Free DME & DFIR Resources

Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it? Is it a standard or is it a guideline? It's both, and it's courtesy of the ISO/IEC JTC (joint technical committee). I've been told the new document was created from a SWGDE guideline, but since you have to purchase the "standard" I couldn't really even tell you what language it is in, because I'm not paying for any document created in a vacuum.

ISO/IEC 27037 News Release

A top Chinese security official praised a multimedia semiconductor and Internet protocol-based surveillance solution provider for helping develop a video image integration and sharing standard that is to be used by security agencies.

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The Scientific Working Group on Digital Evidence (SWGDE) recently published two new documents for public comment; Comments on Forced Minimization Requirements for the Seizure of Digital Evidence and Crime Scene Critical Incident Videography Recommendations and Guidelines. As noted on their site, draft documents will be posted for a minimum of 60 days for public comment.

Additionally, several other documents were recently approved for release by SWGDE, including Best Practices for Photographic Comparision for All Disciplines (v1.0), Digital Image Compression and FIle Formats Guidelines (v1.0), and version 3 of Digital & Multimedia Evidence Glossary, among others. Visit https://www.swgde.org for more information.

VFPro 3.0.1 is now available for immediate download from the Salient Stills website. This is a refresh release and is available to all VFPro 3.0 customers whether on the upgrade & maintenance program or not.

Salient Stills encourages all VFPro 3.0 customers to download this version as it has a screen capture bug fix and a number of other small bug and usability fixes.

Members can now create work groups to organize, communicate, and more efficiently work with other Media-Geek members! Groups are a great way to work with and share information with your team, committee, task force, etc... To learn more about the all new Media-Geek Group features check out the related announcement in our members forum!

Oh yeah, BTW - we also just completed upgrading our private messaging system for members, providing a few more features and significantly improving performance. Now you can use auto-complete to enter recipients (again), add a CC line, create your own contact lists for sending to multiple members and more. When you get a second, check it out.

I was out in Tacoma, WA last week to teach our DVR Assessment & Video Recovery course, and to provide a free seminar on Digital & Multimedia Evidence for area prosecutors, law enforcement and support staff. It was a really great class, and as always the group discussions during both the class and the seminar were really interesting and informative. Thank you to everyone who attended for their participation, and many thanks to Kim, Chris, and the entire Tacoma Police Department for being such amazing hosts.

If you missed the free seminar, we’ll be back out that way to provide it again on July 8th at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center, in cooperation with the Washington State Homicide Investigators Association (WHIA).

If you’re interested in our DVR Assessment & Video Recovery training course, check out our upcoming training dates and locations or contact us to inquire about hosting one of our training events.

Thanks again everyone. Be safe out there my friends!

As more and more companies turn to Linux for mission-critical operations, making sure IT staff have the necessary skills is becoming more important than ever.

That's a significant challenge, because demand for Linux skills now far outstrips supply, making them a particularly hot commodity in the hiring market as companies large and small struggle to equip themselves with the talent they need.

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I picked up the new "LG Chocolate in Black" about a week ago after a few weeks of debating over it or the iPhone. I know, I know, it's like comparing apples to oranges; but I wasn't comparing them per say, I was debating on whether to make the leap to the iPhone. Well, long story short, I just felt the iPhone wasn't worth the risk and the price, at least yet; I suspect it will be within a year or so though. So far, the $49 I spent on the new Chocolate (retails for $79 w/a 2-yr. contract) seems to be money well spent.

Basically, LG redesigned the touch pad and navigation wheel on this latest version of the Chocolate and made it smaller and lighter. Everything else is pretty much the same. It sports a 1.3MP camera that takes decent pix and short vids, but it lacks a flash. It has a microSD memory card slot and should you decide to buy one of these phones, I'd recommend using it.

LEVA has announced a special reduced pricing package to help government agencies meet their training requirements in these challenging economic times.

As of January 1, 2009, LEVA will bundle its prestigious 40-hour core training courses and others, providing significant cost reductions. All courses are conducted at LEVA’s Digital Multimedia Evidence Processing Lab at the University of Indianapolis, Indiana. Visit the LEVA Website for complete details.

Found this article from TechCrunch absolutely fascinating.

Prosthetic Retinas displaying a cameras image directly into your noggin using photovoltaic materials, which turn light into electric current. Come on, so cool!

The future is very bright, my friends. Be safe out there & make it a great day!

Videophiles, gamers and audiophiles are all too familiar with codec conflicts. What many people don't realize, however, is that not only can these issues prevent you from viewing, hearing or working with a file, they can also seriously impact system operation or performance. Fortunately, there are several freeware and/or shareware utilities to help identify and resolve codec related issues...even if you don't realize you have any.

by Stephen Shankland

Google has begun answering concerns that VP8, the compression technology it hopes will invigorate and liberate Web video, isn't as good as a rival.

Full story:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20006434-264.html

This article appears in the February/March issue of Streaming Media magazine.

Unless you intend to only stream live video to the web, you need video editing software. To be specific, you need a nonlinear, computer-based editing system that can ingest, edit, and then save video files for distribution online or via DVD/Blu-ray.

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