Downloadable Media – the Future?

    In the video above, long-time Microsoft enemy Larry Ellison rants about how he hates Windows.  He made this statement back in 1996.  In effect, he was talking about our current transfer to downloadable media.  While this change is inevitable, I have my own thoughts on it.
    I am very reluctant to buy a game or movie that is download only.  The reason?  If I don’t like the game or movie, I want to be able to get rid of it.  I do this in one of two ways.  I sell it or trade it.  When the item is downloadable, it is impossible for me to get rid of it or at least get some of my money back.  I have only bought two download only games so far.  One of them was only $5, so what the heck.
    I’m more than a little bit gun shy about buying download only software for a very good reason: I’ve been burned.  Several years ago, I downloaded and tried a very good download acceleration program.  I liked it so much I paid $30 or so when the trial period ran out.  The paid-for program worked for several weeks and then it told me that if I wanted to continue using it, I would have to buy it.  After waiting some time trying to contact, I gave it up for lost.
    The video game companies do not want you to buy used games.  They are losing income because of used game sales, especially in the last few months of this year.  In this economy, gamers are thinking, “Why should I spend $50 on a new games when I can get it for half price if I wait a little bit.”
    Another thing about downloadable media, it has to be stored on your hard drive.  There is no way I could have I have all my DVDs and games on my hard drive.  Then again, the prices of external hard drives are falling at a pretty fast rate.  You can get a 1 terabyte drive for about $100.  This could store quite a few games and movies
    Think economical.  Buy used games and DVDs.
    Comment below if you have had similar trouble with download-only media.

Raimi and Maguire Leave Spiderman Series

Here are just a few thoughts that I had when I heard that Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire were leaving the Spiderman series.

Pro:  I’m glad to hear that Tobey Maguire is leaving.  I’ve always disliked the way that Maguire played Peter Parker.  He always came off as a bit too whiney.

Con:  The big problem that I see is loss of continuity.  One of my favorite film series is the Lethal Weapon series.  The reason I like these films is the continuity what exists because the films have all the same actors.  Even Murtaugh’s children are played by the same actors and actresses for all four films.  An example of a film series that is the exact opposite is the Darkman series.  In the Darkman series, Liam Neeson played Peyton Westlake/Darkman.  In the following two films, the character was played by a different actor.

Another downside of Raimi leaving the series is that it mean the end of Bruce Campbell cameos.  They were short, but they added something fun to the film.

 

All this being said, I’m looking forward to see how the new Spiderman series turns out.

YouTube gives Hulu a runs for its money

Today, YouTube has done something that has previously been unthinkable.  They started offering full-length TV episodes.  (Don't worry.  This is official CBS content, not pirated.)

For a long time now, Google has been trying to make a profit off of YouTube.  They have been also facing legal problems from Viacom because of the pirated content that has become prevalent on YouTube.

And they have done it.  Today, Google started a test run by offering a limited number of full TV episodes from Star Trek, Beverly Hills 90210, and MacGyver.  

Once you open the page, it looks like an ordinary YouTube video page, until you select the "Theater view" tab above the video.  Then the picture widens and looks strangely like Hulu with dark strips on either side to make the video easier to see.

As with Hulu, ads are dispersed throughout.  In many ways, it almost looks like a copy of Hulu taken one step better.

Overall, this is a big step for Google and TV on the web.  TV has been slowing coming to the web and now that Google giving a hand, things will start to move faster.  In the future, I expect to see GoogleTV.

VLC releases upgrade for media player

I apologize for not writing in a while. College has started up again and I am busy. Posts may come a little slower now.

VLC is widely known throughout geekdom as one of the best alternative to Windows Media Player. Today the VLC developers have done something momentous. They have released a new version. There is a whole slew of improvement including a redesign of the interface and many new codecs.

This release is also important becasue for the last year or more they have been working on one version, 0.8.6a to 0.8.6i.

In order to see the difference in the last two versions, I have provided pictures. Below is a picture of VLC 0.8.6 on Windows Vista Beta 1.

Below is picture of VLC 0.9.2 running on Windows XP.

I have only used this player a little bit before I wrote this post. One of the feature that I like is visible only when playing DVDs in fullscreen. When doing so, the controls appear in the bottom center of the screen when the mouse is moved.

The following is a list of new features directly from the VLC website.

