Working on some issues…

I’ve been working on nailing down a few issues between ZippyConverter and ZippyRippy. It seems there are 2 errors plaguing the products which I’m addressing through the next update: ZippyConverter: Upon first launch after you download it there is an error where it states the “date” returns stating the argument is not correct, I’ve been working on this issue for quite some time and think I’ve finally got it licked, of course if you quit ZippyConverter and relaunch it the error goes away. One other issue has corpped up where I’m using some open binaries to get the info about the files which is causing stalling of the program. To this end I’ve crafted a few way to get the info from the files. It turns out the physical size of some files are causing ZippyConverter to stall while it’s waiting for the info to be obtained, and some FLV and MKV and AVI files with odd headers are also causing the issue. Look for updates to come down the line in the next few days for this issue. My goal is to make this the easiest to use, swiss army knife of video and audio conversion for the Mac. ZippyRippy There are also one one issue with ZippyRippy. The first one is an “idleend” error that occurs when the product is unregistered, this is being worked on, there seems to be a piece of code that’s checking for information on the progress of the rip that’s firing from time to time and causing an error. I’ve put it in a “try” block which is supposed to make it quiet when it fails, but it doesn’t always stay quiet. I’m working again on the issue of the program stalling when it hits 99% stalling while imaging. It turns out the end of the routine isn’t being tripped on all systems. So there you have it, more to come in the following days on these issues, plus I’m working on some new software which will take a little while but more on that later.

ZippyConverter 1.0.4 Released with WMV conversion

Released ZippyConverter 1.0.4

1.0.4

• Fixed an issue where when encoding a DVD without selecting “Fit to DVD” would result in an incorrect frame size.
• Removed “Add to Table” button from the browser window as it caused some issues on some systems.  Use “List Links…” to get the links of a page.
• Fixed an issue where flash files would fail while converting to DVD, they wil now run through the secondary engine prior to DVD encoding only.
• Adds 2 new export options .MOV and .WMV.  Make sure you install the Flip4Mac software to encode for WMV.
• Adds a panel to install all the optional codecs in one place.  It will appear by default when you launch 1.0.4 and has an option to make it not appear again.
• Fixes some issues with .MKV files not encoding properly.
• Fixes an issue where some large files going through the secondary engine would return no output making it look like there was a freeze.  This occurs only on large files where they have to be loaded by the secondary engine if necessary.
• Removed the links to the codecs in the Help menu and replaced it with one link to the install codecs panel.
• Added a File menu so you can have a close option from the menu.
• Fixes an issue with DVD burning.

Download today for $8.99 http://www.mediafire.com/file/qozjkwiiyiy/zippyconverter104.dmg

Helping a family in need…

Here at ZippySoftare we believe in helping those less fortunate than we.  To that end I recieved this email below and a request for help with medical costs.  The family have asked me to keep their identity confidential but are asking for donations to help pay for co-pays and medicine during these tough economic times.

Here at ZippySoftware, 75% of all purchases of ZippyConverter and ZippyRippy will go to this family, 100% of donations recieved using the link above will go right to the family.  We’ve even given them a PayPal debit card so they can access the funds quickly as they are recieved.  Thank you for your help.  Below is the email I recieved.

it’s kind of embarrassing to do this, but i’m going to anyway because nothing is more important than my kids.

will has been having some serious behavior problems, and will be going to a psychiatrist so that we can figure things out. with my families history of mental illness, i’m terrified, but it’s a step we have to take because when he’s in an episode, he threatens to harm himself and others.

he will also be going to his pediatrician today so that we can knock out some simple causes for this behavior (i.e. lead, mercury and food allergies.)

his copays are $20, he needs his asthma medication, and i only have a little bit of gas…. and no money. to get him to the doctor today i’ll be using our rent money, which means in two days (the 6th) we’ll get a pay or evict notice. i’m stuck choosing between our apartment or the health of my child, so i’m asking for help. if you could possible donate to us and help out, i’d be so appreciative. it goes to our paypal account.

here’s the link:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=10921504

Moved the Blog to http://zippyrippy.com/wordpress

I’ve been able to move my blog over to my new website at http://zippyrippy.com/wordpress.  I will no longer post at this wordpress blog at http://zippydeveloper.wordpress.com.  Please go to http://zippyrippy.com/wordpress for all the blog updates.

ZippyConverter 1.0.2 Released and New Web Site

Thanks to Greg Luhring for helping out with hosting ZippyRippy and ZippyConverter at out new website http://zippyrippy.com.  It’s a great help and I’m very excited for the new site.  I’m still working on it’s design and gettting the WordPress Blog moved over to that site.  Plus I’m going to include an ecommerce system embedded in the site as well.  More on that after the first of the year or so.

Also, ZippyConverter 1.0.2 has been released for OS X with the following updates.

• Fixes an issue where .mkv files would fail decoding and subsequently encoding to another format. Will run .mkv through the secondary engine.
• Fixes an issue with FLAC decoding. It turns out there are some libraries needed for the flac utility to decode the files.  If you are converting a .flac file you will be prompted to install the libraries with admin privileges and proceed with conversion.  Otherwise if you want to install them manually they are located inside the app bundle.
• Adds a simple web browser to make it more convenient to add YouTube URL’s and other web media directly from inside the application.  Navigate to a page, click “Add to Table” and the url of that page will be added to the main table provided it contains a link to a direct media file or a YouTube video page.  Click “List Links” and ZippyConverter will scrape the page and try to find any links in the source of the page contain any media, click “Add to Table” to add it to the main table.  Double-clicking on the table entry will allow you to make a clean URL if there are any extra tags left over after parsing.
• Fixes some additional issues with Flash files, especially those from blip.tv where they may fail to convert cleanly for Apple Devices causing iTunes 9 to fail to sync them to an iPod/iPhone.
• Fixes an issue with YouTube URL parsing causing some URL’s to not be validated due to either having special attributes assigned by YouTube or they are a subscription or feature link.
• Compatibility with Perian 1.2 release for the secondary engine.
• Fixes a weird little bug where on the very first launch an AppleScript error would report the date had a bad argument.  If it does happen to you, simply quit the app and relaunch and all should be as normal.

The new integrated web browser is one of my favorite features, it really takes the hassle of getting links from the web and having to paste them in.  However, you can still do that as well.

Download today: http://zippyrippy.com/downloads/zippyconverter.dmg

$8.99 for new users, free upgrade for existing users.  You can also give it a test drive with a 2 day trial.

Commontary on Updating Applications…

Good day everyone!.  I know it may seem strange to issue updates to applications so close together, but because I want to make sure the products are spit spot, this may be so.  I’m working on some updates on ZippyConverter from users who advised me of very specific issues.  Also if you come across any issues of your own please do not hesitate to email me at zippysoftwareadmin@gmail.com. 

To recap on the products we have available:  ZippyRippy, automatic DVD ripping for OS X is $5.99, ZippyConverter, No nonsense video and audio conversion, YouTube downloader and stictcher is $8.99.  Both are available at http://zippyrippy.free-hostin.com.

I know there have been some concerns about the URL, well because of my financial situation I really cannot afford at this time to pay for a monthly plan for hosting.  So I had to find something that was completely free.  As sales continue to grow I’ll be looking at alternitives such as SquareSpace.  I’ve been playing with Drupal, but it’s not really what I’m looking for.  Currently I’m using iWeb to create my sites, and believe me, I’m no web designer, so I do apologize for the design of my site.  If anybody would be willing to make it look pretty or at least like it wasn’t done by a 5 year old, that would be great.  I really can’t pay anything at this time, the proceeds of both apps are going to help a family in Northern Virginia have a nice Christmas and it’s proceeds after the fact will go to help those in need.  There’s a soft place in my heart for helping people and in this day and age a few dollars here and there can really go a long way for a lot of people. 

Thanks in advance,

Ben Harper

ZippySoftware

ZippyConverter 1.0.1 Released for OS X

1. Fixes an issue where encoding Flash files may cause ZippyConverter to freeze. Because of that issue Flash files will run through secondary engine.
2. •Fixes an issue where when downloading media from the web other than from YouTube would cause the progress bar to move but no text describing what it is doing.
3. •Fixes an issue with Flac decoding where a Flac file downloaded from the internet would cuase a failure in encoding.

Registration for ZippyConverter 1.0.1 is $8.99 for new users, free for existing users.

Download today http://zippyrippy.free-hostin.com/downloads/zippyconverter.dmg

ZippyRippy 1.0.7 Released

Released ZippyRippy 1.0.7 today which inherits some code changes from the newly released ZippyConverter for ease of use and encoding speed.

Download today at http://zippyrippy.free-hostin.com/downloads/zippyrippy.dmg

Registration is $5.99 for new users, free for existing users.

ZippyConverter 1.0 Released

$8.99 Downlaod your trial today!

- Requires Mac OS X 10.5.7 or later or OS X 10.6

- PowerPC or Intel Mac.

- Price $8.99

- Reccommend Flip4Mac, Perian and RealPlayer 9 Codecs.  Links are in the app.

Just like ZippyRippy brings easy DVD ripping to the Mac, ZippyConverter brings no-nonsense video and audio conversion to the masses.  No need to figure out how to use Handbrake with it’s endless settings. ZippyConverter has as simple interface where you can drap and drop files to the window for simple and easy organization of files.

 Main Features

•Convert most common video and audio formats for use on iPod, iPhone, AppeTV, Xbox 360, PSP, DV,MP4, MP3, AAC, AIFF, WAV.

•H.264 and 2 Pass encoding available.

•Download direct URL’s from the web or download YouTube Video’s and convert them as desired.

•Want more flexability, clicking the Advanced toolbar item will allow you to change frame rate, frame size, bitrate, output file size, audioi bitrate, stereo or mono track, aspect ratio, NTSC or PAL for DV and DVD and so on.

•Build and burn your own DVD’s using files from your drive or let ZippyConverter download web content directly within the app for easy DVD building from YouTube clips.

•Rip audio from Video files, just put a video file in the main window, select one of the audio presets and BAM, you’ve got yourself an audio file of your favorite videos.

•ZippyConverter can also combine files together.  Combine a bunch of MP3 files together for AudioBooks. You can even take different tracks or chapters from your favorite DVD’s and combine them into one file or even another DVD all with a few clicks or combine YouTube or clips from the web together into one file.

Most programs that do all of this can cost up to $50 or even $100.  ZippyConverter can be yours for only $8.99.  Try it today you automatically get a 2 day trial to try it out.

I’m aware of the uopdate issue…

In the most recent release I added the Sparkle framework to ZippyRippy, unfortunately the appcast file I’m using seems to want to point to version 1.0.7 rather than 1.0.6.  1.0.7 is not yet released.  My apologies to the users, I’m working to fix the issue but of course as soon as it happend I have no physical access to my computer.  Don’t worry, it will be fixed.