technology filter: Digital Media

No Swipe Cards: Sending a Signal?

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 19:10:24 GMT

In a world where money can be swiped easily with the movement of a little plastic card, there is a feeling that money can not be spent fast enough. Rather than spend laborious seconds forcing a credit card through a machine, why not send a radio signal and be rid of your money that much faster?

Credit card companies are very happy with the idea of “no-swipe” cards that can automatically read a signal from the moment the customer enters a store. According to New York Senator Charles Schumer, so are technologically advanced thieves. "These cards may be convenient, but they're a double-edged sword," Schumer tells MSNBC.

The Senator says thieves can easily acquire the radio signals being transmitted. The consumer might as well as write his or her credit number on the back of their clothing, Schumer says. Credit card companies say the signals are encrypted, and therefore not easily readable.

The operative word of course is “easily.”

Posted by Barbara

Tech Novice: Some HDMI Questions Answered

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 19:34:07 GMT

Recently had a reader email in and ask about HDMI in response to an article I did for MSN on buying an HDTV. Seems this poor soul was doing his research and stumbled across two TVs that both carried HDMI connections. But one of them carried HDMI 1.0 while the other carried HDMI 1.1. Since he didn't want to miss out on anything, he's wondering whether he's okay to buy the HDMI 1.0 TV since it's priced a little differently.

So here's the skinny on HDMI. First, it's a near 'future-proof' connection technology, designed to hook your TV to the newest (and best) DVD players, surround sound receivers, hi-def cable and satellite boxes and similar equipment. HDMI has a whole marketing and industry consortium working on it--check out their Consumer FAQ here for more info.

HDMI standards: Obviously, 1.0 was first and 1.1 came second. There's a 1.3 in the works, but I haven't yet heard of an actual TV that supports it. One of the key differences between 1.0 and 1.1 is that 1.1 supports DVD-Audio, which is a standard designed for hi-def audio run off of DVDs. Only thing is that this isn't a new technology--been out for a while. And the problem with that is that pretty much nobody cared that DVD-Audio exists. They're all sticking with CDs. So in the end, there's not real practical difference between 1.0 and 1.1.

Even when 1.3 comes out, basing your TV purchase on which version of HDMI is hooked to the TV would be a mistake. Resolution, size and price are far better criteria. Plus, remember that content providers (cable companies, DVD makers, etc.) that take advantage of HDMI will aim for the most popular selling version of the standard (1.0 for now and the foreseeable future). So, get the biggest, brightest, most hi-rez HDTV you can afford and don't worry about the HDMI version. Just make sure that it's got some version.

And if you really want more information, check out this site from an old friend of mine from PC Magazine and Computer Shopper, Alfred Poor. He's become the HDTV Professor, so any more questions you might have, you'll get answers there.

Review of TiVo Series 3

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:24:37 GMT

Engadget just did a mini-review of the TiVo Series 3. This is the long-awaited ultimate TiVo box that supports, HD recording, does THX and has dual CableCARD interfaces. The software interface is updated and even more intuitive if that's possible. The box can hold up to 30 hours of HD content on an internal 250GB hard disk--but there's also an eSATA port which means you should be able to add an external hard disk for future expansion. Neat. The CableCARD stuff means you can actually replace your exisiting cable box with the TiVo, but no one recommends that unless your cable company first comes out and says they support it.

(via Engadget)

Sony ships 50GB Blue-Ray Discs

Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:07:02 GMT

In the continuing war between the Blu-Ray and HD DVD standards, Sony has just fired the latest salvo. The company has officially begun shipping 50GB dual-layer Blu-Ray discs. For a change, we lucky sonuvaguns in the US are going to get them first with Europe and the rest of the planet getting them later this year.

Each $48 disc can handle HD-quality video recordings at a transfer rate of 24Mbps, which boils down to about 4 hours of hi-def video per disc. So if you've got a HDTV, and a Blu-Ray recorder hooked to your HDTV cable or satellite box, and one of Sony's Blu-Ray-equipped VAIO notebooks, you can start watching recorded HDTV on those long plane rides. If transit security lets notebooks back on planes, that is.

(via UberGizmo)

RoverTV's PMP is On The Right Track

Mon, 26 Jun 2006 17:07:31 GMT

With the killer PMP gadget still up for grabs, the guys at Doghouse Electronics, backers of RoverTV have thrown their weight behind a gadget all their own. The RoverTV Big Screen and the RoverTV Wide Screen are two handheld PMP players with 3.6-inch and 4.125-inch screens, respectively. They do everything you'd expect from a video Nano or a Zen Vision, but they also provide a line-in. That means you can record video directly onto the gadget. Even better, they have their own RoverTV programming service, so you can use the device to schedule recordings just like you can under TiVo. Even better, the service is mostly free and the device supports playback of other content, including general media file formats and TiVo To Go as well. Figure $299 for the Big Screen and $349 for the Widescreen.

