DIGITAL DIGEST - http://www.digital-digest.com
DIGITAL DIGEST | LiveUpdate Newsletter - Issue 49
23 May, 2006

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This issue of Digital Digest Live Update is sponsored by TMPG, the
creators of the highly rated TMPGEnc series of software and now also
VideoSync, a video converter for portable devices such as your PSP™,
iPod®, or PDA. For more information, please visit www.tmpg-inc.com

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TOP NEWS SUMMARY:

1. Introduction

2. THIS IS THE HEADLINE FOR THE SPONSORSHIP ARTICLE

3. News in Brief

4. Software Spotlight: PowerDVD 7.0

5. Opinions: Blu-ray vs HD DVD

6. How to cancel/change your subscription email address/settings
- how to maintain the subscription to this newsletter even
if your email address has changed

7. A simple thank-you and some concluding words

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1. Introduction

The Digital Digest LiveUpdate Newsletter is back again. Lots of
things have changed since the last newsletter, most recently the
complete re-design of the Digital Digest website. With the "new"
Digital Digest website going live and doing well, it's just the
right time to re-launch our "new" LiveUpdate newsletter. And this
time we promise that you won't have to wait two years for the next
issue.

-- DVDGuy


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2. VideoSync™; Twice as fast as QuickTime Pro

TMPG is known worldwide for its software video encoders; the TMPGEnc
series, along with its excellent DVD Authoring software. TMPG does
it again and shows that they are one of the best, by taking their
software video encoders mobile.

After conducting an in-house benchmark test*, TMPG found that
VideoSync was approximately twice as fast as Apple QuickTime Pro
(with the MPEG 2 playback component) in encoding uncompressed AVI,
MPEG-1, and MPEG-2 video clips; and virtually the same in encoding
uncompressed MOV files, to the MPEG 4- ISO and H.264 file format,
which is what almost all portable devices use.

VideoSync, Any Video. Anywhere. Anytime. It allows you to take your
favorite videos with you wherever you go, it's like carrying them
right in your pocket. With VideoSync's easy-to-use interface, you
can drag and drop videos from your PC to your PSP™, iPod®, or PDA
and enjoy them when you want... it's your choice.

VideoSync also offers an all-in-1 sync tool for PSP™, iPod®, PDAs
(using Windows Mobile 5.0), PSPTransManager, an automatic iTunes
registration tool, and Sync Wizards. You can also adjust the audio
and video quality before sending it to your mobile device. Import
the most popular file formats and more.

This software allows a wide range of flexibility with mobile
devices. To learn more about VideoSync visit
http://tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/product/vs.html or you can purchase it at
http://tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/shopping/vs.html for $49.95
(download).

The people at TMPG are now including, for a limited time VideoSync
with TMPGEnc MPEG Editor 2.0 to create the Pocket Movie Suite, all
for one low price of $79.95 ($150 value). This will allow you to
create your own mobile video library with the shows and videos you
want. Its like having your own customized mobile channel! The bundle
is available for purchase at
http://tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/shopping/index.html#bundle.

For more information in regards to TMPG Inc./TMPGEnc and/or any of
its products please visit www.tmpg-inc.com.


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3. News in Brief

Napster is back........well sort of. They basically "tease" you
with quality downloads and hope you continue to use their service.
However, they do have comparable rates with other pay-to-download
services.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-59934.html

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Windows Media Player 11 was leaked out a few days early. I've always
wondered how this stuff mysteriously leaks out. I think might be
some type of unethical marketing scheme.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-59957.html

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Do you search a lot on the internet? Find out the words that you
should never search for. After I read it, I went down memory lane
and remembered searching for the exact same stuff when I first got a
computer.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-59955.html

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Unless you're a movie buff or video quality fanatic, I wouldn't
upgrade to HD (High Definition) players/TV. There is even a good
chance your current electronics do not meet the required criteria
needed to play HD, so you would have to upgrade most if not all of
your current electronics.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-59951.html

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What exactly is the new Toshiba HD-DVD player made from? Is it all
new parts and technology? Think again! Lorin Thwaits recently took
apart his Toshiba HD-DVD player (Model # HD-A1) only to find out it
was basically a spruced up PC with a NEC IDE connected HD-DVD drive
and the OS was based on Red Hat Linux.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-59947.html

