The Coach's Advisor

No Internet Explorer 9 for Windows XP users

2011-05-07T05:35:00.003-05:00

With much fanfare, Microsoft has been promoting IE 9 and its Bing search toolbar as an improved computer experience. At the same time, it is thumbing its nose at Windows XP users by refusing to make IE 9 available to them.

One might think there is something inherently wrong with Windows XP that makes it unsuitable as a platform for a “modern browser”, but Google (Chrome) and Mozilla (Firefox) seem to disagree. Rather, this is the latest move by Microsoft to cast Windows XP as a second class citizen and use its ability to create obsolescence in its older products to sell its new ones. It is, at best, a questionable practice.

Many individual and small business Windows XP users may already be inconvenienced by Microsoft’s decision to make it difficult to share files and printers over small networks that have a combination of Windows XP and Windows 7. Want to print from your Windows 7 laptop to a printer connected to a Windows XP desktop computer? Sorry, a Windows XP printer cant be shared in this way with a computer running Windows 7.

Its unfortunate that Microsoft has chosen this direction, because many perfectly serviceable Windows XP computers remain in use today. Many are fast, powerful, and trouble-free. Unlike large businesses, individuals, schools, municipalities and non-profits may have higher priorities than replacing PC’s every few years on a planned upgrade cycle.

For these computer users, Mozilla’s Firefox 4 and Google’s latest version of Chrome offer similar benefits to Microsoft IE 9 and The Coach’s Advisor appreciates that they are available for Windows XP in addition to Vista and 7. Firefox 4 and Chrome will only enhance what is already a perfectly acceptable and familiar computing experience for the large number of businesses and individuals still using Windows XP.

Why you must back up your own data - a Horror Story

2011-01-14T08:02:00.007-05:00

This is a sad but unfortunately true story from a computer support help desk. The names have been withheld to protect the innocent (user) as well as the guilty (IT staffer).

The Coach's Advisor hopes this post encourages computer users that rely on specialized (sometimes called line-of-business) applications to take responsibility for backing up their own data, or at least check with their IT staff to make sure that data is being backed up for them.

Caller: "My computer was replaced over the Christmas break. They reinstalled my Inventory software and its running fine, but I cant find my Inventory data - can you help me ?"

Help Desk Staff: "Yes, most likely. Your IT staff would not replace your computer without backing up your data".

Caller: "Well, I have my Microsoft Office documents, pictures and other files, but the Inventory file is gone. I have worked hard for the last two years to get my Inventory under control and can't believe that all that hard work is gone".

Help Desk Staff: "Its hard to imagine that its gone. There is no way a computer technician would be so irresponsible as to replace a computer without first checking with the user to see what other programs are used. Even an inexperienced computer technician would know this. Its probably a matter of tracking down the backup and copying the data file to your new computer. Its very obviously a data file. "

Caller: "I hope so".

The Help Desk ticket remained open while the user contacted the technician that replaced her computer, only to find out that a workstation backup had not been performed. She thought a data backup might exist on a server, however. The Help Desk then received a follow-up call from another member of the tech department related to the problem.

Caller: "I'm with the IT department at 'college name' College. I'm trying to help "user name" find her Inventory data but am not able to find it."

Help Desk Staff: "What type of workstation backup procedure do you have before replacing a user's computer? Did you talk to the user to find out what applications they used before replacing the computer? "

Caller: "We back up the user's Documents folder, but we don't back up anything else. There is no other backup."

Help Desk Staff: "Are you serious? That seems irresponsible, and in a lot of places a 'firing offense'.

Caller: (Silence)

Help Desk Staff: "Are you sure that no backup exists on your server?".

Caller: "Yes, I am sure."

Help Desk Staff: "So, you are telling me that you replaced a computer, assumed the user had nothing other than Office documents and other files in their personal user account storage area - Documents and Settings, and erased their hard drive?".

Caller: "Yes, thats right".

The story ended as it seems that it would . The user had to resort to Reports and Spreadsheets to recreate over two years of work because a backup did not exist. A subsequent conversation revealed that it was the boss, not an inexperienced technician that was responsible for the loss of user data. That's even harder to believe.

The message here is that data backup is always important, that nothing should be assumed, and that anyone that cant afford to lose information should back it up. Its unfortunate when this type of lesson is learned "the hard way".

It is particularly important when ANY specialized, industry-specific application is used, because its common for these applications to store data in places other than individual user account folders, such as My Documents, Documents and Settings, etc. or even Shared Documents.

Speed up your computer with Microsoft’s Security Essentials

2010-06-11T18:12:00.001-05:00

Microsoft has been aggressively rolling out new versions of its software, new services that complement its software, and in some cases completely new products.

We’re not really sure if Microsoft Security Essentials is a new product or an improvement over Microsoft’s One Care security suite that was discontinued not too long ago, but we really don’t care. The bottom line is that it seems to work well, and in a number of instances, significantly increased the speed of a computer that had been using one of the big (bloated) security suites that consumes have grown accustomed to “subscribing to” over the years.

Security Essentials is free for home users with Genuine Microsoft Windows software, and is available for Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. We’re not really sure what Microsoft’s motivation was for making this product free, but it seems only logical that a maker of an Operating System should include security software that protects its users from Viruses, Spyware and other “malware” threats without them having to shell out another thirty of forty bucks a year.

This is not the only good, free antivirus software available to consumers, but “essentials” seems to be “content” with its “free status” and avoids the nags that are all too common in other free security products. Surely the “purists” and those who dislike Microsoft or don’t trust them will find fault with this post, but for the average computer user, its the opinion of the Coach’s Advisor that products like Security Essentials that lower the cost of getting up and running with a computer is a positive development – especially if it enables computer users to purchase software that makes a computer more useful, rather than simply shielding its user from the “bad guys”.

Learn more about Microsoft Security Essentials

Video Editing Hardware and Accessories store updated

2010-05-31T09:06:00.001-05:00

We recently updated our Amazon store with Video Editing Accessories for capturing and converting video.

A number of products in the store were recently purchased by us for testing on computers running Windows 7 (both 32 and 64 Bit Versions).

Since its clear that Microsoft designed Windows 7 to edit video in AVI format and no longer includes Windows Movie Maker in Windows, we have added a number of Digital Media Software suites.

Extending the life of a Windows XP system – Part 1

2010-04-01T10:05:00.001-05:00

For businesses, individuals, organizations and government entities that can’t print money or borrow with no concern for repayment, it is sometimes necessary to extend the life of a computer. In the ideal world, our computers would be as disposable as a cell phone and highly subsidized by the utilities that collect monthly fees in order for us to use them.

While that day may come sooner than later, and in the case of Netbook computers, is here today, it is often necessary and sometimes desirable to maintain an “old” computer and continue to use it. Until the release of Windows 7, it was easy for many to resist the lure of fast new computers, snazzy graphics and the sales and marketing pitches of companies with a vested interest in getting the “replacement cycle” back on track. Not unlike owners of “old” Toyotas that were manufactured before quality was compromised for quantity, legions of owners of computers running Windows XP were, and still are quite happy with their computers and interested in extending their life, for one reason or other.

While the clock is ticking (Microsoft plans to discontinue security updates for Windows XP SP2 this year, and SP3 in 2014), there is no reason why a computer running Windows XP satisfactorily today can’t last until its owner decides its time to send more than deleted files to the “Recycle Bin”.

Why is my computer slow ?

To that end, there are a few measures that users of Windows XP can take to extend the life of their system by dramatically increasing its “speed” – and satisfy the most common complaint and reason for the early junkpile… “its soooo slow”. The simple fact is that a 5 year old computer (hardware) itself is no slower today than the day it left the factory. Rather, its the combination of the process of installing, uninstalling, updating and upgrading software AND the demands of newer versions of newer software versions that make it seem slow.

What can I do to make it faster ?

When routine maintenance, tune-ups and other time-tested techniques can’t seem to restore that “showroom” feeling, its time to consider upgrading the computer’s memory – which is usually a lot easier than it sounds, a lot more affordable and free of the hassle and potential expense of replacing printers, scanners and other peripherals or upgrading software. Ask your favorite computer expert, and this will almost always be their first question and recommendation – and if you are interested in understanding WHY, will probably talk to you about “resource” hogging Antivirus software, “large footprint” applications, resource-intensive web video and the fact that the more we do with the computer at one time, the more memory it needs.

The Memory Experts

For years, The Coach’s Advisor has used the excellent resources at www.crucial.com to guide our memory upgrade decisions, and in one rare case when a system was “picky”, their technical support came through with flying colors.

The scanner is quite impressive – and will not only “tell” you what the innards of your system look like, your systems capacity and how much memory you can add. It will also estimate the performance gain, and list a few upgrade options (that’s how they pay the bills).

So, if you want to extend the life of your Windows XP system but don’t relish the thought of dragging your PC into the shop or asking your friend or neighbor, check out the Crucial scanner and see what it says.

Recommendations for adding memory

Since Windows XP was first shipped in 2001, computers dating back to that time are almost certain to have 512MB (or even less) memory installed. These systems will often be limited to 1GB of Ram, which will usually make a significant difference – particularly on a well maintained and “tuned-up” systems.

For those Windows XP systems that can accept 2 GB of memory or more, the difference is likely to be nothing short of dramatic – always add that second “gig” when its possible.

Almost forgot - check that Paging file !

One final quick point after installing the memory… check, or have your System Paging file checked, and if necessary, set to make the best use of that extra memory. The Coach’s Advisor has performed a number of memory upgrades in which the wrong Page File setting was suffocating a system and killing its performance.

Netbook Buyer Beware – HP Mini 210’s are not all alike

2010-03-05T13:37:00.001-05:00

This is a followup to a previous post in which The Coach’s Advisor wrote about our first Netbook purchase – an HP Mini 210. Sadly, this post is one of “what on earth were they thinking?”.

Here’s the short version…

We purchased an HP Mini-210 in mid-February from a local Staples retailer. We did this after performing a lot of research, and waited for the 2010 models equipped with the Intel Atom 450 processor.

Normally, The Coach’s Advisor would have made this purchase online, configuring the unit to perform optimally in the event that it was under-equipped at the factory.

But this was not a normal case, because Netbooks offer a new platform for a number of coaching software products and it seemed to make more sense to purchase a popular and typical retail model.

Based on our retail purchase of an HP Mini 210, we have a few observations:

1. There are simply too many HP Mini 210 models. This makes performing accurate, pre-sale research very difficult, if not impossible.

2. HP’s decision to cripple some, but not all Mini-210 models by restricting its memory to 1 GB is, first and foremost, a questionable engineering decision.

In our opinion, 1GB of Ram is not enough for Windows 7 Starter Edition – over time, frustration over lackluster performance is likely. We understand some Mini-210 owners are happy with their Netbooks after upgrading them from 1GB to 2GB Ram. We are disappointed that we could not do the same, even though we too have an HP Mini-210.

Unforunately, our favorite memory manufacturer, Kingston, www.crucial.com is not aware of HP’s engineering inconsistencies with the 210, listing all Mini-210’s as upgradable to 2GB. Yet, installing a 2GB DIMM in the wrong Mini-210 will render the computer inoperable if it just happens to be the variation of the Mini-210 with Ram that is not upgradable.

3. HP’s decision to ship Windows 7 Starter on ANY computer that has its memory expandability crippled to 1GB is even more questionable. In fact, its flat out a mistake, a big mistake.

The simple fact is that an HP Mini 210 purchased at a retailer is unlikely to be the same, under the keyboard, as an HP Mini 210 bought anywhere else.

Recommendations

If choosing an HP Mini-210 with Windows 7, make sure the Ram can be upgraded. Insist on a model that has upgradable Ram and get it in writing. At least if you, like The Coach’s Advisor, decide you need to upgrade the memory in order to make the performance tolerable, you will be able to do so.

Manufacturers – if you feel the need to create so many model variations that research is difficult, at least deliver the same basic upgrade capabilities across the same model. If one HP Mini 210 with 1GB Ram can be upgraded to 2GB Ram, ALL HP Mini 210’s should be upgradable to 2GB Ram. When it comes to adding something so critical to a satisfactory customer experience as memory, buyers should not have to guess, or find out after the fact that they got the wrong box.

HP - you really let us down on this one, and The Coach’s Advisor does not agree with the representative on your Customer complaint line .. that “HP is not responsible for buyer remorse”. When buyer remorse results from flawed engineering, you are responsible.

Netbook computers get new brain and hit new price points

2010-02-14T21:04:00.001-05:00

One of the hottest new product categories in 2009 for the PC business was the Netbook computer. These mini-laptops are now shipping with Windows 7 (Starter Edition) and come with keyboards and screens that make them suitable for a lot more than one might expect on first glance.

This article is being written on an HP Mini 210, and while the touchpad is taking some getting used to, the rest of the experience has been pleasant and positive. With a 160 GB Hard Drive, this netbook has more than enough disk capacity, and the battery life appears to be in the neighborhood of the 9 hours that was claimed.

While, we are anxious to see how it handles chores beyond email and internet browsing, The Coachs Advisor sees these devices replacing smartphones and larger laptops for many sports and coaching-related tasks, from statistics to game plan preparation and presentation. Stay tuned…

Tech Talk – The Coaches Technology Radio Show

2010-01-29T18:14:00.001-05:00

The folks at the Coach’s Advisor are participating in the production of Tech Talk on The CompuSports Radio Network

http://compusportsradio.podOmatic.com

Lesson Learned : Think twice before installing software

2010-01-15T11:48:00.001-05:00

Through most of the 90's, and the early part of the 21st Century, new versions of Microsoft Windows were met with great enthusiasm and end user acceptance, with the notable exception of Windows ME (say what ?). And then came Windows Vista (:

For a while, the Coach's Advisor gave Windows Vista the benefit of the doubt, and even launched a blog dedicated to Living With Vista in early 2007. The articles in the Living with Vista blog chronicle the series of events, discoveries and sentiment that eventually led to the conclusion that, when given the choice, it would be "no thanks" to Vista – we’re sticking with Windows XP.

What Microsoft could have, and still could do to help Windows Vista talked of setting up a dual-boot system that ran both XP and Vista. For those familiar with Windows 7 and its features, this blog post from 2007 outlined a special type of functionality that would help to ease the transition from Windows XP to Windows Vista. This functionality is now available to users of Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate (that is, if you have a PC with the right processor installed ... ). “Windows XP Mode” utilizes something called Virtual PC to make it possible to run many software applications that are not compatible with Windows 7 in a Windows XP-compatible “window” .

The Coach’s Advisor is honored that Microsoft accepted our input.

So what about installing software, you ask?

In retrospect, one of the not-so-smart ideas put forth in Living with Vista was to the idea of setting up 3 disk partitions and using one of them to hold application programs. In our “model” system, one partition had Windows XP (the C Drive) installed, another had Windows Vista installed (the H Drive) and a third (the L Drive) was set aside for Data and Programs. The idea of creating a disk partition for Data worked perfectly, and is a standard practice used by The Coach’s Advisor to this day.

Unfortunately, the same is not true for the idea of installing programs on a different partition from the "then running" Windows Operating System. For most computer users, the C Drive is the location of the operating system and most programs, as it should be. However, in a multi-boot system, operating systems could be installed on the "H Drive", "N Drive" etc.

In over two years of working with this dual-boot (actually multi-boot), XP/Vista system, the inconveniences experienced were minor, and in some cases the desired result of only having to install an application once to have it available to both operating systems worked perfectly. The real "gotcha", unfortunately, came a couple of years down the road.

For some reason, Microsoft's Windows 7 upgrade install procedure (and their Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor tool) identifies application programs that are installed on anything but the default operating system partition. When it does, Windows 7 prevents "upgrade installs".

How Microsoft turned the tables on our upgrade install of Windows 7

Late in 2009, Microsoft released Windows 7, a new operating system that is almost always “faster” than Windows Vista, and in some instances faster than Windows XP (this depends somewhat on the type of antivirus software one uses, the amount of memory that is installed and how frequently the disk drives are defragmented).

The Coach’s Advisor was anxious to perform an upgrade install from Windows Vista to Windows 7. An Upgrade Install, when it can be performed, avoids the need to reinstall application programs. Plus, after working with Windows 7 for a number of months, The Coach's Advisor was firmly in the "camp" that felt Windows 7 was the greatest thing since Windows XP !

After backing up the Windows Vista partition, and checking Microsoft's upgrade install guidelines, the Windows 7 upgrade install began, or so we thought. Soon, Windows 7 had some bad news for us ... "you can not perform an upgrade install" . Say what?

That's right folks...Windows 7 refused to upgrade Windows Vista because software applications had been installed on a drive partition other than the one that contained Windows itself !.

Now for the rest of the story

The moral of the story here is simple... you never know when and how making a change to a software application’s default installation settings is going to come back to bite you. The Coach’s Advisor doesn’t really fault Microsoft for this, and will not let the experience reduce our enthusiasm for Windows 7. It will also not stop us from installing Windows 7 on another disk partition, upgrading to Windows 7 when possible and practical, or feeling like "its a new day" at Microsoft and in the computer industry.

The Coach’s Advisor will no longer, however, install software on anything but the C Drive (or the then active operating system partition) !

Technorati Tags: Windows,Windows XP,Windows Vista,Windows 7,partitions,in-place upgrade,Windows XP Mode,Virtual PC,multi-boot

Video Editing Accessories update

2009-12-24T14:20:00.001-05:00

The Coach’s Advisor will run a series of articles in early 2010 to explain some of our recent “findings”, particularly when working with Windows 7 and recent versions of a few of our previously recommended products.

We’ll talk about Corel’s Digital Media Suite 2010, DIVX 7 for Windows, and the latest versions of Rip DVD Plus and Digital Media Converter Pro from Deskshare.

Until the first article in the series arrives, a few previous articles and a link to our Amazon Store may be worth checking out..

Our Amazon Video Editing Accessories and Software Utilities "store" is stocked only with products specific to video editing, and is located at http://astore.amazon.com/compusportsonlin . The store was updated earlier this month (Dec 2009).

Previous versions of our Outstanding Video Accessories articles are here (2008) and here (2008)

The articles list a few of our recommended “third party” products for capturing video, connecting video capture devices and choosing and connecting digital video camcorders.

Thoughts and a warning on Windows 7

2009-10-21T11:39:00.001-05:00

The long anticipated wait for Windows 7 (or should we say, the end of Windows Vista) ends in less than 24 hours, and we're expecting this new release from Microsoft to go a lot better than its predecessor. Our experience with a pre-release version of Windows 7, while overwhelmingly positive, was limited to a test environment while Windows XP continued to be our operating system of choice.

Windows 7 is really good, feels "fast" when compared to Vista, and its hard to find a negative review. There is, however one big "gotcha" in store for the typical computer user that stuck with Windows XP - upgrading to Windows 7 might not be easy. And, while Microsoft promises that upgrading WILL be easier for Windows Vista users, doing so requires some thought and consideration, and ideally an understanding of this chart.

The reasons behind the relatively greater difficulty to upgrade Windows XP than Windows Vista lie in the fact that the Windows 7 architecture is a lot more like Windows Vista's than Windows XP's. Software applications and peripheral devices like printers and scanners that work on Vista are likely to work on Windows 7, but the same can't be said for software and peripherals that only work on Windows XP.

It's logical, then, that the upgrade process from Vista to 7 is likely to interfere little, if at all with software and peripherals that are already installed and working, while the upgrade process from XP to 7 guarantees that most software will need to be completely reinstalled, and that there's a chance a peripheral will be rendered inoperable.

For these reasons, we're on the side of those that don't recommend attempting to upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7, particularly when replacing the PC is possible and practical. For Vista users, provided that an "in-place" upgrade path is available (see chart), we would consider upgrading, particularly if the computer is relatively new.

For those wanting or needing additional "ammo" to make a case for not upgrading, check out this article from Channelweb titled Buy A New Windows 7 System, But Please Don't Upgrade or Who Should Upgrade and Who Should Not from PC Magazine.

PC Magazine has extensive coverage of Windows 7 and has been a trusted source of information on Personal Computing since the industry was in its infancy.

Developing teamwork one player at a time

2009-09-11T16:01:00.001-05:00

The Coaches Advisor is taking a break from its technology focus to publish an article that was first published in early 2008 on www.footballcoachingsites.com . The article was inspired by the New York Giants upset victory of the heavily favored New England Patriots to win the Super Bowl XLI, spoiling “the Pats” perfect season.

With the site still in transition, and the article with the same title as this post offline, it was a pleasant surprise to receive an inquiry just recently about its whereabouts. Apparently, its message about teamwork rang a bell with at least one reader.

So, with a new football season under way, I thought I would bring it to Coach’s Advisor readers in the event that its team-building message might be useful to our readers.

……………………………………………………………………………..

Originally published 3/8/2008 on www.footballcoachingsites.com

“Most coaches would agree that, more often than not, the most talented team is not always the most successful team - on the scoreboard, or in the standings.

Until the Patriots' loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLI, news stories focused on the pervasive "team over self" attitude that had been deeply ingrained into the "organizational culture" of this, as with every other recent New England Patriot team in recent history. Even Terrell Owens got the "team religion", at least for a short time during the 2007-2008 NFL season, during that memorable "that's my quarterback" tearful sound byte.

And then there's the Giants - counted out, criticized, laughed at and ridiculed - managing to put together one of the greatest team and organizational turnarounds in sports history.

Yes, this might just be one of those rare times when the NFL and many of its most visible and vocal teams and players offered younger players positive role models - the kind that can help coaches with their teambuilding efforts.”

With no better time to focus on team building, consider these three excerpts from The Optimist Creed, a short series of positive statements repeated around the world by members of local chapters of Optimist International

"Promise Yourself ...

- To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.

- To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

- To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

..."

Minimize hard-to-solve video editing problems with Defraggler

2009-09-04T14:05:00.001-05:00

Sometimes, video editing problems are easily solved by removing one or two plays from a cutup. While it may be difficult to understand how one (or a few) plays out of 100 or so in a game could be the source of such a problem while the rest of the plays are trouble free, there are at least a couple of common causes of this type of problem.

The first type of problem results from DVD “ripping” software that uses an approach that is likely to create a “bad spot” – almost like a skip in a record or CD. Some DVD rippers work only on the VOB files from a DVD, and since its common for a game on a DVD to be “split across multiple VOB files, it is ossible that on a particular play, there will be a “skip”, so to speak. The reason for this has to do with the way the DVD stores and plays back video, and the only way to avoid the problem is to either capture the DVD as if it was a VHS tape, or to use DVD ripping software that reads the DVD’s index and correctly “splices” together the VOB files. (for more details on DVD’s file structure, see this article).

