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Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts getting fixed for SDTV owners

by Darren Murph posted Nov 10th 2008 at 11:58AM


They always said the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and yet again that adage has proven true. After demo players of RARE's Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts found the text to be unreadable on SDTVs, word was passed on that the issue would remain in the final version of the game. Now, however, RARE's George Kelion has stepped in to announce that a fix is indeed in the works. To quote: "We would like to assure you that contrary to earlier reports, we are aware of the [text] issue and [are] currently working on a title update to be released within the next 30 days that will fix it for those with standard-definition TVs." Nice job raising cain, people.

[Via The Escapist]

Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts text unreadable on SDTVs, no fix planned

by Darren Murph posted Nov 6th 2008 at 7:04PM


Whoa, boy. Talk about causing an uproar. Rare, the development studio behind the forthcoming video game Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, has decided to move forward with the game without fixing a glaring textual issue when playing on an SDTV. Essentially, the text in the game -- of which there a lot -- is darn near illegible on standard-def televisions. When playing the game on an HDTV (even at 480p), it's relatively easy to make out what's going on; when attempting to play on an SDTV, things get ugly. As you can see above, we find it hard to believe SDTV owners will be able to stand the game-play for more than a few minutes, and amazingly, Rare has admitted that there are no plans to fix things before it goes gold. So, how do you feel about this? As a presumed HDTV owner, you probably couldn't care less personally, but should SDTV-owning gamers be given more respect here?

[Via Joystiq]

CableLabs and UpdateLogic to provide digital TV software updates via cable

by Richard Lawler posted Oct 17th 2006 at 1:17PM

Digital TVs are complex consumer electronics devices in their own right, and sometimes need software updates. UpdateLogic has had technology in place to deliver updates to TVs from manufacturers like Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp and Sony via PBS, but what about the many customers with only a cable box and no OTA antennas? Now the company has partnered with CableLabs to use the OpenCable specification to enable updates to set top boxes as well as connected digital TVs. This process doesn't need user intervention, so don't expect a call from your parents on how to install the latest update, but at the same time we can just see the first time someone comes home to a dead HDTV from an upgrade gone wrong. Those reservations aside the ability to hopefully add features and solve minor glitches is intriguing, although there's no word on a possible 1080p software update for that 13-inch TV/VCR combo in our basement.

30% failure rate for BSkyB set-top HDTV boxes?

by Richard Lawler posted Jul 3rd 2006 at 12:09AM

We've got some experience with glitchy HDTV/DVR set top boxes, but it looks like things are even worse over on the other side of the pond. With almost all their HD customers only recently buying sets for the world cup, many are using the digital connections and experiencing a lot of problems like picture and sound dropouts. Specifically cited is the implementation of HDCP, as many have been able to get around the problems by switching to analog connectors.Of course this doesn't do much for customers expecting a sharper picture out of their digital hookup or maybe have spent a lot of money on a digital cable they can't use, but SkyHD and even some TV manufacturers may have to update their software for this to be fixed.

Glitch ridden high-def rollouts are becoming all too common, particularly for the "lucky" few who were able to get their service installed prior to the World Cup, but this may explain why some service providers are so unwilling to even enable the HDMI or DVI outputs on their boxes. If it doesn't work, there is a resulting shifting of blame between the provider and TV manufacturer while the customer's problem continues. Same problem with rolling out CableCard, neither side wants to take responsibility for making it work if there's a problem.

Toshiba HD-A1/HD-XA1 firmware update (officially) available

by Richard Lawler posted Jun 6th 2006 at 10:16PM

Well that was quick. Just a few days after the 1.20 patch was posted for download on AVS Forum, Toshiba HD DVD player owners can now download the update directly to their player via the ethernet port. We still don't have an official list of what this fixes, however HDMI connection problems, BTB (blacker than black) & WTW (whiter than white) HDMI clipping, and various freezing/lockup issues are among the problems reportedly sent packing. PC World says you can also get the update from Toshiba's website, however at the moment the link doesn't work. A few new buyers are also reporting their players shipped with the 1.2 firmware.

Now that you can download it over the ethernet port feel free to upgrade without fear, but tell everyone you burnt a CD from a guy on AVS Forum anyway, it makes you sound more hardcore. Some have remarked on how disturbing this trend is, I'm just glad these issues are being resolved, through whatever means necessary. Early adoption is not for the faint of heart, whether it is a car, computer or washing machine, the first few revisions are rarely bug-free.

Update 2.0: The link does work now, thanks cassiusdrow!




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