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What's New in TVTonic 3.3?

Get all your favourite Web TV channels delivered directly to your media center all in 1 place. Watch GameTrailers, The Totally Rad Show, and DiggNation to name just a few all from the comfort of your armchair, All in SD or HD. Hundreds of channels for FREE.

For Full Information About TVTonic, Click HERE

Upgrading from TVTonic 3.2? Download the installer to perform an automatic upgrade.
Here's a quick run-down of what's new in TVTonic 3.3.

1. Redesigned interface
   • navigation menu — quickly jump to the My Channels menu, details on the currently playing clip, the Channel Guide or full screen-mode.
   • revamped Channel Guide — makes it easier to find, preview and subscribe new channels.
   • expanded Channel Settings — easily delete videos, disable downloads on a per channel basis, refresh channels manually & more!
   • centralized Cache Settings menu — you no longer need to open each channel to set it's cache size. Do it all in one place.
2. New Features
   • mark all items in a channel as viewed at once
   • support for HD QuickTime channels, such as Revision3's HD feeds
   • channel icons under My Channels
3. TVTonic Control Panel — new streamlined, tabbed design.
   • more detailed download monitor
   • schedule download times
   • restrict bandwidth usage and more
4. Under-the-hood improvements
   • much better stability and performance
   • smarter bandwidth management
   • more robust and efficient download engine
   • better cache management
   • improved channel subscription
   • mRSS support

 

  

TVTonic - What's New?

BioWare technical producer Derek French has said that the PC versions of both Mass Effect and Spore will make use of copy protection that will require online validation every ten days in order for the games to continue working.

"After the first activation, SecuROM requires that [Mass Effect PC] re-check with the server within ten days (in case the CD Key has become public/warez'd and gets banned)," said French in a post on the BioWare forums.

If customers do not come online after ten days, the game will cease to function.

"After 10 days a re-check is required before the game can run," added French. "..An internet connection is not required to install, just to activate the first time, and every 10 days after."

The check is run when users activate the game's executable file, with the first re-check coming within "5 days remaining in the 10 day window."

According to French, Maxis' Spore will also make use of the same scheme: "[Electronic Arts] is ready for us and getting ready for Spore, which will use the same system."

French also noted that the online requirement will be clearly labelled on the games' packaging.

Source:ShackNews

Taking All-in-one to extremes, MIU introduced its new wireless IP-based hybrid portable device dubbed 'HDPC (Hybrid Dual Portable Computer)' in Korea market, which is equipped with dual OS(Windows XP/Windows CE 5.0 or Linux Qplus).

Adopting a keyboard of general PC and a 4-inch display with 800x480 resolution, the HDPC supports dual-mode function and wireless internet function. It is the concept that user can make a choice of any type of soft/hard ware according to users’ needs.

As the name 'HDPC' signifies, user can converge the stand-alone technologies of existing portable devices such as car PC, navigation, mobile phone, PMP, mp3, UMPC, electronic dictionary, internet phone, PSP, digital camera, voice recorder, mobile IPTV into HDPC

The HDPC is expected to be available in July 2008, and the price would be below $500.

 

miubit.com

aving news

There’s been a lot of buzz about a story The Times a few days ago under the headline “Internet users could be banned over illegal downloads,” which also appeared on the BBC website under the even more alarming headline “Illegal downloaders ‘face UK ban.” Time to get a couple of things straight.

The Times says “people who illegally download films and music will be cut off from the internet under new legislative proposals to be unveiled next week.” Actually, this story is complete balderdash. But the fact that this nutty proposal is getting anywhere at all illustrates how ignorant the powers that be are about downloading.

Let’s get a couple of things straight –

1. This proposal was a draft consultation green paper, defined as “a proposal without any commitment to action.” The government receives many of these on a daily basis. They are like junk mail at Number 10 Downing Street. The Prime Minister’s toilet paper is more important than most green papers, and both are usually filed in the same place.

2. This proposal is totally and completely unworkable in the real world. ISPs will not accept liability for the contents of packets (nor should they), and it would be impossible for them to open and check if every single download and upload was legal or not without the entire Internet grinding to halt. This isn’t in the best interests of the government, the ISPs or the voters. Banning customers and exposing yourself to billions in liability isn’t a good business strategy. Criminalizing six million citizens and inconveniencing the rest is not a vote winner.

3. It would be impossible to tell the difference between illegal downloading and legal activities such as downloading software patches, using torrents to share stuff legally, playing online video games, using VoIP, photo sharing, telecommuting, and many others. The resistance from the private sector would be as strong as it would from the general public.

