* Full 128-bit color processing technology for true-to-life 3D environments and crafted 3D characters with dramatic contrast
* Intellisample anti-aliasing technology with updated 6XS mode for realistic graphics free of jags and hiccups
* Video mixing renderer (VMR) supports multiple video windows with full quality and features in each window
* 2048 x 1536 maximum 3D resolution
* Complete DX 9.0 implementation; AGP 8X
* Dual 400MHz RAMDACs; 0.13-micron process technology for high-level integration and clock speeds
* DVD and HDTV-ready MPEG-2 decoding supports resolutions up to 1920 x 1080i; DVI for compatibility with flat-panel monitors with resolutions higher than 1600 x 1200; dual DVO ports
Jeez, who encoded the video? Even the "High" stream looks like dog crap. Ugh. I bet they paid some outside media processing place a hefty sum too. Can't even watch the videos.
How the Lockout System Works This is a very brief description. Consult Nintendo's patent for detailed information.
Identical chips are fitted to the console and inside every game cartridge. Depending on whether a certain pin (pin 4) of the chip is grounded or at +5V, the chip functions as either a lock or as a key. Inside the console, pin 4 of the lockout chip is at +5V (lock), and inside the game cartridge pin 4 is at 0V (key).
This was a hardware key, so the hardware you're using that has an EEPROM might be emulating/faking the key, or it might actually contain a real key. Who knows.
FYI, there's a much better tool out there for video extraction on the Tivo called TyTool. TivoApp is buggy and slow, and doesn't decode/demux the streams for you automatically like TyTool does. It also doesn't require a zillion hacks to get it working.
Sorry, but you're wrong. No ATI All-In-Wonder card supports MPEG1 or MPEG2 hardware encoding. It's all software driven (licensed from Ligos) And it's filth.
There are a few hardware MPEG2 encoder/decoder's out there that are PVR's. A few that come to mind are:
* Sigma Designs REALMagic DVR -- My personal favorite, has had the best quality so far, both at low bitrates and high.
* Hauppauge WinTV PVR -- It's decent quality for those on a budget. Encodes high-bitrate MPEG2 like a charm.
A webpage detailing and reviewing a ton of MPEG1/MPEG2 encoders (both hardware and software) can be found here.
No ATI All-In-Wonder card has ever offered hardware MPEG2 or MPEG1 encoding, just software.
And the quality sucks. You just can't get decent realtime software MPEG1/MPEG2 on the PC. You're better off recording into something lossless (huffyUV) or something high bitrate (perhaps divx at 100% quality) and converting to MPEG2 later on using CCE or TMPGEnc.
Not only does nVidia never pay attention to any of that, nor do any of the review sites.
Huh? ATI has consistantly failed in the 2D department. Search their knowledge base/support archives for problems regarding tool bars not refreshing, icons only half-drawing on the screen, anti aliasing fonts rebooting(!) windows, etc. etc. the list goes on and on.
If you're speaking of the D-SUB image quality of nVidia cards, I'll agree that on some brands of cards, they can't handle high resolutions very well. If you read any of the articles on the GeForceFX, it states that they resolved the 2d image issues regarding D-SUB output. But more improtantly, who gives a crap about D-SUB anymore? DVI is the future.
Speaking of DVI, my ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon can't properly handle DVI resolutions above 1024x768, while my GeForce3 Ti500 handles it just fine.
ATI != best 2D quality (and neither does nVidia) and I wish people would get the ATI myth out of their head.
I did this on an older style Microsoft Intellimouse, using a light blue LED from Radio Shack. And they're not kidding about losing responsiveness. I couldn't play Counter-Strike anymore or any other games which required me to move the mouse quickly. The mouse would just lose tracking and the cursor would freeze on the screen. I swapped the original red LED back in, and what do you know, it works fine again.
I don't recall the URL, but about a year ago someone did a comparison of about 10 different LED colors they tried in an optical mouse, and found that red is the best. (Duhh)
Huh? As far as I know, picpix stores the images on the filesystem (and not in the database). The database is used to track/manage the images, though..
