Comments on: Converted by media hard disks

By: Gindylow

Gindylow — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 16:34:28 +0000

quote: “the majority of the population are not PC Pro readers”

Not all PC Pro readers feel compelled to scurry sheep like to adopt every newly released piece of hardware or new sales proposition thinly disguised as a tehcnical advance.

Blue Ray and HD are just that as far as most people are concerned. Not only are few broadcasts put out on HD, many that are do not originate from HD source media.

Add to this the fact that most standard broadcasts dont look all that good on an large HD Screen and we have out in the open the myth that is modern consumerism.

HD is pretty much just a means of writing off old perfectly good TV’s and knocking out over priced, poorly built short warrantied new ones.

By: Arnold Lieberman

Arnold Lieberman — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:01:37 +0000

I used to have endless hassle burning DVDs for the family to watch until I discovered XBMC. Got a 2nd hand xbox from freecycle for nothing then installed XBMC on it and now they can watch any files they like with just a IR remote control as they’re all sitting on the PC in my study over the network. of course, you still have to have some way of getting the files on there, but it would also be nice for the grandkids to do when they visi (still plays games)t…

By: Darien Graham-Smith

Darien Graham-Smith — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:02:24 +0000

Matthew Sparkes: She loves it, but she can’t rip her own CDs, download music or update it herself.

iTunes strikes again!

By: Matthew Sparkes

Matthew Sparkes — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:27:33 +0000

I see your point that they are perfect – once set up – for people like your father, with his basic setup. The problem is that he won’t be buying one and filling it himself by downloading or ripping video files. If he bought one it would be useless, until you added value by filling it with interesting stuff to watch.

It works if you set it up for him, and keep it updated. Anyone who can do that stuff on their own will also be able to set up a more graceful solution for getting media to their TV.

It’s a similar situation with my girlfriend’s iPod. She loves it, but she can’t rip her own CDs, download music or update it herself. It’s just not a sustainable gadget, so to speak. That method of consuming music, for her, involves me as a step in the process, which isn’t convenient (for me).

In other words, I don’t like them.