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| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=13716 |  GX-Alan (78) Dec 27, 2006 - 10:09 am
| Alright, let me rephase. "Everyone" is hyperbole for everyone 18-35 who reads FiringSquad and is in the US/Canada. ;)
On record: By December 27, 2008, 95% of FiringSquad readers will have an HDTV and an active source for HD content (Blu-Ray, HD-DVD, HD Satellite, HD Cable, ATSC etc.). At this time, we will be seeing HD-DVD/Blu-Ray combo players.
In other words, the only reason why BR/HD-DVD combo players will not be common is if in 2 years, someone's got a reasonably priced HD-on-demand service. Flag this | Edit this post |
| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=13716 | GX-Alan (78) Dec 27, 2006 - 07:35 am
| Windows games have always been lightyears beyond Macs. But it's the only thing besides Media Center that Windows does better than Mac. If PC gaming dies, the PC's advantage over the Mac dies.
So what Microsoft is trying to do is not only maintain the lead that the PC has over the Mac, but also to define the platform in the same way the Mac is defined by iLife/Final Cut, etc. Flag this | Edit this post |
| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=13716 | GX-Alan (78) Dec 27, 2006 - 07:31 am
| But there's nothing inherently wrong with that. Reportedly, MS is now profitable with the Xbox 360 hardware production. MS doesn't make that much money off Windows licenses to companies like Dell, etc. but they will make a ton of money off games.
Even if you could surf the web, the Windows PC wouldn't be obsolete due to Office, etc. Sony isn't worried that they'll kill sales of VAIO with their PS3.
As part of a 'media center' though, it's important to have Internet, and that's where the Xbox 360 is lacking.
IMHO, the real reason we don't have IE on the Xbox360 right now is positioning. Early on, it wouldn't have been "cool" if the Xbox 360 was made to be a computer. The second reason is likely due to the architecture.
With homebrew Xbox360 software now available, it'll be interesting to see if someone will port FireFox to the system. I haven't seen the SDK myself, so I'm not sure if MS allows standard TCP/IP networking or not. Flag this | Edit this post |
| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=13716 | GX-Alan (78) Dec 27, 2006 - 07:26 am
| Hexic HD is actually a Flash based game. :)
Depends on how the 1080i frame buffer is constructed. If you're not moving, you should still get double the resolution of 720p if they're rendering it correctly. 1080p will happen with games that aren't shader heavy due the art-style of the game. Most games will stick with 720p for now.
The DVD quality is poor, but what's frustrating is that ATI is capable of offering high-performance DVD playback via shaders. It's a software issue (MS not willing to spend the money on licensing/development) rather than a hardware limitation. Flag this | Edit this post |
| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=13716 | GX-Alan (78) Dec 26, 2006 - 08:46 pm
| I think what's really cool is that the Xbox 360 and PS3 are *philosophically* different when it comes to programming styles. The tiling on the Xbox 360 is "weird" in the same way the SPE's on the PS3 are "weird."
Fundamentally different programming styles means that cross-platform games will likely favor the Xbox360 (which is closer to PC architectures which is closer to what CS students learn).
I actually wasn't that impressed w/MotorStorm... The tilt sensor with the motorbike was pretty cool though -- it's ultra sensitive, and while most people will hate it, I appreciated the challenge. Flag this | Edit this post |
| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=13716 | GX-Alan (78) Dec 26, 2006 - 06:42 pm
| | Well, there's a lot that goes into it which makes straight comparisons difficult. The strengths of the Xbox 360's GPU are access to a high-bandwidth framebuffer and a unified shader design (which the GF8800 is the first to implement). Graphically, the Xbox 360 holds its own against high-end PC 3D cards for games like Oblivion. Flag this | Edit this post |
| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=13612 | GX-Alan (78) Dec 20, 2006 - 05:58 am
| | I recommended it as a gift because it was cheap but didn't feel cheap. In the past, if you got someone the iPod Shuffle, it was because you were too cheap to buy them the iPod nano. Now, the iPod Shuffle actually has a cool purpose, even if you already have a full iPod or iPod nano. Flag this | Edit this post |
| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=13612 | GX-Alan (78) Dec 20, 2006 - 05:02 am
| Remember in X-Files when they would always have those cool flashlights with the super bright beams? Those weren't CGI -- they were SureFire flashlights. Nowadays LED technology has reached the point where they can provide the same level of power as traditional bulbs from a few years ago.
For anyone into hiking or any sort of outdoor activity, a high-end flashlight with a good battery life is always a nice gift. They're even great when working on your PC case if it's under the desk.
The SureFire flashlight is the creme-de-la-creme. It's like getting the SLI'd GF8800GTX. The other flashlights we recommended are good, lower-cost alternatives. Flag this | Edit this post |
| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=13065 | GX-Alan (78) Nov 07, 2006 - 12:19 pm
| In theory, if the motherboard had overclocking abililty, the E6600 would (likely) give us an equally fast ultimate clockspeed.
The other issue was thermal management -- the 4 7200rpm drives and passively cooled 7950GT produce a ton of heat. Flag this | Edit this post |
| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=13065 | GX-Alan (78) Nov 06, 2006 - 02:05 pm » Edited on Nov 06, 2006 - 02:36 pm
| Why 7950GT instead of the 8800GTX? Passive cooling is part of teh spec.
Watercooling/phase change -- not necessary at the moment. It's still thermally managed.
What's impossible:
1. "Ultra-high-end MicroATX." It's easy to build a system with these specs using a standard ATX mobo.
2. Playing HD-DVD or Blu-Ray content back at 2560x1600 resolution.
Why mATX? A little of both. ATX mini-tower is still bigger, and the PSU mount is less optimal. The other part was to "prove a point" that today's highly integrated mobos and multiple tuners allows you to get by with minimal expansion slots. Flag this | Edit this post |
| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=12957 | GX-Alan (78) Nov 01, 2006 - 11:33 am
| I'll look for some 720p sources besides Quicktime trailers; 1080p is what HD-DVD, Blu-Ray, and European H.264 broadcast HDTV is using. I suspect that a fast CPU will be enough.
A few things
1) We haven't tested ATI with Cyberlink yet, but historically, NVIDIA has performed better than ATI.
2) Our Cyberlink is a pre-release version which may have a more efficient engine.
3) Without AACS support, it's pretty much a moot point. I've been able to play every Quicktime 1080p trailer with Quicktime Player in software. The real-world HD-DVD tests are definitely tougher. Flag this | Edit this post |
| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=11593 | GX-Alan (78) Aug 10, 2006 - 11:58 pm
| The Insignia is like the "Minimus" for 2006, with a different flavor. Great speaker for a great price, from a "non-audiophile" brand.
The Insignia's aren't perfect. In fact, I can very easily point out the weaknesses and negatives of the speaker. And yet, if you take a step back and look at the whole picture, they're superb.
It's entry-level "mid-fi" or "audiophile for the masses." I mean, if your source is something like an iPod and your music is highly processed pop music, then it's perfect. Flag this | Edit this post |
| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=10991 | GX-Alan (78) Jul 05, 2006 - 05:12 pm
| HDCP is in USE TODAY for digital connections. It's the companies that lack HDCP support who are trying to convince you that you don't need it until a year from now.
FiringSquad stopped testing VGA connection for LCD monitors several years ago. The benefits of DVI over VGA are immense, and we had photographic evidence using a flagship Quadro graphics card (which has superior VGA image quality than the best Matrox ever had).
If you use DVI, you need HDCP for premium content. If you use analog, you won't need HDCP until later. No one uses analog PC monitors anymore. Flag this | Edit this post |
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