dvd

Do you burn CDs or DVDs and then scribble the contents on the jewel case label, perhaps legibly? Why not print a custom label instead? It's easy with Auto DVD Labeler from Johnny Owl. Using it, you can easily create and print custom jewel case labels for your CDs and DVDs. It can retrieve cover art and other information from Amazon.com, or you can substitute your own images and text, change the fonts and aspect ratio, and more.

As the developer states, you should have a printer installed on your system to avoid "Printer error" messages. … Read more

Why go admire the exoskeleton worn by Tony Stark--played by Robert Downey, Jr.--in the "Iron Man" movies when you could wear a real-life version reminiscent of the films' special suit yourself?

That's the proposition being put forward by defense contractor Raytheon Sarcos, which today unveiled imagery of its XOS 2 wearable exoskeleton, a suit it says could allow the wearer to lift 200 pounds hundreds of times without getting fatigued, or to maintain superhuman levels of strength, agility, and endurance.

The XOS 2 is made with a wide variety of controllers, sensors, and actuators.

The suit, … Read more

Facebook "liking" is the new coupon code. In recent months I've seen lots of offers for free or discounted goodies in exchange for liking a company. Do I feel a little icky about pimping those companies to my FB friends? Sometimes. Do I like free stuff even more? You know it!

From now until Sept. 25, Facebook users can get Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate 5.4.2 free just by liking Wondershare. The program normally sells for $65.95.

Video Converter Ultimate lives up to its name by converting just about any video format to just about … Read more

The CD is fast approaching its 30th anniversary, and it's looking a bit tired. Funny, the LP is more than twice as old and its resurgence is ongoing. Not just among oldsters playing records they bought decades ago; a fair percentage of young bands are releasing new vinyl pressings.

CD box sets and remastered CDs, like the Beatles catalog that came out in 2009, still sell in big numbers. I remember when the CD was introduced, the media predicted the LP would be gone in just a few years. Now it's starting to look like the LP will … Read more

Most optical discs are a standard 12cm in diameter, are round, and besides some potential manufacturing incompatibilities with certain optical drives, are expected to load and be recognized in most systems. Despite this, some companies will distribute device drivers or other content on mini or oddly shaped optical discs.

While the novelty of nonstandard discs is fun, it does pose a problem for many systems that cannot read them. While there is no difference in the way the discs are read, the odd shapes will get them stuck in many slot-loading drives seen in MacBooks, MacBook Pros, Mac Minis, and … Read more

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed from our readers. This week we have questions on extending wireless networks with AirPort Express devices, new Macs not booting to a retail upgrade DVD for Snow Leopard, QuickTime not able to play some media files, and changing from the less secure WEP wireless security scheme to WPA or WPA2.

Question: Extending wireless networks with an AirPort express

MacFixIt reader "Mark" asks:

How can I get my Airport Express to act as a bridge (extend my Wi-Fi signal)? I only have a 2Wire (WEP password) router, and … Read more

I've taken my iPad on a few road trips this summer, and I can say without reservation that it absolutely rocks for watching movies.

Of course, I'm not about to pay iTunes' ridiculous prices to watch movies and TV shows I already own on DVD. Instead, I'll just rip those discs to an iPad-friendly format.

If you're interested in doing likewise, check out Daniusoft's DVD to iPad Converter. Normally $29.95, it's available for free when you "like" Daniusoft on Facebook.

The software works like most other DVD rippers I've used. … Read more

Freemake Video Converter promises to be to Windows users what Handbrake is to Mac users. This free app is built using Microsoft's .NET Framework 4, which is a programming model that allows developers to provide software with interfaces that are easy to use and visually-appealing. Certainly, both are true when it comes to Freemake, which offers a Mac-like window with rounded edges and large, explicit function buttons.

Downloading and installing Freemake Video Converter is a painless process, and the app takes up a moderate amount of space (30MB) on your hard drive. As noted, the main window is very … Read more

There are numerous instances of things going wrong when installing new programs, especially if the program requires a more in-depth installation than a simple drag and drop to the Applications folder. Sometimes missing or corrupt system components will not properly check out with the installation utility, or you may be using a package that is not built for your computer's architecture (running PPC or Intel-only applications on the opposite platform). Other times, however, the problems people experience are not caused by the operating system or application software at all.

We were contacted by a new iMac owner "Allan&… Read more