Same goes for similar applications like Gallery, which newest version (v2.0, in progress) will use SQL to drive the backend, and will rely on your filesystem/webserver to serve the images.
There's your problem. You shouldn't be running a SQL server and a web server on the same box anyhow. IIS itself loves to allocate RAM (for session data, etc.) as well as access the hard drive, and when you have SQL trying to do the same thing..
If you're spending (say it with me) "real life" monies to advance yourself in a GAME, you are a loser.
And if your arguement is that this is for entertainment, well my friend, I only paid once for my copy of Soldier of Fortune II, and it's offered me endless hours of entertainment. Same with Half-Life.. Unreal Tournament.. Tribes.. WarCraft III.. Quake2.. etc..
I don't have to pay to advance my character or stats in these games. My level of fun isn't going to depend on whether I have some piece of "r4r3 ph4t l3wt" or if my character doesn't have a sword with +1 against ogres. I can just play, and not worry about such things. Nor do I have to pay a lame "monthly fee" to keep playing the game.
Consequently, EverQuest sucks the wang, and you all need to get lives.
Huh? This doesn't even make sense. THX is a certification. They have certifications for video systems (projectors/decoders/even "screens") as well as audio systems (decoders, amps)..
I'm pretty much failing to see where you're coming from on your rant. And just what IS your rant? That Lucasfilm has a secret plot to monopolize theatres using it's THX certification? Give me a break.
However I highly doubt that Mom and Pop are able to configure MoboMon, or even leave it alone if it came preconfigured.
This would be where a hardware solution would work perfectly. Someone just needs to come up with one (if there isn't one already; I just don't know of any off-hand.)
Also, the things you point out about water cooling could just as easily apply to air cooling. Does mom and pop know that they should be cleaning out their PC's case after xxx hours of usage? Or how to replace a defective fan?
If someone put together a well-built, well-designed watercooling system (perhaps already pre-installed in a case?) along with proper maintenance instructions, it would be ready for OEM use.
The only setup I've seen so far like this would be the Koolance cases. They come with all the equipment/tubing/etc. run for you. Just has a waterblock taped to the side of the case. You fill the system, install your hardware, attach the waterblock (same as a regular heatsink), and off you go. I believe the Koolance even has overheat protection built in (which will kill power to the system if it reaches a certain temp.)
If the wterpump dies in a water-cooled setup - Everything Dies.
That's only if you're a moron and don't have some sort of auto shutdown present on your system. Either through software, such as motherboard monitor, or through hardware.. though I haven't seen too many hardware devices for this task. I just rely on Motherboard Monitor. If my CPU or GPU gets too hot, it just shuts down immediately.
Also, if you're extremely paranoid, no one's stopping you from running two smaller watercooling pumps. I've seen a professional watercooling kit sold that had two pumps inside of a tank, and one would take over should the other fail. Pretty slick.
Slashdot Mirror
Maybe you should check the specs next time:
* 128MB DDR-2 memory
* Full 128-bit color processing technology for true-to-life 3D environments and crafted 3D characters with dramatic contrast
* Intellisample anti-aliasing technology with updated 6XS mode for realistic graphics free of jags and hiccups
* Video mixing renderer (VMR) supports multiple video windows with full quality and features in each window
* 2048 x 1536 maximum 3D resolution
* Complete DX 9.0 implementation; AGP 8X
* Dual 400MHz RAMDACs; 0.13-micron process technology for high-level integration and clock speeds
* DVD and HDTV-ready MPEG-2 decoding supports resolutions up to 1920 x 1080i; DVI for compatibility with flat-panel monitors with resolutions higher than 1600 x 1200; dual DVO ports
Last I checked the GeForceFX is $400, available for pre-order from BestBuy.com
Oh, you mean like this and this?