Interface

A new interface module based on the Qt toolkit has been added to VLC.

This new interface module has a few improvements on the old one:
· Simplified settings and dialogs
· Media library integration
· Album art displaying and metadata editing
· Live activation of Video and audio filters
· Basic encoding profiles
· Multiple start modes (classic, enhanced and minimalist)
· System tray icon and minimizing
· Fullscreen controller

Playlist

The playlist has been improved in many ways, in addition to the new Media Library (very simple so far, but will be extended in the future):
· Live Searching in the playlist,
· Youtube, Dailymotion, Google Video and similar services URL can be scripted in VLC to play directly those URLs,
· last.fm submission support,
· Album art support,
· Better metadata tagging reading and writing support for audio files.

Playback

A lot of new decoders, demuxers, and protocols have been added.

There are new codecs support, like Flash video variants, camcorder codecs (M2TS ones), Dirac, Atrac3, H.264 PAFF, APE audio, RealVideo, VC-3, Fraps and others, but also better decoding and better performance.

There are improvements in the demuxers and new supports (subtitles format rework with many new formats, Tivo2, OMA, MIDI support...).

Tag supports of audio files have vastly been improved(fix of APE, AAC, OGG tags,...)

This version also supports DVB windows devices (BDA), iSight Webcams, v4l2 on Linux and many other ones.

Filters

Many new audio and video filters have been added:
· New video filters like puzzle game, color extracting, sharpen, logo erasing, blue-screen and more have been added.
· New audio filters have introduced Replay Gain support, Faster/Slower audio playback with pitch correction and a spatializer.

Most video filters can now be streamed.
Developers
· libVLC has been rewritten and split and supports externally built plugins
· VLCKit, a Mac OS X Framework, enables external developers to develop applications around VLC.
· New bindings can be found on the wiki and the forums

Misc

A new update system, more secured, was developed for this release.

New localizations in Finnish, Persian, Polish, Punjabi, Bulgarian have joined the old ones.

Hulu: A portal of entertainment

People say that TV is coming to the Internet. A prime example is Hulu.com. A joint venture between NBC Universal and News Corp, Hulu offers free, streaming, high-quality movies and TV shows. The site is supported by ads placed through out the different movies and TV episodes.

The site was founded in August 29, 2007 and went public on March 12, 2008. The video are played using Flash 9. The quality is higher than other streaming sites, but lower than standard TV definition. There are some videos that you can get in higher 480p definition.

The bulk of the content is from NBC and Fox as well as numerous cable networks, television studios, and movie studios (such as Comedy Central, PBS, USA Network, Bravo, Fuel TV, FX, SPEED Channel, Sci Fi, Style, Sundance, E!, G4, Versus and Oxygen). Users are not required to create an account unless they want to R or Mature rated stuff.

You can watch both old and new stuff (as seen on the list below). I love this site and waste too much time on it. You can always find something good on it that you have never seen. Plus, they keep adding new stuff all the time.

Homepage

Feature Films

2
20 Dates
28 Days Later

A
The Amateur
At the Earth's Core
Attack of the Puppet People
Australia: Land Beyond Time

B
Bad Girls From Mars
The Barbarian and the Geisha
Bears
Bedazzled
Beer
Behind Enemy Lines
Beloved Infidel
The Best Of Everything
Between Heaven And Hell
The Big Lebowski
Blue Denim
Blue Juice
The Blue Max
Blue Steel
A Blueprint For Murder
Body Slam
Boomerang!
Bring It On
Broken Arrow
Bulworth

C
Capone
Caprice
Captain From Castile
The Car
Casino Royale (1967)
Catacombs
Che!
Code of Silence
The Comedy of Terrors
Cosmic Voyage
The Curse of Inferno

D
Daughters of Satan
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
The Desert Rats
Dinosaurs: Giants of Patagonia
Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine
Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs
Dressed to Kill
Drive Thru
Dude, Where's My Car?
Dunston Checks In

E
Empire of the Ants
Enter the Ninja
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The Extreme Adventures of Super Dave

F
Fever Pitch
Fiddler On The Roof
The Fifth Element
Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag
Film Crew: Hollywood After Dark
Free Money
Fuzz

