2010 Final Day.

It is this time of year again, the final day of 2010.

There is indeed quite a lot of interesting things that had happened in my life. Just for reminiscence, among the notable ones are undergoing my semester industrial training at a nice company - Integricity and meeting all the colleagues that working there.

I must say that one of the major things that I had purchased for this year is none other than my powerful gaming i7 rig. Well I only bought it as my laptop GPU had died on me after serving me a faithful 3 years. Every now and then I would need to bake it (yes, literally) in an oven just to 'resurrect' it should the same problem happen again. Come to think of it, the rig really costs a bomb yet it is really a worth purchase. I never need to concern about the numbers of program I open. I think it's better to put it this way, everything related to PC performance is nothing of a concern except electricity. Yes, the i7 and the 5870 certainly drained up quite some power but I managed to keep it at minimal using various power saving mode. But I'm not a bragging person, except when I am being asked about it. xD

Well I guess that's wrapped it out. Below are among the things that I had done and learned:

- Garmin Developer for voice content and POI.
- Learning various computer troubleshooting at client place, e.g. backup, server installation and migration, web hosting package, etc..
- Customizing mods for games like RE5 and GTA4.
- PC Overclocking and benchmarking.
- Latest CPU and GPU specification.
- folding.
- Playing video in 60 FPS using morphing technique.
- Movie critique :-D

I would say that I had become a more better person that I am before. Hopefully 2011 will be another great year for me to improvise myself and keep the mother earth green.

I shall come out with a 2011 wish list tomorrow. Cheers and enjoy your last day of 2010.

Various Source Links

HD Movie Download Link

As with the previous post, this post is the listing for downloading HD movies:





Lossless Audio Source Link

If you are a lossless album collector, but hate torrent such as myself, you can visit the following list of websites that host all the albums on various file hosting servers.

* Will update the list from time to time.



Customizing GTA4 mods

The following software (SparkIV) can be used to open GTA files (.rpf) for you to mod. I use this to change some sound effect file that can be located at 'C:\Program Files\Rockstar Games\Grand Theft Auto 4\pc\audio\Sfx'. The possibilities are endless with this. You can change the GPS voice, vehicle engine sound or just simply preview and listen to how much effort had Rockstar give to produce this popular open sandbox game.

The only problem that I had is that after playing the sound for some time it will crash. Nothing to worry about as a simply relaunching the program will do.

Customizing your Garmin Voice

To copy the voice file, just extract them to your Garmin Voice folder, e.g F:\Voice\.

After that, turn on your nuvi device and go to Tools > Settings > Language. Then select the voice language to use.

Note:
* For those sound that marked with ***, it will replace the American English file. So make sure you backup and remove the original american_english_.vpm in your voice folder beforehand.
* If you wish, you can manually change the language ID using Voice Editor utility to something else, e.g. Norski.

Custom Voice Pack
- Arnold Schwerzenegger***
Link: Megaupload
* Voice from the California Governer, Arnold himself.

- Borat (Displayed as Arabic)
Link: Megaupload
* Voice from the Celebrity Borat.

- Fukien (Hokkien) (Displayed as Catala)
Link: Megaupload
* Fukien (Hokkien) dialect. I had personally re-indexing the voice file to work with the nuvi version because the original index voice sample that works with mobile version doesn't match the nuvi version.

- Garmin Devil***
Link: Megaupload

- Sexy Sedara***
Link: Megaupload
* Sexy lady voices. Be careful of the kids in your car when using it.

- British (Displayed as American English)
Link: Megaupload
* Edited with 'beep beep' sound before some sentence and some voices from GTA4 GPS.

Additional official voice pack can be downloaded from official Garmin site (http://www8.garmin.com/vehicles/voices/) or through the Web Updater.

Software
- Voice Editor v0.8 (Megaupload)
Open it and select the vpm files. It will create a folder corresponding to the vpm filename. Inside the folder are the separate .wav files for the voice. Replace the .wav files to change the voice to something else.

