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- Tutorial: How to share files over a network in OS X
- Tutorial: 10 Windows command line tips and tricks
- Review: Stealth Acoustics LR Series 7.2
- Review: Sling Media Slingbox Pro HD
| Tutorial: How to share files over a network in OS X Posted: 20 Nov 2010 04:00 AM PST  Sharing files between computers used to be something of a dark art, and this has perhaps permeated the collective consciousness of Mac users. Seemingly few realise how simple it is to enable file sharing across networked Macs. In fact, with each revision of Mac OS X, Apple has made it easier to share files over a network, and to access networked Macs if you have relevant clearance. This walkthrough takes you through the process of sharing files with other Mac users, and also details settings that will enable Windows users to access your Mac (although those settings should only be active for as long as they need to be). We also briefly mention how to share your photos and music using iPhoto and iTunes, rather than attempting to do the same using standard file sharing. When it comes to file sharing, it's worth noting that you should only share what you're comfortable for anyone on the network to access. The Sharing System Preferences pane, iTunes and iPhoto all avoid defaulting to sharing all of your content, instead letting you decide what you want to share. However, do note that guest accounts cannot do anything destructive with your files. For example, if someone uses a guest account to access a shared folder via Finder, they can view the folder and open files, but they cannot delete anything, nor can they edit files 'live'. Only when you provide someone with login details (a username and password) can they edit documents on the shared computer – so only give out those details when you're absolutely certain they won't be misused. Finally, shared files can only be accessed when the host Mac is awake, so be mindful of network users when shutting your Mac down. How to share files over a network in OS X: 01. Unlock sharing settings
In System Preferences, click the Sharing icon under Internet & Wireless. In the Sharing pane, click the lock icon. In the subsequent dialog box, type your admin password (and username, if relevant) and then click OK to continue and return to the pane. 02. Enable file sharing
Check File Sharing and you'll see the LED graphic next to File Sharing go green. Under Shared Folders, you can determine which folders are shared by default. Click + to add to the 'Public' folder(s). To removed a folder, select it and click the minus (–) button. 03. Access the files
Other Macs on the network should show your shared machine's name (the one stated in the Computer Name field in the Sharing pane) in the Shared section of Finder sidebars. Select a machine to connect to it as a guest and browse the folders enabled in the previous step. 04. Connect as a user
If you own multiple Macs and need fuller access to one that's been set to share files, click Connect As… underneath the Finder window's search field. Type in your username and password for access to the same content you can usually access on the shared machine. 05. Share with Windows
If you need to share folders with Windows users, return to the Sharing pane and click Options. In the sheet, check Share files and folders using SMB. They should then be accessible via the Windows sidebar (My Network places in XP; Network in Windows 7). 06. Share photos
If you want to share photos, avoid file sharing and use iPhoto. Open the Sharing section of iPhoto's preferences and check Share my photos; either check Share entire library or select albums to share. Other users can access shared content via the sidebar's Shares section. 07. Share music
If you want to share your music, you could share /Music in step 2, but it's simpler to use iTunes. Again, use the Sharing section within preferences, and share your library or selected playlists. Connected users will be able to navigate shared content in List view only. 08. Use Home Sharing
iTunes offers a second way to share content across computers. Advanced > Turn On Home Sharing activates Home Sharing, which enables purchased content to be automatically transferred to authorised computers. But for occasional sharing, stick to the previous step. 
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| Tutorial: 10 Windows command line tips and tricks Posted: 20 Nov 2010 02:00 AM PST  Despite rumours you may have heard to the contrary, the Windows command prompt is far from dead. It's just gone a bit quiet lately, that's all. The command prompt – or DOS prompt, if you refuse to let go of the past – still underpins Windows 7, and offers a quick and technical way of moving files about, listing directories and performing a wide range of back-end tasks that might not have a graphical interface. There's a lot to learn about the humble prompt, and you can get more out of it with these helpful command line tips. 1. Customise it The console's default colour scheme of white text on a black screen not doing it for you? It's surprisingly straightforward to alter the look of the command prompt. Bring up a window by typing cmd into the Windows 7 search box, or the 'Run' dialog if you're using an older version of the OS. Right-click the title bar and select 'Properties', then go to the Font tab to choose from a few different typefaces. The Colours tab lets you determine the hue of both selected and unselected text; if the standard shades don't take your fancy, you can use the 'Selected colour values' boxes to choose custom colours. 2. Make it better By default, the command prompt is quite restricted in its scope. It's therefore worth tweaking a few of the values in the Properties dialog to make it bigger and improve its memory. Select the Options tab and set the buffer size to 500 to increase the number of previous commands to be stored by the prompt, then toggle 'Discard old duplicates' to stop it remembering your every use of the 'dir' command. Now go to the Layout tab and make the screen buffer height somewhere around 1,000, and increase the window height to a more reasonable 50 lines. 3. Add functions Quite why Quick Edit, which is accessible from the Options tab, is switched off by default is quite beyond us. Switch it on and you'll be able to copy text by dragging it and then right-clicking the mouse in the command prompt. You can then paste text into the prompt by right-clicking without dragging. Intuitive. 4. Quick command prompts Opening up a command prompt is usually a pretty long-winded exercise that involves a lot of tedious typing, followed by the hassle of having to navigate to the specific folder that you want to work in. But there's an easier way to go about it. In Windows Explorer, hold the [Shift] key and right-click the folder in which you want to open a new prompt, then simply select 'Open command window here'. You can also open a command prompt with elevated administration privileges with a minimum of fuss by right-clicking the folder while holding down the [Shift]+[Control] keys. 5. Try an alternative While it's not possible to replace the Windows command line, there are plenty of shells that give it a more advanced interface. Try out PowerCmd for a multi-pane interface that enables you to do a lot more, or search for 'GlassCmd' to give the console a Windows 7-style look. Console will give you a tabbed interface, but for a more powerful take, try Take Command from www.jpsoft.com. 6. Use the keys Can't be bothered typing that super-long string again? Use the [Up] key to bring up the most recently used command. Keep pressing it to browse through your history, or use the [Down] arrow to move forward in time. You can also hit [F7] to bring up a formatted list. 7. Tab Completion If you're interacting with a file or folder, start typing the filename and hit [Tab]. Provided it's in the folder you're working in, the name will be auto-completed. If there are other files with the same start string, hit [Tab] again to skip through them. 8. Drag and drop There's a second way to fill in filenames and folders, and it's arguably even easier than the previous method. Just click and hold an item in an Explorer window, then drag it to the command prompt and drop it there, and Windows fills in the filename and path automatically. 9. Change some names The command title enables you to, rather pointlessly, alter the title bar of the command window from the current directory to whatever you affix to the end of it. The command prompt does the same for the C:\> part of the shell itself. 10. Use the history keys Did you know that you can type the previous command one letter at a time by hitting [F1] repeatedly? This is a handy way of getting to the part you got wrong if you're retyping the last entry. Try using [F2] and [F3] as well – we'll let you discover exactly what they do. 
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| Review: Stealth Acoustics LR Series 7.2 Posted: 20 Nov 2010 02:00 AM PST  There are plenty of 'almost' invisible systems about, but Stealth Acoustics has produced a range of flat panel speakers which cover all ranges and can all be flush-fitted into a wall. Admittedly, all this technology costs. Not only for the product, but also for the installation, which could cost about £80 per hole in a stud wall and £150 for solid brick. Multiply this by the number of speakers to get a rough idea. Probably the best scenario is getting them fitted in a house while it's being built. The speaker system reviewed here is made up of a Stealth 5.2 package (3 x LR3 fronts, 2 x LR6 surrounds and 2 x B30 subs plus the SA 255R bass amp) plus an extra pair of LR6s for a 7.2 setup for approximately £7K.
The units I auditioned are the recently-launched 'Mk2' LR or LineaResponse range. My audition took place at Habitech, Stealth Acoustic's UK distributor, in a 10 x 7m demo room with a 120-inch screen – the kind of environment these speakers are designed for. Outta sight I played a variety of revealing material including A Quantum of Solace on Blu-ray. Listening to the system played at heroic levels, I slowly got used to the eeriness of not having a pair of large floorstanders and a big centre-stage box. The fiery bombing event in Quantum... played through the LRs didn't disappoint. They handled the extreme dynamic range, which features huge explosions but is also loaded with the subtle tinkling of glass at the periphery of the sound scene. Not all speakers manage this bandwidth with such aplomb. This remarkably powerful front stage trick is performed by the three LR3 units flanking and mounted below the screen. Each has a beefy 8-inch driver and triple array of mid/high frequency motors exciting carbon fibre disc diaphragms. Unsurprisingly, they go loud, high and deep. The coherence of the three front units is impressive, enabling a well-focused centre with a natural sound projection. The enveloping quality of the sound is greatly assisted by the wide polar dispersion pattern. Subwoofer performance of the two twin 8-inch units powered by the brand's SA 255R bass amplifier is more than adequate, despite not being of a 'crack of doom' level. At high levels, it was fascinating to touch the walls and feel them pulsing where they were hidden. Stealth Acoustics has made the framing of the sub-bass unit so that – along with special surface treatment– cracking of plaster at the edge of the speaker unit is not an issue, even during very high excursion. Again, being a flat diaphragm totally level with the wall, the non-directionality of low frequencies is further enhanced to produce an easy, enveloping quality to the bass. The LR6 side and rear surrounds played their part well, being capable of levels from the 6-inch woofers high enough to integrate with the larger front-stage drivers. They have an evenly spread vertical and horizontal dispersion, which is not advised in the THX manual.
However, in Habitech's room there was a more than adequate definition of off-stage sound. This was likely helped by the speakers having a reasonably linear off-axis response, which I expected from a flat-surfaced unit. Both movies and music tracks lead me to conclude that Stealth Acoustics has come up with a remarkable product. Once the sound delivery from a flat surface has been mastered, there's a lot to be said for quality of the dispersion that results – namely in the 'airiness' of the sonic presentation. Unsurprisingly, though, there is some lack of focus, but that's in exchange for a neat architectural solution. I asked Stealth's engineers about the best environments for these speakers, and they claim that differences in wall materials have surprisingly little effect on their acoustic performance. They are all designed to operate within a wall aperture with just a few millimetres clearance.
However, close-fitting mounting boxes are offered by Habitech – these are mostly used where sound leakage to an adjacent room needs to be reduced. I was also told that if the speakers are mounted into poorly-constructed stud walls, any vibration can usually be eliminated by filling the surrounding wall cavities preferably with sand, or expanding urethane foam. Vibration weak spots can be traced using a tone generator – this is something your installer can help with. Stealth Acoustics' home cinema array produces a massively dynamic sound with good resolution, and the flat membrane construction has wide dispersion properties which adds an extra ethereal quality to the mix. And it takes up no space. Definitely worth getting a demo if you like your cinema sound heard but not seen. Related Links
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| Review: Sling Media Slingbox Pro HD Posted: 20 Nov 2010 01:30 AM PST  Sling Media's Slingbox Pro HD is finally available in the UK, after being on sale in the US for over a year. Its key advantage over the original Slingbox Solo is HD support; where the original model was restricted to only streaming standard-definition, the Pro HD is capable of streaming 1080i hi-def via component. In addition, Sling Media has added a Freeview tuner to enable users to stream over-the-air broadcasts as well. This is a handy feature that allows those who don't have a set-top box to still enjoy the convenience the Slingbox provides. This Pro HD unit is larger than the original Solo model, which comes as no surprise, considering it has more connections and internal components. Input options include component, S-video, composite video and coaxial antenna, so it's possible to hook up multiple sources, but crucially there's no HDMI.
While the box is physically wider than the original, it still has a sleek form factor. Setting up the Pro HD is straightforward and simple. Slingbox provides step-by-step instructions, and the setup tool on their web page is very useful and easy to use. In particular, the user interface is quite intuitive, with an onscreen remote that mimics the one from your home source, thanks to an IR blaster. In full flow Once I had the Slingbox Pro HD up and running, I was presented with excellent picture quality. High-definition sources on my laptop looked almost as good as at home on my television. On occasion I did notice a small amount of noise in the picture, and it seemed to me that the overall image was slightly darker than the original. It soon became apparent that picture quality was dependent on how fast my internet connection was running. To combat dropouts, Slingbox has created a sophisticated streaming technology that automatically adjusts picture quality based on your home's internet speed. A simple way to put it is that, when internet bandwidth is low, picture resolution decreases as well and vice versa. I really noticed this between the peak internet hours of 6pm-9pm. The major flaw I can see with Slingbox Pro HD is the HD element. In the UK we're seeing fewer component sockets on set-top boxes (Virgin Media's V HD box has dropped it, for instance). So, as this video output option disappears, it will create an issue for Slingbox users who continue to upgrade their Sky and Virgin Media boxes. Also, the Pro HD does not include a Freeview HD tuner, which would have made it much more appealing. Nonetheless, the Slingbox Pro HD is a neat product that allows you to access your set-top box, PVR and various other video devices from anywhere you want through the internet. In that regard, it's perfect. You should never miss another show again. Related Links
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