(via Techie Diva)

Review: ATI's New Theater 650 TV Tuner card

Thu, 22 Jun 2006 20:43:45 GMT

ATI's well known for it's All-In-Wonder video cards which include not only a decent gaming video GPU, but TV tuner capability as well--hence the name. But the company also does dedicated TV tuners, and it does them well. Especially now that it's really in a fight for it's life with nVidia.

The new Theater 650 may not have dual-monitor capabilities like nVidia's latest release, but it does an unprecendented job of combining digial and analog signals with digital recording capability. The AnandTech guys put it through its paces in this review.

Kingston Takes CompactFlash to the Next Level

Fri, 16 Jun 2006 13:57:49 GMT

Kingston announced yesterday that it was releasing a new CompactFlash card, called the CompactFlash Elite Pro 8GB. Claim to fame? 8GB that's what. Basically, stick this in your digicam and you pretty much never have to add memory again. Not out on the market yet, so I couldn't get an accurate street price, but figure around $300+ for starters.

(via UberGizmo)

Sony Adds TV to PSP

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 17:09:00 GMT

The newest version of Sony's PSP firmware has added a new Portable TV option. This feature lets users download TV-type content from Sony's So-Net media provider service. No, don't go Googling it just yet, 'cause it's not out. Should be starting sometime near the middle of the month. (And, yes, much of the good content here is going to cost a little extra.)

Seems like this would necessitate an internal storage upgrade, but for now Sony seems to be relying on its Memory Stick technology to provide users with the additional storage space that TV shows are going to require.

Niveus Shows CableCARD Tech at WinHEC

Fri, 26 May 2006 19:11:57 GMT

This year's Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) has been spewing out new technologies and announcements like no other show since CES. Everything from servers to workstations right down to home entertainment.

On that front, one of the snazzier demos was Niveus demonstrating the first in-the-flesh Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) PC that uses a CableCARD. What this means to us end users is something with which Windows XP MCE has had a little trouble: Hi-def content. Combine that with an HD DVD burner and you've got a compelling addition to your stereo rack.

Bad news: Folks are forecasting initial pricing at around $6000.

(via HD Beat)

Spin It Again: Cool Software for Us 80s people

Thu, 18 May 2006 14:33:11 GMT

Since I'm still moaning about turning 40 back in January, I realize I'm also old enough to remember a time when there weren't any CDs. That's the good old days of cassettes. And if you're like me, you've likely still got a box of old cassettes tucked away somewhere with some choice nostalgia tracks that you just haven't gotten around to buying again on CD. Or if you're older than me--or an audio purist--then you've got a wide selection of vinyl LPs up there in attic land, too. Now wouldn't it be great if you could turn all those tuneful treasures into MP3s?

Well, check out Spin It Again 1.1 from Acoustica. This is really cool stuff. By connecting the audio outputs from your cassette deck or turntable to the inputs on your sound card, Spin It Again lets you 'rip' old cassettes or LPs to MP3!.

You've got to buy it direct from Acoustica (about $35), but there's more on the site than just an e-commerce shop. The company also has instructional material on cleaning your older audio media before recording. Get rid of as many of those analog pops and hisses as possible before rendering in MP3. Plus, there's links to additional equipment you may need to purchase, including intermediary hardware or cables.

But if you've got loads of cassettes that you want to preserve, this is definitely worth the investment.

More Brewing Patent Wars: This Time it'll be Sling Media

Tue, 16 May 2006 18:13:06 GMT

With RIM's recent settling of its patent troubles as the latest example, it's become pretty evident that some laxity in the patent process is going to be exploited ad nauseum. New meat for the legal eagles.

Coming up next will be a little patent percolation between Sling Media and any number of television studios. That's because Sling recently posted a number of patent filiings that point to the company eventually releasing a device, called the Sling Catcher. This bad boy is built to receive streaming video content from a Slingbox and play it back on a television without the need for a PC in between the two.

No...the TV studios aren't going to like that one little bit. Hope it's a good fight, tho, as I'm of the mind that a little weakening of the TV industry wouldn't be such a bad thing.

(via eHomeUpgrade)

What I...Watched This Summer

Thu, 04 May 2006 20:22:20 GMT

Used to be when the weather go nicer people would start talking about outdoor activities. Things like swimming, hiking, golf. You know, stuff you can get tanned from.

But thanks to innovation from Frontgate, you can now take your winter living room activities outside onto the porch. For the bargain price og about $17,000, the Frontgaters will sell you an entire deck island complete with a 42-inch JVC plasma screen, a Clarion surround sound speaker system with subwoofer, DVD player, AM/FM as well as Sirius satellite radio and all the inputs you might need for cable or satellite.

Better make sure it's under a rain-proof umbrella.

(via Techie Diva)

Tech Novice: Buying a Plasma TV

Tue, 28 Mar 2006 20:04:57 GMT

Let's say you've already made the decision to buy an HDTV. Now you're wandering through your local electronics store and you quickly discern that there are two basic options: LCD and plasma. Those looking for the ultimate picture with a sacrifice in terms of TV set longevity tend to stick with plasma. In general, these systems have better HDTV pictures, but have a reputation for only lasting about 7 years on average.

