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*HOT* Tech News And Downloads, I Would Read This Thread And Post Any Good Info
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AfterDawn Addict
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17. April 2007 @ 15:30 |
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NVIDIA takes DirectX 10 to the mainstream with budget cards.
By Eric Bangeman | Published: April 17, 2007 - 01:45PM CT
DirectX 10 goodness can now be had without giving up an arm and a leg. NVIDIA today launched a new lineup of DirectX 10-capable cards using NVIDIA's new G84 GPU (a less-powerful variant of the G80) with prices starting as low as $90 for the 8500.
New to NVIDIA's product lineup are the NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT, GeForce 8600 GT, and the 8600 GTS. The 8500 GT starts at $89, while the 8600 GTS tops out at between $199 and $229. All three of the new Series 8 cards offer DirectX 10 support as well as NVIDIA's PureVideo HD technology, which handles HD DVD and Blu-ray playback.
"DirectX 10 means higher performance and better-looking PC graphics," said Chris Donahue, Microsoft's group manager of Games for Windows in a statement.
The Series 8 GPUs include all required hardware functionality as per Microsoft's Direct3D 10 spec, and offer full support for Shader Model 4 and the DirectX 10 unified shader instruction set. The cards themselves use the new G84 GPU which is a bit lighter on the shader hardware than the G80.
The 8600s have 32 stream processors (compared with the GeForce 8800's 128); the GTS is clocked at 675MHz while the GT runs at 450MHz. The GeForce 8500 has 16 stream processors and is clocked at 450MHz. All three cards come in 256MB configurations, while the 8500 will also have a 512MB flavor.
Performance-wise, the 8600 GTS and GT fared respectably on AnandTech's Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion benchmarks. The GTS churned out 34.7fps at 1024x768 using the ultra high quality setting, trailing only the 8800 GTS, which clocked in with an impressive 58.6fps. The 8600 GT fell just behind the 7950 GT at 30.6fps. The Radeon X1950 Pro was the best performing ATI card at 28.5fps. AnandTech benchmarked the cards with an Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 CPU and an EVGA nForce 680i SLI motherboard. The cards didn't fare as well on the Battlefield 2 tests, however, with the X1950 Pro, GeForce 7950 GT, and GeForce 7900 GS outperforming all of them.
It appears that for most applications, the new NVIDIA cards won't blow the competition out of the water. But if you want something that will support DirectX 10?once applications that utilize it come along?they are the only game in town as we wait for the ATI R600 cards to arrive.
For the full lowdown on the cards' performance, you can check out reviews from AnandTech, Elite Bastards, Hot Hardware, and Tech ARP, among others. NVIDIA claims that the 8500 is available immediately, while the 8600 will hit store shelves in a few weeks.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/200...dget-cards.html
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Senior Member
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17. April 2007 @ 20:50 |
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Ireland, I checked out the usb turntable, I have waited so long on trying to optain something simple to copy my albums to cd, I checked out many other products and just to complicated for me, this one seems simple, I have so many lp's from the 60's and 70's and many havent even been open yet, after reading the ad, it doesnt say anything about transfering anything to cd only mp3 which I dont know anything about or care for, am I wrong here or can this thing do it on cd's as well, I hope so, if so I will place an order even though it says out of stock but you can still place an order.
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janrocks
Suspended permanently
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17. April 2007 @ 21:05 |
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FredBun.. I can really help you out with an answer to that question..
I use Audacity, the application they mention in the article http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
It will rip analog audio into many formats from pretty much any analog source you can think of. It all depends on the codecs you have installed..
While you can't burn directly from vinyl to cd (unlike popping a tape into a deck and doing a live recording) it will rip to the highest quality into wav, flac, mp3, ape and a few other music formats.
it's very similar to one of my favourite windows apps dbpoweramp, which has a line in recorder of excellent quality.
Nero can handle converting the resulting files into a normal cd format.. in fact the possibilities for what you can do with and to your recordings are endless.. It looks like a very good buy for somebody with a lot of vinyl and no turntable.. If you have an old turntable the line out (record out..tape or something) from your amplifier can be fed to the line in on your sound card... That's how I do it. No extra equipment needed..
Hot words?
mp3 tags
monkeys audio
mp3 editing
flac
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 17. April 2007 @ 21:07
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AfterDawn Addict
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17. April 2007 @ 21:06 |
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try here or put the words USB Turntable and search..
i use a usb pinnacle system to bring the toons in as a wave file
http://www.compuplus.com/i-Numark-Belt-D...yni20g5u5d5n50z
Description:
Featuring Plug and Play USB compatibility with both PC and Macintosh computers, the TTUSB turntable makes digitizing one?s vinyl record collection a breeze. More Info & Product Specification
More Info & Product Specifications:
# Equipped with an adjustable anti-skating control for increased stereo balance, support for 33.33 and 45 RPM playback speeds, ± 10% adjustable pitch control, and a 1/8-inch stereo minijack input connector to facilitate the transfer of cassette tapes, Numark?s TTUSB is the perfect tool for digitally archiving one?s record collection.
# Combined with Audacity?s software (PC and Mac compatible) for removing clicks and other noises, the TTUSB is an easy-to-use, comprehensive solution to the challenge of transferring one?s record collection to a computer or portable music player.
