True, true. Throwing out VHS would be bad. I've been converting mine to AVI but after creating 300G of AVIs I have barely dented my VHS collection. But.. If you go and re-watch your VHS tapes.. that is a perfect time to convert them to AVI. Just get an ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon TV Card, and SB Live Platinum or other soundcard with *RCA AUDIO INPUTS*, a Ground Loop Buzz Isolator from RadioShack, and virtualdub from www.virtualdub.com.....
And yes, lots of stuff does not get released to DVD. But alot of it is released to AVI on the internet.:)
And what you mention about a DVD changer not storing more than 4 discs speaks to what I am saying -- on a harddrive you have no limits other than space. (Though, I should add, there ARE standalone 200 dvd changers. But they will break. I've never seen a 200-anything changer last more than 5 years.)
[rant]
Really, the age of standalone media players are OVER, people.
Just get a video card with TV ($30).
If closeness is an issue, get a wireless keyboard mouse ($100 Logitec) and/or an infrared receiver ($30 @ www.irman.com).
Buying a separate standalone player is stupid. All standalone players break. I have owned 6 VCRs, 4 cd players, and 3 stereos in the past 15 years. Everything breaks. And the more stuff you have, the more often something is in repair.
But we're slashdot readers right? We're all guaranteed to always have a suitable computer for the rest of our lives, right? Then why spend additional money for more redundant hardware? Computers are easier to repair too.
There is no point in owning a cd player or VCR. Hell, my computer can record a tv show while simultaneously pumping music to every room in the house without a glitch. (While also compressing video in the background and downloading from newsgroups.) And it's only 900mHz with 256M ram. Imagine what people with a real comuter can do.
Give it up. The standalone player days are over.
[/rant]
By the way, if anyone wants a lighter approach to the topic of clones, tune in to MTV's "Clone High", a new animated series that premiered last monday at 10:30PM. (Originally aired on Teletoon in Canada in the last 6 months I believe.)
The main characters are Abe Lincoln, Joan Of Arc, Ghandi (all highschoolers), along with J.F.K., Van Gogh, and many others.
I'm very anti-MTV but they have always had good series. (Aeon Flux, The Maxx, Daria, Beavis & Butt-head, The Head, Liquid Television, Cartoon Sushi, hell even 3-South is semi-tolerable.)
Can you hook 4 dual-analog joysticks to a pc? No. If 4 people want to play, you share keyboards, maybe one person gets a joystick. For 4 person games, that is most decidedly inferior.
All roms on 1 disc? I think so. Playstations play DVD9 (9 gig) dvd discs. A sample directory list I have shows 1800 roms taking 2.7 gigs. There are about 4000 roms which means the total can be extrapolated to 5.9 gigs. PLENTY OF ROOM FOR ALL THE ROMS. And if not, a disc-swap method could easily be used.
Unfortunately PS2Mame only supports 30 roms on the disc. You burn the IP address of your server into the disc, and it gets other roms from your computer.
Either way:
1) you are wrong
2) you can play EVERY GAME on your playstation. (Currently, a pc is required to do more than 30 unless you want to burn many copies of the disc, but eventually a dvd9 will be enough.)
I concded that for certain games that may not be desireable, butfor party games (ie more-than-2-player) it is definitey superior.
It is also cheaper. Mod chip = $20-$80, install=$80ish. You can mail your playstation and have it returned modded for $120-$160 counting return shipping. That is cheaper than the $300 price included, and saves one more input on your television (mine's full now that I got a PS2... Only having 3 inputs is very limiting.)
PS2Mame exists and is under development. No matter how good your cabinet may be, PS2 controllers are more fun to use than buttons and joysticks and keyboards.... (Unless it's a trackball game, then use your computer...)
Theoretically, you could fit EVERY rom on one dvd-r. That would be a kick ass disc.
Well.... I suppose it would be worth a try. I have no clue what card is in the machine. I really want to run liminati under Windows2000 though... I wish there was a way to truly emulate the old DOS so that Luminati would work again! Grr!
If you are really inclined to send that all the way to D.C. USA.... I'd let you.:):)
The point is that it doesn't work on this computer. Who cares what kind of video card it has? It's a 486. It's crap. I already have 3 computers, I don't need this one and am never going to use it. It's crap. I already said it had no sound card. I am not interested in working on a computer for one program. I am interested in making this program work under windows:)
Oh, it can run it. But it's CRAP. Very jerky and non fluid. It actually looked good on a Pentium 75, but this is like a 486 20. Graphics cards come into play and my grandfather (whose computer this was) was NOT into multimedia. He died never having had a soundcard.
Anyone have ANY method for running LUMINATI.EXE under windows?
