Archive for April, 2007

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Poetic Gadgeteer

April 28, 2007

Celador have a new show commissioned by the BBC that focusses on luxuries in life; including gadgets and technology. If you’re interested mail your interest to Kimberley at kgodbolt@celador.co.uk. But that wasn’t why I posted about this. I was reading through the comments over at Gizmodo UK and found this poem (below) by Dave Hanson. Maybe you’ll be seeing Dave on TV sometime soon, it certainly raises the bar.

The Alarm goes “Ding” and I awake from my sleep,
I roll out of bed into a heap,

I open my eyes and look all around,
I survey my Techie kingdom of which I am so proud,

The wifey has gone, I’m free to play,
I know she will be back sometime today.

I follow the trail of unplug devices,
She knows how to spoil one of my only vices,

I sit in the lounge and turn on my HIFI,
The music streams in, its connected by WIFI,

Open my cupboards for all to see,
My collection of DVD’s is now taller than me.

I’m not a grunt in fact I’m six feet tall,
But the tower grows huge, I’m feeling quite small.

I move to the lazy boy and grab the control,
I see HD-DVD & Blueray I’ve bought them all.

I switch on the tv, the plasma burns bright,
The glow from outside is a wondrous sight,

I Look up, I Look Down, VR Technology is all around,
I Look Left, I Look Right The Dolby Surround sound gives me a fright

I switch on the Xbox and play a war game,
I am beaten by a 10 year old, the pity the shame.

I switch to the PS3 but there is no fun here,
The price $ony charged me is bringing a tear,

I open my laptop and surf the news
Blue-Ray & HD-DVD are dead and IPTV rules.

I jump up to my feet to get me some lunch,
My back is stiff, am I’m developing a hunch?

Sitting at a desk all week is taking its toll,
I contemplate quitting and going on the doll,

A few hours left before she’ll be home,
I should really tidy up but there is a ring on my phone,

It’s a video message left by my sister,
She moved to Oz, how I have missed her,

She says she will be back in the middle of summer,
When she sees all these gadgets she’ll think I’ve got dumber.

One of my tasks is to mow the lawn,
I bought a robot mower and named him Shaun,

He runs around the garden and never misses a spot,
Which is bl00dy right too as he cost me a lot,

I sit and watch him in the afternoon sun,
The phone rings again, this time its mum,

She video phoned to shows me dads rash,
I wish the technology was not always so flash,

I assure her its nothing and that I must leave,
She can see I’m not busy but she is often Naïve,

Then there’s a knock at the front of the door,
The wifey is back and its still before 4.

I rush round the house and switch of my toys,
She walks in the door and says boys will be boys,

You see gadgets are me and that’s what she loves,
Lets just hope she doesn’t find my Virtual reality Gloves!

by: Chris Chapman
Poem by: Dave Hanson

Posted in BBC, Misc, Web | Leave a Comment »

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BBC Freesat HD

April 27, 2007

Want free digital TV but your home isn’t in a digital area? Well you could soon be in luck. BBC have announced plans for a free to view service that offers both high and standard definition for nothing. Up to 200 channels certainly beats the comparatively paltry offering on freeview. Interactive content that we’ve come to expect from digital TV services should be supported too. Plus, the use of satellite broadcasting should fulfil the BBC need to spread their content to the widest audience possible.
The BBC are working in collaboration with ITV to launch the service in 2008. Details of manufacturers, retailers and installers are still to be announced but if these plans go ahead, we could be looking at the best way to watch TV in a long time; but wasn’t freeview meant to do that before it was filled with shopping channels?

“The BBC’s objective in launching Freesat is to support Digital Switchover by providing another way for licence payers to receive digital television channels and radio services, subscription free from the BBC and ITV. Its primary purpose is to drive digital take-up in analogue homes, particularly in those areas which are out of digital terrestrial coverage. Freesat also offers a trusted free-to-view digital upgrade path that gives licence payers all the benefits of digital television (notably high definition capability) guaranteed free of subscription.”
Mark Thompson, BBC Director General

Also, this is supposed to launch as the analogue transmitters are going to be turned off, so offering people with yet another solution to watch digital TV. Speculation of HD freeview launching in 2012 will become insignificant if this satellite service is anywhere near as good as it sounds. The only problem that I can see with this new service is the cost. Whilst it isn’t subscription based (apart from the TV license that you already pay), the cost of the set top box and installation might need to be expensive to cover the costs of setting this up. Nevertheless, this is the BBC, they’ll definitely want a lot of people to use it – it’ll make them look like the innovative broadcasters that they’ve demonstrated time and time again – and to make this possible, it’ll have to be affordable.
With expanding choice, the decision won’t be whether to adopt digital TV, it’ll be about how to receive it.
by: Chris Chapman

Posted in BBC, Home Entertainment | Leave a Comment »

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What was that?