# Anti-skating control for increased stereo balance
# Support for both 33.33 and 45 RPM playback speeds
# 10% adjustable pitch control
# RCA line outputs
# Plug and Play USB compatibility with both PC and Mac
# Packaged with all necessary cables to interconnect with both a computer and stereo playback system
# Ships with Audacity software (compatible with PC and Mac) for removing clicks, pops, and other undesirable characteristics of vinyl
# Audacity supports high-speed recording, then returns music to original playback speed
# Audacity software includes ability to export to WAV and MP3
# One Year Mfr. Warranty
# Product also known as: TTUSB, 676762316118
# Compuplus.com Pictures are for illustration purposes only.
# Comp-U-Plus Return Policy: 30 days exchange or money back
# Product includes the full US manufacturers warranty
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 17. April 2007 @ 21:10
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Senior Member
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17. April 2007 @ 22:16 |
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Thanks for the responce guys, janrocks, I did look into what you mentioned, I have in the past looked at many kind of different software products for issues like this but still just to complicated for me, believe me I wish I was on the level of you guys but still no where there yet, but regardliss still mucho appreciated.
Ireland, I found one at circuitcity.com, I read the reviews very carefully, its still not as easy as it sounded but easier than most, my biggest issue with it was that several people mentioned that it hijacks your sound card, thats something I will look deeper into, if something like that was to happin to me stupid computer minded as I am I can just see me trying to recover it, but most people gave it a heads up, I will definatly check it out. Thanks.
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AfterDawn Addict
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18. April 2007 @ 06:50 |
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Sony Fixes Problems With New DVDs
Quote:
Posted by kdawson on Wednesday April 18, @04:43AM
from the DRM-again dept.
Sony Media Movies Entertainment
An anonymous reader writes "Following up on reports that DVDs for some Sony titles were causing problems, Video Business is reporting that Sony has fixed the copy-protection problem on recent DVD releases, and will provide replacement discs to customers. The problem was with the ARccOS DRM system. The company issued the following statement: 'Recently, an update that was installed on approximately 20 titles was found to cause an incompatibility issue with a very small number of DVD players (Sony has received complaints on less than one thousandth of one percent of affected discs shipped)... Since then, the ARccOS system has once again been updated, and there are no longer any playability problems.' Customers can call 800-860-2878 to inquire about replacement discs."
Quote:
Sony fixes problem DVDs
Copy-protection glitch reported on Casino Royale, Pursuit of Happyness others
By Jennifer Netherby 4/17/2007
APRIL 17 | Sony Corp. of America says it has fixed a glitch on recent DVD releases including Casino Royale, The Pursuit of Happyness and Stranger Than Fiction that prevented the movies from playing on some DVD players.
Sony said the problem was due to an update of its ARccOS copy-protection system, an additional layer of protection meant to prevent ripping. The studio has included ArccOS on its DVDs for the past two years. The copy-protection is continually updated to keep ahead of hackers.
?Recently, an update that was installed on approximately 20 titles was found to cause an incompatibility issue with a very small number of DVD players (Sony has received complaints on less than one thousandth of one percent of affected discs shipped),? the company said in a statement. ?Since then, the ARccOS system has once again been updated, and there are no longer any playability problems.?
Several hundred users complained directly to Sony and on discussion boards at Amazon.com and other blogs, saying their players were freezing or shutting off in the menu section of recent releases from the studio.
Sony is providing replacement discs to customers that have had problems. Customers can call Sony Pictures Home Entertainment customer service at 800.860.2878 for replacement discs.
ARccOS is known to have compatibility problems with some models of Sony, Toshiba and Harman Kardon DVD players. Those were the same players that users on Amazon reported problems with.
http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6434584.html
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AfterDawn Addict
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18. April 2007 @ 07:03 |
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PC makers walk fine line with 'crapware'
http://news.com.com/2100-1041_3-6177050....-0-20&subj=news
By Ina Fried
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
For years, computer makers have managed to wring a few extra bucks of profit out of each PC sale by bundling all sorts of third-party software.
While adding software, setting default search engines and including toolbars can all put money in PC makers' pockets, the practice has also alienated some consumers who say all such "crapware" is clogging their hard drives and bogging down their systems.
For the moment, computer makers appear to be trying to walk a fine line, tweaking their approaches slightly but hoping not to have to slay a cash cow. Gateway, for example, offers only one program in each category, while Dell has added an option for some models that allow a user to configure a system with no trial software.
"We've seen the evolution," IDC analyst Richard Shim said. "The desktop became kind of a billboard for Internet service providers and software. Now the pendulum is swinging the other way."
At one time, PC makers thought they might be able to subsidize the whole cost of a PC through a combination of advertising and bounties from signing up ISP customers.
While those dreams have largely faded, companies have continued to make money from including trial software, desktop icons and more recently, by agreeing to include a toolbar or other service from the leading Internet search providers.
Click for gallery
Despite some outcry from consumers, there's still plenty of software being loaded on new machines. In part, that's because the PC industry needs the cash that such deals offer. Even if the companies get less than $1 per software program that they include on a PC, that can still add up to $10 or $20 in revenue.
"On a $400 PC, that's a big thing to get," said Stephen Baker, an analyst at The NPD Group.
In one sense, such bundled software represents free money for the PC industry. But at the same time, if it adds up to support headaches or causes customers to shy away, such software may not be worth adding.
Samir Bhavnani, an analyst at market researcher Current Analysis, said one option computer makers should consider is letting buyers order a software-free system but charge a premium to make up for the lost revenue. Bhavnani figures an extra $25 should be enough to cover the company's shortfall.
"It would be so simple for them to come out with an anticrapware PC," Bhavnani said. "People would love them for it. The question is, who has the (guts) to do it?"