I prefer the voice editor over this as the former is much easier to use and allow custom user sentence playback.

Use this to customize the sentence. *Work with TTS (Text-To-Speak) voice file only.
For example, changing the sentence 'recalculating' to 'proceed to alternative route'.

Perfect audio software to create your custom voice. Make sure each custom voice is exported to .wav format using the following settings:
WAV (Microsoft 4 bit IMA ADPCM, quality: 89 kbps, 22050 Hz, mono, 16 bit


Voice Testing
After you had downloaded the voice pack, make sure to test the voice by using the Simulation function. You can activate it by turning off the GPS function via Tools > Settings > System > GPS Off.

Reference:




Dragon Quest: Origin Mods + Patch

Mods for larger text:
FtG UI Mod (requires v1.03 and above)


v1.04 patch (download link in the end of article)


Following is a list of interesting mods available:

Guide for installing the mods (.dazip):
1. Go to C:\Program Files (x86)\Dragon Quest Origin\bin_ship\daupdater.
2. Drag the .dazip you downloaded to the column.


My Gaming Rig Stable OC @ 4.0 GHz on AIR

Just something to brag, I finally managed to OC my i7 950 stable at 4.0 GHz using the following settings. Now I can open 8 folding instances instead of 6. More score for me.



However, the core temps seemed a bit high at full load when I'm doing folding. Not quite I expected from Venomous X. A dual Arctic fans will helped but I will only buying it should the temps reaches over 80 Celcius.


Can't complaint much about the Windows Score though, HDD part as I'm just using traditional mechanical disk.



Creating Batch File (.bat) in Windows

I do folding all the time. So instead of opening each of the instances manually, I can create a batch file that open all the folding.exe all at once.

To open multiple instances of processes,

start /d "file_path" instance_name

Example:

start /d "C:\fah1_smp" Folding@home-Win32-x86.exe
start /d "C:\fah2_smp" Folding@home-Win32-x86.exe
start /d "C:\fah3_smp" Folding@home-Win32-x86.exe
start /d "C:\fah4_smp" Folding@home-Win32-x86.exe
start /d "C:\fah5_smp" Folding@home-Win32-x86.exe


To open Chrome in New Window + Multiple Links,

start "chrome_path" chrome.exe --new-window "url_1" "url_2" ...

Example:
start "C:\Users\Gary\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\" chrome.exe --new-window "forum.lowyat.net" "www.yahoo.com"

Resident Evil 5 Realistic Graphic Mod

Tired of the greenish graphic look when playing Resident Evil 5? Try out this realistic mod made by a Russian guy. It really made a day and difference and you'll soon be wondering how long had you endured the greenish graphic before.


Playing video in 60 FPS instead of 23.975 / 30

So you had played games on your PC on 60 FPS, your eyes had been used to it and you are sick of the console frame rate that capped on 30 FPS. And on top of it, you got yourself a 60 Hz capable monitor yet you are playing your HD video collection on the native NTSC (23.976) or PAL (25.000) frame rate. However, not all of us are financial capable enough to purchase a 120Hz HDTV. If you ever had question on whether it is possible to play those HD videos that you treasured so much on your beloved 60 Hz monitor, ask no further as it is possible, provided that you have a decent processor (Core 2 Duo and above).

* Warning: After viewing those movies in 60 FPS you won't be able to get back to 23.975/25 FPS. Be advised *

The following guides had been compiled for general audience.

Step 1: Download and install

1. Download and install K-Lite Mega Codec Pack 6.5.0.

2. Download and install Avisynth 2.5.8.

3. Download the Avisynth MT (Multi-threating pack)


This will allow multi-threading. Extract the archive and put the archive.dll in your C:\Windows\system32 folder or SysWOW64 (for 64-bit OS). You should be prompted to replace the existing file if you had placed it in the correct folder.

4. Download the system.dll to prevent ffdshow from crashing.

Placed them in the same folder that you placed the avisynth.dll in step 3.