April 27, 2007

Microsoft wants to understand you. Well, what you say anyway. Regional accents are what make us feel at home – right? Of course, but the people of our nation are often assumed to drink only tea and speak in highly posh accents. Well, Microsoft won’t have our accents go un-noticed any longer. They want you to help them add regional words and phrases to the dictionary for a special British version of Microsoft Office. Cause it’s not like Microsoft have anything better to do is it?

If approved your words will be added to a downloadable dictionary. Just think, the next time that you want to refer to a bread roll, you’ll have a whole range of options like ‘cob’, ‘batch’, ‘bun’, ‘barm cake’, ‘stotty cake’, ‘scuffler’ and ‘bread cake’ to choose from without fearing the tedious red, squiggly line. Or you could just hit ignore or add it to the dictionary yourself, either way.
If you want to contribute, email all your weird and wonderful words and phrases to dialect@microsoft.com.
by: Chris Chapman

Posted in Computing, Microsoft | Leave a Comment »

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PS3 Price Drop

April 20, 2007

The cost of the PS3 has been criticised a fair bit but now there is speculation that Sony could be cutting the price themselves. Some stores and e-tailers have already either temporarily or permanently cut £25 off the £425 RRP to try and shift the seemingly surplus stock that they have to shift. Approximately $100 (£50) could be officially taken off the price of the console. All well and good for those that could wait a few weeks after the already delayed launch. The early adopter tax for the PS3 might leave those who rushed out to buy the console on launch day staring at the space on their shelves where those extra games could have been residing. But then, they knew what they were letting themselves in for, they probably did the same for the other consoles that are now festering and unloved in the attic; no competition for the PS3.
I’ve always considered the PS3 to be a value for money console. It does have a blu-ray spinner, which gamers probably won’t be too interested in now but might be when games can be packed with a multitude of extra playability over the comparatively insignificant storage of even a dual layer DVD for the 360. The PS3 might be considered expensive now, but it already offers everything and more that is offered in the 360 integrated into one box. The 360 comes pretty close to the cost of a PS3 with all of the extras added in. Microsoft’s claims of offering the consumer more choice simply doesn’t cut it for me. They could have included it all in one go, but the elite just proves that they want to make the most money rather than caring about customer’s choice. Besides, how can the 360 be cheaper when there are now reports of red “rings of death” appearing on consoles that are merely a year old. When SNESs are still playable, it simply isn’t acceptable for a year old console to be replaced so many times. This comes at a cost to the customer that pushes the cost well above the PS3. Even more customers are on their second, third and in some cases fourth units in a little over two years since the 360s launch. Hopefully, the PS3 will prove to last longer and offer customers with the satisfaction deserved for their £425.
It’s still not clear whether the rumoured price drop will remain stateside (like that of the PSP down to $170/£85). It’s been out in the US for much longer, does that also mean that they’ll get the price cuts first? Will the UK official price fall anytime soon? Are stores losing potential profits by selling at a reduced cost or would it be a greater risk to hold the price and not sell as many units? So many questions, but as with all things, the future will reveal all. The PS3 price will fall, it’s just happening a little sooner than I expected.
by: Chris Chapman

Posted in PS3, Sony, XBOX 360 | Leave a Comment »

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PS3 Price Drop

April 20, 2007

The cost of the PS3 has been criticised a fair bit but now there is speculation that Sony could be cutting the price themselves. Some stores and e-tailers have already either temporarily or permanently cut £25 off the £425 RRP to try and shift the seemingly surplus stock that they have to shift. Approximately $100 (£50) could be officially taken off the price of the console. All well and good for those that could wait a few weeks after the already delayed launch. The early adopter tax for the PS3 might leave those who rushed out to buy the console on launch day staring at the space on their shelves where those extra games could have been residing. But then, they knew what they were letting themselves in for, they probably did the same for the other consoles that are now festering and unloved in the attic; no competition for the PS3.
I’ve always considered the PS3 to be a value for money console. It does have a blu-ray spinner, which gamers probably won’t be too interested in now but might be when games can be packed with a multitude of extra playability over the comparatively insignificant storage of even a dual layer DVD for the 360. The PS3 might be considered expensive now, but it already offers everything and more that is offered in the 360 integrated into one box. The 360 comes pretty close to the cost of a PS3 with all of the extras added in. Microsoft’s claims of offering the consumer more choice simply doesn’t cut it for me. They could have included it all in one go, but the elite just proves that they want to make the most money rather than caring about customer’s choice. Besides, how can the 360 be cheaper when there are now reports of red “rings of death” appearing on consoles that are merely a year old. When SNESs are still playable, it simply isn’t acceptable for a year old console to be replaced so many times. This comes at a cost to the customer that pushes the cost well above the PS3. Even more customers are on their second, third and in some cases fourth units in a little over two years since the 360s launch. Hopefully, the PS3 will prove to last longer and offer customers with the satisfaction deserved for their £425.
It’s still not clear whether the rumoured price drop will remain stateside (like that of the PSP down to $170/£85). It’s been out in the US for much longer, does that also mean that they’ll get the price cuts first? Will the UK official price fall anytime soon? Are stores losing potential profits by selling at a reduced cost or would it be a greater risk to hold the price and not sell as many units? So many questions, but as with all things, the future will reveal all. The PS3 price will fall, it’s just happening a little sooner than I expected.
by: Chris Chapman