Apple, for its part, is trying to take advantage of the growing outcry, highlighted in a recent column by Walt Mossberg in The Wall Street Journal. In a new ad that debuted this week, the "PC guy" played by John Hodgman appears so bloated he can barely move.
"It's all this trial software," Hodgman says in the spot. "They pack my hard drive full of it, all these programs that don't do very much, unless you buy the whole thing...it really slows me down."
For the record, Macs do come with trial versions of Microsoft Office and Apple's iWork, though all other included applications are full versions of programs, including the company's iPhoto and iMovie, as well as third-party titles such as Comic Life.
Plus, Bhavnani said, Apple systems sell for far more than the average PC. "They make more money on the box than (Hewlett-Packard) or Dell does," he said. "That's why they are able to do that."
CONTINUED: Willing to pay extra for no extras?...
Ultimately, consumers are going to have to decide whether it is worth paying more to get their new computers clutter-free. The addition of trial software and other offers, along with falling component prices, is what has made PCs so cheap.
"One of the reasons is, they are being basically subsidized with billboards," Bhavnani said. "It would be like driving around in a car that you save 10 percent on, but with a big Google sticker on it."
There was some thought that the debut of Microsoft's Vista might have shaken things up a bit. On the one hand, there were concerns that PC makers wouldn't have time to test all their programs and that they might ship software that didn't even work with the new operating system.
Others thought that with Vista adding more features, such as DVD burning and desktop search, there might be less of a need for add-ons. In the end, though, most computer makers are shipping about as much extra software as they did with XP.
Gateway said it is shipping roughly the same amount of preloaded software on its Vista machines as it did with the prior operating system.
HP, meanwhile said it took the opportunity of Vista's debut to rethink its software bundles and pare things down a bit. "The exact answer varies country by country, but most customers will find we are shipping fewer software titles with our Vista PCs," an HP representative said.
Dell said it has started letting customers have more say about which programs are loaded onto its systems. It says that in many cases, consumers are choosing the free programs, including trial software.
"I think that speaks volumes for the fact that, despite a large discussion around 'bloatware' and that all this stuff is garbage...there are a fair number of people out there that see value and want this on their system," said Jeremy Friedlander, the senior manager for the software that goes on new Dell PCs.
For retail customers, there is less ability to change what's in the box, but shopping around can help. A recent stroll through a CompUSA in San Francisco showed just how widely the systems varied. At one end of the extreme were notebooks from Acer that didn't have much more than a Yahoo toolbar, two disc-burning utilities and Norton security software from Symantec.
On the other hand, Sony crammed several of its laptops with an array of software, including dozens of software trials, special offers and links to Internet services. The desktop is filled with several icons for AOL, as part of Sony's broad agreement with that company. Sony also loads four full-length movies onto the hard drives of many models, but it charges users who want to watch any of the flicks.
Even its tiny 4.5-inch UX series handheld Windows machine is packed full of trial software.
Much of the software just isn't useful, NPD's Baker said, noting that high-end laptops are still being sold with trials for dial-up Internet access, something very unlikely to be needed, or for services no longer really needed by today's PC user.
"The way it's designed right now is guaranteed to make it crapware," he said.
One of the biggest offenses, Bhavnani said, is when companies load multiple, competing products. In particular, dueling security programs can be hard for the average user to sort out.
"That's where it gets really confusing," Bhavnani said. "You have no idea which one is which and what to do."
CNET News.com's Tom Krazit contributed to this report.
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janrocks
Suspended permanently
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18. April 2007 @ 07:16 |
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FB.. I checked a little more and found because of the rca outputs at line level (1v 600 ohms) and audio grabber software will work..
audacity is pretty complicated.. http://www.dbpoweramp.com/ has a line in audio record feature which is simple..
Or if you don't mind paying a small amount for alternative software there is http://www.ripvinyl.com/ which is very simple to use..
Is there a freeware equivalent of this?
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AfterDawn Addict
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18. April 2007 @ 09:21 |
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15 Great Free Utilities You've Never Heard Of
You don't need to spend a bundle--or even a penny--for great software. These little-known tools do everything from protecting your PC to managing your media.
Preston Gralla, PC World
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 01:00 AM PDT
The Complete List of 15 Great Free Utilities
Products described in this article are listed in order of appearance.
Security
* SpyCatcher Express
* a-Squared HiJackFree
* VistaFirewallControl
* Tor
System Tools
* What's Running
* Eusing Free Registry Cleaner
* Undelete Plus
* Advanced WindowsCare
* System Information for Windows
Graphics and Multimedia
* Photozig Albums Express
* MediaMonkey
* Google SketchUp
Miscellaneous Software
* RSS Bandit
* ImgBurn
* Azureus
Preston Gralla is a freelance writer based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the author of Windows Vista in a Nutshell.
go here to download
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,130721...es/article.html
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AfterDawn Addict
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18. April 2007 @ 09:27 |
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Beer was responsible for technology
Civilisation as we know it
By Nick Farrell: Wednesday 18 April 2007, 08:08
A BRITISH boff working over the pond claims that humanity's first technological breakthroughs were because of the development of beer.
Charlie Bamforth, who has the dream job of Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Brewing Science at the University of California, said that computers, the iPod, Silcon Valley and space travel all owe their development to beer.
He says that beer is the basis of modern static civilization. Before beer, humanity wandered around and followed goats.
Then they realized that this grain [barley] could be grown and sprouted and made into a bread and crumbled and converted into a liquid which gave a nice, warm, cozy feeling.
They stayed put while the grain grew and while the beer was brewed, villages were formed from tents, villages became towns, and those towns became cities. With cities came a pooling of talent, specialisation and technological ideas and eventually a booming IT industry.
