O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: video

  • Second-gen MacBook Air may be demonstrating logic board errors

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    This could be a bit foreboding.

    Per Cult of Mac, a rising number of complaints from users of the new MacBook Air has appeared regarding kernel panics, video distortion and other issues that could be related to defective logic boards.

    Apple Discussion forum user, DanRyb, basically stated that his 11-inch model would randomly display “weird colors in vertical lines” extending across the entire screen and the machine would freeze. He was forced to power cycle the computer in order to recover.

    Another forum user, Hobokendippy, reported that his 13-inch model had crashed three times twice with a blank screen and once with the screen distortion reported by DanRyb.

    One user has posted a video to YouTube showing a display issue with the new 11-inch MacBook Air.

    In addition to the video distortion, Cult of Mac staff have reported several kernel panics experienced on both the 11″ and 13″ models, although the extent of the problem is not yet known.

    The issue, according to a testimonial on Macworld, seems to be intermittent with neither a PRAM fix or an SMC reset resolving the issue:

    “Sadly, I can personally confirm these issues: Just two days after unboxing my 11-inch Air – the base model with 4GB of RAM – the notebook randomly cut to a gray screen during Screen Sharing and only a reboot could cure it. In the ensuing days, I’ve seen my Air’s screen turn a variety of colors: gray again, tan, gray-black, and – on Monday – blue! (Let’s everyone get their Blue Screen of Death jokes out of the way now, please.)

    As I was working on something different in every instance, it was hard to say exactly what triggered the crashes, though Screen Sharing has been the culprit at least twice. Neither a PRAM nor SMC reset did much to help.”

    While the issues do not yet appear to be affecting all MacBook Air machines and some number of defective units is to be expected, the growing number of complaints suggests that the new machines may be experiencing a higher-than-normal rate of failure. Apple did issue a software update addressing graphics issues on the new MacBook Air just as it was released, but several users have reported experiencing these graphics-related problems even after applying the update.

    Finally, the following YouTube footage captures the issue in action:



    If you’ve seen this issue on your end, please let us know!!!

  • Second-gen Apple TV may be causing video distortion on older TVs

    Apple’s long-awaited second generation Apple TV may be spiffy, but there may be bugs to sort out.

    Per CNET, the set-top box may cause video distortion and users have reported that the new Apple TV may not be compatible with some television sets only five years old.

    User jitterysquid first posted the issue in the Apple Support Discussions board:
    “I got my new Apple TV gen 2 today and hooked it up in place of the old one. The picture was wavy. I removed the HDMI switch from the equation, no dice. I swapped cables, no dice.

    The only issue I can think of (besides bad hardware) is that I use an HDMI->DVI cable for the last leg to my TV. It’s not a converter, it is fully HDCP aware, and it works fine with ATV G1 and a Roku for Netflix HD streaming.”

    Other users have chimed in, stating that they are having the same issues and that a straight HDMI > HDMI cable has not solved the issue. The common theme, though, seems to be the age of the television sets that users are attempting to connect the new Apple TV to–approximately five years or older.

    The official tech specs on the new Apple TV on Apple’s Web site read:
    “Compatible with high-definition TVs with HDMI and capable of 720p 60/50Hz,2 including popular models from these manufacturers: Hitachi, JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, NEC, Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sony, Sharp, Toshiba, Vizio, Westinghouse”

    Though many all of the forum posters claim their televisions are capable of full 720p, there still seems to be an issue. Most users have also reported that the same Apple TV unit works on newer HD TVs they tested. It is possible the issue could lie in a setting on the TV itself. Be sure your set is not configured to stretch incoming signals to 1080i. If so, set it to 720p and you should get a clearer picture.

    The other possibility is that the Apple TV software is not sending a signal that is completely usable by older HD TV models. If this is the case, expect Apple to release updates that continue to include television compatibility (along the line of printer driver updates).

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available and if you’ve seen this issue on your end, please let us know.

