Freemake offers free program for video converting – developed as alternative to popular paid software. “Free, easy and of high quality” are the fundamental principles of Freemake.

View full post on FileHippo.com

Any Video Converter is an All-in-One video converting tool with easy-to-use graphical interface, fast converting speed and excellent video quality. It allows you to effortlessly convert video files between every format! It can convert almost all video formats including DivX, XviD, MOV, rm, rmvb, MPEG, VOB, DVD, WMV, AVI to MPEG-4 movie format for i…

View full post on FileHippo.com

In my humble and cautious opinion, there are two things that you should never put automated software in control of when you’re using a Windows system: your drivers and your registry. Now, there are a whole slew of solutions for you if you’d like to go down that route, but if you’re an experienced user then I’d simply not recommend it. It can lead to system instability and some major problems. I’ve experienced it firsthand and it’s not fun.

Hunting for device drivers isn’t such a task anymore, anyway. Most of your Windows drivers will never need to be touched right out of the box. Your video card is in its own sacred territory though. Video card drivers are updated more frequently than, for example, your network card’s drivers. Updating your video card drivers can show a huge performance boost across your system, as well. Keeping these drivers up to date is quite essential if you’re a gamer.

If you’re buying a new Windows PC today, your graphics card will manufactured by one of two companies: NVIDIA or AMD. Having such a limited choice really lends toward making updating the drivers a very painless experience. So painless that both websites happen to have automated resources that will (probably) allow you to make updating your video card drivers as simple as a few clicks.

Finding Your Video Card Card Model

Step one is actually figuring out what we’re looking for. Let’s start by going to your Control Panel and then to Device Manager.

From there, you’d going to want to click on the Display adapters header to expand the tree.

From here, it should be easy to see what your video card is. As you can see, I have the ATI Radeon HD 3200, ATI being owned by AMD.

Let’s just call this next step a shortcut. Right click on the name of your video card and click Update Driver Software…. It should bring up the following.

The first option, displayed there, is what you want to click to automatically search online for driver updates. If it finds updated, awesome. Go ahead and follow through to install them. If not, you’ll get the following message.

However, in respect to that note about not trusting automated software earlier, we aren’t going to listen to Windows. Windows could be wrong. So, now that we’ve figured out what kind of video card you have, let’s proceed on our quest.

NVIDIA Cards

NVIDIAers can simply click this link: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

You’ll then see the following near the bottom.

Option 2 is what you’ll want to go for here. I’d recommend using Internet Explorer while running this automated check because it tends to handle ActiveX and browser plugins a little better than most browsers (surprisingly). It may prompt you to install an ActiveX control or bring up a software installation prompt. Go through with it. It’s safe. Afterwards, you’ll either be presented with a screen telling you that you need updated drivers or that your drivers are up to date, or that the automated check failed.

If the automated check failed, I strongly recommend you go back and wade through Option 1, manually selecting your card to update.

AMD Cards

If you’re using an AMD/ATI GPU, you want to go here: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx

From there, you want to try to Automatically Detect and Install (to the right side). Again, be on Internet Explorer while you do this. Feel safe to install and run any prompts that come up during the process because browser plugins are required to know what card you’re using. If it is successful, you’ll be told your card is up to date or that it needs updated, otherwise it’ll tell you that the scan could not be completed.

In the event that the scan fails, go back and follow their five-step process to pinpoint your exact video card drivers. This is the safest way to go about the update.

One thing I’ll never recommend is that you go about using automated software like SlimDrivers or Driver Magician. Even in the best of faith, these programs don’t know your system as well as you do. In worse cases, these programs are filled with spyware and adware that can really damage your system.
I’d like to recommend that you not just Google updates for your drivers either. Get them directly from the manufacturer as I’ve laid out for you. It’s not smart to trust updates from that-one-official-driver-site.com, you know?

Good luck in refreshing the visuals of your system and if you encounter any issues, shoot me a comment here.

View full post on MakeUseOf

In my humble and cautious opinion, there are two things that you should never put automated software in control of when you’re using a Windows system: your drivers and your registry. Now, there are a whole slew of solutions for you if you’d like to go down that route, but if you’re an experienced user then I’d simply not recommend it. It can lead to system instability and some major problems. I’ve experienced it firsthand and it’s not fun.

Hunting for device drivers isn’t such a task anymore, anyway. Most of your Windows drivers will never need to be touched right out of the box. Your video card is in its own sacred territory though. Video card drivers are updated more frequently than, for example, your network card’s drivers. Updating your video card drivers can show a huge performance boost across your system, as well. Keeping these drivers up to date is quite essential if you’re a gamer.

