TiVo, the company that all but introduced the PVR recorder sees its financial prospects looking less and less rosy each day, with reported losses of $10.2 million dollars.

The times they are changing (or not)

TiVo’s problems stem from would-be competitors and the company itself. Firstly, from an innovation perspective, TiVo’s PVR recorder technology has not changed much in the 11 years the company has been around. Outside of introducing rudimentary HD as well as incorporating streaming technology such as Netflix into the set-top boxes, PVRs of yesteryear hold up unusually well to contemporary ones. And this problem also informs the external problem TiVo has: cable and satellite companies who ship inferior yet cheaper hardware are snagging the subscribers TiVo desperately needs.

Deathwatch

Photo: Jared C. Benedict

The service that had advertisers and whole television networks uneasy back in 1999 seem to be on the verge of closing up shop, unless the deals they’ve struck with various satellite providers Comcast, DirecTV and Cox begin to bear fruit.

UK failure Sky’s fault

In a recent interview, TiVo Vice President Joshua Danovitz blamed their withdrawal from the UK market on Sky, citing specifically the launch of Sky +, Sky’s own PVR killing set-top box solution. Essentially, the company feels  had it not been for their so-called partner launching competing technology when it should have been supported TiVo, their presence in the UK would be far greater than it currently is.
TiVo has however recently announced an alliance has been formed with Virgin Media so as to give the service one last stab at the UK market.

The end seems nigh

Whether TiVo will be able to stem the tide remains unclear. Their losses year-on-year widened and, though investors seem to keep hope, the PVR recorder is become less proprietary and more of a utility. Unless TiVo reinvents itself and begins to catch up with the times, the company’s future prospects are not very good.

Since the seventies, musicians have been experimenting with a new way of playing drums. Not so much a new way as a new form really. Electronic drum sets have revolutionised drum-playing in many ways, streamlining the recording process and expanding on creative possibilities, reducing practice issues and space constraints, but at the same time losing some of the appeal and feel acoustic drums traditionally have. But if you are looking to migrate to digital there are a few things to consider.

No more bulk

Let’s face it, a traditional acoustic drum kit takes up a lot of space. Most guitarists and keyboardists sit on each other to allow room for the drummer in smaller rehearsal spaces. In larger studios it matters very little, but when starting out in the spare room, space is always an issue. An Electronic drum kit is far smaller and lighter, great for a flat, and can be packed up and transported along with amps and guitars in a smallish car. For smaller venues they are perfect, allowing room for the crazy bassist to kick and thrash around on stage.

Sound: volume, samples and effects

Photo: Blurred Ren

Every drummer knows that playing acoustic drums causes quite a ruckus, mobilising neighbours and housemates to swear and cuss and curse your chances of becoming a superstar. So electronic drum sets are good in this instance because you can control the volume of the kit, or simply play through headphones. This way you can also play along with your favourite songs over the headphones, rocking away, while suburbia sleeps all around you, undisturbed. When gigging it is far easier for the sound engineer to control the drums levels, and there are no clumsy microphone set-ups. No pre-gig tuning.

The cool thing about digital is that other sounds can be imported to certain trigger areas on the drum kit – you could have trumpets, keyboards, a triangle and cowbells in one song, coming from the electronic drum kit, adding a new dynamic to songs. And with effects like delay or reverb, the sound can be greatly enriched right there on stage, adding a vibey touch.

The problem is that some of the modules/samples don’t sound that good. Some cymbal sounds are too synthetic, and you might not have as many nuances between positions on a specific pad. Traditional drum kits have rim shots, for instance, that add such flavour that sometimes is lost on lower level electronic drum kits. The more you pay the better the quality and the more the versatility.

Can you feel it?

Moving from acoustic sets to electronic ones can be strange because of smaller pads and different stick bounce, but professionals are starting to choose electronic sets over acoustic sets, so it is mainly beginners that would find the move between the two difficult. It is harder to play drum roles because there is a chance of missing the triggers – this could enhance accuracy, though, in the long run. And playing with brushes is almost entirely impossible.

