nero
Latest
TiVo coming to PC via Nero software
TiVo has just announced an agreement with multimedia software provider Nero AG that will bring its familiar interface and feature set to the PC. According to the joint announcement made today, Nero will embed the TiVo experience in its next generation of software, allowing the millions of us who rely on USB dongles for our TV to finally join the exclusive realm of Series1, 2, and 3 owners. Plus, as Zatz Not Funny! points out, Nero's international presence should help spread TiVo to the far corners of the Earth like some digital Happy Meal. Hopefully this new PC timeshifting solution -- release window: unknown -- will also convince other purveyors of home theater-only hardware-based services to finally bring their wares to the desktop. Yes, we're looking at you, Sling.[Thanks, Dennis C.]
Devil May Cry 4 to be identical on PS3 and Xbox 360
In a video interview with IGN, Devil May Cry 4 producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi gives the 411 on protagonist Nero (not to be confused with the also playable Dante). "His specialties are a big revolver called the Blue Rose, and a big sword called the Red Queen." Hey, that's cool, gamers are totally comfortable with alternative lifestyles. Then Kobayashi drops the bombshell: the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are going to be the same."Our plan is to make them pretty much identical," says the auburn-tressed developer. This is where armchair analysts point out that the PS3 costs $200 more than 360; shouldn't Sony's system blow the competition out of the photorealistic water? Kobayashi concedes, "You may be able to use some of the functionality in the PS3 as like a switch." We trust that makes more sense in the original Japanese than in IGN's shoddy on-the-fly English translation. Any bilingual readers care to take a crack at a better interpretation?
Sony intros new 18x DVD burners, and a slimline model to boot
Sony has unveiled a new line-up of 830 series DVD burners which somehow have the ability to burn 16x media at 18x speeds, or a whole 4.7GB DVD in around 5 minutes. The new burners come in three different enclosures: firstly, the $90 DRU-830A, a internal drive that comes bundled with Nero 7 authoring software; secondly, the $130 DRX-830U, which is an external drive running off USB 2.0; and finally, the $150 DRX-830UL-T, which comes with Toast 6 Lite and a FireWire port to cater to Mac users. Sony has also announced a new external slimline model called the DRX-S50U -- a $130 drive capable of 8x single-layer DVD writing from inside its diminutive 4/5-inch thick enclosure. Mail-in rebates will be available on the 830 series drives, and all but the Mac-compatible DRX-830UL-T will be available in October -- Mac users will have to wait until December to get their burn on.
How about some more Devil May Cry 4 news?
This has had a day or two to circulate, but with the website countdown ending at midnight tonight (and we'll be reporting on it by 12:30am, of course) it's still something to pass the time discussing. As a few readers noted, something was up with the silhouette of Dante on the official website. Indeed there was -- turns out, that's not Dante at all. That's Nero. Name sounds familiar, doesn't it? Check your DMC documents to see if you can connect the name to the story (because honestly, we forgot where we heard the name and don't intend on playing through all three games today). Dante will still be around, but perceived as an enemy who kills Nero's allies. The Dante we see is post-DMC1 but pre-DMC2 (game chronology therefore runs 3, 1, 4, 2).Nero himself can do most of the Dante-juggling we've grown to love. He also has a handy, well, hand, that can pull distant enemies in or throw close enemies away. Some of the combat elements of DMC3 have been tweaked for this installment, but it's more or less under wraps until the Tokyo Game Show, where we can play a stage as Nero. There will also be a special announcement. Possibly that Dante is an unlockable character with a (possibly) independant story. That'd be cool, but it's doubtful. We can hope, though! Check us out after midnight tonight for our take on the open official website. Oh, and if that's not enough fun, check out some new DMC4 scans.[Thanks to Andrew Yoon for the scan link!]
How to make your own HD DVDs on DVD-Rs
Even though HD DVD burners are still off in the distance, you can make a DVD that will play back 720p or 1080i content on your HD-A1 or HD-XA1 with your existing DVD-Rs. The guys over at AVSForum have been working on this since the the Toshiba HD-A1 player launched, and they've pretty much got it down to a science. Particularly given the lack of content available so far on the format, many people have .ts files, HDV content, or mariposaHD episodes they'd love to play back from a single shiny platter. They've boiled the process down to a few steps that anyone familiar with DVD burning should be able to follow. Basic Steps for Creating HD DVDs: 1. Capture a high definition MPEG2 video to your computer. 2. Convert the video file from .ts, .tp or .m2t transport stream format to program stream format using Womble MPEG2VCR. 3. Create an HD DVD folder on your computer using Ulead Movie Factory 5. 4. Burn the HD DVD disc using Nero Burning ROM. For more details and list of necessary software check out the thread, currently this walkthrough is PC-only, although WiFiSpy also notes he is working on a Mac version so that shouldn't be too far off. With a guide like this, all you need is a DVD-R, a sharpie and a Qosmio laptop to recreate the Sony Blu-ray incident. Or you can take that old rip of The Fifth Element you've got laying around and see if you can do a better job at a lower bitrate. The possibilities are endless. [Thanks for the tip WiFiSpy!]
MPEG-4 pwned by AT&T
MPEG-4, everyone's favorite format that could potentially give you high definition video in small enough sizes to fit on a regular DVD, is officially embroiled in controversy. According to PC Magazine, AT&T claims to hold several patents to key underlying technology of MPEG-4. Right now they are targeting Apple, CyberLink, DivX, InterVideo, and Sonic as unlicensed offenders. MPEG-LA, the group that oversees patent licensing for MPEG-2 and MPEG-4, says AT&T is not a part of them, but they can't do anything about it and they make no claim to have licenses to all technologies included in the format.Nero and Pentax have already made deals with AT&T, so don't be surprised if the next DVD burning software you buy has a bump in price for AT&T's taste. You have to wonder how this is going to affect satellite, cable and IPTV companies looking to roll out MPEG-4; we didn't see any of them or set-top box manufacturers listed. Also, no word if their notification letter to included any references to Steve Jobs as a "n00b".[Via Data Compression News]
