Official Mac Tech Support Thread.

[NobleRot]

Originally Posted by aptmunich

What was he supposed to have said?
Type handbrake into google.
Download handbrake
Double click it
Pop in your dvd
Hit start
wait
drag the resulting file to iTunes
sync

The resulting file shows up in my iTunes Library under "Movies" but it won't sync over to my iPod.

FYI for anyone who is trying this, you also need to download and install VLC Player for Handbrake to work. Also, Handbrake requires you to designate a "source" before you hit start. There are also a dozen or so settings options that you need to set.

[dzagama]

Originally Posted by NobleRot

Close, 'roob. Actually I'm sitting in your mom's bedroom. I am yelling that I'm not pleased and complaining that your mom does not meet my personal standard of servitude.

Too wordy.

[jeffdrafttech]

I get fed up with hearing about how great handbrake works and decided to try it again. I'm impressed. A million times easier than it was a couple years ago.

I also downloaded DVD43 to decrypt the disc. This works great too, and I don't need to copy the disc image to the hard drive before pointing handbrake to the files.

One big problem remains: now I have some bullshit ad/spyware on my machine. It is randomly hijacking links in google searches to point to porn and personals sites. I highly recommend that you don't use the first search result for either handbrake or dvd43 (I'm not sure which one had the adware attached to the installer). I did and now I'm going to spend a few hours using random software to scan for this garbage.

[aptmunich]

Originally Posted by NobleRot

The resulting file shows up in my iTunes Library under "Movies" but it won't sync over to my iPod.

FYI for anyone who is trying this, you also need to download and install VLC Player for Handbrake to work. Also, Handbrake requires you to designate a "source" before you hit start. There are also a dozen or so settings options that you need to set.

Did use use the "ipod" preset from the presets? (Click "toggle presets"). If you have a DVD in the drive, it should automatically use that as your source...

As long as you use the presets, you can safely ignore the mess of other options.

[jeffdrafttech]

Hey Mac guys: play devil's advocate

Tell me what is lacking in the newest 13" Macbook with the white enclosure.

I don't mind the small screen. I've actually seen these several months ago at a Mac store and found the form factor to be appealing. I have a decent sized external monitor for use at my desk anyhow.

Let me know what lacks in these machines.

Do they really get 5 hours in battery life?

Are the graphics good enough for watching streaming HD movies on youtube, Hulu, Netflix, etc? If I rip a bunch of favorite movies on DVD will it choke when trying to play a 2GB file made from a 100minute DVD?

If I plug in an external monitor, is it possible to use portrait mode (I really like this option on my PC's nvidia control panel.

Is the display quality good?

I can't find many reviews beyond blogs who just compare them to previous versions of macbook and the like. How are they compared to computers in general for $1k? I honestly don't care about processor specs. I want to know if the machine is snappy, stable, and responsive running the OS it was designed for plus new media like HD videos and such.

Is it relatively future proof over the next three years or so (considering that I'm not a gamer and won't ask it to run a future OS)?

I give no shits about gaming.

I haven't bought a quality laptop in years. My last real laptop was a Dell from at least five years ago. My only useful laptop is my MSI Wind which does Office adn web browsing well, but does video poorly and has a shitty keyboard. I want to see what Apple announces next week and buy a white Macbook if they don't tell me that it's going to get a lot more awesome in a month, or they don't do something radical with pricing/features on an aluminum model.

The only thing I see that I hate about this model is the tiny hard drive, but it is adequate for my music library and a handful of videos.

[aptmunich]

Originally Posted by jeffdrafttech

Hey Mac guys: play devil's advocate

Tell me what is lacking in the newest 13" Macbook with the white enclosure.

I don't mind the small screen. I've actually seen these several months ago at a Mac store and found the form factor to be appealing. I have a decent sized external monitor for use at my desk anyhow.

Let me know what lacks in these machines.

Do they really get 5 hours in battery life?

Are the graphics good enough for watching streaming HD movies on youtube, Hulu, Netflix, etc? If I rip a bunch of favorite movies on DVD will it choke when trying to play a 2GB file made from a 100minute DVD?

If I plug in an external monitor, is it possible to use portrait mode (I really like this option on my PC's nvidia control panel.

Is the display quality good?

I can't find many reviews beyond blogs who just compare them to previous versions of macbook and the like. How are they compared to computers in general for $1k? I honestly don't care about processor specs. I want to know if the machine is snappy, stable, and responsive running the OS it was designed for plus new media like HD videos and such.

Is it relatively future proof over the next three years or so (considering that I'm not a gamer and won't ask it to run a future OS)?

I give no shits about gaming.

I haven't bought a quality laptop in years. My last real laptop was a Dell from at least five years ago. My only useful laptop is my MSI Wind which does Office adn web browsing well, but does video poorly and has a shitty keyboard. I want to see what Apple announces next week and buy a white Macbook if they don't tell me that it's going to get a lot more awesome in a month, or they don't do something radical with pricing/features on an aluminum model.

The only thing I see that I hate about this model is the tiny hard drive, but it is adequate for my music library and a handful of videos.

Battery life is decent, expect 4 hours with wifi.
HD movies > no problem
DVD rips > durrr
Display quality > meh - okay on the white model, the LED backlit aluminum models are nicer though (I have both here, one mine, one from work)
Future proof > pretty much! 64 Bit, go up to 4 gigs of RAM, okay graphics.

The only thing I'd consider is splashing out for the aluminum model The build quality is decent on the white model, phenomenal on the aluminum models. Check out the refurbs if you're on a budget – the trackpad alone is worth the price difference

Oh and the harddrive is really really easy to swap out later, so fogeddabotit.

[zhowlett]

I have recently been thinking about buying the new Macbook Pro 15". It looks like a pretty sweet machine. I have always had a PC and really enjoy it. However a Mac has better hardware. What my question is if I do buy a Mac and I will do Boot Camp. How does vista run on it? Does it have compatability problems or does it run fine? Also does the new Macbook Pro come with dual video cards? That is what it appears to me but I am not sure. Any response would be very helpful

[hayroob]

Originally Posted by zhowlett

I have recently been thinking about buying the new Macbook Pro 15". It looks like a pretty sweet machine. I have always had a PC and really enjoy it. However a Mac has better hardware. What my question is if I do buy a Mac and I will do Boot Camp. How does vista run on it? Does it have compatability problems or does it run fine? Also does the new Macbook Pro come with dual video cards? That is what it appears to me but I am not sure. Any response would be very helpful

The dual vid is available in the $1999 model and up, vista runs well. Windows 7 runs better. You may start with Windows, but having OS X available is gonna turn you into a switcher.

[zhowlett]

Originally Posted by hayroob

The dual vid is available in the $1999 model and up, vista runs well. Windows 7 runs better. You may start with Windows, but having OS X available is gonna turn you into a switcher.

Well I have an iMac at work and I have been using it there. It is brand new so I assume it has the newest apple OS. It is different to get used to but do you have any tips that would be helpful? The only problem is I just bought a new dell and am still paying it off at the moment. But the Pro with the 3.06 ghz dual core and dual top of the line nvidia video cards is really hard to pass up.

[zhowlett]

Also alot of questions coming in this post.
Does anyone know a good anti virus for mac?
What free software comes with a Mac?
how many usb ports does a Macbook Pro have?
Since I am a student which Ipod touch can I get for free?
do all Mac's come with a webcam?
What is the best way to connect a Mac to an HD tv?