Vista restricts playback of *some* media. Media flagged as DRM controlled, in whatever internal fashion that is.
For those businesses or persons wanting to use it as an industry app, it's easy - just use the raw files your obtained from your source. Because in my industry, I get those files all the time, and if you aren't they have some 'splainin' to do.
I frequently sat v-close to the sets and I could make out the pixels if I looked hard, but I'm convinced I wouldn't be able to tell if I was in the midst of combat in some fast-paced game. It may not be true, but it's true in my mind, and that's good enough for me:)
On a side note though.. 5 feet is pretty damned close (obv. depending on the size of the TV). I'm often 5 or 6 feet away from my 27" CRT (which has an effective resolution of 320x240, which I game on all the time), but sitting that close to a 32-42-52+ just seems scary to me.
DVDs can be 480i OR 480p, but considering the standard for 480p = 25 frames, and 480i=60 frames, and most televisions can't display more than 25 frames...
Guess what format most discs use:) The superior quality 480P that matches most TV refresh rates.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/480p
Re:Does 480p have anything to do with widescreen?
on
Wii Confirmed at 480p
·
· Score: 2, Informative
After researching on Wikipedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD
All DVD video in NTSC is restricted to 480 lines of resolution and there are several horizontal pixel ratings (eg: 720x480, 352x480, etc.) and some DVDs are only 240 lines of resolution.
Anyone out there that says "Wii suxx0rz for only being 480 I want my games to look as good as my rented DVDs on my high def TV" are deluding themselves.:)
Re:Does 480p have anything to do with widescreen?
on
Wii Confirmed at 480p
·
· Score: 1
DVDs are *typically* 480 and show on widescreen 480/720/1080 screens without any of those black bars, so I suppose it depends on the actual game.
The "480" is *lines* of resolution; I beleive width is variable? I could be wrong there.
I'm a big geek and I'd love to say "1080P ROXXORZ! ALL!! 4TW!!" but sadly, it isn't the case. Yes, a big-screen high-definition teleivision playing HDTV definately looks better than Channel 2 on your old 13". But that isn't an accurate comparison for most of the market.
I sold TVs for 8 years. I had big banks of them - Standard, ED, HD - even some exotic 1080p stuff that didn't run anything except a special demo disk in a special machine.
One particular corner was a perfect test area. We had a 480P, 720P, and 1080I television of the same make and line (it was an LG set of televisions). Of the hundreds (if not thousands) of customers I showed these sets to, running HD PBS 1080 feed via Satellite (beautiful show, btw) - 8 out of 10 people pointed at the 480P set and said it was superior quality. When pressed for why they made that choice, they usually said "it was a hunch" and that they couldn't really tell between the three.
All three TVs had v-high quality cables, and my "test subjects" were sitting approximately 8 feet away from these 42" sets, which were all hung in equal lighting at eye level.
Then I'd move the test subjects up close - 2 feet away or so - and we could easily count the physical pixels on the 480 screen, wheras you'd have to move your head much closer to count the pixels on the 1080 screen. We could all see that, yes, upon inspection we *know* that 1080 is better...
But then I pointed at the pricetags. $1000 for the 480, $1800 for the 720, and $2500 for the 1080. Guess which one I sold the most of. (most of my data culled from 1-2-3 years ago so pricing/details may vary).
Prime example; Galactic Civilizations II. Made headlines for selling so damn many copies. It's a very good game and it doesn't even have copy protection.
They're expectations of sales was doubled within the first month.
Good products rise.
But I suppose the 'industry' isn't intereted in stories like this; the various retailers are more interested in Madden XCXCII or NHL 254,200 (with the latest player skins!).
I do appreciate that when designing a "slick" looking product, you immediately assume consumers will pay more for your product. Using this "we aren't aiming for the lowest dollar" you can often throw a few extra bucks into quality parts (such as the USB ports, for example). Once 'price' is no longer a concern, it definately opens up doors. That's why I was quick to say 'compared with identical features' (which comparing a Mac Mini and an Acer Laptop are not).
No insinuation against mac users at all - I mentioned in another thread as well, that if you require a small, quiet machine (or the value they add are worth the money) and don't mind the missing other components (in this example, a windows OS; PCI slots; dual CD bays; etc), then the Mac Mini is definately the right buy for you. However, if you need all the features of the PC (as mentioned in the last parenthesis) and end up buying a Mac Mini because it looks sexy and is small, you fall into that "ignorant" category (vice versa would also apply).
