Blu-ray Hardware Not Picking Up Steam

When HD DVD went the way of the dodo, many (including myself) thought that Blu-ray would be sure to pick up steam. After all, it's high-definition! The 1080p picture quality it offers far surpasses what a 480p that a DVD can deliver. But, it looks that hardware sales are picking up at a snails pace, with a painful 2% increase between February to March.

I am not sure about sales of the actual movies, but I'm sure they are not exactly flying off the shelves either. The prices are far too ridiculous at this point in time. I currently own nine, and even those I read reviews on prior to a purchase. At those prices ($30+), you can't just go out and randomly choose movies, or you'll get burned.

The same goes for hardware, which hasn't gone down much since HD DVD's death. The Playstation 3 still proves to be the best value for Blu-ray out there, but that's still ~$500 that some people don't want to spend, especially if they have no interest in the gaming capabilities of the machine. In general, I believe it to be a bad thing when the cheapest video player costs more than most reasonable HDTVs. Until that changes, Blu-ray will continue to sit in the lull it's in.

Cost is likely a top factor in the slow adoption of Blu-ray Disc, as even the cheapest player is hundreds more than an upscaling DVD machine. In other reasons, consumers may not immediately see the benefits of upgrading to Blu-ray Disc, which mainly provides increased quality of picture and sound. Features such as chapter skip, multiple language tracks and lack of rewinding tape are already present on DVD.

Source: DailyTech

The ABCs of Securing a Wireless Network

It wasn't too long ago that wireless networks were exclusive to tech-heads, but now they are quickly becoming more popular than wired networks. When I first moved into my current apartment two years ago, there was one other person with a wireless network in the general vicinity. That number is now at twelve. That's growth.

But how many know how to set up their network properly? Considering that most people who pick up a wireless router are not tech enthusiasts, it's probably safe to say not many. The problem isn't so much setting up a network properly, but setting it up securely, which is a topic Ars Technica tackles in their latest how-to guide.

Discussed are the absolute basics, but they also discuss the differences between WEP, WAP, WPA and WIP. Two of those were made up, so you'll have to check out the article to find out which ones. It's a good read though, and one that should be passed along to friends you know who are setting up such a network. The sad fact is though, most people simply don't care or understand why there is a need for security. If that's the case, it's time for you to sit outside their building and start milking their bandwidth!

Wireless networking is on its way to becoming a ubiquitous home technology, but there's a difference between having a home full of network devices and having those same devices happily sharing a single wireless network. It can be difficult to find a single encryption standard that all the devices can agree on.

Source: Ars Technica

May 2nd Tech Roundup

Motherboards & Processors
• ECS A780GM-A Black Series - Motherboards.org
• Quad-Core: AMD vs. Intel - Madshrimps

Displays & Video Cards
• GIGABYTE GeForce 9800 GX2 - TweakTown

Memory & Storage
• OCZ Rally2 Turbo 4GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive - Virtual-Hideout

Peripherals & Gadgets
• Targus Travel Power Outlets - Think Computers

Cooling
• Aqua Computer Aquaduct 360 XT Water Cooling System - PC Perspective
• Nexus XiR-3500 Copper Edition CPU Cooler - Dreamware Computers
• Noctua NF-P12 cooling Fan - Elite Bastards
• Sunbeamtech Core-Contact Freezer Heatsink - FrostyTech
• Thermolab Micro Silencer CPU Cooler - DragonSteelMods
• Thermolab Nano Silencer - Overclockers Club
• Vizo Mini Ninja Notebook Cooler - Overclockers Club

Chassis & Power Supplies
• Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 650W - Overclock3D
• In Win B2 Stealth Bomber Case - Techware Labs

Competitions, Complete Systems & Et cetera
• Contest: NZXT Tempest - Benchmark Reviews
• Dell XPS 730 H2C Unboxing and Preview - HotHardware
• Phoronix Test Suite 0.5.0 - Phoronix
• Contest: XFX 9800GTX Black Edition - Bjorn3D