Subject:	Compression
Author:	drdread
Date:	12/18/2001 10:02:46 AM
Message:

Be sure to check out the various compression settings on the thing before you freak out on storage. The setting you described, creating JPEGs over 1MB in size, is probably a maximal image quality setting, which has a really terrible compression yield. You might consider trying the highest resolution setting but with a lower-quality compression setting -- often bumping up the compression a little can yield drastically smaller files with no appreciable change in image quality. You'd have to get out Photoshop and magnify the image down to the pixel level to tell the difference between a 1 MB JPEG and a 300 kB JPEG, and even then it would be tough work.

Of course, if you have the storage gizmo, all of this is irrelevant. I didn't know they sold it with no drive -- that sure would be attractive! For the same $100 delta they want for the 3.5 GB drive, you can buy a 20 GB drive. Yow.

Hey, here's another thought: the spec sheet on the storage device says that it understands FAT16 and FAT32...so I presume you can just attach a new drive to your favorite Windows box, format it, and then plug it into the storage device. Very cool. But here's something cooler still: when you're ready to grab the data off the drive, rather than transfer it by USB, why not remove the drive from the storage device and reattach it to your computer, allowing you to read the data over your IDE channel instead of USB. Fast!

It sounds like you have talked yourself into a truly cool toy. Lemme know how it goes!

Speaking of Thailand & Burma, is this trip business or vacation? Sounds like fun!

D

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