Happy Anniversary
| My friends movie... Thought i would share it with you! | |
Showing newest 21 of 128 posts from September 2006. Show older posts
Showing newest 21 of 128 posts from September 2006. Show older posts
Next-Gen DVD Copy-Protection Debacle
Hollywood screws 3 million HDTV owners, sucks in general.
February 24, 2006 - In perhaps the greatest disservice to the general consumer market yet perpetrated by players in the electronic entertainment industry, it has been revealed that next-generation DVD technologies (HD-DVD and Blu-ray) will only function with monitors and HDTVs with HDMI or DVI connections.
What does that mean to you? If you purchased an HDTV more than a couple of years ago, chances are you are using Component Video (the red, green, and blue plugs) to connect HD sources to your TV. Component Video is an analog transmission, which means that it can't work with the absurdly stringent AACS copy-protection Hollywood has insisted be integrated into the new formats. Thus, no HDMI input on your TV, no hi-def DVD for you. If you don't have a compatible TV, you'll either receive a massively downgraded sub-720p resolution version of the content, or what the studios are suggesting, a warning screen followed by nothing.
Who's to blame for screwing some 3,000,000+ HDTV owners in America that were good consumers and early adopters who purchased TVs without HDMI? A group put together by the major movie studios called Advanced Access Content System (AACS). AACS was responsible for the Reuters report last week that speculated that Sony would miss its spring launch date for the PS3, due to the fact that the AACS had still not finalized the technicalities of the protocol. After a good six months of deliberation since version AACS v.0.9 was put into testing, and only 2 or 3 months away from the supposed release of the first HD-DVD and Blu-ray players, AACS has finally made the baby step of offering provisional licensing to the likes of Sony, Toshiba, and the other early manufactures of hi-def DVD solutions.
Who's to blame for screwing some 3,000,000+ HDTV owners in America that were good consumers and early adopters who purchased TVs without HDMI? A group put together by the major movie studios called Advanced Access Content System (AACS). AACS was responsible for the Reuters report last week that speculated that Sony would miss its spring launch date for the PS3, due to the fact that the AACS had still not finalized the technicalities of the protocol. After a good six months of deliberation since version AACS v.0.9 was put into testing, and only 2 or 3 months away from the supposed release of the first HD-DVD and Blu-ray players, AACS has finally made the baby step of offering provisional licensing to the likes of Sony, Toshiba, and the other early manufactures of hi-def DVD solutions.
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Even if you've got an HDTV with HDMI or DVI inputs, it's unlikely your TV has more than one. Just about every HD source these days is best in HDMI, so what are you going to do when both your cable box and next-gen DVD player/PS3 need the same plug? HDMI switchers or enabled receivers are not cheap, or even easy to find. In addition, it would appear that every component involved in the transmission of an HD-DVD/Blu-ray signal must make use of Intel's HDCP technology. This extra level of protection works with the AACS protocols on a hardware level.
Why is this bad? Say you decided to be future proof and purchase a high-end AV receiver with HDMI connections and up-scaling capabilities. Seemed like a good idea last week, but not anymore. Unless it supports HDCP, and it doesn't, because no manufacturers have made HDCP models yet, you won't be routing your HD-DVD or Blu-ray player through it.
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Perhaps you're a progressive type and decided to make your media center PC centric. You're screwed too. Even if you purchased a high-end ATI or Nvidia graphics card advertised as HDCP compatible, that all it is: compatible, not compliant. HDCP chips must be bios flashed at the factory, and though these new "compatible" cards have space for a TI HDCP chip, none have them yet. In addition, every link in the chain must be HDCP ready, and only a very few PC monitors have adopted the standard. Get ready to buy both a new high-end graphics card and a new monitor if you want hi-def DVD for your PC.
It gets even worse. At the same time the AACS story came to light, it was discovered that the first wave of next-gen DVD players will not support the "managed copy" option that so many proponents of the new technologies have been hyping. Now that it is apparent Hollywood is willing to absolutely screw more than three million early-adopting consumers (who are probably also some of the best DVD-buyers) is it wrong to be skeptical that the "managed copy" features aren't quite going to be as fully-fledged as we all have hoped, if and when they actually appear? Expect massive downgrades in resolution to be the major movie studio's requirement for any content they allow to escape from the closed AACS-HDCP loop.
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This is a dark day for the entire consumer electronics industry. Huge manufacturers like Sony and Toshiba have allowed Hollywood executives to punish consumers for the studios' inability to protect their own content in the wild. Despite the fact that the relationship between movie piracy and the floundering movie theater receipts of recent years has not been proven to be direct, Hollywood is applying an iron fist in their aim to control the next generation of the home-theater experience. You know those previews on DVDs that you can't skip through? That's only the beginning of the ways Hollywood wants to control your entertainment experience.
Consumers shouldn't take this lying down. The difference between HD-DVD and Blu-ray quality and normal DVD isn't huge, especially in light of the rather nice results produced by up-scaling DVD players available today from Oppo, Sony, and others. Should we allow movie studios to force their biggest fans, the early adopters of HDTV and related accessories, to buy entirely new entertainment systems? Is the upgrade even worth it?
Next-gen DVD is looking pretty questionable at this point. Not only do we have a format war to deal with, we've got Hollywood's accounting departments in charge of deciding the minutia of how we're able to enjoy the content we pay for. No copy protection scheme yet developed has been able to stand up to the genius of the hacking collective, and it's unlikely that even AACS and HDCP will last for long. Just long enough, perhaps, to strangle what remains of the traditional disc-based content distribution model and open the door for ubiquitous digital content and on-demand distribution.
Xbox 360's New 1080p Support: Crippled?
We ask a few hard questions of Microsoft on the 360's new 1080p capabilities.
September 27, 2006 - In the world of high-definition displays 1080p = 1920 x 1080 progressive scan. It isn't algebra, it just looks like it. Videogames have made the jump to High-Def, but understanding all this resolution, HDMI, HDCP, AACS, ICT and other techno babble is actually more confusing than your average equation. Even after you've got your terms sorted out, a good deal of the HD experience with next-gen gaming systems is subjective. What is a better way to see the game -- 720p or 1080i? Which is a better television type for playing games -- CRT, LCD, Plasma, or projection? With the amount of money involved in setting up a nice home theater for enjoying this new generation of gaming, it's no surprise that people want to make sure they're getting the best experience possible. Our own Gear Guru Gerry Block has a long running series of great HDTV Q&As that answer a lot of questions the average gamer has. Be sure to look into that if any of this stuff leaves you scratching your noggin.
At this year's Tokyo Game Show, Microsoft announced that its fall update would add 1080p support in games and movies, giving the new console what is currently the highest grade of High-Definition resolutions. At the same conference, Sony announced that both versions of its PlayStation 3 will now have HDMI 1.3 support.
HDMI is basically yet another wire that connects a console and the TV, but what makes it special is the signal it sends (both audio and video) is completely digital. Consequently, it is able to support HDCP / AACS, a new copy-protection technology that will some day be required for playback of Blu-ray/HD-DVD at full resolution, if Image Constraint Token (ICT) is ever implemented by the Hollywood studios.
The other connections capable of carrying an HD signal (and the only ones currently supported by the Xbox 360) are Component and VGA. Both are analog connections, which means that they can't support HDCP / AACS. They are also subject to interference if the cables run too close to masses of power lines. The really big problem with Xbox 360's lack of HDMI support, however, is the that only a limited number of 1080p-capable HDTVs can accept the signal via analog inputs.
What does this mean? Basically, HDTVs use a fair amount of circuitry and processing power to decode incoming signals before displaying an image on the screen. Because HDMI has long been planned to be 'the connection' for HD signals, most manufacturers have built 1080p HDTVs that are only able to accept 1080p via HDMI. Consequently, only a few 1080p capable HDTVs support 1080p signals via Component connections, which are generally restricted to 1080i. A few more 1080p HDTVs will accept an analog 1080p signal via VGA, but often only with the addition of a VGA-to-DVI dongle. To put it simply, trying to work with 1080p without HDMI is very difficult.
In addition to the fall update that will allow the 360 to internally up-scale to 1080p,
Microsoft is launching an HD-DVD add-on for the X360 in mid-November for $199. Obviously, Microsoft is making a serious move in the realm of 1080p, but without support for an HDMI connection.
This will leave many folks in a bit of a quandary. There are very few HDTVs that accept a 1080p signal through anything other than HDMI. The best signal that many of these 1080p displays are able to accept via analog connections is 1080i, which is de-interlaced by the HDTV's internal circuitry to convert it back to 1080p. This is essentially exactly what these displays would do when accepting 1080i from the 360 right now. It seems Xbox 360's new 1080p prowess may not amount to much in practice.
To try to get to the bottom of this situation, IGN contacted Microsoft and asked a few tough questions. Plenty of questions remain -- we're waiting to hear even more from the company -- but here's what we have so far.
IGN: Will games begin to be developed with 1080p as the native resolution, or is the 360's new 1080p support an advance in the console's internal scaling abilities?
Microsoft: If developed, the Xbox 360 will support playback of native 1080p games and all existing Xbox 360 titles can be up-scaled to 1080p.
IGN : Does the Xbox 360 have the internal bandwidth between CPUs and graphics processors necessary to move a full 1080p image? There's a big difference between 1080i and the 3GB/s of 1080p.
