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I made this as an example of certain settings on the SC-MX20, but it took me so long to get this put together that I forgot what the settings were! So let's just call this a sample. In spite of the HD button on YouTube, there is a big loss in quality in the uploading process. I'm disappointed, but the original clips were really good. Really. They were. Trust me.

Needed: professional looking template

Any of you out there good at making Blogger templates? Or do you know of a good one I can use for this site? I'm not really good at that kind of stuff and I've been tinkering with this one and I think I've messed it up. Any ideas?

Thought this was fun.

Bungee Jump with a Samsung SC-MX20 Digital Camcorder

An Alternative to My Program

One thing I love is hearing about how others are approaching the same problem I'm having and seeing how they are fixing it.

An anonymous commenter pointed me to AVIDemux and how it was being used to fix the same issues I was trying to fix with my program. (Sorry, Mr. Anonymous, your comment got lost somewhere and I wasn't able to publish it!)

I think that's great. I didn't build my program (which still doesn't have a proper name!) to compete with anything anyone else is doing. I just wanted something that worked for me. Then, when I blogged about it (on my journaling blog, which I didn't think anyone read!) I suddenly got hundreds of people asking me for help! So I put it out there. If you find it useful, great! If you find something else useful, tell me about it! I'll write it up here! Or better yet, YOU write it up and I'll post it.

But I'm getting off topic. We're talking about AVIDemux.

Mr. Anonymous, if you're out there, I'm glad it works for you, but I can't get it to work. I've tried every possible combination of encoder and format and I can't seem to get a file that does anything. The program is just too complex and too buggy to be as simple a fix as mine.

That being said, from the looks of it, if one can get it to work, AVIDemux does have tons more options for tweaking your video than mine does. As it should. Mine is a simple converter, AVIDemux is an editor.

Also, it looks promising as a solution for Macs, which my program is not.

So, Mr. Anonymous, if you are out there, please respond to this post and let me know how you got it to work. I'd love to be able to write about it, but it's impossible to talk about something that does nothing.

UPDATE: I was able to get AVIDemux to output an MP4 file that was pretty good. It kind of knocks it out of the league as a converter, like mine. But using the deinterlace and resize options, the output did look as good as what comes from my program. The only issue at that point is you still have to use something else to convert it to a format that Windows Movie Maker likes. I haven't explored all the options to see if there is something in there worth keeping it for.

If ANYONE can get this to work on Windows and produce something that can be edited by Windows Movie Maker, let me know.

I dropped it today

I was using my camcorder to tape my kids helping my wife build a storage shed. I had forgotten to clear the memory card from a previous project and the card got full. At least I think that's what happened. The camera shut itself off and wouldn't come back on.

So I put the camera in my pocket. I was also taking still shots, so I was wondering around with my still camera. I sat down in a lawn chair and my camcorder FELL OUT OF MY POCKET AND HIT A ROCK!!! It fell about two feet and I thought for sure it was a goner.

But guess what? Other than a couple of sand-grain sized nicks in the red finish, it's unharmed! I plugged it in, turned it on, and it's working fine. There's no cracks or scratches in the lens and it's A-Okay.

Now I am not suggesting you press your luck and go around abusing your Samsung SC-MX20, but it's good to know it can take an accidental hit.

Is Samsung's Newer any better than the Older?

I saw this the other day on Samsung's newest HD camera. By the looks of it, our SC-MX20 is still a better camera. Adding an HD imaging chip doesn't make the picture better, especially if your design is flawed.

Video Game - E3 2009 - Attack of the Show

I think we might still have the better deal, especially when the problems are very easily fixed.

Tutorial - Rendering SC-MX20 video in HD for Youtube - Freeware

I saw other tutorials on YouTube, but many of them told you to download pirated software. And even then, it was something complex and hard to use.

Here's my version. Fast, Free, Easy, and did I mention Free? Not to mention legal.