If you’re buying a new Windows PC today, your graphics card will manufactured by one of two companies: NVIDIA or AMD. Having such a limited choice really lends toward making updating the drivers a very painless experience. So painless that both websites happen to have automated resources that will (probably) allow you to make updating your video card drivers as simple as a few clicks.

Finding Your Video Card Card Model

Step one is actually figuring out what we’re looking for. Let’s start by going to your Control Panel and then to Device Manager.

From there, you’d going to want to click on the Display adapters header to expand the tree.

From here, it should be easy to see what your video card is. As you can see, I have the ATI Radeon HD 3200, ATI being owned by AMD.

Let’s just call this next step a shortcut. Right click on the name of your video card and click Update Driver Software…. It should bring up the following.

The first option, displayed there, is what you want to click to automatically search online for driver updates. If it finds updated, awesome. Go ahead and follow through to install them. If not, you’ll get the following message.

However, in respect to that note about not trusting automated software earlier, we aren’t going to listen to Windows. Windows could be wrong. So, now that we’ve figured out what kind of video card you have, let’s proceed on our quest.

NVIDIA Cards

NVIDIAers can simply click this link: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

You’ll then see the following near the bottom.

Option 2 is what you’ll want to go for here. I’d recommend using Internet Explorer while running this automated check because it tends to handle ActiveX and browser plugins a little better than most browsers (surprisingly). It may prompt you to install an ActiveX control or bring up a software installation prompt. Go through with it. It’s safe. Afterwards, you’ll either be presented with a screen telling you that you need updated drivers or that your drivers are up to date, or that the automated check failed.

If the automated check failed, I strongly recommend you go back and wade through Option 1, manually selecting your card to update.

AMD Cards

If you’re using an AMD/ATI GPU, you want to go here: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx

From there, you want to try to Automatically Detect and Install (to the right side). Again, be on Internet Explorer while you do this. Feel safe to install and run any prompts that come up during the process because browser plugins are required to know what card you’re using. If it is successful, you’ll be told your card is up to date or that it needs updated, otherwise it’ll tell you that the scan could not be completed.

In the event that the scan fails, go back and follow their five-step process to pinpoint your exact video card drivers. This is the safest way to go about the update.

One thing I’ll never recommend is that you go about using automated software like SlimDrivers or Driver Magician. Even in the best of faith, these programs don’t know your system as well as you do. In worse cases, these programs are filled with spyware and adware that can really damage your system.
I’d like to recommend that you not just Google updates for your drivers either. Get them directly from the manufacturer as I’ve laid out for you. It’s not smart to trust updates from that-one-official-driver-site.com, you know?

Good luck in refreshing the visuals of your system and if you encounter any issues, shoot me a comment here.

View full post on MakeUseOf

In my humble and cautious opinion, there are two things that you should never put automated software in control of when you’re using a Windows system: your drivers and your registry. Now, there are a whole slew of solutions for you if you’d like to go down that route, but if you’re an experienced user then I’d simply not recommend it. It can lead to system instability and some major problems. I’ve experienced it firsthand and it’s not fun.

Hunting for device drivers isn’t such a task anymore, anyway. Most of your Windows drivers will never need to be touched right out of the box. Your video card is in its own sacred territory though. Video card drivers are updated more frequently than, for example, your network card’s drivers. Updating your video card drivers can show a huge performance boost across your system, as well. Keeping these drivers up to date is quite essential if you’re a gamer.

If you’re buying a new Windows PC today, your graphics card will manufactured by one of two companies: NVIDIA or AMD. Having such a limited choice really lends toward making updating the drivers a very painless experience. So painless that both websites happen to have automated resources that will (probably) allow you to make updating your video card drivers as simple as a few clicks.

Finding Your Video Card Card Model

Step one is actually figuring out what we’re looking for. Let’s start by going to your Control Panel and then to Device Manager.

From there, you’d going to want to click on the Display adapters header to expand the tree.

From here, it should be easy to see what your video card is. As you can see, I have the ATI Radeon HD 3200, ATI being owned by AMD.

Let’s just call this next step a shortcut. Right click on the name of your video card and click Update Driver Software…. It should bring up the following.

The first option, displayed there, is what you want to click to automatically search online for driver updates. If it finds updated, awesome. Go ahead and follow through to install them. If not, you’ll get the following message.