Nvidia rules. I just wish someone had "borrowed" (re: pirated) that technology demo, I'd love to try and run it on my PC..
Did anyone notice the very nice usage of the 12 monkeys logo? Sweetness.
Jeez, who encoded the video? Even the "High" stream looks like dog crap. Ugh. I bet they paid some outside media processing place a hefty sum too. Can't even watch the videos.
From the NES txt file I linked to:
How the Lockout System Works
This is a very brief description. Consult Nintendo's patent for detailed information.
Identical chips are fitted to the console and inside every game cartridge. Depending on whether a certain pin (pin 4) of the chip is grounded or at +5V, the chip functions as either a lock or as a key. Inside the console, pin 4 of the lockout chip is at +5V (lock), and inside the game cartridge pin 4 is at 0V (key).
This was a hardware key, so the hardware you're using that has an EEPROM might be emulating/faking the key, or it might actually contain a real key. Who knows.
FYI, there's a much better tool out there for video extraction on the Tivo called TyTool. TivoApp is buggy and slow, and doesn't decode/demux the streams for you automatically like TyTool does. It also doesn't require a zillion hacks to get it working.
Sorry, but you're wrong on both the NES and SNES protection. They did have protection, and it was circumvented (as usual):
x t
c h. htm
NES:
http://nintendope.iodized.net/thisoldnes/lock.t
SNES:
http://www.thepong.com/Sites/Left/Nintendo/SNTe
Sorry, but your ATI doesn't do hardware MPEG2 encoding/decoding-- while a WinTV PVR or Emuzed Maui PVR will.
A hardware MPEG2 encoding/decoding board is what is needed for the Media Center OS.
VDMSound.
Sorry, but you're wrong. No ATI All-In-Wonder card supports MPEG1 or MPEG2 hardware encoding. It's all software driven (licensed from Ligos) And it's filth.
There are a few hardware MPEG2 encoder/decoder's out there that are PVR's. A few that come to mind are:
* Sigma Designs REALMagic DVR -- My personal favorite, has had the best quality so far, both at low bitrates and high.
* Hauppauge WinTV PVR -- It's decent quality for those on a budget. Encodes high-bitrate MPEG2 like a charm.
A webpage detailing and reviewing a ton of MPEG1/MPEG2 encoders (both hardware and software) can be found here.
No ATI All-In-Wonder card has ever offered hardware MPEG2 or MPEG1 encoding, just software.
And the quality sucks. You just can't get decent realtime software MPEG1/MPEG2 on the PC. You're better off recording into something lossless (huffyUV) or something high bitrate (perhaps divx at 100% quality) and converting to MPEG2 later on using CCE or TMPGEnc.
Not only does nVidia never pay attention to any of that, nor do any of the review sites.
Huh? ATI has consistantly failed in the 2D department. Search their knowledge base/support archives for problems regarding tool bars not refreshing, icons only half-drawing on the screen, anti aliasing fonts rebooting(!) windows, etc. etc. the list goes on and on.
If you're speaking of the D-SUB image quality of nVidia cards, I'll agree that on some brands of cards, they can't handle high resolutions very well. If you read any of the articles on the GeForceFX, it states that they resolved the 2d image issues regarding D-SUB output. But more improtantly, who gives a crap about D-SUB anymore? DVI is the future.
Speaking of DVI, my ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon can't properly handle DVI resolutions above 1024x768, while my GeForce3 Ti500 handles it just fine.
ATI != best 2D quality (and neither does nVidia) and I wish people would get the ATI myth out of their head.
I did this on an older style Microsoft Intellimouse, using a light blue LED from Radio Shack. And they're not kidding about losing responsiveness. I couldn't play Counter-Strike anymore or any other games which required me to move the mouse quickly. The mouse would just lose tracking and the cursor would freeze on the screen. I swapped the original red LED back in, and what do you know, it works fine again.