Bamforth said that to follow the path of beer could lead to humanity's next breakthrough in evolution.
"He who drinks beer sleeps well. He who sleeps well cannot sin. He who does not sin goes to heaven. The logic is impeccable," he said.
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=39004
More here. Hic.
ANTIGRAVITY
May 2007 issue
Ale's Well with the World
A yeasty discussion of the science of malt and hops
By Steve Mirsky
Free beer. And thus I found my way to a lecture in late February at the New York Academy of Sciences by renowned beer maven Charlie Bamforth. A man for whom the word "avuncular" was coined, the British Bamforth has three decades of brewing expertise under his belt. Over his belt is what he insists is "a sausage belly, not a beer belly."
"Beer is the basis of modern static civilization," began Bamforth, Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Brewing Science at the University of California, Davis. "Because before beer was discovered, people used to wander around and follow goats from place to place. And then they realized that this grain [barley] could be grown and sprouted and made into a bread and crumbled and converted into a liquid which gave a nice, warm, cozy feeling. So gone were the days that they followed goats around. They stayed put while the grain grew and while the beer was brewed. And they made villages out of their tents. And those villages became towns, and those towns became cities. And so here we are in New York, thanks to beer." Another syllogism ended his address: "He who drinks beer sleeps well. He who sleeps well cannot sin. He who does not sin goes to heaven. The logic is impeccable."
ADVERTISEMENT (article continues below)
In between came numerous nuggets about what Bamforth insists is "the world's favorite beverage," some of which were at the expense of another popular adult drink. While discussing the simple chemical equation of fermentation, by which a molecule of sugar is converted to two molecules of ethanol and two of carbon dioxide (along with some energy), Bamforth noted that "if the sugars are from grapes, you produce a fine beverage called wine. If the sugars are from grain, it's a superior beverage called beer."
Bamforth decried beer's sometimes dicey image: "Beer is perceived as a bad-boy drink, and beer has been too often marketed in all sorts of strange ways--flatulent horses [an infamous ad during the 2005 Super Bowl, overshadowed by the even more infamous Janet Jackson "wardrobe malfunction"] and men behaving badly. And wine is perceived somehow as being superior and speaking to a higher quality of life. Really, it's unfair. Beer is more consistent; it's produced with more devotion and care; it's at least as healthy." Plus, human feet are conspicuously absent from beer making.
But fetid feet pale when an ale becomes stale: tinted bottles or talented chemists must be employed to keep beer from becoming "sunstruck." Light converts certain beer bitter acids to the dreaded 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol (MBT) compound, a close relative of the malodorous thiols produced by Mephitis mephitis, the striped skunk. In his book Beer: Tap into the Art and Science of Brewing (Oxford University Press, 2003), Bamforth notes that some people can smell MBT at levels as low as 0.4 part per trillion. "These poor people," he writes, "would have been able to detect a tenth of a gram of MBT distributed throughout the balloon of the airship Graf Zeppelin II." Eau, the humanity.
So, does the brewski master have a favorite beer? "It depends on where I am," Bamforth explains. "If I'm in an old pub with a ceiling about my height and there's a roaring log fire, cask ale from England is sublime. I wouldn't have an American-style lager. If I'm at a Sacramento River Cats AAA baseball game and it's 100 degrees outside, I could kill for a Bud. I'm not going to drink a Guinness. So it's horses for courses." As long as those horses aren't flatulent.
Answering the charge that beer is empty calories, Bamforth points out that beer is actually rich in B vitamins, except for thiamine. "A famous doctor came up to me," he remembers, "and said, 'Is it true that if we could just boost the levels of thiamine, beer would be a meal in itself?' I answered, 'Even I wouldn't say that. You need a few pretzels.'"
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=...CF67D6&colID=15
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AfterDawn Addict
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18. April 2007 @ 09:38 |
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Universal, Amazon mp3 efforts
p2pnet.net news:- While EMI will, "boldly go where no major has gone before and sell its catalog as unprotected digital files, other forces are coming into play that should bolster the potential for a commercial MP3 marketplace," says a Reuters/Billboard story.
EMI? Boldly? Must be a different company ;P
But No, it's that EMI, one of the members of the Big 4 Organized Music cartel, the others being Warner Music, Vivendi Universal and Sony BMG.
"Amazon, which is considered the best bet to challenge iTunes' supremacy in the digital world, is shooting to launch its MP3 digital download store in May, a target date it has yet to publicly acknowledge," says the story. (Amazon declines comment.) Meanwhile, sources familiar with the situation say Universal Music Group plans to test the sale of unprotected digital music files, including some of its classical music catalog conceivably including titles by Andrea Bocelli, at the new Amazon store and other outlets."
Wowee!
"Meanwhile, executives within Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group say senior management teams at both companies are unwilling to embrace selling their catalogs in the MP3 format,"according to Reuters/Billboard.
"But whether or not the majors will be involved with Amazon or iTunes unprotected plays, they all say they are waiting to find out if the MP3 model will expand digital sales - and conversely, if it will fuel unauthorized file-sharing or cannibalization of other digital formats such as ringtones."
At the moment, the corporate online download market is virtually non-existent, Apple's iTunes iPod front-end loader notwithstanding, the reason being the Big 4 haven't yet been able to figure out a way to effectively and permanently cannibalise the indie sites and services.
"One indie player says his company is close to signing a deal, but is hung up on what kind of pricing should be applied to what kind of file," says the piece. "That company is willing to sell Amazon 128 byte-rate files at its conventional digital price points, but wants a higher price for better-quality 256 byte-rate files."