Posted in PS3, Sony, XBOX 360 | Leave a Comment »

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Giveaway: Joost Invites

April 19, 2007

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED!!!
Thanks to all who entered.
Joost was originally codenamed The Venice Project.
Everyone who entered answered correctly.
Sadly, I only had three invitations to offer but look forward to doing this again sometime.
Winners:
Andreas Ermer
Dan Laycock
Louis Raveton
Look out for more giveaways coming soon.
Joost™ the best of tv and the internet

I recently blogged about Joost, the new service that serves up on demand content via your broadband connection. Well, I now have a small number of invites and want to give them away. I want them to go to the right people though – people who really want to experience Joost, rather than just wasting a decent invitation. Remember, Joost is still in beta and invitation only.

For Joost to work, you need to have a Windows XP/Vista or Mac with the following minimum specs:

  • CPU: 500MHz
  • RAM: 512mb
  • Video memory: 48mb
  • A broadband Internet connection

Unlike other people, I’m not selling these on eBay for profit and don’t want anything from you. All I want is people that really want to try Joost before it’s officially launched.
For your chance to become a beta tester, just tell me what was the codename for Joost?
by: Chris Chapman

Posted in Online video | Leave a Comment »

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The cost of Peace

April 18, 2007

The format war is over, but at a cost.

Yes, the format war between HD-DVD and blu-ray can finally end thanks to the LGBH100 (aka Super Multi blue). It’ll quite hapilly spin almost every disc under the sun, even those DVDs, which will be upscaled to the glorious 1080p. There is a downside to all this, the price. A cool 1000 of your English pounds will bag you one from John Lewis sometime in May. Samsung’s offering  (BD-UP5000) won’t be around til the end of the year so it looks like those price tags aren’t going to be dropping any time soon. There’s not even support for HDi (to make the most of all those juicy new features) to justify the cost.
So, the format war is over? Well it might be when more companies release their offerings. The current lack of competition means that there isn’t a reason for LG to reduce the cost, even though it’s twice the cost it is in America. Too bad you can’t play movies on imported ones since titles are region coded. To be honest though, I’m not surprised at the expense, LG will have to pay for the privilige of showing the delights of both formats. It also looks a lot better than having two boxes, remotes and the separate disc trays.

Posted in Home Entertainment, digital media | Leave a Comment »

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Analogue, a thing of the past?

April 18, 2007

On November 22, I suggested that after the analogue signals have been turned off in 2012 then we should begin to turn off the AM and FM signals and more recently OFCOM have actually considered phasing them out to free up the bandwidth for better stuff and to relieve the bandwidth for DAB and Freeview signals which currentlly broadcast at lower qualities so that there are more channels. My only problem now is that at this slow rate of progression, by the time High Definition Freeview broadcasts are available (projected 2012) the High Def services available from the likes of Telewest and Sky right now might be upped to even better super-hi-def resolutions while the Freeview camp will be cheering we’ve (finally) got High Definition.

Well, it could all be true. A review for AM bandwidth is expected for 2009. And if digital uptake exceeds 50%, it could happen even before then. Ofcom think that the bandwidth could be better used for mobile TV, more digital and community radio, and other new technologies. I’m inclined to agree, since I predicted this a while back (see above) but have to wonder about people that still use AM/FM. Cars , for example, usually only have AM/FM tuners so would be redundant. But an increasing number of drivers want to listen to their own music, like their iPod, so will this actually make a difference? I wake to FM radio, but this station is available on DAB too so maybe this is the beginning of the end of analogue. Things like this take time though, Ofcom have predicted that it won’t be until 2017 when 90% of the population use only digital. But that leaves the question, what will the other 10% of the population do without their beloved, poor quality, analogue streams? Who cares. Give us more cool services like HD freeview and I won’t be standing up for them then.