However, in respect to that note about not trusting automated software earlier, we aren’t going to listen to Windows. Windows could be wrong. So, now that we’ve figured out what kind of video card you have, let’s proceed on our quest.

NVIDIA Cards

NVIDIAers can simply click this link: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

You’ll then see the following near the bottom.

Option 2 is what you’ll want to go for here. I’d recommend using Internet Explorer while running this automated check because it tends to handle ActiveX and browser plugins a little better than most browsers (surprisingly). It may prompt you to install an ActiveX control or bring up a software installation prompt. Go through with it. It’s safe. Afterwards, you’ll either be presented with a screen telling you that you need updated drivers or that your drivers are up to date, or that the automated check failed.

If the automated check failed, I strongly recommend you go back and wade through Option 1, manually selecting your card to update.

AMD Cards

If you’re using an AMD/ATI GPU, you want to go here: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx

From there, you want to try to Automatically Detect and Install (to the right side). Again, be on Internet Explorer while you do this. Feel safe to install and run any prompts that come up during the process because browser plugins are required to know what card you’re using. If it is successful, you’ll be told your card is up to date or that it needs updated, otherwise it’ll tell you that the scan could not be completed.

In the event that the scan fails, go back and follow their five-step process to pinpoint your exact video card drivers. This is the safest way to go about the update.

One thing I’ll never recommend is that you go about using automated software like SlimDrivers or Driver Magician. Even in the best of faith, these programs don’t know your system as well as you do. In worse cases, these programs are filled with spyware and adware that can really damage your system.
I’d like to recommend that you not just Google updates for your drivers either. Get them directly from the manufacturer as I’ve laid out for you. It’s not smart to trust updates from that-one-official-driver-site.com, you know?

Good luck in refreshing the visuals of your system and if you encounter any issues, shoot me a comment here.

View full post on MakeUseOf

Freemake offers free program for video converting – developed as alternative to popular paid software. “Free, easy and of high quality” are the fundamental principles of Freemake.

View full post on FileHippo.com

Freemake offers free program for video converting – developed as alternative to popular paid software. “Free, easy and of high quality” are the fundamental principles of Freemake.

View full post on FileHippo.com

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/camera.jpg?323f2c" alt="" />As a title="YouTube Launches YouTube For Schools, Features Safe & Educational Content Only [News]" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/youtube-launches-youtube-schools-features-safe-educational-content-news/">video production student, I still don’t know title="Greenlight Your Indie Flick With These 3 Sites" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/greenlight-indie-flick-3-sites/">what direction I’m going in. I don’t know if I want to make music videos, and I don’t know if I want to make documentaries. I could be doing corporate video, or I could be operating a TV camera at a football game (fortunately, I’ve already gained some experience in each of these).

So when I’m feeling frantic and disoriented in life, I go to the Internet to gain insight on what people are doing with their video careers. But instead of title="Check Out 3 DIY Video Series For Professional Tips On Video-Making" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-diy-video-series-protips-videomaking/">hogging all this information to myself, I thought I’d share it with you. Check out these four online video communities, and try to learn something!

href="http://www.dvxuser.com">DVXUser

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/dvxuser.png?323f2c" alt="" width="580" height="145" />

The DVX User forums seem pretty awesome. I found them via a tip from title="Why Reddit Isn’t As Bad As Some People Would Make You Believe [Opinion]" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/reddit-bad-people-opinion/">Reddit, and I was quite pleased upon my arrival. This site features discussion about everything you can think of video-wise, including cams, software, techniques, festivals, and more. As a matter of fact, the forums helped me decide on a replacement for my recently broken camera, so I’m very grateful to the site.

Another cool thing about DVX User is simply the ability to share your work on the site. The site provides plenty of online fests and sections to put your stuff out there, so take advantage of it! Also, if you want to pump up your skills, check out the forum’s Film School.

href="http://www.reddit.com/r/videography">r/Videography

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/redditvideography.png?323f2c" alt="" width="580" height="145" />

Moving right along, r/Videography is actually the subreddit that I discovered DVXUser in. After posting an inquiry about my potential replacement camera, I received a variety of responses each detailing information on the camera (and maybe one that was absolutely irrelevant). Basically, this is one of the better subreddits on Reddit, and it is a very friendly community.