With RAM pricing swooping up and down almost as often as Oil does, I'm suprised something like this hasn't come along sooner. Hopefully folks will start "playing nice" now.
I'm really hoping that this will increase the level of competition in the gaming industry, so we get more truly groundbreaking... awesome.../fun/ games released.
I'm getting pretty sick of the cookie cutter releases that just keep pouring onto the shelves.
Of course, worst case scenario is China will just take over writing all of our crap games and we'll shutdown all of dev studios and be stuck in the same place, just with cheaper games...
For the record, I just picked automobiles out of the air as a random example, I didn't actually research the numbers.:)
I'm a huge Nintendo fanboy - Mario theme is my ringtone, and I don't rush to answer it on a crowded bus - but my hatred for bending of statistics outweighs even Nintendo's giant size.
I'd like for all "Best EVAR!" statistics to change to accurately reflect the market and give us a *fair* sense of what is happening. Let's face it - who really cares that it sold 20 million units? Does the number 20,000,000 depict any particular milestone on it's own accord? Not particularly. The article is actually saying "the DS has sold 20 million units faster than any other gaming system ever made evar of all time!!!1".
In this particular instance I still think the DS will come out on top. But I'd rather see a relationary number - "The DS is selling 23% faster than any other console!" - and have that 23% adjusted for whatever factors may have changed over time.
My argument is probably best demonstrated in Movie Box Office results, as there is a huge variety of factors that can severely alter the outcome of statistics. Inflation of the dollar, the relatively value of a box office ticket, population (that has access to a theatre), etc. etc... If I'm not mistaken, Gone With The Wind is the alltime best selling movie after correcting for these factors. Not Titanic, as current non-adjusted statistics show. Call me old fashioned, but I'd really rather Leo didn't hold that title, even if he does lose to a girly movie like GwtW. (Though ET does come out near the top of the adjusted list as well)
I beleive fear is the primary culprit here. Many places I've worked for/with only allow internally developed library use... And I'm sure half of it is swiped, stolen, or 'inspired' by popular, free, open source, 3rd party libraries.
When a customer has a certain *need* in mind (eg: exterior color, small size, portability, quietness) it becomes one of the selling features of the product, and I fully agree with you and your examples - I personally don't mind stringing a long set of klunky cables from my TV to the media center PC that's stored in my closet because of it's noise levels. Those that don't have that option can't go that route.
What I was touching on was comparing two products with equal functionality, but one with a visually pleasing exterior physique. Mac Mini vs. Media PC obviously wouldn't qualify for such a comparison for several reasons.
Great point on the deeper design though. I never addressed it originally but UI design and ease of use are one of the most important factors in PC Development IMHO.
Is it sad that I got this huge wave of... I don't know the feeling... Pride? Overwhelming joy? It kind of feels like the feeling I got when a girl first said they liked me on IRC.
The overwhelming (almost literally.. *sniffle*) support for the Wii has really bolstered my hopes for Nintendo and I'm sure they'll do much better this time around. Watching companies cast aside their previous habits and adopt full-on support for the Wii is incredible.
And I picture it visually in my head - Ubi has 2 games in development, and everyone in the office goes down and checks out a beta. They all enjoy it so much and they all want in on the project. BAM, 7 more games in development.
For this fanboi, it puts a real big smile on my face.
Not necessarily, but it most likely will. Those devices that have been designed with a more attractive outward appearance typically goes through R&D, has an aesthetic designer to pay for, and the company knows it has a better looking product and charges extra for that.
If a company were to design a tower that looks phenomenal, with no detractions to usage or functionality, and they charged the same for them as a regular ol' box tower with identical functionality... Well then, we'd see an evolution of the market place. And thus commercialism and competition is born.
It takes a bold company to produce a better product and not mark up for it... But when they do, everyone wins.
These figures are never 'adjusted' and we will constantly see newer and newer products breaking records. That's why every year a new movie breaks all-time records for box office receipts and why more cars are sold every year - it's due to the inflating dollar and/or inflating population.