For "conventional digital price points" read the grossly inflated wholesale rates at which the the cartel is trying, and failing, to offload 'product,' as it calls its offerings.
Or as Eagles' lead singer Don Henley once summed it up, music is now a commodity and the music business is in crisis but:
Contrary to conventional wisdom, the root problem is not the artists, the fans or even new Internet technology. The problem is the music industry itself. It's systemic.
The industry, which was once composed of hundreds of big and small record labels, is now controlled by just a handful of unregulated, multinational corporations determined to continue their mad rush toward further consolidation and merger. Sony and BMG announced their agreement to merge in November, and EMI and Time Warner may not be far behind.
The industry may soon be dominated by only three multinational corporations.
And of course, when you're talking about the corporate music industry, you know everyone is out to screw everyone else. ASAP, and any way they can. And, while the try to figure out the best ways to do that, customer interests remain right at the bottom of the list.
No worries, though, because while the labels fuss and worry about how to wring the last cent out of consumers, giving back as little as possible in return, things are great in the real world of online music.
There, music lovers in their hundreds of millions are are trading, selling, sharing, swapping, giving away, dishing and recommending songs in their billions while the venal Big 4 look on.
Slashdot Slashdot it!
Also See:
Reuters/Billboard - Universal, Amazon beef up MP3 sales space, April 16, 2007
now a commodity - Is 'business' killing music?, February 17, 2004
real world of online music - 1 billion songs a DAY shared online, March 8, 2007
http://p2pnet.net/story/12001
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AfterDawn Addict
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18. April 2007 @ 12:53 |
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Bye Bye Tape, Hello 5.3TB eSATA
Julio Urquidi
April 18, 2007 09:16
Introduction
Julio Urquidi has worked in IT for the past 15 years and specializes in server management for the healthcare industry in California. One of the things you should note about this article is its emphasis on things other than performance. In most IT shops criteria such as documentation, operational functionality, system monitoring and vendor support come before performance in selecting hardware and software.
It's amazing how much disk you can buy for 60 bucks. For example, I just walked into a local retailer and purchased an 80GB hard drive for less than what my neighbor paid to fill the gas tank in her SUV...and I still overpaid. Years ago, I would have paid three times the amount for a drive a third the size of my latest purchase. Yes, storage hardware has gotten very affordable over the years and with all the breakthroughs in technology, what was once a data protection pipe dream, backup to disk, has become a stark reality.
If you need to backup large amounts of data, but aren't all that comfortable with a bunch of relatively slow USB or Firewire drives and you can't afford more expensive NAS and SAN solutions, consider an interesting answer from Highly Reliable Systems, the High-Rely eSATA Backup System. The e in eSata stands for external. This unit consists of a rack mountable chassis that uses seven SATA disk drives. It just might pave the way for future hard drive backup solutions. The important thing to understand about the High-Rely eSATA chassis is that it's not RAID configurable. The chassis simply provides you with 7 high capacity disk drives, each of which can be configured as a separate physical disk drive.
The High-Rely eSATA chassis is one of two seven drive disk backup systems produced by the Reno, Nevada based company. The other seven drive product is a USB based chassis that is just as nice a package as its sibling, but without the high transfer rate of eSATA. Finally for individual users, Highly Reliable also has five and single drive products that come in USB and eSATA models. Resellers can also find eight and ten drive models.
The High-Rely eSATA system I'll look at here includes a seven bay chassis, seven 750GB cartridge enclosed disk drives, a PCI-Express eSATA card, software and accessories.
Description
The Chassis And Related Parts
The High-Rely package includes the chassis, two single port eSATA adapters, a power cable, a dual eSATA cable, drive keys, software CD and warranty.
The eSATA metal enclosure I tested is a black 4U rack mountable device that, populated with drives, weighs in at a sturdy 50 pounds. The model tested has eight available hard disk bays with seven of them configured for disk use while the eighth drive slot has a vented cover. The eighth bay is for the eight disk version of the product available only to resellers.
Noise-wise, if you work in a data center you recognize the not-so subtle hum of a server-like fan. You may want install the device in a spot designated for noisier devices. A well cooled room or closet would be ideal, especially since you're dealing with a machine that houses seven heat producing disk drives.
All the cabling in the eSATA unit interfaces with the chassis from the back. The eSATA cables plug into two separate cards located on the rear of the case. The eSATA cable that comes with the chassis is composed of two separate eSATA lines joined together by a fabric mesh. For the test model, one of the pair of cables had blue tubing at the ends to distinguish it from the other cable.
The chassis is powered by a single 300 watt power supply that uses the same standard PC power cable that most of us collect and keep in our boxes of spare parts. At the front of the chassis is a rocker switch that turns on the power and a single LED that tells you the system is powered on.
http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/04/18/bye_bye_tape/
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AfterDawn Addict
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18. April 2007 @ 12:59 |
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First payola, now Dark Payola
p2pnet.net news:- You know all about payola, the Big 4 record label way of making sure they get air-time for what they want, when they want. It's routine.
Here comes Dark Payola, thanks to the Copyright Royalty Board.
"Bay Area leading light SomaFM faces crippling debt and insolvency along with many of its Internet radio peers including Pandora and Live 365 this Spring," says the East Bay Express. "Late last March, the Copyright Royalty Board - three dudes in Washington - raised SomaFM's webcasting rates from $10,000 in 2005 to $600,000 for 2006 (applying retroactively). The ruling is 'fair,' says the top honcho of SoundExchange, the royalty collection group lobbying for higher rates on behalf of the major labels and artists."
