Recent Comments:
Entelligence: Have we demonized DRM? {Engadget}
Sep 24th 2009 7:15PM I don't consider DRM "evil," simply poorly executed. No one can deny that the industries that push DRM on their media make money off those people that pay for what they use, but they really need to figure out how to keep it from interfering with the day-to-day use of that media. For example, I should be able to play back the media I've purchased in any of the devices I own, period. The port on my DVR, PC, or disc player should not deny the playback of my media because my TV is over 2 years old. I should be able to play back the song I bought off iTunes on any media player I own, instead of the ones that support ".m4p" files. It's these restrictions that piss us off, and had they not been there, who would care?
Media Center CableCARDs freed from OEM requirement {Engadget}
Sep 9th 2009 10:32PM Provided you have a Media Center remote, it pretty much beats out most other DVR software (including Tivo, per some surveys). CableCard allows a television, cable box, DVR, or PC to tune into the same channels as your cable operator's box, in most cases without the monthly DVR fees charged for the DVR service. Initially, CableCard tuners were only offered on pre-built machines costing upward of $1,500. This announcement means that anyone who has a computer that meets the minimum system requirements can add a CableCard tuner to their PC. If you have Comcast and are stuck with one of those glitchy, craptastic Scientific Atlanta boxes, this is a dream come true.
This just brings up 2 major questions. 1) When will the tuners become available? 2) Will they still run the ridiculous cost of $150 per tuner? I mean come on! Considering that all it does is tune channels, it's ridiculous that it would cost as much as some of the more complex components in PCs. Now, if they could make one that can be programmed to record things with a PC, and later record those things to an attached USB drive in the event a computer is off (saving power and continuing to record if the attached PC has crashed), maybe they could screw me out of $150 bucks with less apprehension on my part.
Battlestar Galactica: Daybreak, Part 2 (series finale) {TV Squad}
Mar 26th 2009 10:41PM It was a great show, and I'd like to personally comment on what an experience this has been.
Most tv shows tend to be black and white about their characters; the good guys versus the bad. It was great to finally see something where there were there was such a grey area. Seeing people as heroes one moment and villains the next really gave perspective into how easily anyone can be persuaded to do the wrong thing, even if for the right reason.
Be it a sci-fi show, this was a truly the most convincing depiction of what it is to be human that I've seen in a long time.
Renesas aims to bring 1080p playback to your next cellphone {Engadget}
Dec 2nd 2008 1:13AM This would make sense if the phone could project this res using a pico projector or for use with an external display, but obviously not on the phone's screen itself.
And, oh yeah, useless until the day phones have 500GB+ of flash storage to accomodate things at a needless level. At least they have the ball rolling on this front.
Sony reluctantly pledges to enter netbook market, pouts {Engadget}
Sep 16th 2008 1:36PM LMAO you hit it on the nail! Sony's been making "netbooks" with comparable specs for years. The only specs that aren't consistent are the price and the inclusion of an optical drive (a price jump from a $550 Eee to a $2k Vaio ultra-portable is completely unjustifiable). The bastards just need to lower their prices already!
Sony reluctantly pledges to enter netbook market, pouts {Engadget}
Sep 16th 2008 1:26PM It would be nice to see something different in this arena. A multi-touch tablet, perhaps? I've read a few blogs regarding netbooks and the biggest bitching point seems to be that they're an "around-the-house" solution. Why can't they make netbooks that work as an extension of our homes (SMS/MMS receipt and response from a remote cell phone, home theater control, maybe some DVR functionality to view content on a media center)? They could throw in some neat software that auto-updates with stored pics on a remote computer/drive? I'm sick of dragging everyone to an outlet every time I need to show them pics on a digital frame. Alas, Sony is bogged down by the inherent need to make everything proprietary, poorly-executed, and virtually closed off to 3rd-party developers. I smell yet another ho-hum, increasingly over-priced netbook on the horizon.
Epoq Multimedia unveils EPT-LC7AT / EDP-AT02 "portable HDTVs" {Engadget HD}
Sep 15th 2008 3:12PM They're on the right track (well, sort of). After the transition to digital in February 2009, what becomes of all our portable, D-cell battery-powered TVs? Trash, that's what. I have a set that's used specifically for 1 purpose - as a back-up TV to find out what's going on during power outages and emergencies. Converter boxes need AC power, and it's nice to see all these lithium-ion powered TVs out to market, but someone needs to make one powered by C or D cells during emergencies. Why can't they just integrate the battery compartment into the base?
Japanese firms to partially propel cargo ship via solar panels {Engadget}
Aug 28th 2008 11:26AM Didn't Genepax invent a hydrogen converter system for cars recently? It takes water and converts it to usable fuel-grade hydrogen for cars. You'd think this would have been applied to ships by now, considering they're floating in fuel. Imagine the possibilities of having a ship that would never need refueling. Why haven't these people put 2 and 2 together yet?
iPhone 3G reception woes unfixable? Maybe, maybe not {Engadget}
Aug 14th 2008 2:45PM I'm not thrilled about AT&T's service, but I have to admit that the iPhone 3G's reception isn't stellar. At least one of my calls (if not more) fails and many of my calls are dropped. This didn't happen anywhere near as often as it did with my AT&T Tilt or any of the phones I had before it. I'll live through it, though. Here's to hoping that Apple decides to push out replacement phones, but I'm not holding my breath.
Hands-on with HP's MediaSmart Extender {Engadget}
Jan 8th 2008 3:41PM Eh. I could have done without the pocket media drive bay. Who wants to lug a hard drive back and forth anyway? The idea is to transfer the video through a network, not by physical means. Had they turned it into a 5.25" bay instead, I would have been watching it like a hawk till its release. Blu-ray, HD-DVD, a combo drive, or even an extra hard drive in that slot would have made it a much more attractive buy.