5. Download the MvTools2 (frame doubling plugin).

The link is at the bottom of the page. Place it in your AviSynth plugin directory, e.g: C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins or C:\Program Files (x86)\AviSynth 2.5\plugins (for 64 bit OS).

Step 2: Customizing ffdshow Avisynth plugin

a) Go to ffdshow video decoder configuration window (Start > Program Files > K-Lite Codec Pack > Configuration)

b) Under the Codec tab on the left column and then the Decoder column, make sure AviSynth format is using 'AviSynth' (default is disabled) and Raw video is set as 'all supported'.

c) Next go to AviSynth tab and ONLY tick the following settings:

- AviSynth
- 3:2 Pulldown: Ignore pulldown
- Input colorspaces: YV12
- Buffer back/ahead: 0 10

d) Go to the Output tab and verify that 'High quality YV12 to RGB conversion' is ticked. Verify the same setting also in the RGB conversion tab just below the Output tab.

Step 3: Placing AviSynth script

Go to the AviSynth tab page in ffdshow video decoder setting and copy and paste ONE of the following script to play back your videos in 60 FPS fluid smooth motion.

Script 1: Standard script.


SetMTMode(1,0)
ffdShow_source()
SetMTMode(2)
super=MSuper(pel=1, hpad=0, vpad=0, rfilter=4)
backward_1=MAnalyse(super, chroma=false, isb=true, blksize=16, searchparam=3, plevel=0, search=3, badrange=(-24))
forward_1=MAnalyse(super, chroma=false, isb=false, blksize=16, searchparam=3, plevel=0, search=3, badrange=(-24))
backward_2 = MRecalculate(super, chroma=false, backward_1, blksize=8, searchparam=1, search=3)
forward_2 = MRecalculate(super, chroma=false, forward_1, blksize=8, searchparam=1, search=3)
backward_3 = MRecalculate(super, chroma=false, backward_2, blksize=8, searchparam=0, search=3)
forward_3 = MRecalculate(super, chroma=false, forward_2, blksize=8, searchparam=0, search=3)
MBlockFps(super, backward_3, forward_3, num=60, den=1, mode=0)
SetMTMode(1)
GetMTMode(false) > 0 ? distributor() : last

Personal Note: CPU Usage is below 20% when playing 720p video and 30% when playing 1080p .mkv. Tested under Core i7 950 @ 3.0 Ghz.

Script 2: Optimized for reasonably powerful processor with decent Core 2 Duo, i5 or lower i7.


SetMTMode(1,0)
ffdShow_source()
SetMTMode(2)
super=MSuper(pel=2, hpad=0, vpad=0, rfilter=4)
backward_1=MAnalyse(super, chroma=false, isb=true, blksize=16, searchparam=3, plevel=0, search=3, badrange=(-24))
forward_1=MAnalyse(super, chroma=false, isb=false, blksize=16, searchparam=3, plevel=0, search=3, badrange=(-24))
backward_2 = MRecalculate(super, chroma=false, backward_1, blksize=8, searchparam=1, search=3)
forward_2 = MRecalculate(super, chroma=false, forward_1, blksize=8, searchparam=1, search=3)
backward_3 = MRecalculate(super, chroma=false, backward_2, blksize=4, searchparam=0, search=3)
forward_3 = MRecalculate(super, chroma=false, forward_2, blksize=4, searchparam=0, search=3)
MBlockFps(super, backward_3, forward_3, num=60, den=1, mode=0)
SetMTMode(1)
GetMTMode(false) > 0 ? distributor() : last


