I can't believe RIAA. They are making an attack on the free press & the right to free speech. The CEO of RIAA (and his lackeys) are directly jeopardizing our most basic freedoms. They have become tyrants. Wealthy, powerful tyrants who want to squash the weak citizens underfoot.
They better not ever sue me. I won't just stand by idly and allow that to happen.
I didn't understand the issue until I read this: "You get three installs. That's it. No install returned for uninstallation, or anything else. You install it three times, then you're out $50." I agree one-hundred percent. As a gamer who still plays ancient games like Red Storm Rising or Pirates or Populous, the last thing I want is a game that will stop working after I upgrade to my next computer (about two years time).
>>>The counter-notices contain personal information for all those otherwise pesky anonymous internet users and get forwarded to them for free. Thats a lot cheaper than trying to hire people to track down your enemies on the internet. >>>
Good thing the United State Supreme Court reaffirmed my right to own a gun & protect myself from the Corporation of Scientology's attacks on my home or being.
This is nice software, but I don't usually copy the whole DVD.
I only copy individual episodes, and store them as AVIs or XVIDs. What I need is a program that can automate that process so I can (for example) quickly and easily insert a Stargate DVD, and come back an hour later to 4 episode AVIs on my C: drive.
These stories really shouldn't be written by people who are younger than an NES/Famicom (the original Nintendo system). They are filled with too many errors & urban legend. Such as: - Donkey Kong was the first with an attract screen.
False. Instead the articles should be written by the older generation who was actually THERE and remember the events as they unfolded.
I am also surprised there is no mention about the Gaming Giant called Atari. Yes I know it's not an Atari article, but to ignore Atari is as silly as to write an article about Sony's PS1 without discussing Nintendo. Originally Nintendo asked ATARI to sell its Famicom in the U.S. and European market. Just imagine a console called the Atari Nintendo or Atari ES. Atari and Nintendo had all but sealed the deal, when suddenly Atari CEO Jack Tramel threw one of his famous hissy fits because of a trivial "insult" by the Japanese representatives.
In effect the #1 videogame maker Atari lost a billion-dollar industry to Nintendo with one stupid temper tantrum.
Nearly-all of these converters use RF or Composite video connections, which means the resolution is bandwidth-limited to 4 megahertz, aka 430x480 resolution. So it's actually SUB-standard definition!
I made sure to buy a box that uses S-video, which is capable of creating DVD-quality (720x480) video, albeit with reduced color resolution (30 lines horizontal).
No not really. The Romans and early Middle Age citizens experienced global warming & they did not die. In fact, they grew grapes as far north as Scotland, so it was actually beneficial. Just imagine if Canadians & Russians could grow food in the once-frozen tundra. It would feed millions.
Perhaps you were thinking of pollution?
Pollutants like carbon monoxide & particulate matter from car exhaust can damage human lungs, but that's a separate issue from global warming (CO2 emission).
When a certain species of animal overmultiplies, and Mother Nature brings a drought, food becomes scarce & animals starve.
Pretty soon Mother Nature will be doing the same to the animal known as Homo sapiens. The drought will be scarcity-of-oil, the food shortage will be caused by idle farming equipment, and the U.S. and E.U. will no longer be able to sustain their 250 and 500 million citizens.
The FCC has already passed a ruling that cable MUST provide analog to their customers until the year 2013. The FCC should add a second part to the ruling that states cable may not include a surcharge. Forcing analog customers to pay $5 a month to rent a box is ridiculous & greedy.
My PVR works with the digital box, because the digital box has a so-called "VCR Timer" that automagically switches channels at predetermined times.
>>>You live in an area with mild weather and blessed with reliable cable service.
Precisely. Which is why I tell the people *in my area* that "if they have cable, dish, or FiOS television, they don't need to worry about the February digital switchover."
No the problem with execution is that sometimes you kill the wrong guy. Not too long ago a Baltimore man was sitting on death row, but when gene analysis revealed it was NOT his blood on the killer's knife, he was released.
Had that test not been done, the State of Maryland would have executed a man not guilty of the crime.
>>>Must be great to be able to recieve signal without any problem from Baltimore in LANCASTER....
Yeah it is! Our great-grandfathers (the engineers of the 1930s) did a really, really good job when they design NTSC analog television. I can watch channels 2, 11, 13, 45 in Baltimore even though it's 50 miles away. Sure they're fuzzy but still watchable, and a great way to watch the Orioles or Ravens games.
Sometimes I can even pick-up channel 5 in Washington D.C. (~60 miles)! Those old engineers really knew what they were doing, unlike the ones that designed digital ATSC or digital HD Radio.
