Free DME & DFIR Resources

The site search tool will now search our member forums as well.  Of course, you need to be a registered member to view the forums and posts, but at least now members will be able to search them conveniently.

Let me start by saying that I am by no means trying to imply that DVR, NVR or any other digital or IP based video system cannot produce good quality video evidence. There are even 2 or 3 high-end, mega-pixel quality digital surveillance cameras and systems on the market today whose capabilities far exceed those of a traditional analog based system. However, to my point, it seems more often than not digital based systems are producing very poor quality video evidence regardless of the system's actual capabilities.

So why do DVRs typically provide poor quality video evidence? Here are a few of the common reasons:

Stumbled on a blog post today about this topic, which is worth the read IMHO - "Why I moved away from FOSS as my main toolset". The author, whom I first met when he was a student in a LEVA Level 1 and/or 2 class I was teaching the better part of 10 years ago, raises some valid points about leveraging FOSS in DME workflows; training, support and documenting FOSS tools being the points I agree with. To that end, keep your eyes & ears open for news about professional training & support for FOSS solutions related to DME.

With that said, I'm going to make a few comments and pose a few questions to the community based on the above post, so if you haven't read it...the rest of this post is probably moot.

The first episode of DMEpod will be released in just a few weeks and we want to feature you, your story, your case, your agency, your event, or your products! As a matter of fact, we'd love to have you host an episode! DMEpod will be a monthly (maybe, sort of, kind of, best effort...) video podcast covering the people, products, processes, training, news and events relating to the forensic multimedia community. (*Whew*)

DMEpod will be available for free via the iTunes podcast library; those that don't use iTunes will be able to subscribe via RSS right through our site. Furthermore, each episode will be posted to Google Video, YouTube, blip.TV and of course the Media-Geek.com video library.

I've posted a new tutorial on Adding & Managing Events, and you'll find it on the Tutorials page under the Help menu after you login.  Did you know that you can setup recurring events in our community calendar, so that you don't have to do a seperate entry for your regular user group or other meetings?  Check out this brief new tutorial for more information.

Apple has a new tool for those who manage a herd of iPads or iPhones for schools or small businesses, a free Mac app aimed at making life easier for iOS-focused IT staff. Called Configurator, it allows admins to "mass configure and deploy iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch," 30 devices at a time.

Read full story >

One of the tools many of us keep in the toolbox for recovering from CD/DVD was recently updated to support other types of media, to include removable drives and hard disks.  It's also added support for NTFS.  Not familiar with IsoBuster?  Check it out at www.isobuster.com

Ocean Systems has announced a new 3-day DVR Assessment & Video Recovery training course that will be hosted by the Tacoma Police Department April 8-10, in Tacoma, Washington. This course is recommended for anyone tasked with the recovery of digital video evidence from CCTV systems.

Read more...

Everyone wants to try Windows 8 Consumer Preview. You've downloaded the software and installed it leaving just one task left: actually using the thing.

Read full story

The Scientific Working Group on Digital Evidence (SWGDE) is pleased to announce posting of the following fourteen new draft documents for public review and comment at https://www.swgde.org/documents/draft-released-for-comment

• SWGDE Best Practices for Acquiring Online Content (21-F-001-1.1)
• SWGDE Best Practices for Apple MacOS Forensic Acquisition (23-F-005-1.0)
• SWGDE Best Practices for Digital Forensic Video Analysis (18-V-001-1.1)
• SWGDE Best Practices for Drone Forensics (21-F-002-1.1)

January was quite a month for technology enthusiasts, with MacWorld and CES showcasing tons of cool new gear and promising much more in the coming months. Video is taking center stage in 2007, as manufacturers and service providers dump research and development money into video like never before. While some of the major players are still sticking to their proprietary guns, it's refreshing to see that at least a few are doing the exact opposite.

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).

Full Story

Until about two years ago, it wasn't that often that I’d encounter Variable Frame Rate (VFR) video evidence, unless of course the case included video recorded by mobile phones. Times, they are a changing my friend.

DVR/NVR manufacturers are leveraging the advantages of VFR more often these days. And why shouldn't they be, especially when we’re seeing even the high-end professional video recording equipment start to use VFR more frequently. Throw in the want/need to get to Ultra HD before the next guy, and suddenly you've got a decent argument for VFR.