PLAYSTATION®Store to undergo April revamp

Customer feedback drives new design, interface and navigation Updates on hold for two weeks; new-look Store launches mid-April

This April, PLAYSTATION®Store, the online content store on PLAYSTATION®Network, is getting a whole new look and feel – and it’s in response to feedback from the millions of PSN registrants in the PAL region.

The revamp comes in response to a survey last year which showed that many PLAYSTATION Store users wanted a better interface and easier navigation. The new design will deliver a hugely improved navigation system, much greater scope for categorisation and a dynamic new user interface.

Content will be suspended for two weeks while the improvements are carried out but users can look forward to a special update in mid-April.

There will be no weekly content updates between now and the re-launch, although users can still download content from the back catalogue, such as Warhawk™ and Gran Turismo™ 5 Prologue.

The PLAYSTATION Store revamp will not affect PLAYSTATION Network accounts or the virtual wallet system.

While Wii Wait

Despite the continued supply chain difficulties and assurances to the contrary (has anyone seen a Wii in-store in the UK?), Nintendo officially states that the following games will be coming out for Wii in Japan in 2007:

Donkey Kong Taru Jet Race (DK Jet or DK Bongo Blast, US) - June 28, 2007
Wii Health Pack -- 2007
Disaster: Day of Crisis - 2007
Mario Party 8 - 2007
Project H.A.M.M.E.R. - 2007
Wii Music - 2007
Super Mario Galaxy - 2007
Super Smash Bros. Brawl - 2007
Battalion Wars II - 2007
Forever Blue - 2007
Mario Strikers Charged - 2007
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - 2007
Mario and Sonic at the Olympics - 2007

There's no official word on PAL release dates. However, the likes of Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Strikers Charged should reach European shores sometime this summer, if major online retailers are to be believed.

Blu-ray Bond

First 500,000 PS3 Registrants on PLAYSTATION®Network to be Rewarded with Casino Royale on Blu-ray

London, 12th February 2007 – Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) announced today that, in addition to the extensive line-up of games, the first 500,000 purchasers of PLAYSTATION®3 who registered on the PLAYSTATION®Network would receive a Blu-ray disc movie of Casino Royale, starring James Bond newcomer Daniel Craig.

Casino Royale, which has already grossed more than $560 million at the box office worldwide, and has established itself as the most successful Bond film of all time will debut on a 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray disc encoded in MPEG-4 AVC. With a ground breaking collection of added-value features in 1080P High Definition visual quality, and with uncompressed audio features for the best possible audio experience, Casino Royale not only demonstrates the exceptional visual quality of Full 1080P High Definition movies on Blu-ray disc, but is the perfect vehicle to highlight the broader entertainment credentials of the PLAYSTATION 3 system.

Explaining the offer, Darren Carter, VP Brand and Consumer Marketing said, “The PLAYSTATION®Network unlocks the broad range of interactive entertainment features of PLAYSTATION 3. It’s easy to set up, offers free online gaming, has great tools for staying in touch with friends and family, and includes a wide variety of content for download through the PLAYSTATION®Store.”

“All this, and more, will enable users to experience a whole new world of interactive entertainment, and that is why we are offering the phenomenal incentive of Casino Royale, on Blu-ray disc, to PS3 owners who register on the PLAYSTATION®Network. Casino Royale not only makes the most of the features and capabilities of the Blu-ray format, but is one of the most exciting and entertaining movies to debut on Blu-ray this year.”

Euro PlayStation

Fresh from the SCEE Press Office.

Over 30 Titles for Launch Period

1 Million units forecast for Initial Launch Period

London, 25 January 2007 - Sony Computer Entertainment Europe today announced that PLAYSTATION®3 will be launched in the PAL territories of Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Australasia on 23rd March 2007 at a price of EURO 599 (GBP 425, AUD 999.95, NZ 1199.95).

Responding to retail and consumer demand, SCEE confirmed that initially only the 60GB model would be available, with the 20GB model to follow later in the year dependent on demand.

An expected one million PS3 units will be made available during the initial launch period.

