They can't do that if the broadcasts aren't formatted widescreen for standard def signals like they are now. They just shoot out stuff with the sides cut off. Without an HD receiver, all I get is standard def in 4:3 ratio. To combat that, channels like ESPN or whatever will broadcast a football game with the score and stuff in the center of the screen, ignoring the rest of the real estate to the left and right they could be using. As more channels start formatting scores, etc for HD, people without HD will suffer and then eventually upgrade.
For me it's not about quality, but picture size. When all TV programming gets formatted for HD, then it will become needed to get an HD set. When people start missing parts of sports programming because the sides are getting cut off, they will care.
Yeah, but it's all about the firware update... You'd have to get everybody with an existing dvd player to have this done. Or in the case you posted about, you'd need everybody with an existing Xbox 360 to have a firmware upgrade.
I'm not sure where you're from, but here in the good old USA, the retail outlet is not obligated to do anything like that after 30 days in some cases. Even less in others. It's called a manufacturer's warranty, and it's up to you to contact the manufacturer and go through the process. Many times it's such a pain in the ass it's not worth it. What some people do is just go buy a new one - then return it the same day with the old burned up one in the box. Then eventually the defective crap makes it back to the manufacturer with no hassle on their end....
I'll back you up on that - I have them go bad all the damn time, probably faster than regular bulbs in some cases. It's frustrating, seeing a big "Guarnteed to last 7 years" sticker on the box, and only getting 15 months out of them on average.
You're right - I have a H20 DirecTV receiver right now, which made my H10 obsolete since I need a device which can pick up the new mpeg4 broadcasts. I will say the DirecTV broadcasts in mpeg4 look like garbage on any TV larger than 26 inches. HD was supposed to look better, not worse. My OTA signal here in Denver is crystal clear - but I can't get a few channels here without installing an external antenna on my roof, and I don't want to do that yet. I really want a Tivo series 3 and be able to use it with DirecTV, but I'm sure that will never happen now which disappoints me.
Well, in order to beat Intel, AMD needs to get higher clock speeds. So, an improved SOI process on a smaller die will definitely get them there - but like you said, Intel will drop to 45 soon. I still think AMD's memory controller can be improved even further, and that will allow them to take the performance lead again should they pull it off. But one thing is certain - Intel will never take a nap again when it comes to AMD. This is great news for the consumer, so long as AMD can stay in business:)
Those are great questions - and I think one of the largest answers in that AMD has not started using 65nm production on a large scale, which is probably keeping clock speeds lower than that what they could be producing. Make no mistake, if AMD wanted to put out 3.2 ghz chip right now to compete with Intels, they could. However, Intel doesn't need to increase their clock speeds to 3.2 or higher yet, so AMD is now getting beat clock to clock. Intel has a new memory controller trick which allows it to do more work per clock from what I understand. I'm sure AMD will quickly get to 65nm for their desktop and server chips, and I'm also sure that along with the shrink, they will optimize the K8 a bit in the process.
The only thing stopping Intel from doing better is their own ego. What I mean is, they know hypertransport is superior to what they have. Everybody knows that. Their massive ego is preventing them from licensing it from AMD and using it. It was like pulling teeth with them before they would admit that AMD was right about 64 bitness. Just imagine if the Core 2 Duo chips used it, along with the memory controller tweak they have - you'd have one amazing chip with very low power not contrained by bus congestion anymore.
AMD on the other hand is not below copying something Intel did correctly. If Intel did something innovative, AMD usually copies and then tries to do it for a lower price or just a bit better. Intel won't be doing that with hypertransport I'm afraid.
NBC ran promo after promo for the show conviction. I finally broke down 3 weeks into the season, downloaded 3 episodes in HD and ended up loving the show, so it got a season pass in my Tivo. Now NBC has canceled the show. I'm furious at how short a run they give TV shows like that any more.