Microsoft: No Comment.
IGN: There are very few 1080p native HDTVs that accept 1080p via Component connections. The signal will only come in as 1080i and be de-interlaced back to 1080p. How is the 360's new 1080p support, in practical application, going to be any different than what was already possible?
Microsoft: We can offer 1080p support through both the VGA connection and the Component connection.
IGN: Could Microsoft theoretically release an HDMI dongle-cable like the various other cables already available for the console? Is the current 360 hardware able to output a digital signal, or is it restricted to analog?
Microsoft: Xbox 360 supports HD Component video output, which is compatible with nearly every HD ready TV on the market today. That's not yet true for HDMI. We are watching the market closely and will continue to evaluate our solution, in the face of consumer demand.
Microsoft's current response doesn't yet explain how the company can rectify its claimed support of 1080p with the fact that the 360 doesn't support the connection (HDMI) that will actually allow most 1080p HDTVs to display the signal. While the VGA solution may work for a minority of 1080p HDTV owners, we're left wondering if Microsoft is promoting this new 1080p capability primarily to blunt the onslaught of the PlayStation 3, which supports HDMI and 1080p. Direct information regarding whether or not the current X360 hardware is able to output a digital signal would clarify the entire situation, but Microsoft hasn't been able to answer this question.
Back in the days before the 360 launched, Microsoft stated that HDMI wires for the Xbox 360 would be released "when the market called for them." If the Xbox 360 is really going to be a 1080p machine, we're pretty sure the market is calling for HDMI wires right now. The next question is whether Microsoft will hear it.
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HDMI is basically yet another wire that connects a console and the TV, but what makes it special is the signal it sends (both audio and video) is completely digital. Consequently, it is able to support HDCP / AACS, a new copy-protection technology that will some day be required for playback of Blu-ray/HD-DVD at full resolution, if Image Constraint Token (ICT) is ever implemented by the Hollywood studios.
The other connections capable of carrying an HD signal (and the only ones currently supported by the Xbox 360) are Component and VGA. Both are analog connections, which means that they can't support HDCP / AACS. They are also subject to interference if the cables run too close to masses of power lines. The really big problem with Xbox 360's lack of HDMI support, however, is the that only a limited number of 1080p-capable HDTVs can accept the signal via analog inputs.
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What does this mean? Basically, HDTVs use a fair amount of circuitry and processing power to decode incoming signals before displaying an image on the screen. Because HDMI has long been planned to be 'the connection' for HD signals, most manufacturers have built 1080p HDTVs that are only able to accept 1080p via HDMI. Consequently, only a few 1080p capable HDTVs support 1080p signals via Component connections, which are generally restricted to 1080i. A few more 1080p HDTVs will accept an analog 1080p signal via VGA, but often only with the addition of a VGA-to-DVI dongle. To put it simply, trying to work with 1080p without HDMI is very difficult.
In addition to the fall update that will allow the 360 to internally up-scale to 1080p,
Microsoft is launching an HD-DVD add-on for the X360 in mid-November for $199. Obviously, Microsoft is making a serious move in the realm of 1080p, but without support for an HDMI connection.
This will leave many folks in a bit of a quandary. There are very few HDTVs that accept a 1080p signal through anything other than HDMI. The best signal that many of these 1080p displays are able to accept via analog connections is 1080i, which is de-interlaced by the HDTV's internal circuitry to convert it back to 1080p. This is essentially exactly what these displays would do when accepting 1080i from the 360 right now. It seems Xbox 360's new 1080p prowess may not amount to much in practice.
To try to get to the bottom of this situation, IGN contacted Microsoft and asked a few tough questions. Plenty of questions remain -- we're waiting to hear even more from the company -- but here's what we have so far.
IGN: Will games begin to be developed with 1080p as the native resolution, or is the 360's new 1080p support an advance in the console's internal scaling abilities?
Microsoft: If developed, the Xbox 360 will support playback of native 1080p games and all existing Xbox 360 titles can be up-scaled to 1080p.
IGN : Does the Xbox 360 have the internal bandwidth between CPUs and graphics processors necessary to move a full 1080p image? There's a big difference between 1080i and the 3GB/s of 1080p.
Microsoft: No Comment.
IGN: There are very few 1080p native HDTVs that accept 1080p via Component connections. The signal will only come in as 1080i and be de-interlaced back to 1080p. How is the 360's new 1080p support, in practical application, going to be any different than what was already possible?
Microsoft: We can offer 1080p support through both the VGA connection and the Component connection.
IGN: Could Microsoft theoretically release an HDMI dongle-cable like the various other cables already available for the console? Is the current 360 hardware able to output a digital signal, or is it restricted to analog?
Microsoft: Xbox 360 supports HD Component video output, which is compatible with nearly every HD ready TV on the market today. That's not yet true for HDMI. We are watching the market closely and will continue to evaluate our solution, in the face of consumer demand.
Microsoft's current response doesn't yet explain how the company can rectify its claimed support of 1080p with the fact that the 360 doesn't support the connection (HDMI) that will actually allow most 1080p HDTVs to display the signal. While the VGA solution may work for a minority of 1080p HDTV owners, we're left wondering if Microsoft is promoting this new 1080p capability primarily to blunt the onslaught of the PlayStation 3, which supports HDMI and 1080p. Direct information regarding whether or not the current X360 hardware is able to output a digital signal would clarify the entire situation, but Microsoft hasn't been able to answer this question.
Back in the days before the 360 launched, Microsoft stated that HDMI wires for the Xbox 360 would be released "when the market called for them." If the Xbox 360 is really going to be a 1080p machine, we're pretty sure the market is calling for HDMI wires right now. The next question is whether Microsoft will hear it.
Busy Busy Busy
I been receiving emails asking me as to why i have not been posting as much these past couple of weeks. Let me tell you that its not because i been lazy, but rather because i been super busy at work. Working on several projeft that were due yesterday... I am sure all of you know how that goes. But let me just say that last week work worked 80 hours, just to give you an idea as to how much i been staying in the office... remember that always appreciates receiving emails and try to get back as soon as i can...
Thanks also for everyone who left me voice mail on my AIM Voice Mail Box... It's always cool... 646-873-9699
...till very soon when i can post more often...
...Lohan
Mac game makers disappointed by iPod shut-out
Many long-time Mac game developers figured it was inevitable that Apple would one day add premium games to its iPod music player. But when that day finally came earlier this month, many of those same game developers were left wishing they could be a part of it.Of the nine games that made their debut with the iTunes Store, all but two were developed by software makers outside of Apple. However, none of the games came from the companies that Mac gamers usually expect to see on Apple hardware.
The result? Many game developers find themselves puzzled by Apple’s decision.
“We’re really glad to see Apple start to take the iPod in this direction,” said Glenda Adams, Aspyr Media’s director of development. “It’s the one big piece of entertainment that was missing. Obviously, we’re disappointed that [Apple] launched it as a closed development system. We had pitched several game ideas for iPod at Apple over the past couple years, but it didn’t lead anywhere.
“We think we’ve got a lot to offer the iPod game market,” Adams continued. “Not only have we worked with Apple on Mac games for 10 years, we’ve developed and published several handheld (PocketPC and Game Boy) games in the last couple years.”
Other developers were less diplomatic. “It was lame of Apple to ignore the guys that have been loyal to them,” said a developer who asked not to be named. “We were ready, willing and able to create anything they wanted.”
Disappointed developers
That sentiment was echoed by several other developers who noted that they’ve approached Apple about iPod games ever the company released the iPod photo, the first color-screen iPod. Those companies say there either rebuffed or ignored by Apple. For that reason, many were caught off guard when Apple made iPod games part of the “It’s Showtime” event in San Francisco last week.
“I understand Apple’s desire to keep things organized and to maintain control over the iPod, but as a game developer who specializes in original content, I’m disappointed that I don’t have access to the iPod because I know I could come up with some games that blow away the stuff that’s available now,” said Pangea Software President Brian Greenstone. “Original content would be more of a selling point than just selling games that are available on 100 other platforms already.”
DanLabGames creator Daniel Labriet echoed that disappointment. While he described his plate as full with Mac projects, Labriet said he has games and ideas that he thinks would be ideal for iPod play.
Apple declined to respond to several requests for comment on this story.
SDK wanted
One significant issue that’s hindering software developers’ efforts is the absence of an iPod Software Development Kit (SDK). No iPod SDK has been made available by Apple, and repeated requests from game developers have gone unanswered . Without it, developers don’t have any way of making software to run on the iPod.
“No one can create anything for the iPod without access to an SDK,” said one developer. “They don’t even have to release that if they don’t want to. I can see not wanting to open the floodgates to every [amateur]. But they have our number… let us sign an NDA and work on some things.”
Pangea’s Greenstone agrees. “The lack of an SDK [is a hindrance], but more information from Apple would always help, too,” he said.
“We’ve got some really great ideas for iPod games if Apple will open up an iPod SDK to developers—everything from doing handheld specific branded games, like what we’ve done with Tony Hawk Pro Skater and Call of Duty 2 for PocketPC, to some unique and new gameplay mechanics that integrate with the music already on your iPod,” added Aspyr’s Adams.