But, "Staggering," is more like it, the story has SomaFM founder Rusty Hodge saying. "We were expecting rates to go up 10, maybe 20 percent. It would be painful, but at least it wouldn't put us out of business."
According to SoundExchange, a spin off from Warner Music, EMI, Vivendi Universal and Sony BMG's RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), webcasters have all kinds of ways of making money so they can pay the new rates.
Like what? Oh, like, banner ads, pop-ups, video pre-rolls, audio commercials, says SoundExchange front man John Simson.
But, "Hodge says he isn't interested in annoying his listeners, and exposure means more than gold to the indie bands he streams," says the East Bay Express.
"One of the most frustrating things about SoundExchange is they're allowed to recoup all their legal costs before they distribute any money to the artists and copyright holders," Hodge told p2pnet, going on:
Which means all the money we've been paying into SoundExchange hasn't gone to the artists like they say it does, but instead goes to paying SoundExchange's legal bills - bills they run up fighting for higher rates for webcasters. The more we pay in royalties, the more money they get to fight for even higher royalties.
Michael Huppe, General Counsel of SoundExchange, says 'It's in everyone's best interest to ensure a vibrant and thriving marketplace for Internet Radio and we intend to work with webcasters towards achieving that goal.' But what he means by vibrant and thriving is saturated with ads, or subscription services that cost $13 a month.
Based on in-stream ad rates today, which are in the $1.50-2.00 per CPM rate, you'd need to run an average of 8 ads an hour just to cover your royalties. But Simson's retort to that is that you can get higher ad rates by combining banner ads and video pre-rolls - those 30 second video commercials before the music stream starts - in addition to your in-stream audio ads.
Why would anyone listen to internet radio with all those commercials? We'd have to play more commercials than over-the-air stations play now ... and tha'ts assuming they could actually fill all that ad inventory now.
The majority of Americans who don't listen to netcasts should care about all this, because developments in that pond have ramifications for the on-air world, says the East Bay Express post:
"Terrestrial radio stations may soon face Internet radio's two sucky choices: 1) Pay SoundExchange through the nose for whatever the station wants to play, or 2) Save money by making direct, legal deals with record labels to play a label's free "Abomination of the Week." I'm looking directly at you, Korn Unplugged.
It's the opposite of payola but with all the effects, says Hodge. It's Dark Payola.
"They're going after the over-the-air broadcasters next," he says in East Bay Express. "There's no doubt. And if you think media consolidation is bad now, wait till it's back to the old payola days."
Old payola days? Who says they're gone?
Meanwhile, Bryan Adams is among performers who say the CRB decision is bad, bad.
And, "I'm the lead singer for a local Northwest band called Come Back Maggie," said a p2pnet comment post.
"The last thing I need is some guy in a tie taking away outlets for my music. How is it that some non-elected suit has the power to enact sweeping changes like this?"
Slashdot Slashdot it!
Also See:
East Bay Express - The Age of Dark Payola, April 18, 2007
bad, bad - Bryan Adams slams Net radio hike April 18, 2007
http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/04/18/bye_bye_tape/
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AfterDawn Addict
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18. April 2007 @ 15:05 |
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Despite revenue slump, RIAA still not getting the big picture
By Eric Bangeman | Published: April 18, 2007 - 01:12PM CT
The Recording Industry Association of America has released its 2006 year-end shipment statistics, and they tell a familiar tale. Shipments of physical media such as CDs continue their decline while the number of downloads continues to soar. Overall revenues continue their slide, as revenues from the increased number of digital sales failed to make up for falling CD sales.
For 2006, the RIAA reports that manufacturers shipped 553.2 million "retail units." That number includes CDs, music videos, vinyl albums, and singles. That's down 12.8 percent from 2005's 634.8 million figure and is just over half of 2000's 1.08 billion shipments. It is not an unexpected trend?last week we noted a study that predicted a continued free-fall for the music industry at least through 2012.
Digital sales?which include downloads, kiosks, ringtones, subscriptions, and music videos?continue to be a success story for the music industry. The RIAA reported a 27.6 percent increase in digital sales versus 2005, and when mobile sales (e.g., ringtones and direct-to-phone downloads) are taken out of the picture, unit sales jumped 63.2 percent. It's a significant drop from last year's 166.2 percent year-over-year growth, but still something the industry should be pleased with.
Data source: Recording Industry Association of America
The RIAA is pleased with how digital sales are performing. "Today's music marketplace has challenges but it also offers reason for hope and optimism," said RIAA chairman and CEO Mitch Bainwol. "The appetite for music is as strong as ever and a digital marketplace now worth nearly $2 billion has emerged virtually overnight."
Still unclear on the concept
Unfortunately, it appears that the music industry is still having trouble grasping the scope of the challenges it faces. Another quote from Bainwol reflects this: "Our continuing mission is to help level the playing field so retailers and legal services don't have to compete with piracy and to work for parity in a marketplace with increasing convergence between various music distribution and broadcast outlets."
Retailers and legal services will always have to compete with piracy, and no amount of file-sharing litigation is going to change it. File-sharing still goes on, with much of it pushed deeper into the recesses of darknets to evade detection. The music industry will always have to compete with "free," since it remains a viable alternative to millions of music fans, despite the record industry's best efforts to eradicate it.
Some influential figures in the music industry do grasp the necessity of competing with pirates. When he announced that music at the iTunes Store would remain at 99˘, Apple CEO Steve Jobs framed the decision in part by the need to compete with piracy. "If the price goes up, [consumers] will go back to piracy and everybody loses," said Jobs. And he's not the only one who understands it.