To sidetrack a little bit, cases of reported road rage have risen steadily 5% every year, which is cause for alarm if you are to beleive the sources unchecked. But if you dig a little deeper, you'll find that there are 8% more people driving every year. So in actuality road rage is DECREASING in prevalence, which is cause for joy and partying!
Similarly, I'd like to see a fair comparison of... Let's say, the NES (or whatever the previous record holder was) vs. the DS, scaled for population. (or if going by $s, inflation).
When I worked in retail, I found myself mostly finding for customers the highest end specs with the lowest price possible (with "quality" being one of those specs, not necessarily pointing at the nearest e-machine (or equivalent)). The only time the prettyness of a PC ever came into the discussion was when I was talking to a key set of people:
(1) Those who don't understand the technologies involved and can't go by anything but presentation, and
(2) Those who have so much money they just buy the most expensive product available regardless if the money is going towards chassis styling or internal components (a subgroup of (1) usually).
A lot of little old ladies or folks getting in and out of ferraris fit into these two categories. It's the 'noob' market. Businesses, geeks, nerds, and probably 80% of computer purchasers (per unit, not per person) are not going to be affected by the prettiness of the thing.
Heck, if I see something that looks slick I'd avoid it on the simple premise that the product has a value in design as opposed to specifications and/or quality of parts.
Last time cheap laptops went on sale/given away there were so many rioting and fighting people that several were hospitalized. I wonder how a 3rd world country would deal with giving away these laptops, and how long they'll stay in the hands they are given to.
I was watching Clerks II in theatres today and I noticed a 12 year old being escorted out with his mom right around the time the 'abnormally large female anatomy' speech started up. I was going to praise this as parental responsibility - but wait a minute.. the parent allowed the kid in the first place, despite the many "18 only warnings". What would have happened if the mom went to watch a different movie? *smacks forehead*
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Vista restricts playback of *some* media. Media flagged as DRM controlled, in whatever internal fashion that is.
For those businesses or persons wanting to use it as an industry app, it's easy - just use the raw files your obtained from your source. Because in my industry, I get those files all the time, and if you aren't they have some 'splainin' to do.
I frequently sat v-close to the sets and I could make out the pixels if I looked hard, but I'm convinced I wouldn't be able to tell if I was in the midst of combat in some fast-paced game. It may not be true, but it's true in my mind, and that's good enough for me :)
On a side note though.. 5 feet is pretty damned close (obv. depending on the size of the TV). I'm often 5 or 6 feet away from my 27" CRT (which has an effective resolution of 320x240, which I game on all the time), but sitting that close to a 32-42-52+ just seems scary to me.
DVDs can be 480i OR 480p, but considering the standard for 480p = 25 frames, and 480i=60 frames, and most televisions can't display more than 25 frames... Guess what format most discs use :) The superior quality 480P that matches most TV refresh rates.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/480p
After researching on Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD All DVD video in NTSC is restricted to 480 lines of resolution and there are several horizontal pixel ratings (eg: 720x480, 352x480, etc.) and some DVDs are only 240 lines of resolution. Anyone out there that says "Wii suxx0rz for only being 480 I want my games to look as good as my rented DVDs on my high def TV" are deluding themselves. :)
DVDs are *typically* 480 and show on widescreen 480/720/1080 screens without any of those black bars, so I suppose it depends on the actual game. The "480" is *lines* of resolution; I beleive width is variable? I could be wrong there.
I'm a big geek and I'd love to say "1080P ROXXORZ! ALL!! 4TW!!" but sadly, it isn't the case. Yes, a big-screen high-definition teleivision playing HDTV definately looks better than Channel 2 on your old 13". But that isn't an accurate comparison for most of the market.
I sold TVs for 8 years. I had big banks of them - Standard, ED, HD - even some exotic 1080p stuff that didn't run anything except a special demo disk in a special machine.
One particular corner was a perfect test area. We had a 480P, 720P, and 1080I television of the same make and line (it was an LG set of televisions). Of the hundreds (if not thousands) of customers I showed these sets to, running HD PBS 1080 feed via Satellite (beautiful show, btw) - 8 out of 10 people pointed at the 480P set and said it was superior quality. When pressed for why they made that choice, they usually said "it was a hunch" and that they couldn't really tell between the three.