The second type of problem is caused by severe file fragmentation, a condition that computer manufacturers can’t seem to eradicate, because its plagued PC’s for over 25 years. The problem has become more serious as hard drive capacities, and in turn file sizes have increased in size. Since video files by their very nature are HUGE in size when compared to the other files on a computer’s hard drives, they are the most prone to fragmentation.

The Disk Defragmenter utility in Windows removes file fragmentation temporarily, but since it works on entire drives, can take hours and hours to do its thing. A relatively new program called Defraggler offers a time-saving alternative because of its ability to defragment specific files.

In the illustration below, we show a "file defrag” in process – notice the arrow pointing to a very large (4.5 GB) file. At 4.5 GB, the file is actually smaller than the typical DV-AVI files that are used by many editing programs. Notice how serious the level fragmentation is for the file that the arrow above is pointing to ... 1605 fragments, or pieces. In the illustration, the Yellow blocks reveal that this file is splattered" all over the hard drive.

Technorati Tags: defraggler

Defraggler makes it quick and easy to determine the seriousness of the fragmentation of any individual file on a computer ... and then fix (defrag) only that file. Defraggler also works on a series of files or an entire drive.

Since a disk drive reads data in manner that has similarities to the way a "needle" on a turntable plays a song, a seriously fragmented file makes the disk drive jump back and forth extensively. When a video file is highly fragmented, parts of a video can become unreadable, the video file can be prone to unexplainable errors and lockups, or the video playback can become slow and choppy. The solution in this case is usually to Defrag the drive, but since External Hard Drives often holds hundreds of gigabytes of video, the process can take many, many hours.

For this reason, we think a file-based defragmentation tool is an essential part of a coaches “toolkit” for keeping any video editing system performing reliably. Defraggler is made by the same folks that make CCleaner (formerly Crap Cleaner) and, like CCleaner, is free to download.

Kudos to Dell for its Inspiron 13

2009-08-18T13:01:00.001-05:00

We hope that Dell has started a trend with its relatively new Inspiron 13 configurations that we hope carries through when new Windows 7 – equipped machines begin to arrive this fall. What caught us about the Inspiron 13 is its built-in “firewire” connection, a notable and disappointing omission (at least for coaches) on far too many of Dell’s moderately priced Windows Vista based laptops and notebooks in recent years .

With a 13 inch screen, for those who value mobility and weight over screen size, the Inspiron model has much to offer, including a fast Intel Core 2 Duo 8300 Processor, 4 GB Ram, a 320 GB Hard Drive and a “slot-load” DVD burner, and firewire (1394) for a price of $699. Its been quite some time since we’ve seen a firewire-equipped laptop from Dell at this low a of a price point.

Both Inspiron 13 configurations on Dell’s web site at the date of this post included Vista Home Basic - a bit puzzling for such a well - endowed laptop. We expect to see the Inspiron 13 equipped with Windows 7 Home Premium later this fall, and until then, it might be worth paying an extra $30 for Windows Vista Home Premium. We also hope to see Dell roll out more of these types of configurations with 14 and 15 inch screens, since Microsoft has made it clear that firewire is its preferred method of connecting video camcorders to Windows based computers.

Rip DVD Plus Version 2.0

2009-07-22T00:18:00.001-05:00

In just a matter of weeks, the folks at Deskshare have shipped a new version of Rip DVD Plus that is supposed to be even easier to use than Version 1.1. While that’s somewhat hard to believe, it was enough to get me to plunk down some “dough” for the product.

Today’s news was welcome, as I had just read a post in their forum about how its quick and easy to adjust a setting to produce higher quality avi files. Its this type of support – what is often called “value-added” support, that gets me excited, on behalf of all of the coaches out there that wince when handed a DVD – knowing that their editing system is ill-equipped to handle it.

At $29.95, and now bundled (as a rebate) with our Easy-Cut product , Rip DVD Plus is a fine product from a US-based company that builds products that “demistify” many aspects of the video editing process for coaches. Rip DVD Plus – produced video files are also compatible with Easy-Scout Professional, the most affordable football scouting with video editing software product available today.

Rip DVD Plus – a tool for minimizing DVD editing hassles for coaches

2009-07-04T08:01:00.001-05:00

After what seems like a long wait, The Coaches Advisor was pleasantly surprised to see that Deskshare has finally released a DVD ripping product : Rip DVD Plus.

Sure, there are countless DVD “rippers” on the market, such as DVD Copy 6 Plus from Corel – a product we have recommended since Version 4. And as much as we like DVD Copy 6 Plus, we like the simplicity and approach of this new product from Deskshare even more.

First some history…

Deskshare has offered a product called Digital Media Converter Pro for a number of years. Until last year, Digital Media Converter Pro required the individual “VOB” files on a DVD to be converter individually. This presented a problem for football coaches in particular, since a game could be split between two or more “VOB files”.

When the Coaches Advisor tested Digital Media Converter Pro earlier this Spring, it did a fine job of ripping an entire DVD. We liked its speed, its ease of use and a number of other things that we felt made it ideal for coaches, and a better choice than taking a “hit or miss” approach with one of the many DVD rippers available for download. It was also “slim and trim” and made no system-wide changes that can sometimes really mess with a computer.

But just was we began to recommend it, the “Rip DVD” icon strangely disappeared, as the DVD ripping feature was removed to make way for a “new product”. Unfortunately, a number of months passed between the time DVD “ripping” was removed from Digital Media Converter Pro and the July 3 release of Rip DVD Plus.

There may be still be reasons for a coach to own both products (Rip DVD Plus and Digital Media Converter Pro), but we’re certain that many coaches will be well-served by Rip DVD Plus. Check it out at www.deskshare.com.

Anytime, Anywhere Access to your data with SkyDrive

2009-05-19T22:45:00.001-05:00

At one time not too long ago, “jump drives” – aka “thumb drives” and “flash drives” were the latest and greatest in portable storage technology.

But there’s a new kid on the block and for some jobs, I think its an equal or better solution than the flash drive or even portable hard drive : SkyDrive (aka Online Storage, Online File Folder, etc).

SkyDrive is a free service from MicroSoft, and is part of its Windows Live services. Available anytime and anywhere with a simple Hotmail or Windows Live login, SkyDrive provides a whopping 25 Gigs of free storage and makes your data accessible through a nice looking user interface (shown above). What I like best is that it works with the familiar file upload and download “buttons” and takes good care of some of the more fragile file formats.

I can envision SkyDrive being a great way to transfer files that are relatively small – say 10 or 20 MB or less. I say this because many internet connections still have painfully slow UPLOAD speeds that make storing files measured in hundreds of MB or more impractical. But this still covers a wide range of files, including Word Docs, Playbook files, Powerpoint Presentations and even data files from specialized scouting and statistics programs – files with sizes that tend to be a MB or less. Unfortunately, a slow upload speed will frequently rule out using online storage for video, even though 25 Gigs can easily store a seasons worth of video if its in the right format !

This is a positive development for coaches, and things will only get better. Without question, there is still a place for the flash drive and certainly external hard drives, particularly for video editing applications. There’s nothing like being able to carrying around a couple seasons worth of video in your shirt pocket.

But Skydrive and services like it guarantee (at least theoretically)that your data will be available from any computer that has an internet connection. Even if a program that you use works with data on the local computer’s hard drive, Sky Drive enables you to “send it to the sky” from one place and then “retrieve it from the sky” from another. Pretty cool stuff… give it a try !

www.microsoft.com/uk/windows/windowslive/products/skydrive.aspx

Tame your Inbox with these "Golden Rules" of E-Mail

2009-04-14T09:48:00.001-05:00

When I came across this article in today's PC Magazine Small Business Update, I found a number of useful, actionable items.

Coaches are particularly vulnerable to email abuse, because many schools and booster clubs publish email addresses on web sites. This makes them prey for "robots" - in this case, computer programs that harvest email addresses and feed (or sell) them to spammers. The result is that schools in turn have little choice but to deploy industrial-strength spam filters and add IT personnel to fight off the spam onslaught. Unfortunately, this often is done by blocking or slowing down the flow of legitimate email, making it a less reliable communication tool.

I supposed that in this age of "stimulus" and artificial demand creation, more jobs and more technology spending is not such a bad thing. But, for those who want to slow the flow of spam and more effectively use and manage email, this article has some useful tips, solid explanations and a nice mix of dry humor. Enjoy !

The 25 Golden Rules of E-Mail - by PC Magazine

PC have a DVD burner ? Why not use it?

2009-03-14T16:11:00.001-05:00

Sometimes it makes sense to use a "box" tethered to a PC with a cable to create basic, video-only DVD's. But as PC's increasingly are equipped with powerful video capabilities, DVD burners and DVD creation software, its increasingly worth a little effort to try to make use of the components and programs that were included with the PC.

Even when the DVD creation software that comes with a PC software is "stripped down", its usually possible, for a relatively small cost, to upgrade to an incredibly capable multimedia (video and audio) suite that makes it easy to add titles, chapters, sound, pictures and more to a video production.

Companies like Roxio, Nero, Corel and Pinnacle - to name just a few, offer "robust" DVD creation software that is also quite easy to use. Most cost well under $100 and are capable of producing impressive results. Why be "chained" to a desk when you want to burn a DVD - especially when there's a burner right there in the laptop?

Digital Video Conversions becoming more important than ever

2009-02-15T10:34:00.001-05:00

Readers of Coaches Advisor Journal know that its heavy on articles on sports video editing. That's mainly because the feedback received by "the Journal" tells us there is no single topic that is both more important, and more complex for coaches.

For better or worse, what seemed to be a no-brainer for computer makers a few years ago - combining firewire and video out ports on computers, is now more like a "what the f%#)" are they thinking?" experience.

Fortunately, the software industry is stepping in to address the brain-dead, or profit-motivated moves of computer makers. Either way, as a coach said to me last week, it costs a lot more to buy a powerful, fully equipped computer than a video capture or conversion device that addresses these shortcomings.

The Coaches Advisor is all about finding the best values in sports editing products for coaches. But the key word there is value, and value is not always the same as "cheapest" or free (though admittedly, sometimes, it is). What we find, however, with this type of product is that downloading and installing products that deal with video conversions usually make, as a programmer once told me, "system-wide changes". When pressed for an answer, the programmer explained that, in a nutshell, many products "switch" Windows settings that affect many programs beyond the one that is being installed.

That did not appeal to me, but it explained why so many of my systems had been "trashed", requiring a full Windows reinstall to rectify. From that point forward, I was very careful about the video editing converters that got installed on my PC's, and life has been good ever since.

I encourage readers of "the journal" to do the same. The Coaches Advisor is happy to discuss the products written about here, since we use them and in some cases, even support them.

Converting a DVD - for the technically challenged

2009-01-29T08:33:00.001-05:00

Please excuse the title of this article, but I didn't want to use the "dummies" word. Even "technically challenged" has a negative connotation and its not meant that way at all. Promise.

Since I started writing about computing topics of interest and/or relevance to coaches, no single topic or task has been more of a "moving target" than getting digital video from the DVD format to one that is suitable (actually ideal) for video editing. There are a number of reasons for this, ranging from the lack of true video standards on the Windows side of things, to the perception that a DVD, begin "digital video" should simply work as-is.

Word has it things may change when Windows 7 replaces Windows Vista next year (maybe late this year). Until then, after working with capture cards, firewire and USB capture devices, and so many Video converters that the bad and buggy ones have "trashed" at least three computers beyond repair (a reformat was required), I have had my best results (as have coaches that I have worked with closely) with two "commercial products", as they are called.

One product, DVD Copy 6 from Corel (formerly Intervideo) has been around for a long time - at least in computer industry terms, and I've worked with it since it was DVDCopy4. I first learned about this in a computer magazine, tried it, purchased it and used it to convert a few seasons worth of DVDs for use in Easy-Scout Professional and Easy-Cut. It worked fast and flawlessly. DVD Copy is a proven commodity and still an excellent product.

Always on the lookout for similar products that work just as well but offer something either new, different or greater ease of use, I've been working with a second product, Digital Media Converter Pro and have experienced very good results. Unfortunately, its publisher decided to remove DVD "ripping" from the product, but plans to release a new product specifically for that purpose. I'm excited about the potential for Digital Media Converter Pro , or whatever it will be called when its publisher restores DVD ripping.

I have written about DVD Copy and Intervideo (Corel) numerous times in the past, and have produced a video tutorial that illustrates the process of converting a DVD to a common Windows Media format. Based on the feedback I have received from self-described, technically challenged users, the product delivers results and is easy for even a novice to use - particularly when following the steps in the video.

I can't imagine any coach today that's not watching video on a DVD, at least sometimes. For those who want to edit that video easily and affordably, products like DVD Copy (about $30) are affordable, easy to use, and won't screw up a computer like many other video converter software products I have tried over the years. And oh, by the way... it works too !

Computer Makers missing the point with Vista machines

2008-12-01T00:29:00.001-05:00

I continue to scratch my head over some of the practices of computer makers these days as they attempt to weather a tough, cut-throat market and unload slow-moving inventory.

A short time ago, I wrote about one of these practices - the attempt to clear computers with Windows Vista 64 Bit Version out of inventory by avoiding the responsibility to educate buyers about Vista 64 Bit's pros and cons.

Unfortunately, sometimes computer buyers find out that a computer has been under-equipped, or improperly equipped months or even a year later.

Case in point...

My daughter recently asked me to assist her in converting a video for a class she's taking. The video was "shot" with a VHS-C Camcorder and needed to be captured in a format that could be edited on a computer and then burned to a DVD .. No problem I thought . Her laptop had Windows Vista Home Premium, and I expected to plug in a Canopus ADVC110, fire up the Vista Video Capture wizard, and depending on the length, capture in either DV-AVI or Windows Media format. Shortly thereafter, I thought, she would be editing the video with Windows Vista's slick new Movie Maker application. No such luck!

As I pointed out recently in Capturing video with Windows Vista, Microsoft decided to limit its video capture support for devices that connect with "firewire" - aka IEEE 1394, i-link, etc. One would think computer makers would take this into account, and when packaging a computer with Vista Home Premium and a DVD burner, would provide a firewire port for getting video onto the computer. After inspecting every connection on the laptop, I was surprised and disappointed when I could not find one.

Experiences like this help me understand why over 25% of new (laptop) computer buyers say they intend to buy a Mac. With Apple controlling the Hardware and Operating System, the hardware and software are more likely to be "matched".

Windows-based computer buyers deserve no less.

DIVX to the Rescue for Basketball Staff

2008-11-02T12:16:00.002-05:00

Here's a quick story about how a technical troubleshooting session made us aware of yet another reason why downloading the free DIVX for Windows bundle is a great "first-try" for solving a lot of video problems.

The story goes like this...

A basketball staff had purchased a number of licenses for Easy-Cut, an inexpensive video editing system offered on an affiliated web site, www.coachingware.com. The software was performing satisfactorily (in fact, the coach said he loved the software) but one of the users, the Head Coach, was not getting the same results as the other coaches.

The assistant who was appointed with the task of figuring out the problem could not understand why an "avi" file worked on his computer, but not on the head coach's computer. I responded with my typical answer - "There is really no standard avi file", meaning there is no guarantee that just because the file name has an extension of .avi, that the video inside is the same as another.

We talked about how this staff was using one of the popular video sharing web sites to exchange video in avi format . Further discussion revealed that Easy-Cut, out of the box, was working fine for him with video from the site. So, my natural question was - what is different about his PC (earlier version of Vista, different version of Vista, etc)? The answer I received was not what I expected ... that the problematic video file was actually "ripped" from a DVD.

Bingo! A quick look at the "settings" in the DVD "ripper" revealed the type of .avi file we were working with, and I recommended the easiest (and cheapest) solution that might just fix things immediately was to download and install the free DIVX for Windows package from DIVX.Com.

Sure enough - less than 30 minutes later I received a message from a happy coach - it seems DIVX had done the trick.

There's no room here to discuss this further, but suffice it to say that there's a lot to be said for DIVX video format and the tools that come free with the DIVX for Windows package.

I've discussed DIVX in previous posts such as DIVX Converter - a simple cure for DVD-induced frustration in the Coaches Advisor Journal, and Working with DVD video in video editing programs in The CompuSports Software News.

Technorati Tags: DIVX,avi format,DVD conversion,DVD ripper,Easy-Cut,video editing

Capturing video with Windows Vista

2008-10-12T08:39:00.001-05:00

Microsoft's decision (and approach) to overhaul Windows' graphics capabilities in Windows Vista has resulted in reduced support for video capture devices. Said another way, a lot of "stuff" currently in use doesn't work with Windows Vista.

I'm not sure why Microsoft decided not to include support for USB video capture devices in the video capture and editing software included with Vista. Sadly, neither Vista’s easy-to-use video capture "wizard", or the version of Windows Movie Maker that is included with Vista work with USB devices.

This means it is more important than ever to pay attention to the “ports” or connections that are on a video camera AND a computer. "Firewire" (IEEE 1394) connections are, practically speaking, a requirement for "serious" sports editing, and if VHS tapes need to be converted, so too is a capture device that connects via firewire.

My favorite “firewire” device for coaches that need to convert video from VHS tape, DVD, or a camcorder that lacks a "firewire" connection (which is true of the majority of camcorders sold today, unfortunately) is the ADS Pyro A/V. Available complete with cables, its available in most online electronics stores, including Amazon.com.

Windows Movie Maker for Windows Vista

2008-09-19T20:37:00.001-05:00

One area in which Windows Vista offers improved functionality that's likely to be useful to coaches is in its Multimedia capabilities.

Vista Home Premium, the most common version of Vista for consumer-targeted desktops and laptops includes a video capture wizard, DVD playback and "burning" support. In addition, all Vista versions offer a significantly improved Windows Movie Maker program - and the Windows XP version was already quite good.

In this Getting started with Windows Movie Maker article, Microsoft provides an overview of the program's capabilities and answers a number of questions that are frequently asked by users of video editing programs in general. We know coaches have many of the same questions.

Getting started with Windows Movie Maker is definitely worth a few minutes of any coach that has Windows Vista already or considering a new computer purchase.

"Double trouble" with 64-bit Vista ?

2008-07-21T18:13:00.001-05:00

Technorati Tags: Windows Vista,Vista 64 Bit,Dell E2810,Best Buy

I'm sensing that a trend is emerging that could prove to be quite troublesome for "back-to-school" computer buyers . Just when it seemed that many of Vista's early hardware and software compatibility problems were being resolved by Microsoft, computer makers vendors are increasingly installing the 64-bit version of Windows Vista

For many computer buyers, Vista 64 Bit will present "double the trouble" . We discussed why recently in the article titled Critical Windows Vista Purchase Considerations .

Until recently, there was little reason for computer buyers to pay attention to the difference between the 32 and 64 Bit Vista. Now its an important consideration, since even Microsoft warns ...

"The 64-bit editions of Windows Vista are not for everyone, and require a system with a 64-bit processor and 64-bit system drivers. Please confirm that your system, applications, and devices are compatible with a 64-bit edition of Windows Vista before installing."

Wikipedia's description includes comments like....

"Windows Vista 64-bit editions can run some 32-bit programs by running them within the WOW64 subsystem, but others cannot run at all. "

"One example of software that functions differently is Visual Basic 6. The Visual Basic 6 IDE runs natively on Vista 32, but does not run at all on Windows Vista 64.Some applications require separate runtimes for 64-bit and 32-bit."

"Old device drivers are particularly problematic, because they need to be rewritten in 64-bit mode. A lot of older hardware doesn't have the necessary support to get the drivers written."

"One important difference between the 64-bit edition and the 32-bit edition is the elimination of the capability to run 16-bit programs."

Caveat Emptor: Windows PC buyers should either choose a Vista model that comes with the 32 Bit version of Windows, or be careful to verify that the programs they plan to run, and the hardware devices they hope to use will work on a 64-bit version of the Windows Vista Operating system.

DIVX Converter - a simple cure for DVD-induced frustration

2008-07-15T16:52:00.001-05:00

There is something to be said for simplicity when it comes to video editing - especially for coaches. Unfortunately, all-too-often when neat new technology comes along that seems to make things simpler, something else becomes more complex.

Take DVD's for example. The switch from VHS tapes to DVD's for video playback, video distribution and video exchanges was a positive step in many ways. Unfortunately, when it comes to video editing, the dirty little secret is that DVD's can really be a pain in the butt.

The reasons were laid out recently in an article in the The CompuSports Software Connection titled Working with DVD Video in Video Editing programs . That article presented the problems presented by the way DVD's store video, and made a recommendation for a software product (DVDCopy6 from Corel) for converting DVD's to either Windows Media or DIVX format.

Another option for those who find Corel's DVD Copy program "a bit much", is the Divx Converter, part of a suite of software from Divx Labs that is commonly referred to as the DIVX Pro Bundle for Windows.

According to DIVX Labs, the publisher of the DIVX Codec, "DivX is a digital media format like MP3 for video. DivX technology compresses video to a fraction of its original size for efficient storage on your hard drive and easy sharing online." Divx is, in many ways, an ideal format for converting DVD's, since it stores the video in an "avi" file container that is video editing "friendly", and at the same time reduces the size of the file with a minimal, if that loss of quality.

The DIVX Converter, shown above, is simple, flexible and capable at the same time. There is really no comparison between simplicity of the 1-2-3 approach of the DIVX Converter utility and another program I also like a lot, and our #1 recommendation for a software solution for copying DVD's for editing, DVD Copy from Corel.

Be careful not to confuse the two - DVD Copy specializes in converting DVD's and can even translate files from Hard Drive based Recorders. The DIVX Converter translates video from a number of formats, and the DVD conversion process as of the current version involves pointing to the VOB files on the DVD, or copying those file to a computers hard drive and then converting them (this speeds up the process dramatically because the DIVX Convert processes the video as fast as its "fed" to it, and the DVD player is a mechanical device that is much slower at transferring data than a hard drive, especially an internal hard drive).

While not the be all and end all solution for converting DVD's, for the right situation, where an occasional DVD needs to be converted, there is a lot to be said for the DIVX converter. Check it out a free trial at

www.divx.com/divx/windows/converter/

If you buy it (the software was offered recently for half price.. only $15), be sure that you get the MPEG2 plug in. This will handle many, but not all DVD conversions, and might require that you download something called a "codec" from time to time (See related article Working with DVD Video in Video Editing programs )

For the price and simplicity, the The DIVX Converter is hard to beat.