SCEE also announced a stellar launch line-up of over 30 game titles for PS3, including eagerly awaited titles published by SCEE such as Resistance: Fall of Man™, MotorStorm™, Genji™: Days of the Blade, FORMULA ONE ™ CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION and Ridge Racer™ 7. An exceptional range of titles in every genre will also be available at launch from the world's leading third party publishers, including Electronic Arts, Activision, Namco Bandai, Sega, Take 2, Ubisoft, Vivendi Universal, and Sony Online Entertainment.

In addition to games on disc, an exciting range of fully-featured downloadable games will debut on the PLAYSTATION®Network. These will include gaming icons such as Tekken®: Dark Resurrection and Gran Turismo® HD Concept; the fully-featured PS3 debut of the best-selling franchise Gran Turismo, realised with full HD (1080p) visual quality. Created by Polyphony Digital Inc and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, Gran Turismo® HD Concept has been downloaded by more than 350,000 users since it was released in December 2006 in North America and Japan.

Also available on the PLAYSTATION®Network will be brainteasers such as Go! Sudoku and Go! Puzzle, and innovative games such as Blast Factor™ and flOw™, designed exclusively for PLAYSTATION 3 and delivering on the promise to provide original content created by non-traditional developers and publishers.

Concurrent with the European launch, a new System Update to further enhance the entertainment potential of PS3 will be issued.

Announcing the launch details, David Reeves, President of SCEE said, "Following the hugely successful launches of PS3 in Japan and North America, we are absolutely delighted to be able to bring significant numbers of PS3 to the SCEE territories. To be able to launch with over 30 titles across every genre shows that this is our strongest launch line-up in the history of PlayStation, and is what PlayStation fans in Europe have been crying out for."

PLAYSTATION 3 LAUNCH TITLE LINE-UP

PS3 Launch Title - Publisher - Network or Disc based

Resistance: Fall of Man™ - SCEE - Disc

MotorStorm™ - SCEE - Disc

Genji™: Days of the Blade - SCEE - Disc

FORMULA ONE™ CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION - SCEE - Disc

Ridge Racer™ 7 - SCEE - Disc

Tekken®: Dark Resurrection - SCEE - Network

Lemmings™ - SCEE - Network

Go! Sudoku - SCEE - Network

Go! Puzzle - SCEE - Network

Blast Factor™ - SCEE - Network

flOw™ - SCEE - Network

Super Rub'a'Dub - SCEE - Network

Call of Duty 3 - Activision UK Ltd - Disc

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Activision UK Ltd - Disc

Tony Hawks Project 8 - Activision UK Ltd - Disc

Gundam - Target in Sight - Namco Bandai Games - Disc

Full Auto™ 2: Battle Lines - Sega®Europe Ltd - Disc

Sonic the Hedgehog™ - Sega®Europe Ltd - Disc

Virtua Fighter™ 5 - Sega®Europe Ltd - Disc

Virtua Tennis™ 3 - Sega®Europe Ltd - Disc

World Snooker Championship 2007 - Sega®Europe Ltd - Disc

NBA 2K7 - Take 2 International SA - Disc

NHL 2K7 - Take 2 International SA - Disc

Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWll - Ubisoft Entertainment SA - Disc

Enchanted Arms - Ubisoft Entertainment SA - Disc

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent - Ubisoft Entertainment SA - Disc

The Elder Scrolls lV: Oblivion - Ubisoft Entertainment SA - Disc

Def Jam: Icon - Electronic Arts Ltd - Disc

Fight Night Round 3 - Electronic Arts Ltd - Disc

NBA Street 4 Homecourt 2007 - Electronic Arts Ltd - Disc

Need for Speed Carbon - Electronic Arts Ltd - Disc

The Godfather: The Don's Edition - Electronic Arts Ltd - Disc

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007 - Electronic Arts Ltd - Disc

Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom - Electronic Arts Ltd - Disc

F.E.A.R. - Vivendi Universal Games Intl SA - Disc

Gripshift - Sony Online Entertainment - Network

PLAYSTATION 3 Peripherals Available at Launch Peripheral

RRP in Euros

SIXAXIS™ Wireless Controller - EURO 49.99

Blu-ray Disc Remote Control - EURO 24.99

HDMI Cable - EURO 24.99

AV cable - EURO 16.99

Component AV cable - EURO 24.99

S Video cable - EURO 16.99

You will be able to pre-order PS3 from my PlayStation Shop.

