Braden & Cheryl Go Snowboarding - This past Saturday, Braden and Cheryl worked up enough courage to take a shot at snowboarding at Mad River Mountain back home. The place was packed for College Daze weekend, but both did a pretty good job even though they both had some pretty good falls (as this picture illustrates). While the group got a beer and found a spot on the outside patio, dad and I took a couple runs (Cheryl took a couple pictures including this one of me).

Next weekend will be our trip to Snowshoe and what will likely be the last big trip of the season. It always seems to go by too fast...

With the official release of HandBrake .9.2, I decided it would be a good time to post my preset that allows me to encode a DVD to a video format that maintains high audio and video quality while maintaining compatibility with both the AppleTV and iPhone. Below is a copy of what I posted to the HandBrake forums earlier tonight. I've been helping out the project for a little over a year now, and have seen it grow tremendously. I can only imagine what they'll come up with for the next release.

Here is the preset I have been using to generate encodes that are compatible with both the AppleTV and the iPhone, while taking advantage of the new features in .9.2 (including AAC+AC3, improved anamorphic support, and VFR to name a few). Using these settings, I have yet to come across an encode that did not work on both devices.

It should be noted that this uses CRF, which means you cannot accurately predict what the output file size is going to be. This has resulted in some files that seem quite large in comparison to the 8GB of space on my iPhone, but have so far been below 2.5GB. I need Steve to announce a 32GB 3G iPhone in the very near future!

CLI Equivalent (untested): -U -F -m -e x264 -q .63 -8 weak -p -E aac+ac3 -B 160 -R 48 -D 1.51 -v -x cabac=0:ref=2:analyse=all:me=umh:subq=6:no-fast-pskip=1:trellis=1:mixed-refs=1:merange=32:level=30

GUI settings -

Format: MP4 File
Codec: AVC/H.264 Video/AAC + AC3 Audio
Insert iPod Atom: Checked (not really necessary)

Video -
Encoder: x264
Constant Quality: 63% (will bump up to 64-65% for select titles) <-- ensure CRF is still checked in preferences

Picture Settings -
Anamorphic: Strict (can use loose if you want)
Crop: Automatic
VFR: Enabled (thank you jbrjake... I have finally encoded Futurama to my liking after numerous attempts before!)
Denoise: Weak (usually set, but this is really a personal preference)

Audio + Subtitles -
Track 1: English AC3 5.1 (Track 1 Mix: DPL2 + AC3)
Bitrate: 160kbps (only affects AAC)
Sample Rate: 48khz
Dynamic Range Compression: 1.51 (only affects AAC, and is really a personal preference)
Subtitles: Autoselect (Forced Subtitles Only - Checked)

Chapters: Enabled

Advanced: cabac=0:ref=2:analyse=all:me=umh:subq=6:no-fast-pskip=1:trellis=1:mixed-refs=1:merange=32:level=30

For older television shows, I've stuck with using pretty much the same settings as above, except using an average bitrate of 1750kbps (Quicktime reports ~1500kbps final bitrate) and AAC audio only.

Early this morning, Acura released the first official picture of the totally-redesigned 2009 TSX. Along with the photograph shown above, they issued a press release stating that the car will make its debut at the 2008 New York International Auto Show next month. While official configurations haven't been released yet, everyone is speculating that the company's i-DTEC clean turbo-diesel engine (photographed at the Detroit Auto Show) will be available at launch or shortly thereafter. Taking cues from the Sport4 Concept, the TSX refresh further solidifies my desire to have one of these in my driveway soon... just need to get that driveway soon.

Acura press release:

TORRANCE, Calif., Feb. 11, 2008 – Acura announced today it will debut the all-new 2009 Acura TSX sports sedan at the 2008 New York International Auto Show and released an exterior photo of the new model. Scheduled to go on-sale in the spring, the 2009 Acura TSX will be the second generation of Acura's popular entry level sedan and feature numerous advancements in performance, styling, technology and safety.

"The new 2009 TSX speaks clearly to the direction we are taking our Acura sedans in the future," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president auto sales, "The TSX is a significant step in the advancement of our sedan lineup and the continued enhancement of the Acura brand."

Acura unveiled the new 2009 RL at the Chicago Auto Show last week and also announced the company will introduce an-all new TL performance luxury sedan later this year.

The 2009 Acura TSX will be introduced during the New York International Auto Show media days which occur on March 19th and 20th.

Perfect North Slopes - This weekend, Dad and I made the 2.5 hour drive down to Lawrenceburg, Indiana to visit Perfect North Slopes and see what they had to offer. One interesting fact: Perfect North Slopes was one of the last resorts in the United States to allow snowboarding until sometime into the '90s when they finally realized that the sport was here to stay and they were missing out on substantial revenue. We also went to my favorite BBQ place, Burbanks, and saw the new IKEA building just north of Cincinnati (opening March 18th).

I knew it was probably going to happen soon, but this is quite surprising; I didn't think he would leave midseason. I regret never seeing him coach from the stands. From CNN.com:

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- Bob Knight, known as much for his fiery temper as his basketball brilliance, resigned Monday at Texas Tech, handing the team over to his son.

It was a stunning midseason move by the winningest men's coach in major college basketball, who gave no hint a change was coming. Pat Knight, a Red Raiders assistant, was appointed his father's successor in 2005.

"There's a transition that's going to take place here from me to Pat and I've dwelt on this all year long ... how it would be best for him and for the team and for what we can do in the long run to make this the best thing for Texas Tech," Knight told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, which first reported the resignation.

Click here to read the complete story.

Matchbox Twenty - I was able to take a number of pictures while at the Rochester Mills Beer Company, as well as the Matchbox Twenty concert at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Everything said, it was a pretty good show and Matchbox Twenty didn't disappoint. They played approximately 22 songs before calling it a night. After the concert, they even offered a digital copy made from the soundboard, which sounded very nice but cost $35. A neat idea, and definitely a cash cow as the line went on far beyond what I could see. Other stops on the trip included IKEA, The Somerset Collection (where I purchased two Polo sweaters and a polo shirt for the price of one sweater), and bd's Mongolian Barbeque in downtown Ann Arbor.

And yes, I was finally able to break the "no growlers" streak by picking one up at Rochester Mills. =)