March 23rd PS3 Launches in the UK just in time for a Firmware update!

The good news is that March 23rd is indeed the date that the PS3 will be launched globally. So now the UK can  get its share of Sonys Blu-ray video player, because it really doesn’t have any games.  Something else to mention is the fact that people have heard of paradox waiting to release a boot loader to play games from the ps3 HD. Now it appears that right before the big launch Sony will issue a huge firmware upgrade. I do wonder if Sony has patched this firmware to be more secure, only time will tell.

Sony of Japan dropped a press release today to date the upcoming PS3 Firmware Update v1.60. Everyone has been looking forward to this “big” update that has long been promised, so let’s see what they had to say…

The new firmware will be released on March 22, 2007. The press release mentions it’ll be released in the afternoon, which I’m assuming is just for Japan.

Details of the firmware update are as follows (from Babelfish translation):

• Folding @Home: Now you can participate in the worldwide distributed computing protein folding experiments from Standford University, in hopes to further understand human genetics. You can access the Folding @Home application under Network on the XMB
• Internet Browser Pinpoint Zoom and Resolution Settings: You can now choose to zoom into a portion of a website if you have a huge display and can’t read things, or you can set the browser resolution to a different size so everything can be viewed easier
• Full size on-screen keyboard: Makes it easier to type messages and web addresses with the controller
• Remote Play via Wireless Access Point: People with a 20GB PS3 can now utilize the Remote Play feature with a PSP by using any wireless access point. (No official word if you will be able to use the PSP to access your PS3 at home from anywhere, maybe in a future update)
• Background Downloading from the PlayStation Store: This one is cool. It’ll make a big difference when downloading things on the PS3. No longer do you have to sit and wait at the download screen forever. No official word if you can queue up downloads, or if you can load games from disc while downloading.

Overall, not a very impressive update. Sony talked up a big March update to the system, and they really aren’t adding much, other than the background downloading. I’m assuming v1.60 will also include backwards compatibility data for PAL consoles without the PS2 hardware.

So, Sony, where’s the rest of the big updates? This one just brings an “eh” from me

PDP-5000EX Pioneer’s 50 inch 1080p Plasma Pro – My dream TV

Pioneer late on Friday upgraded its pro plasma line with the PDP-5000EX. Pioneer PDP-5000EX provides fine detail and accurate color for the entire range of high definition signals including 720p, 1080i and 1080p. The design signals the first 50-inch display in the US from Pioneer to manage a 1080p native resolution thanks to smaller cells and better light control: accordingly, the screen comes with DVI/HDMI inputs that support HDCP.

What separates it from most plasmas is its refresh rate of 72Hz, the combination of this speed with a cleaner and higher-contrast image is ideal for pro video editors. The Pioneer PDP-5000EX will be available this spring with pricing to be announced.

Source:http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070316/20070316005781.html?.v=1

Diggnation goes Corporate

Well I’ve been a fan of diggnation for quite some time now and i usually don’t catch the new shows the day they are released but i did however notice that diggnation created a members only area. I know that this isn’t news to everyone but i just wanted to make a point and provide a solution. For the revision team to conjour such an idea to charge its fans for “early” showing of diggnation to help the sponsors is just plain ridiculous.

Here is a letter from Jay on the forums about the early releases of diggnation:

To those who have been discussing the pre-releasing of videos to non-members on the forums, let me be clear on this subject:

Besides the fact that I myself have repeated over and over that pre-releasing to non-members hurts Revision3 directly, and that we believe that doing this is the opposite of showing support for the show, it should also be known that Kevin and Alex wish this to stop as well.

Some have cited Alex and Kevin’s references to pirating in the show as proof that they think pre-releasing Diggnation or other Revision3 content is acceptable. This is not the case. The bottom line is that they wish to both protect Revision3’s revenues as well as the people who are paying a monthly fee to enjoy Diggnation two days early. They want to support their fans, and to do so they have always believed this activity was wrong.

They do believe that the sharing of Diggnation videos after it has been publicly released each week is fine, especially if download stats are provided to us. I agree, particularly since we think that Diggnation is something worth sharing. The only issue is during the pre-release window of two days (and I emphasize, this is _two days_). Remember, if people download videos from us directly, we get to report those download counts to advertisers, which help us bring in the revenues to continue making quality programming.

Anyone who uses Kevin and Alex’s name or tries to use their comments out of context to support pre-releasing videos is basically insulting Kevin, Alex, and Revision3.

I have asked the mods to enforce this as much as possible in the forums and ban anyone who posts links or makes references to websites that promote this activity. Please let them do their job effectively, and for those who keep saying that “Kevin and Alex think it is ok,” please stop putting words in Kevin and Alex’s mouths.

Thanks,

-Jay and the Revision3 Crew

My response is simple Alex & Kevin don’t be such hippocrates. Regardless of any opinion I have or anyone else has about pirating content, it’s a double standard to talk about using bittorrent for movies, etc. and then attack people sharing Diggnation episodes 2 days early. More times in the past epesodes have i seen and heard both Kevin and Alex talk about content they have downloaded. For example Windows Vista, or Alex’s favorite Battlestar Galactica.

So i present to you my solution. Since i’m an avid xbox user i will create a xbmc script that will allow you to download the latest show to your xbox once it is released. Starting today i will be developing it.