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ACH and OFAC
Mary Beth Guard
, BOL Guru
NACHA has published a white paper titled The ACH Network and OFAC Compliance. It summarizes the impact of OFAC on the various parties involved in ACH transactions. Its main points are as follows:
Originators should not transmit funds to or from any OFAC-blocked party, nor should they be acting on behalf of an OFAC-blocked party.
ODFIs should verify that the Originator is not a blocked party and make a good faith effort to confirm the Originator is not transmitting funds to, from, or on behalf of a party subject to blocking under OFAC. An ODFI should have a process for determining whether any of its account holders is a blocked party on the SDN list, and it must comply with OFAC if it discovers an ACH transaction is subject to freezing or rejecting. When it is the RDFI that holds the account or is acting on behalf of a blocked person, the ODFI may rely on the RDFI for OFAC compliance.
ODFIs are encouraged to process international ACH transactions through a separate process to allow for sufficient transaction-level OFAC scrutiny.
RDFIs are subject to U.S. law and the NACHA Operating Rules, and are thus subject to OFAC requirements. An RDFI should have a procedure for determining whether any of their account holders are blocked parties. If an RDFI receives a transaction involving interests of a blocked party for whom the RDFI holds an account or on whose behalf the RDFI is acting, it must reject or freeze the proceeds of the transaction (depending upon the applicable OFAC sanction).
Receivers and their financial institutions are subject to OFAC and for violative ACH debits, Receivers may have the proceeds debited from the account and frozen pursuant to a blocking action.
Third-parties, such as correspondent banks, are also impacted by OFAC. If a third-party is acting on behalf of downstream Originators, for example, the ODFI will hold it accountable for ensuring that ACH transactions it introduces into the domestic ACH network are OFAC-compliant.
Credit entries:
If an ODFI inadvertently transmits an unlawful ACH credit entry to a Receiver who is a blocked party, the RDFI should post the credit entry to the account, then freeze the account and report to OFAC.
Debit entries:
If an ODFI inadvertently transmits an unlawful ACH debit entry, the RDFI should return the entry (marked with Return Reason Code R16), indicating the entry was to go to a blocked account and will be reported to OFAC.
Contracts between ODFIs and Originators should include a clause stating that the Originator acknowledges it may not initiate entries that violate U.S. laws and should indicate that ODFIs and Originators are subject to NACHA Operating Rules. It may also be helpful to have a clause indicating that there may be possible delays in transactions where enhanced scrutiny is necessary due to OFAC.
The original version appeared in the November 2002 edition of the
Oklahoma Bankers Association
Compliance Informer.
First published on BankersOnline.com 4/28/03
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WSDG (NY) Completes Recording/Teaching Studio Complex for Berklee Valencia Campus
An international music education has become a lot more accessible – and enticing – thanks to recent developments at Berklee College of Music.
The renowned contemporary music education school has opened its first campus outside of Boston with Berklee in Valencia (Spain). Located within the stunning Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia – a multipurpose arts complex – Berklee in Valencia features a highly advanced recording/teaching complex designed by Walters-Storyk Design Group (WSDG) (Highland, NY).
The studio facility within the Music Technology Complex represents the final element of Berklee's first international campus, which recently launched its master's programs, and comprises five inter-related components. The 1600 sq. ft. scoring stage/studio – Studio K – which includes an 860 sq. ft. live room with 15-foot ceilings and features variable acoustic wall treatments developed for diverse recording configurations. The studio's windows provide full views of the Palau and allow the public to view Berklee's music activities. The live room is supported by a 500 sq. ft. control room, two 250 sq. ft. ISO/overdub booths, and an isolated machine room.
Each aspect of the studio combines to form a world-class recording complex designed to support Berklee's master's students and visiting artists, as they transition from student to music professional. Avid/Euphonix controllers are deployed throughout to take advantage of the Eucon protocol, for seamless migration of projects across the facility, up to and including the flagship System 5. Future plans include the installation of an identical console in Boston, which will facilitate real time joint sessions between the two locations.
The entire facility, whose design was overseen by WSDG architect/acoustician John Storyk, is configured through a central machine room for speed, ease of turnaround, and high interconnectivity between rooms, including the Palau de les Arts' concert halls. The System 5 has 48 channels, with 128 channels of I/O, and 176 mic lines. In addition, there is a broad selection of analog processing with plenty of room for additions should the need arise.
Take a video tour of the new Berklee in Valencia facilities:
Monitoring in the production suites is all-Genelec – 5.1 surround in Studio A, and 2.1 stereo in Studios B, C, and D. The control room in Studio K features the Meyer Sound Acheron 7.1 surround monitoring system. The room also includes Griffin Audio G2B Active main stereo monitors, along with ProAc and Yamaha NS-10's. Additionally, the room has been designed to Dolby specifications and readied for the new Dolby Atmos Cinema Sound monitoring protocol.
Along with the Valencia campus, WSDG was also responsible for designing and constructing recording studios for Berklee College of Music's $100 million + new building at 160 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston. WSDG's portfolio includes facilities for clients including Bruce Springsteen, Celine Dion, Def Jam Records, ESPN, Jay-Z, Jazz at Lincoln Center, MTV Latin America and the 2012 TEC Award-winning Jungle City Studios, among thousands of other domestic and international clients.

subset: commoncrawl


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If the new VH1 docu-soap Secrets of Aspen offers what its title says it does, this 10-minute after show could be dubbed Secrets of Secrets of Aspen. In it, Laura, Kat and Brooke all dish on the Secrets of Aspen premiere. If nothing else, this behind-the-scenes look proves that Laura is every bit the arm-chair philosopher that the premiere found her shaping up to be. In this bonus footage, she spouts off quote after delicious quote. Our three favorites are:
"The only thing that you leave this world with is the legacy that you leave with other people."
"A good friend stabs a friend not in the back but from the front. And I was just trying to be a good friend for Brooke."
"I expected her to give back when I kind of extended the olive branch, but she just kind of took it, whipped it out my hands and started whacking me over the head with it."
Explains a lot.
Related content
Secrets of Aspen – Meet the Cast!
Secrets of Aspen show page
Secrets of Aspen videos and extras


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By mjr | REVERSEBLOG: the reverse shot blog August 15, 2008 at 5:41AM
Lots of events to celebrate today, including the Mets' move into sole possession of first place (before they once again find a new way to crush my hopes), but I'd like to call special attention to this weekend's "Remembering Arthur Lipsett" program at Anthology Film Archives, which begins this evening at 7pm EST with a program of Lipsett's short films. A documentary called Remembering Arthur shows at 9pm.
I first came across Lipsett's work at, of all things, a Godspeed You! Black Emperor show (I know, I know, but you were 20 once, too), where instead of having an opening band GY!BE asked Jonas Mekas to present (and herald with a bugle) a small collection of Canadian experimental films, Lipsett's among them. Along with earlier viewings of Valse Triste by the now late Bruce Conner, Scorpio Rising by Kenneth Anger, and T, O, U, C, H, I, N, G by Paul Sharits, they were some of the first experimental films I ever encountered. As an impressionable young man they arrived as revelations, and Lipsett's films, Free Fall and his most famous work, Very Nice, Very Nice, stood out most disturbingly and, therefore, profoundly. Instead of the structural rigor and narrative comedy of Conner's found footage films -- where the apocalypse is offset by slapstick and pathos -- Lipsett presents collages of found and originally captured moments (often by frenzied camera work) as overwhelming barrages of cultural chaos, with images frequently machine gunned to the viewer in violent bursts of flash frames. Lipsett, the story goes, initially assembled audio samples from jazz records, scientific interviews, radio entertainments, and religious services into dark, unsettling montages while working as an animator for the National Film Board of Canada (my own former employer) and then created images to accompany these strange soundscapes. Ranging at their most extreme from horrific images of war to lulling anodynes of advertising to rediscovered grotesqueries of the natural world, the images become when destabilized in their new, anarchic environment -- for example, in 21-87 -- as much free-form abstract textures as the bizarre clips of evangelist sermons ("the body of our lord Jesus Christ" over a shot of a man engulfed in flame), paranoid confessions ("when I get on the bus I have the feeling everybody's looking at me"), heavy breathing (in tandem with amusement park patrons admiring themselves in funhouse mirrors), and electronic gurgles. When combined, image and sound evoke disarming associations at times explicitly political, at other times purely sensorial. Lipsett's films are environments and rarely stories, which is why they almost always end abruptly, without warning, their studies of human faces caught unawares and placed into relief by an avalanche of unloosed detritus (acrobats, masks, ceremonies, department stores, aerial test runs, atomic bombs, racetracks, cities, eyes) tuned into at this pioneering filmmaker's frequency and left open for us to pursue according to his inspiration.
These cacophonic, end time parades of human ritual, longing, and folly have been imitated to the point of parody (The Critic did a pretty good job sticking a fork in the avant-garde's self-serious cliches), but remember -- along with Conner, Lipsett in the early-60s was this style's originator. As one of experimental film's most forward looking and forgotten filmmakers (George Lucas apparently references his films in Star Wars, but so what? Someone on Wikipedia, please insert more info about the man himself instead of Lucas' shallow admiration of him, as if he's only important therefore) Lipsett remains consistently engaging and endlessly minable, his films valuable lessons in cinema as sensitizing and immolating agent, and frightening flickers of wonder in their own right.


