So what would slashdotian's prefer to see? Apple make compromises and let in the companies that are twisting it's arm, or Apple to stand it's ground and watch the movie store sink?
Since the introduction of the 5G iPod there hasn't been any video for sale in the iTunes store for just about anyone outside the US. I'd therefore rather have Apple focus on improving the hardware than making life hard for users that want to put their own content onto an iPod (and this includes content created with different tools than just iTunes).
I learned to take care of creating my own video content for the iPod 5G and digitized just about my entire DVD collection onto it and I am currently beyond the point where I will accept getting DRM'd files for a 10 Euro penalty if I can get a DVD for the same amount of money, rip it and put it on my device to watch the content when and where I like to consume it.
So, what I would like to see Apple improve in iPod's with Video beyond the 5th generation models:
Greatly improved battery life time (an perhaps -finally- battery swapability),
A BIGGER screen (i don't care about touch screens - as long as the screen won't scratch that easily),
A better videochip than the current Broadcom chip that can only play Baseline Low Complexity at 640x480 by means of a hack, and which has also been tuned to only accept 640x480 files that have been exclusively transcoded with iTunes.
What a strange way to say that because of "manufacturing volume issues" the PS3 will only be available in Japan and the US, which are indeed NTSC-territories.
In France and most former East-Block states in Europe the old analogue color television system is BTW not PAL, but SECAM.
The true power of the Xbox and PS3 will rather come to light on digital displays with a significantly higher resolution than any of the traditional analogue formats.
So, license fee issues for the MP3 playback algorithm seem to the basis for Sisvel's aggressive legal actions against SanDisk.
The strange thing in all this, while the issue is still in German court and hotly disputed by SanDisk, is that all SanDisk's MP3 players at the stand at IFA have already been seized by the German authorities.
Earlier this year I attended the ANGA Cable (CATV) trade show in Cologne, Germany, and there the Stand of Hyunday Digital which is selling STB's was completely stripped from all STBs on display two days in a row. Allegedly because MPEG license fees had not been paid for those boxes by that company.
It seems like we have a trend here to put some serious thumbscrews on manufacturers that exibit at trade shows in Germany.
Google may be paying just a single company for its net connectivity, but that company is peering with other companies in order to get traffic coming from its network to be carried any further over what we are calling Internet. In effect, all the others that carry this traffic will get paid by the amount of traffic that they will be allowed to run over the network of the party that is originally doing business with Google.
Slashdot Mirror
Engadget article says it is mediaFLO. It is a broadcast technique developed by Qualcomm.
You are probably right. The stuff may be dangerous.
Here is an article describing the smell of moon dust..
Not in TFA: Where the heck does a 17 year old get hold of Deuterium?
Since the introduction of the 5G iPod there hasn't been any video for sale in the iTunes store for just about anyone outside the US. I'd therefore rather have Apple focus on improving the hardware than making life hard for users that want to put their own content onto an iPod (and this includes content created with different tools than just iTunes).
I learned to take care of creating my own video content for the iPod 5G and digitized just about my entire DVD collection onto it and I am currently beyond the point where I will accept getting DRM'd files for a 10 Euro penalty if I can get a DVD for the same amount of money, rip it and put it on my device to watch the content when and where I like to consume it.
So, what I would like to see Apple improve in iPod's with Video beyond the 5th generation models:
Greatly improved battery life time (an perhaps -finally- battery swapability),
A BIGGER screen (i don't care about touch screens - as long as the screen won't scratch that easily),
A better videochip than the current Broadcom chip that can only play Baseline Low Complexity at 640x480 by means of a hack, and which has also been tuned to only accept 640x480 files that have been exclusively transcoded with iTunes.
Check.. it seems that you're right. Former East Block states did use SECAM though.
The map is showing that Russia still is a SECAM territory.
What a strange way to say that because of "manufacturing volume issues" the PS3 will only be available in Japan and the US, which are indeed NTSC-territories.
In France and most former East-Block states in Europe the old analogue color television system is BTW not PAL, but SECAM.
The true power of the Xbox and PS3 will rather come to light on digital displays with a significantly higher resolution than any of the traditional analogue formats.
So, license fee issues for the MP3 playback algorithm seem to the basis for Sisvel's aggressive legal actions against SanDisk. The strange thing in all this, while the issue is still in German court and hotly disputed by SanDisk, is that all SanDisk's MP3 players at the stand at IFA have already been seized by the German authorities. Earlier this year I attended the ANGA Cable (CATV) trade show in Cologne, Germany, and there the Stand of Hyunday Digital which is selling STB's was completely stripped from all STBs on display two days in a row. Allegedly because MPEG license fees had not been paid for those boxes by that company. It seems like we have a trend here to put some serious thumbscrews on manufacturers that exibit at trade shows in Germany.
You might want to try VideoLAN - VLC media player. I thought QuickTime was pretty good until I tried the VLC player.
Google may be paying just a single company for its net connectivity, but that company is peering with other companies in order to get traffic coming from its network to be carried any further over what we are calling Internet. In effect, all the others that carry this traffic will get paid by the amount of traffic that they will be allowed to run over the network of the party that is originally doing business with Google.