I uncovered a flaw in what I’ve been doing on the video front thus far. DRAT.
The video camera that we have has the ability to record in 16×9 format. I’ve had this switched ON from the get-go, but what I’ve seen up until this point looked as though it wasn’t coming through in wide-screen format. Oh well, must be something I’m doing wrong.
(It’s teeny. And very cool.)
In one of the consumer reviews on Amazon.com I uncovered a note from someone about a similar problem. It suggested a utility that will rename video files and set the 16×9 flag. Set the 16×9 flag?!? I should know to do this? Apparently there’s a problem with how the video files come through to Windows and how they interact with some of the video players. Another thing about its rename feature is that it adds date and time to the file name. My video files are often out of order and this little tweak puts everything in the proper order. Sweet!
Morals of the story:
1) Read the consumer reviews at Amazon.com for anything you’re thinking of buying. While some of them are lame, most come from real people who bought the product before you and will let you know what they think. The manufacturer info is good, but hearing from other consumers will undoubtedly provide a few nuggets that can prove invaluable.
2) If something doesn’t seem right (especially with electronic equipment), keep searching for a solution. The video I was shooting wasn’t quite right, but I kept trudging through doing what I was doing. This utility has made everything much more true-to-life.