Recording: Easy as 1-2-3

Photo: DigitalDrummer

Because the drum kit’s sounds are digital, in the recording process, it is a case of plug-in and play. The samples and modules are already perfectly equalised, making it very easy to record the drum track as is, immediately, with ‘exact’ sound.

Main problems

Electric drum kits will never be as rich and full of flavour as acoustic drums because they lose that versatility and range of volume and expression. Some sets don’t have the hi-hat, open-close range. And as digital technology expands, your electronic drum kit might become outdated quite fast.

This one is up to you. You can play any kind of style on an electronic drum set while making optimum use of accessories. The practice side of things makes a lot of sense, and portability is a big plus, but there is something magical about acoustic. Win-win either way, really.

Headphones are just about one of the coolest inventions around. Since walkmans and diskmans to iPods and iPhones, headphones have allowed good quality listening a certain character of portability. They are still the least expensive way to listen to music – one might pay 6 times more for speakers and they aren’t as mobile of course. If you don’t settle for cheap headphones and actually get your hands on some decent makes, you’ll be amazed as to how much detail and comfort there is in a listening session.

There are great brands out there, and the high-end stuff of most makes are really good. From Sennheiser to Panasonic, the quality out there is good. If you know what you want and put in some leg work testing different options, you’ll find the perfect pair for you. Lets have a look at a brand of headphones that are super stylish, good value for money, and really not bad in terms of sound quality and comfort.

Skullcandy Headphones

The brand Skullcandy have positioned themselves in such a way as to attract the younger market, the extreme sporting community – Skullcandy have teams in surfing, skating and snowboarding and in the recent Euro X-Games took plenty gold medals in the snowboarding comps, with riders like Jen Hudak, Halldor Helgason, Kaza Turski and Tom Wallisch representing the brand – and producers and DJs. The general view is that their lower range sets are great entry level headphones and that their more expensive high-end stuff are right up their with the bigger brands.

Styling the skull

One really radical aspect about Skullcandy headphones are their designs. From their GI Rasta set to their Skullcrusher line, custom designs and wicked colour schemes make these headphones at least the most stylish around, where you can reflect your personality and even music preferences through the design you choose. The Skullcandy website is a great place to see for yourself – have a look at the range of options. It’s huge.

Skullcandy Hesh Headphones

Photo: Skullcandy

Skullcandy Hesh headphones have received mixed reviews but on the whole seem to me very respectable. With a maximum power handling of 100mW, a 50mm Driver Unit, a frequency response of between 20Hz and 20kHz and impedance at 32 ohm, these headphones are amazing for your home and personal audio needs. And with a lifetime warranty there are no chances. The Skullcandy guys put it best on their site: ‘Fisticuffs with the boss could potentially be confused by some at the office as a sign of insubordination. Vigorous dancing on his desk with exotic facial contortions and frequent airborne double-bird fist pumping hand gestures while wearing Hesh headphones is probably a more diplomatic way of saying, “Leave me alone so I can rock again.”‘

Skullcandy lowrider headphones

Photo: Skullcandy

These are the stylish accessory type headphones, all about fashion sensibility and style but without skimping on quality listening. They are actually quite professional and very affordable. Skullcandy lowrider headphones specs: 400mW max. power handling, 40mm Driver, 32ohm impedance, between 100 and 18 000Hz frequency response. You can fold them and reviews have them as one of the more comfortable line. ‘You always say, “…when we cross that bridge…” Are you referring metaphorically to consumption, the bridge between creation and destruction? If so, you should buy a dozen colours of Skullcandy Lowrider headphones right away. Your wardrobe needs candy paint to match all those sneakers. Don’t be slippin”, say the Skullcandy headphones crew.