Monster Hunter Freedom

My latest listing on eBay!

Capcom's critically-acclaimed Monster Hunter Freedom for Sony PSP (PAL).

In Monster Hunter Freedom, challengers take on a variety of quests and conquer larger than life beasts either alone or with the aid of others. Players start by customizing their own character, choosing the type of hair, face, voice and other various attributes their personalized monster hunter will possess. They can explore a hub village where they can sign up for various challenges ranging from retrieving a valuable egg from the nest of a menacing dragon to hunting down powerful creatures and much more. Hunters can scavenge defeated monsters for food, collect bones for weapons and armor, and even use pieces for decorative accessories. In addition, by completing objectives, players receive an array of rewards that allows them to upgrade their arsenal and equipment, readying them for even tougher battles.

*Breathtaking graphics - lush environments and detailed monsters are beautifully represented on the PSP system

*Modified quests enhance offline gameplay - whereas the previous titles emphasized online gameplay, missions have been adjusted to offer more accessible single player experiences

*Up to four can team up in cooperative multiplayer missions via the PSP system's ad hoc mode

*Players can also exchange certain items as well as guild cards which track points that are awarded when friends play together

*Enhanced village hub features a new look and includes various upgraded areas

*New Felyne Kitchen - hire these feisty creatures to create various culinary delights in their extraordinary kitchen

*New "treasure hunters" two player co-op game

*Exciting mini games - collect items, harvest plants and complete other small tasks to obtain all kinds of useful items

*Brand new weapons and equipment provide even more options

Playtime postponed? (not on your Nelly Furtado)

This morning's SCEE Press Office announcement regarding the delayed launch of PS3 came as no shock!

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Announces New March 2007 date for European Launch of PLAYSTATION 3

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Announces New March 2007 date for European Launch of PLAYSTATION 3 No change in launch date for Japan and North America

London, Wednesday 6 September 2006 – Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) today announced that it would revise the launch date of its PLAYSTATION® 3 computer entertainment system in the PAL territories of Europe, Russia, Middle East, Africa and Australasia from 17th November 2006, as previously announced to March 2007.

Launch dates for Japan and North America will remain the same, which are November 11th and November 17th respectively.

The revision of the launch date in the SCEE territories is caused by the delay in the mass production schedule of the blue laser diode within the Sony Group, thus affecting the timely procurement of key components to be utilised in PLAYSTATION 3.

The previously announced PLAYSTATION 3 shipment forecast of 6 million units globally within the fiscal year ending 2007 is not changed.

Given the above, both Microsoft and Nintendo will certainly capitalize on this weakness during the lucrative holiday season! The Wii is far more compelling and can viewed as the 'wild card' in the next generation console pack!

Planet PlayStation

Yesterday's announcements from SCEE have sent a clear message to gamers and competitors alike. Sony has no intention of losing its enviable market share (it is theirs to lose)! PS3 and Ceramic White PSP are coming to stores near you.

I've drooled over the prospect of adding the Ceramic White PSP to my lifestyle mantelpiece and intend to order one over the coming weeks.



And then there's this black beauty. Sony's third-generation PlayStation embodies sleek chic.



Sony's official PS3 press announcement read thus.

Equipped with Blu-ray and Pre-Installed HDD Available at €499 (20GB HDD) and €599 (60GB HDD)

Los Angeles, May 8, 2006 – Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) announced today that it would launch PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3) in “Clear Black” throughout mainland Europe and Australasia on November 17, 2006, as part of a worldwide simultaneous launch.

PS3 is the most advanced computer system that serves as a platform to enjoy next generation computer entertainment contents in the home, realized through the combination of Cell and RSX™ processors, in addition to the playability of a vast catalog of PlayStation® and PlayStation®2 software titles.

Having Giga-bit Ethernet and a pre-installed hard disk drive (HDD) as standard in PS3, users will be able to download a variety of contents as well as access on-line games and services over the network.

Equipped with basic input/output ports, PS3 supports a broad range of displays from conventional NTSC/PAL standard TVs to the latest full HD (1080i/1080p) flat panel displays, offering the joy of the most advanced computer entertainment contents to homes around the world. For use in living rooms, maximum heat and noise reduction has been achieved with a noise level equivalent to that of the current slim-line PlayStation 2.