What I like about the Reddit format rather than the forum format is that you can post any topic, and the most popular ones get voted to the top. With r/Videography, you get a smorgasbord of video-related topics, and it semi-constantly changes. Albeit a slower-updating title="5 Ways To Find The Best Obscure Subreddits On Reddit" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-ways-find-obscure-subreddits-reddit/">subreddit, the community is very active and willing to help or critique your skills.

href="http://www.creativecow.net">Creative Cow

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/creativecow.png?323f2c" alt="" width="580" height="145" />

I’ve lurked on Creative Cow a little bit, but I will be the first to admit that I’m not an avid user of it. However, if I have ever had a video-related question on my mind or inquiry, I’ve ended up on CC before Googling it. Furthermore, based on what I’ve seen, it’s an authoritative website, so you should use it.

Creative Cow is bent on being a community for creativity in general, and it focuses on drawing many individuals and their personal resources together. Along with the basic forums offered, it brings title="How To Make Wrinkled Paper In Photoshop" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/wrinkled-paper-photoshop/">lots of tutorials to the table covering all the major media editors and techniques. This site is fairly well-known, and although I’ve not been a regular visitor, you can rest assured that I will be changing that.

href="http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/">Videomaker Forums

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/videomaker.png?323f2c" alt="" width="580" height="145" />

Back when I was in high school, I received a lot of support by an older mentor who helped me become more active in videomaking. He even went as far as to give me his copies of Videomaker magazine whenever he was finished looking through them (or even before he looked through them at all), and thus, my interest in video soared.

Seeing how interesting Videomaker magazine is, I ventured into the depths of the Internet and discovered that they actually have forums. With that being said, you can assume that the folks that read the magazine are likely to be pretty involved with their field, and those same folks use the title="9 Online Communities To Enhance Your Minecraft Game Experience" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/9-online-communities-enhance-minecraft-game-experience/">forums. I’d suggest going to Videomaker’s forums and getting involved, because the community (and the site itself) offers a wealth of information that you should know if you want to get into video.

Conclusion

So there you go, my fellow video buffs. These are just a few of the many sites out there that you can use to polish your video knowledge, so have some fun.  Let us know in the comments if you swear by another site.

By the way, I know there has to be a lot more of you out there who get into this videomaking nonsense. Do us all a favor and leave us a comment with some of your favorite websites for tips, tutorials, and communities. Also, what kinds of stuff have you found using the sites mentioned here?

Image Credit: href="http://morguefile.com/archive/display/62277" rel="nofollow">clarita

View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/gaming.jpg?323f2c" alt="video game antagonists" /> href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-favorite-video-game-protagonists-time-muo-gaming/">Last week on MUO Gaming, I talked about my favorite video game protagonists. After all, everyone loves the guy. Still, there is something to be said for a great villain in a game. They give the good guy a reason to be good. A well done villain can make you hate them so much that it gives you a reason to want to keep playing the game. Sometime you don’t hate the villain, but their character is so well portrayed that you want to find out what happens to them just as much as the protagonist.

Some games have an antagonist that is so good that it actually overshadows the protagonist. Some are so powerful they rival the villains in any movie out there today. A good villain is so important in a game. Games can be hard, and as gamers, sometimes we need a little motivation to push us through and make us want to beat the game. A strong antagonist can do just that. These are, in my opinion, the three best bad guys from any video (if you have not played these games, there will most likely be spoilers ahead).

The Joker From Arkham Asylum

The Joker is crazy. I think at this point that is well-known, and I can say that without spoiling anything. Joker has been played by all kinds of people including Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson. In this game, Mark Hamill, who you may know as Luke Skywalker and the voice of The Joker in Batman the animated series absolutely kills this role.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Joker1-e1323966062999.jpg?323f2c" alt="video game antagonists" width="580" height="325" />

While playing through Arkham Asylum there is a real sense of insanity that The Joker emits. Throughout the whole game, you get the feeling that this man is absolutely sick. The scenes with The Joker and Harley Quinn are truly something to behold.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/joker2-e1323966091629.jpg?323f2c" alt="best video game antagonists" width="580" height="348" />

Honestly, it is hard to say that Joker is not one of the best villains ever, regardless of medium. I will go on record here and say that the portrayal of The Joker in this game is the second best Joker in history, right behind Heath Ledger’s in The Dark Knight. If you have not played Arkham Asylum, than you need to. Seriously, go play it right this minute.

