Playing Without the Box - Digital Media!

So there was a time when I thought I would never really even consider "digital media" especially in a digital distribution sort of way. Yet here I am 2008 and almost preferring to have my media serverd digitally. For most of us it started as music, and for the most part we served it up to ourselves by ripping our CD's (and our friends, neighhors, families and strangers) into our computers. These days quite a few people get thier digital media (especially movies and television) via bittorrent, and some of use take the DVD's we own and use tools to get them converted onto our home PC's. With the current generation of 360's and PS3's its also been much easier to get that media from our computers to our living rooms.

Outside of music, photos and videos the last venture for me has been video games. When digital arcade games started being released on the original Xbox I didnt get all that excited, the distribution system was all wrong. Since then the 360 has improved on that quite a bit, its still not perfect but much better. Yet it's good enough for me to have invested quite a bit in arcade games and television shows on the 360.

Outside of the Xbox, which has been relatively low cost games I recently bought a PS3 and with that there is quite a difference. For one the PS3 offers full retail games via the PSN store. Soon GT 5 Prologe will be released and it will be my first test to just how far I will go to digital distribution.

Sony has also started releasing some content for the PSP (only like a forever after the system has been released) and yes I've picked up on some of that as well.

One place I haven't embraced has been the Wii, sure I bought Super Mario Bros, but that was more on principle and as a test! The Wii still pretty much uses that old Xbox way of tieing the media to one box and making it hard to get it back otherwise, and why have they not utilized the SD card or an external hard drive?

Sure this is all well and good, but the big reason for embracing digital distribution is really becuase it saves alot of space. My CD and DVD collections are quite large, but being able to store all those CD's out of the way is a real plus. The fact that mp3 players allow us to carry entire music collections these days is simply incredible. The DVD collection is another story, its not quite as easy to rip those and store them away, but I'm working on it.

In closing for the most part my goal with my PS3 is never buy an actual game disc, so maybe getting GT 5 Prologe digitally is a way to get a pretty cool game and still not break my rule!

More Glorious HD available on my TV!

Today my local Comcast, can I say that anymore, aren't they based out of Philadelphia and I'm not in Philadelphia? Anyway, today they added new channels, the very same channels they promised on the 14th of February. It's true they even placed a very large print ad in the local newspaper to tell us. Well of course we all knew that wasn't going to happen, see Comcast doesn't love us like that and the 14th was Valentine's Day.

But I digress, today the channels were added, we recieved eight new ones: The Food Network, USA, TBS, HGTV, Discovery HD, Sci Fi, A&E, and TLC. But wait, as if to say thank you for the wait they secretly added National Geographic HD!

These channels joined the channels that were already available which included: NFL Network, Starz, Showtime, HBO, Cinemax, Discovery Channel, MTV HD, Universal, TNT, ESPN, ESPN 2, Comcast Sports Network, and of course what has been the most important to me my local NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox and WVIA affliates.

So that brings my total HD lineup to around twenty six high definition channels! Yeah! Now what to watch?

Farewell HD-DVD

It seems that its all but evident at this point as we await Toshiba's final announcement that they are waving the white flag on HD-DVD. At some point I made a commitment to not get envolved in this format war, yet somehow I did. Sure it was the great deal that I got from Amazon.com and the 8 free HD-DVD's that came as part of that deal that sucked me in, but sucked me in it did. For the longest time after that I swore also that I wouldn't fall into the Blue Ray world and certainly would not get a PS3. This isn't about either so lets fast forward, I got into the Blue Ray world and own a PS3.

Because of the unknown scenario of the format war and the price of HD-DVD's over DVD and lets face it the movies I was buying were on Blue Ray not HD-DVD my collection of High Def movies didn't grow that big. Of course what I did gather up was Planet Earth and of course Transformers!

But what am I left with, besides the disapointment that I HD-DVD is dead I'm left with a pretty good DVD player that plays HD-DVd and upscales regular DVD's. Since my HD-DVD collection isn't that large should the need ever arise to have to replace it I'd realistically have to replace about 4 -5 movies.

In the end its really just too bad, HD-DVD was at least to me the better format over Blue Ray, it was final spec yet updateable if that spec changed, and even combo discs although not my favorite were at least a step toward compromise between DVD and High Def DVD.

