MojoLists

Extras, included with DVD, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray have seriously lost their luster, at least for me. In the early days of DVD, I would wade through the extras, including the commentaries as if the movie itself simply didn't justify the purchase without them. I eagerly purchased the multiple disc versions and watched in astonishment when others selected the single disc version, geez, anyone can see that 2 discs are better than one.

More than a decade later I simply don't care, I watch the movie and remove the disc from the player with very few exceptions. The exceptions are when I know there is a great gag reel or short movie, like the squirrel in the Ice Age movies or the penguins from Madagascar. I admit, I can't get enough of the penguins, or the squirrel, or any number of Shrek sing along shorts. These my friends are the rare exception to the rule.

Blu-Ray (and once upon a time HD-DVD) promised to provide a huge leap forward in the extras department, BD Live removed the limitations that disc space once  enforced, so why then am I still so severely underwhelmed by the extras? Easy, they suck, they have no imagination and outside of the rare exception, they, oh I already said it.

There are commentaries I must have, all of which are found on the excellent Criterion versions, these guys know how to spruce up a movie. Kevin Smith commentaries are also worth a listen just for the laughs. The vast majority of commentaries however are worthless, they might as well mike up one of my dogs, the sloppy licking sounds would be far more entertaining and provide more information.

Gag reels should give us a few laughs, hence the term gag reel. Somewhere along the line the need to include extras lost focus and the gag reel is now more likely to make us gag than laugh. While not a great piece of cinematic art, Marley & Me should have been able to piece together a good or even great reel. I was saddened by its complete lack of funny however.

There is one gag reel I must mention as excelling, once again, not a great cinematic treasure but one of my biggest guilty pleasures. Armageddon's criterion 2 disc set has the funniest reel I have ever seen. Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton  are a couple of very funny guys, give this one a chance, you won't regret it.

Blu-Ray is a huge improvement in picture and audio, so why is it failing so miserably at delivering the interactive extras it promised us? Lack of creativity is the best I have been able to come up with but I am sure there is an accountant behind the scenes who hasn't laughed in 20 years and would prefer to keep the rest of us from doing so as well.

Studios, are you listening? Give us something to smile about, show us the awe and wonder you promised. We love the improved picture and sound but for the extra bucks to get the Blu-Ray disc, well, give us something that really blows our socks off.

With the overwhelming success of USB technology as the preferred interface, comes the challenge of organizing all of the cabling from desktop peripherals. Users with multiple USB peripherals find the clutter of cables unsightly and inconvenient to their workspace. With many different USB connections for mobile devices, such as cellphones, cameras, MP3 players and PDAs, it becomes increasingly difficult to use them on the go.

To overcome these challenges a new method for connecting peripherals has come to fruition. A method, which offers the same benefits of a physical USB connection without the need for unsightly cables, a technology known as certified wireless USB. Using an ultra-wideband radio frequency ranging from 3.1 – 10.6 GHz, 127 devices can connect to a single computer up to 10 meters away without a hub. Connections made less than 3 meters away from the host can benefit from speeds typically USB 2.0, while connections from 3 to 10 meters will operate at 110 Mbps. Devices that support dual role or direct connections with each other can also operate with wireless USB technology.
Read the rest of the article HERE.

Tiered pricing for internet access based on your bandwidth usage is right around the corner for many, already in place for some, and bringing big changes for everyone. Time Warner is the largest ISP I have heard of going this route so far but more will follow soon.

If you are currently or have been planning on streaming video from online sources such as Netflix or Hulu.com, you better think again. The pricing I have seen from Time Warner has 40Gb of downloads costing $40 - $50 per month. That sounds like a lot of bandwidth but if you stream video you are going to blast past your limit in the first week of  the month.

I always said streaming video wasn't going to take off for years to come and this is one good reason why. The kind of bandwidth required means your ISP is going to need to make some dramatic changes. As pricing goes up, streaming is quickly going to return to the back of the bus.

If you are using the DirecTV On Demand service, as I am, you will have a problem under this new pricing. I for one will be unhappy, but that is pretty much my normal state. I am not using Tine Warner but AT&T will likely follow suit if Time Warner is successful in putting this new pricing in place.

If you are currently experiencing a change to pay per byte internet access speak loud and clear when you dump your ISP. Time Warner is in the awkward position of losing cable customers and watching its bandwidth use climb but is that really my problem? I dumped Time Warner years ago because of terrible customer service, outrageous prices and the final nail, they could never get me a reliable internet connection. Make a stand for progress and fair business practices and find another ISP.