I'd really like to see it again...
Right now, I have an AVI of me pointing a camcorder at it with Misfits music in the background. I want something better than that.:)
But does anyone know where to get LUMINATI.exe? This was always my favorite. It had about 3 layers of graphics and did so by tinkering with the graphics card in such a way that it was impossible to run under windows.
Since I upgraded my (final) dos box to Win95 (thus ruining it), I have never been able to run it. Recently my grandfather died, and I inhereted his 486, but alas it is too slow to run it well. (His life's work fits on one cd, kinda sad.)
Anyway, if anyone could point me in the right direction it would be worth losing some karma over...:)
I got burned on the Asus too. Only time I ever deviated from ATI.
Just so you know (which you may already), video capture sound is aways done with the sound card, so don't expect integrated sound support with your video card. Video capture uses 2 cards. The SBLive Platinum is good because it has rca *inputs* which yield much better quality over identical conditions using a mini-jack ("headphone") cable [which most sound cards use].
Off topic, but most VCRs auto-set their clock nowadays, and also auto-fast-forward through commercials. My 2nd-to-last one even kept a menu of what was on the tape. You go into a menu, it has the date/time/title[sometimes], you up-arrow up to it, hit enter, it winds and plays automatically, then puts a check mark next to it to say it's watched.
Computers are getting more and more advanced. There is no need to have separate hardware. It just breaks and eventually needs a repair bill. After years of repairing my 6-disc, 12-disc, 200-disc, and 100-disc cd changers I have realized this, and no longer own a cd player (other than my playstation and cdroms). A computer can do everything, and it can do it better.
Get a capture card, and download Virtualdub from Virtualdub.Org.
Capture to raw HuffYUV. Capture at 512x384 or 640x480. Encode to xvid ( a superior form of divx playable by any divx5 player ), high quality... 200-350M an ep.
Got bad reception with your analog cable? Just download some free virtualdub plugings. Smartsmoother & Temporal smoother do wonders. Try sticking that in your TiVO and smoking it!
When harddrive is full, burn to DVD-R. 65 cents for a blank dvd-r is about 4.3 cents a show (Assuming 4.6G dvdr, 300M episode). That is cheaper than using VHS tapes, and more reliable as well. My lost cost-benefit analysis ov VHS tapes stated it was 12 cents to record a show on VHS. And my 8-year-old VHS tapes SUCK. And I buy high-end vcrs (current one has a digital color correction buffer, s-video out, yada yada. I don't even use the s-video out anymore -- my tv has 2 s-video ins - 1 for computer, 1 for playstation).
Play files on your computer with TV-OUT (ATI cards have s-video out). No need for a standalone player. YOU'RE READING SLASHDOT. YOU OBVIOUSLY ALREADY OWN A GOOD COMPUTER. As an added bonus, if you miss an episode, you can likely download it from IRC or winmx (legal if you already have access to that program, you are already allowed to possess a recording of it whether it is yours, or a tape or digital fascimile thereof that a friend gave you). Also you can your friends can back each other up in case of hardware failure.
Best is the cheap storage cost. Using *real* dvds would cost alot more (ie 60 minutes per disc instead of 300+ minutes per disc). Computers are more versatile. Data is longer lasting than any media. Where are your vinyl records? (mine are mp3s now) Where are your cassette tapes? (mine are mp3 now) Everything is going to end up on the computer anyway.
Stop fighting it. Boycot all standalone players. Do not buy VCRs, do not by PVRs, do not buy CD players, do not buy DVD players. Your computer can do it all already, and it will be cheaper in the short run.
STOP THE MADNESS.
After recording 420 8-hour tapes worth of shows I realized I had to start doing digital only. I now have over 1650 cds of video (not to mention 12000 mp3s), 480G of harddrive space totally full, and a dvd-burner waiting to be installed so I can burn stuff with more ease.
Okay, so I don't do time-shift. Big deal. The ATI software that comes with the all-in-wonder cards will do that, but I choose not to install it. I also have to do manual video editing (ie removing commercials), but that is mainly to save space and to not have to fast forward while watching. I have more control doing it myself.
All these people mentioning cygwin, and no one mentions 4DOS/4NT?
I'm sorry, but 4NT coupled with the correct ports of whatever unix utilities you use blows the pants of cygwin.
Few will believe me, and I'm sure my karma will be killed by this post, but I gotta be me.
Go to JPSoft.com for more info.
Honestly though, until you develop a good INI, set of aliases, and 4START.BAT, it's not that great. But compared to command.com it is the difference between zsh and sh. Totally.