I don't recall the URL, but about a year ago someone did a comparison of about 10 different LED colors they tried in an optical mouse, and found that red is the best. (Duhh)
Huh? As far as I know, picpix stores the images on the filesystem (and not in the database). The database is used to track/manage the images, though..
Same goes for similar applications like Gallery, which newest version (v2.0, in progress) will use SQL to drive the backend, and will rely on your filesystem/webserver to serve the images.
There's your problem. You shouldn't be running a SQL server and a web server on the same box anyhow. IIS itself loves to allocate RAM (for session data, etc.) as well as access the hard drive, and when you have SQL trying to do the same thing..
If I remember correctly, the CD-RW blanks I have at home (14x compatable) say they are "guaranteed" for 100 re-writes.
Also, what speed are you burning on these CD-RW's at? Maybe you should try lowering the recording speed and seeing if you still get the drop outs.
If you're spending (say it with me) "real life" monies to advance yourself in a GAME, you are a loser.
And if your arguement is that this is for entertainment, well my friend, I only paid once for my copy of Soldier of Fortune II, and it's offered me endless hours of entertainment. Same with Half-Life.. Unreal Tournament.. Tribes.. WarCraft III.. Quake2.. etc..
I don't have to pay to advance my character or stats in these games. My level of fun isn't going to depend on whether I have some piece of "r4r3 ph4t l3wt" or if my character doesn't have a sword with +1 against ogres. I can just play, and not worry about such things. Nor do I have to pay a lame "monthly fee" to keep playing the game.
Consequently, EverQuest sucks the wang, and you all need to get lives.
Yeah, my heatsink just commited suicide too!
Apparently gripping onto all three tabs on each side of the socket just isn't enough!
We need to devise a solution where the heatsink and CPU are permanantly joined! Yeah, that's the ticket!
Just don't hit the heatsink, or you'll rip the die clean off the board.
My understanding is that she's just left her hosting duties. She is still very much a producer of the show (as she has always been..)
Huh? This doesn't even make sense. THX is a certification. They have certifications for video systems (projectors/decoders/even "screens") as well as audio systems (decoders, amps)..
I'm pretty much failing to see where you're coming from on your rant. And just what IS your rant? That Lucasfilm has a secret plot to monopolize theatres using it's THX certification? Give me a break.
However I highly doubt that Mom and Pop are able to configure MoboMon, or even leave it alone if it came preconfigured.
This would be where a hardware solution would work perfectly. Someone just needs to come up with one (if there isn't one already; I just don't know of any off-hand.)
Also, the things you point out about water cooling could just as easily apply to air cooling. Does mom and pop know that they should be cleaning out their PC's case after xxx hours of usage? Or how to replace a defective fan?
If someone put together a well-built, well-designed watercooling system (perhaps already pre-installed in a case?) along with proper maintenance instructions, it would be ready for OEM use.
The only setup I've seen so far like this would be the Koolance cases. They come with all the equipment/tubing/etc. run for you. Just has a waterblock taped to the side of the case. You fill the system, install your hardware, attach the waterblock (same as a regular heatsink), and off you go. I believe the Koolance even has overheat protection built in (which will kill power to the system if it reaches a certain temp.)
That's why you use DISTILLED WATER, which is a poor conductor of electricity, especially compared to regular water.
And why would your tubing get a hole? Are you mixing acid in with your water? Sheesh.
If a watercooling system is built/designed well, it will last a long while without maintenance of any kind.
If the wterpump dies in a water-cooled setup - Everything Dies.
That's only if you're a moron and don't have some sort of auto shutdown present on your system. Either through software, such as motherboard monitor, or through hardware.. though I haven't seen too many hardware devices for this task. I just rely on Motherboard Monitor. If my CPU or GPU gets too hot, it just shuts down immediately.
Also, if you're extremely paranoid, no one's stopping you from running two smaller watercooling pumps. I've seen a professional watercooling kit sold that had two pumps inside of a tank, and one would take over should the other fail. Pretty slick.
Or they could just run Microsoft's developer's/desktop SQL engine for free.