Critical Windows Vista Purchase Considerations

2008-06-27T10:56:00.001-05:00

Computer buyers, for the most part, no longer have to decide whether to choose Windows XP or Windows Vista. Rather, the question will move to "what version of Vista"? (companies increasingly will skip Vista entirely, as Intel just announced it would do for the 80,000 computers used by Intel employees).

Unlike Windows XP, which came initially in two, and then (when Windows Media Center Edition arrived) a third version, Windows Vista comes in five versions, with most versions available in both 32 Bit and 64 Bit variations.

Retail Computers targeted at home users tend to be equipped with Vista Home Basic, Home Premium or Ultimate. With Home Basic reserved for entry-level computers that lack the horsepower to run other versions, Home Premium appears to be the most prevalent version on Retailers shelves for computers targeted at consumers.

Computers targeted at businesses usually tend to be equipped with Vista Business or Vista Ultimate, with Vista Business being the most prevalent. Vista Business often comes with "downgrade privileges" to Windows XP Professional, though the "privilege" usually costs extra. A fifth version, Vista Enterprise is "designed to meet the needs of large, global organizations with complex IT infrastructures" (not likely to be found in stores or on web sites from Dell and others).

Vista Ultimate includes the features of Vista Home Premium and Vista Business.

Click here for an overview of the Versions of Windows Vista

Click here for detailed specifics about the features included and not included in each one

If that (which Vista Edition, or Version) decision is not enough, another decision will need to be made - one that may in fact be more important than whether to choose Vista Home Premium, Business or Ultimate. That decision is whether to choose a 32 Bit or 64 Bit Version of Windows Vista , and for many it will not be an easy one.

For example, Microsoft warns ...

Fortunately for computer buyers, this decision is usually made for you by the computer manufacturer. In most cases, despite the improved performance potential of the 64 Bit Version on computers equipped to run it, the 32 Bit versions of Windows will be most prevalent until the 64 Bit Editions evolve to provide improved software compatibility and wider availability of "drivers" for video cards, sound cards, printers, scanners, etc.

Still, its a good idea to ask .... is this the 32 Bit or 64 Bit Version of Windows Vista? Most computer users will increase the chance they will be satisfied with their new computer by checking the compatibility of software applications and "peripherals" like printers and scanners with 64 Bit Vista. Alternatively, the safe choice is to choose a computer model that is equipped with the 32 Bit Version of Windows Vista.

Technorati Tags: vista,32-Bit,64-Bit,Vista Editions,Vista compatibility

Another reason to adjust Microsoft Update Settings

2008-05-22T06:40:00.001-05:00

This is not your father's Microsoft's Automatic Updates.

In recent years, Microsoft Update and Windows Update have expanded the scope of their good intentions to include

- Installing new applications like Internet Explorer 7 a year ago - and in the process trashing important functions in programs like Quicken and Quickbooks in the process.

- delivering Microsoft Office Service Packs, and in the process disabling the ability for some Office programs to open files produced in previous versions.

- delivering "Driver Updates", which in some cases are older than the drivers published on Manufacturer web sites (this has happened at least twice to me with video and sound card drivers)

- delivering Windows Service Packs, most recently Windows XP Service Pack 3 and Windows Vista Service Pack 1.

Why I first turned off Automatic Updates last year

About a year ago, while Microsoft was struggling to fix the bugs in Microsoft Update that pegged CPU utilization well over 90%% and "took over my computer" by virtually slowing other computer tasks like web browsing to a crawl (in one instance I remember watching the computer as my keystrokes took 2-3 seconds to appear on the screen) I took the advice of the trusted Windows Newsletter - www.windowsecrets.com and turn off Automatic Updates.

Here is what my Update settings look like since that time (I turned off Microsoft Update also, replacing it with Windows Update). When Updates are ready, I see a message that tells me what is AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD - if I want to download it. Then I choose when to download and install the update, and its usually after I research the expected problems.

Initially I did this to avoid "headache Wednesday" - a term I coined to describe the way I felt after each "Patch Tuesday" - the day when Microsoft updates were typically released.

Recently, I've been grateful that I have this set up, as I avoided the problems with the early deployments of Windows Vista SP1, and most recently, problems with Windows Service Pack 3 like those written about almost daily since it appeared recently via Windows Updates.

The Win XP SP3 problems getting the most press are those affecting HP computers with AMD processors, and reportedly HP is now telling customers to wait to deploy SP3. The only problem - SP3 is set to automatically deploy as a Windows Update .

Here's Microsoft's official instructions that explain how to properly Automatic Update settings as mentioned above. Microsoft Instructions for Automatic Update settings

The best setting for my purposes is described in this section of the Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 306525

"Have Windows Remind You About Pending Updates"

When you configure Automatic Updates to notify you before downloading or installing updates, Windows notifies you that updates are ready to be downloaded or installed by displaying an icon and message in the notification area of your taskbar.

If you do not want to download or install the update now, click the Automatic Updates icon or message in the notification area of your taskbar, and then click Remind Me Later in the Automatic Updates dialog box.

In the Reminder dialog box, you can specify the time that Windows should wait before reminding you. If the reminder is for downloading, Windows reminds you only when you are connected to the Internet. If the reminder is for installing, Windows reminds you according to the schedule that you specify.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You must now accept the responsibility for deciding which updates to download and install, and when. My experience has been that simply waiting a week or two - enough time for the horror stories to appear, can save me from a lot of aggravation. The only exception to my "wait a week or two" are critical security updates - many of those I install immediately, and usually hold my breath for a day or two.

Microsoft's politically correct approach to the Vista/XP dilemma

2008-04-30T10:06:00.001-05:00

It was only a matter of time.

Microsoft has finally found a way to extend the life of Windows XP in a politically correct kind of way - through something called "downgrade privileges". In the process, its "throwing a bone" to the companies that distribute PC's preloaded with Windows and probably keeping a few more Windows users from defecting to Apple's Macintosh OS completely in the process (newer Intel-based Macs run Windows or the Apple OS).

Vista's Downgrade Privileges

Microsoft's Operating System downgrade privileges give users the ability to "roll back" to the previous version of Windows, and have existed since 2001. Until Windows Vista, however, downgrade privileges were largely unheard of, and most frequently exercised by large volume "end users" like corporations and educational institutions. Most recently, "downgrade privileges" have evolved into a tool of PC makers to boost sales.

Vista downgrade privileges also come in handy occasionally for software publishers and makers of hardware devices. I found this out last week while assisting a coach who was a member of a staff that had received three "donated" laptops. The laptops had Vista Business installed - a strange choice because the products were to be used for Video Editing (Vista Home Premium or Ultimate would have been much better choices since they include more video capabilities and Microsoft's DVD Maker program).

The coach was experiencing a problem with an application that ran without incident on all Windows Vista versions since Vista shipped in January 2007. My first thought was that the problem was related to Vista's Service Pack 1, since I've seen countless examples of things getting "broken" from "automatic updates", and "service packs". (Occasionally Microsoft products break from its own updates!)

The problem, as it turned out, was not the fault of Windows Vista itself, but rather the "version" of Windows Vista that the user was running. Apparently, the "gift" computers came with the 64 Bit version of Windows Vista Business. A 64 Bit version of an operating system is usually a very different animal than a 32 Bit version, and in the case of Windows Vista, for most users, the 32 Bit version is the logical choice. When I discovered this (64 Bit Vista) was the problem, I offered the user the only 2 options that I knew would enable him to use the software product on his new laptop: switch to a 32 bit version of Windows Vista, or exercise his "downgrade privileges" to Windows XP Professional.

Since I could not determine whether the 64 Bit Version of Vista could be "switched out" for the 32 Bit version, I suggested the coach contact the company that sold the computers to exercise his "downgrade privileges" to Windows XP Professional.

PC Makers "line up" behind XP Downgrade privileges

With the official "end of life" for Windows XP on June 30, 2008, PC builders from large to small have stated their intentions to continue to offer Windows XP Professional pre-installed on new PCs. Dell, for example said it would install XP Pro for customers that buy Vista Business or Vista Ultimate "for as long as Microsoft supports it".

Notably absent until today, however, was Hewlett-Packard. That HP was slow on the trigger is not surprising since HP was the first to jump on board the Vista bandwagon last year and discontinue all Retail models of its "consumer" desktop and laptop computers sold in stores. Finally, however, the #1 U.S "PC OEM", as reported by CRN, stated that the company (HP) intends to assist their users in exercising their downgrade privileges.

Good news for some computer buyers

This is good news for computer buyers who have postponed a computer purchase, either to avoid Windows Vista, or to wait until Windows Vista Service Pack 1 was released. If a computer is purchased online, its easy to have it "custom-built" with either Windows XP or Windows Vista. The same is true if purchasing through the many local "system builders".

What remains to be seen, however, is whether the large Retail Chains like Circuit City, Best Buy and Staples pressure Microsoft to offer "downgrade privileges" for Vista Home Premium, the Windows Vista version commonly found on the computers that line their shelves and pack their warehouses.

On the one hand, retailers would probably like to avoid the indecision that might result from a prospective computer buyer having to choose between Windows Vista or XP. After all, what other reason could be given for their having held out this long when Dell, HP, Gateway and other online retailers offer Windows XP on select models ordered online?

On the other hand, retailers may soon be forced to acknowledge that a Windows Vista "headwind" has been slowing their computer sales. By lobbying collectively, retailers could convince Microsoft not to keep them at a competitive disadvantage with online retailers who are able to make the "XP alternative" available. Retailers with computer services arms that go by the names Geek Squad and Firedog might even find a new source of service revenue in the form of a service charge for "exercising Windows Vista downgrade privileges on behalf of their own customers".

Save Windows XP - The clock is ticking !!

2008-04-03T13:30:00.001-05:00

Windows Vista's here to stay, and there is no getting away from that fact of life for computer buyers and software developers. Not only that, but Windows XP is "walking the plank", scheduled to be "deep-sixed" very soon by Microsoft.

Depending on your particular situation may be, you may not care, but you may also be dreading, or even fearing the day when Microsoft pulls the plug on Windows XP. That day is now scheduled for June 30, 2008 for retail copies purchased in stores and bundled with retail computers, and reportedly early next year for computers purchased from "custom-builders".

As reported by Infoworld, the Windows XP EXECUTION will be carried out "despite a deep reluctance by many business and individuals about moving to Vista".

Since InfoWorld "believes such an expensive, time-consuming shift with problematic benefits should not be forced on Windows users, it has decided to rally XP users to demand that XP be kept available".

If you want to join the crowd that is attempting to persuade Microsoft to keep offering Windows XP, for whatever reason, the two links below will assist you.

Sign the petition to Save Windows XP

Read full details about the Infoworld campaign to Save Windows XP

Falling prices on Flash drives = Highly Portable Digital Video

2008-04-02T12:59:00.001-05:00

BEGINNING OF THE END OF THE DVD BURNING TOWER?

Last year at about this time of year, ironically, I wrote about "Portable Video Editing" . The article discussed both external hard drives and USB "flash drives" and how fast-falling prices and increasing capacity were making digital video more portable than ever.

Just this morning, an email from mail order company, Tiger Direct pitched a 4 GB USB Drive for $14.95. Needless to say, it got my attention!

High school sports contests tend to be 30-40 minutes in length, which usually translates into a Digital Video file in anywhere between 500MB (Windows Media 640x480) and 1GB (DIVX Home Theater quality - 720x480) per game.

That means this type of drive can comfortably transport video from half to a full-season where the video can then be moved to a PC Internal or External hard drive quickly for editing.

More importantly, this new price point on 4GB Flash suggests that it wont be long until we see $10 and under prices for 2GB flash drives. Do I hear the playing of "TAPS" for DVD burning towers - clearly overkill and wasteful for distributing cutups to players and coaches who will view them a couple times and then stick them on the shelf, maybe forever.

Think about it - at a price of $10 or $15, how many players or assistant coaches could be equipped with their own "personal" video storage device, not to mention one that can be easily transported, easily erased, play on any PC, and that runs at speeds many times faster than a DVD?

Not to mention that a flash device stores video in its native compressed (Windows Media or DIVX) format, rather than the difficult to work with DVD format - making it more accessible to a wider range of sports video editing programs.

Still thinking about burning DVD's after games? Unless you plan to burn 20 or more, it just might be worth testing a "file copy" to one of these USB drives and comparing the time required with that to burn DVD's in a 2 or 3 Drive tower. The results might surprise you.

Factor in the cost of the "tower" and you might want to pick up a few and experiment.

This is one trend worth watching.

What happened to the Palm Pilot?

2008-03-21T12:38:00.001-05:00

I had to think a minute before answering this question when it was posed by a football coach last week. After stumbling over my words for a minute or so, I explained that handheld computing devices (often referred to as PDA's) without wireless phone capabilities were on their way to becoming obsolete. Our conversation quickly turned to laptop computers, including the "netbooks" as they have been called, which I wrote about in a recent post.

But what about that Palm Pilot ? And how about its Microsoft-powered siblings - the Pocket PC and Windows Mobile PDA devices ? Have they morphed into "smart phones" with names like Treo, Centro, Tilt and Blackberry ?

Well, in a way, yes, though its still possible to buy a Palm or Pocket PC (now called Windows Mobile) "PDA", these devices have been relegated to "niche gadgets", squeezed between "cheaper" notebooks, powerful "smartphones" and increased functionality "just phones". That squeeze is certain to get tighter as notebooks that run a "real" version of Windows appear later this year for under $500, wireless carriers begin to open up their networks to smartphones purchased elsewhere, and "just-phones" get more capabilities.

This trend toward the "marginalization" of what is sometimes called the "classic" PDA started in 2006 with The Classmate PC - an inexpensive (sub-$300) laptop targeted at kids in "developing" nations. The next generation of the Classmate PC will reportedly be available soon in the US and Europe, and is expected to drive computer prices down even further.

Whatever their name - be it "netbook", Classmate PC, or simply cheap laptop, when inexpensive, high functionality "real computers" can be purchased for little more than a reduced function "PDA" that works most frequently as a "satellite", its not hard to imagine the PDA going the way of the "zip drive", floppy disk or CRT display.

When that happens, well, there is always eBay.

Back to the Future

2008-03-10T16:27:00.002-05:00

If you listen to what the experts are saying, the future of computing is one in which a high percentage of the computer programs a person uses will reside "in the cloud". In what is often called "cloud computing", programs and data are stored on "servers" that accessed through an Internet connection.

While this approach to computing is convenient, it means that personal data will be sitting on a server that may be maintained by people and companies they don't know in places they will never go. Nonetheless, the march toward Network Computing looks to be an unstoppable trend that gains momentum with each passing day.

Its ironic that a quarter century of "progress" in personal computing has resulted in a return to a computing model that in some ways resembles the mainframe era. In those early days of computing, "dumb" computer terminals were connected to powerful computers in a data center somewhere that handled the data storage and information processing chores.

Fortunately, thanks to colored screens and increased functionality in the current crop of Web browsers, the "end-user" experience is richer, and the personal computer has become ubiquitous. But, for those who long for the days when computing was more "personal", a new crop of inexpensive mobile computing devices will begin to appear later this year. Using a variety of different wireless technologies, these new

Technorati Tags: netbook

as they are called will make it possible to do more things from more places and be offered at prices that will make mobile computing both practical and affordable to more people.

Office 2007 - "guilt by association" gone awry

2008-03-03T13:59:00.001-05:00

Its no secret that from the very early days of last year's simultaneous release of Windows Vista and Office 2007, I've been less than enthusiastic - to say the least, about Windows Vista. With plenty of bad stuff to say about Vista, I said very little about Office 2007, good or bad.

There's no need to say any more bad stuff about Vista, and in fact, I have felt that way for quite some time. No need to kick a dead horse. I mean, with recent disclosures that senior executives at Microsoft themselves expressed misgivings about their own personal experiences with Vista after its release, and the looming scandal over the Vista-ready and Vista-capable programs, what more is there to say.

I've decided to make a concerted effort to talk as much about the good things that Microsoft is doing these days as the "not-so-good" things. And I don't feel guilty about it, because I get the feeling that Microsoft is the underdog in its "battle royale" to remain relevant and important against, well "everyone".

A great place to start talking good about Microsoft and their product is Office 2007, the newest version of Office that Microsoft should probably have released by itself rather than have its fortunes tied, either intentionally or unintentionally to those Windows Vista. I don't have the figures on Office upgrade sales when compared to prior versions, but there have got to be quite a few Office 2003 users who stayed as far away from Vista as possible. Unfortunately, in the process, the late adopters missed out on a great new version of Office that takes ease of use and useful new features to exciting new levels.

My first experience with Office 2007 came during mid 2006. At that time, I began working with the Windows Vista and Office 2007 Beta versions, then followed them with the Release Candidates and finally the release versions of Vista and Office. For me, each new release of either (Vista or Office) was installed with the other, and I suspect the case is the same for many users - whether they used the pre-release versions or waited until they made a new Vista-equipped computer purchase.

My Office 2007 experience was delayed for over 6 months due to a decision that I made last summer to remove Vista from a laptop computer that simply crumbled under Vista's demands, and replace it with Windows XP. I then installed Office 2003 on the laptop, and in the process, I know now that I lost out.

Recently, I agreed to teach Excel 2007 at a local community college as part of its adult education offering. Approaching the class, and Excel 2007 as an instructor, rather than as a former Office 2003 user opened my eyes and mind to the new capabilities and improvements that Microsoft included in Office 2007 - the BEST Office ever and possibly the one that offered the greatest improvement over the Office version it replaced. ( I have no misgivings, however about avoiding Windows Vista on all but one computer in favor of Windows XP).

Like my students that had been working with prior versions of Office, after becoming familiar and comfortable with the Office 2007 Ribbon, I really liked it. That opened the floodgates, and I could hardly restrain my enthusiasm for things like Galleries, the WYSIWYG preview of formatting changes, and a number of new Office 2007 features.

Yesterday I installed the entire Office 2007 suite of applications, and have resolved to make the switch to Office 2007 across the board. I also plan to devote more of this journal to Office 2007 programs. First up: Word 2007 and Powerpoint 2007.

Unbiased Product Review or Advertorial?

2008-02-07T07:26:00.000-05:00

Sometimes its a good idea to consider whether a conflict of interest is behind an enthusiastic recommendation or product review, particularly when the review sounds more like an advertisement or advertorial. Often, this is as easy as simply thumbing through a magazine to locate the full page, full color ad from the company whose product received the glowing "review".

That point was driven home when reading today's edition of the Windows Secrets newsletter. In his story titled Positive reviews for Norton raise readers' ire, writer Scott Dunn discusses the many negative comments that he received from subscribers that read his Jan. 24 story in which he reported that the widely known security product has the greatest number of Editors' Choice awards of any security suite"

Dunn revealed that "many readers wrote in to voice their criticism of Symantec's software", said they were "disappointed with Symantec's customer service and technical support" and asked that these factors be considered when the newsletter made its own "Editor's Choices". The writer later pointed out that the newsletter lacked its own test lab, and therefore relied on the test results of (rightly or wrongly) respected labs - usually those found at the large computer magazines.

Based on the concerns expressed by its readers, the newsletter included an article titled Symantec uninstaller may not finish the job, in which it talked about the problems and security risks posed by incomplete removal of security software. Specifically, incomplete uninstalls are thought to cause system freezes and conflict with newly installed security software and cause system freezes.

The point here is not to agree or disagree with the writer's or the disgruntled end users' assessment of any specific product, but rather to call into question the value of a "review" that may be nothing more than an advertisement in disguise. This becomes increasingly problematic when it comes to highly "technical" products. "Expert" advice is frequently factored into technology purchasing decisions, as the average consumer may lack the knowledge (and desire to obtain it) to make an educated buying decision.

If highly respected publications are more inclined to favorably review a product from its large advertisers, readers are ill-served, and reviews should carry no more weight than advertisements and advertorials. At least the latter don't try to diguise their true intent.

MS Office Document file formats become an issue again

2008-02-01T23:40:00.000-05:00

When Microsoft released its Office 2007 products a year ago, it introduced a number of file formats at the same time. The new Office 2007 file formats have extensions such as .docx (WORD), .xlsx(EXCEL) and .pptx(POWERPOINT), and can't be read by previous versions of Office without a special utility.

Office 2007 introduced a significant change in the way the programs work (the user interface). This change, coupled with the "guilt by association" effect (Office 2007 was released with the much maligned Windows Vista) has slowed the migration to Office 2007 .

There's a lot to like about Office 2007, yet the slower adoption means that MS Word, Excel and Powerpoint 2007 files that are distributed as email attachments should probably still be sent as Office 2003 documents. Fortunately, this is easy for the sender to do (simply use Save As Office 2003 command) and increases the likelihood that the recipient of an attachment will be able to read it without downloading and installing software (which not all users are permitted to do).

Another issue related to Office file formats affects Office 2003 users. Reportedly, last fall, Microsoft released its Office 2003 Service Pack 3 and decided to disable the programs' ability to read and write files in a number of "old" file formats - including 24 that affect Word 2003. While most will be inconsequential, some are likely to trip up users. Until the end of this month, avoiding Office 2003 problems is as easy as not downloading and applying the latest Office 2003 Service Pack.

However, early this week, Microsoft warned Office 2003 users that it will begin distributing Office 2003 Service Pack 3 via Microsoft Update on Feb 27th. This means it will not be easy for average users to avoid applying the Service Pack, particularly those that have their computers set to automatically download and install all Microsoft updates.

Microsoft has taken a lot of flak from users that have been inconvenienced by this change, and has promised to release tools to make it easier for Office 2003 users to convert old documents. Previously, Microsoft's "workaround" involved users editing the Windows Registry - something that most users should not attempt to do.

Office 2007 users will not be so lucky, however, as there is no easy way to read the "discontinued" formats.

Hard Drive (HDD), DVD or "mini-DV" Camcorder

2008-01-20T12:52:00.000-05:00

"One thing I wasn't expecting was the fact that editing is actually affected by your file/data type. I never thought that a compressed MPEG might be harder for the PC to work with (than DV-AVI)"

VIDEOHELP.COM - Forum Thread Camcorders - Hard Drive vs. Tape

TRANSLATION: VIDEO FILE TYPES AFFECT VIDEO EDITING

One of the most important, if not THE most important consideration when choosing a video editing system involves choosing (or having) the right camera. While factors such as High Definition vs. Standard Definition, Zoom Levels and similar factors are important to consider, its absolutely critical to pay attention to how the camera stores the video that it records, since
this ultimately affects how the video is transferred (captured) to the computer and in turn how suitable it is for editing.