But if the ultimate pic is what you're after then plasma may still be the thing for you. For those of this persuasion, here are a few buying tips:

Stick to the highest resolution you can find. As soon as you're being sold a screen with a "slightly" lower resolution, the sales person is trying to sell you an EDTV, not an HDTV. If you're going to spend this kind of money for a set, at least make sure it can show you the picture you're after.
Go for the biggest screen size you can afford. Plasmas generally don't come below 35 inch (diagonal). They just lose their benefits at sizes much smaller than that. If your space can't absorb a screen that size, then stick to LCD, you'll get more for your money.
Go for as many connections as possible. You might be able to find some older models on sale that have only a single Hi-Def Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connector, but only buy one of these if there's a really good price discount. The way multimedia technology is going, you'll want as many of these connectors as part of the base set as possible. I wouldn't settle for less than two.
If it says "HD Ready" either keep looking or make sure it's got a real low price tag. When she says "HD Ready" she means that she doesn't have an HD tuner built-in. Picking up satellite or cable-based HDTV always requires an additional box, but picking up free, over-the-air HD broadcast signals should be part of the base TV set. "HD Ready" sets don't.

Nerd Alert: CableCARD Primer

Mon, 20 Feb 2006 21:03:33 GMT

Those of us dropping bucks on high-end cable or satellite TV services typically have to take whatever hardware the guy in the overalls and the utility van drops off at our house. Fortunately, digital means data and data means independent innovation--to a degree at least. For advanced TV services, this means the CableCARD standard, which sounds good until you find out that there are a host of limitations and gotchas with this technology. If you want to know what's what in CableCARD land, check out this tutorial from ArsTechnica. Solid read.

Online Men's Mag called...Shortflip?

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 17:23:41 GMT

Bumped into this site on my way somewhere else. Calls itself "THE" Online Magazine for Men. But it's only got one entry for online hot model photos, and has category headings called 'Relationships', 'Mind', and 'Body'. Plus, the pub's name is "Shortflip.com'.

Not to be stereo typical, but it sounds more like THE online magazine for men who like spa treatments. And no man wants to read the word 'short' in anything that might talk about sex. Time for a Shortflip marketing makeover.

HBO Takes Hard Line on Media Recording

Fri, 10 Feb 2006 10:53:25 GMT

In yet another example of media companies getting panicky about new digital recording methods, RealTechNews reports that HBO has issued an FCC filing that places all of its content into the category of Copy Prohibited Content. According to FCC rules, that not only means no digital recording, it also means no analog recording (like VCRs). No recording of any kind.

I suppose you can sit in front of the TV and try and sketch the show as it moves along, but you'd better not let HBO catch you at it.

A mite ridiculous if you ask me.

(via RealTechNews)

A Real Digital Music Appliance

Fri, 03 Feb 2006 16:58:54 GMT

I'm working on an update post of the LG LRM-519 post I did back in December, as it seems that device may have some trouble. Meanwhile, I got a chance to play with this ultra-sexy stereo rack-based music hub from Olive Inc. Hell, with a name like Olive Inc., I really had no choice.

The Olive product I got my grubby hands (well, sort of; once again, someone else owns it) on is called the Musica, and the implications of its name as well as its price tag are my only gripes. The device is entirely designed to make managing your digital music an IR remote operation done in the den rather than the home office.

Hardware-wise, the Musica has plenty of muscle. For one thing, it's got the audio chip smarts to make fantastic digital music rips and recordings. You'll find things like gold-plated RCA jacks to hook the thing into your high-end stereo with no loss of audio quality. For the geeks, there's a 160GB hard disk, a 4-port 10/100 Ethernet switch and an 802.11g access point all built-in.

On the software side, everything is run off an internal LCD display operated mostly by a remote control. This is where you run into the box's limitations. The interface is certainly usable (though by no means as sexy as, say, the Windows MCE interface), but it's all about managing your music files, updating your MP3 player (lots of concentration on the darn iPod again), burning CDs and the like. You've got enough smarts to see other devices on the network and pick the ones to which you'd like to stream musical content, but that's it.

There is no support for video, and the Musica makes no bones about this. So if you're looking for an all-in-one digital hub for the stereo rack, this ain't it. (On the upside, Olive at least didn't make the classic router mistake where they add a firewall, NAT, DHCP and all the other goodies you've already got running elsewhere which means you'd need to take the time to turn all of it off on the Musica.) If you're an audiophile with a deep need for ultra pure digital tunes, then the Musica is a pretty good choice. As long as you've got a spare grand to spend.

Musica

Olive Inc.

Price: $1,099

Verdict: Audiophiles with semi-deep pockets, you go! Most others probably want support for more than audio and a lower price tag.

Now This is Online Storage

Tue, 17 Jan 2006 14:38:03 GMT

Got a press kit from these guys at CES. Streamload MediaMax (SMM) is an online storage company that seems to be doing everything right. Sharing photos online is a pretty popular concept, but a difficult business to get into because a good chunk of it has to be free. Our own venerated Spaces, for example, has basic photo sharing built-in (witness the large number of blogs here that have no blog entries, just photots). That's because Spaces is free with (I believe) 25MB of online storage for photo albums free as well.