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Finally they reveal an expected price for the long awaited Sony
Playstation 3 and an official release date. Sony is actually selling
two different models of the PS3, one with a 20 gigabyte hard drive
for $499, and another with a 60 gigabyte hard drive for $599.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-59946.html

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Did "Warner Music" fix the download price on their music downloads?
If so, they would be violating several laws.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-59944.html

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I would say the first hard core gaming platform was made by
Nintendo. I remember when the first Nintendo was released and it
sold like hot cakes, everybody wanted one. Well, Nintendo has just
emerged on the gaming scene with their newest platform
called "Nintendo Wii". Will it be a competitor for the PS3 and Xbox?

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-59924.html

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Nero releases a "free" MP4 audio decoder/encoder, featuring a 2 pass
AAC encoder. The encoder is already supported by BeLight and support
will be added to MeGUI.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-59943.html

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PowerDVD has released a new version of the infamous software DVD
player with an emphasis on playing new high definition media.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-59942.html

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Do you like to shop at Wal-Mart? I know I do, they have great deals
and a fabulous return policy. Well, they have added one more
feature under their belts; they will now be able to custom build a
computer for you.
http://www.digital-digest.com/news-59941.html

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Who would have thought "Piracy" was such a lucrative business? The
MPAA did, as they did their own study on it. They came to the
conclusion that the piracy industry makes around $6 billion dollars.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-59939.html

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Do you miss your favorite TV show? If you don't have a VCR or DVR so
that you can record it when your not there. Fear not, according to
ABC, they will start carrying full episodes of your favorite TV
shows to download.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-59938.html

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Nintendo game cube price comes down. If you ask me why, I
hypothesize its all because of their future release of Nintendo Wii.
Patiently awaiting Windows new operating system? Well you can
download Windows Vista Beta 2 to test it out. Hopefully they will
release it sometime in 2007.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-59933.html

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Dell computer company in Europe and Mandriva has made a rather bold
move in a new direction. They will be making laptops with the Linux
operating system installed on them from the factory.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-59923.html

-- jmet

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4. Software Spotlight: PowerDVD 7.0

PowerDVD 7.0 has been released and has scored a high 94% in our
review. Amongst the highlights of the new version is the 5 different
UI (user interface) modes - this allows you to use the software in
the way you want to. I guess with the release of Windows Vista
sometime in the (relative) near future, there will be a lot of focus
on clever UI design (from your basic transparency and multi skin
support, to fancy things like 3D transitions and special effects).
Although I must admit I'm more of a fan of simple, lite interfaces
(give me Windows Media Player 6.4 over the later versions any day),
as long as the interface doesn't become too bloated, then these
effects are all nice touches that add something to the software -
Mac OS X style.

One of the other new features is one that I've been ranting about in
my reviews for quite a while now. While it's not exactly what I had
in mind, the new "Read-It-Clearly" subtitle re-positioning function
works quite well (I had wanted full control over subtitle
positions). I always thought that if you had to playback movies with
black bars, why not make use of them to display subtitles. Reading
white subtitles on a light colored background can be frustrating at
times (or incredibly funny if you're in an Austin Powers movie).
It's still a little buggy (and PowerDVD does warn you about it), but
it's a nice touch.

Built in MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) playback in the Deluxe version is
welcomed (previously available as a separate add-on). Lots of people
have problems playing .mp4 H.264 files because there are actually
many versions (eg. Nero Video/Audio), and not all are compatible
with each other. VideoLAN is probably still your best bet in playing
back these files (without additional codecs), but PowerDVD Deluxe
will support them now as well. Even a .mp4 file that I couldn't play
in Windows Media Player played perfectly in PowerDVD (and VideoLAN,
as expected).

I have read some forum threads that have suggested problems using
PowerDVD in Windows XP x64, so definitely try out the trial version
before you commit if you are using the 64-bit OS.