At the moment, secrecy seems crucial to Apple for iPod game development—developers who have actually made games for the iPod recently interviewed by Macworld declined to shed much light on the development process.
Mac game makers have grown accustomed to selling products themselves, but games available for the iPod are available exclusively for download from the iTunes Store. This limit doesn’t bother Labriet.
“I think the market is really small—only for the video iPod,” he said. “The iTunes Store is also a good way to protect the games against piracy, as the games are protected using DRM.”
Adams doesn’t see a conflict between the iTunes Store and Aspyr’s own announced digital distribution solution, which is due to come online by the end of the year.
“I think [Apple] could set up a model just like Sony/Nintendo do on their handhelds—they have approval of concept and final game, and take a royalty off each sale… I don’t think we’d have any interest in competing with that kind of distribution. Heck, if they’d let us sell Mac games through iTunes, we’d be right there tomorrow,” she said.
Greenstone thinks the iPod is a good potential market for games—especially for original content, rather than revisions of existing popular titles.
“I think [Apple’s] distribution method is great, and I would actually prefer to keep it the way they are doing it now. I think selling via the iTunes Store is the way to go,” Greenstone said. “Good original games would probably have more of a market than something like Bejeweled which is on every platform on Earth already, and games like Tetris, [which can] be downloaded for free on the Internet.”
[thanks Jen for the tip!]
Symantec: 'There is no safe browser'
Hackers are hitting paydirt in their search for browser bugs. According to Symantec's twice-yearly Internet Security Threat Report, hackers found 47 bugs in Mozilla's open-source browsers and 38 bugs in Internet Explorer (IE) during the first six months of this year. That's up significantly from the 17 Mozilla and 25 IE bugs found in the previous six months.Even Apple's Safari browser saw its bugs double, jumping from six in the last half of 2005 to 12 in the first half of 2006. Opera was the only browser tracked by Symantec that saw the number of vulnerabilities decline, but not by much. Opera bugs dropped from nine to seven during the period.
And while Internet Explorer remained the most popular choice of attackers, no one is invulnerable. According to the report, 31 percent of attacks during the period targeted more than one browser, and 20 percent took aim at Mozilla's Firefox.
View: Info World DIRECTV's magical, disapearing high-def station
DIRECTV has a crisis goin' on and the only way to resolve bandwidth issues is to turn off high-def stations. Sounds absurd right, but three weeks ago for the first [high-def] Football Sunday of the year, DIRECTV pulled the plug on TNT-HD for a bit. Then last Sunday HDNet drew the short end of the straw and this week Universal was cut during football time. The NFL Sunday Ticket is a major source of revenue for the provider and to be honest, people love the package. Every football game (most of 'em are in glorious high-def now), fast-forward games later in the day, the ability to watch six games at once -- it's the ONLY option for a true football fan but what about the other stations? Not everyone is a football fan and last week TNT-HD featured a NASCAR race, so naturally there were a lot of apprehensive race fans waiting to see if their source for high-def coverage was going to disappear, but instead DIRECTV cut HDNet without warning. DIRECTV has a problem and us, the viewers, are suffering because of it. We just wonder what station will be cut next week? Remember Ring: A painful reminder
Did you forget your anniversary again? Missed your significant other's birthday? Those Post-It notes and alarms on your PDA clearly aren't working — how about some physical pain? Wrapped around your finger, the Remember Ring (get it?) will make sure you don't forget an important date by heating up to 120°F for 10 seconds 24 hours before the big day, and then doing it again every hour on the hour. It's equipped with a micro thermopile, converting the heat from your hand into electricity so the tiny battery stays charged and the internal clock never stops. Your jeweler will program the date, then you can just slip it on and forget your troubles; after all, that's what the ring's there to remind you about. Not a bad idea, really, since it's wearable and isn't something you might forget to take with you like the Mini Reminder. But before you forgetful folk start lining up for it, we're sad to report the ring is just a concept item right now. We can only hope the designers have some other way to remind themselves to actually make the thing.
SHIFT: Channels are the Wii's weak spot
I've made no secret of the fact that I'm totally psyched for the upcoming Nintendo Wii and that I hope it takes off when it's released. I finally got a chance to check it out in person last week, and the games lived up to my expectations for the most part. However, one aspect of the Wii seems pretty half-baked to me: the Channels system, Nintendo's main menu and online portal that appears when you turn the system on. It's clear that Nintendo is going for the non-gamer market with this, but couldn't it have been implemented better? What should be a solid online-gaming system instead feels distinctly like filler.
Take a Look at Mii Now
Wii Channels is what you encounter when you first turn the system on: a nonthreatening, TV-like menu of "channels" representing different things you can do with the console. Among them: Play a game, check the weather, or play with your Mii. Mii? Yes, the Mii is perhaps the lamest feature of the Wii, a personal avatar designer that lets you create a little character that looks like you and "lives" on your system. What are the benefits of having a Mii? Uh, good question. It seems like Nintendo wanted a feature that was so cute it would draw in grandma and grandpa, but forgot to add features after making it cute. Really the only thing you can do with your Mii is use it as a player in Wii Sports, the free game that comes with the console. That's it. A character-creation mode in Wii Sports would give you the same thing and not take up a "channel" on your startup screen.
What else can you do through the channels menu? Well, you can browse photos on your TV, a feature that's now available on about ten million other products. You can check the weather on your TV, something I believe has been available for a long time through a little thing called the Weather Channel. A news channel also offers a more limited version of something you've been able to do on your TV for a while: check the news. Why are these "features"? Will people really go through their Wii to check the weather? It seems doubtful.
Missing the Connection
What Nintendo has done is put Internet access into the Wii while removing some of the best benefits of having a connected console. Yeah, you can surf the Web, but there's no keyboard available and you need to pay to download the Opera browser. And the number one thing you would obviously want to do — play games against people online — isn't an option at all, at least at the moment. It's a tease, being online on your console and not being able to play games using it. Isn't that the whole point of having a connected console?
The one great thing you can do using the Web on the Wii is download games for the virtual console, the Wii's built-in emulator for older games. This allows you to get games from past consoles such as the NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis onto your Wii. Retro gaming is making a comeback, and this is a great way to do it. However, imagine being able to play Mario Kart against your friend in another state. Again, not having online gameplay as an option seems like a missed opportunity.
From everything that we've learned about it, Wii Channels appears to be a pretty weak offering from Nintendo. Fortunately, people aren't going to buy the Wii to surf the Web or look at photos; they're going to buy it for the games. There's still the distinct possibility that Nintendo will announce an online gaming feature in the near future, but as it stands the Wii's Channels and online system are pretty underwhelming. One would think that the success of the Xbox Live online system would inspire Nintendo to take a similar route. However, Nintendo has been clear from the start that the Wii is taking a different path from the big boys, and for the most part the company's choices have been spot-on. Let's just hope they don't screw up what could be another selling point by aiming just at non-gamers.
Sony cuts PS3 price in most half-assed way possible
The jaw-droppingly expensive PlayStation 3 has gotten a price drop, but don't get too excited: it's for the lower-end model, and it's only in Japan. Sony has announced that the 20-GB PS3 will run for $429, down from the originally announced price of $500. Also, the lesser model now comes with an HDMI 1.3 output, the latest standard for the all-digital high-def connector that'll enable the PS3 to handle lossless audio and the 36-bit color, not that anyone cares. Is Sony listening to all the haters out there and trying to make nice? If so, they'd better bring those price drops stateside if they want any goodwill from the likes of this hard-to-please blogger.
Via Kotaku
Warner Files for Hybrid HD Disc Patent
In December 2005, three optical disc engineers now identified as working for Warner Bros. began work on a U.S. patent application for a three-layer optical disc, which would be capable of being adapted to any of 22 different configurations. One enables a hybrid DVD / HD DVD or DVD / Blu-ray configuration, and another would allow for a hybrid HD DVD / Blu-ray disc.
The patent application, dated August 10, 2006, may have used the strongest language put forth by a representative of a major studio against the notion that either format would ever win the high-definition format war.
"A general problem with multiple formats of discs," states the application, "is that disc manufacturers must make various types of discs of each type in order to satisfy consumer demand for the content on those discs. A consumer that owns a standard DVD disc player can only play DVDs with a standard format. A consumer with a Blu ray recorder can only play Blu-ray format recordable discs. And a consumer with an HD-DVD disc player can only play HD-DVD discs or standard format DVDs, but not Blu-ray format discs.
"From the standpoint of a manufacturer," the application continues, "it is disadvantageous to have to manufacture and distribute three different types of disc formats to satisfy consumer demand for one product - such as a motion picture. Moreover, multiple formats of DVD discs create retail and consumer confusion as to which format(s) to acquire or buy."
If these engineers truly speak for their company -- as they are legally obliged to do with regard to a patent of this nature -- then it's no wonder that Warner made the decision in October 2005 to support not just HD DVD but Blu-ray as well.
The basic theory put forth by the patent application is that a hybrid disc could be assembled in a wide variety of ways, in which as many as three layers are stacked atop one another, with their reflective surfaces protected inside. Once a hybrid disc player is able to determine the assembly of the disc, it can adjust the lenses as necessary to guide the red or blue-indigo laser beam to point to the appropriate depth.