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A technique for entropy coding information relating to frequency domain audio coefficients. For portions of a frequency spectrum having a predominate value of zero, a multi-level run length encoder statistically correlates sequences of zero values with non-zero values and assigns variable length code words. An encoder uses a specialized code book generated with respect to the probability of receiving an input sequence of zero-valued spectral coefficients followed by a non-zero coefficient. A corresponding decoder associates a variable length code word with a sequence of zero value coefficients adjacent a non-zero value coefficient.
1. A method of encoding audio data frequency coefficients, the method comprising:
receiving a sequence of audio data frequency coefficient symbols, wherein the sequence includes a run and an adjacent symbol, the run including R symbols each having a first value, and the adjacent symbol having a value L other than the first value;
looking up the sequence within a data structure that assigns a corresponding entropy code to the sequence based jointly upon the values for R and L for the sequence; and
outputting the corresponding entropy code for the sequence.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first value is zero, and L is non-zero.
3. A computer readable medium having encoded thereon instructions for directing a computer to perform the method of claim 1.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the corresponding entropy code for the sequence is an escape code.
5. A method of decoding entropy encoded audio data frequency coefficients, comprising:
receiving an entropy code representing a sequence of audio data frequency coefficient symbols;
looking up the entropy code within a data structure that assigns a corresponding sequence of symbols to the entropy code, wherein the corresponding sequence includes a run of symbols having a first value, the run repeating for R symbols, and wherein the corresponding sequence further includes an adjacent symbol having a value L other than the first value; and
outputting the sequence of audio data frequency coefficient symbols corresponding to the entropy code.
6. A method according to claim 5 further comprising:
determining whether the entropy code is an escape code; and
when the entropy code is an escape code, identifying an escape code event sequence of audio data frequency coefficient symbols, and outputting such escape code event sequence.
7. A computer readable medium having encoded thereon instructions for directing a computer to perform the method of claim 6.
8. A method of creating an entropy code book for encoding audio data frequency coefficient symbols with an entropy encoder, the method comprising:
creating a data structure containing a plurality of pairings for input sequences of audio data frequency coefficient symbols, where each pairing jointly represents a repeating run of symbols having a first value and an adjacent symbol having a value L other than the first value, where the length of the repeating run is R;
determining a probability of occurrence of each pairing; and
assigning an entropy code to each pairing according to its probability of occurrence.
9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:
setting a probability threshold;
wherein each pairing having a probability of occurrence below the probability threshold is assigned an escape code.
10. A method according to claim 8, wherein R represents a length value for a run of zero value audio frequency coefficient symbols.
11. A computer readable medium having encoded thereon instructions for directing a computer to perform the method of claim 8.
12. A system for encoding audio data frequency coefficients, the system comprising:
means for receiving a sequence of audio data frequency coefficient symbols, wherein the sequence includes a run and an adjacent non-zero coefficient symbol, the run repeating for R zero coefficient symbols;
means for looking up the sequence within a data structure that assigns a corresponding entropy code to the sequence based jointly upon the values for R and L for the sequence;
means for outputting the corresponding entropy code for the sequence.
13. A system according to claim 12, further comprising:
a signal transformer for converting a time-domain input signal to a frequency-domain audio sequence; and
a quantizer for quantizing the frequency-domain audio sequence into the sequence of audio data frequency coefficient symbols.
14. A system for decoding entropy encoded audio data frequency coefficients, comprising:
means for receiving an entropy code representing a sequence of audio data frequency coefficient symbols;
means for looking up the entropy code within a data structure that assigns a corresponding sequence of coefficient symbols to the entropy code, wherein the corresponding sequence includes a run of zero coefficient symbols and an adjacent non-zero coefficient, the run repeating for R symbols; and
means for outputting the corresponding sequence of audio data frequency coefficient symbols.
15. A system according to claim 14, in which the entropy encoded audio data frequency coefficients include entropy codes and escape codes followed by audio data frequency coefficient symbols adjacent each such escape code, the method comprising:
means for determining whether the received entropy code is an escape code;
means for identifying audio data frequency coefficient symbols adjacent such escape code; and
means for outputting such symbols adjacent the escape code.
16. A computer-readable medium storing instructions for performing a method of encoding frequency coefficients for audio data, the method comprising:
receiving a set of frequency coefficients for audio data, the set including one or more sequences of coefficients, wherein for each sequence a pairing jointly represents a run length for the sequence and a non-zero value coefficient within the sequence, the run length indicating a run of zero value coefficients within the sequence;
for each of the one or more sequences,
assigning an entropy code based upon the pairing; and
outputting the entropy code.
17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein for an improbable sequence, the entropy code is an escape code, the method further comprising:
after outputting the escape code, outputting coefficients representative of the improbable sequence.
18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein for each of the one or more sequences, the run length is zero or more.
19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein for each of the one or more sequences, the non-zero value coefficient follows the run of zero value coefficients within the sequence.
20. A computer-readable medium storing instructions for performing a method of decoding entropy-coded frequency coefficients for audio data, the method comprising:
receiving one or more entropy codes for a set of frequency coefficients for audio data;
for each of the one or more entropy codes, assigning a sequence of coefficients to the entropy code, the sequence including a non-zero value coefficient and a run of zero value coefficients, wherein the run length of the run is zero or more; and
outputting coefficients based upon the assigned sequences.
21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein for the sequence, the non-zero value coefficient follows the run of zero value coefficients.
The present invention relates to setting one or more thresholds to divide an input signal into multiple regions, and applying entropy encoding to encode a variable length first region with a variable length entropy code, and applying a second coding method to a second region.
In a typical audio coding environment, data is represented as a long sequence of symbols which is input to an encoder. The input data is encoded by an encoder, transmitted over a communication channel (or simply stored), and decoded by a decoder. During encoding, the input is pre-processed, sampled, converted, compressed or otherwise manipulated into a form for transmission or storage. After transmission or storage, the decoder attempts to reconstruct the original input.
Audio coding techniques can be generally categorized into two classes, namely the time-domain techniques and frequency-domain ones. Time-domain techniques, e.g., ADPCM, LPC, operate directly in the time domain while the frequency-domain techniques transform the audio signals into the frequency domain where compression is performed. Frequency-domain codecs (compressors/decompressors) can be further separated into either subband or transform coders, although the distinction between the two is not always clear. That is, sub-band coders typically use bandpass filters to divide an input signal into a small number (e.g., four) of sub-bands, whereas transform coders typically have many sub-bands (and therefore a correspondingly large number of transform coefficients). Processing an audio signal in the frequency domain is motivated by both classical signal processing theories and human perception psychoaoustics model.
Psychoacoustics take advantage of known properties of the listener in order to reduce information content. For example, the inner ear, specifically the basilar membrane, behaves like a spectral analyzer and transforms the audio signal into spectral data before further neural processing proceeds. Frequency-domain audio codecs often take advantage of auditory masking that is occurring in the human hearing system by modifying an original signal to eliminate information redundancies. Since human ears are incapable of perceiving these modifications, one can achieve efficient compression without distortion.
Masking analysis is usually conducted in conjunction with quantization so that quantization noise can be conveniently "masked." In modern audio coding techniques, the quantized spectral data are usually further compressed by applying entropy coding, e.g., Huffman coding. Compression is required because communication channels usually have limited available capacity or bandwidth. It is frequently necessary to reduce the information content of input data in order to allow it to be reliably transmitted, if at all, over the communication channel.
Tremendous effort has been invested in developing lossless and lossy compression techniques for reducing the size of data to transmit or store. One popular lossless technique is Huffman encoding, which is a particular form of entropy encoding. Entropy coding assigns code words to different input sequences, and stores all input sequences in a code book. The complexity of entropy encoding depends on the number m of possible values an input sequence X may take. For small m, there are few possible input combinations, and therefore the code book for the messages can be very small (e.g., only a few bits are needed to unambiguously represent all possible input sequences). For digital applications, the code alphabet is most likely a series of binary digits {0, 1}, and code word lengths are measured in bits.
If it is known that input is composed of symbols having equal probability of occurring, an optimal encoding is to use equal length code words. But, it is not typical that an input stream has equal probability of receiving any particular message. In practice, certain messages are more likely than others, and entropy encoders take advantage of such data correlation to minimize the average length of code words among expected inputs. Traditionally, however, fixed length input sequences are assigned variable length codes (or conversely, variable length sequences are assigned fixed length codes).
By their nature, however, most compression techniques for audiovisual data are lossy processes. The level of quality and fidelity delivered in sound and video files depends primarily on how much bandwidth is available and whether the compressor/de-compressor (codec) is optimized to prepare output for an available bandwidth.
The invention relates to a method for entropy coding information relating to frequency domain audio coefficients. In particular, the invention relates to a form of multi-level encoding audio spectral frequency coefficients. Illustrated embodiments are particularly adapted to coding environments in which multiple encoding methods can be chosen based on statistical profiles for frequency coefficient ranges. Encoding methods can be optimized for portions of a frequency spectrum, such as portions having a predominate value.
In illustrated embodiments, the predominate value in certain frequency ranges are zero value frequency coefficients, and they are encoded with the multi-level run-length encoder (RLE) encoder. The multi-level encoder statistically correlates sequences of zero values with one or more non-zero symbols and assigns variable length code words to arbitrarily long input sequences of such zero and non-zero values. The RLE based entropy encoder uses a specialized code book generated with respect to the probability of receiving an input sequence of zero-valued spectral coefficients followed by a non-zero spectral coefficient. If code book size is an issue, the probabilities can be sorted and less probable input sequences excluded from the code book.
Similarly, the range containing mostly non-zero values is encoded with a variable-to-variable entropy encoder, where a variable length code word is assigned to arbitrarily long input sequences of quantization symbols. An overall more efficient process is achieved by basing coding methods according to the properties of the input data. In practice, the number of partitions and frequency ranges will vary according to the type of data to be encoded and decoded.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computer system that may be used to implement run-length coding for frequency domain audio coding.
FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing encoding and decoding audio data in a frequency domain audio coder.
FIG. 3 illustrates a frequency range divided according to statistical properties for audio data frequency coefficients.
FIG. 4 illustrates an that employs entropy coding mode switching.
FIG. 5 illustrates a threshold grid used in encoding audio sequences having repeating spectral coefficients.
FIG. 6 illustrates code book creation in accordance with a FIG. 5 threshold grid.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart for encoding (or decoding) audio data with the FIG. 6 code book.
FIG. 1 and the following discussion are intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable computing environment in which the invention may be implemented. While the invention will be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions of a computer program that runs on a personal computer, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention also may be implemented in combination with other program modules. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. The illustrated embodiment of the invention also is practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. But, some embodiments of the invention can be practiced on stand alone computers. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.
With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary system for implementing the invention includes a computer 20, including a processing unit 21, a system memory 22, and a system bus 23 that couples various system components including the system memory to the processing unit 21. The processing unit may be any of various commercially available processors, including Intel x86, Pentium and compatible microprocessors from Intel and others, the Alpha processor by Digital, and the PowerPC from IBM and Motorola. Dual microprocessors and other multi-processor architectures also an be used as the processing unit 21.
