The DigitalRV Blog

Recently there’s been more chatter about DRM and the media content we all consume. First off though, what is DRM?

DRM stands for Digital Rights Management. DRM technologies are used to keep consumers from making many copies of their favorite CD, DVD, MP3, or MP4 and sharing them with friends. In other words, it’s copyright protection. Nothing wrong with protecting the rights of artists, I’m in total agreement with it.

The stick in the mud here though is that your rights as a consumer also get put aside often. If you want to make a copy of your favorite movie DVD as a backup, shouldn’t you be able to? How about backing up your ITunes library? How about restoring your ITunes library if your computer fails, but your IPod has everything on it? Well, you can’t easily do these things!

While the controversy around DRM continues, there’s one easy suggestion I have for getting DRM free music. Radio Shark & XM.

With my XM radio I have access to so many different types of music and talk radio. It’s great! XM’s “Fred Radio” is a favorite channel. They play “Classic Alternative.” Can’t believe they’re calling music I listen to Classic.

The XM I own has an FM transmitter built into it. So, while in the Airstream I can listen to the XM over my radio. I can also pick up the XM radio with my Radio Shark. What does the Radio Shark do exactly?

Radio Shark is a USB antenna that you can plug into your Windows or Mac system. It comes with a software package that allows you to listen to AM & FM radio through your computer. Pretty cool. It also allows you to pause, rewind, fast forward, and record whatever you’re listening to over the airwaves.

The key to this article is the word “record”. You can record whatever you’re listening to over the airwaves. In my case, I record what comes across my XM. Digital radio gets recorded to my laptop, and when I’m done recording I can export to my IPod.

What that means to me is I can add to my music library through my XM subscription.

Now, this type of recording is also a big issue. But it’s been a big issue for a long time. People can record shows to their Tivo and copy them to their laptop. During the 80’s we all ran around with cassette tapes, recording our favorite songs off the radio (what a pain that was). VHS recorders captured TV content we missed. The list goes on and on.

However things play out with DRM and copyright issues for today’s latest recordings, there’s one way you can record the music you want. The Griffin Radio Shark.

Just don’t record and redistribute what you’ve saved. That’s where the law is clear, and you’ll have trouble on your doorstep!

Maybe you’re like me. Severely allergic to half the planet! Part of my year long trip in my RV was to find the right spot where I could live with the least allergens around!

If you’re looking to find the right spots to breathe easy, the Internet offers a fantastic way to track allergens.

Take a look at Pollen.com’s web site. Exactly what you need, when you need it. No additional forecasts, hunting through the latest hurricane reports or blizzard watched. Just listings on where allergens are, how bad they are, and places that are a little better today.

The main page at Pollen.com shows you the overall pollen levels across the U.S. Take a look at the graphic below.

As you can see, they list the best and worst 5 cities in the U.S each day. Talk about convinient!

You can go a little further and also check exactly where you are. Type in your zip code and get the following report….

Now, if you’re full-timing and planning your next move you’ll have all the information you need. Finding the best spot for your allergies in the U.S. couldn’t be easier! All thanks to being a Digital RV’er too!

In a surprising move, Apple launched Safari 3’s Beta for both Macintosh and Windows.  Why would Apple do that, given Firefox exists?

Over the past few years I’ve been using both Macintosh & Windows.  The browsers provided by each of the software manufacturers have never been as good as others available on the Internet.  Both Explorer and Safari always fell behind the curve.  And unfortunately, Safari for Windows (and Mac for that matter) still doesn’t measure up.

Apple claims speed increases in the latest inception of Safari over Explorer and Firefox.  Hunting the web you’ll find many groups that have already done benchmark testing to see if it’s true.  So far, the reviews seem to be mixed.

What is clear regarding the latest version of Safari is simple.  It’s no Firefox.

Fortunately, the latest version of Safari displays XHTML and CSS properly.  After a recent change to Gadget’s Airstream Chronicles I received several complaints from Windows users who browse the web with Internet Explorer.  Amazingly enough, Firefox, Netscape, & Safari could read the new version of the site perfectly.  Explorer choked, and it seems it was dying on the updated Style Sheets.  Geeze, Microsoft still can’t get it right, even if industry standards comply with the updated site.   Safari on Windows does in fact display the updated site properly, so there’s a plus in Apple’s favor.
Why the big software vendors think it’s necessary to create their own browser is beyond me.   My simple suggestion to everyone out there.  Get Firefox, enjoy your web browsing experience!  Sorry Apple, sorry Mircrosoft……you’re still not getting it in the browser space, and that’s fine, there are other people who do get it.

Need to read some reviews?  Here you go:

http://blog.wired.com/cultofmac/2007/06/wwdc_safari_3_o.html 

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070612-afirst-look-safari-3-on-windows.html 

Take it from me, both Windows & Mac users:  Stick to Firefox!

Over the course of the past year I’ve gotten to talk with many readers. And I’ve heard observations on the book regarding most everything covered.

One theme has popped up several times, and I’d like to address it here. A reader recently wrote in a simple to the point observation. “You seem to have a very strong bias to Macintosh.”

The short answer is, “Yes, I do.”

I’ll always be happy to write Windows how to’s, create podcasts for Windows users as a tech demonstration, etc. But when push comes to shove, you’ll find me working on my MacBook Pro, or my IBook, not my HP Windows system.

Ah, he’s another one of those Macintosh hardcore followers. That’s got to be it. Actually, no, it’s something more than that. The truth of the matter is that the Digital RV is all about recomending technology that works for RV’ers. On the road things are very different from home. If something breaks down or is hard to use while in a remote spot, who can help you out. Normally, nobody. So, in the interest of sharing the best avaialble with readers, I always lean toward Mac now.

So, has this author always been a strong Mac proponent? No, not at all. At one time I urged people away from Macintosh and towards the Windows operating system. And there were good reasons to do so then. Now there are good reasons to move away from Windows only systems back to Mac.

In the early 90’s while in undergraduate I worked in the campus computer lab. It was a pretty even split. IBM clones, and little rectangular Macs. No strong preference at that point in time. My biggest issue in that lab was keeping the printers running near the end of each semester.

While in grad school doing my thesis on the Economics of Digital Networks I moved toward Windows. Windows NT was out. Stable system. Web servers were easy to install. Roaming packs of hackers hadn’t hit the scene quite yet. Windows was robust, memory efficient, and the software / hardware was cheap compared to Mac.

The first job out of grad school was with a small magazine / internet publisher. They had installed a Windows NT server in an office full of Macs. I got to compare the systems first hand, and Macintosh lost out in my mind. That was 1995. The Macs were memory hogs, the equipment was expensive, and the software was equally expensive. Windows NT and 95′ offered everything Mac didn’t. Cheaper hardware, better memory usage, cheap software, and lots of freeware available on the Internet. On a daily basis I urged the owners of that business to move away from Mac and to Windows 95.

In my opinion, Windows 95 & 98 were fantastic. In the early days of the Internet there was so much available for those systems. I ran Windows NT networks, worked with 95 & 98 clients, and found the operating systems to be fantastic. At the same time, it looked like Macintosh was in real trouble.

But a big shift occurred. After 98 there was ME. That was my next OS. And it was terrible. Drivers didn’t work, hardware incompatibilities cropped up, and I found myself spending more time dealing with glitches than using the Windows systems for work. If you spend 6 hours fixing the software, and 2 hours working, you’re really hurting productivity.

In 2002 my ex was having some really big troubles with her custom Dell Laptop loaded with Windows. She didn’t get what she paid for, and she’d spent well over $2500. Driver problems, video problems, and a system that served better as a paper weight than anything else. And oh yes, she was a tech professional as well.

I suggested checking into Macintosh again, as I heard the system was powered by a Unix operating system. Given her unix expertise I thought it might go well. So she picked up a Mac, and that’s when my change began. As I tinkered with her system and looked around I found it stable, easy to use, reasonable software, and found that Mac gave you everything you needed to be productive off the bat!

I bought my own system several weeks later.

5 years later I’m extremely pro Macintosh. I don’t work for them, get no income from them, but will happily advise readers to strongly consider them at their next PC purchase. Why do I continue to be so pro Mac? Here’s the list:

• They work.
• Plug & Play really is plug and play on a Mac.  In test after test while writing the Digital RV, new equipment used on the Mac took under 10 minutes to setup.  New equipment on a brand new Windows system often took much longer (sometimes into hours).
• Macs can now run a split system with Parallels, allowing you to run Mac & Windows at the same time.  If you HAVE to run Windows, you can.  Then when you want to enjoy your experience, just hop over to the Mac interface again.
• Mac includes all the software you need to be productive.  Windows, with multiple versions / levels, does not.  By the time you’re done loading software on your inexpensive laptop, you’ve surpassed a mid-range Mac setup.
• Mac is user friendly.  Period.
• 1 year on the road, 0 tech issues with my MacBook or IBook.  Several failures with my HP Windows XP system.

So, yes, there’s a Mac bias here at the Digital RV.  I’ll make no apologies.  I advise readers on what will work best for them while traveling.  My requirements are simple.  Devices need to work, add to the travel experience, take little space, do more than one thing, be easy to maintain, and not consume all of your time as you’re traveling not working in an office.  And Macintosh fits very well within my digital rv.  This Digital RVer wouldn’t have it any other way.