The application appears to make the case that the layers themselves can be used to minimize attenuation of the beam as it makes its way to the appropriate reflective layer. Layers don't need to be 100% reflective to be effective - a dual-layer BD disc, it says, can be as low as 12% reflective and still be adequate.
The degree to which any layer is not reflective is precisely the amount that it enables light to pass through - what optics calls transmissivity. With the proper arrangements, the application says, the transmissive properties of layers designed for multi-layer discs can be exploited to the hybrid disc's advantage.
One problem, which the application briefly touched upon, may be that some configurations of Warner's hybrid disc might only be applicable to hybrid disc players capable of adjusting their lenses to the proscribed depths. But if such a player were standardized, it could enable studios to produce a single type of disc for both current and next-generation content.
The hybrid disc itself could be the norm, it states; even a disc designed for high-def content only could contain "boilerplate" messages on the DVD layer, instructing the user that this disc can't be viewed with standard DVD players.
While the application was recently discovered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office database, it has not yet been granted, and may not be granted for some time even if it's put on "fast-track" status. The biggest hurdle facing Warner engineers now may be from Toshiba, which appears to be ready to actually produce a three-layer hybrid disc in a joint venture with Memory-Tech, but only for HD DVD and standard DVD content.
Porn sites exploit new IE flaw
Miscreants are using an unpatched security bug in Internet Explorer to install malicious software from rigged Web sites, experts warned Tuesday.
The vulnerability lies in the way IE 6 handles certain graphics. Malicious software can be loaded, unbeknownst to the user, onto a vulnerable Windows PC when the user clicks on a malicious link on a Web site or an e-mail message, several security companies said.
"Fully patched Internet Explorer browsers are vulnerable," Ken Dunham, director of the rapid response team at VeriSign's iDefense, said in an e-mailed statement. "This new zero-day attack is trivial to reproduce and has great potential for widespread Web-based attacks in the near future."
Security-monitoring companies Secunia and the French Security Incident Response Team have given the issue their most serious ratings.
Shady adult Web sites are among the first to exploit the IE vulnerability, Eric Sites, vice president of research and development at spyware specialist Sunbelt Software, wrote on a corporate blog. In one case, a malicious Web site used the exploit to install "epic loads of adware," according to Sunbelt.
Microsoft plans to fix the flaw as part of its monthly patching cycle on Oct. 10, the software giant said in a security advisory. The update might be released sooner, "depending on customer needs," Microsoft said. Typically, Microsoft only breaks its patch cycle when attacks are widespread.
The number of attacks may rise quickly, according to Web security company Websense. It appears that WebAttacker, a tool often used to create attack sites, has been fitted with the new exploit, Websense said in an e-mailed statement. "We have confirmed multiple, previously known, WebAttacker sites that are currently exploiting this vulnerability to install malicious software," Websense said. "We expect to see many of the several thousand WebAttacker sites begin to utilize the exploit, as they update to the latest release of the tool kit."
"Microsoft is aware that this vulnerability is being actively exploited," the company said in its advisory. While it works on an update, Microsoft recommends users keep their security software updated and take caution when browsing the Web. In its advisory, it also provides several workarounds to protect systems against the flaw.
The vulnerability lies in a Windows component called "vgx.dll." This component is meant to support Vector Markup Language documents in the operating system. VML is used for high-quality vector graphics on the Web.
This is the second known and unpatched flaw for IE to surface in as many weeks. Last week Microsoft confirmed a flaw in an ActiveX control related to multimedia. Attack code that exploits the flaw and could be used to hijack Windows PCs running IE 5 or IE 6 has been posted on the Net. Microsoft also has yet to provide a patch for a Word 2000 flaw being exploited in targeted cyberattacks.
Microsoft Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh Review
Review originally published at winsupersite.com
What a difference a few months makes. Back in May, Microsoft shipped the Beta 2 version of Office 2007 and made it available to the public. Since then, over three and a half million people downloaded and installed the beta. This proves a few things, primarily that there is a lot of interest in Microsoft's next office productivity suite. And that interest is based primarily around its innovative new user interface (see my review), of which I'm an unabashed fan. 3.5 million people don't go quietly into the night. Over the preceding several months, many of those people have provided Microsoft with feedback about the new UI and the new capabilities in the software suite formerly known as Microsoft Office (but now, annoyingly, called the 2007 Microsoft Office System). Given what I know about the folks working on this amazing product, I'm not surprised to discover that they've taken the feedback to heart. So today, on September 14, 2006, they're releasing an update for Beta 2 users, called the Beta 2 Technical Refresh (TR), that showcases the changes Microsoft has made since Beta 2. This release is, of course, the basis for this review.
Where we're at
Before heading into the changes in the TR, let's step back for a second and reflect on what's really happening here. In Office 2007, Microsoft is dramatically changing the user interface for what is arguably the most-often used software on the planet after Windows itself. It is, however, only changing the UI for some applications. While Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint and, to a lesser extent, Outlook have been wonderfully retrofitted with the new ribbon-based user interface, other Office applications retain the older menu- and toolbar-based UI that everyone loves to hate.
There's been some concern that the new UI will turn off enterprises, particularly, because of possible high training costs. I can't claim to offer any kind of scientific data to refute that, but my own experience with Office 2007 (and the TR) suggests this won't be the huge issue that some think. Indeed, I consider myself both experienced with Office and pretty set in my ways, and I've had no major issues moving to the new software. If anything, the ribbon-based UI makes it easier to find functionality that was previously hidden. My only complaint is that this will lead to the modern equivalent of those "ransom note" documents that cropped up when Apple and Adobe first made desktop publishing possible. But instead of multi-font documents, we're going to see overly colorful charts and graphs.
Anyway, the state of Office 2007, in the Beta 2 timeframe, was already good. Presumably, it gets a lot better with the TR release.
Office 2007 Beta 2 TR: The mile-high view
From a purely aesthetic point of view, the TR is much, much nicer-looking than was Beta 2. The icons (Figure) and loading images (Figure) have all been updated, for starters, giving the whole thing a much-needed spit-shine.
The upper-left corner of the application windows has been cleaned up quite a bit, answering a number of complaints. The round Office Button, as it's called, can now be double-clicked to close the window, similar to the way a standard window button has worked in Windows applications for ages. And it's got a nice pop-up help window that show up when you mouse-over it (Figure).
The Quick Access Toolbar, to the right of the Office Button, has also been updated significantly. Thanks to a slightly redesigned UI, it looks more natural up there, but the big change is in its Customize menu, which offers more choices and handy ways to customize its appearance (Figure).
The big news, of course, is the ribbon. It's hard to argue that the ribbon isn't a better interface for the multitude of functionality offered by the various Office applications than was the old menu- and toolbar-based UI. But while the ribbon doesn't really take up that much more onscreen real estate than does a standard set of menus and toolbars in an equivalent Office 2003 application, there remains a strange feeling that, gee, that ribbon really does take up a lot of space.
So they've fixed it. No, they haven't just made it smaller, though it is indeed a bit smaller. What Microsoft has done, instead, is offered a way to hide the ribbon so that users can ensure that the truly important part of the application--the text editing area in Word, for example--is given the maximum amount of space. This is ingenious and, for people like me that live in Office, a wonderful change. It also has the side effect of completely obsoleting all of those outdate comedy routines depicting how one could fill an Office application's UI with toolbars, leaving just a tiny window of space in which to type. David Pogue, sorry, but you're going to have to try a bit harder in the future.
Here's how it works. If you'd like to give a ribbon-based Office application the maximum amount of editing space possible, simply double-click any of its tabs (or, open the Customize Quick Access Toolbar menu and choose Minimize the Ribbon). When you do, the application hides the ribbon, leaving a UI layout that is as simple as that of Notepad (Figure). Best of all, in this mode, you can temporarily bring the ribbon back by simply clicking any of the tabs once (Figure). In minimized mode, the ribbon appears floating over the document temporarily. It disappears when you make a selection in the ribbon or click anywhere in the document. It is, in many ways, perfect.
Microsoft has also added a third color scheme (sometimes erroneously called a theme) choice. So in addition to blue (XP style) and black (Vista style), Office 2007 Beta 2 TR now offers silver, which looks quite nice in tandem with XP's popular silver color scheme (Figure).
Application improvements
In addition to the broad changes that affect all ribbon-enabled applications, Microsoft has also made a number of improvements to specific applications in the TR. Let's take a look.
Word
One of the things I really disliked about Word 2007 back in Beta 2 (see my review) was that the new default formatting styles were horrible, quite different from the previous Word version defaults, and impossible to change back to the old style. In Beta 2 TR, this has been largely fixed: You can now go into the Change Styles and change the Style Set to "Classic" and get something that is almost (but not quite) identical to that used in previous versions (Figure). And, get this, you can make it the default. Thank you for that, Microsoft.
The big problem with the new style set (called Default in Word 2007) is the paragraph spacing for the Normal style (well, that and the silly colored headings). This hasn't been fixed, per se, in the TR, but with the Classic style set, all is well from a spacing perspective. It's enough.
Word's blogging functionality--itself a handy if almost hidden feature--has been updated with enhanced picture support that doesn't require FTP access to the server hosting your blog. If your blogging service offer picture uploading, Word will handle it natively now. Well, sort of: It works with Wordpress and Typepad, at least, but not Blogger (the new Blogger Beta is, however, supported).
