What's The Perfect Format for Your Digital Photos?

The format you choose depends on what you're going to do with your photos. Nowadays, we have some common file types, not like 10 years ago when we have hundreds of them. But we still need to choose the best one for our purposes. Let's look at strengths and weaknesses of three most common digital photo formats.

Go mainstream with JPEG

• Pros: This is the default format of digital cameras. Every photo editing or viewing programs can read it. You're able to adjust JPEG's compression level to make it larger or smaller, trading off the image quality for portability. Just be sure to set your camera to capture pictures at the lowest compression (highest image quality) if you have enough memory. Because you can always reduce the quality later to shrink the file size, but you cannot bring the lost image data back.
  
• Cons: Every time you make a change and save a JPEG file, you're reducing the quality of the image. It's like photocopying. You're making photocopy of a photocopy. The loss of detail is obvious even you apply the highest quality setting every time.

TIFF maintains quality

• Pros: The TIFF image format is lossless as opposed to JPEG's "lossy" format. It won't throw away colour information when we save them for multiple times. You can set your camera setting to TIFF to get much better quality. Alternatively, you can shoot your image as the highest JPEG file, and then Save As TIFF on your computer. So the image will be locked in and the quality won't decrease when you edit them.
• Cons: TIFF files are much larger than JPEG files and not every program can open it. We may still need JPEGs for sending via e-mail and placing on the web.

Photo fanatics love RAW

• Pros: RAW is also a lossless format. And it offer more colour depth - 12 bit of colour per pixel compared with 8 bit per pixel for JPEG and TIFF. Overall, it's an unprocessed source file that offers you unlimited creative freedom.
• Cons: Not every digital camera can shoot RAW file format. And the file size is very large. You also need more transferring work after shooting them.

For information on photo editing software, click here.

Today's Pick - WD Caviar SE16 320GB SATA Hard Drive

Up to now, I have already introduced PC case, CPU, motherboard and memory. What else do we need? Lots more. But hard drive is the next most important thing. We cannot run a computer without a hard drive (although I can remember my first ever PC was running on a floppy disk, that's 15 years ago). The size of hard drive keeps growing. Currently we can buy a single hard drive of 750GB. But we need hard drives with good performance, big enough storage space and reasonable price. So I think 320GB SATAII hard drives will be the best choice. I have picked up the Western Digital Caviar SE16 320 GB SATA Hard Drive to introduce. It has a transfer rate of 300 MB/s and 16 MB cache.

Overview
WD Caviar SE16 7200 RPM next-generation SATA hard drives feature up to 500 GB of storage and a 16 MB cache for lightning-fast performance. Yes, these reliable drives are fast, but they still deliver technologically advanced acoustics and cool operation. Designed for high-performance computers, multimedia and gaming systems.

Key Features

• 16 MB cache - Bigger cache means faster performance. A massive 16 MB cache combined with up to 300 MB/s transfer rate make these ultra-fast drives the perfect solution for the fully loaded PC with a fast processor.
• Cool operating temperature - WD hard drives are designed to have the lowest power consumption of any high-capacity, desktop-class hard drive which lowers the operating temperature for enhanced drive reliability.
• Whisper quiet - These highly reliable drives deliver technologically advanced acoustics. With its WhisperDrive™ and SoftSeek™ technologies, WD has minimized noise to levels virtually imperceptible to the human ear in home and business environments.
  

Ideal For
Designed for use in the fastest PCs on the market, including high-performance business computers, multimedia and gaming systems.

What it holds?

• Up to 91,000 digital photos
• Up to 80,000 songs (MP3)
• Up to 8,000 songs (uncompressed CD quality)
• Up to 24 hours of Digital Video (DV)
• Up to 100 hours of DVD quality video
• Up to 38 hours of HD video

For more information and pricing of this model, click here. The other good choice will be the Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 SATA 320GB Hard Drive.