Toshiba had a good product and they still do, its why I bought into it. Unfourtunately Sony used alot of money and a game system as a way to win over studios and fake out consumers. Early adoptors of HD DVD may be without a future, but the collections that they have will continue to work. Early adoptors of Blue Ray are not without a future, but will soon find themselves with players that are not compatible, the PS3 not withstanding.

Its almost the irony of this format war. Noone seems to have truly won. Except maybe Sony.

I do have a PS3 now and at this point I enjoy my HD however I can get it, HD-DVD, Blue Ray or cable HD. I'll thank Toshiba for my HD-DVD player and wish them luck, they tried and finally were overcome.

Now where are all those big HD-DVD clearence sales!

Friday Night in the Life of a Computer Geek

So while the rest of the world is out partying their Friday night away, celebrating the end of yet another week, I spent my Friday night quietly at home with the family. I state that because other wise what I'm about to describe as an interesting Friday night would probably make me we'll call it, not so cool.

I started the evening acquiring last nights episode of Survivor since the Comcast HD crapped out last night and that wasn't a viewing option. Moving along it was time to boot up the 360 and select computer Media Two and start watching Survivor. After that it was to the upstairs DVR which records standard def (remember the HD crapping out) to watch last nights episode of Lost.

It was then getting late (you know 11 o clock) so it was time to get Media One transcoding an AVI file to WMV and Media Two transcoding a VOB file to AVI. With both Media One and Two now hard at work it was off to bed.

But the night wasn't over, it was time to get Media Three (the laptop) out of sleep mode to stream some episodes of Tekzilla I've meant to catch up on AND on the other side of the screen send some messages, check some e-mail, browse some web sites and of course post to this blog.

Don't try this at home people I'm a trained tech geek, these kinds of Friday nights are not for the faint of heart. Proceed at your own risk.

Of course if you're anything like me, you'll have just a good of time, and the weekends just getting started. Goodnight!

Apple vs. PC

There is a big debate that's been sparked recently from a writer on www.burbia.com about a recent visit to an Apple store and how it remarkably seemed to change his life. While the writers comments were mostly spot on in regards to Apple branding and what I imagine an expereince at an Apple store is like he lost credibility in my eyes when after labeling himself a non techie spoke of leaving the store with a $2,300 Apple desktop system.

Now looking back through my posts you'll see that I too became stricken with the Apple bug awhile ago, I especially began to like Apple after I was given an old iBook. I wanted more Mac and newer Mac. But as I neared my final decision making to purchase a new laptop, I stopped short of purchasing a new MacBook pro and swerved right back to the Dell lane. I'm very happy I did. I saved ALOT of money and got ALOT more computer.

Apple is good in many senses, if you're someone who isnt a hardcore computer user, if you want a REALLY clean desk (Apple is great for this), if you want to fit into the cool crowd at Starbucks and Borders, or if you're really a computer noob looking for an easy to use system. Sure there are other reasons but for lack of time I'll stop there.

I currently use many operating systems, I spend most of my time with XP, recently started using Vista, have had very good expereince with Tiger and even use Linux Ubuntu for an old PC I use as a music sever or sorts. They all work well for me for the most part, and each computer has specific jobs they do. Yet while I am using at least two Dell PCs that should have been retired long ago I received them becuase people had no room for them anymore. I received my iBook becuase the person at the Apple store told my sister (who falls into one of the categories above) to "just buy a new one" when she asked about added Wi Fi to her iBook.

When you're a PC user you sometimes have a lot to deal with, but you're in it for the long haul, when your a Mac user your equipment doesn't have time to break before your forced by Apple to just upgrade to the next one. Need an example, look no further than the iPod! Wait nevermind the iPhone!!!

The bottom line is no matter what choices you make, Windows, Mac, or even Linux to think you have the most fullproof computer in the world is meanigless.

A Nice Clean Desktop

I'm sure I am way behind the curve here but up until recently I haven't really focused on the idea of a clean desktop. Now of course I'm not talking about a physical desktop here I'm talking about a computer screen desktop.