The unfortunate fact for the RIAA that Bainwol doesn't seem to grasp is that the game has fundamentally changed forever, and there's no going back to the days of year-over-year revenue growth, at least not for the next five years or so. CD sales are on a downward slope and they're taking the industry's revenues with them.
RIAA-still-not-getting-the-big-picture.html" target="_blank">http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/200...ig-picture.html
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Senior Member
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18. April 2007 @ 15:21 |
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janrocks, got your latest info, thanks.
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AfterDawn Addict
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19. April 2007 @ 07:38 |
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Avast! Home Edition 4.7.986 (free version)
Free and one of the best.
avast! Home Edition is a complete anti-virus package for Windows 9x/Me, NT/2000/XP. It is FREE for registered home noncommercial users. It's certified by ICSA and obtained 100% mark from Virus Bulletin in June 2002 under Windows XP Pro.
majorgeeks.com
DOWNLOAD
http://www.majorgeeks.com/Avast_Home_Edition_d1968.html
Avast! Home Edition 4.7.986
Author: ALWIL Software
Date: 2007-04-18
Size: 14.3 Mb
License: Freeware
Requires: Win All
avast! Home Edition is a complete anti-virus package for Windows 9x/Me, NT/2000/XP. It is FREE for registered home noncommercial users. It's certified by ICSA and obtained 100% mark from Virus Bulletin in June 2002 under Windows XP Pro.
avast! contains two GUIs (simple and advanced) on demand and on access scanner. It simply integrates with user screen saver, file explorer and mail client. Updates are simple as clicking one button - updates are smaller than 100 KB.
You will be downloading a 90 day demo. You should register at: http://www.avast.com/register.htm to obtain a free activation key by email.
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AfterDawn Addict
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19. April 2007 @ 08:02 |
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Auslogics Disk Defrag 1.1.4.215 (free)
Apr 19, 2007 - 8:27 AM
If all you use is the built-in Windows defrag utility, you might want to check this one out.
Auslogics Disk Defrag is designed for fast optimization of today's modern hard disks. Get the maximum performance out of your expensive hardware investments. And it's absolutely FREE.
auslogics.com
go here to download
http://www.auslogics.com/disk-defrag/index.php
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AfterDawn Addict
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19. April 2007 @ 08:08 |
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Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) - Done!
Apr 19, 2007 - 6:42 AM
Before everyone gets all giddy, the servers are slammed so be patient and get in line for the download.
ubuntu.com
download
http://releases.ubuntu.com/7.04/
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AfterDawn Addict
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19. April 2007 @ 08:12 |
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WinTricks 5.0a (Tips, Tricks, and Secrets Program)
Apr 19, 2007 - 6:28 AM
Free so you can't complain to much about some of the spelling errors.
WinTricks is one of the largest and most up-to-date programs for Windows tips, tricks, and secrets available today. WinTricks includes tips/tricks for all versions of Windows, plus the Registry, Desktop, AOL, Laptop, Internet, and more. You will find that this program is easy to navigate and it has complete instructions on all of our Tips, Tricks, and Secrets.
majorgeeks.com
DOWNLOAD
http://www.majorgeeks.com/WinTricks_d5608.html
WinTricks 5.0a
Author: WinTips, Inc.
Date: 2007-04-17
Size: 2.78 Mb
License: Freeware
WinTricks is one of the largest and most up-to-date programs for Windows tips, tricks, and secrets available today. WinTricks includes tips/tricks for all versions
of Windows, plus the Registry, Desktop, AOL, Laptop, Internet, and more. You will find that this program is easy to navigate and it has complete instructions on
all of our Tips, Tricks, and Secrets.
The newest version includes even more new tips/tricks and a new browser interface.
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AfterDawn Addict
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19. April 2007 @ 09:48 |
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ATI Catalyst Drivers 7.4 - Windows XP
Apr 19, 2007 - 6:24 AM - by Digital Dave
Hopefully the "blue screen of death" has been addressed.
Windows XP Download
ATI Catalyst Drivers for Windows XP 7.4
Author: ATI Technologies Inc.
Date: 2007-04-18
Size: 38.4 Mb
License: Freeware
Requires: Win XP
DOWNLOAD
http://www.majorgeeks.com/ATI_Catalyst_D...s_XP_d4038.html
This unified driver has been further enhanced to provide the highest level of power, performance, and reliability. The ATI CATALYST software suite is the ultimate in performance and stability.
Display and WDM Drivers included in this bundle
Products Supported:
Radeon® X1900 series
Radeon® X1800 series
Radeon® X1600 series
Radeon® X1300 series
Radeon® X850 series
Radeon® X800 series
Radeon® X700 series
Radeon® X600 series
Radeon® X550 series
Radeon® X300 series
Radeon® 9800 series
Radeon® 9700 series
Radeon® 9600 series
Radeon® 9650 series
Radeon® 9550 series
Radeon® 9500 series
Not Supported: (To download drivers for unsupported products, please click here)
Radeon® 9250 series
Radeon® 9200 series
Radeon® 9000 series
Radeon® 8500 series
Radeon® 7500 series
Radeon® 7200 series
Radeon® 7000 series
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AfterDawn Addict
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19. April 2007 @ 09:52 |
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101 Fantastic Freebies
Apr 18, 2007 - 10:48 PM - by Digital Dave
Free... how sweet is that!
Once upon a time you actually had to pay for great software and services -- hard to believe, but true.