  • Google Chrome 5.0.375.86 released

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    Google Chrome, Google’s new web browser, just reached version 5.0.375.86 for the Mac. The new version, an 25.4 megabyte download, offers the following the following changes:

    – Medium XSS via application/json response (regression). Credit to Ben Davis for original discovery and Emanuele Gentili for regression discovery.

    – Medium Memory error in video handling. Credit to Mark Dowd under contract to Google Chrome Security Team.

    – High Subresource displayed in omnibox loading. Credit to Michal Zalewski of Google Security Team.

    – High Memory error in video handling. Credit to Google Chrome Security Team (Cris Neckar).

    – High Stale pointer in x509-user-cert response. Credit to Rodrigo Marcos of SECFORCE.

    Google Chrome requires Mac OS X 10.5 or later and an Intel-based Mac to install and run.

    If you’ve played with it and have an opinion, let us know what you think in the comments.

  • Adobe releases Photoshop Lightroom 3 for Mac OS X, Windows

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    On Tuesday, software giant Adobe announce the release of Photoshop Lightroom 3 for Mac OS X and Windows. Per AppleInsider, the new version includes bells and whistles such as support for DSLR video files and tethering shooting on selected cameras.

    Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 boasts a performance architecture that Adobe said better handles growing image libraries and provides a superior raw processing engine with noise reduction and sharpening tools. The new 64-bit capable software also has new features to optimize workflows.

    Adobe said Lightroom 3 was rebuilt to be fast and responsive, and the new application provides a fluid experience for photographers. Images are said to load almost instantaneously, and importing of images has been redesigned to be more intuitive, with added previews and default selections that give users quick access to sort through and find images.

    Lightroom 3 also allows users to import and manage DSLR video files, as well as take advantage of tethered shooting for select Nikon and Canon cameras. It also has a new set of photographic tools for features like Luminance and Color Noise Reduction, which are said to help produce a clearer picture from high ISO or underexposed images while still preserving details.

    The latest version also adds the highly requested Automatic Lens Correction feature, which improves results by allowing users to apply profiles that correct for undesirable geometric distortions, chromatic aberrations and lens vignette effects that most lenses introduce to the image.

    There’s also a new straighten tool, allowing users to perfect vertical vertical and horizontal perspective, additional presets for applying more photographic adjustment styles, three new contemporary vignette styles, and a grain effect to add a more natural look with images.

    Output options in Lightroom 3 have also been expanded, with new capabilities to publish collections to online sharing sites (for example, Flickr users can sync accounts to Lightroom with one click, and integration with other websites can be added through third-party plugins).

    Lightroom 3 also has customizable print layouts which provide more refined control over how photographers present final images, and new watermarking features with options to modify text, size, location and style. Users can also export polished slideshows as video files with the option to add audio and title screens.

    Photoshop Lightroom 3 is now for both Windows and Mac on the Adobe store and retails for US$299 for new users, and US$99 to upgrade. The app requires Mac OS X 10.5 or later and an Intel-based processor to run on the Mac end or Windows XP with Service Pack 3 or later on the PC end.

  • Videos of possible fourth-gen iPhone components continue to surface

    Apple’s good at a lot of things.

    Keeping its upcoming fourth generation iPhone hardware completely under wraps isn’t one of them. Per iPhone Portugal and 9 to 5 Mac, the hardware was “delivered” to the iPhone Portugal web site with the corresponding video focusing on the sub-frame assemblies, the unit having been purchased in China by a reader.

    It’s impossible to tell if the apparent iPhone frames are the real deal as they don’t appear to be stamped with an Apple logo or official tag. No actual electronics are included in the video, so there’s also a chance this could come from a Chinese knockoff.

    The site goes on to say that the two frames it purchased are “more then (sic) perfect” with “no defects” and that there’s “not even one difference between the 2 we have, this seems to be made in mass production.”

    Still, a picture’s worth a thousand words, so let us know what you think: