The Download Blog

When open-source video jukebox Miro was in beta and known as the Democracy Player, the biggest problem it had was stability. Graduating from beta fixed most of the problems, but not even a name change could erase the feeling that this Webware 100 winning program wasn't firing on all cylinders.

Miro's new interface is based on a faster-running foundation.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

In version 2.0 for Windows and Mac, all that's changed. At the top of the list of changes is a serious attempt to improve the usability. At least on my Windows XP machine, with 2GB of RAM, those modifications have paid off. The program flies now, where it used to struggle with takeoff. Using it all day, shutting it down, and restarting it intentionally, has produced no crashes or hiccups--it's as smooth as a CRT screen.

Miro 2.0 sports a pop-out button to watch videos while you browse.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

The interface overhaul streamlines the design while keeping button controls in the same place, basing it all on widgets. It's not readily apparent what this means for the average user, because the workflow is practically identical to previous versions. Search for a video or channel, add it to the sidebar or subscribe to it if you want all content from that producer, and Miro begins to download the video. It defaults to delete videos after five days, but a button on the UI toggles a "save" switch.

Besides the interface, the other major change is that you can now pop out your playback screen from the main player. A button located near the controls at the bottom right of the window does the deed, so you can now continue watching videos--or at least playing them--while you surf in Miro for more even more vids.

Miro also defaults to grab HD content whenever available, including from YouTube. It also supports streaming Web sites, such as Hulu, and there's new support for audio podcasts as well. If you're familiar with previous versions, this one will be instantly recognizable, but if you're not you should still be able to use it without looking up instructions. If you're new to Miro, it does manage the all-important torrent. The new torrent engine is based on libtorrent, a faster delivery system than before.

The pop-out window offers a compromise between full screen and in-player playback.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

The flaws left in Miro are minor. There's a lack of mouse-over labels, which would take the edge off the learning curve for new users or those who just can't be bothered memorizing what each button does. There are two search boxes, one on the sidebar and one at the top right of the main window. They both seem to do the same thing, so it'd be good if the designers could either label how they're different or get rid of one.

The new Miro is faster and easier to use, and worth checking out if you've dismissed it before.

The age of video distribution over the Internet has just begun, and open-source and DRM-free Miro for both Mac and Windows is perfectly poised to take advantage of the still-growing, still-unsettled paradigm.

Along with standard multicodec video playback, Miro supports torrents and completed torrent playback, watches to manage both old and new content in user-defined folders, resumable playback, video sharing and hosting, and assistance in creating videos. One of Miro's most compelling features are the channels that organize video feeds by topic--integration with Google, Yahoo, YouTube, and other search engines and video Web sites makes discovering favorites and new material exceedingly effortless.

Miro's search bar now lets you search all its engines at once.

(Credit: Participatory Culture Foundation)

The open-source, DRM-free video platform called Miro (download for Windows and Mac) has just released an upgrade with two small but useful improvements. A new search feature lets you search all available sites simultaneously, and torrent support has been greatly improved.

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With Macworld in full swing, throngs of people are flooding the streets of San Francisco to check out the latest offerings from Apple and all the other vendors exhibiting their wares at the expo. But some Mac-related stuff is only indirectly related to what's happening on the showroom floor or how thin the new MacBook Air is.

One thing I've noticed as a Mac software editor is how, when Apple has its biggest show of the year, the majority of Mac software developers figure it is the best time to release an update for their apps. I've rounded up my Top 5 popular programs that have updated in the last few days so we can all take advantage of this flood of major updates for top Mac software. A few of these will be old favorites, but all are worthy downloads if you're looking to try something new on your Mac.

As more movies become available, iTunes movie rentals are sure to make waves in the industry.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

I obviously could have chosen any number of new updates from Apple, but the biggest of the week is probably iTunes. With the announcement of the addition of Movie rentals and added features for Apple TV, the latest version of iTunes is a must-have for all Mac users. I already wrote about the latest update for iTunes in my last post, but after talking with some of my Mac-using friends, we wonder what the real impact will be on other movie outlets. Let me know in the comments how you feel about iTunes movie rentals and whether you think Apple can compete with Netflix or Blockbuster.

Professional layout and illustration tools are easily accessible and affordable with this app.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Freeverse software has always been a favorite publisher of mine for creative and funny games and made-for-Mac apps. Though Adobe's Illustrator CS3 is probably the king of the vector graphics and layout apps, the price tag of $599 is prohibitive to most casual users. Freeverse's Lineform is a slimmed-down, affordable vector graphics and illustration program with expert typesetting, gradients, free-flowing text, and much more. At only $79, this app is definitely worth checking out for illustration projects.

Create complex motion paths across a photograph with varying zoom levels for a dramatic effect.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

If you're wondering what to do with all your great holiday photos, check out Photo to Movie. Updated this week, this little app lets you take a digital photo and turn it into a dramatic presentation by using intuitive zoom and pan features. You'll be surprised with what you can create using a digital photo and your favorite MP3 as background music. Even better, it's compatible with iDVD, iMovie, and Final Cut. Photo to Movie is great for custom screensavers, too.

Create channels to browse all the videos from a particular feed.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Included in my Best Mac software of 2007 post, Miro received an update this week making the streaming video app even better. Set up like an RSS feed reader, Miro lets you subscribe to video podcasts and search popular sites like YouTube for all the video content you could ever want. This weeks big update adds better torrent support so videos get to you even more quickly. It also doesn't hurt that this great app is free.

The addition of ATSUI for text rendering greatly improves handling of all types of characters.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

I've often touted the importance of a good text editor, and this weeks update for TextWrangler was one of my first Macworld downloads. From Bare Bones Software, the makers of BBEdit, this free, slimmed-down text editor has a documents drawer and navigation bar, which make it easier to switch between multiple documents while conserving screen real estate. Even though it was made with markup coders and programmers in mind, TextWrangler is great for anyone who needs a place to take notes and manipulate text quickly.

Did you download a useful program update this week that is not on this list? Let me know in the comments!

The year 2007 might be one of the biggest years for Apple in recent memory. Certainly a lot of great products have been released over the years, but none had the anticipation or the media fervor as did the iPhone. The new iPod Touch, the release of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, and the funny Mac vs. PC ads we're seeing these days only added to the hype with more people starting to "Think different" than ever before. With Macworld just around the corner and promises of new Mac hardware on the horizon, the future of all things Apple looks bright indeed.

Working with the Mac library of software at Download.com, I saw a huge number of titles come through our system over the course of 2007. Certainly the big-name apps like Adobe Photoshop CS3 come to mind, but there were also a lot of great apps that may have flown under the radar for many users. To give these great apps their due, I decided to put together a list of my favorite apps for 2007. Though they might not be on par with apps like Photoshop, they're the kind of programs Mac users will appreciate and use without having to drain their bank accounts.

Without further ado, here are some of my favorite Mac apps from 2007!

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Apple's Spotlight search feature is one of the great things about OS X because it gets you where you want to go on your Mac immediately--giving you results as you type. Inquisitor is like Spotlight for Safari. Adding the same functionality to the Safari search box means getting to your favorite Web sites, Google searches, and doing your shopping online that much easier. The black, sleek interface is definitely a selling point, too. Did I say selling point? It's free.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

As streaming video gets better across the Web, we're going to see more and more apps that make viewing and managing videos easier. Miro is one of the best yet for browsing through channels, finding popular videos, and creating a starting point for your personal favorites. You'll be able to subscribe to video podcasts, video RSS feeds, bittorrent feeds, and video blogs making it easy to watch the latest videos about your favorite subjects.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Ever wanted to take your digital photos and turn them into comics? With an incredibly easy to use interface, Comic Life offers layout tools and templates to make it easy to organize your photos into a story line. From there, use talking and thought balloons, stylized graphics, and other artistic tools to create your personalized comic. Those searching for a new way to use their digital images will love this app.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Online Tower Defense games hit it big in 2007 as an addictive casual gamer pastime. Recently released Hordes of Orcs takes the concept to the next level with a downloadable version adding extra features for even more fun. In addition to fighting off wave after wave of Orcs, you'll be able to upgrade your towers, cast specialized spells to slow the onslaught, and zoom in to the action in full 3D.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

With the growing wave of social sites sweeping the Internet, the Mozilla folks capitalized on the opportunity by making a browser that caters to the social set. Flock is a full-featured Social Web browser that integrates extremely well with sites like Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and YouTube. Cool features help you keep track of your friends and post to your personal blog from within Flock. If you've caught the online social networking bug, Flock offers everything you need to keep track of all your friends and sites with tools and utilities specifically made to rein them all in.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Sometimes simplicity is best, and when it comes to recording audio, WireTap Studio takes a simple, but powerful approach. With this app on your hard drive, you can discretely record audio from any app, record whatever is coming through your system (like streaming audio), and you can use the line-in to record from external sources. What's more, its completely lossless and you can play with the untouched files using WireTap Studio's lossless editor. Audiophiles have been waiting for a long time for a low-cost lossless editor, and this one is worth the registration fee ($69).

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Need an image editor that isn't going to break the bank? Acorn offers several common filters for your images like sharpen, stylize, and blend, along with the ability to use layers, gradients, and color-correction tools you might find in some of the more (a lot more!) expensive image editors. What might be the best thing about Acorn is that it's so easy to use; you won't need to read any documentation to get started right away. At $39.95, it's tough to pass up this simple, but powerful, app.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

If you're the type who likes to monitor what's going on under your Mac's hood, you'll love iStat Menus. This well-designed utility sits in your Menubar for easy access and offers tons of system information you can view at a glance. Monitor CPU and RAM usage, your Bluetooth status, network traffic, and much more, all as a pull-down from your Apple Menubar. Getting your Mac stats has never been this easy.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Do you collect things? Maybe you like DVDs, or have a big library of books, or maybe video games are more your speed. The only problem with having a huge collection of something like DVDs is how hard it is to keep track of everything. Delicious Library is the perfect tool to keep track of your books, DVDs, video games, and music, with a visual representation of shelves to make it easy to find anything. You can even scan bar codes to import your titles. Anyone with a vast library of items will enjoy cataloging with Delicious Library.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Certainly one of the greatest releases of 2007 was Apple's mega-popular iPhone. Unfortunately, one of the only things it didn't include, was a way to use your own music as a ringtone. iToner eliminates the need to deal with iTunes or pay for new music by offering a simple method to add (and remove) ringtones on your iPhone for free. What's more, this app is perfectly safe with your iPhone system software (no Jailbreak required).

Miro's channels make video surfing intuitive and easy.

(Credit: Participatory Culture Foundation, Inc.)

The Participatory Culture Foundation's universal video player has finally left the development world with its first non-beta release, Miro 1.0 for Windows, Mac, and Linux. There are very few changes to distinguish this version from the previous beta versions that have come out in the past two months. Beside the fact that you can now delete a video while it's playing with impunity, all the changes are minor bug fixes to sort out stability concerns and other small tweaks.

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Miro Public Preview 3 has been unleashed for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It seems like this is the version of the freeware Internet TV channel player and aggregator that we've all been waiting for. Crashes seem to be a problem mostly of the past. The smart player, able to download content on the fly as well as play nearly any video on your machine makes Miro's appeal hard to resist.

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The revamp of Democracy Player is here, newly rechristened Miro, now at version 0.9.8.1 and available for Mac, Windows, and several flavors of Linux. If you're expecting massive changes from the 0.9.6 version, you're going to be a bit disappointed unless new logos designed by the same guy who did the Firefox logo raise your heart rate.

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