Almost a year ago, a gay Xbox designer, Jim Durrant, sued Microsoft for £45 000 at the London South Employment Tribunal for emotional damages and loss of earnings, for discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. Durrant said at the time, according to The Telegraph, that the firm did not have policies in place to deal with his complaints about homophobic harassment. He was apparently harassed by his own colleagues. Just a month prior to that, The Telegraph reported that Microsoft had banned a gamer from playing on Xbox Live because she used the word lesbian in her gamer tag. Well, homophobia has reared its ugly head once again in the gaming world, only this time things are being taken seriously.

Homophobic attitudes in online gaming

Games are competitive and sometimes frustrating, and like on any other sports field, some banter takes place between players. There is a difference between healthy competitive banter and down- right negative bigotry. There is a big difference. The Gaymer Survey, conducted at the University of Illinois and involving 10,000 people, found that the online gaming sphere was rife with homophobic attitudes. It found that gay gamers experienced ‘a high level of homophobic attitudes and language’ while taking part in social gaming.

Microsoft nip it in the bud

Photo: Gamerscore-Blog

In a press statement released by Microsoft early this month, Marc Whitten of Xbox Live – a social gaming community where gamers can enjoy online interaction as well as gaming – revealed that Microsoft have changed their code of conduct to allow certain words to describe a gamer’s sexual orientation, religion, nationality and race in their gamer tags and their profiles. Previously this was banned in an effort to prevent harassment – apparently the problem was in determining what was hate speech or not when certain terms were used in a game. But with homophobia at all time highs, Xbox Live have had to reconsider their previous policies in a renewed effort to educate gamers about discrimination and defamation, hoping to curb a bigoted culture from forming.

With 23 million users, Xbox Live is the strongest and most diverse online community of its kind and with so many people interacting all the time, some monitoring is needed.

Whitten said that there have always been ‘monitoring practices to ensure it (Xbox Live) is a fun and welcoming entertainment experience for people of all races, nationalities, religion, and sexual orientations.’ He continued, ‘A Code of Conduct is designed to create a place where people can safely enjoy all of the ways to interact on our services, be it online multiplayer gaming, photo sharing, Netflix parties, or social games such as 1 vs. 100, without fear of discrimination or harassment.’

Photo: Javier Donoso

So now anyone wanting to play Xbox games live, or participate in any services on offer, can reveal their sexual orientation using only five allowed terms: gay, straight, lesbian, bi and transgender. Any other terms would be considered derogatory. Though free expression in a positive way is encouraged, hate speech will not be tolerated. Xbox Live are still working out the kinks on some of their language filters.

Heavy debate

While Xbox Live policy manager Stephen Toulouse met with a gay charity, Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, or GLAAD, to debate the way forward, forums have been ablaze with debate about homophobia in society at large as well as in online communities. Whether Microsoft will be able to successfully curb online homophobia remains to be seen.

In the wake of the recent success of Tim Burton’s 3D version of Alice in Wonderland, movie producers have made suggestions that the Wizard of Oz will also be getting a 3D makeover – in not one movie, but two! The news comes as little surprise to movie fans who’ve seen the influx to cinemas of 3D movies in recent years, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a lot of anticipation following the news that this old classic will soon be seen like never before.

The remake

According to the LA Times, the first new Wizard of Oz movie due for release is a re-make of the 1939 classic, this time using the skills of screenwriter Darren Lemke, who also worked on Shrek Forever. The team behind the hugely popular Twilight movies is involved in the remake, and it’ll be interesting to see whether they make similarly wise casting choices in attracting teenage audiences to the 3D Wizard of Oz after bringing phenomenal fame to Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.

The sequel

A second Wizard of Oz movie is supposed to be a sequel to the original.

Photo: Philip Nelson

Screenwriters Josh Olson and Todd MacFarlane are reputed to be collaborating on the project, and the story will revolve around the granddaughter of Dorothy returning to Oz. It seems that its makers will be taking a darker approach to the Yellow Brick Road, with a story that sees its main character fighting the forces of evil.