>>>I wouldn't be surprised that many stations won't start broadcasting until the deadline or shortly before it;
If that were true, the FCC would be collecting billions in fines, because any full-power station that is not broadcasting ATSC digital is in violation of the law.
>>>DTV doesn't "truly" exist yet. And it wont until analog is turned off. That statement alone demonstrates a fundamental lack of knowledge of what is going on.
"DTV doesn't exist yet" is the only stupid statement I see. DTV is alive and active even as we speak; and reviewing tvfool.org, I see no improvement after February 2009.
>>>In addition DTV is an all or nothing situation, just like anything else in the digital world. Failure is absolute, graceful (snow) is not possible.
I'm really impressed with my Channel Master's ability to gradually degrade a signal. Even if the signal is poor, the CM DTV box will show a blurry but watchable image.
>>>As to available stations, I in fact have *more* available as there are multiple programs on each signal, ie 4-1,4-3,4-4,
Those are channels not stations. You have ONE station and it is broadcasting 4 channels. I know I'm being nitpicky, but it's important to be precise with this new DTV/ATSC standard. If a storm came by and "blew over" station 4's transmitter, you'd lose all 4 channels. (Or as happened to me, if station 4 reduced its power to save money, the whole station disappears, not just one channel.)
In my case, my stations don't broadcast any subchannels worthy of note.
I don't count the subchannels, because there's nothing on them worth watching.
8.2 - weather stuck on a 5-minute loop (i.e. junk channel) 15.2 - does not exist 43.2 - does not exist 49.2 - does not exist 57.2 - does not exist 61.2 - duplicate of 8.2
So whether I say "6 stations" or "6 channels" makes no difference. It's still inferior to the 23-24 analog stations I had previously.
>>>Even in technical demonstrations to the US congress, that system (COFDM) worked much better, but they still chose 8-VSB.
COFDM did better inside cities, but 8-VSB performed better outside the cities, and since the U.S. is mostly a rural farmland, the FCC chose 8-VSB. The rural nature of this continent and 8-VSB complement one another.
I'm kinda curious how well COFDM does in rural areas of Europe, or mountainous regions like Scotland. Any reports from these regions?
So you had 12 analog stations. And now you have 8 digital stations. That's a reduction in reception capability between the old NTSC and the new ATSC standards, because you lost 4 stations.
What really peeves me is that I used to be able to watch the Orioles or Ravens games on a long-distance Baltimore station. Poor quality, yes, but better than the digital version which is a blank screen. With digital I don't get to see the games.
HE-AAC isn't really an improved codec. It's simply AAC with high-frequency sounds added to it (AAC+ SBR). So, no, you're not going to get a smaller file with HE-AAC, but you are going to get better high-frequency content like cymbals, flutes, et cetera.
Especially at low bitrates. AAC sounds really bad at 16 kbit/s, like listening to music over a phone, but HE-AAC (AAC+SBR) sounds as clear as FM radio thanks to its high-frequency preservation.
As for MPEG4:
Anybody who has owned an early-production MPEG2-encoded Bluray versus a MPEG4-encoded HD-DVD, can tell you that's there's less macroblocking with the newer codec. Even at high-definition 1920x1080 the difference is visible, because MPEG2 is not ax flexible in how it reconstructs an image, and those limitations become visible to the human eye as compression artifacts.
As you can see, I'm going to need an antenna that can get both Lo and Hi VHF channels. Yet another $100 upgrade expense thanks to this government boondoggle. I can afford the cost, but I don't know how my SS-dependent parents or Welfare-dependent persons are supposed to be able to afford all these rooftop antenna upgrades.
I don't have broadband but my parents do, and it only costs $15 a month. Probably cheaper than your cable-based plan. Now if I could get internet for $15 and cable-tv added for free, then I'd jump for it.
>>>"it's nice to have Discovery, History and a couple of decent non-pay movie channels"
(shrug). I can live without them. None of those shows are worth paying $60 a month. I'd rather watch last night's primetime off my DVR, or videos off bittorrent. Both are free. (Or for $2, rent a movie.)
Slashdot Mirror
Okay.
Is there a good reference site for VHDL or FPGA programming in general?
thanks :-)
I can't believe RIAA. They are making an attack on the free press & the right to free speech. The CEO of RIAA (and his lackeys) are directly jeopardizing our most basic freedoms. They have become tyrants. Wealthy, powerful tyrants who want to squash the weak citizens underfoot.
They better not ever sue me. I won't just stand by idly and allow that to happen.