SMM does free storage, too, but it's 25GB worth. Yeah, that's a 'G'. That's eye-popping enough, but they haven't stopped there. The company has also developed a media storage software interface desgined especially for home media mavens that includes support not only for general file storage, but specifically for audio, photo and video files. You can upload, manage and even convert video formats server-side within this interface. And that includes not only home movies and your own photos, but collected photos, downloaded movies and TV shows, and all the MP3s your heart desires.

And if 25GB is a mite small for all the home movies of the baby, then try $9.95/mo for 250GB. Or better yet: $39.95/mo for a full terabyte. Yes, that would be the big 'T'. Looks like they're also going to setup an email service that'll support really large file transfers--like a full hi-def TV show, for example.

Now storage is cheap, but I'm not sure it's that cheap long-term. Guess we'll need to see. But as long as SMM is selling, the service is definitely worth checking into.

Verizon Stumbling Around Digital Media

Tue, 17 Jan 2006 14:36:22 GMT

Verizon's making a big deal to us press folks about its VCast offering. Got three press kits this morning alone on new 'offerings' to flesh out the service. So I figure I'll break down and check it out.

No go, however. First, I'm locked out of their press section until some third-party press management company 'approves' me. See that's smart. Send out lots of releases and then keep the reporters from finding anything out. That'll get you in-depth coverage.

So I head over to Verizon Wireless' site, and sure enough, there's a VCast link right off the title page. Forget the press info, I'll get what I need from the site itself. DENIED. Security restricts them from showing the directory. Or even giving me a login prompt. Great. In other words, right now there is no VCast. There's press about VCast. There's buzz about VCast. But if you try and get VCast or find out about VCast, you're not going to get very far.

And if you're wondering what was in the press releases, they were all (what else) hardware-oriented. Verizon wants you to know about its new Music Essentials kit that includes a USB transfer cable, sub-par stereo headphones you'll need to replace, a quick reference guide that'll send you to all the places they're currently locking you out of and, of course, the 'essential' (read "proprietary") music transfer software CD. I'm sure that'll be high-quality code. All that tra--er, stuff for about $30.

They also want you to know you can get a 1GB SD card from them for a little more than $100 and that Altec Lansing is making mini-external speakers compatible with VCast LG phones and that Jabra and Sony make good stereo headphones.

Now if only Verizon would actually make VCast work, this all might mean something.

CES: HP Got Serious About Personal Entertainment

Wed, 11 Jan 2006 19:25:28 GMT

HP seems to be moving in several directions at once, trying to remain at the top of its game in multiple areas. At CES these guys had all kinds of new goodies to show--though Brian was a little disappointed that they weren't showing any of the new TabletPCs because HP considers those business-oriented and not meant for us grubby consumers.

That disappointment aside, they've got a butt-kicking new media PC that combines all the usual hardware goodies (fast components, big storage) with a few of their own hardware touches, like front-mounted audio and video connectors and removable hard disks enclosures.

They also had a huge line of new flat-screen plasma and LCD TVs. Most of them are available now, but they've got at least one cool one slated for this summer. That'll be a 37-inch model with built-in 802.11a/b/g connectivity for easy integration into any kind of home networking setup.

Not sure how HP will do in the consumer arena over the long run, but given what I saw at CES, they've got a better than even chance based on technology.

Bill Wants Us to Throw Out All Our Old Stereo Stuff

Tue, 03 Jan 2006 21:35:23 GMT

Redmond and friends have plans for our disposable income in 2006. With Intel re-inventing itself as a consumer-oriented chip-chugging giant and Microsoft releasing an updated Media Center Edition...what's that open the door to?

That's right, third-party add-ons galore. A prime example are the newly announced stereo rack add-ons from

Simplifi Digital for those of us lucky enough to afford Media Center-based stereo PCs. (Which wouldn't be me, because I'm a starving journalist--listening Sony?!?!)

Simplifi came out and announced three new MCE add-ons, which will undoubtedly be on display at this week's CES: First, there's the HD100 amplifier. Let me see if I remember how this works: It takes encoded media content from the MCE, sends it via USB to the HD100, which then converts it to analog and plays out of whatever old-fashioned stereo speaker system you still have left. The idea is that rather than using any old high-end sound card in the MCE PC, the HD100 will be able to do this better. Uh huh.

There's also an A/V Expander, which Simplifi say will allow users to connect up to four regular (now called 'legacy') stereo devices to the MCE and then control them via the MCE interface (and remote control). Again, I guess the MCE PC doesn't have enough ports in this instance.

Last, is the ubiquitous iPod docking station. "Holy Over-Marketing Batman!! There's no way we can offer a multimedia product line without including an iPod-only docking station." Simplifi agrees and its iPod docking station will allow for both data transfer and direct iPod playback. 'Course if your music is located on your MCE, then wouldn't you already have that content? Oh shut up, Oliver.