Dorothy in 3D

Fans of 3D are excited to see Dorothy and her companions, as well as the Yellow Brick Road and the scenery of Oz and Kansas, in full 3D. The general opinion is that this is just the kind of movie that works best in 3D, with great opportunities for real visual spectacle, and lots of action. Recent innovations in 3D mean that audiences will be able to experience the spectacle in cinemas or in the comfort of their own homes, thanks to Blu-ray players and new 3D products.

Just like Alice?

Photo: Stock.Xchng

Many found Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland disappointing, but that didn’t stop it from bringing in huge profits at the box office. There are plenty of accusations being thrown around that anyone planning to create a Wizard of Oz movie remake is simply cashing in on 3D remake success to follow the Yellow Brick Road all the way to the bank, but if it keeps audiences entertained, maybe that’s not the worst thing in the world. It seems that there are some impressive names behind the projects, so they could do it justice.

Try and try again…

This isn’t the first attempt at a Wizard of Oz remake: a 1974 animated version and 1985’s Return to Oz both failed to impress critics or viewers. It might be that the 3D treatment is just what the story needs, but then again, die-hard fans of the original might never be satisfied. At least there’ll be two options to choose from – one of them should get it right.

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) recently launched a lawsuit to stop RealNetworks from distributing RealDVD, and the settlement of the case has resulted in the group RealNetworks having to pay $4.5 million (£2.98 million) to cover the MPAA’s legal costs. The MPAA seems satisfied with the outcome of the case, as General Counsel Daniel Mandel pronounced the conclusion successful, and pointed out that the unauthorised copying and distribution of movies is illegal.

Famous last words

RealNetworks had previously pledged to keep up its battle with the movie industry to keep its product on the market, but it seems that the pressure finally became too much, and they’ve had to take back their fighting words. Their earlier arguments about their reasons for not licensing their software, and the legality of their product, simply weren’t sufficient for Judge Marilyn Hall Patel.

What is – or was – RealDVD?

The RealPlayer was a storage and backup device from RealNetworks, which through the use of RealDVD software allowed users to copy their DVDs and keep them on the player’s hard drive. If you haven’t used it in the past, however, you won’t be using it in the future: it’s now been permanently banned. Some say that the players that have already been bought and sold will become collector’s items in the near future, so if you have invested in one, you might want to take very good care of it.

Not quite legal

Photo: Amazon

For the reason that the device was meant to be mainly for storage purposes, the product’s makers started off arguing that owners of DVDs had a right to back up their movies with software like RealDVD, but this reasoning turned out not to hold up in court. This court decision puts the brakes on the plans of other developers and companies planning storage or copying devices for the near future – no chance of copying DVDs to a PC’s hard drive, then. The court offered a simple solution to the problem of backing up DVDs: just buy another copy from a website like Amazon.

Public response

After the lawsuit received widespread media attention, a large number of consumers have expressed their views on the issue, creating debates about such weighty issues as socialism and property rights. Meanwhile, a survey demonstrated that as many as 90% of consumers wanted the right and the technology to back up their DVDs. In the same survey, the respondents said that having this capability would actually encourage them to buy more DVDs. Unfortunately for them, they won’t be getting their wish.

The future of copyright

The lawsuit seems to provide something of a lesson for copyright violators everywhere – media producers and courts alike are unlikely to tolerate any breaking or bending of copyright laws anytime soon. Of course, it seems equally unlikely that this will do much to prevent illegal copying or distribution of movies and music any time soon, since there are plenty of ways to do it that don’t involve a RealPlayer. In the end, the choice is still up to the individual to decide what the ethical thing to do really is.

Sony’s new BDP-S560 Blu-ray player has a benefit that’s long been desired and hoped for in the Blu-ray market – it can connect directly to the Internet, saving users a whole lot of time and trouble. That’s not the only feature that makes this Blu-ray player a special one, but whether it’s the best Blu-ray has to offer, and whether Sony Blu-ray is ready to lead in the field, remains to be seen. A closer look at this latest offering yields some interesting facts and figures that just might have fans of Blu-ray technology rushing out to the shops.