Choosing the wrong type of camera almost guarantees inconvenience and in some cases can
have disastrous consequences when its time to edit the video. The quotes on this page are just a sampling of the kind of advice being provided at web sites like http://www.videohelp.com/ on topics such as this. When doing so, keep in mind that the needs of the typical coach are not as simple as the needs of a parent or grandparent that wants to record home movies.

"DV format (MiniDV tape) gives the highest quality and is transferred to the computer at 1x speed over IEEE-1394 (aka Firewire) to a DV-AVI file. Hard Disk (HDD) camcorders record to much lower bit rate MPEG2 and can transfer a "FILE" over USB2. You give up quality for FILE convenience."

TRANSLATION: MINI-DV RECORDS HIGHER QUALITY VIDEO

"Editing MPEG2 beyond simple cuts will lower quality further. To get both quality and FILE you need to spend about $6000 for a camcorder (e.g. Panasonic HVX-200) or go for MPEG4 which is even more difficult to edit with quality."

TRANSLATION: MPEG (2 and 4) FILES ARE POOR FOR EDITING

TIP: Avoid Hard Drive (HDD) and DVD Camcorders for "serious" video editing

"The only two things in the DVD camcorder's favor is the ability to "instantly" transfer the video to the PC and also to be able to instantly take the DVD out and play it in a standalone DVD player. Great for point-and-shoot, never-to-be-edited but practically useless for any serious editing etc."

TRANSLATION: DVD's ARE POOR FOR EDITING

"A note about the HDD option - although it may be considered a file, you still have to get it into the PC. HDD camcorders really don't offer much advantage over DVD camcorders in terms of video quality and ease of editing."

TRANSLATION: HARD DRIVE CAMCORDERS ARE NO BETTER

In summary, the "storage" and "transfer" convenience offered by recording to a camcorder that stores its video on a DVD or Hard Drive in the camera is negated for "serious" video editing. This may change as the cost of camcorders that record to hard drives (and maybe some day an advanced type of DVD) with the QUALITY found in mini-DV cameras comes down into a range that is affordable to individuals and schools. Those cameras exist today, but with a cost typically exceeding $5000, they are used mainly by professional videographers and television studios.

Something New from Coach's Advisor

2008-01-10T12:28:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year !

I think 2008 is going to deliver what many had hoped for in 2007 - an exciting year in personal computing and a shot-in-the-arm, as opposed to a shot-in-the-head for the Windows "ecosystem" as Microsoft calls it. The industry needs it, and quite frankly, so does our economy.

Despite its slow start and much deserved criticism, Windows Vista is showing up on more and more computers used by coaches, and will continue to gain momentum as the year unfolds. But, with more versions to pick from than any Windows yet (5 and counting) and its stiffer hardware requirements, Windows Vista makes the task of choosing the right computer with the right components at the right price harder than its been in quite some time.

Take that one step further into the world of video editing and its sometimes tricky to match cameras and capture devices with both Vista and the video editing software one chooses. This can cause buyer confusion, and make many choose "single-source" buying, even though that's usually really, really bad for the budget. That might not matter when spending someone else's money, though schools and booster clubs usually appreciate a frugal coach and reward cost-consciousness on one purchase by making funds available for another.

This year, we'll be adding a product recommendation service for Coachs Advisor subscribers. Available on request, the new service will offer system configuration, product selection and comparison shopping assistance covering a variety of products from a wide range of vendors. Look for complete details in the next issue of the Coachs Advisor Journal newsletter.

DVD Duplicator Towers - Save a bundle for your school or booster club!

2007-12-20T16:46:00.000-05:00

Wow! is all I can say about the incredible amount of positive feedback I've received on my recent article on using a camcorder to convert VHS tapes and DVD's for video editing. It looks like this "trick" of using the Analog to Digital converter "pass through" feature that is common on Canon and Sony camcorders is gaining in popularity thanks in part to Windows Vista.

It seems that very few standalone converter devices work properly on Windows Vista, and when they do, the software bundled with them works only partially or not at all. One bad thing - Sony for some reason has dropped this feature from its inexpensive camcorders, so for the moment, Canon has an edge in this category for camcorders under $400.

Schools and booster clubs can save even more money by purchasing DVD Duplicators from one of the leaders in the industry - www.discmakers.com. For example, Discmakers offers 2 and 4 DVD Duplicator models - equipped with a $250 GB Hard Drive for $399 and $499 respectively to name just two.

Check em out !

Improve your playbook's appearance with Snag It software - now FREE!

2007-11-23T13:36:00.000-05:00

I've written in the past about my favorite inexpensive and free utilities that work great in conjunction with popular coaching software for producing and distributing football and basketball playbooks and football scouting reports electronically (as PDF files). I've also mentioned a program called SNAG-IT, a "screen capture" utility that is equally useful and highly regarded by virtually everyone that has ever used it.

Just this past fall, I had the opportunity to show Snag It to a fellow football coach who commented about the difficulties he encountered each week as he assembled a 10+ page scouting report. This particular coach copied formation and play illustrations that he created in Playmaker Pro into a Microsoft Word document, where it was combined with statistical data and other material and then printed and stored in Word's .doc format.

The addition of Snag It made a huge difference in the quality of his scouting reports, as it made it possible for him to "take a picture" of an entire Playmaker Pro page, resize and when necessary annotate it, and then insert it into the Word Document with no loss of quality. The coach wasted no time in purchasing Snag It and has been a satisfied user ever since.

(I would be remiss if I did not also mention that Snag It works great with Coach's Office, another popular football playbook software application that includes play card, practice script and video playback capabilities as well).

It came as a surprise earlier today when I received an email from one of the web's "gurus" that sounded too good to be true - a previous version of Snag It was available now for FREE. This was not a trial, but truly a FREE Copy of software that has been great for as long as I've used it (even before version 7.25, which is now free).

A trip to the Techsmith web site came up empty, but sure enough, when I visited the web site of Mark Liron, Microsoft MVP based in the UK, there it was!

I don't know how long this deal's going to last, and its important to point out that is an older version (Snag It is now on Version 8.23), however as Mark points out, its quite useful and adequate for most users.

Click here to Visit Mark Liron's Web Site to Download Snag-IT 7.25 - TOTALLY FREE!

Convert your VHS tapes with Windows Movie Maker and your Digital Camcorder

2007-10-29T10:48:00.000-05:00

Its been a few years since I purchased a firewire-equipped, "mini-DV" Sony digital camcorder. I think I paid about $500 in the Summer of 2003 for my TRV-22, but comparable models are widely available today for $300 or less.

While comparing models, I noticed that Sony camcorders included a feature that made it possible to use the camcorder as an Analog to Digital converter. In simpler terms, this meant the camera could do double duty, converting VHS tapes (and in fact, any Analog video source) to digital format in addition to "shooting" video.

For some reason, I never took that feature seriously enough to try it, and instead invested hundreds of dollars in a capture card from Pinnacle and capture devices from companies like Canopus, ADS and Plextor. The idea was to test and recommend a few devices that offered an attractive combination of functionality, simplicity and affordability, and its no secret to readers of The Coachs Advisor that I like and have recommended the ADS and Plextor products.

Until Windows Vista came along, the Plextor 402U was my favorite device, and I still use it when I want to convert video to the DIVX format. But, the Plextor connects through USB ONLY and is difficult to get working with Windows Vista. Last year it was discontinued by the manufacturer. The story is the same for many, many other Analog to Digital video conversion devices.

For this reason, I took great interest in an article entitled Import video from an analog video camera or VCR through a DV camera that appeared in my inbox this weekend from Microsoft. While the article is geared toward users of Windows Vista, nothing in the article indicated that the "trick" would not also work on Windows XP. Since Microsoft's Windows Movie Maker is included free in all versions of Windows XP, is easy to use, and most importantly ALWAYS has worked for me, it was time to hit the "test lab".

Following the steps in the article, I proceeded to configure my Sony digital camcorder to convert VHS tapes. To do this, I:

1. Plugged in a VCR to the camera's "analog" jack
2. Used the Sony menu to set the camcorder to work as a "Pass through" VCR
3. Connected the Sony camcorder to the PC as I always do - using a Firewire cable
4. Started Windows Movie Maker and selected Capture Video

Magically, the video from tape in the VCR appeared in the Movie Maker capture window and the quality was PERFECT! I was able to perform a "real time" capture - meaning that as the VCR played, the video would be converted to digital format and written to the computer's hard drive.

For those new to Movie Maker, or to Windows Vista’s built-in video-capture wizard, once a firewire connection is made, the capture procedure is quite similar to that used when capturing video directly from the camera's "mini-dv" tape. Both Movie Maker and the Vista Capture Wizard provided the usual options to capture in a variety of video formats including DV-AVI and high quality Windows Media - two of the three formats we recommend for use with our video editing software applications. Since the camera was not playing its own "tape", but rather acting as a "pass through" device for the VCR however, I could not use the Movie Maker controls to Pause, Fast Forward and Rewind the VHS tape.

I could say much more about the advantages of using this procedure with Windows Movie Maker rather than purchasing using a capture card, or "box", but I will save that for another day.

Like many Coach's Advisor readers, I stumbled my way through understanding digital video and made a number of mistakes along the way. The fact is, this is one of those kind of things that just takes time - to wade through all the geek speak, misinformation and sales pitches.

Suffice it to say that I wish I had simply RTFM (read the "friggin" manual) for my camcorder, and I would have discovered this great "feature" of my camera 5 years ago!

Small, portable inexpensive hard drives a great flash alternative

2007-09-14T07:51:00.001-05:00

Early this year, I wrote about the increasing capacity of flash drives, along with their rapidly decreasing cost. At that time, 8GB flash drives were becoming available and 4 GB drives were widely available for under $50.

While I continue to believe that flash drives have their place in a coach's computer bag (and even shirt pocket), this year's crop of portable hard drives presents a solid, larger capacity, better-peforming alternative at only a small price difference.

About as large as a slightly oversized deck of cards, the Maxtor Mini III 120 that I purchased a few weeks ago has really become a favorite of mine. Under $100, it requires no external power source in most cases - making it every bit as portable as flash drives, albeit a bit larger. The Maxtor comes with nifty backup software and buyers can also download a free basic version of Acronis Excellent Disk Image and Backup software. The additional software is ideal for backup up and restoring entire disks, cloning disks, and even "booting" a computer to restore a crashed drive.

Click here to visit a page that I built on Amazon.com with a collection of these drives, including the Maxtor Mini III. You'll find drives in a variety of capacities from Maxtor and Western Digital and be able to click through the Amazon site to research similar products and prices. I also included a larger 160GB drive from Maxtor - available at this writing for less than $60. Be sure to check if a drive requires a power supply (as this one does).

A final note on the capacity (and cost) of these drives. The biggest bang for your buck comes from the first 60 or 80 gigs - meaning you will get the numerous benefits and added convenience of adding a portable hard drive to your computer gear regardless of whether you choose, a 60GB, 80 GB, 100Gb or greater capacity. If you plan to work with Digital Video, store 30 years worth of a music collection, or
backup more than one computer, you may want to go with one of the larger capacity drives.

One thing to consider though - these are mechanical devices and the larger capacity drives usually pack data more tightly on the drive's surface. This makes them more prone to failure. So, if 60 or 80 Gigs will do, you might be well served to avoid the temptation to buy the largest capacity - "just because you can". If you read the buyer reviews on Amazon for these drives you will see comments to this effect.

Drive partitions - now more important than ever

2007-08-22T11:42:00.000-05:00

A number of recent trends make it more important than ever to think about your "hard disk" drive selection (how many and how large), as well as the drive's partitioning when purchasing a new PC. I will only talk here about drive partitioning and will write about multiple hard drives in a future article.

Drive Partitioning is often not a simple concept for most people to grasp, yet it may be the single most important determining factor in how well a newly purchased PC "ages" and adapts to the rigors of installing and uninstalling software, downloading Microsoft's weekly patches, and maintaining drive performance when even "religous" defragging makes little difference.

I don't profess to be an expert on this topic, and in fact, had to spend some time this past summer re-educating myself on this not-so-simple concept. Despite having been involved deeply on a technical level with PCs since 1984, with the advent of Windows XP, spacious hard drives, and the NTFS file system, I allowed myself to get sloppy and complacent with my drive configurations and "got away with it".

That all changed last summer when I began to work with Windows Vista before its release and ended up reformatting hard drives more times in the next 12 months than I had in the previous 20 years! Going forward, I cant imagine getting a new PC with fewer than 2 partitions, or reformatting a drive and setting up fewer than 3.

There was a time when it was commonplace for PCs to ship with multiple drive partitions -usually a C and D Drive. I remember my last Windows 98 laptop had a 2 GB "C" Drive and a 2 GB "D" Drive right out of the box. These limits were imposed by the file system, called FAT which imposed a limit on the size of a "volume", or disk drive. When hard drive capacities exceeded the FAT limit, in order to utilize the drive space, another drive , or partition was created. Fortunately, Windows XP with its NTFS file system made it possible to avoid these limitations.

With it becoming increasingly difficult to purchase PC's without Windows Vista preinstalled, it makes sense for all but the most casual user to consider having a drive partitioned "at the factory". This makes a "dual-boot", multiple Operating System PC possible, and is an alternative to keeping an old computer around just to run software or use accessories and peripherals that don't work with Windows Vista.

To that end, I was excited earlier today when I discovered that customer-focused, market-driven companies like Dell are ready to help. In Dell's case, I discovered this when configuring a system at the request of a person that is planning a new PC purchase. Dell recently introduced a line of computers geared to small businesses, called Vostro. There is so much to like about the new line, I would not be surprised to see Dell borrow some of the winning ideas it built into its Vostro line and offer them to Home users as well. Until then, I think it makes sense for even Home users to consider the Vostro for three reasons:

1. Buyers can choose from a full set of Intel processors (other models force the buyer to accept an AMD processor)
2. Buyers can choose Windows XP OR Windows Vista (other Dell models, like virtually all Retail models force the buyer to accept Windows Vista)
3. Buyers can customize the PC with multiple drive partitions (Other models come with one large partition)

Each one of these points is important to every serious buyer of a PC, not just a small business as Dell seems to imply by excluding potential buyers of its Inspiron line of desktops and notebooks from the option to choose. I hope that Dell moves to expand ALL of these options to buyers of all of their lines - Desktop and Laptop, Small Business or Consumer. It just makes good business sense and Dell has demonstrated their customer focus in the past by being the first of the big vendors to offer Windows XP as an alternative to Windows Vista, despite what must have been some serious arm-twisting from Microsoft.

If you are looking for a PC today, it is more important than ever to think about the way your new PC's hard drive is partitioned, to consider multiple partitions, and in fact even to consider multiple hard drives. Some of these considerations are discussed in the Help Me Choose commentary on the Dell web site.

And for those that want to understand and dig into this topic, try the following links

from Microsoft - knowledge base article that deals with FAT and NTFS

from Seagate - section of Seagate's site that covers configuring hard drive partitions and a variety of other topics

Distribute your Playbook or Scouting Report as a PDF file

2007-08-04T06:49:00.001-05:00

First talked about in the early days of personal computers, the "paperless society" has never really materialized. To the contrary, it is generally accepted that the computer's ability to gather and generate information has led to the creation of more paper than ever.

A perfect example of this can be found in football, where coaches have distributed playbooks and weekly scouting reports to their coaches and players for as long as the game has been played. While hand-written playbooks and scouting reports still exist to this day, the risk of creating the perception of a coach as a "dinosaur" has caused even the most change-resistant in the coaching ranks to find a way to use the computer to assist with these tasks. Whether playbooks and scouting reports are produced with a Word Processor such as Microsoft Word, or with one of the industry-standard football playbook software packages like Playmaker Pro or Coach's Office, the result is usually a better looking, better organized but unfortunately longer "document".

In an age where an email address is as important as a cell phone number and where online storage is plentiful, free and increasingly easy-to-use, an excellent alternative exists for coaches to distribute playbooks and scouting reports to their staff and players. I am talking about the ubiquitous PDF format.

Created and popularized by Adobe, PDF really began to take off about 5 years ago, when Adobe started to offer free PDF creation through its web site for a limited number of documents. Prior to that, creating PDF's required purchasing the "full" Acrobat program at a cost of a few hundred dollars.

After creating my first few PDF's this way, I decided I had to have the "full Acrobat" and plunked down $200 if I recall correctly. Just like Adobe planned, I presume. My first copy of Acrobat was Version 5, and soon after I upgrading to Acrobat 6, I started hearing about Acrobat 7.

Increasingly disenchanted with the "hand in my pocket every year" approach of the big software companies, I began to search for Acrobat alternatives. I found an excellent one in a free PDF "printer driver" called Cute PDF, which I wrote about early this year in My favorite Free or Inexpensive programs for Windows XP.

PDF printer drivers now dominate the PDF creation process. Easily acquired, easily installed and easily used, no serious information creator should be without one. Even Microsoft realized this when it built PDF creation support into its new Office 2007 software (a free, but on-demand download is still required, however). PDF printer drivers lack many of the capabilities of the "full" Acrobat product, but for simple document "repurposing" - a fancy word for transforming a Word doc, Excel spreadsheet, playbook or scouting report into a PDF, they are hard to beat.

One caveat, though has to do with "security". Electronic documents can easily and quickly be sent as email attachments to an opponent, parent, or for heaven's sake a sportswriter! And while there are solutions to this problem, they are usually not free, but fortunately they are not expensive (some under $50).

To learn more about creating PDFs from any program on your computer, or to begin creating PDFs in a few minutes, visit the CutePDF web site at www.cutepdf.com.

Why standard DVD's may be a bad choice for making and distributing cutups

2007-07-21T21:19:00.000-05:00

Coaches face a number of questions and challenges when it comes to understanding and implementing Digital Video to REPLACE the trustworthy "cowboy" with VHS for team and staff video review.

Companies that sell video editing software have little difficulty demonstrating the process of making a DVD, yet when coaches attempt to do this themselves the process turns out to be anything but easy. All too often coaches relegate their 3, 4 or even $5000 editing system to a post-season and off-season highlight making tool and watch their in-season video "the old fashioned way". Some may burn a full game to a DVD to enable them to quickly advance through one or more games while showing them. but for the most part, the editing system goes underutilized.

My point is that because creating a DVD is really not the easiest or fastest thing in the world to do, a coach is often faced with a decision as to whether to invest in a DVD tower that can quickly duplicate DVD's, or do without the cutup to DVD solution during the season.. It's tough to find fault with this approach - how many coaches can justify taking a lot of time during the season to fight with technology or wait around while a computer churns out a cutup DVD?

Today, a company called DIVX released a product that might change all of this. I have long advocated DIVX and Windows Media over DVD and its MPEG2 format for generating and disributing video output. Today's announcement should add credibility to this argument, even though products from Roxio, Intervideo and Nero have been able to create DIVX output for a number of years.

In a nutshell, for #39.99, DIVX is offering software that makes it possible to produce DVD-quality output without the hassles and incompatibilities associated with DVD. With its new product, DivX Author, it delivers the first full-featured DivX authoring program, allowing the user to create DivX videos with advanced features like interactive menus, chapters, multiple subtitles and audio tracks. DivX runs on both Windows XP and Windows Vista. Coupled with a DIVX-ready DVD Player and remote, a DVD can be created quickly and easily, with a CD-burning type of experience as opposed to a DVD burning type of experience.

The DivX Author product introduction excites us for a couple of reasons. First, we made the decision to support more than one type of video in our video editing products from Day 1. This was not a trivial thing to do and required an investment significantly greater than if we only supported one type of video, as is the case with many other editing systems, including many of the big ticket items.

And just this past year, when we released version 2.1 of our Easy-Cut product, we integrated DIVX technology in our Easy-Cut product. In addition to viewing and editing DIVX video in Easy-Scout Pro and Easy-Cut, Easy-Cut 2.1 can now CREATE DIVX Videos that are ready to be burned to a CD or DVD and played back in DIVX compatible DVD players.

With the start of the school year not far away, we know coaches will soon grapple with technology decisions. Unfortunately many will also grapple with the video editing products they have purchased, and some will even grapple with the vendors that produce them when they can't get through on the technical support line. With companies like DIVX working hard to promote an advanced, easy-to-work with video format, better days are ahead for coaches. We expect there to be more video "publishing" choices available from more companies at lower prices than ever before.

CLICK HERE for the full details on DivX Author

Speeding up a Windows computer

2007-07-18T09:55:00.001-05:00

I recently received a very nice message from a visitor to The Coach's Advisor and it gave me the inspiration to write this blog post. The visitor had read my post from nearly a year ago in which I offered a few ideas for speeding up a Windows computer. Apparently, the followup post did not include the reference to the free utility that I had stumbled upon about two years ago and have used religiously ever since.

That utility is called "Crap Cleaner" and its a great little utility that has worked like a champ on Windows XP Home, Pro and most recently Windows Server 2003. I have to admit, I held my breath when I used on Windows Server, but it worked just as well.

A quick tour is available on the download page that illustrates the tools included, or You can Click here to view the Crap Cleaner tour now.

I should point out that cleaning the "crap" that builds up in Windows, both on the disk and in the registry, is just one of a number of things that can speed up Windows. Regular "defragging" should also help, as does keeping the number of "processes" that are running (some are displayed on the lower right of the screen) - to a minimum. Most of them get loaded at Startup without giving the user a choice.

Crap Cleaner has a tool that lets you remove items from the Startup list - things that are not really essential, but I prefer the MSCONFIG utility instead because it makes everything reversible. (START-RUN-MSCONFIG, click the Startup tab and uncheck items that are not needed).

But these things only go so far - there are times when the only way to really speed up a computer is to "wipe" it clean and reinstall Windows from scratch. This approach is 99.9% guarantee to make a computer that has become slow, "fast" again. Reformatting the hard drive and reinstalling Windows should make the computer run as fast or even faster than the day it was new. I say faster because a fresh install will probably not include what some call "craplets" - trial software that is preloaded by a manufacturer.

Choosing a video capture device that fits your workflow

2007-06-19T10:04:00.000-05:00

There's no better time than the early summer months for coaches to do research that will make it possible to get the most bang for the buck when choosing video equipment and software.

