Trans Lucy 2 - The FAQ

What is new in Trans Lucy 2?

Trans Lucy now has support for playing QuickTime movies and playing video from external video devices. In addition Trans Lucy 2 has a whole new user interface. Playlists were also added for keeping track of all your media in Trans Lucy. Plus Trans Lucy is no longer a background only application for easier use.

Ok, then what’s new in version 2.1?

First off, we have added Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard support and fixed a few bugs, but we have also added some new features. Grayscale Display is new and lets you watch all your videos in black and white which can make it easier to keep the video and your work visually separate (note Grayscale Display requires Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and suitable video hardware).

Trans Lucy also has new mini-controls that are accessible by placing the mouse over the small show-controls-badge in the video corner (when you have the main controls hidden). Another new option is the ability to set what Dock icon Trans Lucy uses when Quick Hidden. Lastly, there are also some new hot key options for controlling Trans Lucy when you are working in other applications.

Is there an upgrade price from Trans Lucy 1 to Trans Lucy 2?

We are not offering an upgrade price from version 1 to version 2. Our reasoning for this is Trans Lucy 2 is already a great deal for $15. And honestly, if we sold it for a small upgrade price, it really wouldn't be worth our time to make a new version.

Note, if you already own version 2.0 then version 2.1 is a free update.

Is Trans Lucy 2 a Universal Binary (will it work on Intel and PowerPC Macs)?

Yes.

Who made the Trans Lucy 2 icon?

Cian Walsh of Afterglow Design. Isn’t she the cutest little robot?

Can I hide the video controls that are above and below the video?

Yes, the video controls can be hidden. When the controls are hidden all that is shown on screen is the video area and, optionally, a show-controls badge in a corner of the video that when clicked unhides the controls. Clicking and dragging the badge will let you move the video somewhere else on screen (if not in full screen mode). New in Trans Lucy 2.1, if you place your mouse over the badge without clicking, mini-video controls will be shown until you move the mouse somewhere else.

Can Trans Lucy 2 play videos purchased from the iTunes Store?

Generally no. That is because Apple won't let us play videos that are protected using Apple’s FairPlay digital rights management (DRM) system. The good news is that some videos on the iTunes Store are sold with no DRM and these videos can be played by Trans Lucy. If you want to be able to play all iTunes Store videos in Trans Lucy, please contact Apple and tell them you want to be able to watch your videos in Trans Lucy.

Does Trans Lucy 2 make DVD Archives?

No. However, Trans Lucy 2 does playback DVD Archives (sometimes referred to as VIDEO_TS folders).

Does Trans Lucy 2 support digital audio for DVD playback?

Not currently. Trans Lucy uses the same part of Mac OS X for DVD playback that Apple’s DVD Player uses. However, Apple is keeping the secrets of DVD digital audio playback to themselves. If Apple ever shares the secret we will add it. Count on it.

Can I use a brand Such-and-Such camera/TV/other video device with the Video In feature in Trans Lucy 2?

Probably. Plug it in and see if it shows up in Trans Lucy. Virtually all video devices that have video-out over FireWire or USB will work, but not all. Video In video devices must also work with the Mac OS X video digitizer system.

Why doesn’t my Such-and-Such camera/TV/other video device show up when I plug it in?

There might be a couple reasons for this. The first reason may be that the Video In list did not refresh when the device was plugged in. Try exiting and re-entering the Playlist View. Another reason may be that the device is not compatible with the Mac OS X video digitizer system.

Does Trans Lucy 2 support other media formats besides QuickTime?

Well, that depends on the media type. Any format QuickTime supports Trans Lucy will support and QuickTime supports a lot of media formats. However, there are some formats QuickTime does not support. Luckily you can often get plugins that add support for other file formats. If a video file can't be opened in Trans Lucy, try figuring out what format it is in (usually the file extension will indicate the file format). Then do a web search to see if you can get a plugin (also sometimes known as a CODEC) for QuickTime that supports that file type. Here are links to some popular third party plugins (note we are not affiliated with the publishers of these plugins, nor can we provide technical support for them):

Windows Media Format/FlipForMac (.wmv)

DivX (.divx)

Perian (many formats)