MIDI sounds different on every system you play it on. This is because the MIDI file only contains note information. The voice of each instrument is different on every machine. From the pictures, you can see he has a high quality Roland MIDI sequencer. Therefore it makes sense that it would sound better on that than on most of our cheap soundcards.
You know, there are going to be so many steps that this audio goes through, that having the best soundcard will not make too much of a difference. First, it goes from CD to digital file. If you use uncompressed audio, there is no loss, but you will find that a 1000 CD collection starts to really take up space uncompressed. Next, it goes to your soundcard's A/D converter. Then through your cables to your amp. I imagine that the computer is rather far away from your stereo, since audiophiles hate the fan and HD noise of PCs. This cable length will degrade quality. Then you have your stereo's preamp and amp. These are big factors in quality, then your speakers. It might be best to use a digital connection to your amplifier, which skips several steps.
If your amp does not have a digital connection, perhaps the best thing to do would be to buy a USB soundcard dongle. These are inexpensive, many are quite high quality, and your could minimize the cable audio loss by using a long USB cable and a short audio cable. Check out Creative's Soundblaster EX models.
I think the problem is that Blizzard's tech support department is horribly over taxed. Not only have they greatly expanded their user base, but they are finding out the hard way that people whine a whole lot more when they are paying a monthy fee then a one time sum.
I don't know about this. Linux Geeks really don't have the eye to make an appealing desktop. Microsoft's and Apple's (especially Apple's) UIs are the results of lots of studies, then professional cooperation between graphic artists, professional animators, and programmers. With an open source project like this, it tends to be a mish-mash of gaudy concept effects in odd places stuck in by guys who's idea of a perfect GUI is a VT1000 terminal. If they could all get together and hire some real graphic consultants, then maybe they could come up with somethat is really appealing and easy to use. If you use a Mac, after the first minute or so you don't even notice the effects, they are just part of the experence (unless you are using an old G3). The same is true of Windows XP much subtler alpha transparency effects.
Wasn't there some guy building logic games out of Lego DACTA? With a couple dozen of those and a hand crank you could make an infinite state machine, right?
But in order to convert the DATA file to any format you want, it has to be in a format, after all, it is audio. Also, if they are going to make it easy to convert, then there would be a standard format to convert from.
Actually, I own a small IT company, and we often dispose of people's PCs that they do not want to invest the money in to fix, or are just broken. Often, there are one or two pieces in these systems that are worth keeping, and every once and awhile we get a fully functioning system. Mixing and matching parts can lead to some nice PCs for free. Right now, our best example of this is our server, which is a P3 1.13 GHz with 640MB of RAM, 30 GB hard drive, 2 CD Burners and 3Com Managed NIC, which cost exactly $0, put together from processors and RAM pulled from dead systems going to be recycled.
Maybe one of these services could consider a plan where if you rented a song for a set amount of time, it would become "yours", or at least unexpireable. That way I could experement with new artists, and get rid of them the next month, but my favorites would stay on my computer if I ever decide to stop subscribing. Another idea is to have the subscription rental service, then have discounts on "buying" the music you rent. For instance, $15 a month for unlimited rental of music, and $0.49 to buy any one of those songs.
In my opinion, the most common killer is spyware. With $400 computers, people are more reluctant to clean their hard drive every 4 months and take security precautions then to just throw the computer in the trash and head back to walmart.
This may seem like a lot, and it is for applications like MP3 players and cameras, but if you want to use Flash like a hard drive, data gets overwritten much faster. That is why you can't just install Windows or Linux on a Flash card, and have it work more than a couple of days. The virtual memory gets written over and over again. There are special OSes for flash memory, distros of linux, and things like Windows XP Embedded that are written not to trash the Flash memory they are on.
Those are the most expensive pieces of bent plexiglass that I have ever saw. Come on people, you could save $30 by buying a $5 piece of accrylic from Home Depot and bending it in your oven.
It is more of a proof of concept. After all, they want to make sure they can fit and power a CPU in the form factor they want before they spend years writing its OS in assembler and binary to fit in its teeny memory. Once they know the hardware works, they start working on the software. Oh, and firmware upgrades would be easy. Simply put it next to your microwave and punch in the exact right defrost program, and volla!, version 2.0.
The word on the street is that they had to delay the game until Blu-ray came out, as they couldn't squeeze all the necissary racism onto a standard CD or DVD.
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MIDI sounds different on every system you play it on. This is because the MIDI file only contains note information. The voice of each instrument is different on every machine. From the pictures, you can see he has a high quality Roland MIDI sequencer. Therefore it makes sense that it would sound better on that than on most of our cheap soundcards.