Good news for you then - people are just speculating, but at the end of this month AMD is very strongly rumored to be dropping prices on the X2 line, almost in half. So, currently a $300 3800 X2 will soon cost $167 or around there. Just wait a few weeks and check back.
The fact that it is required to play games you purchase. Requiring an internet connection to play single player FPS game is just stupid and a sad attempt at over-reaching copy right protection and anti-piracy measures. Soon, we'll see hollywood do the same thing. No thank you.
I strongly disagree - the games industry seems to think they can require an internet connection along iwth insanely over-reaching DRM to play their stuff. There is not a chance in hell that I will ever use a STEAM-based system to play games, so that rules out all Valve options.
While I think the poster above you did a horrible job of conveying their point, I think what they were trying to say is that the PhysX processor is written with one thing in mind right now - not a general set of instructions like x86. Everybody knows x86 is a mess compared to the PowerPC architecture or something like that, and that a modern cpu designed from the ground up can be done better for a specific purpose, such as the modern GPU. You are right though - the benchmarks show a slow down when the card is used, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and make an assumption that this is due to the way the game was written, with Physics code sort of patched into the game rather than have it from the beginning. We'll see how physics affect frame rates as the games and hardware get better.
"Apple users just perceive their products as premium items, and thus complain louder when they break. "
No, they don't just perceive them that way - Apple sells them that way, and charges accordingly. After I pay $300 for an iPod, I rightfully expect it to last more than a year.
Well, even if running it on a GPU is slower than CPU - couldn't you still get a benefit of running both at once? Say you used both the GPU and CPU at the same time, I would think you could search more data that way. I'm sure there's a penalty of some kind going to and from memory for both devices, but have you atleast considered the possibility?
I'm glad you brought up the point about VoIP never leaving the ISP's network - that's exactly what I have here. VoIP is a bad idea... but using VoIP and going directly to your ISP, and then to a phone network, works great. We just had to put QoS on our local LAN, and between the routers to and from my ISP, and everything works great.
I disagree with you a little bit - mainly because I've read about what scientists think caused traits to "appear" in some creatures, like a third eye or something. Basically, something went crazy in the creatures cells, causing a break in or mutation in DNA, which then caused the new growth or whatever the case may be. As a result, this mutated creature was able to do something better than the rest of it's generation, and as a result lived longer, bred, and then passed the trait on. So, I do think Cancer is directly linked to evolution in that sense - but cancer is not the only mutation, just one of the things that could cause evolution. Just my 2 cents, and of course, I'm no scientist.
McAfee is what my company uses on our Exchange server. I'm a linux guy, so I'm familar SpamAssassin and I use SA on my linux mail servers. However, since SA isn't available for windows, I did some research and discovered that McAfee created a product call SpamKiller, which uses SpamAssassin as it's base, and they basically create hooks into Exchange for it. SpamAssassin is currently up to version 3.1.1, and from what I understand, the McAfee product is still using the 2.X base for their code, but it does work OK. SA does a slightly better job since it's more up to date, but with McAfee's nightly antivirus updates, you also get an updated spamfilter settings and code. I'd give it OK marks and definitely suggest using it:
Exactly - without Dell suggesting 64 bit extensions be picked up by Intel, I'm not sure if it would have ever happened. Now what I don't understand is why in the hell are 64 bit instructions not present in the new CoreDuo chips that Apple is using? That just blows my mind, Apple went from 64 bit G5s to 32 bit Intel chips. That tells me Apple has no immediate plans to have a x64 bit operating system. If they do, people buying the new CoreDuo chips are SOL.
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They can't do that if the broadcasts aren't formatted widescreen for standard def signals like they are now. They just shoot out stuff with the sides cut off. Without an HD receiver, all I get is standard def in 4:3 ratio. To combat that, channels like ESPN or whatever will broadcast a football game with the score and stuff in the center of the screen, ignoring the rest of the real estate to the left and right they could be using. As more channels start formatting scores, etc for HD, people without HD will suffer and then eventually upgrade.