With the overwhelming computational power of the Cell processor, PS3 is capable of playing back content from Blu-ray (BD) disc at a bit rate of multiplex 48Mbps with ease, the maximum bit rate defined in BD standards.

The new controller for PS3 has been created by refining and improving the world’s most popular PlayStation controller which has shipped more than several hundred million units worldwide. The controller for PS3 employs a high-precision, highly sensitive six-axis sensing system that is capable of processing all parameters within the controller itself, thereby eliminating the need for any additional settings on the display system. By applying this technology, it will become possible to freely control the PS3 system over the network.

While further enhancing the joy of entertainment on PlayStation 2 and PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable), SCEE will vigorously promote PS3 as the next generation computer entertainment platform.

PLAYSTATION®3

Product name: PLAYSTATION®3

CPU: Cell Processor

GPU: RSX™

Sound: Dolby 5.1ch, DTS, LPCM, etc. (Cell-based processing)

Memory: 256MB XDR Main RAM, 256MB GDDR3 VRAM

HDD: 2.5” Serial ATA ○ (20GB) ○ (60GB)

I/O: USB 2.0 ○ (x4)

MemoryStick /SD/CompactFlash - ○

Communication: Ethernet ○ (x1 / 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T)

IEEE 802.11 b/g - ○

Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR) ○

Wireless controller (Bluetooth) ○

AV Output: Screen size 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p

HDMI OUT - ○ (x1 / HDMI NextGen)

AV MULTI OUT ○ (x1)

DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL) ○ (x1)

BD/DVD/CD Drive (Read Only): Maximum Read Speed BD 2x (BD-ROM)

DVD 8x (DVD-ROM)

CD 24x (CD-ROM)

SACD 2x

Dimensions: Approximately 325mm (W) x 98mm (H) x 274mm (D)

Weight: Approximately 5 kg

About Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd. As at 27 April 2006

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), based in London, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PlayStation®2 and PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) software and hardware in 104 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania. SCEE also develops, publishes, markets and distributes entertainment software for these formats, and manages the third party licensing programs for the platforms in these territories. Between its European debut on 24th November 2000 and the end of March 2006, over 38 million PlayStation®2 consoles have been shipped across the SCEE territories, over 103 million worldwide, making it one of the most successful consumer electronic products in history. Between its European debut on 1st September 2005 and the end of March 2006, over 5 million PSP systems have been shipped across the SCEE territories, with over 17 million shipped worldwide since its Japanese launch in December 2004.

Giga Gift Giving

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) today announced that it would be introducing the limited edition PSP™ Giga Pack to Europe, the Middle East and Africa in mid November.



With a 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo included, the PSP Giga Pack provides exceptional storage opportunities for a combination of movies, music, and photographs, allowing PSP owners to enjoy a full range of entertainment options wherever they may be. The PSP Giga Pack also contains an added value package of accessories, including the PSP System, a 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo, battery pack, AC Adaptor, USB cable and an all-new PSP stand for easy hands-free viewing.

Introduced especially for the Christmas gift season, and available for a limited time only, the PSP Giga Pack offers exceptional value for money, at a price far lower than if consumers bought the PSP Value Pack and 1GB Memory stick separately. With an RRP of just €299.99 (£214.99), the PSP Giga Pack will be available in the UK and Ireland on 21st November and throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa on 28th November 2005.

Shame there's no news regarding the "Ceramic White" model for the PAL market, eh Bing?

Whoa, that was like a... Jedi moment

The following, exhautive, review is based on the R1 release of Lost Season 1.

