywhere we want to.

Conclusion:

For organized contents and more corporate look, Joomla can be a good choice as you can choose to let an article to appear on the front page, in their categories or only to specified user category. You can also do this to modules and let only registered users to have access to some menu or contents. If you want to have the best blogging experience, use WordPress with a good template. After installing some top rated plugins, all you have to worry is what to write about in your blog. You can see why I used both software if you compare the articles in this blog to those in the main website. I also hope that the advantages of both softwares will help to popularize my website. If any of you are using both just like I did, please share your experience in the comment box.