This is one set of MCE add-ons, but I think we can expect a wide variety of these things throughout 2006. I would have put in pricing, but the things won't be available until March, so no pricing yet announced. Let's hope that whatever competition these things have this year, some of them are a little more inventive.

Coldplay's latest CD Foretells Complex Audio Future

Tue, 03 Jan 2006 17:22:48 GMT

Alice Hill's RealTechNews posted this. Seems the new Coldplay CD has a pretty ominous insert in it, telling consumers (after they buy, of course) that the CD has been encoded so that it won't play in a variety of hardware devices, including certain DVD players and car stereos.

Some music exec's probably slapping himself on the back for this one, but all it does is confirm that straight digital content is the way to go. CDs suck.

Review: LG & Microsoft Take on TiVo

Fri, 30 Dec 2005 00:00:00 GMT

I was going to look this thing up at CES next week, but I found one at a friend's apartment in New York very late last week. It's an early version, so I'm not sure how she got it. Just got a smug smirk when I asked.

The box is called the LRM-519 and it's sold under the LG Electronics corporate umbrella, but it gets its TV programming information as a subscription cost service from Microsoft. So far, so TiVo.

The back of the box is a cornucopia of connectivity: standard audio, digital audio, standard video, composite video, and s-video round out the media plugs, while telephone, USB, Ethernet, IR, RF and a even a serial port make up the communications side of things.

On the inside is a 160GB hard disk, which can hold up to 160 hours of standard TV, and has a load tray that supports DVD playing (as a progressive scan unit) and burning using the following formats: DVD, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, and DVD+R Double Layer.

Microsoft's programming service is supposedly the same one that feeds Media Center Edition, and according to the docs it grabs information in 14-day chunks. Not sure if that's accurate tho, as often even Jay Leno doesn't know exactly which guests are going to be on 14 days ahead of time.

What's nice about the LRM-519 is that it does all that a TiVo can do (standard anyway), adds full DVD burning and also acts as a media center hub by allowing Ethernet, USB or wireless connectivity to any Windows XP PC in range. You can do most or all of this with the latest TiVo products and some very minor tweaking, but the fact that you have an alternative is nice in and of itself. Now if only they'd beef up that hard disk to something real like 300GB or more and then drop the price a bit...

LRM-519 Digital Media Recorder

LG Electronics

Price: $599.95 (Microsoft subscription fees vary, see www.microsoft.com for specifics)

Verdict: A solid platform with excellent format support, if you don't mind the price tag and slightly small (for today) hard disk.

C-Span Seminar on Google Print

Thu, 24 Nov 2005 17:49:34 GMT

Got to the 'rents house late last night, so I was flipping through the channels waiting for the Nyquil to take effect. Then I clicked over C-Span, which was reshowing a seminar sponsored by the Progress and Freedom Foundation on Google's Print initiative (best to have RealPlayer for this). They had lawyer-types there from both sides debating the issues. The upshot goes like this:

Synopsis is that Google wants to scan around 25 million books, of which only 20% are public domain, into a searchable format that will allow searchers to see "snippets" of books. It's not clear whether the snippets are canned (meaning if you search on "Narnia" you see the same three pages of the first book no matter how many times you search), or whether they're dynamic (meaning you can search on "Narnia" and see one snippet, then search on "Aslan death" and get the three pages of Aslan's last gasp). Given that Google wants to scan the entire book in all cases, the latter makes the most sense.

Upside is that Google says only the snippets will be made available to searchers for viewing, never the entire text. And that since it's done without cost to the end-user, it's still fair use. Further, they've put in place an 800 number, email address and similar contact points to allow authors and publishers to opt out of being part of the program. So if you've got a book they want to scan, you can still tell them nay--but the onus is on you, not them.

Downside is that they're scanning the entire book. They're making money off the service via ads. In the case of many university-oriented texts, they're making the finished electronic copy of the book available back to the university--to be put to any kind of use that this entity wishes.

Overall, the arguement is a lot narrower than I first thought. Google really does have a fair use arguement, though in the end they are profiting off of someone else's copyrighted work without sharing the profits or negotiating for the work. Their problem here is that negotiating with 25 million copyright owners simply isn't feasible. But that shouldn't mean they simply ignore the law.

The idea of a digital library is certainly a worthy one. But I'm thinking a better host would be the Library of Congress rather than Google. A private for-profit entity will always make authors wonder where their share of the money is. Writing any kind of book is an immense amount of work. If someone makes money off that work, the author should get a cut. Period.

If the Library of Congress hosts the service, it's not for profit. I'm not thinking of Google's snippet concept here, but a real library system where users can download entire eBook versions of texts, that perhaps time out after X days. If authors feel (rightly) that digitizing their work and offering it for free "borrowed" download would impact their sales, then we should create a system where they're recompensed per 'borrowed' download. Library goers still get to "borrow" books at a fraction of their full cost, authors don't get ripped off.