All about Blu-ray

Blu-ray is a form of technology developed to play high-definition media. It effectively won the ‘format war’ with HD DVD in 2008, when Warner Bros. Studios announced that it would no longer produce its releases in HD DVD format. Blu-ray sales continue to climb as the technology becomes the mode of choice for clear, high-resolution images onscreen, as well as high performance. Seen as the way of the future for home theatre, Blu-ray looks set to replace ‘old’ DVD technology in coming years.

Sony Blu-ray

While Sony has some tough competition in the Blu-ray field in the form of Samsung and LG, it’s impressing consumers with its latest releases and innovations: a number of advanced Blu-ray players were announced, along with a whole range of 3D technology at CES 2010.An interesting move in the arena of Blu-ray from Sony is the company’s choice to make all of their Blu-ray and DVD disk packaging sustainable in the future, using paper make from 30% post-consumer waste.

The BDP-S560 Blu-ray player

Photo: Sony

The BDP-S560 presents a quick start option that really is speedy, and is generally a quick-running model. Unsurprisingly, it’s able to play in full 1080p HD, but it also has the Sony x.v. Color feature, which allows it to display more colours than other Blu-ray machines. Sleeker than the average, this Sony Blu-ray player comes in a smooth and stylish design, with a glossy finish and a disk tray that’s well hidden from sight. What about those old DVDs? No problem, there’s an upscaling feature for those, too.

But what about the price?

The cost of the BDP-S560 is the factor that’s likely to put off most would-be buyers, so for those who don’t want to fork out for all the frills, an entry-level option like the BDP-S360 might be a better choice. The BDP-S560 retails at around £200.

Something for everyone?

For those looking to invest in the best Blu-ray technology, this might just be the best option available. The BDP-560 Sony Blu-ray player has great features which make it ideal for most users of Blu-ray, whether new or experienced, and its speed makes it very user-friendly. The one-year warranty is a bonus for most wary buyers, too. Comparison with other Sony models and other brands is the only sure way to find the best Blu-ray option, but Sony has produced a solid competitor in the Blu-ray game.

In the recent past there have been a number of amazing innovations in the world of 3D entertainment, from movie theatre technology to what we see at home, to highly developed games. As time goes by and the technology becomes more and more affordable, it seems likely that viewing images with 3D glasses could become a part of day-to-day life for many. Now researchers say that that might not be a good thing, as the dangers of 3D glasses come to light in research.

What’s the risk?

When the words ‘health risk’ and 3D are mentioned together, most people think immediately of dizziness or damage to eyesight, but it looks like the dangers of 3D are a lot simpler than that: 3D glasses can reportedly be very unhygienic. Health officials in Italy recently confiscated 3D glasses that they claimed posed health risks because the 3D glasses weren’t cleaned properly between screenings. These, of course, aren’t the kind of cheap 3D glasses that patrons are allowed to take with them after their movie.

But that’s not all…

The other, more obvious, dangers of 3D glasses remain. Researchers at the University of California Berkeley have found that viewing 3D movies with 3D glasses can strain the eyes by changing the relationship between the eyes and the brain. This can result in headaches and blurred vision, and it seems that the problem is particularly troubling for young children. Those who do experience these kinds of painful side-affects should limit their 3D viewing, as long-term results haven’t been found.

Plastic or polarised?

Photo: Stock.Xchng

Its seems certain that more expensive 3D glasses give you a better 3D experience, as cheaper glasses can create some ‘shadowing’. Getting a new pair of disposable glasses at the screening of a movie may be more hygienic, but as yet there’s little evidence to demonstrate whether high-quality 3D glasses are better for your vision and health in the long run.

Others things you should know

There are many myths about the dangers of wearing 3D glasses, but here are the facts. Walking around with 3D glasses on while not viewing a 3D movie is not harmful, and neither is viewing a movie with 3D glasses on over your prescription glasses. For those with less-than-perfect vision, 3D can still have its full effect – provided that there is some vision remaining in both eyes, as it’s necessary for the two eyes to interact to process the 3D effects seen in movies like Avatar and Alice in Wonderland.