Luckily, we no longer live in that world. The Internet is stuffed with great downloads and Web sites offering free software and services of every kind. Want to tune up your PC, keep it safe, create graphics, or back up your system with gobs of free storage space? You can find free software and sites to do all that, and plenty more.
pcworld.com
101 Fantastic Freebies
Want to make your PC more productive, secure, informative, and entertaining? These downloads and services will do the trick--and they don't cost a dime.
Preston Gralla, PC World
GO HERE
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,130045-page,1/article.html
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AfterDawn Addict
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19. April 2007 @ 13:22 |
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Dell brings back XP on home systems
By Ina Fried
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
update Dell is bringing XP back.
Amid significant customer demand, the computer maker said on Thursday that it has returned to offering the older Windows version as an option on some of its consumer PCs.
Like most computer makers, Dell switched nearly entirely to Vista-based systems following Microsoft's mainstream launch of the operating system in January. However, the company said its customers have been asking for XP as part of its IdeaStorm project, which asks customers to help the company come up with product ideas.
"We heard you loud and clear on bringing the Windows XP option back to our Dell consumer PC offerings," Dell said on its Ideas in Action page. Users get to vote on various suggestions, and the notion of bringing back XP got 10,000 "points," making it among the most popular requests but well below top picks such as adding Linux or OpenOffice.org to its PCs.
Windows XP systems became scarce, but not impossible to find, after Vista arrived. For example, Hewlett-Packard said it would continue selling XP on some machines aimed at small and midsize businesses, while CompUSA still stocks a couple of business-oriented XP systems in its retail stores. Lenovo has also continued shipping XP on many of its business systems.
Starting immediately, Dell said, it is adding XP Home and Professional as options on four Inspiron laptop models and two Dimension desktops.
Earlier this month, Dell added XP back as an option for small-business customers, but at the time, it said it would not add it back for home users.
"Dell does not have plans to launch Windows XP for home users as the preference, and demand is for the 'latest and greatest' technology, which includes Windows Vista," Tom West, director of small-business marketing at Dell, said in a blog posting at the time.
Analysts say Dell's move is not a good sign for Windows Vista.
"That there is remaining demand from some segment of (the) consumer market points to the inability of Vista to resonate with consumers," IDC analyst Richard Shim said.
There was an initial bump for Vista sales right after its launch, Shim said, but some of that may have been from consumers who delayed purchasing a PC late last year. Sales in the later part of the first quarter were less strong, he said. The overall response to Vista will become clearer throughout the year, he said.
Microsoft representatives were not immediately available for comment.
The software maker has said it will stop selling Windows XP to large PC makers by January. Smaller computer sellers, known as system builders, will be able to sell XP machines for an additional year.
In a statement last week, Microsoft said such a move is normal after a new operating system comes out.
"Windows Vista is safer, easier to use, better connected and more entertaining than any operating system we've ever released, and we're encouraged by the positive customer response we've seen to date," the company said. "It's standard practice to allow OEMs, retailers and system builders to continue offering the previous version of Windows for a certain period of time after a new version is released."
http://news.com.com/Dell+brings+back+XP+...l?tag=nefd.lede
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Senior Member
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19. April 2007 @ 18:16 |
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lol, yeah right microsucks, i hope dell is not the last to sick it thier gege.
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janrocks
Suspended permanently
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23. April 2007 @ 19:51 |
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Advertisement
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Moderator
1 product review
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24. April 2007 @ 17:32 |
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Quote:
Head of DrinkorDie cops to copyright charges
After more than five years, Feds get their 'Bandido'
By Dan Goodin in San Francisco → More by this author
Published Wednesday 25th April 2007 00:26 GMT
Receive the days biggest stories by email
The kingpin for one the world's oldest and best-known piracy groups has pleaded guilty to software piracy charges, bringing a close to an international cat-and-mouse game that took more than five years to play out.
Hew Raymond Griffiths - better known in warez circles as Bandido - faces up to 10 years in prison and $500,000 in fines at sentencing, which is currently scheduled for June 22 in fe[quote]deral court in Alexandria, Virginia. The 44-year-old British national pleaded guilty to one count each of criminal copyright infringement and conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement. He was extradited to the US in February after spending three years fending off extradition attempts from a detention center in Australia.
According to US prosecutors, Griffiths rose through the ranks to assume the top spot at DrinkOrDie, which came to prominence after releasing a pirated copy of Windows 95 days before the OS was officially available. It was formed in 1993 and was among the first "security-conscious" warez groups, meaning it used passwords, encryption and other sophisticated measures to thwart law enforcement efforts.
DrinkOrDie specialized in cracking anti-piracy measures in popular software, movies and other digital content, so it could be copied and used over and over. The group then distributed the warez using online storage sites filled with tens of thousands of titles, prosecutors allege. DrinkOrDie is estimated to have caused the piracy of more than $50 million worth of digital material.
The group was dismantled after the US Justice Department and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement carried out more than 70 raids on targets in the US and five other countries in late 2001. To date, "Operation Buccaneer," as the campaign came to be called, has netted more than 40 convictions.
Griffiths is accused of heading several other warez groups, including Razor1911 and RiSC. Prosecutors also say he boasted in a published report that he ran all of DrinkOrDie?s day-to-day operations and controlled access to more than 20 of the top warez servers worldwide. Federal prosecutors returned an indictment against him in 2003.
Griffiths isn't accused of profiting financially from his deeds. His case marks one of the first time a defendant has been extradited on charges related to intellectual property. ®
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/04/25/copyright_plea/
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