The system bus may be any of several types of bus structure including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of conventional bus architectures such as PCI, AGP, VESA, Microchannel, ISA and EISA, to name a few. The system memory includes read only memory (ROM) 24 and random access memory (RAM) 25. A basic input/output system (BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer 20, such as during start-up, is stored in ROM 24.
The computer 20 further includes a hard disk drive 27, a magnetic disk drive 28, e.g., to read from or write to a removable disk 29, and an optical disk drive 30, e.g., for reading a CD-ROM disk 31 or to read from or write to other optical media. The hard disk drive 27, magnetic disk drive 28, and optical disk drive 30 are connected to the system bus 23 by a hard disk drive interface 32, a magnetic disk drive interface 33, and an optical drive interface 34, respectively. The drives and their associated computer-readable media provide nonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, etc. for the computer 20. Although the description of computer-readable media above refers to a hard disk, a removable magnetic disk and a CD, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of media which are readable by a computer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, digital video disks, Bernoulli cartridges, and the like, may also be used in the exemplary operating environment.
A number of program modules may be stored in the drives and RAM 25, including an operating system 35, one or more application programs (e.g., Internet browser software) 36, other program modules 37, and program data 38.
A user may enter commands and information into the computer 20 through a keyboard 40 and pointing device, such as a mouse 42. Other input devices (not shown) may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 21 through a serial port interface 46 that is coupled to the system bus, but may be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, game port or a universal serial bus (USB). A monitor 47 or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus 23 via an interface, such as a video adapter 48. In addition to the monitor, personal computers typically include other peripheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers and printers.
The computer 20 is expected to operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer 49. The remote computer 49 may be a web server, a router, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described relative to the computer 20, although only a memory storage device 50 has been illustrated in FIG. 1. The computer 20 can contact the remote computer 49 over an Internet connection established through a Gateway 55 (e.g., a router, dedicated-line, or other network link), a modem 54 link, or by an intra-office local area network (LAN) 51 or wide area network (WAN) 52. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers may be used.
In accordance with the practices of persons skilled in the art of computer programming, the present invention is described below with reference to acts and symbolic representations of operations that are performed by the computer 20, unless indicated otherwise. Such acts and operations are sometimes referred to as being computer-executed. It will be appreciated that the acts and symbolically represented operations include the manipulation by the processing unit 21 of electrical signals representing data bits which causes a resulting transformation or reduction of the electrical signal representation, and the maintenance of data bits at memory locations in the memory system (including the system memory 22, hard drive 27, floppy disks 29, and CD-ROM 31) to thereby reconfigure or otherwise alter the computer system's operation, as well as other processing of signals. The memory locations where data bits are maintained are physical locations that have particular electrical, magnetic, or optical properties corresponding to the data bits.
FIG. 2 shows a transmission model for transmitting audio data over a channel 210. The source of the transmission may be a live broadcast, stored data, or information retrieved over wired/wireless communication link (e.g., a LAN or the Internet). It is presumed that the channel 210 is of limited bandwidth, and therefore compression of source data 200 is desirable before data can be reliably sent over the channel. Note that although this discussion focuses on transmission of audio data, the invention applies to transfer of other data, such as audio visual information having embedded audio data (e.g., multiplexed within an MPEG data stream), or other data sources having compressible data patterns (e.g., coherent data).
As illustrated, source data 200 is input to a time/frequency transform encoder 202 such as a filter bank or discrete-cosine type transform. Transform encoder 202 is designed so as to convert a continuous or sampled time-domain input, such as an audio data source, into multiple frequency bands of predetermined (although perhaps differing) bandwidth. These bands can then be analyzed with respect to a human auditory perception model 204 (for example, a psychoacoustic model) in order to determine components of the signal that may be safely reduced without audible impact. For example, it is well known that certain frequencies are inaudible when certain other sounds or frequencies are present in the input signal (simultaneous masking). Consequently, such inaudible signals can be safely removed from the input signal. Use of human auditory models is well known, e.g., the MPEG 1, 2 and 4 standards. (Note that such models may be combined into a quantization 206 operation.)
After performing the time/frequency transformation 202, frequency coefficients within each range are quantized 206 to convert each coefficient (amplitude levels) to a value taken from a finite set of possible values, where each value has a size based on the bits allocated to representing the frequency range. The quantizer may be a conventional uniform or non-uniform quantizer, such as a midriser or midtreader quantizer with (or without) memory. The general quantization goal is identifying an optimum bit allocation for representing the input signal data, i.e., to distribute usage of available encoding bits to ensure encoding the (acoustically) significant portions of the source data. Various quantization methods, such as quantization step size prediction to meet a desired bit rate (assuming constant bit rate) can be used. After the source 200 has been quantized, the resultant data is then entropy encoded 208.
The entropy encoded output is transmitted over the communication channel 210 (or stored for later transmission). The receiving end 216 then implements a reverse-encoding process, i.e., a series of steps to undo the encoding of the source data 200. That is, encoded data is received over the channel 210 as input to an entropy decoder 212 which performs a reverse code book look-up to convert the encoded output into an approximation of the original quantization output for the input symbol series 200. This approximate data is then processed by a de-quantizer 214 and a time/frequency transform decoder 218 to reverse the original coding operations, resulting in a reconstructed data 220 that is similar to the original source data 200. It should be noted that the reconstructed data 220 only approximates the original source data 200 since applying steps 204-208 is a lossy process.
One possible implementation for this transmission model is a client application program wanting to process, display or play real-time data as it is retrieved over a network link from a server/serving application. For example, the client can use a streaming delivery system that provides adaptive bandwidth reservation. (One such streaming format is the Microsoft Advanced Streaming Format.) A streaming environment contrasts traditional networking programs by allowing data delivery to be optimized for particular retrieval needs, such as line speed constraints. A distinguishing feature of streaming data is that data can be viewed progressively in real time as a client receives it. Note that it is intended that processed data can be stored for later retrieval by a client, and that such retrieval can be performed in a non-streaming format (e.g., by a small playback appliance).
The streaming format defines the structure of synchronized object data streams, and allows any object, e.g., audio and video data objects, scripts, ActiveX controls, and HTML documents, to be placed into a data stream. An Application Programming Interface (one such API is the Microsoft Audio Compression Manager) is provided to facilitate application support for the streaming format. Transmission of streaming format data over the communication channel 210 requires that the source information be converted into a form suitable for the network. But, unlike traditional packets which contain routing information and data, streaming packets contain a prioritized mix of data from different objects within the stream, so that the bandwidth can be first allocated to higher priority objects. On the receiving end 216, the objects within the prioritized data stream are reconstructed for use by the receiver.
Because data is probably being used as it is received, streaming content is susceptible to transmission delays. If data does not arrive reliably, or if transmission speed falls below an acceptable minimum, the data might become unusable (e.g., playback of a video sequence may fail). Consequently, bandwidth intensive data (such as audio feeds) needs significant compression to ensure its bandwidth requirements can be met by the communication channel 210. As the degree of lossy compression necessarily impacts the quality of the reproduced signal, a server should provide selectable encodings for different client network connection speeds (or use an adaptive feedback system to discern real-time throughput).
A particularly effective method for encoding the frequency coefficients source data 200 to ensure reliable transmission over the communication channel 210 is entropy encoding. As discussed below, one can capitalize on the data coherency by applying different encoding methods optimized for different parts of the input data. Entropy encoding is effective when symbols have non-uniform probability distribution. Entropy coding methods that group many input symbols, such as the variable-to-variable and RLE coders discussed below, are good at capitalizing on data coherency. Using different encoding methods for different frequency ranges allows for more-optimal encoding when the encoders are tailored to probability distributions for each such range.
A particularly effective entropy encoding method for mostly non-zero data one that assigns variable length codes to variable length input (a variable-to-variable encoder), as disclosed in a contemporaneously filed application entitled "Entropy Code Mode Switching for Frequency-domain Audio Coding," bearing Ser. No. 09/211,531; this application is incorporated herein by reference.
FIG. 3 illustrates a time domain signal that has been converted to the frequency domain. Along the X axis is a range 300 of frequencies from zero 302 through a maximum frequency 304. A partition 306 has been defined within the range 300, where the partition is determined according to statistical analysis of an expected input stream (e.g., statistical information obtained while training an entropy code book, or by adaptive analysis of the actual input), and this statistical model is applied against actual input 308 for encoding.
One approach to setting a partition is, as discussed above, is placing a certain percentage of frequencies or critical bands below the boundary.
An alternate method is to collect basic statistics, such as the probability of zeros and non-zeros according to the probability distributions for each frequency. Inspection of each frequency's statistics shows a gradual change across frequencies, and a partition boundary can be selected so that distributions within each partition are similar. Note that the frequency partition is sensitive to the sampling rate of the input and the expected bit rate. The sampling rate and the bit rate determine the stochastic property of the quantized frequency coefficients, and this property is basically responsible for determining partition placement.
A more optimal method is to adaptively locate a partition by performing an exhaustive search to determine an "optimal" boundary location. That is, an optimal solution is to try every frequency (or subset thereof) as a partition location, perform entropy coding, and track which boundary potential position yielded a minimum number of bits for encoding. Although computationally more intensive, if computation costs are at issue, the compression benefits of an exhaustive search (or near exhaustive if frequency subsets are used) can outweigh costs when multiple partitions are used.
By separating out the frequency spectrum 300 into separate frequency sub-ranges 310, 312, an encoder can apply different encoding schemes that have been optimized to encode the different frequency ranges. This contrasts previous methods, such as entropy encoding schemes that substituted different entropy coding tables according to characteristics of data to be encoded. Such prior methods are limited by the flexibility of their single entropy encoding algorithm, by the inability of an encoding table to account for different kinds of input data, and by the overhead associated with identifying when different tables should be used. A method optimized for one type of data can not be efficiently applied to a different type of data.
In the illustrated embodiment, the selected dividing criteria for the range 300 is the probability C(F) (Y-axis) that a particular spectral event is a run of coefficients at or near a particular intensity (e.g., zero). As with code book generation, the probability of receiving zero value data can be pre-computed with respect to exemplary input. As illustrated, the input signal 308 has high probability of being zero after the indicated partition 306. The position of the partition divider 306 is chosen so that a certain amount of the input beyond the divider, such as 80%, is at or near (and thus equated to) a predetermined value. (In illustrated embodiments, the predetermined value is zero.)
It is assumed that, at a minimum, an input signal 308 is divided into two ranges, each range having data characteristics best-suited to compression by different encoding methods. In the illustrated embodiment, one range has primarily zero values, while the other has primarily non-zero values. Thus, two encoders are used, each optimized for the type of data within its corresponding range. While the illustrated implementation partitions the frequency coefficients into two ranges, more than two ranges can be defined, each having its own optimized encoder, or different ranges can share similar characteristics and thus utilize the same encoder.
For encoding the mostly non-zero range 310, the variable-to-variable encoder incorporated herein above may be used. For the mostly zero-value range 312, an encoder optimized for such data is used. In the illustrated embodiment, a run length encoder (RLE) is used as it is optimized for encoding data that has a predominate value (e.g., zero). FIG. 5 illustrates one RLE-based entropy encoder that can efficiently encode the mostly zero valued range 312.