GlaDOS from Portal

GlaDOS is without question one of the best villains in video games. She may only be an artificial intelligence, but that does not stop her from being positively awesome as an antagonist. In Portal, GlaDOS is the only thing with which you interact. There are no supporting characters, so she literally has to carry the entire narrative of the game herself. That is no small feat, and she handles it masterfully.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/glados1-e1323966245312.jpg?323f2c" alt="best video game antagonists" width="580" height="361" />

She starts the game as your friendly AI companion, but as the game progresses, you start to realize that something a little more malicious is taking place here. It starts to seem that your cheery companion might be up to something, and obviously, this is a correct assumption.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Glados2-e1323966292104.jpg?323f2c" alt="best video game antagonists" width="580" height="464" />

The song at the end of the Portal is one of the best songs ever recorded in video games. Honestly, if you played through Portal, there is no way you could ever forget just how amazing GlaDOS is.

Saren from Mass Effect

This might seem like an odd choice, with characters like Bowser, Revolver Ocelot and Gannon out there, but Saren feels downright evil. The very first encounter with Saren in Mass Effect has him shooting his old friend in the back of the head, awakening an ancient Prothean power, trying to blow up an entire colony of people and flying off in one of the most evil-looking spaceships I have ever seen. If that is not the early makings of a bad person, then I do not know what is.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/saren2.jpg?323f2c" alt="game antagonist" width="500" height="281" />

As the game progresses, we come to find that the ship Saren is using is not actually a ship at all. It is actually a Reaper, an alien being with the power to destroy the universe. Saren takes a twist at this point. The Reaper has actually taken control of Saren’s mind. This gives gamers the impression that Saren might not be that bad a person. This is what makes him such a solid character. His actions in the game are positively reprehensible. However, if he isn’t in control of his actions, can we really blame him?

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/saren1-e1323966373706.jpeg?323f2c" alt="video game antagonists" width="580" height="326" />

Saren brings Mass Effect to a higher level. His evilness is something to behold, and when we find out that he is not in control of himself, it elevates the plot of Mass Effect higher than it already was. He is a great villain, and one of the reasons Mass Effect is such a highly regarded franchise.

Conclusion

I realize these villains are all in newer games. Simply, if you compare apples to apples, it’s really impossible for villains in older games to have the same depth as one in a new game. I’m not looking at what is best for their time. I’m looking for which villains had the greatest effect on me.

As you can see from these villains, they are bad, and I want to hate them, but it is hard to. The characters are so well acted and written that it is impossible to hate them, no matter how many terrible things they do.

Without bad guys, there would be no reason to have good guys. Without good guys, there would be no reason to have video games. Therefore, I nominate today Villain Appreciation Day. Your job is to let us know in the comments what video game villains you love to hate.

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href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-favorite-video-game-protagonists-time-muo-gaming/" rel="bookmark"> width="125" height="125" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/gaming-150x150.jpg?323f2c" class="with-border wp-post-image" alt="static gaming" title="static gaming" style="width:125px;height:125px;" /> class="title">My 3 Favorite Video Game Protagonists Of All Time [MUO Gaming]

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-free-scifi-strategy-games-pc-gaming/" rel="bookmark"> width="125" height="125" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/battleshipthumb-150x150.jpg?323f2c" class="with-border wp-post-image" alt="battleshipthumb" title="battleshipthumb" style="width:125px;height:125px;" /> class="title">3 Free Sci-Fi Strategy Games For PC [Gaming]

View full post on MakeUseOf

Freemake offers free program for video converting – developed as alternative to popular paid software. “Free, easy and of high quality” are the fundamental principles of Freemake.

View full post on FileHippo.com

Any Video Converter is an All-in-One video converting tool with easy-to-use graphical interface, fast converting speed and excellent video quality. It allows you to effortlessly convert video files between every format! It can convert almost all video formats including DivX, XviD, MOV, rm, rmvb, MPEG, VOB, DVD, WMV, AVI to MPEG-4 movie format for i…

View full post on FileHippo.com

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/intro_megaman_8bit.jpg" alt="video game music" />Chiptune is a fairly broad term used to describe music that has been programmed to play on old, often 8bit sound chips from days of yore. The term can also refer to modern examples of video game music, with artists like Anamanaguchi rocketing to fame complete with href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/visual-boy-advance-game-boy-advance-emulator-multiple-platforms-windows-mac-linux/">Game Boys in hand.

Much like MIDI files, chiptune tracks are often just sets of instructions that tell the chip what to do and when to do it. Purists will always tell you to listen to the track on original hardware, though it’s unlikely everyone has a href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/7-great-crossplatform-emulators-5-classic-computer-platforms/">Commodore 64 or Amiga 1200 just lying around (guilty parties, raise your hands).

Here are some of the very best tools, resources and other websites to immerse yourself in the bleep-boop world of chiptune.

