Free DME & DFIR Resources

That's a tall order, right?  VLC from VideoLAN.org has become the go-to media player for most, as it can play so many things that Windows Media Player won't, and it's free.  Well, how does it do that, play more than other players?  The Libavformat and Libavcodec libraries, the same ones created by and for the FFmpeg project (and so many other multimedia applications). 

VLC & DirectShow Filters

DirectShow is one of Microsoft's multimedia frameworks, formerly known as ActiveMovie, which replaced Microsoft's earlier Video for Windows framework.  VLC supports DirectShow-based input sources through a module (not very well, IMO, though), but the default Windows version downloaded from VideoLAN cannot reference 32-bit DirectShow filters installed on your Windows PC for audio/video decoding (i.e. filters/codecs registered in your Windows Registry), as the default version downloaded is x64.

As an example, a DCCTV video file exported from a GeoVision system to an AVI file may be using the proprietary GMP4 video codec. In order to play the video, you must install the GeoVision GMP4 codec necessary to decode the primary video stream; this is a DirectShow filter.  DirectShow filters can only be referenced by applications that can leverage DirectShow, which we've established, VLC x64 cannot. 

For the last few weeks, I have been absolutely inundated and just haven't been able to spend as much time as I'd like to further developing Media-Geek.com features and services.  The great thing about this community concept, however, is that its success does not rely on any one individual...and many others have stepped up to the plate.  At some point today I suspect we will exceed 200 active professional forensic media related members!

Recently one of our members pointed out that the Member Forum RSS Feed wasn't working, so just in case you experienced this issue I wanted to let you know it was resolved moments ago.  RSS aggregators provide a great way to stay abreast of our site content, with seperate feeds available for various content areas throughout the site. 

Thanks everybody for keeping things moving forward lately, and don't forget to tell your peers and colleagues to Sign-up, Sign-in, and Contribute!

One thing I really stress when training video evidence Technicians & Analysts is to stay in your lane. Don't go beyond your training & experience levels on any topic/tool/etc., no matter who is asking you to.

A related one is that an expert's job at trial is to leverage their expertise to make sure the Trier of Fact has accurate evidence & information, not to be an advocate for one party or the other.

I've had several students over the years tell me that my passionate articulation of one or the other has saved their case or even their career. Two rather recently.

Honored & proud, of course, but I always like to point out to them that they are the ones that did all the hard work and stood their ground.

Keep being great & doing great things my friends! 😎

It's finally done folks. The DVR database has been completely migrated to the Media-Geek Wiki, so it's time to say goodbye to our antiquated, non-integrated friend. Cheer up though, because during manual data migration I had to verify links and cross reference listings, and in doing so I added roughly ten additional current listings. Additionally, over the weekend I added exactly ten new proprietary viewers/players to our Downloads section.

Microsoft has opened its C++ AMP specification so it can also be used by non-Microsoft compilers to harness the power of GPUs (graphics processing units).

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It’s sometimes difficult for traditional Computer Forensic (CF) examiners to understand why they should treat video and multimedia any differently than other types of digital evidence. After all, a bit is a bit, and a byte is a byte. Right? CF examiners are typically highly trained and highly technical people. If anyone is going to understand how to recover and interpret multimedia data, one would think that a traditional CF examiner would be at or near the top of your go-to list. The problem with this assumption is that multimedia data is fundamentally different than most other types of data, and in more than one way.

Remember those days? Back when your beeper went off and people would glare at you? Pull out a snazzy 3-Watt bag phone in the early '90’s and chances are someone was calling you an arrogant ass under their breath. New technology brings new social challenges, but don’t condemn it before you have had it in your hands, see what it can do, understand it’s strengths and weaknesses, and have actual data to draw your conclusions from.

I know it’s a marketing video but take a minute and a half to check out this video on Google Glass Explorer Patrick Jackson (video after the break). I freakin’ love technology.

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

When Windows 8 launches later this year you'll be able to upgrade to the pro version of Microsoft's newest desktop OS for just $40 for a limited time. The deal will apply to a broad base of current Windows users including those running Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. Microsoft had a similar offer during the launch of Windows 7 but this one is cheaper than its predecessor. (Windows 7 upgrades ranged from $50-$100 at launch.)

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Tomorrow's the official launch of Media-Geek.com and we've added another great feature to the new members area, a categorized events calendar.  The new calendar will be viewable by all visitors; however, only registered members will be able to add and manage events listed in the calendar.

The concept behind the calendar is simple - to provide a consolidated calendar listing the multitude of forensic related training events, conferences, and meetings.  The initial categories implemented include Photography Training, Image Processing & Analysis Training, Forensic Video Training, and Forensic Conferences & Meetings.

A few words of inspiration from JFK, along with a little nonsense from me on this Independence Day.

Happy 4th of July my friends. Hoping you're having a great day & spreading ❤

Today I’d like to say Happy Anniversary to the 1,700+ verified members who continue to participate in our growing professional community. In honor of Veterans Day, I’d also like to share with you one of my favorite speeches regarding service to our country.

onOne Software today announced availability of Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 for Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Apple Aperture. Tackling specific problems within a photographer's preferred workflow, the Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 offers simple yet powerful solutions for color correction, image resizing, masking and professional photographic effects in one affordable package. With support for Photoshop CS5, CS4 and CS3, the Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 includes FocalPoint 2, PhotoTune 3, PhotoFrame 4.6, PhotoTools 2.6, MaskPro 4.1 and Perfect Resize 7 (the next generation of Genuine Fractals). The Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 will also include the recently announced Perfect Layers, which will be available in early 2011.

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