Free DME & DFIR Resources

If you plan on buying a Blu-ray player in 2011, don't be surprised if the back panel is lacking a component video output. A surprising number of mainstream 2011 Blu-ray players, (such as the Panasonic DMP-BDT210, Samsung BD-D5700, LG BD670, to name a few) are omitting the red, green, and blue video jacks, which means buyers will have to rely on HDMI for high-def Blu-ray video signals.
It's all about AACS

We can't blame manufacturers for omitting the component out of new players. For one, it's not a huge loss, as the vast majority of buyers will be using the HDMI output for video. But there's another issue: even the new Blu-ray players that are including component video connections will only output 480i signals, rather than high-def 1080i.

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LEVA recently announced that the New York State Police will be hosting their Photographic/Video Comparison course in Albany, NY April 4th through the 8th.

Photographic/Video Comparisons focuses on the science of comparing known objects, vehicles, clothing and humans with CCTV images of questioned objects, vehicles, clothing and humans. The process of cataloguing class characteristics and unique characteristics found in questioned evidence is examined in detail. Using Adobe Photoshop and other generally accepted scientific tools for imaging comparison work,analysts/examiners develop a scientific workflow involving the hands-on analysis of video evidence, criminal-case report writing and courtroom presentation.

Complete details and application forms are available via the LEVA website.

I realized the acronym after I typed the title. Catchy, although suddenly I need to use the restroom.

Seriously though, buckle down. We will get through this. No need to be a fanatic prick, though.

Help others, when you can. Maybe that's just a smile, wink or pat on the a**. Who knows, but I can tell you the latter may be problematic, so stick with the first two...unless you receive a specific request.

Spread love. It's still okay to do that. In fact, I think it's required.

You're going to see some amazing changes for the better, I'm pretty sure of it.

It may not be easy, it may not always be fun, you will likely have days where you're wondering why you still even bother.

Don't make me smack you on the a**.

I will, but I prefer not to unless specifically requested. ?

Make it a great day my friends! Sending ❤

$5.00/gallon? $10.00/gallon? Maybe Web meetings will be more socially acceptable in the business world when gas prices have completely crippled our economy and there's practically no such thing as a small business anymore. I, for one, certainly hope we don't have to wait and see.

Online meeting services are certainly nothing new, yet every time gas prices reach a new high they're all the buzz, and rightfully so. Unfortunately, after a few months of feeling like you're being robbed at the pump, they seem to slip off the to-do list for most. Why is that?

While previous jumps in compression technology have taken years to find adoption, we may see PCs and other devices that can play HEVC files on the market by the end of 2013

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If you haven’t already downloaded the latest mandatory AVG 2011 Free software update, it may be best not to if you want your computer to turn on again. The December 1 update is causing 64-bit PCs running Windows 7 to totally breakdown.

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My search for a high-definition camcorder came to an end recently with the purchase of a JVC Everio GZ-HD5.

Finally, took a few hours of poking through code, but the ReCAPTCHA problem has finally been resolved.  During the process of troubleshooting, I identified why members sometimes received the "Sorry, your session..." error when trying to post to the member Wiki; this too should be resolved.

Additionally, we moved the Wiki menu options to the top level of our main menu, so they're always readily available when logged in to our site.  Testing was performed with the latest versions of IE, FF, Chrome and Rockmelt.  As always, please let me know if you ever encounter any other issues.  Thanks to those who brought the ReCAPTCHA Craziness to my attention! 😎

The Media-Geek.com Wiki is officially launched! Oh, Wiki you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind hey Wiki! Hey Wiki! Yep, I've officially lost my mind, but at least you didn't have to hear me actually sing that.

The Media-Geek Wiki is now available for our registered members, adding yet another way for members to share information, documentation, files, etc... One might think that a forensic community content management solution/system (CMS) with a multitude of additional content submission, categorization, and search abilities would be enough...but then, one would be wrong, wouldn't they?

Using a Wiki was one of the original concepts for this site discussed over three years ago while I was attending LEVA's Advanced Forensic Video Analysis & The Law course. Since then, there have been various tests and even a BETA launch in the summer of last year that was based on Microsoft's CMS product SharePoint. What it boiled down to was CMS or Wiki, knowing that both have advantages and disadvantages regardless of what product(s) or platforms you use. Then it hit me - why not both?

NEW YORK—Prosecutions for cybercrime and identity theft in Manhattan have increased by 50 percent in the last five years, and criminals have been rigging ATM machines and scanning credit cards when no one is looking.

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George Reis, Media-Geek.com member and well respected digital imaging author/instructor, has posted a brief survey on law enforcement's use of digital asset management systems. George is working on an article pertaining to the topic, which he will make available via his Website www.imagingforensics.com in a few weeks.
Click here to take the brief survey.

If you haven't already, you should check out George's book on using Photoshop CS3 in your forensic workflow...simply click on the image to the right to visit Amazon.com for further details.

The Scientific Working Group on Imaging Technology (SWGIT - www.swgit.org) has released a new DRAFT document that is open for public comment until September 14, Best Practices for the Analysis of Digital Video Recorders.

Click here to view the PDF >

This year I helped Ocean Systems introduce a new 3-Day training class titled "Fundamentals of Video Evidence Recovery & Processing (FVRP)".  The course is designed for anyone who recovers, handles, processes or disseminates Digital & Multimedia Evidence (DME), regardless of prior video evidence training or experience. 

The course is based on industry Best Practices and focuses on obtaining the Best Evidence, and learning how to quickly get accurate images & video out for investigative leads.  It is predominantly hands-on, and will expose students to various Ocean Systems and Open Source solutions that can help.

Join me July 23rd through 25th at our offices in Burtonsville, MD or for one of our future training dates.  Hope to see you in class.  Have a great weekend my friends!