Everything in moderation

Photo: Sony

What should be done about the dangers of 3D? Well, the headaches and dizziness that some viewers experience can be reduced simply by lessening the amount of time spent using 3D technology, and those who experience the effects for a long period of time should consult their doctor. As far as hygiene goes, theatres can provide disposable 3D glasses in sealed packages or take greater care in their cleaning processes, while consumers can take along their own glasses, or, if they’re really concerned, a hygiene spray to give them a quick wipe-off before use.

The e-reader market is strange in that it’s been around far longer than the Amazon Kindle has, with companies clearly building viable businesses from it, but the Kindle confirmed the mass market was finally ready for digital books. Unfortunately, this means all e-readers would now be compared to the Amazon Kindle and the iRex DR800SG comes up short.

In short: another e-reader

Photo: Apple

The problem with e-readers made by companies that are neither Apple nor Amazon, is that they will be compared to Apple or Amazon. In this respect, the successor to the iRex iLiad e-reader pales in comparison to the iPad, since it is a basic e-ink e-reader. Nothing fancy. On the flipside, this 8.1-inch display e-reader is noticeably heavier than the Kindle, thicker than it, too, and doesn’t have the back-end support or Kindle store integration Amazon’s device does.

The major problem: Price

Having said that, it’s neither as powerful as the iPad nor as convenient as the Amazon Kindle, yet the major problem the iRex DR800SG has is its price: $400 (£260). This is nearly $140 (£90) more expensive than the Kindle, and a mere $99 (£65) cheaper than the iPad.

The advantage

iRex’s advantage is that it’s different, firstly, and secondly, has an interface sufficiently different from the Kindle’s that it is able to court users who want something unique. With the iRex iLiad e-reader, as well as the iRex iLiad 2nd Edition e-reader, both prior to this device, for the company to still be releasing yet another digital book reading device is testament to a modicum of success, especially in Europe.

Photo: iRex

Another advantage is the lack of a physical keyboard, which means the device fits into its bezel elegantly. The UI has one big button on one side for scrolling through pages as opposed to buttons on either sides like the Kindle, and the iRex’s main store is Barnes & Noble digital, as opposed to Amazon’s own Kindle store.

Even then, there are some users who are still fond of using antiquated pointing devices like the stylus the iRex DRG800SG requires for use. When it comes down to it, the iRex e-reader may not be out and out inferior to the Kindle, but it is notably more expensive, which could very well be a deal breaker. And though it is cheaper than the iRex iLiad e-readers that came before it, the DRG800SG is in a market place where it’s being compared to two products that monopolise attention and discussion.

The Samsung 7000 and 8000 TV series will be Skype-enabled. Log into existing accounts or create a new one for free using your remote control. The Skype is already set up through the home network, all that’s needed is the low-profile Freetalk TV camera, which is sold separately, and you’re ready to get in touch with friends and family.

The benefits

Photo: Skype

Skype has always been an innovative and interactive product, accessible via mobile phones and computer screens. With the move to TV screens, it means the visuals are bigger and better. The remote control allows more control over the screen. With more options available on TVs, the consumer can customise the visuals to their liking.

Better quality

The Samsung 7000 and Samsung 8000 LED TVs have a quicker response time. Computers have the tendency to have blurry visuals, and make the other person almost seem robotic. The 7000 displays visuals at 100Mhz, whilst the 8000 displays at 200Mhz, making the Skype quality clearer and faster. With the use of LED lights rather than LCD, these new TVs have the potential to show pure black. On most TVs the black may be a greyish colour. With this improvement both the colour and contrast are better.

Photo: Samsung

Both these TVs are so thin and light that mounting it on the wall is no problem at all. This means that they can be better postitioned, and the Skype camera can be put anywhere on the TV without any worries, allowing more people to be involved in the Skype visual.

Availibilty

The Samsung 7000 and Samsung 8000 series have not yet been made available to the public, so pricing is also unknown at the moment. With Skype on your TV, communicating with friends and family overseas just gets easier and better.