Show #78

[Download Show #78 as MP3]

News

• Tax Day is behind us
  
• Sony PlayStation 3's new Firmware v2.30 is out
  • New PlayStation Store Interface
  • DTS-HD Master Audio [DTS Site] [Wikipedia]
    
    • Home theater fans have long lamented that the PS3 could not decode the new DTS soundtracks at their highest resolution, especially since movie studios like Fox have opted for DTS-HD Master Audio on many Blu-ray releases.
    • Without getting too technical, DTS-HD Master Audio offers 7-channels of lossless audio at 96K sampling frequency and 24-bit depths--which means that the sound sent to your receiver should be identical to the studio master.
    • While some sticklers will point out that the PS3 can't output Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio in bitstream format, it's definitely a non-issue. Decoding the audio at the source is actually better than having the ability to bitstream high-resolution soundtracks, since it means even people with older HDMI-capable receivers can enjoy the high quality audio. Sure, your receiver won't light up the pretty DTS-HD Master Audio logo, but who cares--you still get the same great sound.
  • Store updates resumed on Thursday the 17th
  • Gran Turismo 5 Prologue released on the 17th too
• http://kotaku.com/380293/konami-cockblocking-metal-gear-online

Hardware

• USB Turntables
  • Listener question: "How do I import my old LPs [Records] and put them on my Windows Media Center?" -James Geitz, Santa Barbara, California
  • Use the USB Turn Table to get the songs into the computer
  • You'll want to tag and album art the Mp3 files, We recommend you use Tag & Rename for this part. This program can grab album info from Amazon (including album art)
    

Web Picks

• Jott
• Evernote
  
• Copy and paste all types of information from the Internet
• Take pictures from your phone and send it to evernote
  
• auto index capability from text in the copied (or snapshot)
• Access from anywhere with a web client
  
• scanR
• Use your camera phone as a scanner
  
• MuxTape
  
• Mix and Match songs from CD's to create and share your own CD to the internet
• "Favorite" capabilities
• Integrates with Amazon for music purchase
  
• MyGADs
  
• Create webpages of important information
• Use Text Messages, Instant Messages, or MyGads Website to access the information
  
• Business or Personal accounts available
  

Geek Out

BET Programming coming to XBOX Live

• Programs from: Iron Ring (MMA), College Hill, Hell Date, Comic View
• Full length select episodes
• Targeted at the growing segment of African-American console gamers
• Free download of the premiere episode of Iron Rings for the first week

Computer Games Make Players Less Violent

• According to a recent study, a session in front of World of Warcraft can reduce stress and make players more calm
• This kind of puts a wrinkle in people's argument that video games make people violent and that violent games leads to violent behavior
• We have long taken the stance that violent games does not equate to violent behaviour, in fact several of our friends claim to play violent games because "Where else am I going to blow up a cop car with a rocket launcher just because"
• There is some element of truth in that we as people will live out unrealized actions in a fantasy world because to do it in the real world is just plain wrong. Several people in fact claim that violent video games help keep them in check, by allowing them to get out aggression against imaginary objects and people rather than real ones.