You know, there are going to be so many steps that this audio goes through, that having the best soundcard will not make too much of a difference. First, it goes from CD to digital file. If you use uncompressed audio, there is no loss, but you will find that a 1000 CD collection starts to really take up space uncompressed. Next, it goes to your soundcard's A/D converter. Then through your cables to your amp. I imagine that the computer is rather far away from your stereo, since audiophiles hate the fan and HD noise of PCs. This cable length will degrade quality. Then you have your stereo's preamp and amp. These are big factors in quality, then your speakers. It might be best to use a digital connection to your amplifier, which skips several steps.
If your amp does not have a digital connection, perhaps the best thing to do would be to buy a USB soundcard dongle. These are inexpensive, many are quite high quality, and your could minimize the cable audio loss by using a long USB cable and a short audio cable. Check out Creative's Soundblaster EX models.
Opps!
Then lock yourself in your shed for a week. I think the whole point is the "out of this world experience".
I think the problem is that Blizzard's tech support department is horribly over taxed. Not only have they greatly expanded their user base, but they are finding out the hard way that people whine a whole lot more when they are paying a monthy fee then a one time sum.
2 min 30 sec...
No, at this rate we will have 4.0 GHz P4s and Duke Nukem Forever on our PCs in 32 years.
I don't know about this. Linux Geeks really don't have the eye to make an appealing desktop. Microsoft's and Apple's (especially Apple's) UIs are the results of lots of studies, then professional cooperation between graphic artists, professional animators, and programmers. With an open source project like this, it tends to be a mish-mash of gaudy concept effects in odd places stuck in by guys who's idea of a perfect GUI is a VT1000 terminal. If they could all get together and hire some real graphic consultants, then maybe they could come up with somethat is really appealing and easy to use. If you use a Mac, after the first minute or so you don't even notice the effects, they are just part of the experence (unless you are using an old G3). The same is true of Windows XP much subtler alpha transparency effects.
I will chip in 1 slightly used 3 pronged US power cable, black.
I agree? What happens if Microsoft fixes the majority of the problems and complaints that plague IE? What will /.ers' do?
It is a DLP projector. Read the article, it says it about 4 times.
I believe the whole deal is that it DOES support iTunes encrypted AAC. Otherwise it would just be an mpeg4 audio file.
Its the amount of money, in dollars, microsoft will lose on hardware when they sell it next year...
Wasn't there some guy building logic games out of Lego DACTA? With a couple dozen of those and a hand crank you could make an infinite state machine, right?
Due out next month is a study that shows amazing results curing AIDS by implanting tumors into HIV positive patiences...
But in order to convert the DATA file to any format you want, it has to be in a format, after all, it is audio. Also, if they are going to make it easy to convert, then there would be a standard format to convert from.
And the mysterious black box is [drum roll...]: A Palm III
Yes, but there are reasonable limites, for instance, paying $60 for something that cost $2.50 to make (besides perscription drugs, that is).
Actually, I own a small IT company, and we often dispose of people's PCs that they do not want to invest the money in to fix, or are just broken. Often, there are one or two pieces in these systems that are worth keeping, and every once and awhile we get a fully functioning system. Mixing and matching parts can lead to some nice PCs for free. Right now, our best example of this is our server, which is a P3 1.13 GHz with 640MB of RAM, 30 GB hard drive, 2 CD Burners and 3Com Managed NIC, which cost exactly $0, put together from processors and RAM pulled from dead systems going to be recycled.
Maybe one of these services could consider a plan where if you rented a song for a set amount of time, it would become "yours", or at least unexpireable. That way I could experement with new artists, and get rid of them the next month, but my favorites would stay on my computer if I ever decide to stop subscribing. Another idea is to have the subscription rental service, then have discounts on "buying" the music you rent. For instance, $15 a month for unlimited rental of music, and $0.49 to buy any one of those songs.
In my opinion, the most common killer is spyware. With $400 computers, people are more reluctant to clean their hard drive every 4 months and take security precautions then to just throw the computer in the trash and head back to walmart.
This may seem like a lot, and it is for applications like MP3 players and cameras, but if you want to use Flash like a hard drive, data gets overwritten much faster. That is why you can't just install Windows or Linux on a Flash card, and have it work more than a couple of days. The virtual memory gets written over and over again. There are special OSes for flash memory, distros of linux, and things like Windows XP Embedded that are written not to trash the Flash memory they are on.
Those are the most expensive pieces of bent plexiglass that I have ever saw. Come on people, you could save $30 by buying a $5 piece of accrylic from Home Depot and bending it in your oven.
It is more of a proof of concept. After all, they want to make sure they can fit and power a CPU in the form factor they want before they spend years writing its OS in assembler and binary to fit in its teeny memory. Once they know the hardware works, they start working on the software. Oh, and firmware upgrades would be easy. Simply put it next to your microwave and punch in the exact right defrost program, and volla!, version 2.0.
The word on the street is that they had to delay the game until Blu-ray came out, as they couldn't squeeze all the necissary racism onto a standard CD or DVD.