A typical staff has at least two very different sources of video that they work with during the season. One is a purely digital format, and another is a form of analog video, usually VHS.

Since most schools shoot video on digital camcorders nowadays, getting that video onto the computer with maximum quality and flexibility and virtually NO COST is easy, as programs included with both Windows and Macintosh computers handle the chore well. For capturing from a digital camcorder, Windows Movie Maker is my #1 choice, though in some instances, a product I wrote about a few weeks ago, the Scenalyzer is a good fit for our Easy-Cut product, particularly for basketball coaches.

Things are significantly different when it comes to converting Analog video, however, for a number of logistical and practical reasons, and the clear trend and overwhelming choice for converting opponent video for viewing on a PC is some form of compressed video, specifically Windows Media, DIVX or even MPEG 2. This trend is evident when looking at the "hot" sports video editing software products and in particular the video hardware products that are coming to the marketplace.

The good news for coaches that need to convert VHS tapes is that the devices are range from inexpensive to moderately expensived, and no longer require a firewire connection. We have recommended a few in this column in the past but one that's hard to beat is the ADS Video Express. For less than $50, its a great way to convert VHS video into a number of formats using a USB port, and its super portable.

* IMPORTANT - I have not tested the ADS product with Windows Vista, but regardless, I suggest that Vista users avoid USB Based capture products if possible.

I say this because Vista handles video capture itself, but its super simple, built-in capture utility clearly prefers a firewire device. Keep this in mind when purchasing a computer and make sure you specify firewire as a requirement.

And if you do go with Vista and need to convert VHS Tapes or even DVD's, consider the Canopus ADVC 110, which worked well on Vista in our tests with a number of products, including Easy-Scout Professional.

To learn about and get prices on the ADS Video Express , the Canopus ADVC 110 other video capture devices and accessories, visit the store I set up on Amazon.com. I find Amazon is a great place to research products, regardless of where I purchase them.

DV Capture Alternative

2007-06-01T10:16:00.001-05:00

Previous Coach's Advisor columns have talked about a variety of ways in which coaches can capture video from a digital camcorder or VHS tape for use in sports editing systems.

I have also talked about the relative merits of capturing in uncompressed, DV-AVI and a number of compressed formats, such as Windows Media, Divx and MPEG.

One of the criticisms that I have had for capturing in DV-AVI was that the size of the captured files made it difficult to work with. To be sure, capturing an entire game in DV-AVI consumes a huge amount of disk space - 10 to 12 Gigs for a full game. Even with today's spacious hard drive capacities, that usually makes it tricky for coaches who want to carry a full season of video around without also lugging an external hard drive.

I've been working with a variety of different video capture products and just tested one that should be considered by any coach that uses a "firewire-equipped" digital camcorder to record game video - The Scenalyzer.

This is a pretty amazing product, and is part of the "secret sauce" behind one of the more popular and expensive sports editing systems. In a nutshell, its main function is to capture DV-AVI video from a camcorder or other Firewire connected device, "read" the beginning and end of each "scene" (play) and if desired, create an AVI file for each play.

Fortunately, its not necessary to spend $5-$6000 dollars to get the benefits provided by this $40 program. In fact, you can even download a sample and try it out!

We're really excited about the potential for this product to contribute to the nonstoppable trend toward highly affordable sports editing systems.

The Scenalyzer is an ideal capture accessory for Easy-Cut, since Easy-Cut can work with multiple video files and then splice one or more files and clips together into a Windows Media or DIVX file, or send the output to video tape. Easy-Cut can also combine plays captured with Scenalyzer with clips from games in Windows Media, DIVX and other formats!

If you're looking for an alternative to Windows Movie Maker for capturing video from your camera in DV-AVI format, either to use with your current video editing program or with Easy-Cut, check out The Scenalyzer and download the free trial.

Managing multiple email accounts

2007-05-20T18:57:00.000-05:00

Like many heavy email users, I've got more email accounts than I can effectively manage individually. And as much as I like Microsoft Outlook 2007, I'm not interested in implementing an Exchange Server to centrally manage these accounts - for both cost and convenience reasons.

I've tried using Mail Forwarding to consolidate accounts in Outlook, Hotmail's Pop 3 access for which it is necessary to subscribe to their premium service, and a variety of web based email services from Hotmail, Google, Yahoo and AOL. I even tried using the mail server and web based client at 1and1.com - the ISP that manages the CompuSports Web Server.

It would seem the latter would be the ideal candidate for centralizing eMail accounts, and for a while, it worked out pretty well. But then one day AOL users stopped receiving my messages, and after some reseach I realized that AOL was rejecting ALL mail sent from the 1and1 SMTP Server.

Say what? Yep, that's right, AOL blocked ALL mail from this huge ISP because apparently it had figured out that a "lot of spam had originated from 1and1's mail servers". It didn't matter who sent the spam, AOL evidently decided to block ALL mail sent from the 1and1 mail servers.

Now, if I was an AOL eMail user, which I am not, I would be very concerned that AOL was making decisions about what mail to deliver and what mail to reject. Imagine if the US Postal Service decided that because a particular zip code had a high rate of junk mail originating from within that zip code, it would no longer deliver ANY mail that originated from that ZIP CODE?

Rather than plead with AOL as a third party on behalf of an ISP, I decided to restart my search for another solution. Fortunately, I finally found what I think is the best web based email service that I've ever used - Google's Gmail.

I'm not a big fan of Google's "no folder" approach to email, but its been, by far the best at retrieving email from a variety of places, and I like the way its Spam filter works better than any other. Plus, Gmail is the only web based email service that enables me to send mail from ALL of my email accounts while using a web based email service, and Gmail is smart enough to automatically reply to an email using the same email address to which the email was sent -no trivial feat.

I would think Gmail would be quite useful to coaches who use a combination of a School-based email account and a personal email account - particularly if the school makes it possible for its employees to access their messages with a POP3 client from offsite.

At this writing, Google's Gmail is still reportedly in Beta - and its been there for an awful long time. I'm not sure what's up with that. Plus, to get Gmail, you need to be invited by someone that has Gmail already, but that should not be difficult.

Its been a little over a month since I've consolidated my Inbox with Google's Gmail and so far, so good. If you know someone with Gmail, you might want to ask them to "invite you" to try it. Or, if you're a coach that is reading this blog, drop me a note and I'll invite you.

New Video Capture Accessory

2007-05-07T15:11:00.000-05:00

Since "opening" the Video Editing Accessory store on Amazon about a week ago, I've added one new product, the ADS Video Express. The latest gadget in my video capture collection, this nifty little product comes at an incredible price of under $50!

Read about the ADS Video Express and a few other affordable video editing accessories.

More than just a laundry list, each of these products is in my "test lab" and I can say that each one works "as advertised".

If you're interested in a discussion of how I use these products and how they may be applicable to your situation, you might want to check out the April 13th edition of the CompuSports Software News.

Video Editing Accessories

2007-04-28T15:19:00.000-05:00

Many of the articles on this blog over the past couple of years have centered on video editing, including a number of discussions about video formats and analog to digital conversion.

In recent years, as video editing has moved into mainstream computing, video editing products became widely available in consumer electronics stores and mainstream online stores like Amazon.com.

As a new service to readers of The Coaches Advisor Journal, I've set up a store on Amazon.com to make it easy for readers to locate, learn about and even purchase the products that I discuss and recommend here. Amazon's site is an excellent information resource and serves as a clearinghouse for online retailers of all types. Sometimes a product is available from Amazon itself, and other times the product will be shipped by Circuit City, J&R Music World, Tiger Directo and any number of other retailers.

I've always liked how easy Amazon makes it to buy products and the prices, while not always the lowest, are published. In addition, detailed product specifications and customer reviews are included.

As of the date of this post, there are four products in the "store" - all products that I have mentioned in one or more posts, used personally, and have tested with CompuSports' Easy-Cut and Easy-Scout Professional video editing products.

The products include:

DVD Copy 5 Platinum - a software program that converts all or part of DVD's to DIVX, Windows Media and other formats. Of those supported, DIVX and WMV are recommended. DVD Copy 5 uses your DVD Player and computer processor, and requires no "box".

There are many products on the internet that do these things, but none as reliable or full featured as DVD Copy5. Intervideo has long been a leader in DVD Software, with their other leading products being Win DVD and Win DVD Creator. The software is well worth the price as every DVD conversion I have attempted has gone without a hitch.

Plextor Convertx 402U - an Analog to Digital Converter that connects via USB 2.0. It includes Win DVD Creator that captures in a number of formats. Of those supported, we recommend the High Quality DIVX with this unit.

The Plextor uses its own "chip" to convert the video and therefore does not tie up your computer as much as software-only conversion or capture products.

ADS Pyro A/V Link - an Analog to Digital Converter that connects via Firewire and works with Windows Movie Maker. It includes Adobe Premiere Elements software but we recommend capturing in Movie Maker using either DV-AVI or Windows Media formats for maximum video compatibility. We like this product better than the Canopus for a number of reasons - plus its $50 less. With the $50, you can buy DVDCopy or, for a while, a tank of gas.

Canopus ADVC1100 - an Analog to Digital Converter that also connects via Firewire and works with Movie Maker. No software is included and it draws its power from the Firewire connection. For this reason, Laptop users, particularly if battery power is used, may want to consider the ADS product instead.

Click here to go to the Home Page of the store.

Great News for new PC Buyers from Dell

2007-04-21T11:41:00.000-05:00

It's no secret to readers of Coachs Advisor that I am not yet fully "on-board" with Windows Vista. I have yet to "drink the cool aid", in part because of my Vista experiences, and in part because I dont agree with the heavy handed, stuff-it-down-your-throat marketing approach that has essentially forced Windows Vista on the vast majority of new computer buyers.

It was only a matter of time before a major PC manufacturer decided that it needed to listen to its customers who were saying "no thanks" to Vista's hefty hardware demands and incessant hassles. Appropriately, Dell is first out of the box - a good move for this "fallen angel".

I got tipped off to this after reading the article What's Hot at Dell? Everything but Vista

I won't be surprised if we start to see a retail model or two show up on store shelves when it is obvious that Dell's move gives a quick boost to its sales and helps it gain back a few points of market share.

The best part of this is that Dell has figured out that its not just its business customers who want to buy a new computer with the proven and compatible Windows XP, security issues and all. This means consumers and small businesses that want to buy a new computer with Windows XP will save a few hundreds bucks by being able to choose an Inspiron or Dimension.

Don't get me wrong, some day I will actually choose Vista, rather than having it forced on me. You will too. But until then, its great to be able to buy a new computer without Windows Vista.

Thank you Dell, for listening to customers. Maybe Microsoft will do the same and make it easier and equally profitable for its other Manufacturer "partners" to do the same.

Keeping your Flash drives in top working condition

2007-04-05T07:59:00.000-05:00

In a recent post, I wrote about flash (aka, "thumb" or "jump") drives, and how the larger capacity devices (2 GB and 4GB) were becoming increasingly affordable. These devices are really great tools for making data and programs "mobile". For the off-site coach, the larger capacities are great for moving digital video files around.

While reviewing the latest version of my favorite resource for keeping up-to-date with the latest Windows tips and techniques, Windows Secrets, I came across an article with some great information for users of these flash devices.

The title of the article doesn't make it obvious that a thorough explanation of the Safely Remove Hardware tool (the icon that usually appears in the lower right of the screen when a USB drive of any kind is inserted) is also included. Like all Windows users that have one or more USB devices, I've been using this tool for years and didn't really think about why it sometimes is present, and sometimes not. In hindsight, I probably could have saved one of my USB Memory Sticks - and the 200+ MB of data on it, if I had heeded the advice in the article.

The entire article is useful, but you can zero in on the section that discusses the Safely Remove Hardware tool by going to the section that begins with:

"If the Safely Remove Hardware icon appears in the taskbar notification area, you must use [it]. If the Safely Remove Hardware icon is not in the notification area, you must use Device Manager to uninstall the disk before you unplug it."

Since its likely that I will have another situation where the icon is missing, I pasted a copy of the instructions for Restoring the Hotplug Manager - the missing icon, into my Google Notebook for future reference.

For the full article, visit Windows Secrets at http://windowssecrets.com..

Living with Vista

2007-03-23T00:38:00.000-05:00

Coach's Advisor's coverage of Windows Vista will be scaled back a bit over the next couple of months. Those interested in following the migration to Vista can do so by reading my Living with Vista, Blog.

Coach's Advisor will include Vista articles from time to time, as well as a periodic summaries of the articles that appear in Living with Vista.

Truly portable video editing becoming a reality in a "flash"

2007-03-16T21:37:00.000-05:00

One of my first experiences with Digital Video was "capturing" a game from one of the early Digital camcorders during the Summer of 2003. I'll never forget how shocked I was when the Pinnacle Studio software displayed a "disk full" after about 45 minutes.

Disk full? You gotta be kidding me. I thought I had planned well - splitting an 80 Gig Drive in a way that gave me a separate 20 Gig partition on the internal hard drive that I thought was large enough to watch a couple of games on the PC and then format the drive for the next week. Sure, I could have used Movie Maker and captured in Windows Media format, and even Pinnacle was able to capture in MPEG2, but conventional thinking at the time was that "avi" was the only way to go. It's no wonder editing software of that era from companies large and small crashed so frequently trying to work with those huge files.

Video technology soon ushered in a number of new video formats based on MPEG4 compression technologies. MPEG4 reduced file sized significantly compared to MPEG2 -the format used on standard DVD's. Apple's Quick Time, Microsoft's Windows Media 9 and DIVX from the company of the same name are all variations of MPEG4.

The idea that "gigs are cheap" has shaped software design and conventional wisdom for editing systems in general, and sports editing systems in particular. To some extent, rightfully so. The constant back and forth, start and stop, play/pause activity that is common with sports video works best when video is not "compressed". But it comes at a cost - portability means lugging around a laptop and an external drive. An improvement over being "chained to a desk", but not always convenient.

At about the same time, "flash" drives were becoming popular as floppy drive replacements. Often referred to as "thumb drives", "jump drives" or memory "sticks", these highly portable storage devices usually came in 128 or 256 MB capacities and cost between 30 and 50 bucks. Quickly, production increased and prices decreased - to the point where a 4 GB "stick" can now be found for less than $50!. The 4GB capacity makes compressed video even more interesting, since that's often large enough to store the typical 3 or 4 games that High School and Small College coaches watch each week in a high quality MPEG 4 format.

But things are about to get even more interesting now that Sandisk has introduced an 8GB Flash Drive. Sure, its a little pricey at $189 Retail, but that price will not hold for long and will drive the price down for the lower capacity 4GB models.

One warning - not all of these drives have data transfer rates and "access times" that make them suitable for using as a hard drive replacement, but they're all suitable as a highly portable temporary storage device. Just copy those 3 or 4 games off the office pc, onto one of these sticks, and then from the stick onto a home PC or laptop hard drive where you can watch it in Windows Media Player. You may also want to take a look at Easy-Cut or Easy-Scout Professional - both work great with MPEG 4 video in Windows Media and DIVX format.

Back to the Future Shock - When the "re-centralization" of IT fails users

2007-03-10T00:02:00.005-05:00

Back to the Future Shock - When the "re-centralization" of IT fails users
http://www.crn.com/software/206900359

If you listen to what the experts are saying, the future of computing is one in which a high percentage of the computer programs a person uses reside "in the cloud" and are accessed through the internet, including both the application AND the data files. Sounds like the way things were back in the 70's and early 80's before the personal computing revolution gained traction.

For some applications like email, "cloud computing" is convenient. But what happens when more applications and the data associated with them reside "in the cloud"? Will they be on a server that is maintained by people and businesses that can be trusted? Will the server "uptime", and the response time when hardware fails or a system outage occurs be acceptable? And will the service provider be able to ensure that data is secure and protected against increasingly sophisticated "malware" attacks ?

This "recentralization of IT" - is a trend that like anything has both benefits and costs. For now, the focus is on the benefits - particularly the short term benefits of this latest trend in computing. At some point, however, the costs and risks are will be understood and weighed against the benefits to determine if this new trend is a step forward or a step back in the history of computing.

Until then, its "back to the future". Punch cards anyone?

Windows Vista - see you in September

2007-03-01T10:52:00.000-05:00

The other night, I took a quick walk through the computer aisle at my local Staples store. My primary mission that night was to make my annual contribution to Intuit shareholders by purchasing their Turbotax software, but I could not resist taking a walk through the computer aisle to see the new Windows Vista equipped PC's.

What I found confirmed something reported in PC World's latest issue - that it is now virtually impossible to find a new computer in a Retail store WITHOUT getting Windows Vista. It is still possible, according to the article, to avoid Vista for the time being by purchasing Online, or by purchasing a "business PC".

I've been using Windows Vista for a few weeks, and I really like some its new features and innovations. One thing that bothers me, though, is that quite a few of the programs that I use either don't run properly on Windows Vista, or have problems. The root of most of these problems is Vista's User Account Control, Microsoft's "throw out the baby with the bathwater" approach to security.

While it is possible to "turn off" UAC, doing so would increase the vulnerability of the computer to Spyware and Viruses. One publisher of a program that I use every day suggests this very approach, which I feel is an irresponsible position for a publisher to take. Bottom line - the publisher should fix the software or provide instructions for users to configure it to run with Administrator priveleges.

Eventually, most software will be redesigned to run under what Microsoft calls a Limited User Account, and Microsoft may make it easier to use software that requires elevated "privileges". Since Microsoft failed to inform publishers about the push toward Limited User Account requirements until relatively recently (in the last year, maybe two), most software will require a redesign sooner or later, including many of Microsoft's own products. Many programs will never be updated, and will either require Administrator privileges, won't run properly or won't run at all on Windows Vista.

For this reason, I agree with the pundits that feel it is better to wait until late this year, if even then, to move to Windows Vista exclusively. At a minimum, it makes sense to check with the publishers of software applications that one uses, or plans to use BEFORE upgrading or switching to Windows Vista. That is, unless a Windows XP - equipped computer is available to run programs that won't run on Vista.

I came across this article today from one of my all time favorite technology columnists, Jim Louderback, of PC Magazine. The title of Jim's Article, I Love Vista - Sort Of, provides some supporting comments.

Its likely that Vista's adoption, for these reasons, will be slower than previous versions of Windows. One unfortunate side effect is that this will likely delay the adoption of the new Office, particularly Outlook 2007, which is really growing on me. For information junkies, the RSS capabilities built into Outlook 2007 are worth the price of admission.

If you happen to be reading this on a computer that does have Office '07, and want to get an idea of what RSS can do for you, click the little orange button about half way down the right column to Subscribe to The Coachs Advisor Journal. This will enable you to ADD AN RSS "FEED" to Outlook. An RSS feed is a new type of messaging system that sidesteps the problems with eMail delivery. It works by sending a notification to your Outlook inbox when a new article is posted, along with the title and first few sentences of each new article to your inbox. From that point, you can then decide if its worth reading.

RSS is also included in the new editions of IE7, Firefox and other popular browsers, and special "Reader programs" as Google Reader, Bloglines and others offer additional features.. The thing I like most about the way Outlook 2007 handles feeds is that my RSS Feeds automatically appear in a nice, neat folder in my inbox. For now, the convenience of Outlook outweighs the capabilities it may lack compared to dedicated reader programs.

"Double" duty from a DVD Recorder

2007-02-17T13:43:00.000-05:00

One of the most welcome developments for budget-conscious sports teams is what the PC industry calls "convergence" (of computer and video technologies).

A trend that has been gathering steam in recent years, got started in earnest when handheld digital camcorders appeared in "consumer" models for a few hundred bucks. Sure, they lack the "sturdy" cases of the commercial versions, but at a cost that is usually a third of what is charged for the commercial type, they're hard to beat.

A more recent development that plays on the "convergence" theme is the appearance of "hybrid" DVD recorders that work as standalone recorders that can be plugged directly into a digital or analog video camera, and as "PC-attached" recorders that can be connected via USB to a PC for creating DVD's.

I've been aware for some time that HP made a standalone device for this purpose, but recently came across this Sony VRDVC30 unit on Amazon.com.

The great thing about devices like this is that they can do double duty - standalone for duping DVD's directly from a video recorder, such as after a contest, and as a DVD "burner" connected to a computer for creating cutups and highlights. At a cost of about $200, its a little more expensive than a low end, single purpose recorder for connecting to a TV, or an internal unit that goes inside a PC, but for something that delivers both in the same package, it seems worth a look.

Sony makes a bunch of other models, which can be viewed on Amazon or in greater detail at the Sony Web site (search for dvdirect).

Preventing and Correcting Digital Video File problems

2007-02-14T13:22:00.000-05:00

As I talk with coaches who are considering the purchase of a new digital video editing system or who have one that, for one reason or other, they want to replace or upgrade, it seems that an "external" hard drive is viewed as an essential part of the purchase.

When I suggest that is not always the case, I can tell that my comment comes as a surprise to the person on the other end of the phone line. Without getting into the specifics and relative merits of compressed and uncompressed video formats, lets just say I think there is a need and application for each one. I should also acknowledge that most sports video editing programs work with uncompressed video, and will concentrate this discussion on that type of digital video file format, also known as DV-AVI.

Two important considerations for users of Digital Editing systems that use DV-AVI as the file format are as follows:

1. Digital Video files work best when they are not "fragmented"

The takeaway from this article, written in 2002 when disk drives capacities were lower and prices higher - make sure that any disk drive that stores video, either internal or external, is defragmented routinely.

2. Digital Video works best when video can be transferred quickly - from the disk drive to the computer's processor.

The takeaway (this is admittedly a pretty technical article) here, while not as evident, is that a very important consideration when choosing an external drive is its "transfer rates". Some video editing software, notably products like Pinnacle Studio, will "refuse" to perform certain functions like capturing video from a mini-DV camera unless the transfer rate meets a certain performance requirement. Not many sports editing programs are as sophisticated, and will inform users with computer freezes, video "dropouts" and "jerkiness" and a number of other less obvious signs that something so basic is not right.

For the inquisitive type, the full details can be seen best in the chart at the bottom of the article, specifically the chart that lists the "transfer rates" for different type of drive interfaces, including USB 2.0 (the slowest), Firewire 400, Firewire 800, eSATA and Gigabit Ethernet.