4. The very idea of this goes against the ruling of the European Court, which says EU member states are not obligated to disclose personal information about suspected file sharers. It would also fly in the face of Article 10 of the European freedom of expression laws, which gives every European the “freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers.”

5. WiFi piggybacking and encrypted packets make it impossible to tell who is downloading what in the first place. These techniques are only getting more sophisticated, while for the most part, the content industries collectively remain as dumb as a box of hair.

So in summary:

Insert Toilet Flushing Sound FX Here

This idea makes as much sense as trying to ban people from singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to each other over the telephone network, or burning down libraries to protect the publishing industry. But what’s frightening about such ideas is that they are still taken seriously all over the world by powerful decision makers in government and industry who have absolutely no clue about how the Internet actually works, or the damage such laws could do to democracy.

Before there is any more discussion about this, the music and film companies need to definitively prove illegal downloads cost them millions of dollars in lost revenues. CD sales are falling because nobody uses them anymore, and Hollywood is in rude health despite the pirates. There should be no more talk about changing laws and spending tax payer’s money on this ‘problem’ until someone proves there really is one.

Furthermore, if there is a problem, tax payers shouldn’t have to pony up in the first place. The content industries need to stop braying at governments to protect inefficient business models and look at the real solution that’s been staring them in the face for ten years.

After quite a break from Posting my Recipe's, what with the hassle that goes into moving house. And the fact i bought a very duff PC from Dell. You will be glad to know i'am back to Blogging. For those who have followed my previous Gaming Munchies i will still be keeping my Recipe's nice and easy. So to kick of again, here is Roast Veg Pasta. I made this, this afternoon to keep me going through a evenings gaming of CoD4 on The ToC Server Call of Duty 4 Server - 85.236.103.10:28960.

 

WebGuide allows you to remotely view live and recorded TV programs and to remotely schedule and manage your recorded television programs, music, pictures and videos on your Media Center or Windows Vista PC. Install WebGuide on your Media Center PC and access it from any machine that has a web browser, including your cell phone or mobile device.

Convenient
Live streaming TV can be viewed on any web browser

Recordings can be scheduled from any web browser

"Place-shifting" for your personal media library, including TV, music, pictures, videos and DVD's

PocketPC and Smartphone enabled, Xbox 360 Support.

Windows Vista ready

Easy
Installation takes only minutes

User-friendly MCE interface

Languages include Danish, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish and Swedish

Fast
Live scheduling without delays

Search by show, date or time

Quick access to recent and upcoming recordings

Press Release:

Many loyal WebGuide users have commented that Microsoft should hire me to do Media Center development.

Apparently, someone in Redmond was listening.

I'm excited to announce that I recently finalized a business deal with Microsoft to make WebGuide available to users for free and to become a member of the Media Center team.  I'm joining an extremely talented group and will focus on pushing Media Center into the high-end custom installation market.  The custom installation market is a terrific incubator for new ideas and technologies that will eventually benefit the larger Media Center community.

Since I will be busy doing that, I won't be busy creating new features for WebGuide.  I will continue to monitor the Forums, make comments and provide updates for significant bugs.  One of the best parts of creating WebGuide, from my perspective, has been hearing directly from enthusiastic users about what they really want from the app.  I still want to hear this and am now in a better position to share these thoughts with the powers that be.

For those of you who feel I've sold out, given in to "the man" or crossed over to the dark side, you don't need to send me a nasty email.  I hear yah.  Go play a round of Halo to get it out of your system.  At the end of the day, my passion is for developing cool software, and this is an opportunity to do just that.  I'd be a fool not to take advantage of it.

Thank you for making WebGuide what it is and for keeping me excited and challenged for the past few years.  I look forward to maintaining that relationship.

The new Media Center add-in connects to a WebGuide server and enables users to stream recorded TV, videos and DVDs within the Media Center interface - including the Xbox360 extender - at qualities up to 720p via WebGuide's integrated real-time transcoder.  If you have multiple Media Center systems, no problem: in Media Center you can designate each one as a separate add-in.  Or, better yet, use the new "WebGuide Prism" technology to link them all into an single aggregated interface.

"WebGuide Prism" is a new component that allows users to interconnect multiple machines that are running WebGuide.  These connections aggregate the media from multiple systems into a single interface.  Each media item (recorded TV, video or photo) that is available on another machine will show alongside the local content, but will be flagged with a customizable icon that identifies the source machine.  You can play or the view media from other machines in the same way you would media from your local machine.  WebGuide does all the work for you.