FIG. 4 illustrates a transmission model for transmitting audio data over a channel (see FIG. 2), in which multiple entropy encoding/decoding methods are used to manipulate input data 200. It is known that the source audio data 200 will have values within some frequency range. As discussed above for FIG. 2, source data 200 may be converted 202 into the frequency domain, reduced according to perception models 204, and quantized 206. Since quantization may produce significant numbers of near zero output values, an entropy encoder 208 can be optimized to encode this quantization output.
After quantization, the spectral coefficients for the quantized data tend to track the information content of typical audio data. Analysis of the quantization coefficients shows they are most likely non-zero at lower frequency ranges, and mostly zero coefficients at higher frequencies.
Therefore, for frequency partitions located at certain frequency positions, a mode selector 400 can determines which encoder to according to the frequency range being encoded.
Determining placement of the partition can be based on a statistical analysis identifying which of several known entropy encoders will achieve better coding efficiency for different sub-ranges. In one configuration, analysis is performed in advance of encoding or decoding with respect to exemplary input. This allows for pre-determination of partition locations, and corresponding encoders for each sub-range, so that no overhead needs to be introduced to flag changes in applicable coders.
Alternatively, statistical analysis may be performed on current data (in real time or off-line). In this configuration, although the encoders/decoders are known in advance, a flag needs to be embedded into the encoded data stream to indicate changes in applicable coders. As discussed above, different potential partition locations can be tried until a certain degree of coding efficiency is achieved for each sub-range. Receipt by a decoder of the flag indicates the end of a sub-range, and the value of the flag indicates which decoder to use for successive data.
Although inserting markers adds some overhead to the encoding/decoding process, such markers represent an improvement over prior-art encoding methods. For example, compare illustrated embodiments with traditional (see, e.g., MPEG 1, 2, and 4) entropy encoding of audio data. A traditional system uses a single entropy encoder for all data, where different code books are associated with each of many critical bands in the input data's frequency range (usually 24 or more bands, depending on the sampling rate). At each critical band transition, assuming 24 bands, a 2 bit (or longer) flag is required to indicate which of 24 code books are to be used to encode the band's data. (5 bits are required to track 24 states, but this flag can itself be encoded into effectively fewer bits.) This sharply contrasts the illustrated embodiments which either require no flag at all, or which uses flags, but is more efficient over prior methods unless the number of sub-ranges becomes comparable to the number of critical bands, and the number of encoding methods approaches the number of tables. That is, in every encoding using critical bands, there will be 24 sub-ranges requiring a 2-5 bit flag to indicate which encoding table to use. In contrast, illustrated embodiments may only have 2 or three sub-ranges, thus much less overhead.
As shown, there are N pre-defined encoders 402-406, each optimized to encode a frequency range having data with some predominate characteristic. This does not mean that there are necessarily N distinct input ranges, as different frequency ranges may have similar statistical characteristics for its data, and hence use the same encoder. In the illustrated example, there are only two ranges (one partition), corresponding to low (mostly non-zero coefficients) and high (mostly zero coefficients) frequency ranges. Hence, the mostly zero data past the partition is encoded with an RLE type encoder (see, e.g., FIG. 5), and the data before the partition is encoded with a variable-to-variable entropy-type entropy encoder.
In the general case, however, once statistical information is available for a particular input, different encoders may be selected according to whichever encoder is best able to compress an input. For example, encoding methods, such as traditional Huffman encoding, vector Huffman variants, RLE encoding, etc., can be optimized and their code books trained for input having certain characteristics such as high spectral values, low spectral values, mixed or alternating spectral values, or some other desired/probable feature. In contrast with prior use of a single encoder for all input, illustrated configurations match different encoding methods according to a best match between a statistical profile for an input and the statistical profile for data on which an encoder code book was trained.
After determining which encoder 402-406 to use, processing continues as discussed with respect FIG. 2 for transmitting data to a receiver 216 for decoding. Note that an inverse mode selector is not shown. A decoder selector is necessary (e.g., as part of the FIG. 2 decoder 212) to properly select an appropriate decoder to reverse the work of the mode selector 400. However, as discussed above, range divider locations can be determined in advance, thus leaving their identification implied during decoding. Or, for dynamic adaptive encoding/decoding, embedded flags may be used to trigger decoder selection. Using flags is equivalent to using a mode selector, and the mode selector can be designed to operate for both pre-determined and adaptively located partitions.
FIG. 5 illustrates a threshold grid that can be used to modify creation of an entropy code book. The upper left corner represents highest values, and the lower right corner represents lowest values. As discussed for FIGS. 3 and 4, encoding becomes more efficient when encoders can be tailored to process certain portions of the input data. In particular, when it is known that the encoding method will produce a significant number of repeating frequency coefficients, an entropy coder can be combined with RLE-type encoding to increase coding efficiency for data containing the repeated value.
In the illustrated embodiments, quantization of the input data introduces zero or near-zero spectral coefficients for significant portions of the frequency ranges for the input data. Consequently, rather than applying the same entropy coder used for the mostly non-zero data (e.g., the encoder and code book of FIG. 5), instead a RLE-based entropy coder is used. To do so, a special entropy code book is constructed (see FIG. 6). Although it is assumed that RLE compressible data is mostly runs of zero spectral coefficients, note that the disclosed methods are applicable to any repeating data values.
The left edge Rj 502 of the grid 500 represents zero value runs Rj in the input stream having length at or exceeding j, where j ranges from a length of a zero length run to an m-length run. The value of m is a known maximum length zero-value run based on analysis of exemplary input, or from dynamic inspection of incoming data. The top edge of the grid represents spectral coefficient values Li having intensity at or exceeding i, where i ranges from a minimum intensity of zero, up to a maximum intensity n. As with determining the maximum value m, n is determined according to exemplary input or currently received input.
The grid pictorially presents computation of the probability of receiving a run of zero (or other predetermined) value coefficients R having length of at least j that is followed by a spectral intensity value of i in intensity. The darker squares, e.g., 504, 506, correspond to event pairings (Rj,Li) having higher probability, and are collectively referenced as region 508. The lighter squares, e.g., 510, 512, 514, represent pairings having low probability, such as long zero runs followed by high spectral coefficients, and are collectively referenced as region 516. The graph shows that short zero-value runs followed by low spectral values are the most likely input sequences to be received, and that as run lengths get longer, or spectral values get higher, the probability of such combination is reduced.
During entropy code book construction, the improbable pairings are excluded from the code book. Exclusion is made with respect to a selected probability threshold 518. Event pairings below the threshold are deemed insufficiently probable and are excluded from the code book. The result of the exclusion is to limit code book size, while also allowing very efficient encoding of probable input sequences having sequences of zero values.
FIG. 6 illustrates constructing an entropy code book in accordance with a FIG. 5 spectral threshold grid. As a more formal description of the contents of FIG. 5, let the absolute values of non-zero spectral samples form an integer set Li={1, 2, 3, . . . , Ln} where Ln stands for any value that is greater than or equal to Ln (corresponding to the FIG. 5 top grid edge). Let the run length of zero spectral samples in an input stream form another set Rj={1, 2, 3, . . . , Rm} where Rm stands for any zero runs with length equal to or longer than Rm (corresponding to the FIG. 5 left grid edge). Using this notation, we can represent an input of frequency coefficients with a string of input symbols defined as (Rj, Li), which corresponds to Rj zero spectral samples followed by a non-zero spectral sample having intensity of at least Li.
This method defines entropy codes with respect to the probability of receiving certain zero run lengths along with non-zero input contrasts prior art methods, and therefore performs an RLE-type of encoding as input sequences assigned codes include runs of repeating symbols (e.g., the zero value symbols). To create a code book for the illustrated embodiment, a preliminary step is to collect the probability of occurrence 600 for each possible pairing. The computed probabilities can then be sorted 602, and a probability threshold 518 (FIG. 5) applied 604. Application of the threshold operates to exclude all input pairings in FIG. 5 grid region 516. Entropy codes are then assigned 606 to remaining pairings in FIG. 5 region 508.
There are various techniques available for storing and manipulating the code book. For example, one structure is storing the two-dimensional grid in permanent storage, where data retrieval is performed by identifying two indices. Thus, one can retrieve table entries by specification of a run-length and a particular symbol value. A decoding table can be implemented as a Huffman tree. Another code book implementation includes Rice-Golomb structures, and their equivalents.
FIG. 7 shows one method for encoding data with RLE-based entropy encoder of FIGS. 5 and 6. It is assumed that encoding has proceeded as illustrated in FIG. 4, until mode selector 400 determines that RLE encoding is required. As illustrated, a series of spectral coefficients are received 650. This input is scanned 652 to identify an input sequence having zero value spectral samples followed by a non-zero spectral sample. This sequence is then looked up 654 in the code book of FIG. 6, and the corresponding code is output 656.
If the particular scanned sequence 652 is not found within the code book, then it is known to have originally belonged to the low probability region 516 of FIG. 5. A special output symbol can be inserted into the output data stream to identify this data configuration, along with sufficient information to identify the received event (e.g., a code to identify the number of zero valued samples, followed by the non-zero sample). In the case of an input spectrum ending with N zeros, either a special ending signal is needed or a special event such as (N, 1) suffices because the decoder is aware the total number of samples and able to stop decoding when that limit is exceeded.
Although not explicitly illustrated, decoding operates as an inverse operation of encoding, where the encoded data 656 is looked up 654 in a corresponding FIG. 5 decoding code book, in order to recover the input sequence 652.
Having described and illustrated the principles of my invention with reference to an illustrated embodiment, it will be recognized that the illustrated embodiment can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles. Accordingly, we claim as the invention all such modifications as may come within the scope and spirit of the following claims and equivalents thereto.
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text:
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text:
It's Simplify Your Life Week
by Natalie Conrad | No Comments
Photo Credit: Use with permission from Country Primitive Gatherings
Which math equation is simplified?
10+20x+12-x or 22+19x
(No, you won't be graded on your answer)
simplify: to make less complex or complicated; make plainer or easier
So …
What can you do to simplify your life this week?
Tools Needed:
The right frame of mind!
- clear out the entry and set up a place for your keys, glasses, mail, and purses to land
- make a list of you favorite breakfast foods; group them together in a bin in the pantry for quick fixin'
- get rid of all the extra bedding – keep 2 sheet sets and one blanket per bed
- go through all your cleaning products and only save the ones that do more than one job
- copy your favorite recipes and donate the recipe book
- remove everything off your bathroom vanity and only put things back that are used every single day (put them in a basket)
Do you need help with more ways to simplify your life? Just give me a call!
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text:
Hang tight!
Recipe by SuperB
"This recipe was given to me by a friend of my mother. I made it once for my inlaws and ever since then I have had to make it at least once every two months. They love it... I sometimes use chicken thighs for this recipe instead of a whole chicken cut into portions."
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1 cup
all-purpose flour
salt and ground black pepper to taste
whole chicken, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon
onion, chopped
1 cup
tomato sauce
1/2 cup
3 1/2 tablespoons
3 1/2 tablespoons
white sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons
distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon
Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon
ground dry mustard
1 dash
hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco®), or to taste
This was awesome and best of all, it was quick to put together. I made this with boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Thanks, SuperB!!
I made this recipe for a dinner with my in-laws. Everyone loved it! I made a couple small changes. I didnt have dry mustard, so I added mustard seed. I also used chili powder instead of tobasco. I will definitely use this recipe again!
6 Ratings
This is an absolutely splendid recipe! I can't really see the purpose of the flour, so I may leave it off next time as an experiment, but there will definitely be a "next time." I did a double take on the quantities of some of the ingredients like vinegar, Worchestershire Sauce, and paprika, but I made it "as is" and it was fabulous.
This recipe is very tasty! I used boneless skinless chicken breasts & thighs.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Red Chicken
Serving Size: 1/8 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving
** Calories: 385
** Calories from Fat: 146
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See how to make baked chicken thighs with a sweet, hot mustard glaze.