G
Ghostbusters
The Girl Next Door
Going Overboard
Guadalcanal Diary

H
Halls Of Montezuma
Hercules in New York
Heroes
Hollywood Shuffle

I
The Immortalizer
In Dangerous Company
In the Mix
Inspector Clouseau
The Island of Dr. Moreau

J
Jerry Maguire
Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie
Joyride
Just Between Friends

K
Kagemusha
Keep Your Eyes Open
Killing Zoe

L
A Life Less Ordinary
Lone Wolf McQuade
The Longest Day
Lost Highway
Lost in Translation
Love and a .45

M
Malone
The Man Who Never Was
Masquerade
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Me, Myself & Irene
Meet Joe Black
Meet The Mobsters
Men in Black
Monty Python's Meaning of Life
Moonstruck

N
Naked Lunch
National Lampoon's Movie Madness
National Lampoon's Spring Break
Nicholas Nickleby
Nine Lives
Nutty Professor II: The Klumps

O
October Sky
Of Mice And Men
One Funny Hick-Spanic
One Man's Hero
The Original Latin Divas of Comedy

P
Parents
Paul Mooney: Analyzing White America
The Payaso Comedy Slam
Peeper
Penitentiary
The People That Time Forgot
Planet of the Apes
Psycho ('98)
Pumpkinhead

Q
Quest for Fire
Quills

R
Raising Arizona
Red Dragon
Requiem for a Dream
Rob Roy
The Rundown

S
The Sand Pebbles
The Secret of NIMH
Sideways
The Slums Of Beverly Hills
SnakeEater
Some Like it Hot
Spill
Star Maps
State Property

T
Three Amigos!
Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann
Titan A.E.
Totally Baked

U
Underworld: Evolution
Undiscovered

V
Very Bad Things
Von Ryan's Express
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

W
Weird Science

X
Xanadu

Full TV episodes

2
2/8 Life
2007 AST Dew Tour
2008 GLAAD Awards
2008 National Heads-Up Poker Championships
24

3
30 Days
30 Days of Night: Blood Trails
30 Rock

8
The 808

A
The A-Team
The Academy
Adam-12
The Addams Family
After Hours with Daniel
Airwolf
ALF
Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alias Smith And Jones
The All-For-Nots
America's Most Wanted
American Dad!
American Gladiators
American Gothic
American Misfits
Andy Barker P.I.
Angel
Archie Bunker's Place
Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?
Arrested Development
Astro Boy

B
The Baby Borrowers
Babylon 5
Back To You
Barney Miller
Battle Dome
Battle of the Bods
Battlestar Galactica Classic
Beer Nutz
Benson
Best of Penn Says
Bewitched
Big Ideas for a Small Planet
Bionic Woman
The Bob Newhart Show
Bobby G: Adventure Capitalist
Bones
Boo!
Brother's Keeper
Buck Rogers
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Burn Notice

C
Campus Cops
The Captain and Casey Show
Carpet Bros
Carrier
Celebrity Circus
Celebrity Family Feud
Charlie's Angels
Chicago Hope
Chuck
Cleopatra 2525
The Colbert Report
Comedy Gumbo
Conviction
Cops
Corkscrewed: The Wrath of Grapes
Cover Me
The Crow: Stairway To Heaven

D
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
The Dana Carvey Show
Deadline
Decision House
Design: e2
Destination Truth
Devil's Trade
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Dilbert
Dirt
Doogie Howser, M.D.
Dorm Life
Douchebag Beach
Dr. Danger
Dr. Steve-O
Dragnet
Dream On
The Dresden Files

E
ECW
Emergency!
Equal Justice
ER
Eureka
Exosquad


F
The Facts Of Life
The Fall Guy
Fame
Family Guy
Fantasy Island
The Fashion Team
Fear Itself
Fields of Glory
Firefly
Firsthand
Flipper
Flipping Out
Foreign Body
Friday Night Lights
Fudge

G
Galactica 1980
Gaytown
Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters International
Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show
The Great Ride Open

H
Hart to Hart
Hell's Kitchen
Heroes
Highlander
Hill Street Blues
Hot Hot Los Angeles
House

I
I Dream of Jeannie
I Spy
In Plain Sight
The Incredible Hulk
The Invisible Man
Ironside
It Takes A Thief
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

J
Jack of All Trades
Jackie Chan Adventures
Jerry Springer
John Doe
Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot
Journeyman