Outlook
Outlook 2007 is a huge and excellent update over Office 2003 (see my Beta 2 review) and it's gotten even better in the TR (Figure). The anti-phishing and anti-spam filters have been updated significantly. And it requires a new, more powerful, version of Windows Desktop Search (WDS) for its integrated search feature. On Windows XP, you must download this component before integrated search will work. On Vista, it's just built-in. I did have some issues with one install of Vista, in which Outlook 2007 Beta 2 TR was unable to find email fairly regularly, but this issue wasn't happening in XP, so I'll need to test that more before declaring it broken. I'm curious, however, if anyone else has those issues.
Excel
Excel 2007 (Figure) gets a number of stability and performance enhancements in the TR, so that charts work both better and faster. Chart styles, available from the Insert tab, are much better organized than before.
PowerPoint
PowerPoint's Home tab has been significantly redesigned in the TR (Figure). Now, you can access commonly-needed drawing and formatting tools from the Home tab, while less-commonly-needed functionality, like Word Art, has been moved to the Insert tab. The end result, according to Office 2007 design guru Jensen Harris, is something that "feels way more natural and efficient to work with. You have a stable Home tab from which to do most of your slide authoring: adding slides, typing and formatting text, and adding, arranging, and formatting shapes." I have to agree. (Though I still humorously refer to PowerPoint as child abuse. Kidding, folks. It's a great way to communicate. Seriously.)
OneNote
Allow me to wax romantically about my love for Microsoft OneNote. Actually, just read my Beta 2 review and understand that this is one of the great unheralded successes in Microsoft Office. In the TR, OneNote has been updated with a new "Blog This" right-click option that lets you publish any note page or page section to your blog (Figure). This feature integrates with the blog publishing functionality in Word, of course, so you'll be redirected to Word 2007 during the process.
Like Outlook 2007, OneNote now integrates with the new version of Windows Desktop Search (WDS). This has two results: First, searches are returned quite quickly. Second, you can search OneNote notes from within Windows. Score!
Availability
The Microsoft Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh is available as a whopping 495 MB download from the Microsoft Web site. Note that this download is an update only. You need to have downloaded and installed Office 2007 Beta 2 first. Thankfully, that download is still available as well. Office 2007 Beta 2 TR requires Windows XP with Service Pack 2, Windows Vista RC1, or Windows Server 2003 with SP1.
Office 2007 Beta 2 - Download
Office 2007 Beta 2 Tech Refresh - Download
Final thoughts
I'm often unfairly labeled as a Microsoft fan boy, which is ridiculous when you consider the number of times I've called the software giant to task for its anti-competitive behavior and various product-related mistakes. But when it comes to Office 2007, I lapse completely into the stereotype: This is a major upgrade of a venerable software suite that literally no one thought needed updating, and it's generating a deserved buzz online by those who are using the beta. If you haven't downloaded Office 2007 Beta 2 for some reason, do so now and grab the Tech Refresh update. You'll be amazed at how nicely this suite has come along. If you're already using Beta 2 (and no doubt dreading having to return to a previous Office version), the TR release is a no-brainer. Grab it now, and start smiling. Rarely have I been able to associate the word "innovative" with "Microsoft Office," but Office 2007 is the most exciting product the software maker has in the works this year. And Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh is the best version yet. Highly recommended.
Screenshots
Nicely refreshed appliation icons. 
A smarter, more attractive Office Button.
Take that, UI complaints: Word 2007, suddenly, is quite Spartan. 
Charts in PowerPoint are more logically organized now.
XBox’s Official Blog Sneaks a Peek at Live Vision
Elle, the fetching Gamestress from the Xbox team at Microsoft, is pimping the new Xbox Live Vision webcam on the Xbox site.
The camera, which should be available tomorrow, is a 1.3MP still cam and a VGA-quality video cam. You can use it to chat live with your gaming buds (whilst hoping they’re wearing pants), take pics of yourself for in-game avatars, and trade footage of your girlfriend in the shower in exchange for, well, don’t do that.
It does quite a bit more, but you don’t need me to tell you about it, you need Elle at Xbox to tell you about it.
Smile! You’re on Xbox Vision [Xbox Community, via Gamescoreblog]
Zune Priced?
Engadget got a scoop earlier that Wal-Mart had a page listing the Zune price at $284. This jives well with the projected $300 tag everyone was assuming. The page has been pulled, but not before screen captures were, well, captured. There is still no word on availablity, but I’m guessing November–and I base that on absolutely nothing.
Wal-Mart leaks Zune price — $284? [Engadget]
DigiMate III: USB Card Reader on Steroids
USB card readers are handy, handy gadgets. You’ve got your cellphone, Treo, who-knows-how-many digital cameras (Five for yours truly), and they all take different types of removable media. Reading and writing data to these little silicon wafers is the job of your multi-card reader, but that’s about all it does.
Enter the DigiMate III. It’s a USB-2 multi-card reader (SD, MMC, MiniSD, Memory Stick, CF, Microdrive, XD), but it’s also got a touch screen for previewing and manipulating your data, as well as support for a 2.5″ laptop harddrive, and a battery pack, so you can back your stuff up on the go. It’s not just an interface, it’s a data manager, and looks pretty slick to boot.
The DigiMate III costs less than $50 from USB Geek, and works with your various flavors of Windows and Mac OS.
DigiMate Touch Screen Version [USB Geek]
Nike MaxSight Lenses Released
Nike MaxSight lenses, co-developed with Bausch & Lomb, offer clear vision for people with 20/20 (or less than perfect) vision. The lenses offer enhanced clarity, elimination of glare, and filter over 90% of harmful blue light and 95% of UVA and UVB. Aimed mostly at the athletic audience, the MaxSight lenses also offer distortion free optics and the individual does not have to worry about fog or fit issues. Pretty cool concept here, except that contact lenses in general can cause eye irritation (depending on the individual) that can really affect an individual’s performance. The lenses also come in two different colors: grey-green for golf, running, and training and amber for soccer, tennis, baseball, football, and rugby. Yes, the colors actually improve your vision for that specified sport. And before you ask, no, there aren’t any blue lenses for swimming or checkerboard lenses for competitive chess.
Nike MaxSight [ubergizmo]
Nintendo Wii Region-Locked
Nintendo UK General Manager David Yarnton has stated that Nintendo of America was wrong for telling us that the console would be region-free, and that the Nintendo Wii will in fact, be region-locked. Too bad, it really would’ve been great to get Japanese imports the legitimate way. Looks like users are going to have to old school it with the Wii and mod their consoles to be able to play other regions.
According to our friends over at SlashGear , there is another theory floating around that the Wii will be region free for US and Japan, but locked for Europe. No word on how legitimate this one is either, we’ll keep you posted!
Nintendo Wii Region-Locked [SlashGear]
A Windows Live Coffeemaker, really?
And you thought Microsoft was going out on a limb creating webcams? Ha!
Actually, Melitta, which produces a number of coffee products, is going to introduce the first coffeemaker that tells us the most important thing in the morning: the weather. Not only does it keep the time [good for when the power goes out in the morning, and you need that cup of jo to start on time], but it also keeps all kinds of weather data. Basically, it's a mini Oregon Scientific Regional Weather Station and coffeemaker in one.
Not only does the coffeemaker brew great-tasting coffee, it also provides animated weather information on its large, bright-blue backlit LCD display. MSN Direct region-specific up-to-the-minute weather information is transmitted via an FM signal within minutes of plugging in the coffeemaker--there's no set-up, subscription, or Internet connection required. The appliance displays the current temperature and conditions, high and low temperatures, and chance of precipitation, as well as four-day weather forecasts. The coffeemaker also displays scrolling weather information; visibility; sunrise/sunset time; the UV index; and national weather-service warnings and alerts (the display flashes when a warning alert is issued). In addition to its optional sleep function, where if the unit is idle for a period of time an animated, napping cat appears, the user interface can display a 12- or 24-hour clock; temperature in degrees F or C; along with English, French, or Spanish languages. The 10-cup programmable coffeemaker with animated coffee and weather information measures 8 by 11 by 14 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty.
Clearly every home needs one, especially with the napping cat screen saver! Seriously, it's clear that Microsoft is taking the MSN Direct technology to v2 and beyond as it finds more useful devices for the inexpensive SPOT technology. Additionally, with it's new DirectBand Network initiative, Microsoft is trying to reach out to other product makers, hoping to develop partners and make MSN Direct a must-have. After all, who wouldn't want the weather on their coffeemaker?
This is of course just one of many devices that will be running on the Microsoft .NET Micro Framework and DirectBand Network in the near future. Gates is making the technology a priority, and with the Windows Vista release, we'll start to see SideShow on laptops, and that's just the beginning...
Go ahead, have a cup of coffee: It's your grind, redefined.
@Matthew
Update: Picture Added
Xploder HDTV Game Player for PlayStation 2
Company announces solution to up-scale PS2 games to 720p and 1080i. Is it for real?
In an unexpected and surprising announcement, Xploder, designer of a variety of console peripherals and media kits, has announced a solution that claims to allow the PlayStation 2 to output 480p, 720p and 1080i ED and HD signals, as well as even higher resolutions via VGA. The package, dubbed the HDTV Game Player, promises support for all standard PS2 games, and supports both PAL and NTSC consoles.
