Seriously, what's the point of having a computer do the same type of repetitive tasks (like race car driving) when we already know the computer will eventually win.
Computers don't get tired, they don't get thirsty, and they don't have to urinate so it's hardly a fair challenge.
Can someone please explain what the real differences are (other than the storage medium)between the two formats?
As I understand it, the big selling point of DVD-A is 5.1 surround. Now, I'm all for the higher sampling rates, but I don't really understand where the need is for 5.1 audio. I think most folks are just happy with good sounding 2 channel stereo and don't want to bother with surround speakers and such. So many folks have jumped onto the DVD format already I just don't see DVD-A ever catching on.
What are the selling points for SACD other than the higher sampling rates? They don't seem to be pushing 5.1 surround.
XBox has everything this thing does, it's cheaper ($299) and you get a harddrive to boot (no pun intended).
As for the PS2? Well, as it stands now, no ether, no harddrive, and there will never be VGA output for it, quite a shame too, because that limits you to interlaced TV output which, for text, to put it plainly, sucks.
Got the demo, started to play, hit F2 for quicksave and a message stating, "No gems to save game" pops up. WTF?! No gems!? Get outta here!
Has Romero been living in a cave these last few years? He must have noticed all the uproar about these types of games that don't offer an unlimited save game option.
This is just more proof that Romero doesn't give two shits about anyone, even the folks he's trying to sell the game to.
Why the hell would I want to pay $3 for a crappy mpeg4 movie that takes 30mins to d/l when I can rent a perfectly good DVD for $3? Unlike most Americans, I'm not a fat, lazy bastard who cares about getting off his ass and returning a movie.
Let's talk about Mpeg4. Mpeg4 supports up to 10mbps streams. At its highest bitrate it's equivalent to a NTSC broadcast, meaning somewhere around 330 lines or so. Nowhere near as good as a DVD and no Dolby Digital 5.1 support to boot.
There is no possible way they're going to encode the movies at 10mbps, 700k-1mbps seems more likely. While the movies look decent at that bitrate, even my 1.5mbps cable modem tends to choke on them realtime. Can you immagine every cable user on your block trying to watch a 1mbps stream at once? It just ain't gonna happen. If this is the market these PPV-Streaming companies are shooting for they've got a serious flaw in their business model.
On top of that, throw in no Dolby Digital sound, having to sit in front of your PC, etc. You get the idea. I think the real future of mpeg4 movies is when they start building it into cable boxes, that way the tech is seamless. You won't really notice the movie is coming over the net, because everything is.
You just answered your own question. There is no other OS besides Windows that matters to a gamer. If and when that changes I could easily see Nvidia getting into those markets.
Linux doesn't amount to a hill of beans when it comes to game market-share and the Mac doesn't amount to much more.
There are plenty of codecs that are better than mp3, but mp3 has taken such a hold (mindshare) it'll probably take a whole shift in the digital-audio format to remove it.
If things like DVD-Audio ever take off, maybe higher-bitrate encoded audio will take off.
It's over. If not for Paramount needing to squeeze every last red cent out of their cash cow it wouldn't (shouldn't) even be on TV anymore.
And red cent isn't even a good term because there is no life left in the Star Trek franchise, Voyage attests to that.
With the passing of Rodenberry, Star Trek too should be allowed to die with whatever dignity it's got left. Each new series takes a little away from the magic that Trek was. Watch the original episodes on Sci-Fi and you'll understand.
I actually sent Slashdot a pointer to this number months ago, but as usuall they ignore any valuable info sent their way.:-) It's by a Chinese company named Shinco and looks pretty neat.
It seems to be a much better solution than the in-dash portable PC-MP3 player. You get MP3s off a CD-R/RW and you can watch SVCD/VCDs and a wired remote all for the same price as an MP3 player alone!
In case anybody's wondering, SVCD is a newer Mpeg2 format which supports Dolby Digital sound and SVHS quality video on standard CDs.
I can see this being a problem. What if your cable company has multi-user modems and prohibits the setting up of your own proxy?
I have MediaOne/RR cable and they charge $15 more per IP# yet don't give any more bandwidth to go along with it. If they really wanted to they could officially outlaw proxies.
Being that this game was released a while ago for the PC and I haven't heard about it since, I wonder if a Linux port will even matter?