text:
3 Credits
Professor Preston
MWF 11:30-12:20 am
Cross-listed with PHIL 275X.
Fulfills humanities philosophy requirement.
An introduction to the most important philosophers and philosophical themes of the ancient and medieval worlds, from the Pre-Socratics through William of Occam. The course focuses on Plato and Aristotle, and the reception of their thought by Jewish, Islamic and especially Christian thinkers such as Gregory of Nyssa, Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. Special attention will be paid to the connections between philosophical and theological thought on such issues as the relationship of faith and reason, the existence and nature of God, the nature of the Trinity, the problem of evil and the project of theodicy (defending the goodness and justice of God in the face of evil), God's relationship to time and attendant considerations about foreknowledge, providence, predestination, and human free will, and so on. The course will also cover the ways in which different interpretations of Aristotle shaped the divergent theologies of the Eastern (Orthodox) and Western churches, and how the rejection of Aristotelianism in the late-mediaeval West set the stage for the emergence of Protestant theology. A mixture of primary and secondary sources will be used.


text: Goalkeeper Ryan Meara -- A- If Ryan plays the 2nd half of the season like he played the 1st half he will get rookie of the year for sure. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Defense Brandon Barklage -- B+ Barkla has been a revelation and has been one of the best and most consistent defenders for the Bulls the 1st half of the season. Markus Holgersson -- C Backe's baby the Swedish Statue, Hulk, Holgerslug, etc has been a disappointment but to his credit he did get better before the injury. Wilman Conde -- C+ Conde has been pretty good when he has been playing only problem is he hasn't been playing much because his body is a like a broken jalopy. Roy Miller -- C- Roy has just made too many mistakes and is a liability. The Bulls should not renew his contract. Heath Pearce -- B+ I was never a big Juan Agudelo fan so I was not that upset when he was traded for Pearce. Time has shown this was a good move for the Bulls. Heath is a proven veteran of MLS and he gives the Bulls a calm presence in the back. Connor Lade -- B After a shitty 1st game vs DC this little guy has greatly improved and deserves much more playing time. He is tenacious and plays with a lot of spirit. Stephen Keel -- B- Keel is a good back up but his marking on set plays in the box can be poor at times Tyler Ruthven -- B I like this kid. He is tough as nails and he is a greater header of the ball. I am not sure why Keel is ahead of him on the depth chart. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Midfield Dax McCarty -- A I wrote earlier in the year that Dax is the true leader of this team. He is the glue that holds the team together. Why he is not Captain is beyond me especially when Titi is not playing. I am glad we traded DeRo for him now. Dane Richards -- C+ Dane blows hot and cold and if he is matched up with a speedy midfielder or defender he doesn't do so well. To be honest I don't feel like he has grown at all with the team in his 5 years here but he does have 4-5 excellent games and that might be enough to keep him here. Joel Lindpere -- B- "Gutsy, a gamer and tenacious, injuries have limited his effectiveness in what is now his third year with the Red Bulls. But he has been making important contributions in the midfield, whether centrally or on the left wing and defensively his marking is much more focused this year. Still waiting for him to click in the offensive end, however." Lewis/Dyer Teemu Tainio -- Incomplete Miss the guy although I think Dax has taken over his spot so if he ever sees the field again it will be elsewhere or on the bench. Rafa Marquez -- C This guy has phoned it in and is the latest version of Metro's Matheus! A bad DP move if there ever was one. Mehdi Ballouchy -- B He has played well of late. Can he keep it up? Victor Palsson -- C Eh... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Forwards Kenny Cooper -- A- "The best acquisition of the offseason for New York as Cooper carried much of the scoring load during a spell of injuries to the attack. Even when he's not scoring, he's working hard defensively and making smart runs into space. The consummate teammate, Cooper should be an all-star. Scoring has tailed off this past month but still a stellar trade for the Red Bulls." Lewis/Dyer Thierry Henry -- A "This season, Henry seems like he can single-handedly take over games and carry the team. His scoring has been clinical and his vision is elevating the likes of Cooper and McCarty. Should be a legitimate MVP candidate despite battling nagging injuries." Lewis/Dyer Johnny Arteaga -- D Hard working but not too bright, Arteaga has shown hustle but he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeremy Vuolo, Ryan Maduro, Jose Angulo, Jonathan Borrajo These players have not played or have gotten so little playing time that they cannot be graded at the moment. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COACH Hans Backe -- B Hans has done a better job this year than the last two. He is starting to figure out the league and he is grwoing on me but not too much yet! See Lewis and Dyer's grades here: http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/teams/redbulls2.php?article_id=30759