Posted in Home Entertainment, digital media | Leave a Comment »

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Joost: Hands On

April 13, 2007

Joost™ the best of tv and the internet

If you still don’t know what Joost is, where have you been over the past few months? You might know it as The Venice Project but if you’re unfamiliar with both of these terms, it’s the beginning of a television revolution that I’ve been waiting for. It’s based on P2P technology and is from Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, who started two little things called Skype and Kazaa. It’s the VoD experience that I want to take over the world and it’s only been in beta since December (Feb for Mac users). It’s invite only to become part of the revolution before it will eventually role out to the masses. It’s all FREE too, so there’s no reason not to sign up for the beta testing, but be patient, it can take a while for them to let you in. It’s definitely worth it though.

The invitation landed in my inbox on Thursday evening and I don’t think I could have been anymore excited. I’d been waiting for this since January when I applied to be part of the beta testing. I rushed to the download link and before long it had evaluated my system and was installing. Despite it thinking – for some bizarre reason – that my machine might not be specced highly enough to run even though I’d either met or exceeded the minimum requirements. Hopefully, at this stage you’ll have some idea on whether or not you’ll be able to install it for yourself. I’m using a 2mbps connection, this works fine but sometimes the program began to stutter or even stop playing altogether. A slight problem for an enjoyable viewing experience, after closing messenger it seemed to help and episodes ran almost superbly. Whilst the quality isn’t brilliant (above YouTube – below standard definition), it will supposedly be capable of better resolutions. The content is pretty limited but already some big names are getting in on it. Viacom for example have brought a few treats like clips from MTV; this probably being the reason why they recently objected to their products being freely distributed around YouTube. Some things are ful length programmes but others like Fifth Gear are short clips. It’s OK, but it’s still in beta, more content will come and it will take over the world – probably. Channels are limited to different regions of the world. Obviously the US get better content from the likes of National Geographic and Warner.

The menus make it easy to use and navigate around the application with a translucent appearance that wouldn’t look out of place on a Mac. Simply select a “channel”, then an episode to watch and it’ll play. Simple enough really. In fact the whole experience would be familiar to anyone who has used a set top box on screen interface like Sky or Virgin. It is video on demand though, so no live stuff – yet – but who knows what will be offered via Joost. Being on demand though, there aren’t any schedules, so you watch what you want, exactly when you want to.
I’m not saying it doesn’t have flaws, the lack of any ability to stream content from PC to TV might leave some feeling the prospect of watching TV on their PC screen a little offputting. There isn’t any reason why they couldn’t connect their PC to their big screen, but that isn’t really an option when the computer’s in the study and the big screen is in the living room. Recording content isn’t a possibilty either, but then why would you want to when you can watch the programmes on demand? Obviously, content is limited at the moment but this can only grow. It’s not really meant to replace your TV just yet but it is an indication of what’s to come. The service is supported by ads, but this really isn’t irritating, we’re all used to ad supported television and if anything the short ad bursts before a programme starts didn’t bother me at all. Besides, the ads make a good service free for the audience.

Back to the cool features, and this one (shown above) is like the features available on DVDs. This probably isn’t the best use of the potential, simply linking to other programmes) but surely content providers will incorporate special Joost features. There are also a few widgets that can be laid on top of the screen, the ones currently available are made by Joost and are limited to a clock and news aggregators from the Joost blog but word is that users will be able to create and submit their own. Users can also talk – chat room style – with others watching the same shows as they are. A feature that I’ve not yet tried for myself. This is the beginning of a revolution, it’s going to change the way that we all watch TV. Will we ever see an end to conventional TV scheduling? I certainly hope so.

Posted in Online video | Leave a Comment »

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Google – Home and Dry

April 12, 2007

I just got dried off, you see I wanted to get to Paris from a recent trip to New York so checked out the ever-so wonderful Google Maps Directions. All was pretty normal until I got to Long Wharf where I was told to swim across the Atlantic. Of course, the maps must be telling me the best way there right? So I didn’t bother taking off my clothes or packing a towel (the maps didn’t tell me too) and became frightfully tired and cold part way across. But I made it, and now I’m posting this from a cyber cafe somewhere in the middle of gay Paris with a wine swilling French man glaring across at me; least he told me he was a French tourist advisor – so he must be, right? I think next time I might try Windows Live Maps.
Of course it’s not a flaw. Google is famous for their “jokes”, is planting them in Google Maps taking it one step too far? Well I don’t think so. I think there might be a lesson to be learnt here for all those “but the sat-nav told me too” types. Wanna try it for yourself? Go to Google Maps, hit directions, from New York, to Paris, skip to step 23. Have fun!

I’m currently testing Joost – Look out for a review coming up soon.

Posted in Google, sat nav | Leave a Comment »

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