Of course for you Linux-heads you'ld say, "everything matters", but I just don't see this as the case. How big is the Linux gaming market anyways? Sure there are plenty of Linux servers, but how many of those are equiped to play a 3d-accelerated game (3dfx only?), and what percentage of those make up the home market? Mighty small I immagine.
I'd dare to say there are probably 10x as many 3d-accelerated Mac's and they're probably a tiny numbered compared to comparably equipped Win PCs. It'll be pretty funny tho if Linux (game) releases start happening before Mac releases do.
I remember when I was a kid I went to the Smithsonian Air & Space museum in DC and they had a display with a small sliver of a moon rock you could actually touch. What a thrill for me! If only enthusiasm could be built up for the space program again. It seems we could get to Mars in my lifetime (I'm 31) if the desire was there. I bet if China sends a mission to Mars we'd be there in a minute.
This is pretty interesting. A company with one of the biggest movie/music library around and a member of the DVD Consortium releases a DVD player with region locks that are easily defeated.
The only way I could forsee this happening was if Sony wanted to build up even more PR in the West. What better way to make an imported Playstation2 more attractive than by:
A) Allowing regional DVDs to play on machine. (You can bet this won't last long) B) Making it illegal to import. (Nothing like making something forbidden to build demand for it)
I loved the Lynx. It was the most sophisticated color portable at the time, beating out the game-boy easily (won't it ever die?). Of course, as Atari usually was, they had the technology behind them but no support.
BTW, the CD-Rom add-on for the Jag was pretty cool because it made the thing look like a toilet! How's that for forshadowing? Destined for the crapper...
Slashdot Mirror
What does it say when you lose your own home state?
A comment on Bush's leadership abilities? Just a bit...
Seriously, what's the point of having a computer do the same type of repetitive tasks (like race car driving) when we already know the computer will eventually win.
Computers don't get tired, they don't get thirsty, and they don't have to urinate so it's hardly a fair challenge.
Can someone please explain what the real differences are (other than the storage medium)between the two formats?
As I understand it, the big selling point of DVD-A is 5.1 surround. Now, I'm all for the higher sampling rates, but I don't really understand where the need is for 5.1 audio. I think most folks are just happy with good sounding 2 channel stereo and don't want to bother with surround speakers and such. So many folks have jumped onto the DVD format already I just don't see DVD-A ever catching on.
What are the selling points for SACD other than the higher sampling rates? They don't seem to be pushing 5.1 surround.
No, not the Ninja Turtle.
Didn't Michaelangelo have the idea if not the plans for a mechanical adding machine?
I know the idea isn't anywhere near new. What it really comes down to is how we classify the word "computer".
It seems like 3dfx just never recovered from NOT being selected as the graphics hardware for Sega's Dreamcast.
After that came the lawsuit and the new products seemed later and later in coming.
XBox has everything this thing does, it's cheaper ($299) and you get a harddrive to boot (no pun intended).
As for the PS2? Well, as it stands now, no ether, no harddrive, and there will never be VGA output for it, quite a shame too, because that limits you to interlaced TV output which, for text, to put it plainly, sucks.
Gain access to the net and clean out your colon at the same time. Cool.
I think you know what I mean. :)
Ah damn, if only they had done this one a few years ago when Phil Hartman was still alive.
He did so many of the voices of The Simpsons, the show just hasn't been the same since he passed.
What would a Simpsons movie be without Ted McClure?
The comedians are going to have a field day with this one. Dual probes. Heh.
Got the demo, started to play, hit F2 for quicksave and a message stating, "No gems to save game" pops up. WTF?! No gems!? Get outta here!
Has Romero been living in a cave these last few years? He must have noticed all the uproar about these types of games that don't offer an unlimited save game option.
This is just more proof that Romero doesn't give two shits about anyone, even the folks he's trying to sell the game to.
Why the hell would I want to pay $3 for a crappy mpeg4 movie that takes 30mins to d/l when I can rent a perfectly good DVD for $3? Unlike most Americans, I'm not a fat, lazy bastard who cares about getting off his ass and returning a movie.
Let's talk about Mpeg4. Mpeg4 supports up to 10mbps streams. At its highest bitrate it's equivalent to a NTSC broadcast, meaning somewhere around 330 lines or so. Nowhere near as good as a DVD and no Dolby Digital 5.1 support to boot.