The takeaway here is that "data transfer rate", in addition to capacity, is an important consideration when choosing an external disk drive for digital video applications. This is especially true when external drives must be used directly for capturing and retrieving large (DV-AVI) video files. Choose Firewire 400, 800 or SATA for best results

Or, better yet, consider making your video file sizes smaller by utilizing a form of compressed video such as DIVX or Windows Media.

Windows Vista - Is it for you?

2007-02-12T00:06:00.000-05:00

It's been two weeks since the launch of Windows Vista and already, its next to impossible to pick up a computer advertisement and see anything other than Windows Vista bundled on new laptops and desktops from the major manufacturers.

Last week I received two very nice color catalogs in the mail, one from HP and another from Dell. Neither had any mention of Windows XP and all machines were decked out with one of the new Vista versions. Bottom line, if you want to buy a new PC, its going to be difficult to buy one without Windows Vista. New computer buyers, Windows Vista is for you.

Fortunately, the pricing and configurations of the new Vista-equipped desktops and laptops are appealing and in some cases innovative. Plus, getting Windows Vista preinstalled is a far better approach that attempting to upgrade an older computer, budget permitting. For new computer purchases (only), it is clearly time to move forward - its a Vista world now. Computer users who mainly visit web sites and use the computer for email and common tasks such as word processing may even want to consider an upgrade to Vista for the new security features that are aimed to make these endeavors "safer".

More advanced computer users, however, as well as those who do a number of things (run a number of programs) with their PC, should proceed to Vista with great caution. Windows Vista, at least the versions that are shipping as of this writing, has quite a few "compatibility problems", and for this reason, it makes more sense than ever to keep a Windows XP "machine" around as long as possible. I know I will be doing that.

There are a number of technical reasons for Vista's compatibility problems, and its not only specialized software from small companies that have issues - Apple's iTunes, Palm's Hotsync and Intuit's Quicken to name a few biggies either dont work as of this writing or they dont work fully. Fortunately, Apple has said its fix will be ready in a few weeks. Palm is not talking.

Consider this quote from the Cingular Technical Support site...

"Although many people already have Vista installed on their computers, these users are willingly taking part in leading edge software deployments and should expect that many popular applications and hardware devices will not work with their computer. Cingular Wireless does not at this time provide support for any connectivity solutions on the Windows Vista operating system."

I really like Windows Vista. I also fully understand why Microsoft built it the way they did - there are just too many vulnerabilities in Windows XP that result from the freedom that users have to "do things" that are harmful to their computer. This makes it too easy for the bad guys to use viruses and spyware to "do things" without a user's knowledge.

Windows Vista uses a new security feature called User Account Control (UAC), which makes a computer less vulnerable, but UAC is at the heart of many of the incompatibilities mentioned above. With User Account Control, Windows "intercepts" commands and actions and asks for a user's confirmation before it does them. Certain commands and functions are simply prohibited. The net result is a safer, though less convenient computing experience.

For many, it truly is time to move to Vista. But for others, unless you want to spend the next few months without some of your favorite computer programs, assuming you have some (and maybe never use them again at all), you should probably pass on the chance to upgrade from Windows XP to Windows Vista until you can afford a new PC. And if you can, keep that Windows XP around for a few more years - you may need it for a lot longer than you realize.

My favorite free and inexpensive programs for Windows XP

2007-01-28T09:23:00.000-05:00

On the eve of the rollout of Microsoft Windows Vista, I've decided to stay off the bandwagon and talk to the millions of us that use Windows XP and will continue to use Windows XP for quite some time.

Since you will be hearing a lot about the overall features of Vista in the coming months, the focus of this column will be on the specific aspects of Vista that apply to coaches - namely DVD Maker, the new Snip Tool, the built-in, Acrobat-Like Print to File option and more.

It's not that I am not really excited about Windows Vista and can't help talking about it. In fact, increasingly I am impressed by the new Office 2007. Both are products I have been working with since the early summer. In fact, last week, I removed the Windows Vista Ultimate RC1 and Office 2007 Beta versions and installed Windows Vista Business and Office 2007 Ultimate. I'm happy to say Microsoft made some substantial improvements between the Release Candidates/Beta and the final version and I'm planning to use Vista for a few hours every day at least.

But, this is about my favorite software for Windows XP, and in a way, how to get more out of Windows XP.

Protecting your computer from Viruses and Spyware

Windows Vista improves the security of Windows in a major way. Its firewall is now a 2 way firewall, protecting you from both incoming attacks and outgoing "theft" of your information, keystrokes and habits. It also includes Windows Defender, a program for preventing Spyware. But, you still need an antivirus program, even in Vista. One appealing option for Windows Vista is Microsoft's One-Care program, which I have installed on my Windows Vista machine. Another is AVG Antivirus, which is free for home use - available at www.grisoft.com.

For Windows XP users, the AVG product line can cover all of your security needs -much like the pricy offerings from Symantec and McAfee. It's EWIDO Antispyware addition is as good as the Spyware Doctor that I purchased last summer and that has to be renewed annually. I expect that I will use a combination of AVG's products and OneCare on my Vista Machines, as I just recently uninstalled the last of my Norton products.

Printing to PDF

When I conduct user training and seminars on some of the software products published and distributed by CompuSports, I usually print to a PDF a few times in the course of the demonstration. Many are amazed that I can do that with a product that is free in its most basic form and creates a PDF file that is, at times better than what I get with the full blown Adobe Acrobat!

The product I use is called CutePDF and I have been using it for at least 4 years now. Its free to download and use and for those who want to do more than printing PDF's, there is a Professional verion for $50.

Taking pictures of what is on your computer screen

This is probably no secret to many of you, but my favorite product for any task involving recording what is on a screen, and then adjusting those pictures, is a product called SnagIt. Snag It is not free, but at $40, its an incredible value and something that I use every day. One thing many coaches will do is use Snag It to do is take a picture of a Play from a Playbook software program as I do.

You can learn more about Snag It at www.techsmith.com

So, there you have it - AVG, CUTEPDF and SNAG IT. Three really fine products that are either free or inexpensive and that will help you keep your XP Machine secure, make great looking electronic PDFs of anything you can print on paper, and record screen shots of plays and for that matter anything you see on your computer screen!

Internet Explorer 7 - proceed with caution

2007-01-13T08:44:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I think Microsoft is becoming indifferent to the needs of computer users. While I know better, things happen that seem misguided and in complete disregard of the needs and circumstances of the typical end user.

A case in point is the recent "update" of Internet Explorer from IE 6 to IE 7. Microsoft drew much criticism for delivering this new, significantly changed version of Internet Explorer through its Windows Update system. I concur with the critics, since not only is the new IE a big change from its predecessor, but it "breaks" many software applications like Quicken (2004 and earlier) and Quickbooks (2004 and earlier).

I know, these are old versions and somehow we are becoming conditioned to annual updates to these and many other programs. Many users, however either can't justify or simply cant afford to update their software each year. A smaller number, like me, made a conscious decision to use my Quicken 2004 and Quickbooks 2004 software because Intuit, the manufacturer, stopped supporting the .QIF format that many banks, including both banks that I do business with, use this format.

I have two stories that indicate caution or at least a pause and check before installing this update - unless it is too late.

STORY 1 - The automatic, yet unwelcome Windows Update

One day in early December, my 70+ year old mother said her computer had "changed" and she was not sure what she had done. She couldnt find her way around the new Internet Explorer and lost her "home page". Then it dawned on me - she, like many others conditioned to install all of the updates that Microsoft sends our way each week on what is called "patch Tuesday" installed the new IE. I talked her through regaining her menus, setting her home page back to what it was, and selecting a Search provider.

STORY 2 - Breaking software applications

I've been using IE 7 since June as part of Windows Vista's prerelease software. Having seen IE 7's incompatibilities with many web sites, I decided to hold off installing it on any computers others than my "test machine". Sure, it was hard to ignore that little "Updates are ready to install" icon looking at me for many weeks, but I sensed that trouble lurked ahead. I had seen and experienced Microsoft's idea of "backward software compatibility" with Windows Vista and suffice it to say, they fall a little short.

Sure enough, after finalling installing IE 7 during the holidays, I could no longer open Quicken. A visit to Intuit's web site confirmed the worse - that I was now forced into upgrading to their new version, and in the process, giving up the ability to download transactions from my bank. So, I bought the upgrade, grudgingly.

A couple of days later, I fired up Quickbooks, only to be greeted by a message about IE 7 incompatibility. Time to buy Intuit stock?

This stuff doesnt sit well with me. Granted, the new IE is much better than its predecessor, and for that matter, so is Quicken or Quickbooks. It just seems wrong, however to have had to make the decision to upgrade these programs "under duress".

We are now just two weeks away from the release of Windows Vista. If you think IE 7 is different, and not particularly friendly toward "older" software applications, I promise you, "you ain't seen nothing yet".

Quick things you can do to speed up your new computer

2006-12-26T13:19:00.000-05:00

One of my pet peeves with computer manufacturers is all the crap that comes preinstalled on a new PC. By stuffing all kinds of software, much of it trial software on a new PC, the manufacturer makes money, either when the computer is shipped to you, when you purchase a trial version, or both. Some of the software may be limited function versions that are included with your purchase that you will never use.

The result of this "overstuffing" of a new PC with software is that often a new PC with a faster processor, more and faster ram and a faster internet connection feels "not much faster" than the one it replaced.

There are a few simple things you can do to immediately speed up your PC and some others that you can do to keep it running or "tune it up". These and a number of others are included in an article I found with 9 things you can do to speed up your PC.

Some of the items are obvious and are probably things you have done in the past. The one that will give you the most bang for your buck, particularly if you just got a brand new computer is

Remove non-vital programs from the startup program (#4)

Assuming you already have a good antispyware program (#1) and that you already run Disk Cleanup and Defrag religiously (#7), you are well on your way to a faster PC.

If your computer is still feeling slow and sluggish, the next step is to clean your registry (#6), but be sure to proceed with caution and make a backup of your registry before you try to do this. Some registry cleaners will do this for you and other will set a System Restore point (which you can also do manually).

Ready to Clean your Registry?

I have to admit, when I first heard about registry cleaners, they appealed to me. Long a fan of the original Norton Utilities (but no longer a fan of any Norton products), when I started messing with Registry cleaners, I went through three programs before I found one that did not "clean out" things that should have been left unchanged. Getting my PC back in shape took a number of hours and due to a bug in Microsoft Office's update program, one program forced me to reinstall office in order to get it to run properly.

In the process, I purchased two products, one of which I still use for other maintenance chores, but to my surprise a free program that was recommended by a member of the CompuSports development team turned out to be the best and I use it and only it to clean the registry on my computer. Surprisingly, it (the free one) did only what it said it would do and caused no damage to the computer. The next issue of Coachs Advisor will review this product.

Want to be notified periodically about new articles that are posted to the Coach's Advisor Journal? You can either Click here to sign up for the Coachs Advisor Newsletter or Click the RSS button to the right so subscribe to the RSS feed. For the RSS feed, you will need to have the new Internet Explorer 7 or what is called news reader software in order to make this easy and maintenance free.

Taking stock of the Technology Trends from 2006 - Part 1

2006-12-23T00:40:00.000-05:00

Before we usher in 2007 - a year that is certain to both exciting and traumatic for the world of personal computing (can you say Windows Vista) there are a number of important technology trends from 2006 that are worthy of note....

WIFI

Wireless connectivity via "Wifi" has gone mainstream, making it possible and practical to share internet connections in homes and connect to web sites and email while traveling and in public places like libraries and restaurants. Wifi is easy and inexpensive and will only get better in the future. Even wireless through cell phones, smartphones or "wireless cards" is making it possible to connect to the internet from virtually anywhere.

VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)

Using the internet for telephone calls has been gaining in popularity, with the most visible provider being Vonage - a company known for its commercials and failed IPO. Internet telephony offers a number of advantages over existing phone service and usually costs less. True, there is a quality difference, but for users with a fast broadband connection, this is a great alternative to the old stodgy phone company's service and comes with goodies like Caller ID, Forwarding and Voice mail for no additional charge.

Blogs (Web Logs)

This is the new method of online publishing, and now that Internet Explorer 7 is out and about, will become more popular. Blogging is a great way for people who like to write and have something to say to publish it on the web quickly, easily and cheaply or even free. Blogs are simply web sites organized around "content" that is updated frequently and structured for ease of publishing and reading. As email becomes more difficult to use effectively due to the unstoppable Spam wave, Blogs are taking the place of email as a way for publishers to keep in contact with their readers or customers - with no lost messages.

Divx

This video format is gaining popularity as a method of compressing video while maintaining high quality. Divx files are often 1/10 as large as DV-AVI and less than half the size of MPEG 2, the type of video file used on DVD's. DIVX is generally superior in quality to Windows Media and provides more navigation control than both WMV and MPEG 2.

Divx and tools like DVDCopy5 that use the format are favored for converting DVDs to video that is usable on a PC for viewing and editing.

To be continued....

What's up with FREE AVG Antivirus software?

2006-12-07T11:19:00.000-05:00

Last summer, after mounting frustration with the escalating cost of maintaining the Antivirus software that I had used for quite some time, I decided to switch to the free AVG AntiVirus program from Grisoft. To my surprise, the FREE AVG product was at least as good as advertised, and the reports that it "taxes" computers less than other AV products were accurate.

Recently a screen began to appear each day when the computer started up that warned of the eventual demise of the AVG Free Version. Yeah, right - another scam to seed the market with free products that all along was destined to become a commercial product. I have anything against commercial software products and in fact, make a living in the software business. It just seems wrong to contribute to the financial success of companies that benefit from the work of the scum of the earth that create viruses.

Not to worry - accoring to a recent issue of one of my favorite technology newsletters, Windows Secrets, it's only the older versions of AVG that are going away. The newest version of AVG (7.5) is already available, and is still offered in both free and paid versions. Below are a few excerpts from the article - for the full story visit the Windows Secrets web site.

SELECTED EXCERPTS FROM WINDOWS SECRETS ARTICLE

"The confusion is that Grisoft's main Web site is set up so that you have to read about the paid version before you find the links to the free one. Grisoft is doing a wonderful service to the computing community by continuing to offer a free, fully-functional and quite complete antivirus tool for personal and home use"

"Although that version is free to end users, it's not free to Grisoft. They paid to develop the free version, they pay to make it available for free download, and they pay still more to keep it updated."

"That's very generous of them, but no company can afford infinite largess. So, if you can spring for the paid version on at least one of your personal-use PCs, please consider doing so. It will help Grisoft stay in business and allow it to continue to deliver good software. But if you truly can't afford the paid version, or can't afford it on all your PCs, then fine. That's what the free version is for! "

In closing, I was really encouraged to read this quote from the same Windows Secrets article

"And, by the way, one of the reasons Grisoft is trying to move all its customers to the new versions is that AVG AntiVirus 7.5 (free and paid) will ship with the "Security Center" in the soon-to-be-released Windows Vista. That makes AVG one of the most widely applicable AV tools in existence: Version 7.5 will run on all versions of 32-bit desktop Windows from Win98 through Vista."

"The new paid version 7.5 is available now from Grisoft's main site. The free version is also available either by navigating from the above site (look for the small type near the bottom of the pages) or by going directly to the free download area."

Windows Vista - coming soon to a computer near you?

2006-11-28T10:57:00.000-05:00

I've written periodically since mid-summer about my experiences with Windows Vista - Microsoft's next version of Windows. Released last week to "large volume customers", Vista will appear on new computers sold in stores and through online retailers like Dell by January 30, 2007.

My experience with Vista, from the Beta 2(test) version to the relatively recent Release Candidate 1 (RC1) has been a mixed bag, since my 1 year old Dell Inspiron 6000 laptop does not meet the Vista hardware requirements fully. That being said, it was possible to bump the laptop's RAM to 1GB, leaving its insufficient video memory as its only shortcoming. Unfortunately, that compromises one of Vista's snazzy new features - its Aero interface
.

The sad thing about the Vista hardware requirements is that only a small percentage of "Windows" computers sold in the last year or two were so equipped, and many sold today still don't fully meet these requirements. As a result, laptop computers will not be able to take advantage of all of the features Vista has to offer and desktops will require both a memory and a video card upgrade. The latter is not so easy to do and in some situations will be a poor decision given the possible limitations of other parts of the computer - notably the power supply.

For a complete list of Vista requirements, visit Windows Vista Capable and Premium Ready PCs.

As is usually the case with new versions of Windows, at some point, Windows Vista will simply be impossible to avoid. New computers will ship with Vista preinstalled, and there is no clear indication how long Microsoft will continue to sell Windows XP. This would not be so much of a concern if Vista maintained a level of compatibility with previous hardware and software that enabled users to make a smooth transition to the new operating system. Early indications are that the switchover will be a little "bumpy" for some and a minefield for others.

If you plan to buy a computer before Windows Vista ships, it is possible, but not certain that you can buy one equipped in such a way that it will run Vista in the future. Microsoft provides guidelines for purchasing a Windows Vista-Capable or Vista Premium Ready PC on its Windows Vista web site .

If you use software written by a small company - coaching software in particular, buying a new "Windows XP" computer now might be a good move. Many programs will need some type of modification in order to work on Vista and its likely that a large percentage of them will not be ready for Vista until well into 2007. Its also likely that some will NEVER work on Vista because their publishers are out of business or lack the resources and expertise to make such modifications. If this sounds like a train wreck waiting to happen, that's good, because in many cases it will be.

Since early December, most new PC's that meet the Microsoft Vista requirements are shipped with Windows XP or Windows Media Center (a version of Windows XP) and include an upgrade coupon for Windows Vista. This alternative is worth considering as it makes it possible to buy now, use all of the software you are accustomed to, and upgrade to Vista at a time that is convenient for you and most importantly, that ensures you can run your "mission critical" applications.

Windows Vista - The Grinch?

2006-11-28T09:37:00.000-05:00

Thinking of buying a computer this Christmas? You may want to think again if you agree with from a highly respected Technology columnist.

Consider this statement:

"If you're thinking of acquiring or giving a new Windows desktop or laptop computer this holiday season, don't do it. I suggest that, if at all possible, you wait around 90 days and get that new Windows machine in February."
Advice on Shopping for a Windows PC -- If You Must Buy Now
Walt Mossberg, Wall Street Journal Oct 26, 2006

I have frequently quoted and linked to articles written by Walt Mossberg - Technology Editor for the Wall Street Journal. The thing I have always liked about his columns is that I dont think he's "in the pocket" of a large advertiser - which is often the case of the writers for PC magazines. His column archives were once completely free, but now they are only good for 90 days. Fortunately that means you can read it until late January 2007.

There are numerous similarities between Windows Vista and Windows 95 in the way they compare with their Windows "predecessor". A significant difference, however is that Windows 95 was shipped in the early Fall of 1995 along with computers designed and optimized to run it. Good timing! Windows Vista, on the other hand, will ship in January 2007 - bad timing if you talk to many potential buyers and sellers of computers this holiday season.

If you are thinking about buying a computer now, this Mossberg article is well worth the time it takes to read it. But, be forewarned... Mossberg might convince you to keep your wallet in your pocket for a few months, much to the dismay of Dell, HP and the other computer manufacturers that will try to entice you with all manner of goodies, free coupons for Vista, reduced-cost Vista-upgrade coupons and the usual super-sized discounts, free LCD displays, Ram Upgrades, DVD burners and more.

Before you succumb to one of these offers, you may want to consider small print like this footnote on Dell's web site next to its claim of "Windows VistaTM Capable Premium Ready"

"Based on currently available information from Microsoft. Requirements subject to change. Since the operating system and drivers are not final at this time, Windows Vista™ has not been tested on all user configurations. Only systems with sufficient graphics and memory will meet Microsoft's requirements for running the Premium interface. Those which meet only minimum requirements for the Vista Capable designation will not provide the full benefits of Premium. Please visit http://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsvista/evaluate/hardware/vistarpc.mspx for more information.

In the case of the Windows Operating System, new releases usually take advantage of advances in "hardware" to deliver new capabilities to users and a better "platform" or foundation to developers. Occasionally, a "new OS" will make computer hardware "technically obsolete" - which is the case with my Dell Inspiron. Sure, I can run "much of Vista", but due to the limitations of its graphics capabilities, my Vista "experience" will be compromised.

Unfortunately, this will also be true for many purchasers of new computers this year that do not ship with Vista preinstalled and "certified". Caveat Emptor.

This might not be all bad, though. I expect many a Windows computer user to "just say no" to Vista for a long time. I'll explain why in my next column.

Take control of your email account before it is too late

2006-11-14T09:58:00.000-05:00

When you think about your employer's increasing control over your email, do you get red in the face and "mad as hell and not going to take it anymore".

If your employer is a school district or university, its likely that "big brother" has very tight control over your computing experience. Chances are that every message you send is being scrutinized and archived and every message you read has first passed through a Spam filter - maybe even read by your local computer geek.

You can't really fault the intent of your local Geek squad - employers of all kinds are simply protecting their interests and limiting their liability by controlling email and internet access. But many go overboard and have inexperienced, incompetent people making decisions that have an impact far greater and more damaging to legitimate communication than is necessary.

Here is an example...

Yesterdy, I attended a full day Microsoft Windows Vista training session. During our lunch break, I responded to an email that originated from the Head Coach at a school where I am employed as an assistant football coach. The email was important and a timely response was required, so I proceeded to pull out my PDA Smartphone and tap out a reply using my Hotmail account. Much to my dismay, the reply was rejected by the recently installed "Barracuda" Spam firewall - even though it should have been clear to a human that looked at the message that I was replying to a message that originated from within that "domain". Didn't someone say sharks are blind?

Not to be defeatedly so easily, I figured I would use a different email account that I had previously used successfully to respond to the Coach's emails during the past season. No Good ! - the "barracuda", like a blind shark, devoured my reply for the second time. It appears, the third try was a charm, as I used an Earthlink email account that I seldom use - first removing words like sports and Hotmail.

Reflecting on the many obstacles I've faced recently when using email to communicate with CompuSports software customers and prospective customers - usually responding to questions or attempting to provide assistance, the following things come to mind...

- IT controlled Spam firewalls that devour and delete email with no trace left behind
- Spam filters that read every email and apply some geek's "formula" for letting a computer decide whether a message should be delivered or rejected
- Email programs that are set to send all email to Junk mail folders unless it is from someone on a personal contact list or in an address book which is not usually the case.

Email is no longer a reliable means of communication, particularly when it is censored and controlled by an employer or configured in a way that prevents both wanted and unwanted messages from getting to an inbox.

