All the studios are using Cinavia DRM now. It is a high frequency inaudible audio watermark. That means all the new movie torrents you download already have it. It's hidden and we haven't found a hack for it yet. All the major studios are using it these days. The software basically sniffs out the inaudible watermark and stops the video from playing since that watermark renders it playable only on professional movie theater grade equipment. It is being preinstalled in all Blu Rays and they say Apple will also add compatibility with it's products. By the end of 2010 if Apple updates it's firmware to become Cinavia compliant, all your torrents will become unusable. Just a heads up. I didn't believe it until june 29 when all my warez became unplayable on my PS3 with ps3's latest 3.4 firmware update.
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I saw Hung last night about an hour after it aired on megavideo and simultaneously downloaded it on megaupload. It's the same as a torrent, it's just faster. Most people don't do torrents anymore because they are so slow compared to paid server downloads like megaupload. You should check it out, it really is worth it. With it's batch download manager, you can also download unlimited warez at the same time.
Yeah the mac mini is expensive for what it offers, do you have the old model with no hdmi out or the brand new one ? I used to love Skype but f*cuk them, they just screwed me over by discontinuing compatibility with fring, plus they want to start charging per minute for 3G calls and they still don't have an Android app and they still don't support video conferencing on smartphones.
Most people I know don't use skype on their desktops anymore thats archaic when all you need is an app for your smartphone and you can take skype with you everywhere and use it on your 3g network and wifi connection. Well I used to be able to do that on my Droid and my Nexus One, but as of 2 weeks ago, the bastards at skype pulled the plug on Fring, the only viable app that allowed you to use your skype account to perform all these functions. They basically sold out to verizon in an exclusive USA only deal that allows verizon to charge per minute while you use your skype account. It is in effect double dipping.
Seriously, once google voice becomes a viable alternative, im cancelling my skype account , open source my ass. I am currently using the truphone app now and paying an extra 17 a month for it.
Im still fuming. As you can tell.
In one month, two of my favorite companies ( sony and skype ) sold out to the man. Lets just say June was a bad month for me
haha.
Back to the HTPC. I think ive decided on the Eee Box. You just can't beat the build quality and as long as I stick to 720p on it and use the ps3 for the 1080p I should be fine. Now I just have to find a viable wireless keyboard option.
I'm currently looking at this sexy beast right now. But again the reviews have me second guessing. It seems there are some interference issues due to its bluetooth adapter. I would hate for it to interfere with my streaming or online game play.
I have to do some more research on it before I make a final decision.
Sleuth said:
The Mac Mini does not have BlueRay and no one seems to know when Apple will support it, but that was not really an issue for me as I was not really planning on using it here. I don't think anything I download will ever give me a problem here. Also, Apple is not (currently) supporting the new UltraViolet DRM format, so that may be good news.
I'm waiting on my second 3mbps line from Arnet (one from Fibertel already), so hopefully with the dual-WAN Cisco router I brought, that will give me some better speeds.
To be honest, I have never really used megaupload. I like Automatic and the torrents because I can just select to download an entire season of a show and forget about it. I do not need to watch the show the same night it airs in the States, but I usually have the show by the time I wake up in the morning. (For example, last night's Hung and True Blood were both downloaded this morning.)
Yeah, the reviews can be a bit confusing. I know the Mac Mini is overpriced for what I am using it for, but I liked the ease of use and the software, plus I plan to set up Skype in the living room so I can video conference from there. I also figured I can always resell or reuse that Mac a lot easier than other equipment.