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text:
|Movies and Video For people making movies and editing video with their Mac.
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Member Since: Mar 02, 2011
Posts: 1
I am working in iMovie 6/HD on OS 10.4.11. I do my "type slides" in Photoshop and import them into the iMovie as photos (JPGs). I know some text/titles can be done in iMovie but there is very little control I have over what goes where, so by making my type slides in Photoshop I have more creative control to do what I want. I have done tests and it doesn't seem to matter what resolution the Photoshop files are when they're imported, the results are always the same.
If anyone has a better suggestion for doing the type slides I'd gladly welcome them, but I think what I really need to know is the following:
What are the best expert settings to export my iMovie file as, so that when I upload to YouTube, the quality stays fairly crisp? Or does YouTube's compression just negate anything I can do on my end?
I have googled and found settings recs on other sites and other boards and tried a bunch of them and my results aren't any better than my original effort.
Thanks to anyone who responds!
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Thursday, 24.03.2011 / 3:55 PM / News
MONTREAL -- The Montreal Canadiens announced Thursday that left winger Nigel Dawes and centerman Andreas Engqvist have been assigned to the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs.
Dawes, 26, suited up for the Canadiens' last four games. The 5'09" and 200 lbs left winger was held pointless with three shots on goal, eight hits and three blocked shots, while averaging 6:44 of time on ice.
Dawes leads the Bulldogs with 54 points (33 goals, 21 assists) in 55 games this season. He ranks first on the team and in the AHL with 33 goals. Nine of his goals have been tallied on the power play and one while shorthanded. He displays a +7 plus/minus differential, has collected 169 shots on goal and served 17 penalty minutes.
Born in Winnipeg, Dawes was a fifth round pick, 149th selection overall, by the New York Rangers in 2003. He was acquired from the Thrashers, along with Brent Sopel, last February 24.
The 6'04'', 197 lbs centreman, aged 23, suited up for three games with the Canadiens this season, including his first NHL contest on January 21 at Ottawa. Engqvist was held pointless, while recording one shot on goal, two hits and three blocked shots and averaging 8:45 minutes of ice time per game.
Engqvist appeared in 62 games with the Bulldogs this season, registering 21 points (8 goals, 13 assists). Two of his goals were scored on the power play. He has collected 122 shots on goal, maintained a +8 plus/minus differential and served 16 penalty minutes.
A native of Stockholm, Sweden, Engqvist signed with the Canadiens as a free agent on July 13, 2009.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
PRESS RELEASE: Nigel Dawes, Andreas Engqvist assigned to Hamilton
Thursday, 24.03.2011 / 3:55 PM / News