Script 3: Only for the ultimate processor :-D

SetMTMode(1,0)
ffdShow_source()
SetMTMode(2)
super=MSuper(pel=2, hpad=0, vpad=0, rfilter=4)
backward_1=MAnalyse(super, chroma=false, isb=true, blksize=8, searchparam=3, plevel=0, search=3, badrange=(-24))
forward_1=MAnalyse(super, chroma=false, isb=false, blksize=8, searchparam=3, plevel=0, search=3, badrange=(-24))
backward_2 = MRecalculate(super, chroma=false, backward_1, blksize=4, searchparam=1, search=3)
forward_2 = MRecalculate(super, chroma=false, forward_1, blksize=4, searchparam=1, search=3)
backward_3 = MRecalculate(super, chroma=false, backward_2, blksize=4, searchparam=0, search=3)
forward_3 = MRecalculate(super, chroma=false, forward_2, blksize=4, searchparam=0, search=3)
MBlockFps(super, backward_3, forward_3, num=60, den=1, mode=0)
SetMTMode(1)
GetMTMode(false) > 0 ? distributor() : last
From the script you can change SetMtmode(2,16) to 2,8 for 8 threads if you have a dual-core.

The pel=x number dictates the accuracy of the estimation values being 1, 2 and 4. If you have less than 60% cpu usage but are still unable to move up to the next script, increase the pel value. Vice versa for freeing up some cpu without changing scripts. Overall, cpu usage should not go over 80~85% otherwise frames will get dropped.
The num=xx value is the outputed framerate. For most people, 60 is the best, some people have different monitors so always set it to a multiple of your monitors refresh rate.



Script 4: Use this only if you found that your processor usage is high when playing the movie.


SetMemoryMax(1280)
SetMTMode(2,4)
ffdShow_source()
SetMTMode(2,4)
super=MSuper(pel=1, hpad=8, vpad=4)
backward_1=MAnalyse(super, chroma=false, isb=true, blksize=16, blksizev=16, searchparam=2, plevel=0, search=3, badrange=(-24))
forward_1=MAnalyse(super, chroma=false, isb=false, blksize=16, blksizev=16, searchparam=2, plevel=0, search=3, badrange=(-24))
backward_2 = MRecalculate(super, chroma=false, backward_1, blksize=16, blksizev=8, searchparam=0, search=3)
forward_2 = MRecalculate(super, chroma=false, forward_1, blksize=16, blksizev=8, searchparam=0, search=3)
backward_3 = MRecalculate(super, chroma=false, backward_2, blksize=8, blksizev=8, searchparam=0, search=3)
forward_3 = MRecalculate(super, chroma=false, forward_2, blksize=8, blksizev=8, searchparam=0, search=3)
MBlockFps(super, backward_3, forward_3, num=FramerateNumerator(last)*2, den=FramerateDenominator(last)*1, mode=0)
SetMTMode(1)
GetMTMode(false) > 0 ? distributor() : last

Script 5: Use this script only if all else fail.


setMTMode(2,8)
source=ffdshow_source()
super = source.MSuper(pel=1,hpad=16,vpad=16)
backward_vec = MAnalyse(super, blksize=16, isb =true, chroma=false, searchparam=1)
forward_vec = MAnalyse(super, blksize=16, isb =false, chroma=false, searchparam=1)
source.MFlowFps(super, backward_vec, forward_vec, num=2*FramerateNumerator(source), \
den=FramerateDenominator(source), mask=0, ml=53)
distributor()
Step 5: Verify that the video is playing @ 60 FPS.

a) Go to View > Statistic under Media Player Classic and verify that the Frame Rate is 60 (1x).

Now you can sit back, relax, and re-watch your video again in 60 FPS!!

If you are not feeling comfortable with AviSynth (e.g. high processor work load), you can try out the following alternative solution that will do the similar job.

Alternative solution 1: using the framedouble plugin (48 FPS instead of 60 FPS)

1) Go to ffdshow video encoder configuration page and then navigate to Deinterlacing tab.

2) On the right pane window, tick 'Deinterlacing', 'Process whole image', and 'Process frames tagged as progressive'. Under the 'Method' drop down menu, select Framerate double (no brainer xD).

3) Hit Apply and OK.

Alternative solution 2: use Splash Pro media player.

You can try out this media player that uses their own proprietary technique to render the smooth image. The PRO version is trial though.


The guide is compiled from the following source. All credits goes to the author: