Computer Helpers
Firefox/Thunderbird
Sound & Video

Sound & Video Computer Helpers from Boreham Library

These sites and services have been found useful or been recommended. This is not an endorsement or guarantee of safety. Sites, software and services subject to change without notice.

Definitions:

  • Shareware is software offered free only for a limited time or with limited functions, which should be paid for and licensed later; try before you buy.
  • Freeware is software offered with no payment requirement (although sometimes donations and/or feedback are appreciated).

Index to Sound & Video Computer Helpers

Advice here comes from a number of sources, including Gizmo's Tech Support Alert email newsletter, Windows Secrets email newsletter, Smart Computing magazine, and RSS feeds from Lockergnome, The Internet Patrol, Lifehacker, Robin Good, Infopackets Windows Technology News.

Music Software & Links

  • Pandora

    Pandora is a great way to try out new music, based on what you've liked in the past. The Music Genome Project classifies music by a variety of parameters, and then compares what you tell it you like to other music that has similar parameters. You "train" Pandora by accepting or rejecting what it finds. Rather like "computer dating" for music, the system can find new music along with your favorites, and open you up to new groups and artists. You can also divide your likes into certain types of music ("Stations"), so if you want to listen to vocals, or instrumentals, or jazz, or classical, you can set up what you like in your custom "station" group, and choose your preference for the moment (for example, you might not want to listen to rap while trying to type a research paper!).

    OpenPandora Open Pandora is a Windows desktop front end for the Pandora music scheme. Features include: hide to tray; popup tray notification balloon; full control from tray icon; control with multimedia keyboard; global shortcuts; mini Player; integration with Last.fm; integration with Microsoft Messenger; integration with Xfire; lyrics, and more. (recommended infopackets newsletter)

    Lifehacker has 15 Ways to Get More Out of Pandora, with add-ons, tips, and links to software.

  • Real Alternative is another way to play Real Media/Real Player files. Recommended by Smart Computing, January 2007.

  • TrakAx "TrakAx empowers you to create professional music and video mixes in an easy-to-use and fun environment. Whether you are creating a music track for your MySpace page or a video for YouTube, TrakAxPC is the most powerful FREE application on the web." Has trakPacks by sound types and instruments. [Note: this was not tried by the recommending eletter; use at your own risk.]



.avi files - adding a codec to Windows Media Player

This link is from Microsoft, but it is NOT guaranteed by them. The codec for .avi files is XVID MPEG-4 (also called xvid). This is a plugin to be installed in Microsoft Media Player to allow you to see as well as hear .avi files.