Memory - DDR2

After selecting the CPU and motherboard, the next big thing will be memory. Currently, the DDR2 memory will be the best choice and 1GB will be the minimum. We can choose from DDR2-533 (PC2-4200) and DDR2-677 (PC2-5300). DDR2-533 is slightly cheaper. Although you may not feel the difference if you don't play games and editing video, theoretically DDR2-677 will have much greater performance increase over DDR2-533. Here are a few Crucial memory for your information:

• Crucial 1GB DDR2 PC2-4200 (DDR2-533) Memory
  
• Crucial 1GB DDR2 PC2-5300 (DDR2-677) Memory
  
• Crucial 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-5300 (DDR2-677) Memory Kit

I personally recommend the 2GB DDR2-677 memory kit. 2GB will give you enough performance and room for the future. And the price is the best at the moment.

Today's Pick - Gigabyte GA-G1975X Motherboard

Last week, I have introduced a mainstream Pentium D motherboard. Today, I'll introduce a performance motherboard from Gigabyte - GA-G1975X. Here are a little summary of it:

1. Intel 975X Express chip set
2. CrossFire dual-graphics support (8X)
3. Four SATA-300 ports, two PATA ports
4. RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 5, 10 support
   
5. LGA775 Intel® Pentium®Extreme Edition/ Pentium® D / Pentium®4 processor FSB1066
6. Supports 4 DIMMs Dual Channel DDR2 667 ECC memory
7. Features dual PCI-E graphics slots running at x8 speed
8. Equipped with flexible PCI-E x4 slots for multi-view application
9. PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet controller
10. Features SATA 3Gb/s and IEEE1394 interfaces
11. Creative Sound Blaster Live 24-bit 8 channel Audio with DTS support
12. Unique GIGABYTE Turbojet Technology / GIGABYTE C.R.S. support
    

This model has PC World rating of 81 (very good). PC World said "The unusual four-fan cooling system of the GA-G1975X is an interesting approach to the problem of getting heat away from the motherboard, but it's only partly successful: It is a little noisy, and the bright blue LEDs that illuminate it may not appeal to all."

For more information and pricing of this product, click here.

Cool iPod Accessories!

Click for larger image:
For more iPod products, click here.

Today's Pick - Gigabyte GA-8I945P-G Motherboard

As discussed before, if CPU is a system's brain, motherboard will be the heart of a system. It supports almost everything in the system. If the motherboard dies, the system will die. Thus, a good motherboard is essential for building a stable system. Today, I'll introduce a mainstream motherboard from Gigabyte which supports Pentium D processors. Here are a little bit summary:

1. Supports Intel® Pentium® D Processor
2. Supports new generation dual channel DDR2 667 memory architecture
3. Integrated new generation SATA 3Gb/s storage interface
4. Experience revolutionary graphics with the PCI-Express x16 interface
5. Features integrated high-speed Gigabit Ethernet connection
6. Features 8 channel Intel® High Definition Audio

For more information and pricing of this model, click here.

Skype - You Must Use it!

Have you ever used Skype before? If not, you'd better try it now. You can have Skype-to-Skype calls for free and use SkypeOut to call ordinary phones at a very low cost. The call quality is just perfect. Here are some SkypeOut call rates per minute:

• New Zealand - NZD$0.034
• New Zealand Mobile - NZD$0.506
• USA - NZD$0.034
• Australia - NZD$0.034
• Australia Mobile - NZD$0.332
• United Kingdom - NZD$0.034
• United Kingdom Mobile - NZD$0.412
• China - NZD$0.034
• China Mobile - NZD$0.034
• Taiwan - NZD$0.034
• Taiwan Mobile - NZD$0.165
• Hong Kong - NZD$0.034
• Hong Kong Mobile - NZD$0.034
  
• India - NZD$0.251
• India Mobile - NZD$0.277

For Skype accessories, click here.

CPU - The Brain Of A Computer

CPU is the most important component of a computer, like human brain. How clever the computer is will depend on how good the CPU is. For the home entertainment PC we're building, a dual-core processor is a must, plus Intel Viiv technology. Before the launch of Intel Core 2 Duo processors, I think Intel Pentium D processor 900 sequence will be a good option:

• Intel Pentium D CPU - 930, 3.0GHz, 800MHz FSB, 2 x 2MB cache
• Intel Pentium D CPU - 940, 3.2GHz, 800MHz FSB, 2 x 2MB cache
• Intel Pentium D CPU - 950, 3.4GHz, 800MHz FSB, 2 x 2MB cache

The Core 2 Duo processor will be launched at 27 July. What's difference between Core 2 Duo and Pentium D? Core 2 Duo will be more energy-efficiency and most Core 2 Duo processors have 1024MHz FSB instead of 800MHz FSB.

