MKVtoolnix

Program Of The Week

MKVtoolnix

This is a video handling tool for MKV files. I wouldn't exactly call it a video editing tool because you can neither see the video frames nor re-encode them into other codecs/ filetypes like VirtualDubMod does.

Its installer creates a desktop icon named MKVmergeGUI. Once you open a MKV file in it, you can see the list of tracks (video, audio streams and subtitles) and chapters of video if available. Since MKV files can contain multiple audio streams and subtitles, you might want to retain only one audio stream and subtitle. Just select the tracks you want, then set the output file (see under FILE tab) and finally click on START MUXING. It takes less than a minute for a 700 MB file. So, the first important function of MKVmerge is Remuxing the tracks.

The second important function of MKVmerge is to Split/ Append MKV files (like VirtualDubMod does for AVI files). For Splitting, go to the GLOBAL tab, then ENABLE SPLITTING. You can select either a given size or duration or your own timecodes in HH:MM:SS. Do not select LINK FILES. Set the output file (see under FILE tab) and finally click on START MUXING. For joining two segments, click on APPEND under INPUT tab after opening the first segment and then set the output file (see under FILE tab) and finally click on START MUXING.

Buddys Forum

Website Of The Week

www.buddysforum.com

This is a discussion forum Related to Education, Health, Web Hosting, Broadband, DTH and Mobile services, Insurance, Jobs and what not? Naturally, you can expect a lot of personal opinions, guidance, reviews and recommendations. But, unfortunately, Buddys Forum is now in the budding stage and many of the sections are still waiting for a new thread. Perhaps... you can contribute!!

Tips Of The Week

Tip 1:

You can rearrange the thumbnails in Only2clicks.com alphabetically by using the buttons provided in the Left lower corner. Since I am having more than 30 thumbnails in my homepage, it helps me to locate a particular one quickly. You can also categorise the thumbnails into similar groups (Look for the tiny rectangular icon near the word HOME, just above ADD LINK).

Tip 2:

Nowadays, most of the software installations and even some websites are compelling the users to install their toolbar in our browser. While installing Orbit Downloader, it will ask your permission to install GrabPro which is actually a toolbar. Since GRAB++ (an integral part of Orbit) is what we need, it is upto you to select or omit GrabPro.

Tip 3:

If you want to check your bandwidth and download speed, there are many sites available in the web. But the first preference should be your own ISP's website. While doing the check, make sure that No Automatic Updates and No Downloader programs are running in the background. Obviously, beacuse they will interfere with the assessment!!

Bandwidth Vs Download Speed

Question Of The Week

Bandwidth Vs Download Speed

Are they same?

The answer is NO... because Bandwidth is the maximum traffic capacity of your Network and Download Speed is what you actually get. Let me explain...

Download Speed depends on two factors. One is Bandwidth. Another is Latency (Also called Delay). Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be transferred during a second. It is normally expressed in bits per second.

Latency is the Round-Trip Time (Host Server -> Destination Server -> Host Server) taken for a small packet of data (usually 32 bytes) when you ping with CMD (Command Prompt). Pinging is a method to measure latency. Latency is normally expressed in milliseconds. Latency increases either if the distance between the Host Server (Your Computer) and the Destination Server (Any Website) increases or if there is a congestion in the traffic. But Latency will not necessarily decrease even if Bandwidth is increased. Why?

In simple terms, Bandwidth is like the width of a pipe. Latency indicates the time taken to cross a particular distance by the flow inside the pipe!! Both these factors together determine the end-result (Download Speed). Got it?

The next-time you communicate with your ISP (Internet Service Provider), don't forget to ask your actual Download speed!!

Orbit Downloader

Program Of The Week

Orbit Downloader

Although Orbit Downloader can be used as a general download manager, there is a specific reason for my mentioning it here. It supports all streaming media protocols and thus helps you to download media files (audio and video) whenever a website allows only online streaming and not user download.

After opening the webpage (in which your favourite media file is available for online streaming), start Orbit Downloader. Go to TOOLS in the menu bar and click on GRAB++ Now another window will open. Refresh the webpage and make sure that the media has started playing in the browser window. Now you will see the list of files in the GRAB++ window. You won't get any clue from the filename. Normally streamed media files are FLV (sometimes MOV). So, look for them under filetype. Highlght the one you want and click on DOWNLOAD. That's it. The download starts in the Orbit window.