FAQ
Q: The cars in your video seem to be mostly Right-Hand Drive. Mine's a Left-Hand Drive. Will the video still be relevant to me?
A: Yes. Whether a car's right-hand-drive or left-hand-drive the position of the gears and pedals, and the way your feet use the pedals, is the same. Mark has been careful in all the Course Material to ensure he explains everything to suit both types of car.
Q: My stick-shift car has an electronically controlled 'automatic' parking brake. Will your product still be relevant to me?
A: Yes. These kind of parking brakes will automatically release as they sense you bringing your clutch up to the friction point, saving you the bother. But that's all, everything else relating to driving stick is exactly the same as with cars fitted with a conventional parking brake.
Q: What format are the files in?
A: The videos are in avi files containing interlaced DIVX MP4 data using 25 frames per second and an output resolution of 720x404. The notes are in Adobe PDF format, and the audio is bundled as two sets of files. One set is mp3 and the other is ogg format; both sets have the same content the the ogg files will be slightly higher quality. However, many Microsoft-based systems will not understand ogg files, which is why we've included the older mp3 format too.
Q: Can my computer open these files?
A: Probably. If you are using any Mac OS/X or Linux computer all the software for these file formats are normally included. If you are using Windows XP, Vista, or 7 you should also be able to open all the files with the possible exception of the ogg audio files. Older versions of Windows may or may not have the software required installed.
Q: Where can I get software to open these files if I don't already have it, and how much will it cost?
A: All the software needed is available freely. PDF files can be opened with Acrobat Reader, which is available at this link.
AVI files can be played on Microsoft's Windows Media Player - available here. Linux users have a multitude of options, but mplayer is recommended - install it with your distribution's normal system or obtain it directly from here. Mac users should have no difficulty opening the video files.
For the audio, Windows Media Player and mplayer should work as above and, again, Mac users should be able to simply double-click on either the mp3 or ogg files. For the iPod, the mp3 files should work while users of other audio devices should consult their device's manual for a list of file formats supported. It is recommended that the ogg files should be used where possible - for example on most recent Sansa players.
Q: Can I watch these videos or listen to the audio on my DVD/Blu-Ray player or other device?
A: Maybe. There are so many different playback devices that it is impossible to give a clearer answer but the bottom line is that you will have to try with your particular players. Some do, and some don't. In particular, if you want to listen to the audio files on a CD player you will probably have to convert the files to .WAV format before burning the disk. Instructions for this process can be found online.