For me it's not about quality, but picture size. When all TV programming gets formatted for HD, then it will become needed to get an HD set. When people start missing parts of sports programming because the sides are getting cut off, they will care.
Yeah, but it's all about the firware update... You'd have to get everybody with an existing dvd player to have this done. Or in the case you posted about, you'd need everybody with an existing Xbox 360 to have a firmware upgrade.
I'm not sure where you're from, but here in the good old USA, the retail outlet is not obligated to do anything like that after 30 days in some cases. Even less in others. It's called a manufacturer's warranty, and it's up to you to contact the manufacturer and go through the process. Many times it's such a pain in the ass it's not worth it. What some people do is just go buy a new one - then return it the same day with the old burned up one in the box. Then eventually the defective crap makes it back to the manufacturer with no hassle on their end....
Sure, if you saved the box and want to bother contacting the company, providing a receipt, and then sending it in. I usually just go buy a new one.
I'll back you up on that - I have them go bad all the damn time, probably faster than regular bulbs in some cases. It's frustrating, seeing a big "Guarnteed to last 7 years" sticker on the box, and only getting 15 months out of them on average.
You're right - I have a H20 DirecTV receiver right now, which made my H10 obsolete since I need a device which can pick up the new mpeg4 broadcasts. I will say the DirecTV broadcasts in mpeg4 look like garbage on any TV larger than 26 inches. HD was supposed to look better, not worse. My OTA signal here in Denver is crystal clear - but I can't get a few channels here without installing an external antenna on my roof, and I don't want to do that yet. I really want a Tivo series 3 and be able to use it with DirecTV, but I'm sure that will never happen now which disappoints me.
You're wrong I think, I've seen VLK's get flagged as pirated. However, they were :) When a legit key was put in place, the warning goes away.
Well, in order to beat Intel, AMD needs to get higher clock speeds. So, an improved SOI process on a smaller die will definitely get them there - but like you said, Intel will drop to 45 soon. I still think AMD's memory controller can be improved even further, and that will allow them to take the performance lead again should they pull it off. But one thing is certain - Intel will never take a nap again when it comes to AMD. This is great news for the consumer, so long as AMD can stay in business :)
Those are great questions - and I think one of the largest answers in that AMD has not started using 65nm production on a large scale, which is probably keeping clock speeds lower than that what they could be producing. Make no mistake, if AMD wanted to put out 3.2 ghz chip right now to compete with Intels, they could. However, Intel doesn't need to increase their clock speeds to 3.2 or higher yet, so AMD is now getting beat clock to clock. Intel has a new memory controller trick which allows it to do more work per clock from what I understand. I'm sure AMD will quickly get to 65nm for their desktop and server chips, and I'm also sure that along with the shrink, they will optimize the K8 a bit in the process.
The only thing stopping Intel from doing better is their own ego. What I mean is, they know hypertransport is superior to what they have. Everybody knows that. Their massive ego is preventing them from licensing it from AMD and using it. It was like pulling teeth with them before they would admit that AMD was right about 64 bitness. Just imagine if the Core 2 Duo chips used it, along with the memory controller tweak they have - you'd have one amazing chip with very low power not contrained by bus congestion anymore.
AMD on the other hand is not below copying something Intel did correctly. If Intel did something innovative, AMD usually copies and then tries to do it for a lower price or just a bit better. Intel won't be doing that with hypertransport I'm afraid.
NBC ran promo after promo for the show conviction. I finally broke down 3 weeks into the season, downloaded 3 episodes in HD and ended up loving the show, so it got a season pass in my Tivo. Now NBC has canceled the show. I'm furious at how short a run they give TV shows like that any more.
The latest free Divx codec does a great job of using two cpus right after the install, no tweaking needed.