Disc 1 (2:48:39)
Pilot - Part 1 (42:13) 
Pilot - Part 2 (40:17)
 Tabula Rasa (43:27) 
Walkabout (42:42)



Disc 2 (2:51:38)

White Rabbit (42:30) 
House of the Rising Sun (42:44) 
The Moth (43:14)
 Confidence Man (43:10)



Disc 3 (2:51:13)
Solitary (43:08)
 Raised By Another (42:45) 
All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues (42:08)
 Whatever the Case May Be (43:12)



Disc 4 (2:51:24)
Hearts and Minds (43:17) 
Special (43:15) 
Homecoming (41:36) 
Outlaws (43:16)



Disc 5 (2:52:01)

In Translation (43:02)
 Numbers (43:06)
 Deus Ex Machina (42:39) 
Do No Harm (43:14)



Disc 6 (3:34:43)

The Greater Good (43:15) 
Born to Run (43:14) 
Exodus, Part 1 (43:16) 
Exodus, Part 2 (1:24:58)

Video

Unlike the US 4:3 broadcast (only available in widescreen for HDTV consumers), Channel 4 is airing Lost in its original 16:9 aspect ratio. The DVD retains the 1.78:1 formatting and eclipses the PAL standard definition picture with 480p (compatible television required). The transfer is so vivid that it’s easy to forget that you’re looking at a screen. The image pops and colors are luxuriant.

Audio

The perfect presentation is not exclusively limited to sight. The sounds of the island are all encompassing. My Kef 5.1 speaker setup heightened the tension to such a degree that there were times when it became almost unbearable (check John Carpenter’s The Thing or Jurassic Park for comparison). The audio mix would be worthy of Skywalker Sound's Gary Rydstrom.

Extras
Often dubbed as "bonus features," "special features" and "added value", for many DVD consumers they're a compelling reason to buy a DVD set. The Mouse House has come a long way since those first, faltering, steps with Warner Home Video. A time when "special features" were anything but, and consumers should have sued for compensation.

Commentary Tracks
Pilot Parts 1 & 2 - Executive producers J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk
Walkabout - Executive producer Jack Bender, Co-executive producer David Fury and Terry O'Quinn (Locke)
 The Moth - Damon Lindelof, Bryan Burk and Dominic Monaghan (Charlie)
 Hearts and Minds - Executive producer Carlton Cuse, supervising producer Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Maggie Grace (Shannon) and Ian Sommerhalder (Boone).

The Genesis of Lost (8:40)
The tale of how Lost became a TV show. This featurette includes interviews with executives from ABC, and the producers of the series.



Designing a Disaster (7:59)
How did they construct one of the most incredible series openings of all time?

Before They Were Lost (22:55)
The formation of the cast as told by JJ Abrams, Damon Lindelof, April Webster (casting director), Bryan Burk, and the crew. There are lots of audition tapes included in the featurette, and you can watch the entire tape in...



Audition Tapes (23:34)

Audition tapes for the cast members. Matthew Fox (3:31), Evangeline Lilly (2:53), Dominic Monaghan (1:16), Naveen Andrews (2:01), Yunjin Kim (1:10), Daniel Dae Kim (0:46), Josh Holloway (1:20), Jorge Garcia (1:57), Ian Somerhalder (1:36), Maggie Grace (1:48), Harold Perrineau (1:35), Malcolm David Kelley (1:22) and Emilie de Ravin (2:19). These are pretty interesting, especially because there are things that didn't make it into the show, or actors are auditioning for different characters.



Welcome to Oahu: The Making of the Pilot (33:20)
Self explanatory and artfully leveraging the DVD medium a la Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The Art of Matthew Fox (6:07)
When watching Party Of Five, it was clear that there was an inherent sadness in Matthew’s studied performance of Charlie and one that may or may not be autobiographical. This feature arguably lends further credence to my observation! I hope his photographic endeavors touch you as deeply.

Lost @ Comicon (1:50)

The cast and producers headed to Comicon last July where they debuted the pilot. Now this looked like fun unlike Bournemouth’s Excalibur.

Lost: On Location (43:42)
A few featurettes that focus on an episode, or a single aspect with shooting it. The Trouble With Boars (5:19), House of the Rising Sun (7:19), Confidence Man (4:24), All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues (4:56), Whatever the Case May Be (2:58), Hearts and Minds (6:20), Special (3:05) and Exodus (9:21).



On Set With Jimmy Kemmel (7:15)
Kimmel visits the set of Lost. This had me in stitches and the ‘monster reveal’ culminated in hyperventilation!

Backstage with Driveshaft (6:40)
Dominic Monaghan talks about "Driveshaft," and the "hit" song that they sang. The producers explain the idea behind the song, and how it was recorded.