-- DVDGuy

PowerDVD 7.0 Info/Downloads:
http://www.digital-digest.com/dvd/downloads/showsoftware_powerdvd_48.html

PowerDVD 7.0 Review:
http://www.digital-digest.com/dvd/software/players/powerdvd.html

PowerDVD 7.0 and Windows XP x64 Problem:
http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=189599


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5. Opinions: Blu-ray vs HD DVD

Regular visitors to Digital Digest should now be aware of this FAQ I
wrote on high definition DVDs. I had a lot of fun writing the FAQ,
because I managed to learn quite a bit more about the HighDef DVD
formats than when I started out to write the FAQ. Unfortunately, not
all of it was good news.

There is a Blu-ray vs HD DVD comparison section in the FAQ with my
personal opinions, so I won't repeat them here. But instead, I'll
add some recent thoughts, many of it influenced by the recent poor
showing of the PS3 at the E3 2006.

As you may have heard, the PS3 came under some negative spotlight at
the E3 games expo. With the Xbox 360 already released and doing
well, and the Nintendo Wii (pronounced Wee, followed by childish
giggles) winning the fun-factor awards, the PS3's pricing
announcement couldn't have come at a worse time. Costing more than a
Xbox 360 + Wii combined (and this looks like quite a winning combo,
one that will be in many people's homes I suspect), having fewer and
fewer exclusive game offerings and a control pad that looks exactly
the same as the PS2's, the only real advantage of the PS3 (at the
current time, and I suspect the closer we get to the release date,
the better the PS3 will look as an Xbox killer) is the included Blu-
ray playback. Xbox 360 will come with a HD DVD add on drive
sometime, but the PS3 is the only next-gen console with next-gen DVD
playback included. It's clear to see where Sony's strategy is - to
promote Blu-ray by forcing you to have it when you buy the PS3
(having millions of Blu-ray capable players in people's homes will
make HD DVD's figures look extremely poor). But with the PS3 having
no other obvious advantages over the Xbox 360 and Wii (again, this
could change as we get more info on the PS3), it could be more of a
case of the console's Blu-ray capability being the key factor in
people choosing the PS3. Feels a little like putting all your eggs
in one basket, but if it works, then Sony can dominate both the game
console and home entertainment markets for the foreseeable future.
If it doesn't, then well...

In any case, HD DVD software and hardware are already available now,
and Blu-ray's official launch will come in the next month or so. So
far, it really does look like HD DVD is the winner because of it's
early launch and low prices, whereas (just like the PS3) Blu-ray
hardware is far too expensive for even the early adopters. Of
course, Blu-ray will have a better selection of movies because it's
being backed by most of the movie studios, but if no one is buying
the players, then studios will be reluctant to publish any movies.
Again, the PS3 could be decisive.

And we all know why movies studios are choosing expensive-to-produce
Blu-ray over HD DVD - once again, it's all to do with copy
protection. Blu-ray will give studios everything they want in terms
of copy protection (ie. no consumer rights, no fair use), whereas HD
DVD has taken up a more casual approach (but still way too much CP
for our liking). People who understands the copyright issues, will
always prefer HD DVD over Blu-ray, even if the differences are minor
and probably won't make too much of a difference in the long term.
HD DVD is probably counting on this "feeling" to drive sales - the
cheaper pricing also helps. Even the initial concern over HD DVD
being 1080i (interlaced) limited is no longer a major problem, as
the current selection of HD DVD movies are encoded and stored in
1080p (progressive) so it's only a matter of time before a 1080p HD
DVD player is produced (the official reason for this delay is, you
guessed it, copyright issues in the digital video output system). If
studios start ditching Blu-ray and start joining the HD DVD camp,
then it will be really clear as to who is the winner of the HighDef
DVD wars.

-- DVDGuy

The High Definition DVD FAQ:
http://www.digital-digest.com/highdefdvd/faq.html


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6. How to cancel/change settings/email address for your subscription
to this newsletter

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7. A simple thank-you and some concluding words

Just a note to thank all the thousands of people, including you, who
joined the Digital Digest LiveUpdate list. I've spent quite a bit of
time developing this site, and making it what it is today, and
really do appreciate your continued support.

I hoped you enjoyed another issue of the LiveUpdate newsletter.

Thanks!!

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