Recent Comments:
Panasonic justifies Blu-ray recorder cost by asking "How much are memories worth to you?" {Engadget HD}
Jul 2nd 2009 4:08AM Panasonics recorders are just too expensive, pure and simple. Humax sells a Freesat 320Gb HD PVR for £299, so Panasonic's PVR which is also equipped with a BDR really shouldn't cost more than £399.
Elonex launches £189 6-inch eBook reader through Borders UK {Engadget}
Jul 1st 2009 3:57PM I would just like an ereader which supports all of the common book formats without predjudice and comes at a fair price. Better yet if it also comes with some solid software for reformating A4 docs and the like down to a portable size. If the manufacturer wants to integrate with their own store as well then fine, but make the device useful whether I wish to use their store or not.
If that sounds far fetched consider how it worked for the iPod. When that launched (and still to this day) it played MP3 files. It was only through that and having decent sync software that Apple were able to sell songs from their own site.
The last thing I would be interested in is a POS like the Kindle which is basically a dumb slave to the Amazon store. Who the hell are these people buying this thing? It might be understandable if the device were much cheaper due to its tying but there is no evidence of that either.
Sony expands 'Official Licensing Program' for PlayStation peripherals, accessories {Joystiq}
Jun 30th 2009 10:22AM If this means the end of devices with stupid dongles or missing functionality then hooray.
Blu-ray releases on June 30th 2009 {Engadget HD}
Jun 30th 2009 5:33AM "I just don't understand - are all these studios waiting for Christmas to release every bloody title that's considered good?"
The answer to that is yes. Sales of discs literally double in the second half of the year so that's when most of the good stuff comes. Not always "good" in the critically acclaimed sense but in the profitable sense. Aside from this year's blockbusters, known titles for release later this year include The Lord of the Rings (theatrical edition), Braveheart, Gladiator, Forrest Gump, Gone With The Wind, and Wizard of Oz. Plus I'm sure there will be various boxed / gift sets since Christmas is the time of year when those sorts of things sell best.
Poll: So how do YOU think Blu-ray is doing? {Engadget HD}
Jun 30th 2009 4:19AM Bozster give it up. Neither format intended to share the field with its rival. Both were going for the knockout not some peaceful co-existence. This is entirely obvious by what both sides did and what finally happened when one gained the upper hand. The only people who think things could have happened any other way are disgruntled HD DVD whiners such as yourself.
Sony patents software-based PS2 CPU emulation {Joystiq}
Jun 30th 2009 3:29AM People keep claiming the GS cannot be emulated as if that is some intractable issue, that the alleged bandwidth is insurmountable.
The reality is a lot of games don't push the GPU and those that do are constrained by the PS2's architecture. For example, games might continuously draw polys even if they obscured by later ones because its faster than Z clipping them. Other games might continuously load textures to the GS because of the limited of the texture buffer. Other games break polys down into triangles for rendering. Other games might split polys to work around memory page break issues. Other games might send substantially the same drawing instructions with each render. Or a combination of these things.
The PS3 has the horsepower to preprocess a lot of this junk. For example merging polys into meshes, or those crossing page breaks. Or of checksumming and caching textures rather than reloading.
There is a lot of stuff Sony could do as I'm sure they're aware. So let's not say its impossible to emulate the GS since it's not true.
Poll: So how do YOU think Blu-ray is doing? {Engadget HD}
Jun 29th 2009 11:21AM It is utterly absurd to think both formats could or would have co-existed.
Blu Ray and HD DVD were discounting and promoting because both sides knew it was all or nothing and did their best to ensure consumer and studio support. Nobody be it hardware makers, stores, studios or consumers expected two formats to live side by side, splitting the market in two, confusing the hell out of everyone and adding significantly to the bottom line.
Your comparison to PS3 & 360 is wrong too since those are proprietary console platforms, not a wannabe industry standard. No one is under any pretense that a 360 or PS3 game is ever going to play on anything other than a 360 or PS3. Compatibility or industry consortiums aren't even in the picture.
It is silly if not downright stupid to think things would have resolved any other way. One of them had to win and as it turned out it was Blu Ray. Harping on about it a full year and a half on is pretty pathetic really.
Sony to leave the "battle to the bottom" of Blu-ray player prices alone, for 2009 at least {Engadget HD}
Jun 29th 2009 6:19AM I caught the AMD bug too when I last built a PC but to be honest during the last few years (yes I'm due an upgrade) AMD have really dropped the ball. So I think next time around I'll be going back to Intel. I also defected from NVidia to AMD's ATI for graphics which was less painful than I thought it would be.
Poll: So how do YOU think Blu-ray is doing? {Engadget HD}
Jun 28th 2009 2:49PM You've just been shown stats which comprehensively demonstrate week on week sales going back through 2009 and 2008. Stats which demonstrate sales are 2-3x from this time last year and that culmulative sales are close to matching last year's total sales.
Your reaction? To start whining about "abusive haters". Grow up. Your precious format lost a full 18 months ago. Get over it.
Poll: So how do YOU think Blu-ray is doing? {Engadget HD}
Jun 28th 2009 5:16AM Here are charts for Blu Ray sales metrics in 2009 and 2008.
http://forums.highdefdigest.com/high-definition-smackdown/77119-2009-blu-ray-sales-metrics-stats-nielsen-videoscan-hmm-charts-ratios-bestsellers-etc.html
What is immediately obvious is that sales are around 2-3 times higher week on week than last year. As one might expect for a growing format. In fact cumulative sales for 2009 are probably only a month or two from exceeding last years total.
I'd also add (since some people conveniently ignore this every year) that the first half of the year is always the doldrums. Sales double or triple in the second half, especially coming up to Christmas. The reason for this is obvious - most of the blockbusters appear around that time and that's when the hardware discounts and new models turn up.
So it's utterly absurd to say blu ray is "flat on its back". The format is growing and will continue to grow. In fact I'm sure we'll see some disgruntled HD DVD fan whinging this time next year that sales are "only" 45 million or whatever it is that week, completely disregarding the year on year growth.