According to the company's press release, the system makes use of propriety Xploder software and allows users to boot a software CD in the PS2 to select the desired output quality. The settings are then saved to a memory card for future use. RGB component cables will be included with the package to make the connection to HDTVs.
In an unexpected and surprising announcement, Xploder, designer of a variety of console peripherals and media kits, has announced a solution that claims to allow the PlayStation 2 to output 480p, 720p and 1080i ED and HD signals, as well as even higher resolutions via VGA. The package, dubbed the HDTV Game Player, promises support for all standard PS2 games, and supports both PAL and NTSC consoles.
According to the company's press release, the system makes use of propriety Xploder software and allows users to boot a software CD in the PS2 to select the desired output quality. The settings are then saved to a memory card for future use. RGB component cables will be included with the package to make the connection to HDTVs.
 |
Xploder also announced the HDTV Movie Player, apparently a separate product, that will allow the PS2 to play DVDs in 480p, an upgrade over the console's usual 480i. The press release indicates the software will function in a similar manner to the HDTV Game Player, and will also come with included component cables.
North American release dates and pricing have not yet been confirmed.
What does it mean?
Xploder's press releases on the HDTV Game and Movie Players provided no further information on how the propriety software functions, though we can safely assume that the company has engineered a software algorithm that performs up-scaling processing on the PS2's 480i signal to make the conversion to the High-Def resolutions.
How, or perhaps if, the software is able to run from the PS2's memory card is unknown. We're guessing the Xploder software CD must be inserted prior to booting each game in order to temporarily flash PS2 with the up-scaling software. We're also not sure why Xploder is able to up-scale games all the way to 720p and 1080i, yet can only de-interlace movies from 480i to 480p.
A lot of progress has been made recently in up-scaling software. More and more HDTVs are making use of internal scaling circuitry to bring incoming signals up to the display's native resolution. However, the processing in these HDTVs, and in products like Anchor Bay Technologies' iScan VP20 and VP30, is performed by specially designed de-interlacing processors. The PS2 has no such dedicated chips, which means that Xploder has likely discovered a way to replicate GranTurismo 4's ability to output a pseudo-1080i signal.
We'll withhold judgment on Xploder's claims and the quality of their product until we can try it for ourselves, which you may be sure we will be doing ASAP. If Xploder has indeed engineered a successful product they could well have struck gold, as the ability to make older PS2 games look nice on big HDTVs would breath a great deal of life back into the platform for gamers that have HDTVs but aren't quite ready to commit to the PlayStation 3 at launch.
North American release dates and pricing have not yet been confirmed.
What does it mean?
Xploder's press releases on the HDTV Game and Movie Players provided no further information on how the propriety software functions, though we can safely assume that the company has engineered a software algorithm that performs up-scaling processing on the PS2's 480i signal to make the conversion to the High-Def resolutions.
How, or perhaps if, the software is able to run from the PS2's memory card is unknown. We're guessing the Xploder software CD must be inserted prior to booting each game in order to temporarily flash PS2 with the up-scaling software. We're also not sure why Xploder is able to up-scale games all the way to 720p and 1080i, yet can only de-interlace movies from 480i to 480p.
A lot of progress has been made recently in up-scaling software. More and more HDTVs are making use of internal scaling circuitry to bring incoming signals up to the display's native resolution. However, the processing in these HDTVs, and in products like Anchor Bay Technologies' iScan VP20 and VP30, is performed by specially designed de-interlacing processors. The PS2 has no such dedicated chips, which means that Xploder has likely discovered a way to replicate GranTurismo 4's ability to output a pseudo-1080i signal.
We'll withhold judgment on Xploder's claims and the quality of their product until we can try it for ourselves, which you may be sure we will be doing ASAP. If Xploder has indeed engineered a successful product they could well have struck gold, as the ability to make older PS2 games look nice on big HDTVs would breath a great deal of life back into the platform for gamers that have HDTVs but aren't quite ready to commit to the PlayStation 3 at launch.
How to Hack Everything!
What? You thought hacking was an art practiced only by a bunch of cave-dwelling code warriors? Think again. You can easily hack all kinds of hardware gadgets and software yourself to add features, improve performance, and lord it over your less-techie friends. We've put together a choice collection of over 40 useful (and sometimes amusing) hacks—here, and online at PCMag.com.
Want a useful alternative OS for your iPod that offers sound enhancement and more flexible playback? No problem—we have instructions that let you do it in minutes. Tired of the commercials you see when watching shows on your Media Center PC? Poof! Kiss them goodbye. Even your car is fertile territory for a few hacks. And you can use one of the tips we've collected here to make your Roomba show off for your friends by driving around in crazy spirals.
For this issue's collection of hacks, we relied on PC Magazine staffers who are experienced exploit finders, a selection of crafty freelancers, and some titles from Wiley Publishing's series of books written in conjunction with PC Magazine's sister site, ExtremeTech.com—such as Hacking Roomba and Hacking the PSP. In several cases, especially for longer and more complex hacks, you'll find pointers to in-depth online content you can access, along with step-by-step instructions and several entire chapters from Wiley's books. So roll up your sleeves and dig in! And just say no to the status quo.—
IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP!
Before you jump into any hack, note that altering hardware or software will most often void product warranties and may violate terms of use. Be aware of manufacturers' or service providers' policies, and note that we can't guarantee that these hacks won't damage your products.
Before you jump into any hack, note that altering hardware or software will most often void product warranties and may violate terms of use. Be aware of manufacturers' or service providers' policies, and note that we can't guarantee that these hacks won't damage your products.
An Apple iPod
ARTICLE DATE: 08.30.06
ARTICLE DATE: 08.30.06
Are you dissatisfied with your iPod's standard capabilities? Why not install one of the two major alternative operating systems: iPodLinux or Rockbox. Both are open source and free, though they have some quirks and aren't for the faint of heart. But don't worry, it's unlikely that you'll damage your iPod by mucking with the firmware. Rockbox, in particular, can help you get access to lots of sound-enhancement and customization features.
iPodLinux is based on a variant of Linux called uClinux; Podzilla is the most popular GUI (graphical user interface) for it. The project's goal is to let you run Linux (and compatible apps) on a portable storage device—simply because you can. There are music player programs for iPodLinux, but these format-specific apps tend to be glitchy. Rockbox, on the other hand, was created from scratch and lets you customize your MP3 player as much as possible. Rockbox is also a bit rough around the edges, but the developers' main focus is the music player, and a growing list of plug-ins gives you access to games and other fun apps.
iPodLinux works with all Windows- and Mac-formatted iPods except the shuffle, though the fifth-generation iPod and the nano are currently unsupported by the iPodLinux team, so things may not work quite right on those models. Rockbox supports only Windows-formatted iPods with the click wheel (fourth generation and newer, as well as the mini and nano), but the installer runs on Linux, Mac OS, and Windows XP.
The good news: iPodLinux and Rockbox can coexist (along with the original Apple firmware) on a single iPod. In fact, having iPodLinux installed makes it infinitely simpler to install Rockbox. Since Rockbox requires a Windows-formatted iPod, we're going to start by formatting your iPod with the FAT32 file system, so you'll need access to a Windows PC. Then we'll install iPodLinux, and then Rockbox on top of that.
FATten Your iPod
To format your iPod in FAT32, connect it to a PC running Windows (preferably XP). Open My Computer from the Start menu, right-click on the iPod's drive icon, and choose Format. Under File System, choose FAT32, and click on Start. Warning! While iPodLinux might not erase your music, this definitely will. When it's done, eject and disconnect your iPod, and then reconnect it. Open iTunes and make sure that the Enable disk use box is checked in the Preferences | iPod | Music tab, and then quit iTunes.
Now download the Windows XP iPodLinux installer, extract the files from the ZIP archive, and follow our step-by-step instructions below to get this alternative OS onto your iPod. To install external applications—like iDoom, a port of the popular first-person shooter (seen on the screen of the iPod at left)—download the app to your desktop, connect your iPod to your PC (if it doesn't automatically go into Disk Mode, a menu will pop up on the iPod's screen letting you choose that mode), and drag the application folder into the iPod's root directory.
Eject your iPod, boot into iPodLinux, and go into the file browser. You'll find the app in the "hp" directory; press the Select button to execute it. Note that iPodLinux doesn't work so well on fifth-gen iPods and nanos yet—Podzilla 2 can't run external apps without installing a separate launcher.
Rock the Box
Installing Rockbox is a snap if you've already got iPodLinux on your iPod. Point your Web browser to www.rockbox.org/download and scroll down until you see your iPod model. You can choose to get the very latest build, which contains the newest features (and probably bugs), or older versions, which are more stable. Right-click on Latest and save the ZIP file to your hard drive, or left-click on Older to select and download an older build. All that's left to do is to extract the two items in the ZIP archive to the root level of your iPod and eject it. The boot-loader screen will now let you choose from Apple's OS, iPodLinux, or Rockbox. The manual is available via a link on the same Web site; it's right underneath where you downloaded Rockbox itself.
Loading music in both operating systems is simply a matter of dragging files and folders into the root directory of your iPod and then finding them in the file browser. Note that neither one can read iTunes database files, so you won't see music you load via iTunes. And of course, the Apple firmware can't see files you load via drag-and-drop. But there's a lot more to explore in both iPodLinux and Rockbox—and, of course, you should check their respective Web sites often for updates.
