Spotify on the Galaxy Watch

I really like my Galaxy Watch, but getting Spotify configured was a real chore and took some troubleshooting. I thought I would post my experience online in case it might be useful to others.

Favorite Media Management Software

This is intentionally a short post. Here are my current favorite software programs for media management: Foobar2000, IrfanView, VLC and Handbrake.

Good HEVC Preset for Handbrake

As of today, October 2, 2016, Handbrake does not ship with a good preset for HEVC/x265/h.265. I've been experimenting and found some settings that allow for general compatibility, excellent (but not transparent) video and audio quality, and of course, very small resulting file sizes. This Handbrake HEVC preset is great for storing media on a Plex server (where Plex can transcode to any devices that are too old for HEVC support, or don't have the proprietary license, like a Chromebook). Make sure to enable Intel QuickSync for a big performance boost.

Sync media from PC to Plex Server on Nvidia Shield Android TV

I have a Windows 10 PC where I download, edit, and generally keep all of my media (photos, music, videos, tv shows, movies, etc.). I could run Plex Media Server on this PC, but why when I've got an efficient Android device that is always on and could do it just as well, or better?
I have an Nvidia Shield Android TV device with Plex Media Server connected to my living room TV. The issue is getting all my media onto the Shield, and then syncing any subsequent changes. I found the best method is to use a PowerShell script referencing Robocopy. However, there are some key points I've noticed in my experience that I'd like to share.

How to Enable Intel QuickSync in Handbrake

I have a Windows 10 PC with an Intel Core i5-6600 Skylake processor. I noticed in Handbrake that it said QuickSync was not enabled, and not supported. I realized that this was probably a driver issue. Since I have an Nvidia GTX 970 graphics card installed, my Intel integrated graphics had never had its driver installed. Here's how I resolved this.

How to Upscale (Increase Resolution) of Prisma App Photos

Prisma is a brilliant app. However, it exports photos at resolution suitable for screen, but not for print. Specifically, it exports at 1080x1080, 96dpi. Fortunately, I've found a way to upscale these Prisma exports for print. The following shows you how to upscale a Prisma photo to an 8x10" size at 600dpi.

Audible audiobook conversion from AAX to MP3, FLAC, AAC, OGG

Converting purchased Audible audiobooks to mp3 is a much simpler process than you might think. There are a number of conversion programs out on the web. What separates them is speed. Conversion speed is measured in relation to realtime. For example, 1x realtime for an 8hr audiobook would take 8hrs. This method may achieve over 260x realtime, but this will depend on the speed of the computer. The biggest hurdle is getting set up.