That was cool. I have 3 computers. Me + wife + server. I think I'm going to put it on the server so we can play each other while sitting at our own computers!:)
thanks
With Cox cable in northern virginia, all channels are NOT digital. Only the additional ones (Which you pay per month) are. If you have video interference on the FOX network, for example (I did), then you will still have it with digital cable. It's a rip off.
On a possibly unrelated note, menuing has already been supported by analog cable for some years. If your TV has guide plus, you get full programming info even if you only have analog cable. It's quite convenient, and another reason not to bother going digital (here anyway).
Incidentally, it took me over 2 years, and 115 phone calls, to get Cox to come to my house 23 times, before installing an amplifier to help my shitty picture. They are total fucking morons.
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No, actually I believe U.S.A tops Russia by a good 30%.
Everything breaks. A computer is easier to fix than a DVD player or CD player. It's something I can do myself! :)
And yes, lots of stuff does not get released to DVD. But alot of it is released to AVI on the internet. :)
And what you mention about a DVD changer not storing more than 4 discs speaks to what I am saying -- on a harddrive you have no limits other than space. (Though, I should add, there ARE standalone 200 dvd changers. But they will break. I've never seen a 200-anything changer last more than 5 years.)
Just get a video card with TV ($30).
If closeness is an issue, get a wireless keyboard mouse ($100 Logitec) and/or an infrared receiver ($30 @ www.irman.com).
Buying a separate standalone player is stupid. All standalone players break. I have owned 6 VCRs, 4 cd players, and 3 stereos in the past 15 years. Everything breaks. And the more stuff you have, the more often something is in repair.
But we're slashdot readers right? We're all guaranteed to always have a suitable computer for the rest of our lives, right? Then why spend additional money for more redundant hardware? Computers are easier to repair too.
There is no point in owning a cd player or VCR. Hell, my computer can record a tv show while simultaneously pumping music to every room in the house without a glitch. (While also compressing video in the background and downloading from newsgroups.) And it's only 900mHz with 256M ram. Imagine what people with a real comuter can do.
Give it up. The standalone player days are over. [/rant]
The main characters are Abe Lincoln, Joan Of Arc, Ghandi (all highschoolers), along with J.F.K., Van Gogh, and many others.
I'm very anti-MTV but they have always had good series. (Aeon Flux, The Maxx, Daria, Beavis & Butt-head, The Head, Liquid Television, Cartoon Sushi, hell even 3-South is semi-tolerable.)
I wish I could mod that post up. That was very intelligent.
Here's something informative: You're an asshole.
Please add me to your foes list. I hate being loved by everyone.
It worked without training. It worked for all menus for all programs, even ones not designed to be voice-recognizable. It worked in one try.
This is a problem?
Does that make mules horses?
All roms on 1 disc? I think so. Playstations play DVD9 (9 gig) dvd discs. A sample directory list I have shows 1800 roms taking 2.7 gigs. There are about 4000 roms which means the total can be extrapolated to 5.9 gigs. PLENTY OF ROOM FOR ALL THE ROMS. And if not, a disc-swap method could easily be used.
Unfortunately PS2Mame only supports 30 roms on the disc. You burn the IP address of your server into the disc, and it gets other roms from your computer.
Either way: 1) you are wrong
2) you can play EVERY GAME on your playstation. (Currently, a pc is required to do more than 30 unless you want to burn many copies of the disc, but eventually a dvd9 will be enough.)
I concded that for certain games that may not be desireable, butfor party games (ie more-than-2-player) it is definitey superior.
It is also cheaper. Mod chip = $20-$80, install=$80ish. You can mail your playstation and have it returned modded for $120-$160 counting return shipping. That is cheaper than the $300 price included, and saves one more input on your television (mine's full now that I got a PS2... Only having 3 inputs is very limiting.)
Theoretically, you could fit EVERY rom on one dvd-r. That would be a kick ass disc.
If you are really inclined to send that all the way to D.C. USA .... I'd let you. :) :)
The point is that it doesn't work on this computer. Who cares what kind of video card it has? It's a 486. It's crap. I already have 3 computers, I don't need this one and am never going to use it. It's crap. I already said it had no sound card. I am not interested in working on a computer for one program. I am interested in making this program work under windows :)
Oh, it can run it. But it's CRAP. Very jerky and non fluid. It actually looked good on a Pentium 75, but this is like a 486 20. Graphics cards come into play and my grandfather (whose computer this was) was NOT into multimedia. He died never having had a soundcard.
Anyone have ANY method for running LUMINATI.EXE under windows? I'd really like to see it again... Right now, I have an AVI of me pointing a camcorder at it with Misfits music in the background. I want something better than that. :)
wasn't luminati the sequal to timeless?
[which was in turn the sequel to something else]
??
