Consider yourself a Windows power user? In that case, I suggest you install this. That is all. 
Tag Archive for 'Windows'
So, on top of the OS X giveaway I did the other day (and congrats to Chris Allen for winning that 
), the forum I run (in case you don’t know, thewinforums.com) is giving away three copies of Windows Vista Home Premium (Upgrade)! Luckily, I’m not paying for the copies, so they’ll hopefully end up in the winner’s hands sooner. 
All you need to do is have 15 posts on the forum, and post in this thread, and you’ll be in with the chance of winning.
Simple as that.
Windows XP, and DVB-T. Two things that have been hanging around for a bit too long.
So, first up, Windows XP. Microsoft have been trying to get consumers and businesses to switch to Windows Vista and Windows 7, but they’ve been unable to get people to fully switch over. So, here’s an idea. Roll out a critical update that displays advertising and banners all over the operating system that pretty much says “Get Windows 7 now”, and then just completely drop support for the OS entirely. Don’t issue any patches, don’t offer support, just forget about it. Oh, and while that’s happening, do the same with Internet Explorer 6. And IE7 too, while we’re at it.
Next up, DVB-T. The UK uses DVB-T for the whole Freeview system (free-to-air digital TV), and has done since it was invented. The problem is, DVB-T is MPEG2, and it’s not very efficient. While DVB-T can cope with MPEG2 HDTV (Australia, for example, broadcasts SD and 720p/1080i HD channels over DVB-T), it only works when you have a small amount of channels, due to limited bandwidth. In this case (as far as I know), Australia only has about 15 channels in total, five of which are HD. The UK, on the other hand, has about 60 or so SD channels, all of which use DVB-T / MPEG2 – hence why there aren’t any HD channels available yet, because there’s no room.
However, the plan for launching over-the-air HDTV in the UK is to switch over to DVB-T2, which uses MPEG4 – meaning that, eventually, all the SD and HD channels can be broadcast using this system, and they’ll all be able to fit, as there’s plenty of bandwidth. The problem is this:
6A.2 However, viewers would need to buy new receiving equipment to access any services using the new standards. With 25m DTT set-top boxes or integrated digital televisions already installed, there needs to be a compelling consumer proposition to drive take-up of the new equipment – and migration of the platform over time to the more efficient standards.
Source: Five’s Response to Ofcom’s Second Invitation to Apply for DTT Multiplex B Capacity (PDF file).
So basically, the entire UK has DVB-T set top boxes, all of which would need to be replaced with DVB-T2 set top boxes to receive HD and (maybe) SD channels in the future. Again, I propose taking the same approach. Just cut off the analogue and DVB-T signals completely, and simply stick to DVB-T2. Considering a Freeview (DVB-T) box can be picked up for as little as £15 now, I’m sure DVB-T2 boxes can be made fairly cheaply, so it shouldn’t be that hard to switch over at all.
Oh sure, both solutions are pretty harsh, but come on. It’s almost 2010, and we’re talking about technology that’s over 8 years old (for Windows XP) and 12 years old (DVB-T). “Phasing them out” isn’t really going to work, considering how hard Microsoft have been trying to do it with XP. 
I’ve been considering building an HTPC again (I used to have one for the TV downstairs, but I swapped it for a PS3 which I use a lot more often). The reason for this is because since I have a TV in my bedroom now, I want a way to play DVDs and downloaded TV shows on it. I am considering getting a BluRay player, but I think I would use the HTPC a lot more, and I can always use my PS3 downstairs for BluRay, or get a BluRay player at a later date for my room.
Anyway, I’ve poked around a few forums and so on, and I think this would form an ideal one – I can put it in the corner of my bedroom, it’s small yet powerful, has an HDMI output, and should be able to handle 1080p video playback perfectly, on Vista Home Premium (which I’d need another £75 for an OEM copy).
Shuttle XPC SG33G5B (£246.74)
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200 @ 2.50GHz (£68.14)
Samsung SpinPoint F1 250GB HDD (£37.59)
OCZ 2GB (2x1GB) Dual Channel DDR2 800MHz PC2-6400 RAM (£25.84)
Pioneer 20x DVD±RW SATA DVD Writer (£19.96)
Total cost: £408.83 (£399.84 if I pick the components up from OcUK)
I think this would make a very solid HTPC, as it’s both powerful and small, and, while it is a tad pricey, it shouldn’t need upgrading for at least another year, if not more. I could maybe bring the price down a bit if I used a cheaper HDD, less RAM, or a DVD-ROM drive, but the price difference would be about £20-30 total anyway so it’s not really worth it. Also, if I added a mid-range graphics card at a later date it could probably handle a few games, too, such as Half Life 2, and maybe Call of Duty 4 at a low resolution.
I did consider an Apple TV instead, but the lack of format support put me off it – most of my movies and TV shows are HD, but they’re mkv files, which, as of now, I don’t think any stand-alone device can play without modification, plus you can add software at any time to a PC to make it even better.
So, anyway, I’m hoping to maybe ask for that for Christmas. I think it would make a pretty good HTPC. Comments? 
