High Definition « Young Black Professional Guide

Posts Tagged ‘High Definition’

tech question? ask engadget

By: Fredric
May 1, 2007
0 comments

first off, apologies for slacking on the ‘tech news’ and ‘weekly round-up’ posts these past days. the almost wife and i have been in transition from london back to the good ol’ chi and i’ve just been exhausted. rest assure that i’ll get back on the ball this week.

ok, back to the topic at hand.
Ask Engadget
sometimes googling something doesn’t always yield the best recommendations when looking for answers to your technical questions:

what is your favorite digital audio player (dap)?
how do i shop for an hdtv?
what is the best audio recorder?

i suggest asking engadget. if you’ve read some of my other tech news posts, you’ll know that engadget is a tech enthusiast website that i often visit and share with our readers here at ybpguide. it is extremely popular in the blogging world and recorded a record number +20 million hits when it covered the unveiling of the iphone.

in addition to some of their other blogging side segments, engadget features an ‘ask engadget’ post every now and then that allows the readers to give their feedback to the question being asked. the more recent posts covering the three questions i just mentioned highlight some topics that have crossed my mind recently.

in addition to our hdtv guide and dap post, the engadget posts will shed light into the minds of millions of tech enthusiasts across the world ultimately benefiting you in your future purchases.

as always, you can always post your tech questions in the comments or by contacting us and i will respond within a few hours (if not sooner).

Posted in: Personal Tech

tech news: 11-8-2006

By: Fredric
November 8, 2006
0 comments

happy tech news day ybp’ers! i hope you all voted yesterday. it looks like the balance of power has shifted in the house of representatives and the 6 years of republican monopoly is slowing to an end. i feel bad for not being a part of changing history, but i guess that’s the price you pay for being overseas.

anyways, some noteworthy announcements and news:

gears of war came out yesterday for xbox360 (get look getting one). as many blogs will point out, the average metareviews are 95/100. apparently the game developers, epic, did a great job to ring in the new-era of next generation games.

just like the macbook pros, macbooks get a core 2 duo upgrade. as engadget pointed out, i’m hoping they snuck in the 802.11n standard with the new chipset.

in a move that i think will be big as time goes, microsoft announces that you can officially download and view tv shows and movies in standard and HIGH DEF through the xbox 360. though a hard drive update is likely to come, microsoft singly handedly slapped sony (no download service for ps3), in-demand, netflix. too bad their never get any ABC or Disney shows! here’s a howto.

sprint gets a slvr (finally) and a comment war about it and the katana ensues.

information is good. the web is good. 13 nations still don’t get it.

Posted in: News, Personal Tech

ps3 vs. xbox 360 vs. wii

By: Fredric
November 4, 2006
6 comments

every ybp has a way to relax. whether that aggression and stress causes you to read a book, watch some tv, or exercise…relaxation is key. well, what about gaming? i encourage all ybp’ers, guys and gals alike, to explore opportunity of GAMING as a viable way of de-stressing.

besides, many are calling november ‘next-gen gaming month’. why? because xbox 360 releases its most anticipated game this month, the next generation playstation 3 (ps3) arrives, and nintendo’s new console, the wii (pronounced ‘weee’), also looks to change things. so, where should your hard-earned dollars go? let’s take a look at a comparison:

xbox 360 : microsoft’s continuation of the original xbox system; debuted in march 2006 and has enjoyed console monopoly thus far
pros : medium price-range ($299 – $399); has quite a few titles available right now; connects to the xbox live arcade (xbla) that allows you to play online (via broadband) to other users, download exclusive content (movie trailers, game demos); able to connect an hd dvd drive to it and watch hd dvd movies; able to stream files (pictures, music, movies) back and forth between windows devices (including pc, smartphones running windows mobile, etc.); can play selected originial xbox titles in better resolution; higher-priced option has built-in hard drive
cons : runs extremely hot (reports of literally being able to cook on it); not the cheapest next-gen console; more adult-oriented games (shoot ‘em ups, etc.); not technically able to output full 1080p resolution; first editions were a little buggy; streaming movies is not the easiest process; not able to play games on hd dvd drive; need adaptor for wireless gaming
release date : available now
most anticipated game : gears of war (november 7th)