But does anyone know where to get LUMINATI.exe? This was always my favorite. It had about 3 layers of graphics and did so by tinkering with the graphics card in such a way that it was impossible to run under windows.
Since I upgraded my (final) dos box to Win95 (thus ruining it), I have never been able to run it. Recently my grandfather died, and I inhereted his 486, but alas it is too slow to run it well. (His life's work fits on one cd, kinda sad.)
Anyway, if anyone could point me in the right direction it would be worth losing some karma over... :)
A good example is suicide bombers. They would value their life more if they were athiests.
This is an extreme example, but it illustrates the point well.
I got burned on the Asus too. Only time I ever deviated from ATI. Just so you know (which you may already), video capture sound is aways done with the sound card, so don't expect integrated sound support with your video card. Video capture uses 2 cards. The SBLive Platinum is good because it has rca *inputs* which yield much better quality over identical conditions using a mini-jack ("headphone") cable [which most sound cards use].
I wish I had mod points. bwahahhahaha
Off topic, but most VCRs auto-set their clock nowadays, and also auto-fast-forward through commercials. My 2nd-to-last one even kept a menu of what was on the tape. You go into a menu, it has the date/time/title[sometimes], you up-arrow up to it, hit enter, it winds and plays automatically, then puts a check mark next to it to say it's watched.
Get a capture card, and download Virtualdub from Virtualdub.Org.
Capture to raw HuffYUV. Capture at 512x384 or 640x480. Encode to xvid ( a superior form of divx playable by any divx5 player ), high quality ... 200-350M an ep.
Got bad reception with your analog cable? Just download some free virtualdub plugings. Smartsmoother & Temporal smoother do wonders. Try sticking that in your TiVO and smoking it!
When harddrive is full, burn to DVD-R. 65 cents for a blank dvd-r is about 4.3 cents a show (Assuming 4.6G dvdr, 300M episode). That is cheaper than using VHS tapes, and more reliable as well. My lost cost-benefit analysis ov VHS tapes stated it was 12 cents to record a show on VHS. And my 8-year-old VHS tapes SUCK. And I buy high-end vcrs (current one has a digital color correction buffer, s-video out, yada yada. I don't even use the s-video out anymore -- my tv has 2 s-video ins - 1 for computer, 1 for playstation).
Play files on your computer with TV-OUT (ATI cards have s-video out). No need for a standalone player. YOU'RE READING SLASHDOT. YOU OBVIOUSLY ALREADY OWN A GOOD COMPUTER. As an added bonus, if you miss an episode, you can likely download it from IRC or winmx (legal if you already have access to that program, you are already allowed to possess a recording of it whether it is yours, or a tape or digital fascimile thereof that a friend gave you). Also you can your friends can back each other up in case of hardware failure.
Best is the cheap storage cost. Using *real* dvds would cost alot more (ie 60 minutes per disc instead of 300+ minutes per disc). Computers are more versatile. Data is longer lasting than any media. Where are your vinyl records? (mine are mp3s now) Where are your cassette tapes? (mine are mp3 now) Everything is going to end up on the computer anyway.
Stop fighting it. Boycot all standalone players. Do not buy VCRs, do not by PVRs, do not buy CD players, do not buy DVD players. Your computer can do it all already, and it will be cheaper in the short run.
STOP THE MADNESS.
After recording 420 8-hour tapes worth of shows I realized I had to start doing digital only. I now have over 1650 cds of video (not to mention 12000 mp3s), 480G of harddrive space totally full, and a dvd-burner waiting to be installed so I can burn stuff with more ease.
Okay, so I don't do time-shift. Big deal. The ATI software that comes with the all-in-wonder cards will do that, but I choose not to install it. I also have to do manual video editing (ie removing commercials), but that is mainly to save space and to not have to fast forward while watching. I have more control doing it myself.
Fear me.
I'm sorry, but 4NT coupled with the correct ports of whatever unix utilities you use blows the pants of cygwin.
Few will believe me, and I'm sure my karma will be killed by this post, but I gotta be me.
Go to JPSoft.com for more info.
Honestly though, until you develop a good INI, set of aliases, and 4START.BAT, it's not that great. But compared to command.com it is the difference between zsh and sh. Totally.
That was cool. I have 3 computers. Me + wife + server. I think I'm going to put it on the server so we can play each other while sitting at our own computers! :)
thanks
On a possibly unrelated note, menuing has already been supported by analog cable for some years. If your TV has guide plus, you get full programming info even if you only have analog cable. It's quite convenient, and another reason not to bother going digital (here anyway).
Incidentally, it took me over 2 years, and 115 phone calls, to get Cox to come to my house 23 times, before installing an amplifier to help my shitty picture. They are total fucking morons.