I guess it began with my iBook, since I didn't really use it all that much the only icon on the desktop was the hard drive icon. I liked the idea of keeping all my other programs nice and tidy on the little mac start menu.

Next was my second less used computer the upstairs PC, right now the only icon that pops out is Windows Photo Gallery, I like to keep that one visible for the wife so she can view photos without digging for the program.

But it wasn't until I recently recived my new XPS with Vista installed that I started not only keeping a clean Vista desktop but extended it to my main desktop PC and as far as I could to my work comptuer. The main PC was pretty easily adjusted since I learned the ways of the Quick Launch toolbar from Vista (yes I know its been there all the time in XP). I dragged most of my programs that I use to the quick lauch bar and pinned World of Warcraft to the Start Menu. That cleaned things up nicely.

At work today I did a little cleaning up there, it's been a much bigger challenge as there are many more folders that are used and need to be easily accessible to me. But I cleaned up alot more than I had and I must say it helps being a bit more productive.

My biggest challenge on my main and work PC's has been my Bluetooth Places icon, I can't seem to get rid of this one? Not to sure why, it must be really important!

However one thing remains, like its just supposed to be there, the most important icon of them all, the Recycle Bin. Not sure why, since I know I can very easily get rid of it, it stays. To me the last remaining important icon. Good for you Mr. Recycle Bin, you've earned it!

So maybe you have, maybe for a long time enjoyed the benefits of a clean desktop. However if you havn't give it a try, you'd be surprised how little you use many of the icons that hide that family photo or spectacular graphic you call a desktop.

Network Fall Down, Go Boom.

The digital lifestyle is great, except when something goes wrong, and with technology in the mix thats always a possibility. Last night seeminlgy out of nowhere I lost my Internet connection, but this time I couldn't get it back up. I went through the normal routine of shutting off and restarting everything in the normal pattern but to no avail I couldnt get back on the net. Everything was working well within the network so I thought all was well on my equipment side.

After what seemed like an eterninty of tech support with three different Comcast techs (although I wouldnt call the first guy a tech so much as a script reader) it was finally determined that it was my router in fact that was having a little trouble. It seemed all was well on the LAN and the Internet was connected but the cable modem and the router weren't talking therefore the net wasn't reaching the LAN.

So after a late night trip to Wal-Mart during which I picked up the Linksys wireless G 4 port router things got back up and running. So far most things seem to be working well or a little better, some things havnet really been tested yet and a few little hicups got me worried but only time will tell. The biggest adaption was disableing the wi fi on the router since I am using a Linksys Wireless G access point as well.

It was one of those nights (dosn't it always happen at night when all the stores are closed!) where that reliance on the Internet and the network really shows, I needed to get my network back up and running, like it was my lifeblood.

The funny thing was as I was ending my converstaion with the Comcast tech he asked "would you like the tech support number to Linksys?", I kindly said, absoulutly not! If my router is in fact done, its put in 6 good years of work, and there is no way I'm getting back on the phone with tech support tonight!

Me and My New Dell XPS

Well I'm settling in with my brand new Dell XPS M1530 tonight, I've gotten all my photos and music loaded on it and most of the network settings tiddied up so I've decided to blog.

This of course is one of the main reasons for getting a laptop, blogging from the couch. Sure it sounds like a lot of money to spend to just sit on the couch and type but of course as I dig in there will be plenty more to do. As a matter of fact one of the last things I need to do is install Warcraft, that I'll do tomorrow.

The laptop is pretty loaded and offers alot of cool options, one of the new options for me is Vista. I've been quite anxious the last couple days awaiting the new laptop knowing it was coming with Vista as many people I spoke with didn't really have great things to say. Well I've only used Vista now for a few hours and while I'll admit there have been a few things that have stumped even me thus far it seems pretty neat to work with. Over time I'm sure I'll adjust well to this new OS and begin to enjoy it.

Of course for me that's part of the fun, I love that this new machine comes with a manual the size of a Harry Potter novel, there is so much for me to learn and get into which is something I don't remember enjoying since I got my very first computer. I've been using XP for a long time and I'm comfortable with it so it was time for something alittle new.

Well there's alot to get and in the coming days I'll post my adventures right here on my blog!