BACK TO TOPIC: Look at all the negative reviews on amazon (link) : http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B000FKBCX4
I didn't understand the issue until I read this: "You get three installs. That's it. No install returned for uninstallation, or anything else. You install it three times, then you're out $50." I agree one-hundred percent. As a gamer who still plays ancient games like Red Storm Rising or Pirates or Populous, the last thing I want is a game that will stop working after I upgrade to my next computer (about two years time).
I want something to keep forever, not a rental.
>>>The counter-notices contain personal information for all those otherwise pesky anonymous internet users and get forwarded to them for free. Thats a lot cheaper than trying to hire people to track down your enemies on the internet.
>>>
Good thing the United State Supreme Court reaffirmed my right to own a gun & protect myself from the Corporation of Scientology's attacks on my home or being.
This is nice software, but I don't usually copy the whole DVD.
I only copy individual episodes, and store them as AVIs or XVIDs. What I need is a program that can automate that process so I can (for example) quickly and easily insert a Stargate DVD, and come back an hour later to 4 episode AVIs on my C: drive.
These stories really shouldn't be written by people who are younger than an NES/Famicom (the original Nintendo system). They are filled with too many errors & urban legend. Such as: - Donkey Kong was the first with an attract screen.
False. Instead the articles should be written by the older generation who was actually THERE and remember the events as they unfolded.
I am also surprised there is no mention about the Gaming Giant called Atari. Yes I know it's not an Atari article, but to ignore Atari is as silly as to write an article about Sony's PS1 without discussing Nintendo. Originally Nintendo asked ATARI to sell its Famicom in the U.S. and European market. Just imagine a console called the Atari Nintendo or Atari ES. Atari and Nintendo had all but sealed the deal, when suddenly Atari CEO Jack Tramel threw one of his famous hissy fits because of a trivial "insult" by the Japanese representatives.
In effect the #1 videogame maker Atari lost a billion-dollar industry to Nintendo with one stupid temper tantrum.
Nearly-all of these converters use RF or Composite video connections, which means the resolution is bandwidth-limited to 4 megahertz, aka 430x480 resolution. So it's actually SUB-standard definition!
I made sure to buy a box that uses S-video, which is capable of creating DVD-quality (720x480) video, albeit with reduced color resolution (30 lines horizontal).
>>>you can die from global warming.
No not really. The Romans and early Middle Age citizens experienced global warming & they did not die. In fact, they grew grapes as far north as Scotland, so it was actually beneficial. Just imagine if Canadians & Russians could grow food in the once-frozen tundra. It would feed millions.
Perhaps you were thinking of pollution?
Pollutants like carbon monoxide & particulate matter from car exhaust can damage human lungs, but that's a separate issue from global warming (CO2 emission).
When a certain species of animal overmultiplies, and Mother Nature brings a drought, food becomes scarce & animals starve.
Pretty soon Mother Nature will be doing the same to the animal known as Homo sapiens. The drought will be scarcity-of-oil, the food shortage will be caused by idle farming equipment, and the U.S. and E.U. will no longer be able to sustain their 250 and 500 million citizens.
The FCC has already passed a ruling that cable MUST provide analog to their customers until the year 2013. The FCC should add a second part to the ruling that states cable may not include a surcharge. Forcing analog customers to pay $5 a month to rent a box is ridiculous & greedy.
My PVR works with the digital box, because the digital box has a so-called "VCR Timer" that automagically switches channels at predetermined times.
>>>You live in an area with mild weather and blessed with reliable cable service.
Precisely. Which is why I tell the people *in my area* that "if they have cable, dish, or FiOS television, they don't need to worry about the February digital switchover."
Your location may require different advice.
No the problem with execution is that sometimes you kill the wrong guy. Not too long ago a Baltimore man was sitting on death row, but when gene analysis revealed it was NOT his blood on the killer's knife, he was released.
Had that test not been done, the State of Maryland would have executed a man not guilty of the crime.
Yes it's common. Most people have two sets:
- one in the living room; one in the kitchen
-or- - one in the living room; one in the kids' bedroom
My household actually has five sets, one in each of the previous locations, plus one in the garage, plus one in the basement.
>>>Must be great to be able to recieve signal without any problem from Baltimore in LANCASTER....
Yeah it is! Our great-grandfathers (the engineers of the 1930s) did a really, really good job when they design NTSC analog television. I can watch channels 2, 11, 13, 45 in Baltimore even though it's 50 miles away. Sure they're fuzzy but still watchable, and a great way to watch the Orioles or Ravens games.
Sometimes I can even pick-up channel 5 in Washington D.C. (~60 miles)! Those old engineers really knew what they were doing, unlike the ones that designed digital ATSC or digital HD Radio.
