Erich Stauffer

Tag: Video

  • How to Go from VGA to HDMI?

    I have a client using a Vostro 2510 laptop who wanted to display the contents of demonstration from the computer onto a HD TV via HDMI. Unfortunately, the Vostro 2510 only has a VGA output, which is analog, and HDMI is digital, so we needed to get a VGA to HDMI converter box. I normally recommend buying through Amazon.com, but due to time constraints, they needed to get it somewhere local like Best Buy or Fry’s Electronics.

    If you get a converter box, make sure you get an HDMI cable long enough too. They come in 6 to 50 ft cables. The converter boxes are easy to use, plug-and-play devices, but make sure it comes with a VGA cable and audio cable, too. Once you have it, it’s a matter of connecting the VGA cable and audio from your computer to the box, plugging in the converter box to a power outlet, and then run the HDMI cable from the converter box to the TV. Change the input on the tv to HDMI and you’re all set to go. Here is a video on Youtube about how to use the device I’ve linked to above.

  • Youtube Query String Arguments

    These are the query string parameters (also called arguments) that get tagged at the end of a Youtube URL.

    They are the ampersands (“&”) and text at the end of a web address (URL). In the case of Youtube, this string of of code is the query string parameters and it adds functionality to what is presented. This is a comprehensive guide of Youtube’s query string arguments.

    Query

    Translation
    &hl= hl stands for Host Language (thank you MapKi!) It is followed by “hl Parameter Values” which correspond to “Language/Locales” ex. en-US means English (United States and Canada).It also can stand for hoc loco, which is Latin for “in this place” or hl stands for “human language”, but not in this case.
    &video_id= Youtube video ID – used in conjunction with &get_video? to embed a Youtube video into another application. Not supported by Youtubes terms of service and may no longer work.
    &t= Youtube video tag – used in conjunction with Youtube video ID.
    &fmt= &fmt=6 is good quality, &fmt=18 is better, and &fmt=22 is the best. Video must originally be in high definition (HD) to work. May not work regardless as this feature is in beta and not available for all videos.
    &rel= Rel stands for related. In relation to youtube, rel=1 means show related feeds and rel=0 means don’t.
    &fs= Allows the fullscreen button to show up or not. 1 means it will show up, 0 means it is disabled.
    &start=225 Starts the video 225 seconds into the video.
    &end=230 Stops the video 230 seconds into the video.

    I recommend this extensive post on Youtube plugins and tools for more information and for advanced users, check out the Youtube Reference Guide.