Fair to both sides, massive digital effort that has all the bennies of Google's concept (and more), and certainly not out of the realm of technical feasibility. After all, how useful is the snippet concept in the end? It's just a teaser that still forces you to go get the book somewhere else. As long as we're scanning entire texts anyway, let's make full use of the technology.

Boing Boing Sony Compilation Part Deux

Fri, 18 Nov 2005 16:35:10 GMT

Kiltak dropped another Boing Boing entry on me (after doing a more in-depth post of his own), this one covering the second half of Sony's rootkit DRM fiasco. Is 'fiasco' strong enough? More like 'explosive catastrophe' or 'bottomless screwup of epic proportions'. I'll think of some more later.

In case you're a little sick of Sonygate right now, this might still be worth the click-time, as it has good information on how to clean your PCs and protect yourself from future infections.

Kiltak gets a virtual t-shirt. Definitely.

Soon Even Your Snapshots'll Be Bugging You

Fri, 18 Nov 2005 00:18:58 GMT

An interesting story on Cnet. Seems italian company Zanetti Studio is developing a photo printer, sadly called SpeekySmart, that'll print a small magnetic strip on the side of any photos printed. The strip will be able to record a few seconds of sound that was taken when the pic was snapped.

Naturally, the paper will be specialized, also from Zanetti though with a slightly more dignified name: Speakpaper. Whatever dignity Speakpaper had, however, is quickly lost when Zanetti reminds us that it and the printer are all to be marketed under the umbrella "Speeky" brand. Sigh.

Zanetti's been using an HP look and feel on its Web adverts, which HP isn't too happy with, but what's more important is that HP is working on similar technology. But unlike Zanetti, HP hasn't shown anything other than a comment during a press briefing, which means there's some poor HP research geek trapped in a lab somewhere sweating furiously under a sign that says "Beat Zanetti or Die!"

HP has gone so far as to say its talking photo would allow users to approach and hear the sound through a cell phone--good concept. Zanetti's magnetic strip requires a reader right now, which is too cumbersome IMHO. However, Zanett's also said it was going to mod its paper to talk to mobile phones, so I'm thinking that's the future direction of talking photos. Bluetooth-enabled headphones, MP3 players and PDAs might be another smart move, but let's see where this goes.

From Boing Boing: An Evil Sony Timeline

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 18:13:06 GMT

If he keeps this up, we'll have to promote Kiltak to contributor from loyal reader; but he pointed me at this cool (and complete) timeline of Sony's recent (and not so recent) DRM transgressions up on Boing Boing. Truly sad reading. What are those boys thinking?

In a related post, a Slashdot poster cut through all the Dutch in a recent WebWerld article that spawned a bit part of the second phase of Sony's DRM troubles. According to this article (here's the English translation), the original rootkit (designed to protect Sony's licenses) contains modified pieces of the open source LAME MP3 encoder, which is distributed under the LPGL license. LPGL says any mod code must be redistributed back into open source.

Gee, guess what Sony didn't do? So their own licenses need to be protected at our expense. But the LPGL license agreement doesn't seem worth the trouble. Everytime I think this thing can't get worse.

Yeah, I know they're recalling 4 million CDs and have promised up and down that they won't do that with PSP CDs, but so what? That's the least they can do. What about the estimated half million corporate PCs now infected with their rootkit nonsense--which virus writers are exploiting so sys admins must get them removed. Whose going to pay for all those man hours? Ought to be Sony for my money.

Sony STILL Hasn't Learned

Tue, 15 Nov 2005 16:37:17 GMT

Those guys must be learning impaired. Costa found this one and posted on Gearlog, but it comes from the Freedom-to-Tinker blog. Seems Sony has a whole other DRM scheme that it has no intention of dropping. This one is distributed via their Suncomm CDs, and doesn't use a rootkit, but it does install spyware-like software with no un-installer and no chance not to install.

See, guys, the idea behind DRM is to make your CD copy-proof. Not screw up my equipment bad enough that I can't copy it. It's a subtle distinction, but after enough of us start boycotting all your products, maybe you'll be able to tell the difference.

Podcasting Score from Gearlog

Tue, 08 Nov 2005 18:25:20 GMT

For those looking to make it big in Podcasting, check out a Coursey entry on Gearlog. Seems the folks at WorldVibrations are betting big on the new fad by designing a Podcasting appliance. At $2850 you'd better really be into it, but if you are this covers all aspects of a podcast even graphics.

The Best Thing About Samsung's Showroom Party

Wed, 02 Nov 2005 19:32:44 GMT

The HT-P38 Home Theater System was by far the coolest thing I saw at Samsung's showroom fete. Not because it's anything radical,bu because Samsung finally did what the big home electronics manufacturers should have done over a year ago: Add a USB port.

Just plug your MP3 player in the front like this:

Or take a closer look here:

The MP3 player pictured is the new YP-T8, which is Samsung's somewhat lackluster answer to the iRiver T10 I reviewed yesterday (lackluster because it lacks all the T10's special features, like FM radio, FM recording, etc.). The YP-T8 has a USB interface built-into its case specifcally to work with the HT-P38, but you can use any portable music player with a USB cable as well. The Samsung spokesgeek said it would work the the iPod, but wasn't able to show me.