If your iPod freezes, just reboot it by pressing and holding the Menu and Select buttons on click wheel models, or the Menu and Play buttons on other models. And one last thought, to reassure the squeamish: If you're not happy with the results of your installation, don't panic. Just go to www.apple.com/ipod/download and grab the latest iPod Updater software. Run the updater and click on the Restore button, and voila ! Your iPod should be as good as new (without any music or fun software, of course).
Enter the Penguin
| 1 | Start the installer. Download the Windows XP iPodLinux installer from www.ipodlinux.org/Installer_2 and extract the files from the ZIP archive to your desktop. Connect your iPod to your PC, open the iPodLinux installer folder, and double-click on installer.exe to start the wizard. |
| 2 | Follow the wizard. On the first screen, click on Next. On the second screen, leave the Advanced partitioning and package selection box unchecked, unless you're a serious Linux expert. Click on Next and head to the next screen. |
| 3 | Back up and install. At this point, choose iPodLoader2, which lets you choose the OS manually on start-up. Check the box at the bottom of this screen so that your iPod's firmware partition is backed up to your PC, and click on Next to begin the installation. Click Finish when it's done. |
| 4 | Reboot your iPod. Eject your iPod. It will boot into a blue boot-loader screen; from there you can choose to run the Apple OS or iPodLinux, or you can put it into Disk Mode (to connect the iPod to your PC). You can also put your iPod back to sleep. |
GIVING THANKS
Our thanks to Wiley Publishing for providing many of the hacks found here. They're excerpted from Wiley's ExtremeTech series of books for hard-core tech enthusiasts, where you'll find many more good hacks!
A Media Center PC
ARTICLE DATE: 08.30.06
ARTICLE DATE: 08.30.06
Windows XP Media Center Edition gives TiVo and ReplayTV a run for their money—and offers a new group of optimistic consumers and developers an open method to tweak and hack the experience. Although it lets you fast-forward, the very existence of commercials is still the bane of most viewers' television enjoyment. For users archiving their programs, it's an unnecessary waste of precious multimedia file space.
When you are recording HDTV programs within a Media Center PC, a one-hour program consumes from 4GB to 8GB of storage, depending on its bit rate and resolution (720p or 1080i). When the commercials are removed, a program like 24 sits at 2.8GB for 40 minutes. A movie shot on film and converted to HDTV can easily consume 15GB of your hard drive, without commercials. Leaving the advertising in can add another 50 percent to that total.
The utility to save your hard drive capacity and your remote control batteries is DVRMSToolbox. Its name may not roll off your tongue, but its features will have your jaw dropping in awe. Working in conjunction with ShowAnalyzer from Dragon Global, it locates the station ID "bug" placed in the corner of your screen during broadcast programs (along with "fade to black") and removes frames of programming, namely commercials, that do not have the "bug" present. All the while, it maintains resolution and Dolby Digital sound—and even offers to convert files to true MPEG-2 standards for playback on other devices, minus the commercials and fluff.
You can use an elementary user interface to convert files manually or choose to monitor a directory automatically, converting files with certain keywords to archive. This way, not all programs will be converted, just the ones you want to hang onto. It takes about half an hour to convert and remove the commercials of an hour-long HDTV show on my Hyper-Threading P4 running at 3 GHz with a gig of dual-channel RAM. That said, the software uses only around 60 percent of my CPU cycles, and I have found that I can even watch HDTV or work on the computer normally during the process. For the detailed, step-by-step version of the hack at left and shown below, go to go.pcmag.com/hackingmediacenter
Dave Mathews (the gadget guy), inventor and hardware hacker. He lives in San Francisco.
Cut Commercials from a Single TV Show
Launch DVRMSToolBoxGUI and list the input path to a recording: Don't forget the .dvr-ms extension. Then name the output file and directory. I chose the My Documents\My Videos directory so that the file automatically shows up in My Videos under Media Center.
Select Cut commercials out of a DVR-MS file and output DVR-MS, and then click on the Process Directory tab and pick a temporary directory.
Press the Run button. Your computer will spend from 40 minutes to an hour looking at each video frame and removing the commercials from the program. At the end of the run you'll find your new filename and program in the directory you chose. If you followed my lead, Media Center will already have a copy ready for you to watch!
DVRMSToolbox
| 1 | Zap 'em! DVRMSToolbox, in conjunction with ShowAnalyzer, locates the station ID bug that lets you remove commercials. |
| 2 | An installer holds your hand Setting up ShowAnalyzer is a snap, thanks to an automated install helper program. |
| 3 | You're in charge! Settings let you manage resolution, Dolby Digital sound, and more. |
Sony's PSP Gizmo
ARTICLE DATE: 08.30.06
ARTICLE DATE: 08.30.06
So the PSP can do games, movies, video, music, photos, and the Internet. Well, that's not enough—it should run the same software you enjoy on your home PC. By using an open-source x86 emulator called Bochs, which mimics the hardware found in PCs, and creating a few disk images with the software you want, you can run Linux (and even lightweight versions of Windows, such as Windows 95 or 98) on your PSP. This hack works only on PSPs with Version 1.0 firmware. To find out how to hack Version 1.5 and how to navigate in Linux, see go.pcmag.com/hackingpsp.—
Auri Rahimzadeh, software engineer, Pacers fan, and president of the Indianapolis Computer Society
Switch Operating Systems
1 Download Bochs Bochs is a highly configurable piece of software that enables different VGA, serial port, and other I/O port emulation and lets disk images act as hard drives and the like. You can download Bochs for the PSP at bochs.sourceforge.net. While there, pick up the DLX Linux distro at bochs.sourceforge.net/disk images.html.
2 Verify settings A configuration file tells Bochs which ports it supports, where hard drive images are, what video types to support, and so forth. After you have decompressed the customized Linux distro, find the bochsrc.txt file and open it in Notepad or a similar text editor to verify its settings.
3 Get Bochs running Put your PSP in USB mode by going to Settings | USB Connection. In the root directory of your Memory Stick, create a folder named VM. Then rename your Bochs configuration file, which you created earlier as bochsrc.txt, to bochsrc.bxrc. Open the PSP folder, then the Games folder, and create a new directory named BOCHS. Copy the Bochs EBOOT.PBP file to the BOCHS folder. Copy the hard disk image file and the BIOS file to that same directory.
Now you have all the necessary files on your PSP, so disconnect from USB mode and use the PSP Navigator to select your Game menu. Then select Memory Stick and you should see your new application in the list. For more on hacking your PSP, surf over to go.pcmag.com/hackingpsp.
Excerpted from Hacking the PSP, one in a series of ExtremeTech books for hard-core tech enthusiasts, from Wiley Publishing.
A Roomba Vacuum
ARTICLE DATE: 08.30.06
ARTICLE DATE: 08.30.06
You can hack just about anything, and the iRobot Roomba (a robotic vacuum cleaner) is no exception. The company has produced a whole array of Roombas since the original version was introduced in 2002. iRobot even makes the Scooba, a robot that washes your floors. The good news is that the Roomba is hackable by design; software with prewritten hacks is available online.
If you're already familiar with Roomba, you know it's compatible with the serial port communications interface (SCI). That's what enables the hacks we're offering you. Once you set up a way to issue SCI instructions, you can download a free RoombaCommTest program at www.roombahacking.com, which includes many prewritten hacks. Want to make your Roomba drive in crazy spirals? We've got the tools you need, including how to get going with SCI. You'll find several relevant chapters from Tod E. Kurt's book, Hacking Roomba, published by Wiley, here: go.pcmag.com/hackingroomba. What could be more fun than hacking a vacuuming robot?—
Slingmedia's Slingbox
ARTICLE DATE: 08.30.06
ARTICLE DATE: 08.30.06
Sometimes you have to be careful when you extend the capabilities of a device or program: The manufacturer might strike back. That happened recently to owners of Slingbox, a place-shifting device that enables remote viewing of live and prerecorded television via the Internet. In early July, without warning, the company suddenly started encrypting video streams as they passed through the Internet. That rendered a clever hack—the At-Large Recorder from Applian Technologies—useless.
However, a firmware upgrade to the Slingbox hardware was required to encrypt streams, leaving an out for At-Large customers: Don't upgrade the firmware, and your Applian software will still work. The At-Large Recorder itself is a deceptively simple hack. It records the audio and video delivered via the Sling software for a predetermined amount of time, saving it as a Windows Media Video (WMV) file on your hard drive. It can also schedule a recording, letting you record a show while you're asleep or at work, and will shut the Sling player software down when recording is complete. It can change the TV or DVR channel via the Slingbox, which makes it easier to schedule recordings.
If you've already upgraded your Slingbox to firmware version 1.0.86 (which added stream encryption) or later, there's a hack. You can downgrade to an older firmware version by loading an older version of the Slingplayer software. The At-Large Recorder costs $29.95 direct (www.applian.com). You can try before you buy, to make sure it works for you.
The developers at Slingme.net claim to be developing an open-source Slingbox recorder, along with other hacks, but nothing was available at press time.—
A Digital Camera
ARTICLE DATE: 08.30.06
ARTICLE DATE: 08.30.06
Digital cameras and computers share a lot of common characteristics these days, but one of the primary ones is that both can be hacked—for your gain! There are numerous ways to hack digital cameras in order to make them more flexible, and we've put together a nice package to start you off.