Good news for you then - people are just speculating, but at the end of this month AMD is very strongly rumored to be dropping prices on the X2 line, almost in half. So, currently a $300 3800 X2 will soon cost $167 or around there. Just wait a few weeks and check back.
Have you actually seen the 8700g? It's not much wider than a standard phone - and it's the same height and not thicker.
Well, the Xscale is used in the Blackberry 8700G - which is a mobile phone / PDA.
The fact that it is required to play games you purchase. Requiring an internet connection to play single player FPS game is just stupid and a sad attempt at over-reaching copy right protection and anti-piracy measures. Soon, we'll see hollywood do the same thing. No thank you.
I strongly disagree - the games industry seems to think they can require an internet connection along iwth insanely over-reaching DRM to play their stuff. There is not a chance in hell that I will ever use a STEAM-based system to play games, so that rules out all Valve options.
While I think the poster above you did a horrible job of conveying their point, I think what they were trying to say is that the PhysX processor is written with one thing in mind right now - not a general set of instructions like x86. Everybody knows x86 is a mess compared to the PowerPC architecture or something like that, and that a modern cpu designed from the ground up can be done better for a specific purpose, such as the modern GPU. You are right though - the benchmarks show a slow down when the card is used, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and make an assumption that this is due to the way the game was written, with Physics code sort of patched into the game rather than have it from the beginning. We'll see how physics affect frame rates as the games and hardware get better.
Yeah, or they could be from some mountain top somewhere or from any other number of sources.
"Apple users just perceive their products as premium items, and thus complain louder when they break. "
No, they don't just perceive them that way - Apple sells them that way, and charges accordingly. After I pay $300 for an iPod, I rightfully expect it to last more than a year.
Well, even if running it on a GPU is slower than CPU - couldn't you still get a benefit of running both at once? Say you used both the GPU and CPU at the same time, I would think you could search more data that way. I'm sure there's a penalty of some kind going to and from memory for both devices, but have you atleast considered the possibility?
I'm glad you brought up the point about VoIP never leaving the ISP's network - that's exactly what I have here. VoIP is a bad idea... but using VoIP and going directly to your ISP, and then to a phone network, works great. We just had to put QoS on our local LAN, and between the routers to and from my ISP, and everything works great.
I disagree with you a little bit - mainly because I've read about what scientists think caused traits to "appear" in some creatures, like a third eye or something. Basically, something went crazy in the creatures cells, causing a break in or mutation in DNA, which then caused the new growth or whatever the case may be. As a result, this mutated creature was able to do something better than the rest of it's generation, and as a result lived longer, bred, and then passed the trait on. So, I do think Cancer is directly linked to evolution in that sense - but cancer is not the only mutation, just one of the things that could cause evolution. Just my 2 cents, and of course, I'm no scientist.
McAfee is what my company uses on our Exchange server. I'm a linux guy, so I'm familar SpamAssassin and I use SA on my linux mail servers. However, since SA isn't available for windows, I did some research and discovered that McAfee created a product call SpamKiller, which uses SpamAssassin as it's base, and they basically create hooks into Exchange for it. SpamAssassin is currently up to version 3.1.1, and from what I understand, the McAfee product is still using the 2.X base for their code, but it does work OK. SA does a slightly better job since it's more up to date, but with McAfee's nightly antivirus updates, you also get an updated spamfilter settings and code. I'd give it OK marks and definitely suggest using it:
p amkiller_mail_servers.html
http://www.mcafee.com/us/smb/products/anti_spam/s
Exactly - without Dell suggesting 64 bit extensions be picked up by Intel, I'm not sure if it would have ever happened. Now what I don't understand is why in the hell are 64 bit instructions not present in the new CoreDuo chips that Apple is using? That just blows my mind, Apple went from 64 bit G5s to 32 bit Intel chips. That tells me Apple has no immediate plans to have a x64 bit operating system. If they do, people buying the new CoreDuo chips are SOL.