The rest of the HT-P38 is fairly standard, though up-to-date. 800W of output power, 5-disc DVD progressive scan DVD player with Divx support.

Now the sexy part: With 6 surround sound speakers (5.1 plus subwoofer), the HT-P38 still only costs about $250. Okay, they're not the world's best speakers, but for $250 I'm still darn impressed.

I need one of these for my office and one of Sony's new USB-capable car stereos for my Jeep.

Coolest Speakers for Those Who Hate Wires

Fri, 28 Oct 2005 13:42:49 GMT

See, I hate cables, wires or even medium-sized bundles of string. They cling, they tug things off my desk and if you get any two of them within even a couple of inches it's as thought they're magnetically attracted into tangling with each other. Hate cables. Hate 'em.

That's one reason I brought up one set of surround sound speakers downstairs and no more. Just hate the cable work. But Logitech heard my cable cursing.

They just released, and ExtremeTech reviewed, the Z-5450 5.1 surround sound system that gives you all the audible geek goodness you might desire for seat thumping gaming--but with wireless rear speakers. And they're not even that expensive at $500. Now that's using your noggin.

(via Digg)

Good Article for Audiophiles

Wed, 26 Oct 2005 14:52:23 GMT

Here's another plug for a Gary Krakow column covering a range of audiophile extensions for those of us with PC hangups.

I've dinged around enough with audio cards to enjoy the concept of an external plug-and-play-based solution that let's me use actual entertainment-center speaker systems rather than PC-based sets.

Wish I could find a similar deal for Linux--USB-based with external hooks. Dealing with internal sound card driver issues under the Penguin is such a pain in the booty. Something that just plugged and worked (even it were just for a few of the biggest commercial distros) would be most welcome.

Krakow's piece isn't aimed towards Linux, but certainly gives you a range of different devices for Windows-using music lovers.

CNet Reviews HDTVs

Tue, 25 Oct 2005 13:00:13 GMT

In case you're thinking about hi-deffing the 2005 holiday season, click on over to CNet's site. They've got a pile of good information for you.

First there's a comparison of thirteen of the top 42-inch HDTVs available out there, all based on reviews. Even includes a couple of sidebars on plasma technology limitations and the differences between EDTVs and HDTVs.

But if you've always got to have the latest and greatest, then:

(1) Send me an invite to your house for the Super Bowl, and

(2) CNet also has this ongoing article of new HDTV releases coming out this Fall.

Last, if your HDTV is the center of a home media system on which you can display those home photos of little Johnny upchucking his Christmas goose onto Aunt Sreamella, CNet's also got you covered with some side-by-sides of the newest digital camera products.

Corrections Post from MegaZone

Thu, 20 Oct 2005 20:39:04 GMT

I screwed up some facts on my last apps.tv TiVo post. MegaZone, who points me at the rather nice TivoLovers blog, was nice enough to post a detailed correction in the comments section without making references to my genetic heritage or any sexual references to my mother. But since few people ever read comments, I figured I'd post it here. Thanks MegaZone. Made an edit or two, but I'm an editor and that's a genetic pre-disposition.

(TiVoLovers is worth a visit, by the way, if you've got one of these boxes. Not just a community of helpful TiVo-ites, but also has a nice selection of resource links, including the Galleon link I added to MegaZone's comments below. Only negative thing is that there's no online petition to sign to force TiVo to de-capitalize that damn V. Makes typing a pain.)

MegaZone's comment:

A couple of corrections and some info:

Panasonic never made TiVos - Pioneer did, the DVR-810H-S and the Elite DVR-57H. They're both still available out there, but I think they've stopped making them. I own an 810H. There are 4 other DVD-RW units. The Humax DRT400 and DRT800, and the Toshiba RS-TX20 and RS-TX60. All of these are currently in production - and they're basically the same unit inside, just different face plates. (They're 40, 80, 120, and 160GB, respectively.)
All of six of these units fully support all of the networking features of the Series2 TiVo platform. Everything any Series2 TiVo does, these do - PLUS the DVD/CD playback and DVD-R/RW burning. So they support music and photos over the network, web based scheduling of recordings, multi-room viewing, TiVoToGo, Home Media Engine, etc.
The Apps.TV stuff is pretty basic right now, but they have an open invite to any HME developers who want their products index. If you really want to see HME in action, Galleon is probably the most advanced application out there.

Tivo Does More Than Share

Wed, 19 Oct 2005 18:52:59 GMT

I'm scum. I'm slime. I know this because I got nasty email from another Digital Life goer who pointed out that I gave Tivo short shrift in my D-Life postings. All I said was that they'd made sharing content twixt Tivos easier and added a PC-out feature. Seems they did a little more than that.