text:
I want to upgrade from the free version of ADW Launcher to ADW Launcher EX. How can I do this without having to re-create all of my app settings and widgets?
Take the 2-minute tour ×
Super User is a question and answer site for computer enthusiasts and power users. It's 100% free, no registration required.
closed as off topic by haimg, BinaryMisfit, Kyle, Tog, Dave M Jan 25 '13 at 21:32
Questions on Super User are expected to relate to computer software or computer hardware within the scope defined by the community. Consider editing the question or leaving comments for improvement if you believe the question can be reworded to fit within the scope. Read more about reopening questions here. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
Here is a partial solution (it doesn't copy widgets).
You must save the ADW settings as a backup in the free version, then restore them in the paid version.


text:
i'm like 87th or something....blows my mind
LOL, i was thinking "wow am i really that bad" JJ,, im wondering if its real poeple or spambots that moved me soo far back.
Mark has just been Lazy.
No the Top 100 List scoring is Royally Screwed at the moment, I believe that they are working on it but I wouldn't be holding my breath waiting for a fix if I was you.
oh man thank (but probably really true, i have been falling asleep at my desk from sleep deprivation...LOL)
that dressred is one power user there for sure! Check his profile. Screwed up is an understatement!
isn't he though...holy moly!!! that definitely needs to be fixed...geesh
and one we are addressing to keep out those who shouldn't be n the ranking at all (i.e. spammers)
-Tammy [_]3
And just how many posts has Tammy made to TR this week?
I'm betting that she should be way up in the Top 100.
I expect I'm somewhere in the bottom echelon - and I'm quite happy about that. I've often wondered how, if the people at the top are at work, they find the time to be so active on here. Is that skiving, or are all the rumours about manager workload true?
However, I think I've worked it out. Microsoft progress bars that measure time in Microsoft Minutes (a variable measurement of time, unusual in that it slows right down after 99% of a job is complete) give us the clue. What do people do whilst they're waiting for 3Ghz computers to complete a task an 866Mhz computer could do in a tenth the time? Post on Techrepublic of course.
Ya know I wonder how else you would define IT professionals participating in a web-based IT Professional forum other than work? TR ain't exactly Facebook. :)
soo true,, i wonder myself as some guys always beat me to the answers! GRRR they must be on 24x7 lol
i'm sitting at a 2.33ghz quad core, 8 gig, win 7 pro 64 bit machine that loads in a flash...almost ....unfortunately, i'm just not working ATM so this is what i like to do when i'm done housework and waiting for hubby and our daughter to get home from work/school. I know i don't post often, but gee, i figured i posted more than the dress guy
Your now at #55 and dropping.
But don't worry everyone else is as well. It's only the Spammers who are rising in the list.
LOL, yeah im crying over here...hehehhehe
Im just happy its not me doing a bad job.


text:
33 Shouts - 81,279 Scrobbles
There two bands named Blume on Last.fm. 1. www.blumeofficial.com - Blume are an Italian Electronic music band formed in 2008. The group consists of Enrico Filisetti (Vocals), Ivan Savino (Synthesizers & Programming) and Daniele De Fabritiis (Guitars). Their sound comprises a mixture between Synthpop, Darkwave and Electronic body music elements. With the online release of the first recordings they capture the curiosity of media and critics, arousing the interest of the following and, most importantly, of some labels.
Read more about Blume on Last.fm.
User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.
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text:
When you are playing without a pet, it takes 25% off your health, but does this give you 400% of that health or of the pet`s health that you _would_ have if you had not sacrificed it?
When you are playing without a pet, it takes 25% off your health, but does this give you 400% of that health or of the pet`s health that you _would_ have if you had not sacrificed it?
ah interesting
I actually use GoSAC and SACPAC on progression even when there is a slight dps loss because of it's insane survivability. GoSAC itself buffs dmg on abilities that give you a Soul Leech shield, and as stated above, the shield from SACPAC when you sacrifice your own health is absolutely mind boggling.
EDIT: for a 10 man group at least. Might not be as beneficial in a 25.
Last edited by Mazda; 2013-04-04 at 11:40 PM.
How about you test stuff in-game rather than asking on the forums? This literally takes less than 2 minutes to test.
The forums are meant to ask questions and discussing things. Infracted.
Last edited by Nicola; 2013-04-05 at 07:40 AM.
It's overpowered as hell, if that counts.
"It hath been found by experience that no matter how decent, intelligent or thoughtful the reasoning of a conservative may be, as an argument with a liberal is advanced, the probability of being accused of 'bigotry', 'hatred' or 'intolerance' approaches 1." - Cranmer's Law
"Man is his own star. His acts are his angels, good or ill, While his fatal shadows walk silently beside him."-Rhyme of the Primeval Paradine AFC 54
You know a community is bad when moderators lock a thread because "...this isnt the place to talk about it either seeing as it will get trolled..."
Best ability, I use it for all fights, with or without a pet, I mean absorbing absurd amounts during rampage is just wonderful.
Tenser @ EU-Auchindoun
Officer of <WTFlux> 2-day-weekend-raiding-guild, T14: 8/16HC, T15: 2/13H
Warlock POV - streaming raids on sat/sun 10am-2pm GMT+1
Last edited by xskarma; 2013-04-05 at 06:07 PM.
Warlocks aren't looking for anything logical, like money.
They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with.
Warlocks just want to watch the world burn.
Kilmir on: Armory | Warcraftlogs | Genesis guild | WoWProgress
And if I'm really being hammered in arena or bg's I pop Dark Regen+healthstone before the shadow bulwark buff is over so the healing from those abilities is also based on my boosted max health. And before our opponents have dps'd all that health and absorb power away they're dead themselves most of the time
Oh sounds very nice, thanks!


text:
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text:
Through Week 8
1. Middlebury (8-0): In the VPA tournament era, the Tigers have finished unbeaten in the regular season six times counting this fall. Their last three have ended in playoff defeats, but that might change this November. The road to the D-I title goes through Middlebury. Last week: 1.
2. South Burlington (7-1): The Rebels rebounded from the Middlebury defeat with a grind-it-out effort against Essex, a game that wasn't decided until Tanner Contois finally broke free. Last week: 2.
3. Hartford (5-2): Earning the fourth seed after cruising past Rutland, the Hurricanes get a home playoff game that was up in the air late in the season. Last week: 4.
4. Woodstock (8-0): The Wasps took care of Windsor in their rivalry game. They now prepare for a run at a three-peat. Last week: 5.
5. Champlain Valley (6-2): The Redhawks got their home playoff game and also played their most complete game of the season in blanking BFA-St. Albans. Can CVU, without a playoff win in its first two seasons in D-I, stick around a bit this postseason? Last week: 6.
6. Essex (5-3): The Hornets' loss to South Burlington cost a shot at the No. 2 and now sends them Hartford for a quarterfinal matchup. Last week: 3.
7. Lyndon (7-1): The Vikings put their loss to Woodstock in the rearview mirror, rolling over St. Johnsbury in "The Game." That win assured Lyndon of the top seed in Division II, taking a little bit of the edge off its matchup with Bellows Falls. Last week: 7.
8. Rice (5-2): The Green Knights had a bye week and head to Milton to try and wrap up the No. 2 seed. Last week: 9.
9. Bellows Falls (6-2): With a playoff berth secure, the Terriers will look to improve their seeding in the regular-season finale. Last week: 10.
10. Rutland (4-3): The Raiders will need to win at CVU on Saturday for their season to continue. Last week: 8.
On the bubble:
QPR standings
*Win-loss record, QPR number in parenthesis
* The QPR formula (Quality Point Rating) determines playoff seedings for each division
*Top 8 in Division I and III advance to postseason; top 4 qualify for tournament play in D-II
Division II
1. Lyndon (7-1, 10.444)
2. Rice Memorial (5-2, 7.750)
3. Bellows Falls (6-2, 7.333)
4. Fair Haven (5-3, 6.111)
5. Milton (4-3, 4.500)
6. Burr and Burton (4-4, 4.333)
7. North Country (0-8, 0.000)
8. Spaulding (0-8, 0.000)