About WebGuide:
WebGuide allows you to remotely view live and recorded TV, remotely schedule and manage your recorded television programs and access your music, pictures, videos and DVDs on your Media Center or Windows Vista PC. Install WebGuide and access it from any machine that has a web browser, including your cell phone or mobile device.  WebGuide is in use in over 35 countries and is available in 13 languages.  Also available in a Windows Vista Sidebar Gadget, and coming soon, a Windows Home Server version.  For more information, visit www.asciiexpress.com.

Media Center / Xbox360 DVD Playback Interface

Gunny "I've been testing this software over the last few days, and I have to say its bloody marvelous, Easy to setup and works like a dream, The Vista Sidebar Gadget is genius ! and a joy to use. I highly recommend this bit of software. "

News Source : Here Technorati Tags: WebGuide4		Buy
posted by Gunny

As of today, any player currently in the service with an active billed account will not be billed again. If players have previously purchased time via multi-month billing or time cards that extends their service past July 31, NCsoft will reconcile these accounts appropriately. There will be more announcements coming soon regarding the shut down of Auto Assault and its impact on current accounts.

Auto Assault combines vehicular combat with RPG elements, putting players against each other in race vs. race wars for control of the regions in a post-apocalyptic devastated Earth in customizable cars, motorcycles, semis and even tanks. As we mentioned back in July, as of last night NCsoft has closed down service for Auto Assault. It was fun while it lasted.

News Source : Here Technorati Tags: NCsoft		Buy
posted by Eggchaser

Here are the 5 new images showing off more of Star Trek Online, a massively-multiplayer online game for PC set in the federation and outer galaxies of the Star Trek universe.

News Source : Here Technorati Tags: Star Trek Online		Buy
posted by Gunny

Forgotten your IP or maybe you have a Dynamic IP that changes from time to time, well now instead of going to one of those boring corporate looking sites to look up your number, you can be entertained with some lovely ladies informing you of your IP in a most discreet manner. Crank up the volume as I found the audio fairly quiet, and head on over to MoanMyIP.com. There is hours of fun to be had with this, or maybe I'm just a geek. The site also informs you of some other useful information such as What operating system you are using, what browser you are viewing the site with, your ISP and port etc.

News Source : Here Technorati Tags: MoanMyIP.com		Buy
posted by Gunny

People are keen for the PC version of BioShock. They're gagging for it. This being the internet, some were bound to try and bend the rules to get hold of it early. That's what happened on IGN's Direct2Drive, where a bunch of people found a way to pre-purchase the game AND start playing it, without waiting for the game's official release date. Some may have pulled it off, but most had their downloads cut off when IGN detected the loophole. End of story, right? These were all paying customers, this is the internet, Direct2Drive improve their security and we move on. Right? Nope! IGN have tried to bring the hammer down, sending the following email to all users they detected jumping the queue and trying to get the game early.

Dear ******:

I am legal counsel for IGN Entertainment, Inc. ("IGN"), a subsidiary of Fox Interactive Media, Inc. and owner of the Direct2Drive.com digital store. We understand that on or about August 19, 2007, you accessed IGN's private database and servers (the "Servers") to obtain an unauthorized copy of the videogame BioShock (the "Title") without IGN's permission. As you know, the Title is a copyrighted work that is protected by the laws of the United States, including 17 U.S.C. §101, et seq., and your unauthorized copying of the Title is a clear violation of copyright law and may subject you to civil and criminal penalties, including possible monetary damages .

Notwithstanding any payment you may have made to IGN, you did not obtain any right to receive or copy the Title other than as specifically authorized by IGN, and your copying of the Title from an unauthorized location prior to the time of distribution was clearly beyond the scope of rights that you may have received. The limited license to use the Direct2Drive.com service and to receive a copy of the Title was subject to limitations, and you have violated your license. Moreover, the Servers are not intended for public access, and your accessing and copying of material from them violates the Direct2Drive Terms of Service 1. Either of these actions may subject you to legal action for breach of contract, including possible monetary damages to IGN and/or its licensors.

IGN views your conduct as a serious violation of our and our licensor's rights. In order to avoid further, and even more egregious and willful infringement, IGN hereby demands that you refrain from any reproduction, distribution, or transmission of the Title, or any components of the Title, such as screen shots, images or videos of or from the Title, to any third parties, including to any forum, discussion board, web sites or peer-to-peer networks. In addition, you must delete any copies of the Title already in your possession. You are on notice to retain any and all documents (including electronic documents, e-mails, and any correspondence) that are or may be related to this matter, and w e trust that you will advise others involved of our position on this matter and their document retention obligations.

