Tip #4599 - HD View
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Q:
Do you know anything about the new program from Microsoft called HD
View? If so, I'd really love to learn more about it. Thanks for all
your help!
A:
Ah, yes,
I know exactly what you're talking about! This was actually mentioned
on WorldStart's message board last month (thanks "pesach!"),
but I didn't pay much attention to it until just recently. After I
saw today's question in my e-mail Inbox, I instantly went back to
the message board to take a closer look. And boy, am I glad I did!
From the looks of it, several of you already know about this, but
just in case you haven't heard, allow me to fill you in. This is one
thing from Microsoft you definitely do not want to miss!
First
of all, the program is called HD View and it comes
from Microsoft Research's Interactive Visual Media group. Basically,
it's a new plug-in you can download that allows you to view and interact
with high resolution images. Why would you need something like that
on your computer, you ask? Well, an average computer monitor usually
only contains approximately one to two million pixels. Therefore,
you're only able to see 1/100th of a picture at one time. But with
HD View, you're able to see images that contain billions of pixels,
which gives you the opportunity to experience the rich details most
modern digital images have. Cool, huh?!
So,
if you're ever disappointed in how some of your pictures look, you
may want to give HD View a try! HD View is currently in a beta version,
but it still works great, so don't let that hold you back. It's the
perfect application to use if you just want to test the waters with
high definition photos. You'll be amazed at how great they look!
Right
now, HD View only works with Windows XP and Vista, but you can use
it with any of the following Web browsers: Internet Explorer 6 and
7 and Firefox 1.5 and 2.0. It's recommended that you have 1 GB of
memory on your computer, but 256 MB is the bare minimum. HD View hardly
takes up any disk space, so you don't have to worry about it taking
up too much room. The only thing you may need to check on is your
graphics card. It's best if you have one that supports DirectX 9,
but HD View may still work with other formats. The quality may not
be as good, but it should still work for you.
Think
you've heard enough? Are you ready to give it a try? If so, you can
install HD View for yourself right from this Web
site. Just click on the big Install HD View button
and you'll be all set. Now, I have one more thing to tell you about
and then I'll let you be. If you use Internet Explorer, you may need
to install an ActiveX control, depending on how you have your security
settings set up. In that case, you will see a yellow bar run across
the top of your browser. Go ahead and click on that bar and follow
the directions to install the ActiveX control. You can read more about
that on the site linked above as well. Note: You
need to have Administrator
rights in order to install the HD View plug-in.
Once
you're all set up, you'll be in HD heaven. Have fun!
~
Erin
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