Friday, September 24, 2010

Vertical Lines When Watching Movies

This post is useful only if you have (or will have) problems watching some movies in your computer, but, it will not hurt to know some of the problems which you may face sooner or later and how to solve them. This post is about vertical lines (blue or green or pink colored) which come when viewing movies (or any videos) in your computer. The problem may also be horizontal lines, but I have never faced a horizontal lines issue.

This problem mainly occurs because you have installed a lot of players (VLC, Media Player Classic, BS Player, etc.) or installed a lot of video codecs. The root cause of the problem is some of the codecs you have installed has messed up with the video rendering of all your players. That said, if you are an expert in manipulating applications, you can go right ahead and go to the options (or preferences) and change the video output to a new value and try out.

If you need quick guide:

VLC:

Tools -> Preferences -> Video (and change the Output to : DirectX 3D Video Output). If this does not solve the issue or if it is not there, choose some other value and restart the VLC. This should fix that.

Media Player Classic:

View -> Options -> Playback -> Output (You will have a lot of options you can select. VMR-7 (Renderless) worked for me. You can try various things and select whichever suits you. Note that you will have to restart the player everytime you try a new output mode)

BS Player:

Press Ctrl+P (or right click on the player and choose Options -> Preferences) Select Video from the left side and select Video Rendering tab in the right. You can choose "Internal Renderer RGB mode". It worked for me. If it doesn't to you, try other values and don't forget the restart BS Player everytime you try a new value.

Good Luck and Happy watching movies!!

Thursday, September 09, 2010

A Wish

It is always fashionable to say 'I am passionate about music/photography/dance/drawing/cricket/golf/etc'. I don't know whether people really understand the difference between 'passion' and 'interest'. Passion is a very strong word, but still people use that word just to sound fashionable. Is everyone who says being passionate about something really passionate about it? Or they just have an interest?

I don't know whether I am passionate about music or not, but, I would say music is the King of all the arts (Doesn't this sound fashionable and irritate most of you?). Music, dance, photography, drawing, etc. are all amazing arts when you want to listen/see them, but, what is more joyous when you are the one who is creating/performing the art? Even when no one will ever listen to what you are playing, dealing with music, either listen to it or playing it will give you the most ecstasy than anything else, IMHO. (If someone wants to contradict, please let me know what you feel.)

When you are creator, music will bring the most joy to you. By 'creator' I don't mean that you have to compose a new piece of music. Even when you are playing someone else composition, even if no one else will ever listen to what you are playing, playing a music instrument is a tremendous joy. This aspect is what is unique with music, I think so. A photograph or a sculpture or a painting will give you joy when others see it and appreciate it. Am I right?

As with most of my posts, what I wanted to tell you has nothing to do with what I have blabbered above. The personal wish (from the title) is that, I want everyone who reads this post to listen to one of my most favorite music pieces. It is Moonlight Sonata Movement 1, composed by Ludwig Van Beethoven. I wish that you watch it with your headphones without any rush or impatience. Even if you already know this piece and listened to it, please try to listen to this particular interpretation from Wilhelm Kempff.



If that piece of music meant something to you and if you liked it, try to listen to the second and the third movement of Moonlight Sonata played by the same genius Wilhelm Kempff. Thanks.