They also opened a new service called apps.tv for the new and still birthing TiVo Home Media Engine. This allows customers to scuttle over the Internet to TiVo's servers to download new apps for their TiVo DVR. Right now that apps list is pretty lame, including four mini-games and some kind of feed from the Hot or Not web site.

Seem exceedingly ame? Well it is, but that's because all of HME is still in alpha--which is why my Digital Life detractor really didn't need to be so harsh--they weren't showing that at Digital Life in any case. So HA!

Did find out that if you want TiVo and DVD burning in one box you can get it from Humax. Panasonic used to have a box like this, but they canceled it. Doesn't look like the Humax box supports the PC-Out and networking features that TiVo was showing at D-Life, tho. Frankly, I'd rather get the new D-Life box then, since I can pump anything I want to my PC-based DVD burner.

Credit Card Sig: The Scary Truth

Mon, 03 Oct 2005 18:26:39 GMT

Brian Chee (the lab director at UofH ANCL) and his wife, Kathy, are coming to visit this weekend. Means I needed to clean and stock the house up this weekend. At least enough so that it doesn't look like I'm living in a desperate, pathetic bachelor stye. Which I'm not, Mom. Honest. Really.

Buying groceries means whipping out the credit card and signing with that ridiculously inaccurate plastic stylus on that ridiculously positioned touchscreen. My sig always looks so skewed on those things, I sometimes wonder what's the point?

Seems I'm not the only one. Digg.com pointed me to a Mr. John Hargrave who has the same thought, and it's amazing to see how far he goes in his experiments to see how far he can go.

Maybe Google Should Buy These Guys

Sat, 01 Oct 2005 20:56:52 GMT

When Google announced their new streaming video beta (the one that let's you download the new Chris Rock sitcom), I tried it and ridiculed it. Just a little. But it bugs me that it made such a splash. It's streaming video, and that's just never worked that well over the Web. Been tried, tried and tried again. The video streamflow is like someone with a severe prostate problem. Skippy, jerky and on/off far to severe to maintain an experience decent enough to compete with TV.

The first attempt to fix it were those edge-based content provider networks, like Akamai. They're still around, but need so much proprietary infrastructure that costs climbed higher than Conan O'Brien's hair. They simply built these big networks of mirrored content servers. Got some big content llike a streaming vid? You just give it to Akamai and they'll manage distributing it all over the Web so that anyone trying to download it has a fast server right next door. Good idea, but a bubble money fable at its worst.

But now there's PPLive, an outfit in China, that seems to be trying to rebuild the same type effect using a peer-to-peer architecture. Now that's smart! They've already got some content up, which I'll try and access tonight. If it works it could recreate the fast-download concept but using a free and far larger P2P infrastructure. Check it out. If you've already tried it, let me know what you think.

Thinking of Buying a WinPVR?

Tue, 20 Sep 2005 20:01:16 GMT

In case a PVR based on WinXP Media Center Edition is in your future...wait a bit. Microsoft just released the new Media Center Update Roll-up 2 to OEM vendors. Means you've got a few weeks before those folks actually implement the thing on their products.

Waiting is a good idea, since the roll-up is not only free (meaning you're entitled to it), but it has a number of decent new features, including:

Support for dual-core
An update to the Sonic DVD burning software
A "schedule optimizer"

But you'll still be waiting for Divx and Cable Card support. Ah well, gives us something to look forward to.

In case that bugs you enough to think about a platform shift, you might check out Knoppmyth. This is a version of the Linux media platform MythTV that' been optimized for the handy German LiveCD distro Knoppix. Knoppmyth has been optimized for the non-techies among us and Knoppix can be run by anyone capable of using a CD drive. Just make sure your TV card is supported and you should be good to go.

Everybody Gets Geek TV

Mon, 12 Sep 2005 21:09:36 GMT

Geeks are uniquely positioned to pioneer the nascent field of Internet TV and they are doing it. For an exhaustive look at what is available for download or streamcast online check out this site on the File Farmer. My favorite is Pat Norton's show for Digital Life, but that is just because I have known him for a very long time.

Geek TV also lets you time shift your favorite programs. If you can't stay up late enough for SNL, check out Amanda Congdon's RocketBoom weekday mornings. She does a great Tina Fey.

A Look At The microSD Inside the ROKR

Fri, 09 Sep 2005 17:56:02 GMT

In order to fit those 100 songs on the ROKR, Motorola is bundling a SanDisk's 512-megabyte microSD card. This is the highest capacity TransFlash card out there right now, but it won't be long before the capacity jumps. According to SanDisk:

The company expects to have 1GB microSD cards in limited quantities by late Q4 2005 and 2GB cards in 2006.

Of course, Motorola will have to remove the 100 song software cap for you to actually enjoy this added capacity.

Katrina, Kanye, and Bush Mixed Together

Fri, 09 Sep 2005 16:06:47 GMT

Like most of the Net I heard about the Katrina/Kanye/Bush mix after Boing Boing posted the link. I am sure their servers are getting hit pretty hard, but there is a mirror option you can try. If the kids are around, there is even a radio edit. Protest with courtesy, please.