Imagine if your US Mail was opened without your permission before it was handed to you? Or if the sender was "evaluated" before mail was placed in your mailbox or trashcan, the latter before you even saw it? This is happening with eMail in most schools, government offices and large businesses today.

If you want to use eMail as an effective communication tool, its time to take charge yourself by establishing a personal email account. You can do this easily at Yahoo, Google, MSN or a similar service.

And, oh yeah, one last thing - be sure to ask your employer or local computer geek which ones you will be permitted to access during the day, if any, before you choose a personal email account provider. Yes, they control that too!

Statistical relevance in game planning

2006-10-23T08:31:00.000-05:00

This article has been moved to the CompuSports web site at www.compusports.com.

CompuSports offers a number of football scouting software applications, some that include video scouting and video publishing capabilities as well as other resources related to scouting and game planning.

When is computer scouting by football coaches justified?

2006-10-09T08:30:00.000-05:00

This Football Scouting Article has been moved to the CompuSports web site at www.compusports.com.

Kicking off the game planning discussion

2006-09-25T10:37:00.000-05:00

The title of this article links to an FAQ on www.footballcoachingsites.com that came in over the weekend.

As I read the question and prepared the answer, I was reminded that making assumptions can lead to a failure to effectively communicate - whether the subject is something as specialized as football coaching or as simple and universal as how to tie a shoe.

This FAQ post avoids that trap and is an ideal way to begin my discussion about football game planning.

The "sweet spot" for football game planning

2006-09-12T11:46:00.000-05:00

The football scouting article referred to below has been moved to the CompuSports web site at www.compusports.com.

………………………………………………………………………………….

I appreciate the notes from the regular readers of this column wondering why the last post was nearly a month ago.

In short, from early August through mid-September, time is at a premium. Between the hours on the "day job", windshield time, practice and game plan preparation, the days during this hectic time of year just seem to disappear.

With week 3 of the season, like many football coaches, I feel we hit the "sweet spot" for game planning using the help of a computer. We have at least 2, and sometimes 3 good "breakdowns" from actual games as opposed to scrimmages - giving us the ability to utilize Down and Distance in our analysis.

For the next couple of weeks, I am going to focus on the football game planning process and some "tools of the trade".

Football Scouting on a Computer - 101

2006-08-16T05:05:00.000-05:00

This article has been moved to the CompuSports web site at www.compusports.com. CompuSports offers a number of football scouting software applications, some that include video scouting and video publishing capabilities as well as other resources related to scouting and game planning.

Learning to love Windows Movie Maker

2006-08-08T22:58:00.001-05:00

Sometimes things that are free don't get much respect. I can think of no better example of this than Microsoft's Windows Movie Maker - a program included with all versions of Windows XP.

The more I work with products from companies engaged in the digital video "arms race" that try to stuff more features into their programs, and in the process fill them with bugs and screw up my computer - the more I appreciate Movie Maker. Movie Maker is probably not the best solution for everyone, but its suitable for many and a great place to begin for most. Plus, its simple, free and it works!

With digital camcorders available for a few hundred bucks, firewire connectors standard on most computers sold today, and laptops becoming the computer of choice for coaches, Windows Movie Maker and its ability to capture and create high-quality video in a variety of file sizes provides a highly affordable and easy-to-use solution for coaches.

Motivated by a number of recent conversations, I decided to put together a brief demonstration/tutorial that illustrates the process of transferring video from a digital camcorder to a computer where its ready for viewing and editing in a variety of programs - some free.

You can view it by clicking the title of this article, or by visiting the CompuSports Network Home page and clicking on the link in the right column in the Spotlight section.

If you would like a PDF version of this slides in this tutorial that you can view offline, save to your computer and even print, Click here to download the PDF version of the Windows Movie Maker Video Capture Demonstration

Windows Vista - a week after

2006-08-04T07:41:00.000-05:00

After a week of working with Windows Vista, all that I can say is that Microsoft was right to push back the ship date. They have a lot of work to do if they want users to "choose" to switch to Vista from Windows XP.

I am not sure what frustrates me more - the expected bugs that are part of any beta experience, incompatibilites with important web sites and major applications, a lack of selection in compatible antvirus software, or the fact that Vista feels so different from Windows XP that it could just as well be a Mac OS, Linux or something else.

Its no secret that Microsoft is making significant changes to important parts of the user experience (the user interface) which should begin to appear in Release Candidate 1.

Until it arrives, I'm putting my Vista machine and with it, the new Office 2007 applications on the shelf. The benefits in Vista, and there are certainly many, come at too great an investment of time to justify anything else.

Windows Vista - A First Impression

2006-07-25T21:01:00.000-05:00

I'm writing this Coaches Advisor article in the new Internet Explorer 7 after installing the Beta 2 version of Microsoft's soon-to-be released Windows Vista operating system earlier today. Not that this time of year isn't busy enough as coaches get ready for their 2006 seasons, but there have been a lot of stories about changes that will be required in order for software applications to be "Vista compatibile"so I had to see for myself.

Installing the Windows Vista Operating system proved to be uneventful (at least as far as hardware is concerned) on my Dell Inspiron 6000 laptop - quite encouraging, because its over a year old and lacks the kind of power that was supposedly necessary to run Windows Vista. There is so much new stuff in Vista, that its going to take a while to figure it all out, but my first impressions are favorable overall.

Windows Vista looks and feels new in a lot of good ways, while retaining enough similarity to Windows XP that things work the way I would expect them to work. Microsoft has done a good job maintaining backward software compatibility, but has changed some of the "rules", so to speak, in a way that a lot of software in use today will not work properly and in some cases not at all on the Vista platform without modifications. This will be a minor annoyance initially, as Windows XP will be around and likely to be supported for a long time and developers will have some time to make the necessary changes.

Currently, Windows Vista is due to ship in January 2007 and maybe later. Once the rollout begins, within a matter of weeks, it will be hard to find new computer models without it and the switch from XP will begin to gain momentum.

In some ways, it would be great not to have to worry about migrating to a new operating system. The computers that I use with Windows XP work well for the most part. But, keeping up with the Virus and Spyware attacks and the cat and mouse game between Microsoft and the scum who make the stuff have worn me out and made computing downright frustrating all too often.

Windows Vista promises to be "more secure", which I assume means it will be harder for the bad guys to do their dastardly deeds, but only time will tell. One thing I know already is that much of the improved security comes with a cost of reduced convenience, not to mention the inconvenience of broken web sites. I'm not sure if that's Vista, Internet Explorer 7 or a combination of both, but its sure to make business good for web site developers.

If you want to receive periodic updates on Windows Vista and other trends in personal computing, Click Here to sign up for the Coaches Advisor newsletter

Panasonic VHS/DVD Combo Recorder with 80GB Hard Drive looks like a winner for <$500!

2006-07-01T16:14:00.000-05:00

In a recent post, I wrote about the challenges that an associate of mine was facing in trying to figure out how to mass produce DVD's without spending all day doing it or dropping a small fortune in the process. My recommendation was a DVD burner tower unit, or a DVD recorder with a built-in hard drive.

A number of our customers seem to agree with me that the affordability and convenience of DVD makes it the archival medium of choice for Digital Video editing. But until I stumbled across this Panasonic unit, the process of burning multiple copies of DVD's failed both the cost and the time test.

This new unit may change the game.

In a nutshell, the newly release Panasonic DMR-EH75V will:

1. Convert VHS to Digital format - either to its hard drive or the built in DVD Recorder

2. Accept a firewire connection from a digital camcorder as well as a host of other types of connections

3. Store between 17 and 180 hours of video on its hard drive for fast access and easy duping of tapes and DVD's.

... and a lot more! This is a multi-purpose unit that is just at home in the living room as in the coach's office.

One thing that really caught my eye was the following quote from the review I read about this unit...

"We appreciated the high-speed dubbing from the hard drive to DVD; in our testing, it allowed us to burn a 30-minute program in 10 minutes from start to the finalization of the disc."

Since a typical HS Game is 30 minutes, this is notably faster than the time it takes for me to burn a DVD from a dual drive unit on my PC.

Like any product, it has some things that could be better, but as an indication of things to come, this is really great news for coaches who can find $500 in their budget.

Click Here for the full text of the Review of the Panasonic DMR-EH75V from ZDNet.

Protecting yourself from Spyware

2006-06-25T11:38:00.000-05:00

Protecting your computer from viruses is only one part of the computer security equation. Equally important is protecting yourself from spyware, or software that transmits personally identifiable information from your computer to some place on the internet without your explicit approval and knowledge.

You get "infected" by Spyware by opening a web page, clicking on a popup ad that is spyware in disguise, and by downloading software that contains it and "permitting" it to be installed (by not reading the EULA fully when installing the software and missing the part that says you are agreeing to send information back to the company in exchange for use of the product). Some variations of spyware are easy to remove and protect against, others near impossible.

Spyware is the worst type of malware (i.e. malicious software). Another type is Adware - similar to spyware, but usually does not transmit personally identifiable information, or at least the collector promises not to sell it. Adware is also often a side-effect of spyware, as both monitor you for a sole purpose – delivering you advertisement that is especially tailored to your habits.

Like the scum that write viruses, programmers that build spyware prey on novice internet users that simply dont know any better. What seems like a neat new weather gizmo, greeting card program, or toolbar may actually carry a spyware payload that can bring your computer to a crawl.

Before you run out and buy anti-Spyware software, or even worse, before you download it and take a chance of paying for spyware in disguise, try these two free utilities that are well respected and well established:

Ad-Aware - One of the original antispyware products, this is available in a number of versions. The Free Personal Version (now Version 1.6) is a good place to start. Download it with confidence at www.lavasoft.com.

Spybot Search and Destroy - Also an original antispyware product, Spybot version 1.4 is free. Spybot also has an immunization feature in addition to Spyware removal feature. Download with confidence at one of the commercial download sites like Download.com

I have used both products together for a number of years because they will occasionally pick up problems that the other misses. I have also started using Yahoo's Antispy feature on its toolbar and it flags one or two instances of spyware that these two miss. Suffice it to say, one product alone is probably not adequate.

Buying a commercial Antispyware product is best done after some research and from a reputable source. Just read the reviews for products like Spy Sweeper, a commercial product that has been rated highly by computer magazines but gets panned by users from time to time on places like Amazon.com.

Since the last spyware incident I got involved in was because a friend purchased an "antispyware" product over the web that turned out to be nothing more than spyware itself, its clear that commercial products should only be purchased online from a reputable web site. When in doubt, check out Amazon or Buy.com. There is nothing worse than paying money for spyware protection and ending up with more spyware than you begin with!

Solving the Digital Video File size dilemma

2006-06-07T06:36:00.000-05:00

One of the challenges facing users of Digital Video editing systems, particularly coaches, is the amount of disk space consumed by an uncompressed digital video file.

I know I was completely shocked a few years ago when I realized that the very first game that I captured from VHS tape consumed over half of the free space on my computer! Sure, when typical hard drives were 20-30 GB and "gigs" were expensive, this was more of an issue than it is today. But, even today, as great looking as pure uncompressed video it is, its size makes it very hard to work with.

This is not as much a cost issue as a convenience and logistics issue, but it is solvable by using a video editing system that can work with compressed video - ideally without compromising the video quality.

Some systems use a format called MPEG 1 or MPEG 2. MPEG 1 is smaller, but MPEG 2 has a far superior video quality. MPEG 2 is the format used on DVD's but unfortunately, DVD's store the video in a way that can make the video unrecognizable and partially unusable to many editing systems. I have successfully converted DVD's to MPEG2 in recent years with Easy Media Creator from Roxio, and plan to test their new version which will work with DivX (see below). Easy-Media Creator is the grandaddy of CD/DVD burning software usually runs about $75-80 (after rebates usually) and is available at most places that sell packaged software, both online and offline.

Storage complexities aside, there are a number of problems with MPEG2 as a format for use in Video Editing. MPEG2 was designed for playing back movies, not for editing. For this reason, the back and forth, pause/rewind control of MPEG2 video is not as good as other formats. , and often crashes a computer. Better and far more reliable results can be achieved using uncompressed video (avi), Divx or Windows Media formats.

Recently, during testing of a number of video "converter" products, I discovered that the DIVX format works well for editing video. DIVX is a compressed format which produces an .avi file that consumes a fraction (about 10%) of the space of uncompressed DV video with a minimal compromise in quality. In fact, I recently captured 60 minutes of video and used only 2 GB worth of disk space compared to the 25GB that would have been consumed by uncompressed video. DIVX requires special software, called a CODEC to work its magic.

My first experience with DIVX was using Intervideo's excellent DVDCopy4 Platinum product ($80 - available online and in big box electronics stores). A software solution like Roxio, DVDCopy4 can convert part of all of a DVD to a small, high quality DVX file on your computer. As software-only solutions, this means you need a video card or some other way to connect a VCR to your computer. Once connected, both can easily convert from the DVD's "mysterious" format to a single file on your PC. For playback of DIVX video, a free download from www.divx.com" is available.

An alternative to purchasing a video capture card is to purchase a "converter box" like Plextor's ConvertX M402U which I used in this case. Similar in concept and function to the more expensive Canopus converter, the Plextor uses its own "chip" to encode the video while capturing, so the hit to your computer's performance is reduced. The Plextor connects via USB 2.0, which is great for desktop computers that dont have a firewire connector. The Canopus requires a Firewire port which is usually available on most laptop computers but not always on desktop computers. Plus, the Canopus format is uncompressed, making an external hard drive a requirement for storing a season's worth of video for highlight tapes. With DIVX, a season comfortably fits on a computer's hard drive.

The Plextor 402U will run you about $150 but recently a rebate had dropped the price under $100 - pretty incredible for what it includes. Get it at Amazon, Tiger Direct and other leading online vendors or Circuit City for about 50 bucks more. Plextor bundles WinDVD Creator 2, and the box I got included the ULead VideoStudio 8 DVDLE.

These are all first class companies and products will be well supported. I've also stumbled across a simple, FREE, FAST, "down and dirty" utility that will convert an entire DVD to MPEG 2 for playback on a PC. The price is right, but a second download is usually required in order to play and edit the video, and editing has all of the problems mentioned above that plague the MPEG2 format. For this reason, we think spending the $50 for DVDCopy from Intervideo is well worth it.

Time to reconsider your Antivirus software?

2006-06-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

Today I received an email offer for the new Norton Antivirus 2006. Touting two NEW features, the email marketing department did their best to make this offer attractive. I was interested until I saw these two large headlines:

NEW! Now includes 12 months of protection updates and new product features as available throughout the year.*
NEW! On-going Protection keeps your computer protected from the latest Internet risks by automatically renewing your subscription.**

Basically, Symantec is going to use their Live Update to convert their Subscription Renewal into an opt-out program. In other words, unlike now, where you can choose not to pay the $40 to renew your subscription each year, on each of your computers, the NEW "feature" will make the decision for you and charge your credit card automatically.

I've become increasingly concerned (and poorer in the process) about a recent trend in the antivirus software industry, and today I finally have reached the point where, after nearly 20 years as a loyal user of Norton products, I may have to say farewell.

No, Norton Antivirus has not been around for 20 years - people didn't seem to write viruses back in the days of MS-DOS...the pre-Windows era. And there was no internet email system to easily spread viruses and spyware...though we did see the occasional virus on a floppy a disk.

Back in the good old days, I used a product called the Norton Utilities and for many years, the product got better and better and was a valued part of my utility software collection. When the product was improved, I purchased the new version or an upgrade.

During the mid 90's Symantec repositioned its business focus around its Antivirus offerings and it grew along with the increasing security threats spawned and distributed by the growth of the internet. In its early years and well into the new millenium, Symantec Antivirus was sold as a software license and antivirus updates were provided free of charge. Some time in the last 4 or 5 years, that all changed. Symantec "unbundled" their antivirus updates and their antivirus software, essentially turning their product into an annual subscription service. At the same time, like most software publisher they tightened up their licensing and began to license individual workstations, first allowing a home/away license which was then the industry standard, and later converting to a per cpu model. This got expensive real fast and drew a lot of criticism, and Norton responded by selling 3-packs and 5 packs of licenses only to soften the blow on the multi-pc family and small businesses.

Soon, the pc security industry followed suit, and McAfee, the other major player took a similar approach. The result was that the "security" market, now flush with margins and profits driven by recurring subscription revenue caught the attention of Microsoft.

Microsoft is about to releases its own security products through a subscription and it will be interesting to see if they can stay out of court. I dont know much about the new Microsoft product, but I plan to find out. Unless Symantec changes their policies, or makes it signficantly less expensive for multi-pc families and businesses to use their products, I will bid them farewell.

I have been intrigued for quite some time now with other Antivirus software, and have tried products from Trend Micro, McAfee and most recently Grisoft. It's the Grisoft AVG product that interests me the most, since it comes in a number of low cost versions including a FREE version that has received favorable reviews from computer magazines.

I'm hoping that Grisoft's AVG will help maintain the cost of protecting the computers that I use regularly - I know I can't count on Symantec to do that!

New 500GB Drive from WD ideal for video storage

2006-05-13T12:19:00.000-05:00

Digital Video applications are likely to be the most storage-intensive for most computer users. Even the most spacious internal hard drives in todays desktop and laptop computers can't store more than a handful of games in the preferred, uncompressed format recommended by the leading sports editing vendors.

Fortunately, storage manufacturers like Western Digital, Maxtor, Seagate and others continue to deliver more "gigs for the dollar", both for their internal drives and their USB and Firewire "External" products.

One product that caught my attention was this new drive from WD. A 500GB model with 7200RPM platter speed and specs that rival the fastest drives in their class, this is worth a look for coaches contemplating adding storage capacity to their editing systems for the coming season

Drives like the WDG1U5000N are small, simple and very easy to use. Just plug it in, and sit back - your Windows XP system will do all the work and soon you will have added capacity that is likely to be more than adequate for a full season (assuming 10-12 GB per game with a combination of wide and tight copies, self and opponent video captured in uncompressed avi format.)

The WD Drive has a number of "intelligent" features, like turning itself on and off with your computer! Its new, space-saving design stacks horizontally, and allows two or more drives to stand neatly together like volumes on a shelf. It even comes with Free Google™ software.

With a list price of $299, this puppy is frequently available for $250 and is likely to drop in price over time. Click the link below to learn more at BUY.COM, which sells it for $249 with FREE SHIPPING.

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=202418917&loc=101&sp=1

Digital Video Basics - online course

2006-05-03T05:47:00.000-05:00

I've written in the past about one of my favorite technology web sites, CNET, and its many educational offerings on a wide range of computing topics.

This morning, while scanning the 10+ newsletters I read each day, I came across the following course that begins on Monday, May 8.

I can personally attest to the quality of these classes and can think of few more convenient and cost-effective (FREE!) ways for coaches to gain a basic education on the way digital video works.

The topics in the class include (among others) these that are directly applicable to what coaches do with video:

how to capture video from your analog or digital video camera
how to add titles, music, and narration to your video
how to save your video for the Web, DVD, or CD-R

Knowledge is power, and in this area of technology, knowledge will save you, your school or your booster club a small fortune.

Pocket PC and Windows Mobile Buyers Beware

2006-04-16T06:58:00.000-05:00

With much fanfare, Microsoft released a new version of its Windows Mobile sofware late in 2005. Known as Windows Mobile 5, the operating system promises many new features and functions - particularly in the multimedia arena.

But, in a move with questionable justification, Microsoft chose to "break" many existing applications that had been written in a very popular development language, Embedded Visual Basic. Yep, break out that slick new Axim or Ipaq, install your favorite program that you have been using for a year or two, and get a big, ugly UNSOLVABLE error!

What this means for buyers is that its extremely important to exercise care when buying a Windows Mobile 5 device. You MUST know whether a PDA that you are buying or planning to buy or upgrade will run the programs you plan to use. It's simply not safe to go out and buy a Windows Mobile 5 device and assume it will run existing software.

To determine whether a program runs on Windows Mobile 5, look specifically at the system requirements. If they do not EXPLICITLY state Windows Mobile 5, contact the developer before buying the program - if you are able to do so. If you can't do that, there are ways to determine this yourself, but it requires looking into the files that get installed with an application and how the process is done, and its not for the faint of heart.

Another approach is to avoid Windows Mobile 5 devices altogether. Rather, find a new or used iPaq or Axim that runs Windows Mobile 2003 - and there are many of them that do. The best case scenario is to buy a "PDA" that runs Windows Mobile 2003 SE (second Edition) AND that is upgradable to Windows Mobile 5 - which is not always the case because the manufacturer must provide the upgrade CD.

Two models that come to mind as ideal are the Dell X50 and the HP Ipaq 2200 - recent models for which the manufacturer is selling a Windows Mobile 5 upgrade CD. These models are no longer in production, however, so you will need to find them in a retailer's inventory or find them on eBay or overstock.com.

If you have questions, write me. I watch eBay for deals on these devices and while they are not as prevalent as the older PDAs that unfortunately will not run Windows Mobile 5, they are available from time to time. I've bought a couple and will be testing the upgrade from Windows 2003 to Windows Mobile 5 on one HP and on Dell model and writing about the results.

Finally, if there's just one program you want to run and you know its written in EVB, do what my friend Mike did and buy an older Pocket PC, such as an Axim X5 - available on eBay for about $100.

Digital Video Capture alternatives

2006-04-06T11:41:00.000-05:00

In conversations with coaches who are preparing to purchase their first video editing system, I usually find myself going through a discussion about getting video "into and out of" the computer.

In a recent post, I discussed the process of transcoding, or converting from DVD to the preferred .avi format for Digital Editing. Transcoding is one approach to converting DVD to the computer, with another being "capturing" the DVD - just like you would capture VHS, Television or any other Analog source. In reality, the results are not very different and the time it takes may not be either.

Coaches seem to always ask about capturing - usually wondering why some editing systems capture and others, such as our Easy-Cut and Easy-Scout XP Professional rely on the free and reliable Windows Movie Maker. Since we made a conscious decision NOT to include capturing in the initial release of Easy-Scout XP Professional, I feel qualified to present the two sides of this question.

The proponents of capturing in Windows Movie Maker (or one of the many Feature Rich commercial Video Editing programs that are available for under $100 and often under $50) argue that

1. Capturing with a commercial grade program like Movie Maker, Roxio Media Creator, Nero or the like is simple and convenient by design. After all, these programs are made for the masses.

