Free DME & DFIR Resources

In an effort to make it easier for YouTube users to make changes to their videos after uploading them, YouTube is rolling out a brand new video editor.

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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.

The new Media-Geek.com members area is officially open, and I'm really pleased with how the pieces have neatly snapped together so far.  There's still a lot to do, particularly in the way of tutorials and documentation, but all of the core functionality that was planned for the official launch (and even some that wasn't) is up and running.

The most recent additions to the new members area are the new Video Library and the Forensic Community Events Calendar.  These are two of my favorite features so far in the members area and, as geeky as this sounds, I'm really thrilled that they were ready in time for the official launch. Additionally, with Brad Doell's approval, I've added direct access to the FVA list through the members area.  Thanks again Brad!

If you're a registered member who wants to hit the ground running, check out the Getting Started tutorial.

From teaching classes over the years I frequently hear that many agencies are using Photoshop 6 and 7, Paint, Photoshop Elements, Microsoft Picture It and other applications due to the lack of funds to purchase upgrades. There is nothing wrong using some of the older versions but there are several functions that the older versions do not support, like high bit depth processing, limited color space/model options and the lack of more sophisticated image processing algorithms (de-convolution, pattern removal using FFT).  I also understand that many agencies who would love to have PS CS3 Extended with all of the great plugins that have been developed will never get the funds to make these purchases.

One solution to the funding issue is Image J (http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/index.html) Image J is a free, open source application provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  I not only have used this application for case work but to learn more about digital image processing algorithms. Image J is a very robust image processing and analysis tool set that has been referred to on the FVA list serve and recently in the book written by George Reis. This write-up is not a tutorial about Image J, it is meant to provide information about the application that may assist some readers.

This year the Consumer Electronics Show, in early January, is shaping up to be the year of the tablet. Yet the most (some would say “only”) successful tablet to date is the one that won’t be at CES. Apple sold 7.5 million iPads in the first six months and no doubt millions more this holiday season. Its shadow will hangs over the show, forcing a wide range of companies–chipmakers, computer hardware and consumer electronics companies, software developers and wireless carriers–to announce plans for tablets. Here’s what I’m expecting to see.

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Did you know you can preview your encoding output before writing it to a file with FFmpeg? Just call on your old friend ffplay and use the same encoding options/settings you're considering with FFmpeg. When you do you'll see exactly what the output will look like without having to wait for the entire file to be generated and saved.

Easy peezy lemon squeezy. 😎

Microsoft, in partnership with the New York City Police Department, is announcing a new state-of-the-art law enforcement technology called Domain Awareness System. The said system is designed to bring the latest crime prevention and counter terrorism technology capabilities to New York City and to other law enforcement, and intelligence agencies around the world sometime in the future.

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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 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 >

"Who designed this user interface, Stevie Wonder?" Actual statement from a LE technician and point well taken when it comes to proprietary DCCTV players. They're often horribly designed, and like all multimedia players/editors/tools regardless of who makes them, they are time & resource dependent (e.g. hardware resources, drivers, frameworks, codecs, etc.).

You can download a free PDF, Color Correction and Enhancement in Adobe Photoshop CS6. This is 33 page excerpt from the new book, Understanding Adobe Photoshop CS6: The Essential Techniques for Imaging Professionals.

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Upcoming training events from Ocean Systems. Hope to see you in class!

Forensic Video Analysis – FVA 101 (4-Day)
June 9 @ 9:00 am - June 12 @ 5:00 pm
Ocean Systems, 4016 Blackburn Lane, Burtonsville, MD 20866 United States
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Introduction to Forensic Video Analysis is 4 day course that provides a comprehensive approach to your casework for both digital and analog video evidence with a primary focus on our stream-lined workflows and digital media processing. It is intended for anyone who is new to the field of FVA or persons who have not been formally trained using these tools.
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DVR Assessment & Video Recovery (3-Day)
June 16 @ 9:00 am - June 18 @ 5:00 pm
Brighton Fire Department – Station 1,
3100 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618 United States
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This 3 day class will provide students with an overview of the multiple challenges and issues that may arise or should be considered when acquiring digital video evidence using multiple techniques. This course is recommended for anyone who will be responsible for the recovery of digital video evidence from CCTV systems, from Patrol Officers and Technicians to Forensic Video Analysts.
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Adobe has published its roadmap for its Flash browser plugin and its AIR desktop application counterpart. More releases, more features, and more performance, are all planned, but on fewer platforms: Adobe is giving up entirely on supporting smartphone browsers, sticking to the core desktop platforms for its plugin—and with a big question mark when it comes to Windows 8.

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