Does that mean I’ll never go with Windows again?  Absolutely not!  If a new stable system comes along from Windows again that meets all my requirements, I’d switch back.  So far though it seems that’s not in the cards, and Mac will remain in my Airstream for a while.

Woah! This posting should stir up a pot that I should probably let sit. But of course, I’m not going to.

Off the bat, this is not an overall “Windows vs. Mac” post, ok? I’m focusing specifically on media center software, and where the two systems stand. In the end, I always go with systems that I find stable and functional overall. Not just based on one of many features that a computer is used for. Keep that in mind as you read (you’ll need to).

In Mac World’s most recent publication, February of 2006, the writers addressed this same topic. Page 65 of the publication summed up an interesting thought when it comes to a prepackaged media center. The title of the sidebar in Mac World was, “What Apple Could Learn from Microsoft.” Ouch.

That’s not to say Macintosh won’t make a good media center. It will make a great media center. The gap between Windows and Mac is simple. Currently there are many ways to pool all of your media into one easy to manage spot with Windows, and Mac is working it’s way up to that stage. Windows has been playing with their “Media Center Edition” for a few years, Mac is just getting into it at the moment.

In particular, Mac World points out that Windows Media Center Edition has the ability to pool all of your media resources in one spot. Macintosh can handle all of your media as well, but there is no 1 single over arching program that can tie it all together. Recently Mac launched Front Row, which is a stab at developing a single media center software, but it’s not close to how Win Media Center works.

For both Mac & Windows, users can get componenets that allow you to watch and record TV, view DVD’s, play and record music, and load photography. Both systems can do that. Where Windows has an edge is the fact that with Media Center, and other 3rd party vendors like SageTV, you can pool all of your media under one umbrella program.

If you’re currently a media junkie who’s looking for a system that can manage all of your media in one spot, then right now Windows might be the system for you. If you don’t mind managing your files a bit more, Windows or Mac will work well.

Personally, I have both Windows & Mac machines. I prefer using my Macs more. I find them more secure on the Internet, and more stable. But, if you’ve read my book you’ll know, using SageTV on Windows really made me like Windows again, and it’s been a while. Sage’s software on a Windows XP system really does a lot. And I find XP more stable than Windows Media Center. So, if you are looking for Windows to be your Media Center, skip the Win Media Center Edition. Grab a machine with XP professional and get yourself SageTV instead.

For the Mac users out there, don’t worry. You can still manage all your media today. And with the improvements to EyeTV 2, you’ll find TV viewing and recording to be easier than ever. I have a sneaking suspicion that Elgato will lead the way to a true Media Center Software for Macintosh. They’re almost there now. Keep watching for Elgato’s updates this year.

Once again, in the end both platforms can handle all of your media needs. The big difference is you can setup a “One Stop Shopping” scenario on Windows, and on Mac you’ll be using several applications. Splitting hairs really, until you try out each system and see how slick a total media interface is. Still, this year we’ll see many updates for both Windows & Macintosh Media. The race is on now! Everyon is getting into audio & video. The upcoming innovations will pay off big for all Digital RV’ers, so keep watching!

After CES & Mac World’s Expo a lot of new gadgetry has come out. Before getting into the truly new, I thought I’d revisit an old favorite, Elgato’s Eye TV.

I’ve been an EyeTV user for more than a year now. It allows me to view TV on my Macintosh Laptop. It also allows recording of TV. I can connect my USB EyeTV box to any antenna feed or analog cable feed and treat my computer like I would my TV with a Tivo attached. Pretty cool. For detailed information on the how to’s of setting such a system up, check out the book for in depth information.

At Mac World Elgato launched their new software package, EyeTV2. The day of the announcement I couldn’t wait, and downloaded the new version. This time however, I had to pay $49.00 for my Elgato software, unlike the free first version of EyeTV. It seems Elgato is moving toward software manufacturing, and leaving the hardware part of the equation to other companies. I hope the new model works for them!

Once I got the license key for the new software in e-mail (it took hours to get after my purchase) I started checking it out. The interface is much improved, and worth the $49.00. Normally, to look at a TV guide you have to connect out to TitanTV via your web browser. Now there’s an integrated EPG (Electronic Program Guide). Big improvement, and something I was looking for.

TV-viewing and recording remain the same. You can select recording quality, size of file output, etc. The big changes are in the interface. Along with the new built in EPG users can also create “play lists” like ITunes. You can then organize your recordings into their own category folders. A nice feature. Additionally, now recorded show information is put right into your recording. You used to have to fill in the additional information on your own. Nice time saving feature!

On top of interface changes, Elgato also included some “bells & whistles” type features. Users have always been able to export their video to different formats for viewing with EyeTV. Now there are a few quick export buttons on the interface window. You can quickly select “Burning with Toast” to create a DVD with the Toast software (3rd party DVD software), or you can quickly export your content to the new Video IPod.

The image below shows the new “quick export” options. As you can see, users can get information on their recording, play it, “Toast it”, or send to the new IPod format. These quick buttons are definitely useful, but not a groundshaking upgrade.

Overall, the new EyeTV2 sports a great many new features that made the purchase worth while. Still, I was hoping for more. After experiencing software like SageTV while putting the book together I’ve devoloped an expectation in what I’d like to see in media management software. EyeTV 2 has gotten 65% of the way there, but SageTV (a Windows program) sports a great many more features. Given that EyeTV2’s retail price will be going up after the introductory period, and that it will be selling for the same price as Sage I hope to see some free upgrades in the coming months.

What would I like to see you ask? Well, I’d like to see the final step forward look a great deal like SageTV. That means:

• Setting Favorite Shows through the built in EPG. Not a feature in EyeTV2 yet. If you want to record the next season of 24, you’ll have to manually enter each episode in.
• Allowing the software to learn your preferences, and record shows it thinks match your interest.
• Automatically creating folders by program name. EyeTV2 allows you to create such folders, SageTV does it for you.
• Handling more media than just video recording media. SageTV offers to add your music and photos to it’s library list. Nice & convinient!

EyeTV2 is a great product, and worth the current $49.00 upgrade fee. For current EyeTV users I’d recomend getting this latest package. But after playing with Sage & Beyond TV on a Windows system while writing the book, I’m looking for more now in my Mac’s media management abilities. I think Elgato is the company that will bring that to me, so I patiently watch and wait for the next update!

It’s taken me a good part of the week to digest Mac’s latest announcements. Now that I’ve had the time necessary, I’m coming up empty. I don’t know how I feel about the new Intel based Macs.

Unlike those die hard Mac users who resisted OSX, I’m not one to hang on to the old because I’m a fanatic. I became a Mac user again in 2002 when they offered a superior operating system, OSX. The stability of the system, based on Unix, was obvious. The security, and interface were huge bonuses.

In the mid-90’s I switched form Mac to Windows. Win 95 was faster, cheaper, stronger, better. Then I switched to Mac for the same reasons in 02′. What does the processor switch do to me? Not sure.

After reading through all of Apple’s hype, Mac World’s take on it, and other blogs around the block I know several things. The new systems may or may not run your current extra software. They have a technology called Rosetta which should allow your current applications to run on the new architecture. But really system intensive programs might bog down. Gee, I bet that will affect my Adobe Creative Suite for sure.

Software makers are already getting ready with “Universal” software that will work with the new processors. That’s good. And really, if you’re buying a new machine, you might want to buy the new versions of your favorite tools anyway. Forced upgrades anyone? That’s one thing I don’t like, but we’ve all seen it often.

My bottom line. If the processor switch does not affect the stability and security of OSX then I’m not going to complain (much). I’m also not running out and getting a new IMac or latop tomorrow either. Patience on this issue. I’ve got my trusty G4 IBook, and my G5 box.

One thing I haven’t seen much on…..what’s going to happen to the G4’s & G5’s??? Anyone have a guess?

While at the Apple Store yesterday I came across the iGo everywhere130. This product is exactly what I’ve been looking for. I’m always looking for ways to cut down on what I carry along in my RV, and the iGo fits the bill.

The iGo is a power supply that will work with AC, DC, and Airplane power. In addition, it has plug adapters for most laptop manufacturers out there today! Finally, this model offers dual power. That means while you’re powering your laptop, you can also power a smaller digital device! Pretty slick!

The unit I picked up came with an IPod power adapter. But in addition to the IPod, the iGo can power many other small digital devices. It comes with adapters for many laptops, and the IPod, but other device plugs will cost you extra. Fortunately iGo will be happy to sell you adapters for almost anything.

With this one power supply I can now cut my mobile phone’s power supply out, the IPod power supply, my Canon’s charger, and probably a few other things I haven’t thought of yet. And with the laptop plugs I now have 1 power supply that can handle my Mac & HP when I’m boondocking and need to charge from DC. Looks like my little inverter will have a lot less to do! Maybe it can even stay home.

The unit lists for $149.00, however I purchased it for less. Shop the web before buying, because I’m sure you’ll find a lower price. To visit iGo click here. If you’d like to see the specific model I just picked up, click here.