The Lost Flashbacks (4:35)
A couple of flashbacks that weren't shown on TV, which makes them "Lost Flashbacks" and not "Lost Flashbacks." I really enjoyed the Claire flashback. At the Airport: Claire (3:07)
 At the Airport: Sayid (1:28)



Deleted Scenes (14:41)
There are 13 deleted scenes from the first season.



Bloopers from the Set (4:17)

Live from the Museum of Television & Radio (10:56)
The chemistry between the cast and crew is palpable, and it’s a genuine shame that this was only an appetizer.

Scriptscanner

If you have a PC you can read the script to the pilot episode while it plays.

Sneak Peeks (14:22)
Trailers for movies and TV shows can be found in this section. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe looks enchanting, and maybe the movie of the year for me. There are trailers for The Chronicles of Narnia (2:33), TV on DVD (1:56), Lost Season 2 - spoiler free! - (0:32), Alias Season 4 (1:19), Desperate Housewives Season 1 (0:32), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2:25), Scrubs Season 2 (1:33), Dark Water (2:33) and Jimmy Kimmel Live (0:59).

Easter Eggs (1:58)

Alternate Main Title Sequence (0:22) – Just terrible and evokes the X-Files opening titles. Want to find it? Put in disc seven, go to "Tales from the Island" and press left twice, then enter.

Locke and the Orange (1:36) - Want to find it? Select "Tales From the Island" on Disc 7, then highlight "Main Menu," press right, and then enter.

In summary
When you have the collective talents behind Alias, Buffy, Angel and Batman: The Animated Series how can you go wrong?

Theories regarding how the Sydney to LA Oceanic flight crashed are as abundant as they are diverse. Are the passengers dead and struggling to make peace with their past lives before moving on or is it The Truman Show meets Survivor? Whatever. Discuss by all means. But, as my Media Studies tutor once said – the journey is often far more interesting than the destination!

There’s a liberal sprinkling of Star Wars and Star Trek in-jokes set against a Planet of the Apes backdrop. Hurley's "Dude" manages to remain humorous and so revealing of the character - a gentle giant a la Chewbacca. And then there's Sawyer who immediately reminded me of Solo - I couldn't stop grinning at the lines including "Princess", "Sulu" and "I'm a complex guy!" And John Locke's character resonates as I'm a paraplegic due to a serious head injury in first school - a classmate was pushed into me. And, yes, I was in a wheelchair...

The inaugural season of Lost is the finest DVD presentation of a television series I’ve viewed since purchasing my first Sony DVD player in 1998. Yes, it really is that good. This is a seminal seven-disc treatment and only Battlestar Galactica (2004) can take the edge off withdrawal symptoms.

Triangle, Square, Circle and Cross

Today Sony's PlayStation celebrates ten years since its official European introduction. My first PlayStation experience was on an NTSC import machine from Japan and predated the PAL release by several months.

Glimpsing Battle Arena Toshinden and Ridge Racer drove me back into the arms of console gaming after a four year hiatus in the wake of the spectacular SNES Super Star Wars trilogy. However, it wouldn't be until 1998 that a PlayStation would appear alongside my MiniDisc and Discman!

N64 swayed me away from Sony's CD-ROM console with Mario 64, Mario Kart 64 (racing against Jari is the stuff of gaming greatness) and Star Wars Shadows of the Empire. Not to overlook the female distractions too - Emma how did the career at Deloitte & Touche pan out? This was a brief diversion from the PlayStation path. The allure of the Tekken franchise was irresistible after I loaned a machine from one of my co-workers at Reuters!

A PSP has yet to grace these hands!

Pass the Popcorn

iLife '05 is, arguably, the definitive prosumer video authoring suite for Mac Users. However, I recently discovered a variety of useful applications that can augment and compliment your iLife video tool box.

MPEG2 Works 4. This is a powerful MPEG1/MPEG2 and VCD/SVCD/DVD encoding application. As an experiment, I transferred several episodes of a popular franchise from AVI format to PAL 16:9 DVD to see how it handles compression and the results were superlative. Well worth the inexpensive $25 admission charge. I'm promoting it here and please tell the author who sent you. Thanks in advance.

