WinHTTrack 3.41-3

HTTrack is a free (GPL, libre/free software) and easy-to-use offline browser utility. It allows you to download a World Wide Web site from the Internet to a local directory, building recursively all directories, getting HTML, images, and other files from the server to your computer. HTTrack arranges the original site's relative link-structure. Simply open a page of the "mirrored" website in your browser, and you can browse the site from link to link, as if you were viewing it online. HTTrack can also update an existing mirrored site, and resume interrupted downloads. HTTrack is fully configurable, and has an integrated help system.

Changelog WinHTTrack 3.41-3

+ Fixed: text/plain advertised files renamed into .txt
+ Fixed: broken configure.in

HTTrack Home Page

VideoLan 0.8.6c

VideoLAN is an excellent multimedia player with it's own plugins for playing different formats, so it doesn't need any codecs to be installed. It works great for previewing partially downloaded files too as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It can also be used as a server to stream in unicast or multicast in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network.

Changes between 0.8.6b and 0.8.6c:

Various bugfixes, notably:
* Windows Vista compatibility
* Cropping in Direct3D
* Fullscreen change crash on Mac OS X
* RSS filter string overflow
* Few memory leaks
* MKV demuxer crash (related to seeking)

CDDA / Vorbis / Theora / SAP plugins:
* Security updates (VideoLAN-SA-0702)

Demuxers:
* Fixed a problem with detecting embedded subtitles (GAB2 format) in AVI

Decoders:
* Updated FLAC API compatibility

Input:
* Support for new v4l2 encoder API

Localisation:
* New localisation: Arabic, Persian

VideoLan.org

MessengerDiscovery Live 1.3.0321

MessengerDiscovery Live is a free Windows Live Messenger add-on. MessengerDiscovery Live adds extra features to Windows Live Messenger that are not included by Microsoft. You can tell which of your contacts have deleted you, imitate your contacts, remove advertisements and protect your custom emoticons. That's just the tip of the ice burg though, check out the features page for a full list of what MessengerDiscovery Live can do for you!

Features:
Advanced Contact Manager
- See contacts who have deleted you
- See Yahoo! contacts
- View contact MSN/Windows Live Messenger version
- Messages received count
- Messages sent count
- Message ratio statistic
- See the last message received and when
- See the last time contacts came online (since MessengerDiscovery was installed)
- See when contacts came online (since MessengerDiscovery was installed)
- Display picture stealing

Advanced Contact Functions
- Remove contact 'now playing' and personal messages
- Alert when a contact returns from away/busy/idle
- Alert when a contact comes online
- Alert when a contact goes offline
- Alert when a contact deletes you
- Alert when a contact adds you
- Alert when a contact opens a conversation
- Alert when a contact closes a conversation

Instant Message Tools
- Imitate your contacts (using command !imitate)
- Auto reply to certain messages (accepts wild cards too)
- Message holding while away/busy/etc.
- Conversation nick name
- Remove your 'is typing' message
- Flash scroll lock upon receiving message
- Always be shown as 'typing a message'
- Remove your 'is recording' message
- Stop window flashing
- Show IM window upon receiving a message
- Auto response to any message

Protection
- Block web links from un-trusted contacts
- Block application invites
- Block winks, nudges, custom emoticons and voice clips
- Profanity filter
- Message flood protection and more...

Home Page

AIMP Classic 1.77.6

AIMP Classic is a powerful audio player that allows you to listen to your favorite music with an outstanding sound quality. Its appearance resembles that of another classical audio player (Winamp), so you'll get used to it very quickly. It can also be customized with skins. The program includes a 18-band equalizer, a visualization window to display rhythmic visual effects and a playlist editor to organize your audio files. A nice fading effect makes your list of songs look like an endless music loop and a handy volume normalizing feature avoids drastic volume changes between tracks. Also, the player's main functions can be conveniently controlled by global hotkeys. Besides playing music, AIMP Classic features three extra utilities which also enable you to record any sound on your computer, convert audio files from one format to another and view or edit tags. AIMP Classic is based on the well-known audio engine BASS, so it's easy to connect new plug-ins (from the plug-in library included in the program) and expand the player's functionalities.

Home Page

SanDisk inks agreement to support DivX

DivX and SanDisk have announced a licensing agreement allowing SanDisk to include DivX technology in SanDisk's Sansa line of video-enabled products. As a result of the partnership, future SanDisk video products can include interoperability with the DivX Stage6 video website. This partnership is designed to provide SanDisk consumers with seamless access to the growing library of professional and user-generated video content available today in the popular DivX format, according to the companies.

Products that bear the DivX Certified logo have undergone a rigorous testing program to ensure a high-quality DivX media experience, including reliable video playback, interoperability with other DivX Certified devices and the visual quality users expect from DivX. SanDisk expects to announce plans later this year for DivX support in its product lines.

DigiTimes

Samsung Launches 70" LED-backlit LCD TV

With the retail launch of its new 70" LCD TV in Korea, the Samsung LN70F91BD forgoes the traditional CCFL backlight in favor of an LED backlight for improved picture clarity.

Also new to the TV is what Samsung calls "local dimming backlighting" – compared to traditional CCFL LCDs, an image displayed on the screen can range from maximum brightness (LEDs at full power) to complete darkness to produce true black (LEDs turned completely off). Samsung says that the use of the LED backlight gives the LCD TV a dynamic contrast ratio of 500,000:1 while power consumption is cut by as much as 50%. The LN70F91BD reportedly features ACAP, three HDMI 1.3 port and a USB 2.0 port. Samsung's 1080p 70" LCD TV is on sale now in Korea for 59 million won ($63,425 USD) and will be available worldwide during the second half of 2007.

DailyTech

The Lord of the Rings Online first free content expansion...

Turbine's The Lord of the Rings Online which only launched about two months ago has just gotten one of its first free "expansions" today. Launching around 2PM EST today, Book 9: Shores of Evendim greeted everyone as they happily patched the game up. Though the patch was quite large (about 600 megs or so), considering the amount of content included I doubt anyone complained much. Just taking a look at the three page long changelog and you can see how much stuff is here. Over 100 new quests, an entire new zone to explore (Evendim, with around 70 of the new quests) new armor sets, new deeds, monster play additions, character class changes (hear that Champions??), you name it - it'll probably be here.

Of course there are the usual bug fixes and game changes, way to many to list. Normally I would list some of the changes/additions etc, but not this time. There are just way, way to many. Turbine, known for giving lots of content away for free, did not waste much time with its newest MMORPG hit. Turbine has four (4) major content updates planned, Shores of Evendim being the first obviously. Just to compare, the new Evendim area is roughly the size of The Shire in the game.

Multiplayer Online Games Directory also has a nice interview up with Turbine, explaining what the update includes, the new raids available and monster play changes among other topics.

Multiplayer Online Games Directory Turbine Interview