Chips ‘n’ Dip

In order to enjoy the unbelievable amount of chiptune music that has made it onto the world wide web over the years you’ll either be needing the original hardware and programs required for playback (for the seriously dedicated) or some href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/emulation/">emulation software to do the job for you.

style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"> width="500" height="375" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SAnFLgThTgo?fs=1&feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>

Many mainstream media players such as href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/itunes">iTunes and Windows Media Player are not suitable for chiptune files as there are many exotic filetypes associated with this kind of music. href="http://support.xmplay.com/index.php">XMPlay is probably one of the finest examples for Windows users, and even users running Linux should have some href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-about-some-wine-with-your-linux/">success using Wine.

It supports a large number of formats including various chiptune filetypes, and more plugins (for greater compatibility) and skins are available at href="http://www.un4seen.com/">Un4seen Developments. Users who fancy an alternative can also turn to href="http://www.chipamp.org/">Chipamp which is a chiptune plugin pack for Winamp, again suitable for Windows users.

style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"> width="500" height="375" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yJ4CaHqR4XI?fs=1&feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>

Mac OS X and Linux (also Windows) users will have some success with href="http://www.bannister.org/software/ao.htm">Audio Overload, a tool designed specifically to emulate vintage sound chips from old computers. Whilst it doesn’t play everything it certainly covers a lot of the bases. If you’re interested in playing music from href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/play-arcade-games-pc">old arcade ROMs then the same author has produced a tool for the job href="http://www.bannister.org/software/m1.htm">called M1. For that all-important .XM file support on Mac or UNIX based systems then href="http://mikmod.raphnet.net/">MikMod does the job too.

The Music

Some of the songs featured on the websites below are in MP3 or streamable Flash form, so even if you don’t fancy grabbing specialist software you’ll at least be able to enjoy a few bleeps and boops!

href="http://www.chiptune.com/">Chiptune.com

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Not only is Chiptune.com one of the greatest resources for all manner of retro sounds, but the website has been designed to imitate Workbench, the original AmigaOS. The result is a faithful and nostalgic interface that boots and behaves like a real Amiga.

The music is stored within the Chipbench 1.3 folder, and by far the most efficient way of browsing or downloading whole collections is via the FTP link (unless you’re a fan of closing a lot of windows all of the time).

Even if you don’t download anything this website is worth a poke around for old time’s sake.

href="https://8bc.org/">8bitcollective

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Who said chiptune was dead? Not me, for I have seen 8bitcollective – a site dedicated to creating, discussing and sharing electronic noises. The music provided on this site appears to be MP3 only, so you can stream each song before deciding whether you want the free download or not.

It may disappoint some that original filetypes are not available, though don’t despair – there’s a lot of music available and all of it is completely free. I’d hazard a guess that much of the music found on 8bitcollective is fairly recent, though that’s not to say retro equipment or samples haven’t been used.

href="http://www.8bitpeoples.com/">8bitpeoples

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This collective formed in 1999 through their shared passion for video game music and an urge to bring chiptune to the masses, for free. The href="http://www.8bitpeoples.com/discography">discography page is where the treasure can be found and features music from various artists still producing this type of music today.

The website is regularly updated with news and new material, so check it out for 8bit happenings where you are in the world. The group are responsible for gigs and events around the globe and are currently preparing for the Australian Blip Festival in February 2012.

href="http://modarchive.org/index.php?query=54&request=search&search_type=genre">The MOD Archive – Chiptune

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Nearly 2,000 separate entries make up this rather untidy list of chiptune downloads that mostly come in .XM format. There are also thousands of other files that make up The MOD Archive’s swelling archive of downloadable music, so check it out and see what you can find.

One thing that’s particularly nice about this site is that each download page offers up suggested software for listening to your chosen tune.

href="http://chiptunes.back2roots.org/">chiptunes.back2roots.org

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Another fairly old website that features thousands of files to peruse and download. Alternatively you can simply download the lot in a click (the entire MOD archive comes in at 76.5MB, with an additional 5.5MB of Adlib files and 6.3MB of the YM variety).