All three TVs had v-high quality cables, and my "test subjects" were sitting approximately 8 feet away from these 42" sets, which were all hung in equal lighting at eye level.
Then I'd move the test subjects up close - 2 feet away or so - and we could easily count the physical pixels on the 480 screen, wheras you'd have to move your head much closer to count the pixels on the 1080 screen. We could all see that, yes, upon inspection we *know* that 1080 is better...
But then I pointed at the pricetags. $1000 for the 480, $1800 for the 720, and $2500 for the 1080. Guess which one I sold the most of. (most of my data culled from 1-2-3 years ago so pricing/details may vary).
Prime example; Galactic Civilizations II. Made headlines for selling so damn many copies. It's a very good game and it doesn't even have copy protection.
They're expectations of sales was doubled within the first month.
Good products rise.
But I suppose the 'industry' isn't intereted in stories like this; the various retailers are more interested in Madden XCXCII or NHL 254,200 (with the latest player skins!).
I also hope that medical technologies advance well enough to support me in 50 years time. :)
That's funny, I *also* have plans to build a base on the moon! I wonder how likely it is to go through?
I really hope it does happen. Before I die I have to go to the moon. I hope we start building condos out there in 50 years or so.
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I'm pretty sure there were only 22 wide releases (not counting tech demos or kiosks, if such devices existed). Here's a really good article by one of my favorite Video Game reviewers: http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=138707 4 (By Servo5678: http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=132275 4).
He's also got a review of each individual game if anyone's interested, plus the USA/Japan release status.
One of the interesting tidbits from the article: Nintendo's lawyers required a minimum age of 7 to use the virtual boy. Hmmmm...
I do appreciate that when designing a "slick" looking product, you immediately assume consumers will pay more for your product. Using this "we aren't aiming for the lowest dollar" you can often throw a few extra bucks into quality parts (such as the USB ports, for example). Once 'price' is no longer a concern, it definately opens up doors. That's why I was quick to say 'compared with identical features' (which comparing a Mac Mini and an Acer Laptop are not). No insinuation against mac users at all - I mentioned in another thread as well, that if you require a small, quiet machine (or the value they add are worth the money) and don't mind the missing other components (in this example, a windows OS; PCI slots; dual CD bays; etc), then the Mac Mini is definately the right buy for you. However, if you need all the features of the PC (as mentioned in the last parenthesis) and end up buying a Mac Mini because it looks sexy and is small, you fall into that "ignorant" category (vice versa would also apply).
Or, more accurately,
"Slow internet connections suck... Especially for people getting bundled downloads."
With RAM pricing swooping up and down almost as often as Oil does, I'm suprised something like this hasn't come along sooner. Hopefully folks will start "playing nice" now.
I'm really hoping that this will increase the level of competition in the gaming industry, so we get more truly groundbreaking... awesome... /fun/ games released.
I'm getting pretty sick of the cookie cutter releases that just keep pouring onto the shelves.
Of course, worst case scenario is China will just take over writing all of our crap games and we'll shutdown all of dev studios and be stuck in the same place, just with cheaper games...
For the record, I just picked automobiles out of the air as a random example, I didn't actually research the numbers. :)
I'm a huge Nintendo fanboy - Mario theme is my ringtone, and I don't rush to answer it on a crowded bus - but my hatred for bending of statistics outweighs even Nintendo's giant size.
I'd like for all "Best EVAR!" statistics to change to accurately reflect the market and give us a *fair* sense of what is happening. Let's face it - who really cares that it sold 20 million units? Does the number 20,000,000 depict any particular milestone on it's own accord? Not particularly. The article is actually saying "the DS has sold 20 million units faster than any other gaming system ever made evar of all time!!!1".
In this particular instance I still think the DS will come out on top. But I'd rather see a relationary number - "The DS is selling 23% faster than any other console!" - and have that 23% adjusted for whatever factors may have changed over time.
My argument is probably best demonstrated in Movie Box Office results, as there is a huge variety of factors that can severely alter the outcome of statistics. Inflation of the dollar, the relatively value of a box office ticket, population (that has access to a theatre), etc. etc... If I'm not mistaken, Gone With The Wind is the alltime best selling movie after correcting for these factors. Not Titanic, as current non-adjusted statistics show. Call me old fashioned, but I'd really rather Leo didn't hold that title, even if he does lose to a girly movie like GwtW. (Though ET does come out near the top of the adjusted list as well)
I meant to say "open, free, OR 3rd party" as in, all-inclusive of non-company-made libraries. Guess I should have hit "preview."
