News and other tidbits that Chad Cloman finds interesting enough to share
Come February 2009 traditional analog television broadcasts will end, making older, analog-only television sets obsolete. The linked article explains the switchover, as well as steps you can take if you don’t want to upgrade to a newer TV.
Link: http://komando.com/…
Being an early adopter for Sony’s high-definition Blu-ray technology may not be a wise choice. Some players are not able to handle the BD+ copy protection scheme (which is part of the standard but is only now being implemented).
Link: http://arstechnica.com/…
Here is a media server for the hard-core videophile. It can handle four simultaneous inputs and has 4 terabytes of storage. Sure beats the TiVo (although the media server isn’t really priced for the mass market).
In the wake of its decision to ditch iTunes, we now know what NBC was really up to. It will be offering free downloads of popular television shows. The downsides are that a special player is required (Windows only), the content can only be viewed for a seven-day period from the show’s air date, and there are embedded advertisements that cannot be skipped. NBC intends to implement a pay system in the future, where users will “own” the download and be able to transfer it to iPods and such.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/…
(via Kim Komando)
Chad’s News has previously discussed the Blu-Ray/HD-DVD format war, but we thought it worth noting that Blu-Ray has recently received an unexpected vote of confidence. Thieves broke into a video store and stole the entire stock of Blu-Ray discs while ignoring the HD-DVD section.
Link: http://www.engadget.com/…
(via digg)
Blockbuster has taken a side in the high-definition DVD format war, opting to go exclusively with Blu-ray. This could be a big factor in deciding which format makes it in the long run.
Link: http://www.foxnews.com/…
(via Kim Komando)
For the discerning consumer, here’s a benchmark DVD that will show any weaknesses in that high-priced HDTV you’re thinking of purchasing.
Link: http://www.hqv.com/
(via Consumerist)
I’m all for à la carte cable television, where consumers get to choose (and pay for) only those channels they want to receive. I can understand why the cable companies are reluctant to provide this service, but I don’t see why the FCC has been dragging its heels. It really seems like a no-brainer.
Link: http://arstechnica.com/…
HD-DVD discs use an encryption scheme known as AACS, which has a publicly-disclosed algorithm—the secret lies in the 128-bit encryption keys that are carefully guarded by the makers of HD-DVD players. A key was discovered and, this last week, posted on digg. It received over 15,000 diggs (which is a lot) before being removed at the request of the MPAA and the AACS Licensing Authority. The digg community went absolutely berserk, and for the next day or so every subsequent post was either about the key or had the key in the comments.
Back in January a program named BackupHDDVD was published. It implements the AACS algorithm but requires an encryption key as input, so at the time it was downplayed as the crack that wasn’t. But now, with the key, it works just fine. Note that AACS has a mechanism to disable keys, but it only works on future disc releases.
Link #1: http://arstechnica.com/…
Link #2: http://en.wikipedia.org/…
Link #3: http://www.nytimes.com/…
Here at the Chad’s News network command center, we strongly believe in getting every possible bit of use out of our aging computer equipment. Hands-on exposure to new technology, therefore, is not something we often experience. Thus the need for articles such as the one below, which gives a good overview of current and upcoming display connectors. It covers VGA, DVI, HDMI, UDI, and DisplayPort, as well as some of their relative strengths and weaknesses. Definitely something to read before purchasing a monitor or video card.
Link: http://www.extremetech.com/…
(via Slashdot)
Regular Chad’s News readers will recall the disastrous results that occurred when Sony included a rootkit as part of its audio CD copy protection. Well now they’ve done it again. They’re selling DVDs that, because of anti-copy measures, are unreadable in some players—including ones that they manufacture. Oops. Sony, perhaps learning a lesson from the last snafu, was quick to recall the defective discs and offer replacements.
Link: http://arstechnica.com/…
Here’s something I bet you didn’t know. Local television stations are broadcasting their high-definition signals over the air. With just an inexpensive HD antenna, it’s possible to get high-quality digital television with no monthly fee. And since it’s digital, you get a sharp, clear image unlike with antennas of old. This is a less expensive alternative to paying for cable or satellite broadcasts. The only downside is that you don’t get the non-local channels like HBO, CNN, etc.
Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/…
(via Kim Komando)