BitrateCalc is a handy free utility, which works in tandem with MPEG2 Works 4, and gives you the optimum bitrate for encoding video and audio for making DVD and DivX video discs.

Want to backup your DVD collection in the event that the originals are lost, destroyed or stolen? Then you'll need Roxio's Popcorn! Popcorn is a DVD duplication application that “helps you easily make high quality copies of your DVD movies.” Not only that, but Popcorn’s “powerful compression technology gives you the flexibility to copy even the largest movies to a single DVD disc” - meaning you can compress an entire 9GB dual-layer DVD to a standard 4.7GB DVD disc and maintain high video quality and full audio fidelity. Popcorn cannot extract data directly from a DVD, so you will need a ripper to transfer the data to a VIDEO_TS folder. I'm loathe to discuss the implications of copy protection and intellectual property as I always buy movies from established retail outlets.

Once the disc has been burned. Don't forget to launch Photoshop and create a beautiful amaray/jewel case cover.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Here's a VoIP client worth downloading! Skype (available in all popular OS flavours) allows users to chat and transmit files across a global network. Amusingly the Skype icon colours vary a la Skittles! Sign-up and if you're ever in the mood for a chat my user name is jrhood. Don't be a stranger.

It's official! I'm now excited about Revenge of the Sith! Last November the teaser trailer met with mixed reaction. It was difficult to muster much enthusiasm after the breathtaking Lord of the Rings trilogy. Yet, today, whilst walking past Exeter's Argos store, a sold-out flyer for Anakin's awesome Jedi Starfighter caught my eye. I've now ordered the Art of Star Wars Episode III and Visual Dictionary. The superlative production values of both book series for Episodes I and II are yet to be surpassed. If you thought the merchandising for The Phantom Menace was extensive, you ain't seen nothing yet. Master Soda please pass me a Pepsi.

Can't wait for Ridge Racers on PSP. Ridge Racer and Battle Arena Toshinden were the first two games I ever played on the PlayStation (Japanese import, 1995). That evening the latter's final boss had deadlocked a group of friends. To the chagrin of all those gathered, in button-bashing style I perfected Gaia twice on my first attempt - the vision of that Demon tumbling off the arena edge, and into fiery oblivion, left an indelible impression on us all. Back at University a disagreeable house mate acquired a PAL console and Sony's seduction was complete.

Sony has yet to announce full plans for the European launch of PSP. Given Nintendo's aggressive price point for DS, hopefully Sony will only offer the "Value Pack" option. I'm not shy to admit that the PlayStation Portable promises to be the most compelling consumer electronics product since the iPod (2001).

Scream

With Halloween only a few weeks away, my pixel-pushing friends over at The Iconfactory have unleashed their ghoulish GUI goodness in the dark n' dank form of Web Attic!

Really looking forward to a late night screening of Michael Jackson's Ghosts and Thriller on the 31st.

In the meantime and in keeping with the Halloween theme. Whilst I'm still suffering post console sale withdrawal, here's the in-game logo taken from Super Castlevania IV (released on the Super NES, 1991).



Holiday season 1992 I hooked the newly unwrapped PAL Super NES to my home AV system (pre multi-channel) and was startled by the quality of the Castlevania IV soundtrack! Sonic detail was in abundance (a maximum of 8-channels were available to sound designers) with excellent 2-channel separation. A peerless platformer (it featured dancing specters Paula Abghoul and Fred Ascare), which still endures to this day. If you're so inclined, I'd recommend hunting down the original 'uncensored' Japanese Super Famicom cartridge entitled Akumajou Dracula (Demon Castle Dracula) - blood and nudity - all the trappings of the vampire genre.

Konami's Castlevania series, one of my favourite video game franchises, rarely disappoints and I've followed the Belmont family cross-platform (no pun intended) from MSX to Arcade and Genesis to GBA.

Welcome to the party pal!

Sent out Gmail invites this evening. Google's strategy is interesting in that media pundits had anticipated the service would be open for business by now! However, Google News has remained in beta phase since last year. And preserving a 'by invitation' strategy adds value to the service.

Watched a Charmed teaser featuring Nick Lachey (husband of Jessica Simpson). Alyssa Milano has grown her hair and looks gorgeous!