I beleive fear is the primary culprit here. Many places I've worked for/with only allow internally developed library use... And I'm sure half of it is swiped, stolen, or 'inspired' by popular, free, open source, 3rd party libraries.
When a customer has a certain *need* in mind (eg: exterior color, small size, portability, quietness) it becomes one of the selling features of the product, and I fully agree with you and your examples - I personally don't mind stringing a long set of klunky cables from my TV to the media center PC that's stored in my closet because of it's noise levels. Those that don't have that option can't go that route.
What I was touching on was comparing two products with equal functionality, but one with a visually pleasing exterior physique. Mac Mini vs. Media PC obviously wouldn't qualify for such a comparison for several reasons.
Great point on the deeper design though. I never addressed it originally but UI design and ease of use are one of the most important factors in PC Development IMHO.
Is it sad that I got this huge wave of ... I don't know the feeling ... Pride? Overwhelming joy? It kind of feels like the feeling I got when a girl first said they liked me on IRC.
The overwhelming (almost literally.. *sniffle*) support for the Wii has really bolstered my hopes for Nintendo and I'm sure they'll do much better this time around. Watching companies cast aside their previous habits and adopt full-on support for the Wii is incredible.
And I picture it visually in my head - Ubi has 2 games in development, and everyone in the office goes down and checks out a beta. They all enjoy it so much and they all want in on the project. BAM, 7 more games in development.
For this fanboi, it puts a real big smile on my face.
Not necessarily, but it most likely will. Those devices that have been designed with a more attractive outward appearance typically goes through R&D, has an aesthetic designer to pay for, and the company knows it has a better looking product and charges extra for that.
If a company were to design a tower that looks phenomenal, with no detractions to usage or functionality, and they charged the same for them as a regular ol' box tower with identical functionality... Well then, we'd see an evolution of the market place. And thus commercialism and competition is born.
It takes a bold company to produce a better product and not mark up for it... But when they do, everyone wins.
These figures are never 'adjusted' and we will constantly see newer and newer products breaking records. That's why every year a new movie breaks all-time records for box office receipts and why more cars are sold every year - it's due to the inflating dollar and/or inflating population.
To sidetrack a little bit, cases of reported road rage have risen steadily 5% every year, which is cause for alarm if you are to beleive the sources unchecked. But if you dig a little deeper, you'll find that there are 8% more people driving every year. So in actuality road rage is DECREASING in prevalence, which is cause for joy and partying!
Similarly, I'd like to see a fair comparison of... Let's say, the NES (or whatever the previous record holder was) vs. the DS, scaled for population. (or if going by $s, inflation).
When I worked in retail, I found myself mostly finding for customers the highest end specs with the lowest price possible (with "quality" being one of those specs, not necessarily pointing at the nearest e-machine (or equivalent)). The only time the prettyness of a PC ever came into the discussion was when I was talking to a key set of people:
(1) Those who don't understand the technologies involved and can't go by anything but presentation, and
(2) Those who have so much money they just buy the most expensive product available regardless if the money is going towards chassis styling or internal components (a subgroup of (1) usually).
A lot of little old ladies or folks getting in and out of ferraris fit into these two categories. It's the 'noob' market. Businesses, geeks, nerds, and probably 80% of computer purchasers (per unit, not per person) are not going to be affected by the prettiness of the thing.
Heck, if I see something that looks slick I'd avoid it on the simple premise that the product has a value in design as opposed to specifications and/or quality of parts.
Last time cheap laptops went on sale/given away there were so many rioting and fighting people that several were hospitalized. I wonder how a 3rd world country would deal with giving away these laptops, and how long they'll stay in the hands they are given to.
I was watching Clerks II in theatres today and I noticed a 12 year old being escorted out with his mom right around the time the 'abnormally large female anatomy' speech started up. I was going to praise this as parental responsibility - but wait a minute.. the parent allowed the kid in the first place, despite the many "18 only warnings". What would have happened if the mom went to watch a different movie? *smacks forehead*