There is no possible way they're going to encode the movies at 10mbps, 700k-1mbps seems more likely. While the movies look decent at that bitrate, even my 1.5mbps cable modem tends to choke on them realtime. Can you immagine every cable user on your block trying to watch a 1mbps stream at once? It just ain't gonna happen. If this is the market these PPV-Streaming companies are shooting for they've got a serious flaw in their business model.
On top of that, throw in no Dolby Digital sound, having to sit in front of your PC, etc. You get the idea. I think the real future of mpeg4 movies is when they start building it into cable boxes, that way the tech is seamless. You won't really notice the movie is coming over the net, because everything is.
You just answered your own question. There is no other OS besides Windows that matters to a gamer. If and when that changes I could easily see Nvidia getting into those markets.
Linux doesn't amount to a hill of beans when it comes to game market-share and the Mac doesn't amount to much more.
Nvidia only makes PC parts. What possible benefit could they get from software that works on a Mac or any other platform?
Does it really matter at this point?
There are plenty of codecs that are better than mp3, but mp3 has taken such a hold (mindshare) it'll probably take a whole shift in the digital-audio format to remove it.
If things like DVD-Audio ever take off, maybe higher-bitrate encoded audio will take off.
It's over. If not for Paramount needing to squeeze every last red cent out of their cash cow it wouldn't (shouldn't) even be on TV anymore.
And red cent isn't even a good term because there is no life left in the Star Trek franchise, Voyage attests to that.
With the passing of Rodenberry, Star Trek too should be allowed to die with whatever dignity it's got left. Each new series takes a little away from the magic that Trek was. Watch the original episodes on Sci-Fi and you'll understand.
I actually sent Slashdot a pointer to this number months ago, but as usuall they ignore any valuable info sent their way. :-) It's by a Chinese company named Shinco and looks pretty neat.
l e/951.htm
It seems to be a much better solution than the in-dash portable PC-MP3 player. You get MP3s off a CD-R/RW and you can watch SVCD/VCDs and a wired remote all for the same price as an MP3 player alone!
In case anybody's wondering, SVCD is a newer Mpeg2 format which supports Dolby Digital sound and SVHS quality video on standard CDs.
http://www.china-shinco.com/product/svcd/portab
Yeah, nice. You have to download a program first just so you can download the movie.
No thanks.
I can see this being a problem. What if your cable company has multi-user modems and prohibits the setting up of your own proxy?
I have MediaOne/RR cable and they charge $15 more per IP# yet don't give any more bandwidth to go along with it. If they really wanted to they could officially outlaw proxies.
Being that this game was released a while ago for the PC and I haven't heard about it since, I wonder if a Linux port will even matter?
Of course for you Linux-heads you'ld say, "everything matters", but I just don't see this as the case. How big is the Linux gaming market anyways? Sure there are plenty of Linux servers, but how many of those are equiped to play a 3d-accelerated game (3dfx only?), and what percentage of those make up the home market? Mighty small I immagine.
I'd dare to say there are probably 10x as many 3d-accelerated Mac's and they're probably a tiny numbered compared to comparably equipped Win PCs.
It'll be pretty funny tho if Linux (game) releases start happening before Mac releases do.
I remember when I was a kid I went to the Smithsonian Air & Space museum in DC and they had a display with a small sliver of a moon rock you could actually touch. What a thrill for me! If only enthusiasm could be built up for the space program again. It seems we could get to Mars in my lifetime (I'm 31) if the desire was there. I bet if China sends a mission to Mars we'd be there in a minute.
This is pretty interesting. A company with one of the biggest movie/music library around and a member of the DVD Consortium releases a DVD player with region locks that are easily defeated.
The only way I could forsee this happening was if Sony wanted to build up even more PR in the West. What better way to make an imported Playstation2 more attractive than by:
A) Allowing regional DVDs to play on machine. (You can bet this won't last long)
B) Making it illegal to import. (Nothing like making something forbidden to build demand for it)
I loved the Lynx. It was the most sophisticated color portable at the time, beating out the game-boy easily (won't it ever die?). Of course, as Atari usually was, they had the technology behind them but no support.
BTW, the CD-Rom add-on for the Jag was pretty cool because it made the thing look like a toilet! How's that for forshadowing? Destined for the crapper...
Then we wouldn't have to deal with folks like me going for cheap laughs with this old hackneyed joke.
:)
Bahaha.
Yeah, yeah, we've heard it all before. Magnetic storage has been around way too long. Break out the 4000gig holographic cubes!