ps3 : sony’s continuation of the successful playstation 2 (ps2); debuts on November 17, 2006 worldwide
pros : able to play high-definition games in 1080p via hdmi (more expensive option); built-in blu-ray player; supposedly more powerful gaming architecture because of newer hardware (processor, RAM, graphics card); possible 30 titles at launch; able to play online; SIXAXIS; built-in wireless and bluetooth; built-in hard drive; shiny box
cons : wallet breaking price ($499 – $599); no rumble feature in game controllers; freakish purchase price (just in case you didn’t see that the first time); will be hard to find on release date
release date(s) : november 17th (u.s.); november 11th (japan); march 2007 (u.k.)
most anticipated game : resistance: fall of man (november 17th)

wii : nintendo’s contender in the next-gen market looks to bring the ‘fun’ back into gaming by offering a more interactive environment
pros : wii controller (requires actual user movement….think having to swing the controller in a baseball game or brandishing the controller for sword-fighting games); relatively inexpensive ($249); built-in wifi and bluetooth; more likely to have ‘unique’ games (fishing, exercise, puzzle, etc.) allowing for a newer audience to get involved in gaming; backwards compatible with gamecube games; able to play old-school games via online download and virtual console; confirmed launch titles; 62 titles by christmas
cons : wii controller (different is necessarily better if not pulled off correctly); not as powerful architecture and graphics; no 1080p gaming; demand is expected to exceed supply, so maybe hard to find on release date
release date(s) : november 19th (u.s.); december 2nd (japan); december 7th (u.k.)
most anticipated game : legend of zelda: twilight princess (november 19th)

if you’re a first-time gamer, i suggest sticking to the nintendo wii. it promises to be a fun experience with the new user interactive environment, won’t break your bank, and usually has a lot of fun titles centered around the loveable mario as well as offering your typical sports titles.

obviously if you’ve got the ridiculous high definition setup, the wii maybe too kiddie for you. since xbox 360 is already out, you may already have one. i think the biggest advantage this system has over ps3 is its ability to interact with your devices on your network. however, the ps3 is just plain (from a brute force perspective) more powerful. expect mind-blowing graphics, tons of titles, and (of course) the built-in high definition blu-ray media player…..which you’ll pay an arm and a leg for.

Posted in: Personal Tech

the future of hdtv

By: Fredric
October 20, 2006
0 comments

one more post before the night’s end, i wanted to share some greatness that i found at one my favorite blogs, engadget.com.

if any of you have read my high definition tv post as well as the impending war between hd dvd and blu-ray, you know that the tech surrounding all things high definition has not completely settled. now, if you’re a super baller ybp (which i’m sure you are), you don’t care about the future because right now you’re sporting one of these.

well, for the rest of us, this is the future of hdtv. SED. period. think crt clarity and depth the cost effectiveness of the big tv’s and the sexiness of the flat panels. yeah, that’s right. sexy tv’s. get used to it. the future is around the corner. 2008 to be exact.

Posted in: Personal Tech

tech news: 10-18-2006

By: Fredric
October 18, 2006
0 comments

part of being a ybp in the know is knowing the important stuff. since i’ma tech guy, i’ll bring you the important news surrounding technology from the various resources as a weekly installation.

first up, those of you celebrating your first few paychecks and buying an ipod need to know that the new ones may have a virus.

next, there’s an interesting article about the role of technologically savvy people and their influence on government. while we all can remember the day we decided we wanted to change the world, this is a nice synopsis of how the generational gap (and racial gap for that matter) is ever-present when it comes to those who make the rules and those that actually have to live by them. see, being a tech guy has its advantages!

on the ‘im about to buy a laptop soon’ front, apple is coming out with another iteration of the macbook and macbook pro. if you’ve read my other posts, you know how i feel about apple. but, at the same time, the macbook has gotten modest reviews (and here). a core 2 duo macbook will be sweet, but i’d wait to jump at it. be looking for the core duo macbooks to go down in price and to be sufficient.

if you have hd (or are looking into hd), start surfing over to engadgetHD. they have a daily listing of hd programs on tap so you don’t miss a beat of high definition goodness.

everytime i go out, it seems like you can’t exactly be a ybp on that hustle PROPERLY unless you’ve got a laptop and smartphone (read crackberry). even though most of these are probably corporate issues, if you decide to jump out there on your own, you’ll need to know the lingo so you pick the right one. here’s a nice article on smartphone lingo.

Posted in: News, Personal Tech