Free DME & DFIR Resources

In a ruling that promises to revamp jury deliberations in New Jersey, the state Supreme Court says jurors should be allowed to see video playbacks of recorded testimony upon request, subject to safeguards.

"As advances in modern technology make their way into the courtroom, the Judiciary -- like the rest of society -- must adapt," Chief Justice Stuart Rabner wrote for a unanimous Court on Monday in State v. Miller, A-94-09.

Full story:
http://www.law.com/jsp/lawtechnologynews/PubArticleLTN.jsp?id=1202486272702&Top_NJ_Court_Endorses_Video_Playback_in_Jury_Trials

Zdenek Kalal’s Predator object-tracking software is almost uncanny. Show anything to its all-seeing camera eye, and it will quickly learn to recognize it and then track it, whether it fades into the distance, hides amongst other similar objects or — in the case of faces turns sideways.

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The iTwin USB dongle isn’t new: it started life as a easy way to transfer files between two computers without a wire. It looks like two USB drives stuck together at the tail, and its it worked admirably moving files from one computer to another as if there was a hard cable between them. Well, it just added another awesome feature through software, which is real encryption for your Dropbox.

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The Law Enforcement and Emergency Services Video Association (LEVA) is offering a $200 discount to government employees who sign-up to take two of their most highly sought after courses - Forensic Imaging Techniques and Photographic/Video Comparison.  The courses will be held back-to-back June 9 - 15 at the LEVA DME Lab, which is located at the University of Indianapolis.

Visit the LEVA Web site for complete details!

I've used everything from freeware tools to high-end encoders to accomplish various audio & video trans-coding tasks over the last 15 years or so, and when time permits, I love testing out new tools.  Recently, when installing software on to a new PC, I decided to try another low-cost solution that's been around for quite some time, but I've never used; AVS Video Converter.

F.C.C. Says Adoption of New Broadband Plan Is Vital, By BRIAN STELTER

The agency characterized its proposal, which it sent to Congress on Tuesday, as a step for keeping the country competitive.

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In the last few weeks, we've added several new features and content areas to Media-Geek, and more are on the way. Some of these updates are specific to our members only area, while others are available to both the public and private sections of the site; such as our new customizable home page.

By default, the new home page displays recent articles from a few of our content areas, such as Member Articles, Media-Geek News, Larry C.'s Blog, and Newsflashes. Both members and visitors can change the number of articles that are displayed on the home page for each of these areas, and they can also re-order the way in which they are displayed using the drag-n-drop icon in the upper-right corder of the display for each area.

Do You Have a Blog or Podcast?

Some more offline comments and testing recently have raised a critical issue; the use of Square Pixel Sampling and Non-Square Sample Formats. Before that though, let's talk about validation testing. When we get to this level of detail especially, it is important to validate our processing, tools, and complete process. Correcting Aspect Ratio is certainly no exception. In fact, I think we would all agree that when this level of detail really matters, you must validate. Lots of great resources out there about that topic.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) is again seeking comments on proposed standards for new digital video cameras for police vehicles with April 25, 2011 listed as the new deadline for comments.

Full story:
http://governmentvideo.com/article/103844

From the PhotoShopSupport.com blog:

Here's a free video tutorial from lynda.com — Setting Up Shop - Preferences, Color Settings, And Shortcuts — from the series Photoshop CS4 One-on-One: Fundamentals. Deke McClelland examines the essential capabilities of the application, from correcting color to retouching portraits. He also covers navigation, resolution, cropping, selecting, printing, and making web graphics. This course goes beyond basic tips and tricks and provides the in-depth information and real-world context needed by serious students who want to master the software.

View the full post & get the link to the video:
http://www.photoshopsupport.com/photoshop-blog/10/cs5-03/video-tutorial-setting-preferences.html

"Who designed this user interface, Stevie Wonder?" Actual statement from a LE technician and point well taken when it comes to proprietary DCCTV players. They're often horribly designed, and like all multimedia players/editors/tools regardless of who makes them, they are time & resource dependent (e.g. hardware resources, drivers, frameworks, codecs, etc.).

LEVA is conducting a one week hands-on forensic video analysis program in Cheshire, England, June 15 – 19, 2009. The event is hosted by Key Forensic Services, a leading provider of forensic solutions in the United Kingdom.

Digital Video Evidence: The Quest for Accuracy and Reliability is developed for the beginner to advanced level analyst. This unique program is designed to share scientific techniques and methodologies employed to ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of video evidence and to maintain its credibility in the courtroom.  For complete details click here.

In Steven Levy's classic, sprawling, rapturous ode to the birth of the hacker movement, the book Hackers, Captain Crunch is a bit player--a hacker who took his name from the toy whistle available free in boxes of Captain Crunch When blown into a pay phone, this whistle could be used to make free long distance calls.

Full story:
http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/mimssbits/26111/