text: I placed an order for one AK47 7.62x39 conversion kit in early December 2007. My checked cleared my bank on Dec. 17, 2007. Ive not yet received the conversion kit. Ive have been very patient. Their web site indicated 30 to 120 day delivery time frame -- the 120 days have passed long ago!! Ive tried to call their office, I've sent emails, certified smail to their office. But no response! Their customer service seems to be lacking!! -- JIM


text:
Comment US not fourth place (Score 1) 155 155
Comment Exobrain (Score 1) 87 87
Comment Compare it against renewable energy (Score 1) 599 599
Comment Re:"centuries"? (Score 1) 305 305
What kinds of devices have we been interacting with for centuries? That's what I'd like to know.
The nipples of your mother. The only intuitive interface in the world.
Submission + - German court ordered Apple to stop selling mobile ->
Link to Original Source
Comment This madness is happening all the time (Score 1) 259 259
See http://allthingsnuclear.org/tagged/fission_stories for a growing collection of incidents that almost went wrong.
Comment KDE (Score 1) 456 456
Comment Written history (Score 1) 143 143
A U.S. geek appears to have accidentally written history simply by having sex.
Fixed that for you.
Comment Re:1st and I hope last time on gizmodo (Score 2) 203 203
Panama? I only see an image of Africa and Asia.
See?! That proves it's photoshopped, They even forgot to put in parts of America.
Comment Re:1st and I hope last time on gizmodo (Score 1) 203 203
One obvious difference - in the NASA image, clouds have no shadow, in the russian one they do. That makes the NASA image look flat, and the russian one jump out in 3D. Why that is, I'm not sure.
The Russian image is taken at the day-night border, where the sunlight comes from the side, while the NASA image is taken around noon. The shadows make the landscape much more visible. Spy satellite images are often taken in the morning or late afternoon for the same reason.
Comment Re:9.0 magnitude earthquake Unpossible? (Score 1) 258 258
St. Andreas is not the only possible area of a quake. In the Washington area there is more tension building up:
Comment Google voluntarily pixels buildings (Score 4, Informative) 46 46
The streetview service is not illegal in Germany. Google voluntarily pixels houses if people living there demand it. They don't have to. Other services like sightwalk.de do it without for years.
Comment Re:Is it better than this? (Score 2, Funny) 445 445
Comment Re:Works for me (Score 1) 227 227
==> so it's hosted in Denmark now!
I recommend that the 4498 unrelated sites should do likewise, and find a hosting provider with a spine.
the hostingprovider has a spine and was danish from the beginning. The serverhoster (serverloft) has no spine and is located in Germany.


text:
Created by Harry Allen for ViaLight Design, the elegant Eclipse II suspension lamp is inspired by the concentric growth rings of Brazilian palm tree trunks. The aluminum pendant is made from a trio of elongated, nesting rings, which sprout from one another to form its seashell-like shape. When illuminated, a warm glow seeps out from behind its layered shades—much like the band of light that appears around the moon during a solar eclipse.
Designed 2012. Maximum installation height: 13.56'. Hardwired.
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Enjoy 10% off your first order*


text:
Men's basketball: Brett Comer sparks Eagles to first NCAA tourney appearance
MACON, Ga. — Brett Comer needed to erase his bad memories.
The Florida Gulf Coast University guard wanted to shake off the disappointment of a slow start to the Atlantic Sun tournament as well as rinse the bitter taste of last year's painful finish from his mouth.
With an MVP performance in the A-Sun championship game, Comer did both and helped the Eagles make history. Behind 21 points from the sophomore, FGCU beat top-seed Mercer 88-75 on the Bears home court to win the conference title and earn an automatic spot in the NCAA tournament.
"Something about this game, all of us had this energy," said the 6-foot-3 Winter Park, Fla. native, who also had five assists and three steals. "Even before the tournament we talked about how we're not going to have the same feeling as last year. We took it upon ourselves to win this whole tournament."
In the A-Sun final for the second straight year, the Eagles wanted a different result than last year's loss to Belmont.
With the Eagles struggling early, Comer jumped started the offense. FGCU (24-10) managed just three points in the game's first five minutes and trailed by eight.
During a six-minute span in the first half, Comer scored four times to give FGCU the lead. He also hit one shot to tie the game, and assisted on three baskets that put the Eagles ahead in the back-and-forth first half.
All 12 of Comer's first half points and all three assists came in a span of 6:11. His final play during the run was an assist on Bernard Thompson's 3-pointer. The 3 gave FGCU a 33-32 lead with 3:49, and the Eagles would not trail again.
After the game Comer was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. The A-Sun leader in assists, he totaled 39 points, 17 assists and five steals in three games.
"Last year the feeling was horrible, sitting their seeing all these guys dancing around," said Comer, who had 20 points in the loss to Belmont in the same arena. "We wanted to come out and keeping pushing and pushing and pushing, and not let up for anybody or any team."
Leading by two at halftime, FGCU seized control with an 11-2 run to start the second half. Comer hit a 3-pointer during the stretch and had two key passes — a short alley-oop assist a Eric McKnight score and a dish out to the arc to Thompson, who nailed another 3.
Mercer got within five with 12:53 to play, but the Eagles unreeled a 16-5 run to reestablish command.
FGCU senior Sherwood Brown finished with 16 point, including three deep 3s in the second half, and 11 rebounds.
The Eagles shot 51 percent (30 of 59) and controlled the tempo in the second half.
"There were no X's and O's talks at halftime," second-year coach Andy Enfield said. "We just said, 'This is on you. You're where you want to be. You're in the A-Sun championship game, you're up two at halftime, you're on their home court, and this is a lot of fun, so go win the game.'"
Here is the key moments from FGCU's historic 88-75 victory over Mercer to ear its first trip to the NCAA tourney.
18:25 — Eagles' Sherwood Brown hits 3-pointer for FGCU's first points. Mercer 3, FGCU 2
14:56 — Bears' Bud Thomas converts a breakaway layup to put Mercer up 11-3. FGCU's Andy Enfield calls time out.
11:15 — Chris Varidel attacks basket and scoops it in as he gets foul. He converts 3-point play to cut lead to one. Mercer 14, FGCU 13
8:50 — Brett Comer pushes a 1-on-3 fast break and makes a floater to put FGCU up 20-19. Comer would go on to score 12 of FGCU's next 14 and assisted on the other basket.
2:04 — Varidel hits a fall-away 3-pointer to put FGCU ahead 38-33.
0:01 — Varidel misses desperation layup at the buzzer but FGCU leds 38-36.
19:20 — Comer dishes an alley-oop pass to Eric McKnight, who starts second half scoring. ESPN2 analyst Dereck Whittenburg says his famous air-ball shot that Lorenzo Charles converted for NC State upset of Houston 30 years ago was an alley-oop pass, too.
17:05 — Comer penetrates the paint and then passes out to Bernard Thompson, who nails a 3-pointer to give FGCU a double-digit lead at 49-38. Timeout Mercer.
15:44 — Comer scores on a runner in the lane to put FGCU back up by 10, 51-41.
9:10 — Eagles' Sherwood Brown nails 3-pointer and then blows kisses to the crowd. FGCU 65, Mercer 54.
6:02 — Brown nails a deep 3-pointer to give FGCU its biggest lead at 77-60.
0:41 — Varidel is fouled for the third time in the final two minutes. He connected on all six free throws.
0:00 —FGCU celebrates first NCAA bid.
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