Other Resources

The following sites aren’t repositories of files or chiptune-dedicated sites but might aid you in your search for warm fuzzy noises.

href="http://www.kohina.com/">Kohina (Radio)

Kohina is a simple radio station that serves up retro video game music 24/7. Prepare to play spot-the-tune as you encounter genuine sounds from some very old games!

href="http://www.di.fm/chiptunes/index.php">Digitally Imported – Chiptunes (Radio)

Digitally Imported, or DI.fm as it is more commonly known, is easily one of the best online radio services on the web. Now you can chiptune whenever you want, simply by tuning in to their “Chiptunes” radio station. If you really love the service you can go premium for higher bitrates.

href="http://soundcloud.com/tags/chiptune">SoundCloud – tags/chiptune

SoundCloud is a fantastic resource for streaming video game music from a wealth of devices. Why not stumble around the chiptune tag to see if there’s anyone worth following?

Conclusion

There are literally thousands of files here for your perusal – some tagged, some just arbitrary strings of numbers and letters, so I’m not exaggerating when I say if you like chiptune you’ve struck gold with these websites. If you do discover any awesome tunes then don’t hesitate in sharing them with us, below.

Do you like chiptune? Any favourite websites? Any favourite artists or songs? Have an 8bit party in the comments!

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/gaming.jpg" alt="kids video games" />Video games make an excellent hobby. Sure, they are a little expensive, but if you compare the amount of time spent with a video game to the amount of time spent watching a movie at the theater, it is actually incredible value. What if you want to get your kids into gaming but don’t want to send them off playing on their own? Fear not, because so many video games are enjoyable for kids and parents to play together.

The hardest part about finding a game to play with your kids is that most kid’s video games are not even remotely fun for adults. Most of them are either too simple, too cheesy and, in many cases, just downright bad. On the other side are the games such as Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty, which are games filled with violence that most parents do not want their kids to see. The key is finding one that is safe and friendly for kids, and fun for adults.

New Super Mario Brothers Wii

This game is one of the best games for a parent to play with their child. What makes Mario such a smart choice is that most parents will enjoy it, with or without their children. Every gamer has an affinity for Mario, and being able to share that with the next generation is something special. It is a way to pass down one of the classics.

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Mechanically, this game is perfect for adults and children to play together. Nintendo implemented a system where death in the game causes the character to float in a bubble. This way, if the child is struggling to make a jump or complete a section, they can float along in their little bubble while the adult keeps moving forward. This gets the kids involved in the game without them holding the parent back.

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Mario has never been a violent game, and that continues here. Of course, you are jumping on enemies heads, but this is always done in a cute and funny way. It never feels or looks like you are actually killing the bad people.

Rock Band

Rock Band might seem like an odd choice when you see people out there who are super hard-core about getting perfect scores on every song. However, Rock Band has a no fail mode, which is perfect for young kids. Parents can play the songs and try to put up the best score possible and kids can wail away and do whatever they want, all while still feeling like a rock star.

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As the kids get a little older, they will start to settle in and actually try to play the songs. Rock Band is incredible for dexterity and it is an active video game experience. On top of being fun for adults and kids, it may also lead kids to a love of music, and perhaps, make them want to play a real instrument.

Wii Sports

Wii Sports is the game that launched the Wii into the sales giant it is today, and much of this is because it’s a game the whole family can play. Kids and adults can enjoy the game, and they can enjoy it together. Not only can kids have fun playing Wii Sports with their parents, in some cases, they can even beat their parents.

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The controls are easy to understand in Wii Sports. To throw a bowling ball, you make a bowling motion with the Wiimote, to hit a baseball, you swing the remote like a bat and so on. It is intuitive, and it makes sense for both kids and adults.

Dance Central

Everyone understands dancing at the most basic level. It seems like as soon as kids start to walk, they start to dance. Just moving around is well and good, but using that for a purpose is where a game like Dance Central comes in. This game may not be as easy for little kids as something like Wii Sports, but it is not exactly the most challenging game ever.

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There is a no fail mode in Dance Central, so if your child just wants to move along to the beat, they can go to town. You, as the adult, can still try to do the movements accurately while your kids go nuts and have a blast doing whatever they please. Like Rock Band, it is a fantastic game to get your kids into music. It will also slowly ease them into games that are a little more challenging.

Conclusion

There are many amazing kid’s video games, and these are just some of the games where kids and adults can have fun together. Over time, you can use these games to transition them into more “hard-core” games. Obviously, you need to wait until you feel they are old enough to handle some of the other things that come along with those games like violence and sexual themes. In the end, games can be a tremendous way for parents and kids to bond over something fun.

What games do you play with your kids? Let us know in the comments.

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/imovie_icon.png" alt="" />Several years ago I developed professional wedding videography skills using iMovie, Final Cut Pro, and iDVD, but I get a kick out of shooting and editing small family flicks with nothing but my iPhone.