PC Case - In Win J Series O3 (Silver ATX Tower)

This In Win O3 is a very good looking case with a form factor of ATX and mATX. It supports both the latest Intel and AMD CPUs and has a 460W power supply. Here are specifications and features:

Specifications

• Case Size: Mid Tower Chassis
• M/B Form Factor: Factor ATX, mATX
• Drive Bays: External 5.25" x 4, 3.5" x2; Internal 3.5" x 3
• CPU Type: Intel Prescott (3.6GHz), AMD
• Power Supply: ATX 12V form factor, PS2 size, 460W
• I/O Expansion Slots: 7* AGP/PCI/PCI-E expansion slots
• Dimension (HxWxD) w/o Front Panel: 426x210x440mm
  

Features:

• Best Performed SECC Japanese Steel metal
• Aluminium AL-13 Series front panel with blue LED light for O3
• Rail Construction for 5.25"/3.5" device -(2*5.25,2*3.5) for faster installation and service.
• Detachable HDD Drive Cage - for better install and service.
• Folded Edge - for safety installation. No sharp edges, debris.
• Extra Vent at Rear Panel - optional 8cm or 9cm auxiliary cooling fan can be installed at rear panel for better system cooling. (Optional fan is not included)
• Stamped Motherboard Support - no M/B standoffs installation required, for faster M/B installation.
• Screwless Front Panel & Side Panels - for easy removal and installation.
• Configured 7 drive bays - (3 x 5.25", 4x3.5") drive bays for expandability of future upgrade.
• 0.8 mm Sheet Metal Construction - for better stability & durability.
• Meet CE, FCC Class B requirement.

Front Ports:

• 1394
• USB*4
• HD audio

Security:

• Standard Padlock loop for padlock
• Optional chassis intrusion switch
  

For pricing and more PC cases, click here.

Is now the right time to upgrade your computer?

I always ask myself recently - is now the right time to buy a new computer? Or should I wait for Windows Vista coming out early next year? My friend Sam said "Yes, it is the time. Don't wait and just do it." I was arguing with him but now I think he's right, especially after Microsoft delayed Windows Vista to January 2007. There will be at least another 7 months to wait. Even Microsoft can make it on time in January (lots of rumour said it wouldn't), it won't be a good idea to upgrade to Vista immediately after it releases. Both Vista hardware and software need some time to mature. Some experts said that it's probably not a good idea for business to upgrade to Windows Vista until 2008. (Home users will be a different story.)

In conclusion, let's do it! Windows XP is a very mature product at the moment, and all hardware and software can support it perfectly. Before we start to purchase a new PC, we need to answer a few questions for ourselves:

• Do I want a notebook or desktop? - Notebooks are getting cheaper and cheaper, more and more powerful and popular, click here for all range of notebooks from all major brands. But notebooks have limited scalability and not that comfortable when you're using it for long at home or in the office. For myself, I already got a Sony VAIO notebook, so I'll go for a desktop this time.
• Do I want a branded desktop or DIY? - If you're buying for your company, go for the branded business desktop PC, click here for all range of business desktop PCs from all major brands. But if you're looking for multimedia PC for your home, Do-it-yourself! Why? It's cheaper, better, fully customised to your needs. But the drawback is the low system stability if you don't build it properly.
  

OK, by answering these two questions, I decided to build a PC by myself in the next couple of weeks. So I'll update my hardware selection process here in the next few weeks. Keep watching...

Today's Pick - Linksys NSLU2 Network Storage Link for USB 2.0 Disk Drives

Last week, I have introduced two external hard drives. If we want to build a home storage network, we need to make those drives be network compatible. The Linksys Network Storage Link will be a very good option. Here are highlights of this device:

• Connects USB 1.1 or 2.0 disk drives and flash disks directly to your network
• Share music, video, or data files with managed access by user name or group
• Integrated file server -- access your files from the Internet
• Built-in disk utilities -- format, backup, and scandisk

Comparing with purchasing network attached storage drives directly, this solution (normal external hard drives + network storage link) will bring you more flexibility and scalability. For more information and pricing of this Linksys Network Storage Link, click here.