K
K-Ville
Kathy Griffin
King of Miami
King Of The Hill
Kitchen Confidential
Kitchen Nightmares
Kojak
Kojak 2004

L
L.A. Dragnet
Land of the Giants
Last Comic Standing
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Life
Life After Film School
Lipstick Jungle
Look-A-Like
The Loop
Lost in Space
Lou Grant

M
M80
Mad Mad House
MadTV
Major Dad
Making News: Savannah Style
Manhattan, AZ
Married...With Children
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Matty Blake Show
Maury
McHale's Navy
Miami Vice
Miss Universe
MOJO's The Circuit
The Moment Of Truth
Monk
Mr. Justice & Powerful Girl
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
The Munsters Today
Murder One
My Bare Lady
My Name is Earl

N
Nanny and the Professor
NBA
New Adam-12
New Amsterdam
New Dragnet
New Pollution
NewsRadio
Night Gallery
Nip/Tuck
NOVA

O
The Office
One Day at a Time
Outer Limits
Owen Benjamin Presents

P
Paradise Hotel 2
Partridge Family
Party of Five
Peacemakers
Picket Fences
The Practice
Pressure Cook
The Pretender
Prison Break
Problem Child
Prom Queen
Psych

R
Raines
The Rascal
The Real Housewives of Orange County
Remington Steele
Rescue Me
The Return of Jezebel James
The Riches
Roadents
Rob and Amber: Against the Odds
The Rockford Files
Roswell

S
S.W.A.T.
Satacracy 88
Scare Tactics
Scientific American Frontiers
She Spies
Shear Genius
Silver Spoons
Simon & Simon
The Simpsons
Sitting Ducks
Sliders
Solitary
Son Of The Beach
Speed Racer
Spider-Man
Squeegees
St. Elsewhere
Stacked
Standoff
Starsky and Hutch
Start-Up Junkies
The Starter Wife
Strikeforce
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Surface
Swamp Thing

T
T.J. Hooker
Talkshow with Spike Feresten
Team Knight Rider
Temptation Island
Tequila & Bonetti
Test Drive
That Guy
Three Sheets
The Thunder Show
The Tick
'Til Death
The Time Tunnel
The Tonight Show
Total Recall 2070
Tremors

U
Uncorked
Under One Roof
Unhitched

V
Vanished
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

W
Wall Street Warriors
Weird Science
Welcome Back, Kotter
What's Happening Now!!
What's Happening!
Who's the Boss?
Wired Science
WKRP in Cincinnati
Woody Woodpecker (New)
The World of Stupid
The Writer's Room

Y
Young Hercules

Star Wreck

You've heard of Star Wars, you might even have heard of Star Trek, but have you every heard of Star Wreck?

There have been many fan films, but by far one of the best fan series comes not from the US or even Britain. Called Star Wreck, this series is a great parody of the Star Trek series was created in Finland.

The series was started in 1992 by Samuli Torssonen. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country had just come out, however the film was not available in Finland. Because of this Torssonen decided to create his own version, the first Star Wreck.

Star Wreck relates the adventures of James B. Pirk (named after the Star Trek character James T. Kirk), Captain of the starship C.P.P. Potkustartti (English C.P.P. Kickstart). Other characters include Mr. Fukov, Mr. Spook (Finnish: Mr. Spökö), Mr. Dwarf (Wuf), Ensign Shitty and Mr. Info (loosely based, respectively, on Star Trek's Pavel Chekov, Mr. Spock, Worf, Scotty, and Data). The characters speak Finnish, but subtitles in various languages, including Klingon, are available.

The first Star Wreck film was rough at best. It consisted of a short 2D animation of a battle between Federation-styles ships and Plingons. It ran about 4 minutes long.

Episodes 2 and 3 was animated, as well, but with more sophisticated 3D. They were about double the length of the first.

The following four films were live action films or increasingly better quality. The range in length from 20 to over 40 minutes.

The final film, Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning, was released in 2005 after six years of animation rendering and filming. It is by far the best film in the series and one of the best fan films of all time. It is one of the longest fan films, running a little over 1 hour and 45 minutes.

This film takes an alternative look at the Star Trek canon and timeline with humor and crazy characters mixed in. If you enjoy scifi, action and humor, check out this great fan film. You can download and watch for free from the Star Wreck website, Google Video, or Veoh.


Star Wreck homepage