The HD quality of the iPhone 4 and 4S video camera app is just as good as many consumer video cameras. While it may be a stretch to shoot hour-long video productions with an iPhone, it’s a perfect in your pocket at all times device for shooting and editing family, event, and documentary style presentations.

If you haven’t tried your hand on the href="http://itunes.apple.com/app/id377298193?mt=8&ls=1)">iOS version of iMovie ($4.99), you probably are not taking full advantage of your iPhone or iPad 2. Let me walk you through the main features to get you started.

Preparation

Though it is quite easy to pull out your iPhone and shoot video on the fly, it is much better to have at least a mental shot list for what your production might look like. See my article href="http://itunes.apple.com/app/id377298193?mt=8&ls=1)">here for tips on shooting video.

Also keep in mind how much memory storage you have on your iPhone. Video files on the device are about 80MB per minute, so you probably will want to keep many of your video clips under 5 minutes apiece.

Editing with iMovie

The iOS app is basically the same for the iPhone and iPad 2. With the iPad of course you have more screen real estate to work with, but in this how-to, I use the iPhone version.

You start a production by tapping the + button which will take you to the video clip timeline and other tools.

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To get clips into the timeline, you tap the Media Library button in the menu bar. This will bring up all the clips in your Camera Roll.

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You can add one or more clips (and photos) at a time by first tapping the Media Library and then double-tapping a clip . I find it easier to navigate and edit one clip at a time.

Most of what you will do in the editing of clips is take out nonessential footage. As with any movie production you will want to keep your project short and entertaining—removing parts that seem to drag or don’t add any significant value. In other words, a lot can be shown in five to ten seconds of a video clip.

Splicing Clips

To splice a clip, move the red timeline marker to where you want to slice a clip, and make sure the clip is selected. To make the cut, press your finger at the top of the marker and press downwards. (To undo the cut, shake your iPhone back and forth to bring up the undo button.)

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A dissolve transition will be automatically placed where you make the edit. However, you can move the marker over some more and slice again to edit out chunks of a clip. Again, don’t be modest about taking out extraneous footage. If something seems boring to you, it will probably be boring to your viewers as well.

Notice also you can use the yellow trim handles to shorten or lengthen the timing of a clip. The same can be done for photos.

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Project Themes

After you have inserted one or more of your clips, and you have an idea of what you want your production to look like, you might want to tap the gear button in the upper right of the top menu bar and choose one of the eight themes to work with.

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Each theme has its own background music (which can be looped), title, and transition styles.

It’s also a good idea to turn on the fade in–and fade out to black buttons, which will make the beginning and ending of your video less jarring.

If a particular theme is not working for you, it is not a problem to replace it with another one.

Transitions and Titles

Transitions are useful for moving from one scene to the next in your video, even if the production is only 2 minutes. You can double-tap on any transition to change it to a cross dissolve or any other transition style for your selected theme. You can also shorten or lengthen the duration of the transition.

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You can also double-tap on a clip and insert a title at the opening, middle, or ending of a clip. Unfortunately you don’t get other controls over the titling. You need to make sure your clip is long enough for a title, for you can’t adjust the duration for how how long the title stays on the screen, which can be as long as 20 seconds.

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Audio & Music

Each theme inserts its own background music into your production. For the most part, I find the theme music suitable for quick family videos. However, if you don’t like the selected music, you can double-tap on the track and delete it.

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You can also tap the Media library in the menu bar and select music from another theme, or add a track from your iTunes library. However, some tracks you purchase from the iTunes Music Store will not be available for use. You can also add sound effects.

To add more than one track of music to your production, make sure your first track is not set to loop before inserting another one after or before it.

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If you’re going to use more than one music track, it might be best to first edit all your video clips and then insert additional tracks. You can select a music track and press down on the beginning or ending yellow handles to adjust the duration of the music track.

The same can be done for the audio in your video clips. Double-tap on a clip to adjust the sound level or mute it all together. For some family videos, I like to lower the audio of the video clips if what is being sad is not relevant to the production, and then increase the volume of the background music.

Sharing Your Videos

To share your production, tap the Home button and then tap the share (small arrow icon) to bring up the sharing options.

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You can save productions to your Camera Roll or export it to Facebook, YouTube, the iTunes library on your computer, or to CNN iReport.

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Your first production using iOS iMovie may seem a little challenging, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll like the ability to both shoot, edit, and share short videos all from one device.

Let us know what you think of iMovie on the iPhone and what tips and strategies you use to edit your video.

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