If you've spent time with a digital camera in pursuit of the perfect shot—where the flesh tones in the foreground are as perfectly exposed as the fluffy, white snow in the background—then you know how hard it is to achieve the right balance. Professional photographers know that the secret behind balance is filters. These are usually made of glass or plastic and attach to the front of the camera lens. By mixing and matching them with hacking tools that you make yourself, you can become a master of filters. In case your digital camera didn't come with a wireless remote controller, another very useful hack you can pull off is crafting your own remote. Not only will this let you join your friends in group shots, but it will also give you a lot of flexibility when shooting at, say, outdoor locations.
For both types of hacks above, we sought out relevant chapters from Hacking Digital Cameras, an ExtremeTech book published by Wiley Publishing. Authors Chieh Cheng and Auri Rahimzadeh show you everything you need to get the most flexibility out of your camera. You'll find the instructions on our Web site. Start off at go.pcmag.com/hackingcamerafilters, then head over to go.pcmag.com/hackingcamerafar.—
The Motorola RAZR
ARTICLE DATE: 08.30.06
ARTICLE DATE: 08.30.06
In July of 2004, Motorola introduced what would become the next head-turning cell phone: the RAZR V3. With its ultraslim and sexy design, the handset quickly became Motorola's flagship phone on GSM service providers. CDMA subscribers anxiously waited for Motorola to release a version for their network. Finally, in December 2005, Verizon Wireless announced that it would begin offering a CDMA version of the phone, the RAZR V3c.
Verizon's phone looks almost identical to the V3, except that proprietary Verizon software now replaces Motorola's. The new software has three characteristics that compromise the phone (thanks, guys): First, it's terribly slow. It can take upward of 4 seconds to open the phone book! Second, like most of Verizon's handsets, it disables all Bluetooth file transfers. Finally, Verizon disables Multimedia Studio in Avanquest's Motorola Mobile Phone Tools, Motorola software that connects your phone to your PC, allowing you to sync contacts and calendars and transfer pictures and ringtones.
Luckily for you, CDMA service provider Alltel sells the RAZR V3c on its network and leaves Motorola's software on the phone. The geniuses at the mobile-phone chat site HowardForums.com created an instructional wiki that walks you through the process of installing Alltel's software on a Verizon phone to get all those features back. Want to dehack Verizon's hacked RAZR V3c? You'll find all the info you need online: Go to go.pcmag.com/hackingrazr.—
A Toyota Prius
ARTICLE DATE: 08.30.06
ARTICLE DATE: 08.30.06
Our favorite car hack involves adding a switch and a battery charger and swapping bigger batteries into a 2004 or later model Prius, creating a PHEV, or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. By hitting the EV switch and keeping the speed under 35 miles per hour (perfect for around town) you'll stay in full electric mode. And that means 10 or 20 miles at pennies per "gallon" instead of dollars (if you don't count the cost of the batteries!).
A more practical hack for gasoline cars built after 1996 involves cracking the mysteries of the Check Engine light. A quick snicker: In many states, a Check Engine light results in an automatic failure on a smog test, no matter how clean the exhaust coming from the tailpipe. And your car's manual probably gives the impression that the light should send you racing to the nearest dealership, hat and credit card in hand. You might be able to do the work yourself instead, or at least know what the dealership should look for.
Deciphering the Check Engine Light
1. Get the tool Borrow or buy an OBD-II (On-Board Diagnostics) scan tool. A no-brand handheld model that displays codes and resets your Check Engine light costs $40 to $80 at an auto parts chain. High-end scan tools that can display live data from sensors cost considerably more. There are also some excellent options that can connect to your PC via a USB or serial port.
2. Make the connection Find the OBD-II port on your car and plug in the reader. It's a small black jack, with 16 pins arranged in a parallelogram; it's required to be "easily accessible" on the driver's side within 30mm to 750mm of the car's centerline. In many cars it's found behind a small pop-off panel below the steering wheel or underneath the dashboard facing the driver's legs.
3. Let 'er rip Start your car and collect the OBD-II code. You should follow the directions that come with your scan tool. But generally speaking, you start the car, let the engine idle, and wait for your scan tool to collect and display the code(s). They'll be formatted like this: "B0566."
4. Diagnose If you're lucky, your OBD-II has a built-in table or booklet that lists the various codes. If not, write down that code and look it up on the Web, at a site such as www.obd-codes.com.
Your Google Tools
ARTICLE DATE: 08.30.06
ARTICLE DATE: 08.30.06
Most of us live in Google. It's more than merely one of the best search sites on the planet; it's a constellation of sites, services, applications, and destinations. Google is its own universe, really, and like ours after the Big Bang, it's constantly expanding. That means becoming Google-savvy is important.
For a quick example of how you can customize your Google experience, here's a Google Desktop tweak that can help you conserve storage space, followed by a Gmail hack that can help you import your contacts. (The Google Desktop tip clearly requires Google's free desktop application; get it at desktop.google.com.) To help you get the most from this brave new universe, we've collected more than 30 Google tips and tricks online at go.pcmag.com/hackinggoogle.—
Import Contacts into Gmail
You have dozens or hundreds of contacts in your existing e-mail software. The last thing you want is to retype them all into Gmail. You don't have to: Gmail can import CSV format. But first you have to export your contacts into a CSV file.
How to do this varies according to your e-mail software. In Microsoft Outlook, choose File | Import and Export, launching the Import and Export Wizard. Choose Export to a file, click Next, and choose Comma Separated Values (Windows) from the screen that appears. On the next screen, choose your Contacts folder, and click Next. Give the file a name (a .csv extension will be automatically added to it), browse to the folder where you want to save it, and click Next and then Finish.
Now that you have the file ready, go to your Gmail account and click Contacts on the left side of the screen. Click Import from the upper right-hand side of the page that appears. Click the Browse button; then navigate to the folder where you've exported your contacts, select it, and click Open. Click Import Contacts.
After a minute or more, you'll get a message telling you that your contacts have been imported and listing the total number of contacts involved. Click the Close button. Now your contacts will be available in Gmail. To see them on the Contacts screen, click All Contacts.—Preston Gralla, editor of WindowsDevCenter.com and author of many books.—
Change the Location of Your Google Desktop Index
Depending on how many files are on your PC, the search index that Google Desktop creates can get pretty substantial—1GB or more—without really trying. Don't let the index clog up your main drive; move it to a different drive. Follow these steps:
1. Unhide Exit Google Desktop, then open Windows Explorer and navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Google Desktop Search, where Username is your user name. Local Settings is a hidden folder, and you might not be able to see it. To unhide it, choose Folder options from the Tools menu in Windows Explorer. Click the View tab, and under Hidden files and folders, click Show hidden files and folders. Then click OK.
2. Move Take the entire Google Desktop Search Folder to a different drive. You don't have to replicate the entire folder path—you could, for example, move it to D:\ Google Desktop Search.
3. Open Launch the Registry Editor by choosing Start | Run, typing regedit, and clicking OK.
4. Find Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Desktop.
5. Edit In the right-hand pane, double-click data_dir and change its value to the new location of the Google Desktop index, for example, D:\Google Desktop Search. Exit the Registry Editor and restart Google Desktop search.
Your Wi-Fi Connection
ARTICLE DATE: 08.30.06
ARTICLE DATE: 08.30.06
You've probably mastered the art of setting up a Wi-Fi wireless network in your home. But what if you want your network to extend for 5, 10, 20 miles or more? That may sound fanciful, but it's not so tough to achieve long-distance wireless connectivity. You just need to add a few tools to the mix and get to work on your mash-up.
To help you, we tracked down a chapter from Mike Outmesguine's ExtremeTech book, Wi-Fi Toys: 15 Cool Wireless Projects for Home, Office, and Entertainment, from Wiley Publishing You can find it online at go.pcmag.com/wifild. It details how to select your access point sites, choose your antennas, and more. Creating a long-distance link simply means marrying many of the essentials of wireless with a dose of physics to overcome the obstacles of a far-reaching connection.
Or perhaps you're interested in the subtle art of wardriving—using a car equipped with a computer, a wireless card, and software to identify the presence of a Wi-Fi signal, even if you're out on a deserted highway. What an excellent idea! It's surprising how ubiquitous Wi-Fi signals have become. You'll find everything you need to get started as a budding wardriver at go.pcmag.com/wardrive.
Finally, several blogs contain complete instructions for upgrading the capabilities of Linksys routers. Take a look at www.lifehacker.com for some interesting examples. You don't have to settle for bushleague Wi-Fi!—
Heck, Hack Everything
ARTICLE DATE: 08.30.06
ARTICLE DATE: 08.30.06
We've shown you a few of our favorite hacks, but this list is hardly definitive. Very few things exist that couldn't be made a little better, a little faster, or a little more powerful. Take your inspiration from Home Improvement's Tim Allen, and make "more power" your mantra. Unhappy with your vacuum's performance? Boost it up. Desk just a bit too long? Hack it. Stapler not powerful enough?. . . You see where we're going. You'll find a few more of these stories on our hacker-friendly sister site ExtremeTech.com.
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