What is IPv6?
Which cabling jacket fire rating type is inexpensive but creates smoke and noxious fumes when burned? Polyvinyl chloride.
Which cabling type is shown? EIA/TIA 568B.
Which type of unshielded twisted pair cabling is best to use for horizontal runs? Solid core
Which tool is used to attach an RJ-45 connector to a cable? Crimping tool
What is described as a small, self-contained device used for replacements in an equipment rack? Patch panel.
First look: Adobe Media Player for the Mac
A cross-platform media delivery option for users who want to watch videos online and, in some cases, download them
April 9, 2008 (MacWorld) Leveraging Adobe Interactive Runtime (AIR), Adobe Media Player is a cross-platform-compatible media delivery option for users who want to watch videos online and, in some cases, download them. Here's a look at what to expect.
Installing Adobe Media Player (AMP) is a painless affair, if you've ever run an AIR application. Adobe Systems Inc. relies on its own installation technology to manage AMP's installation, which requires you to give it permission to load up. Once that's done, you'll be looking at the main AMP interface, which is a stylish black. The application resides in your Applications folder along with everything else.
Like all AIR applications, AMP leverages Adobe's Flash technology in order to work. The software also supports Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology and can restrict you to just watching videos as opposed to downloading them and viewing them offline -- the content provider has control over that, and a legend of icons lets you know what you can do with the content you're viewing.
That means -- at least in the case of content whose provider wants it so -- that you're able (for the first time, I should add) to download video outside the browser in the Flash format. Adobe said the content can scale from 480i up to 1080p, so HDTV fans will be able to get their fill of high-definition material.
So far, Adobe has signed up major broadcasters and content publishers to provide video material for AMP users. CBS has jumped into the fray with its CSI shows and a bevy of archive material, for example. And MTV Networks is offering The Hills. PBS has some good stuff available for viewing, along with Universal Music Group and others. Adobe said that more content is coming soon from Comedy Central, Spike and other broadcasters in the coming months.
You can mark content that's of specific interest for you. I found some anime that I wanted to watch, along with archives of classic Twilight Zone episodes, so I marked them both. Favorites appear when you first fire up AMP.
While the emphasis here is on free content, there ain't no such thing as a free lunch, as the saying goes. Adobe is working with content owners and publishers to generate advertising opportunities and targeted marketing campaigns based around AMP. The software itself measures content usage, and Adobe provides options such as "protected" streaming, DRM and advertising protection (to keep users from arbitrarily blocking ads).
And for what it's worth, AMP also lets you keep track of "personal videos" you've created yourself. If you have video content on your own machine you'd like to manage using AMP, that option is open to you.
My experience with a pre-release version of AMP was that it works, although the actual quality of video, even after manipulating the software's options, left a little to be desired. You can either watch a small streaming view or scale it upward to fill the window or even your entire screen.
The software offers intuitive navigation that lets you explore to find the content you want. Its archive of video from the Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) event, for example, offered detailed synopses of each segment as well as an overview of what the event was about. It was pretty simple to understand how to find what I wanted to watch.
You can "drill down" by recently added content, view by network or click on genre buttons to help explore particular types of video you'd like to watch. The catalog window also lets you search using words or phrases.
All told, AMP is an interesting way for Adobe to leverage Flash video away from its "traditional" place on Web pages. The technology works reasonably well on the Mac. For now, there's a relative paucity of compelling content, and nothing unique to AIR to make it a "must have" product. If Adobe is able to convince content providers that this is the way to share their material with the public, then AMP could be an important player in the burgeoning digital video delivery market. And the fact that it's cross-platform compatible is a boon for Mac users, who won't be left out of the mix.
Adobe Media Player is a new application for Mac. It is easy to install and allows users to listen to music and download music. It also has a nice black style. There are restrictions such as the Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology which can control what one watches and what one can download. But users can watch their videos offline. Networks such as CBS, MTV, and PBS have joined AMP to allow users to download their shows. AMP seems like a great program for Mac users but unfortunately for me I am not a Mac user so I will not be able to use Adobe Media Player.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
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