2. When you are capturing from a Mini DV camcorder in Movie Maker, you see a picture of your camcorder on your computer screen - buttons and all! You can control the tape by pointing and clicking, preview the results and even select from a plethora of file types and sizes if you need to save space. There is something to be said for that kind of simplicity and flexibility.

Since coaches often have to convert from Analog Video sources such as VHS and some consumer DVD players, an A/D Converter which works over the Firewire connection is required. With such a device (the favorites are from Canopus and ADS), you plug in your camera or converter, start Movie Maker and start recording.

3. Since Movie Maker is part of the Windows Operating System, it is likely to be at least as reliable, and arguably more reliable than a third party program. In fact, Microsoft is so serious about Digital Video this that the next version of Windows - Windows Vista, will include even more Multimedia capabilities.

4. You can start the capturing process and walk away, returning when its done.

The proponents of "cut while you capture" make two arguments:

1. You can tag the Play Start and Stop or have it done for you by the software. The argument goes that this will save time - as long as the cameraman hit pause at the perfect time for each and every play. Otherwise, you will end up redoing the work anyway.

2. You can enter some of the indexing information by clicking buttons for ODK or Run/Pass while you capture. Since this requires a person to tag the ODK or Run/Pass, the significance will depend on circumstances that vary from staff to staff.

Software developers are usually open to new ideas and better ways to accomplish things when convinced that a process can be improved, or there is an overwhelming benefit to one approach over another.

That's where I stand at the moment....open minded, but mindful that software that tries to do too much sometimes makes something that should be simple seem a lot harder and mysterious than it really is. Or cost too much which is just as bad.

Convert your games from DVD to the computer

2006-03-25T23:46:00.000-05:00

It seems the number of questions I'm getting about converting game video from DVD to MPEG or AVI computer format is increasing.

I came across a great article on this subject in the most current edition of Maximum PC, but unfortunately, its not yet on the web site and its not kosher for me to scan and "PDF" a printed magazine page.

There's an article on the Maximum PC web site that is written on a somewhat more technical level, but for coaches wanting to get moving on this quickly, its worth a look. The article is geared toward converting files to the new DIVX format, which creates an AVI file from a DVD file (and others). Here's the link:

http://www.maximumpc.com/2005/12/how_to_compress.html

The article mentions a great program from Intervideo, the makers of Win DVD for performing these types of tasks. There are a number of programs out there that do this type of thing, but Intervideo has a close relationship with Microsoft and has been selected as the provider for the new DVD burning capabilities that will be included in the upcoming Windows Vista. For that reason, its a safe bet and guaranteed to be virus and spyware free - which we cant always say about some of the free stuff out there.

I've also used the Roxio Media Creator 7 and above Roxio Convert utility for a similar purpose. The good news on Roxio is that its faster than the WinDVD approach. The bad news is that it does this by creating an MPEG 2 format file, which because it is compressed, will not be as responsive to the back and forth requirements of coaches.

More on this in a future post... its a big topic nowadays for coaches.

Making the VHS to DVD transition

2006-03-13T11:04:00.000-05:00

I've written quite a bit in this column on the topic of "dumping" VHS in favor of DVD for game tape exchanges and have received a lot of feedback on the subject. While there is no disputing the benefits of Digital Video and the superiority of DVD over VHS in just about every way, the transition is proving to be a bit more difficult than it should be.

As it pertains to video exchanges, there are really few reasons not to do it, other than the venerable "cowboy" remote (cowboys usually don't work with both tape and DVD, so a new purchase is required). DVD's are smaller, cheaper, and more portable than VHS tape, regardless of the recording "quality" selected.

Unfortunately, using DVD with Digital Video editing systems is not so simple, and confusion often results when attempting to move video "out" to DVD to produce cutups or highlight videos.

Let me relate a true story to illustrate...

Recently, I spent a day in a "chalk talk" session with some football coaching associates. At a break in the session, two of the coaches took out the laptop computer they had received with their video editing software as a "complete package".

- Each laptop had a DVD burner and the coaches were using the same Digital Editing system.
- Coach #1 had allegedly had "mastered" the process of burning cutups to DVD.
- Coach#2 was struggling with the process and frustrated by long hold times on a technical support line.
- The Digital Editing system offered a number of approaches to the task at hand (creating a cutup on a DVD), one being creating a DVD file using the internal DVD burner.

To my surprise, Coach #1 suggested that Coach#2 buy a firewire cable and an "external", consumer style (the same that can be connected to a television) DVD recorder for the job. Coach #2 seemed willing to do this to avoid the tech support line, even though his laptop had it's own DVD burner and his digital editing software had this capability !

I happened to have car-pooled with Coach #2, and on the return ride offered some thoughts on DVD recording with an external device...
- A "consumer" DVD recorder needed to have a firewire port in order to work with his editing software - at least in the way Coach#1 suggested. (Firewire is not always included on a "consumer" DVD burner, just like its not included in all desktop, and to a lesser extent entry-level laptop computers).
- A DVD recording "tower" could reduce the time required for making multiple copies.
- The recommended approach for making a DVD was no different from "duping" a tape in the sense that it would take the same amount of time to create "dupe" DVD's as it would the "original" DVD's .

By now, I am sure savvy PC users are thinking that something is definitely "wrong with this picture". I completely agree. What's troublesome to me is that within the very software (excellent software by the way), a better, faster and no-cost solution exists.

If only Coach #2 was willing to hold on the tech support line a little longer !

Too many football coaching clinics?

2006-02-26T10:26:00.000-05:00

I spent this weekend at one of the more popular regional football coaching clinics in the mid-atlantic region. As was the case with the three previous clinics that I attended in recent weeks,, there was a concensus among coaches and exhibitors that either clinic attendance is down, there are simply too many clinics these days or maybe a little of both.

Take next week for example. Within a three hour drive from Harrisburg, PA, there are two Nike Clinics - in Allentown, PA and Pittsburgh PA (dont ask me why Nike did this) and a Megaclinic in Atlantic City. This is also the weekend of the Big New England Clinic in Newport, RI.

I've been an exhibitor at all of these clinics, and its a shame they are all on the same weekend, as I am sure there are coaches and exhibitors that would like to attend both. The same situation occurred twice earlier this month, when the PA Football Coaches clinic and the Baltimore Megaclinic were held on the first weekend, and the New Jersey Nike clinic and another clinic in North Jersey were held the next weekend.

As far as the first weekend in March, Pete Dimperio's Pittsburgh clinic may be the best Nike clinic in the country and coaches in the New England region seem to feel the same way about Chet Oneill's Big New England based on their attendance. For sheer numbers of coaches, the Megaclinic in A.C. may get the nod, with the "sleeper" being Jim Tkach's Allentown Nike clinic, now in what is thought to be its best location since it's inception three years ago.

If your calendar is open this coming weekend and you live within driving distance of any of these clinics, you will not be disappointed at any of them.

PC Utility Favorites

2006-02-08T21:28:00.000-05:00

Its been a couple of weeks since I first mentioned a couple of new-found utilities that have made a big difference in the performance of my PC's.

One is a general purpose "tuneup tool" called Tuneup Utilities 2006. This thing does so much, its hard to do it justice in a brief writeup. My two favorite tools from its repertoire are the Start Up Optimizer - which enables me to stop unwanted programs from automatically loading each time Windows is started, and the System Optimizer, which "tweaks" Windows for broadband internet connections. These two utilities alone speed up my PC's and keep them running smoothly and faster than ever before.

For more information and a free 30 day Trial, visit the company's web site at www.tune-up.com

The second utility is called Registry Mechanic. This one's a little more straightforward since it only has a couple of functions. Registry Mechanic does a few things to "fix" and optimize a computer's registry - its database of settings, preferences and the like that gets big and slow as a system ages, especially when a lot of programs are installed and later uninstalled.

For more info on Registry Mechanic, visit www.pctools.com.

Time to tune up your PC?

2006-01-23T12:09:00.000-05:00

As much of a fan that I am of Windows XP compared to previous versions of Windows, the one thing that Microsoft has yet to solve is the inevitable "slowdown with age".

The other thing I really dislike is how difficult it is to move to a new PC - at least when compared to the good old days of DOS and Windows 3.1 when simply copying a folder was enough to move a program from one PC to another.

I dont have a great recommendation for the latter problem, but its very existence has put me on a quest to find a solution to the first one. My packrat tendencies really cause problems for my PC's performance - since I keep programs around "just in case" I want to use them some day.

A few weeks ago I began investigating Tune Up Utilities on CNet's Download.com site. Having had some really bad experiences with these things in the past, most notably with well known products from major publishers who will go unnamed here, I was naturally hesitant to jump on one of these utilities from lesser known publishers.

Well, I am happy to report that my efforts have been rewarded, as I have found and purchased two utilities that have given new life to the PC's that I use every day. In fact, the improvement has been so dramatic and so many problems have disappeared, that I'm going to write about each of them in depth in its own column.

Until then, though - for those of you who are interested in this category, check out The list of most popular Utilities at Download.com

Clinic season "kicking off" this weekend

2006-01-21T14:46:00.000-05:00

With all due respect to the AFCA, the 2006 football clinic season gets under way this weekend.

Of the national clinic companies, the Glazier/Megaclinics beat Nike's Coach of the year clinics to the punch by a week - with clinics in Atlantic City, Atlanta and Indianapolis. There's no time for a breather now until late March, when the commercial and State Association clinics wind down the Winter clinic season and Spring Practice clinics at many colleges begin. There's certainly no shortage of opportunities for professional development and networking during the dead of winter.

Our affiliate, www.footballcoachingsites.com lists many of these clinics in one place, but more importantly provides a way for operators of smaller, regional clinics to gain valuable exposure free of charge. Let's face it, not everyone can afford printing multicolor brochures and dropping them in every coaches mailbox a few times each year! We try to do the same for sports camps during the summer months. Our sites get a few thousand visitors each month and it only takes one attendee to get a return on the 5 minutes that it takes to register a clinic or camp in our database. And better yet, for camps and clinics that run yearly, we will update the information each year automatically (at least our Megaclinic and Nike listings work like this). For coaches of Basketball, Baseball, Soccer and other team sports we offer the same opportunity.

While on the subject of clinics, I want to mention a new kind of clinic that has really piqued my interest. Its called Coaches Learning Network and its operated by Mike Walker, a seasoned coach with a wide range of experience at many levels. I've had the good fortune of a couple of discussions with Mike via email and I've learned something in each "thread". And perhaps the best testimonial for Mike's site came this past week in a football staff meeting that I attended.

Apparently, our Head Coach stopped by Footballcoachingsites.com and did a search, coming upon the CLN site. This was timely in a few ways, as Mike had just posted the Cal State of PA Online Clinc. Impressed by its comprehensive library of information, our HC found some materials he felt compelled to print off and give to our OC at the meeting! And in addition, each coach was provided with the URL and encouraged to check out CLN.

On behalf of Coaches Advisor and the CompuSports Network of web sites, welcome Mike and CLN to the internet's football coaching community!

What's up with that $299 PC from Dell?

2005-12-20T19:14:00.000-05:00

New products, new versions, new services.... all coming in time for the AFCA show for our football products and about the same time for an update and online companion for our multi-sport Athletic Recruiting products.

Being a gadget freak in a way, one of the things I really enjoy doing is answering questions about computer hardware and software product> At this time of year, those types of conversations take place quite frequently. Today, a coach that I have come to know pretty well in the last year was trying to figure out which Dell PC to purchase.

Not surprising, Dell got his attention with a $299 price for a complete system with Monitor! Until we were done, we added $120 of options and were spending $419, but in the process we got a system with 512 MB Ram, an 80 GB Drive, a DVD burner and a monitor! Thats pretty amazing.

One of the tough decisions was to stay with the Dell Model that was built with Intel Celeron processors. Like most coaches, video applications are on the list of expected uses and the Celeron is lacking some "additional brains" that the Pentium 4 has for handling multimedia "instructions". Two other video oriented features missing on this system were a Firewire port to plug in a Digital Camcorder and an SVideo connector to send video out to a TV, VCR or DVD burner.

Since video was only one of many expected family uses for this PC, these were very modest tradeoffs to make considering how much computer Dell was providing for that price. With USB 2.0 ports standard, using an external box from ADS or Canopus to handle the video input and output chores will be adequate for now.

One comment that I made during the conversation, and I believe this to be the case now much like it is every few years is that we're very close to a market transition to a different processor "class" and operating system. Those who can remember how Windows 95 fueled a massive replacement trend in PC's (from 386/486 to Pentium) will feel its deja vu all over again when Windows Vista, due out late in 2006 is certain to do the same. Far too many PC's being sold today will simply not run Windows Vista effectively.

Thats not to say its wise to wait that long if there is a need for a new PC today, however the conventional wisdom of "buying as much computer as you can afford" gradually becomes suspect as we near the summer of '06. So, here are a couple strategies one may consider....

1. Keep some powder dry and dont spend the entire PC budget now. Go for a "low end "system now and plan on adding a second system in a year or so. Invest the money in a fast internet connection rather than a faster processor.

2. Wait a couple months until Intel's Dual Core processors go on the clearance rack and then buy a Pentium 4 Dual Core fully loaded for 30-50% less than you can do so today.

I myself was ready to plunk down some money for one of these models. Dual Core gives a major boost to multimedia applications, particularly if the software being used has been optimized for it. By the end of Q1 and maybe sooner, Dual Core Pentium 4's will become commodities and as such will be available for a lot less money than is the case today.

3. Combine item 1 with an investment in a Wireless Router (WIFI) and set up a home network to share a broadband internet connection. Its virtually guaranteed to extend the life of your PC's since Windows XP will still be sold and supported for some time. If buying a Router/Firewall, get one with a combination of wired and wireless "ports" and there will be no more waiting for the PC to get on the interenet. Connecting it is a cinch for even a novice and there are always those geek squads at Best Buy.

With the internet becoming increasingly important for living in our modern society, the day is not too far ahead where computers will equal or outnumber televisions in a home. In fact, its not uncommon for a family to have a couple desktops and a notebook or two already. With inexpensive Broadband internet access it really makes sense for all of these computers to "talk" to each other and share an internet connection. A router makes that possible.

Just what is a player's coach

2005-12-04T08:48:00.000-05:00

I've often wondered what people mean specifically when they refer to a coach as a "player's coach". As I have asked around, it seems there is no unanimity of opinion.

So, just what is a player's coach. If anyone knows, drop me a note through the Coachingsitesonline Feedback page and title it The Player's Coach.

Ready to buy a laptop yet?

2005-11-18T14:36:00.000-05:00

When planning your budget requests or thinking of things you need from your booster club, why not consider asking for a laptop for your program.

Among the many benefits are the portability and convenience you gain by having a laptop computer for use by you and your staff, not to mention liberation from the shackles of an overzealous school IT dept.

Click the article title (link) to visit CNET - one of our favorite sources of articles and reviews on computing technology. In this one, you'll be educated about today's most affordable models and treated to a reference chart that will arm you with all the specs you need to answer most questions you are likely to encounter.

New Easy-Scout XP Report Service - a big "hit"

2005-11-18T09:26:00.000-05:00

We're fired up about our new Easy-Scout XP report service - and so are our customers!

"We won and play a rematch of our week ten opponent tomorrow night in the quarterfinals. If we win we will play the number one team in the state in the semis - at our place hopefully. I will be sending you some spreadsheets this weekend. Thanks again for all that you do for us".

From a Defensive Coordinator of an undefeated HS team in one of the top football states in the country. This long time Easy-Scout XP user has experienced dramatic time savings from our new report service - and is moving toward a state title with the help of Easy-Scout XP!

Let's face it, when you've got the "Jimmies and Joes", you can beat teams on talent alone. Coaching is more about letting the kids play than calling the correct plays. But when you reach a certain level of competition, whether in-season or post-season, preparation and x's and o's make a bigger difference. And when it comes to Defensive game planning, the most successful DC's leave no stone unturned, and know their opponents better than their opponents know themselves.

Preparation and information are a given at the college level. And for one of our Division 1A customers, our report service has us extracting data from their editing system into the Easy-Scout XP Analyzer where they get exactly what they are looking for.

For our most successful High School customers, not knowing the opponent from week to week creates game planning nightmares . With no GA's on staff! In the case above, we're using data that is entered into Excel spreadsheets and delivering it data back to the coach in Easy-Scout XP compatible data files where they print from our standard package of reports.

But the results are the same - more information, faster than ever possible when doing it by hand.... when the stakes are highest. We're taking scouting data entry analysis to new and better places - and giving coaches more time for more important things! Like figuring out how to win.

Click here for the full scoop on our new Easy-Scout XP report service

Overcoming a big obstacle to better game planning

2005-11-09T10:26:00.000-05:00

Many articles here in Coach's Advisor have mentioned the Easy-Scout software product line and its "place" in the Football coach's toolbox. Users of Easy-Scout that have stayed with it over the years have benefited from add on data entry modules for PDA's, additional reports and periodic upgrades that have been affordable while offering significant additional functionality.

One thing we've always tried to do is reduce the time it takes to turn film breakdown data into usable reports.

For many years, that meant improving the "user interface" for Play Entry, making it customizable, intelligent and flexible.

Despite our hesitation to do a "PDA product" because of the inherent limitations of handheld computers and the difficulty of affordably developing a quality PDA application (which translates into an affordable price to customers) we could no longer ignore this segment of the market. In 2004, we released our Mobile data entry product for Pocket PC's and earlier this year released our Palm OS version.

As an Easy-Scout user myself, until 2005, I clearly preferred the desktop/laptop for speed of data entry and always felt that the game "moved too fast" to make real time entry practical. I continue to believe this is the case, however my opinion may change when we release our 2006 version of Easy-Scout Mobile.

What I did not realize until this year, however was that using a handheld computer could create more family time during the season. No wires, no bulky laptops and no typing. Just tapping away to enter a game breakdown into a PDA and then synch to the desktop for reporting. I was converted and became a believer ! Easy-Scout Mobile and my Pocket PC became my data entry method of choice until week 7 of the season.

No, I did not quit using Easy-Scout after week 7. Rather, I discovered an even faster way to get data into Easy-Scout: distribute the data entry chores to others - and let them use Microsoft Excel!

In recent weeks, this idea has developed "legs". In fact, we are now in our second week of helping one of our long time customers that is advancing through their state playoffs by converting their Excel worksheets into Easy-Scout compatible data files. We will keep the team and state anonymous until the season has ended. Until then, we'll continue converting their Excel sheets into Easy-Scout XP and returning Easy-Scout XP import compatible files so they can generate their favorite reports.

Click here for the details on the Easy-Scout XP Report service, now a pilot project of Coach's Advisor.

X's and O's and "Jimmies and Joes"

2005-10-29T05:49:00.000-05:00

As the 2005 High School "regular" football season comes to a close, coaches and players typically either look forward to the playoff season or "next" season. For sure, many look forward the final games of the current campaign for various reasons.

But as John Madden says each year, "its the finality of it" that has many planning and preparing for the 2006 season while their more fortunate colleagues are preparing for a post-season "run".
Each year, as I grow older and ideally "wiser", I become increasingly motivated to learn what truly separates the winners from the losers:

Is it X's and O's (coaches) or Jimmies and Joes (players)?

Just when I think I have figured it out, something happens to swing me to the other side.

The High School team that seems to gradually improve as a coach or coaching staff works patiently through a turnaround program. More kids out for the sport. Better records on the Frosh and JV teams. Closer games on the varsity level, maybe even some wins.

Or the team that seems to win despite its coaches. Win in years with a lot of good players. Lose in lean years.

The College or Pro team that wins one year and loses the next year with the same staff.

Surely this smacks of a nature/nurture debate, but it sure makes for passionate discussion!

What do you think?

Understanding your computer's printer "driver

2005-10-26T10:11:00.000-05:00

Personal Computers have come a long way in their "user-friendliness" since their early days. This is particularly true of printers and the printing process, but it can still be mysterious and occasionally problematic.

Each version of Windows attempted to simplify the process of printing, and Windows XP made great progress in this area. In particular, the process of configuring and updating a printer "driver" has been dramatically improved and "automated".

If you have an HP Deskjet or Laser printer, you may have already visited their excellent web site. If not, you may want to do so to get familiar with the excellent resources available.

If you click the title of this article, the link will take you to the HP site - to a clearly written article that takes some of the mystery out of Printer "drivers".

Coaching Forms Library popular with Football Coaches

2005-10-23T06:57:00.000-05:00

Earlier this year, CompuSports started a coaching forms library. Initially for football coaches, the idea was to organize a number of play charting forms developed over the years for game planning. All forms were designed "in-house" and included on the CompuSports Coaching Software Library CD.

The CompuSports Coaching Forms library is set up as a free, opt-in email address membership. The idea proved popular as the season approached and continued to receive membership signups that proved encouraging to yours truly.

Early in October, one of our Forms Library members submitted one of his play charting forms to us that we really liked, so we posted it. And then another form, with a slightly different twist was submitted. Both were done in MS Office, one in Word, one in Excel.

Encouraged and enthused by the collaboration, but not surprised by football coaches willingness to share with fellow football coaches, the entrepreneurial juices are flowing and we have plans for expanding on this concept in the near future.

Until then, the forms library is pretty simple and the signup link is

http://www.coachingware.com/formsrequest.htm

All coaches are welcome and we plan to do something for Basketball very soon.

Easing the transition to Digital Video for film exchange

2005-10-03T08:56:00.000-05:00

I've written a number of articles about the challenges and frustrations coaches face because VHS is still so predominant as a medium for "film exchange". Let's face it, some coaches will retire before they are willing to give up their cowboy clicker and VCR.

Unfortunately, this, in my opinion, is the primary reason why video editing software is so expensive and so darn complicated and messy - at least in most cases. Dealing with video tape usually means means dealing with a capture device of some kind or using a computer with a video-out port. Neither is standard on a desktop computer and while laptops usually have an S-VIDEO port, they lack a capture device for analog video (VHS).

While capture devices are not expensive, and sometimes not too difficult to use, they still fall short, in my opinion of making Digital Video easy enough and affordable enough for widespread adoption. There is some hope, though in the form of combined DVD/VHS decks and I expect coaches will have more software options to take advantage of the cost effectiveness and simplicity of these machines. I say this because a number of self-proclaimed "technically challenged", seasoned coaches that I know are open to this idea.

Stay tuned in 2006 for a lot more on this, or contact me for full details on how you can get started with Digital Video for about $200!