>>>I wouldn't be surprised that many stations won't start broadcasting until the deadline or shortly before it;
If that were true, the FCC would be collecting billions in fines, because any full-power station that is not broadcasting ATSC digital is in violation of the law.
>>>DTV doesn't "truly" exist yet. And it wont until analog is turned off. That statement alone demonstrates a fundamental lack of knowledge of what is going on.
"DTV doesn't exist yet" is the only stupid statement I see. DTV is alive and active even as we speak; and reviewing tvfool.org, I see no improvement after February 2009.
>>>In addition DTV is an all or nothing situation, just like anything else in the digital world. Failure is absolute, graceful (snow) is not possible.
I'm really impressed with my Channel Master's ability to gradually degrade a signal. Even if the signal is poor, the CM DTV box will show a blurry but watchable image.
>>>As to available stations, I in fact have *more* available as there are multiple programs on each signal, ie 4-1,4-3,4-4,
Those are channels not stations. You have ONE station and it is broadcasting 4 channels. I know I'm being nitpicky, but it's important to be precise with this new DTV/ATSC standard. If a storm came by and "blew over" station 4's transmitter, you'd lose all 4 channels. (Or as happened to me, if station 4 reduced its power to save money, the whole station disappears, not just one channel.)
In my case, my stations don't broadcast any subchannels worthy of note.
P.S.
I don't count the subchannels, because there's nothing on them worth watching.
8.2 - weather stuck on a 5-minute loop (i.e. junk channel)
15.2 - does not exist
43.2 - does not exist
49.2 - does not exist
57.2 - does not exist
61.2 - duplicate of 8.2
So whether I say "6 stations" or "6 channels" makes no difference. It's still inferior to the 23-24 analog stations I had previously.
I already stated I have a rooftop CM4228.
There's literally nothing else that I can do to improve by setup. I'm already maxed out.
Hmmm. My market has lots of VHF:
6
8
10 - used to be UHF-27
11
12
13
I'm beginning to wonder if I just live in a "bad zone" for digital television. How lucky for me.
>>>Even in technical demonstrations to the US congress, that system (COFDM) worked much better, but they still chose 8-VSB.
COFDM did better inside cities, but 8-VSB performed better outside the cities, and since the U.S. is mostly a rural farmland, the FCC chose 8-VSB. The rural nature of this continent and 8-VSB complement one another.
I'm kinda curious how well COFDM does in rural areas of Europe, or mountainous regions like Scotland.
Any reports from these regions?
So you had 12 analog stations.
And now you have 8 digital stations.
That's a reduction in reception capability between the old NTSC and the new ATSC standards, because you lost 4 stations.
What really peeves me is that I used to be able to watch the Orioles or Ravens games on a long-distance Baltimore station. Poor quality, yes, but better than the digital version which is a blank screen. With digital I don't get to see the games.
HE-AAC isn't really an improved codec. It's simply AAC with high-frequency sounds added to it (AAC+ SBR). So, no, you're not going to get a smaller file with HE-AAC, but you are going to get better high-frequency content like cymbals, flutes, et cetera.
Especially at low bitrates. AAC sounds really bad at 16 kbit/s, like listening to music over a phone, but HE-AAC (AAC+SBR) sounds as clear as FM radio thanks to its high-frequency preservation.
As for MPEG4:
Anybody who has owned an early-production MPEG2-encoded Bluray versus a MPEG4-encoded HD-DVD, can tell you that's there's less macroblocking with the newer codec. Even at high-definition 1920x1080 the difference is visible, because MPEG2 is not ax flexible in how it reconstructs an image, and those limitations become visible to the human eye as compression artifacts.
I probably shouldn't have used the word "most". Sorry. Here's my own personal list of VHF:
6 - Philadelphia
8 - Lancaster
10 -Harrisburg
11 -Baltimore
12 -Philadelphia
13 -Baltimore
As you can see, I'm going to need an antenna that can get both Lo and Hi VHF channels. Yet another $100 upgrade expense thanks to this government boondoggle. I can afford the cost, but I don't know how my SS-dependent parents or Welfare-dependent persons are supposed to be able to afford all these rooftop antenna upgrades.
I don't have broadband but my parents do, and it only costs $15 a month. Probably cheaper than your cable-based plan. Now if I could get internet for $15 and cable-tv added for free, then I'd jump for it.
>>>"it's nice to have Discovery, History and a couple of decent non-pay movie channels"
(shrug). I can live without them. None of those shows are worth paying $60 a month. I'd rather watch last night's primetime off my DVR, or videos off bittorrent. Both are free. (Or for $2, rent a movie.)