Please confirm in writing by August 21, 2007 that you have, and will, comply with the above. This letter is not a complete statement of the relevant facts or of IGN's civil or criminal claims with respect to this matter, all of which are reserved.

Sincerely,

Todd Murtha
Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs
IGN Entertainment, Inc.

In other words, even though they paid for it, IGN are now threatening these users with legal action if they don't delete the game. Their defence? That using Direct2Drive subjects you to certain conditions, of which jumping the queue violates. Which may be legally sound, I don't know, I'm not a lawyer. But as an exercise in customer relations? Yeah, not so hot.

Source: http://kotaku.com/gaming/

posted by Eggchaser

posted by Eggchaser

For a generation of gamers the only way to get your gaming information was from comic books, which helped create the notion of pre-pubescent geeky gamers. There would be the occasional print ad in a newspaper or such, but primarily, games were advertised to and advertised in comic books and other youth oriented merchandise. I confess to being one of these - a pre-pubescent geek born of the 80’s and the magnificent Commodore 64 and it’s associated comic book advertising. Oh how controversial Mortal Kombat was back then! And how far has gaming come? In all honesty, we’ve made some huge gains over the gaming of yesteryear. Games I grew up with are downright primitive compared to today’s blockbusters, and with that, advertising budgets and the ways in which games are advertised to us has taken some drastic steps too.

It would seem that we will soon have email at 35,000 feet!!

High-speed broadband connectivity is to be tested by American Airlines on US domestic flights next year.  The experiment will be conducted on Boeing 767-200 aircraft that primarily fly transcontinental routes.

Passengers will have access to a high-speed internet connection, VPN and e-mail capabilities through Wi-Fi-enabled laptops and PDA devices in all classes for an unspecified fee.  If the connectivity solution is successful, it could be extended to the rest of the airline's domestic fleet. 

The technology will use three antennas installed on the outside of the aircraft.  Technology firm AirCell will provide cellular towers throughout the continental US to transmit the signal. The signals received will be 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi signals.  The technology from AirCell is subject to strict requirements set by the US Federal Aviation Administration through an exclusive license from the Federal Communications Commission. Both agencies oversee the use of broadband and wireless signals by aircraft flying over the continental US. 

The airline's marketing executive vice-president Dan Garton said: "We understand that broadband connectivity is important to our business customers and others who want to use their PDAs and laptops for real-time, inflight broadband communications. "We consider it a 30,000-foot answer to many of our business travellers' needs."

by Phil Davies 

Source : The Joys of Being a Travel Agent

posted by MissDMeaner

posted by Eggchaser

Hey ladies, put those Halo controllers down. Sure, you've proven over the course of video game development that great games made for guys can also appeal to you, but Lifetime TV knows you're really crying out for something else.

The Golden Joysticks are, without doubt, the most important gaming awards around. It's the award every developer wants to win. Why? Because its winners are decided entirely on YOUR votes. Developers, journalists, publishers... none of them get a say in it. You do. Last year, there were 540,000 votes cast, and now, for the 25th year, it's time to vote again - and you can do so right here at the official Golden Joysticks website.

If you thought the cost of internet access in the UK was a bit steep, and didn't offer you a good gaming experience, spare a thought for the residents of the oil-rich republic of Kazakhstan.

An unlimited 1.5Mb/sec connection in the home of Borat costs a staggering £1,660 per month. And installation plus the modem costs an extra £200.

£11,000 will buy you a 6Mb/sec connection. That's roughly a thousand times what it costs in western Europe and around 55 times the average monthly wage, according to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which compiled the figures.

Dial-up is much cheaper, just £55 per month for unlimited access, dropping to around £20 for pay-as-you-go access that OSCE says would encompass just basic email exchange without attachments and occasional web browsing.

And yet the Kazakh authorities hailed 2006 price cuts which increased the number of internet users.

"The first serious drop in prices for internet access was part of a company strategy to increase the number of users; 2.7% of the population used the internet at the beginning of the year, but now 4% are active users," claims Askar Zhumagaliev, head of the Information and Communications Agency.

OSCE says that this 4% is primarily corporate users. Individual citizens are restricted to occasional dial-up home access, limited free access at schools and universities and internet cafés "from time-to-time".

Kazakhstan has strict laws governing media content but it has certainly found another highly effective way of restricting access to internet content.

"Those who think it's impossible to control the internet can continue living in the world of illusions," Information Minister Yermukhamet Yertysbayev told the country's Vremya newspaper.

As for Borat, the Kazakhstan authorities shut down his .kz website in December 2005.

 

Source: http://www.computerbuyer.co.uk/news/121376

 

Posted by Stoney