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Daily iPhone App: PyroPainter is special FX made easy on the iPhone
There's been an explosion of special effects videos on YouTube over the past few years. Because the technology to create special effects has gotten so cheap and so easy to use, basement video editors of all kinds have put together videos of themselves throwing fireballs or fighting with lightsabers against their cats. PyroPainter takes this idea to an even easier place: It's an iPhone app that lets you add special effects to videos as simple as dragging and dropping them across the screen. The app's instructions are unfortunately a little sparse, but once you figure out how it all works, it's really simple. You upload one of your previously recorded videos into the app, choose an effect from the huge library and "paint" it across the screen with your finger. Anything you add gets added to the video, and you can then go back and watch the video while dragging or deleting the effects as you like. Once done, the video gets rendered right there in the app, and sent back to your video library, in full HD form, where you can send it off to YouTube or watch it on AirPlay. It's very impressive. There are already a few demo videos on YouTube, but I hope to see even more cool demos put together by users in the future. PyroPainter is a free download, and there are two packs of special effects to buy for 99 cents each with more to come. Developer Markus Nigrin has also released a second app available for free to celebrate the launch of PyroPainter: Photo Extractor is something he came up with during development of the effects app. It will allow you to grab HD photos from any video on the iPhone, and then save those off to the photo reel on their own. It's a much simpler function than the full effects app, but it could be very helpful for that specific need.
The World (of Warcraft) is full, please come back later
Queues are the highest most of us have ever seen tonight. On my home server of Eldre'Thalas I was behind over 850 people at one point, and have had over an hour wait be estimated for me more often than not. I maxed out at 115 minutes.The estimated wait time will fluctuate back and forth depending on the frequency in which players log off or leave the queue in frustration.Perhaps the biggest thing we need to worry about this expansion is not server down time, but the phenomenal amount of players wanting to get in the game.If Blizzard has any announcement about this, or solutions (other than transferring realms) we'll keep you updated here. Other than that... good luck getting in.
PS3 pulls a 180: v1.81 firmware to fix RGB color space settings
Sony just patched the patch for its PlayStation 3, releasing an update to fix a problem introduced in the most recent firmware update. A less-publicized feature of the 1.80 upgrade was the ability to select RGB full or limited output via HDMI, to improve picture quality when connected to certain HDTVs. However some noticed that even when set to full, it would sometimes revert to limited by itself, which is the sole issue fixed in version 1.81. Of course, whether or not this improves picture quality is still up for debate, and there are several forum threads discussing which setting will pass BTB (blacker than black) and WTW (whiter than white) information while playing DVDs and Blu-ray movies, and with which HDTVs. Of course we've been here before, with updates to the first gen Toshiba HD DVD players and Microsoft's adjustments to its Xbox 360 VGA cable settings. Got a PS3 and a 1080p set? Get the update, a test disc or two and let us know what works best. Read - PlayStation.Blog Read - AVS Forum
Get trinkets out of inventory-- and on a chain
I can conquer dragons, I can crush Centaur, and I can even take candle (I've been waiting for days to get a chance to post that hilarious thread), but if one monster in the World of Warcraft has cost me more than anything, it's a full inventory. On my hunter, I've got a bag full of food, and on my shaman, I have to carry around four totems all the time. Crafting items take up another bag or two (my disenchanting rogue has a bag full of enchanting mats and a bag full of poisons). Quest items, potions, food, reputation tokens, noncombat pets and mounts, and that hearthstone-- there's just not enough room for everything!So here's one idea, shared with me by Braila of Thunderhorn (our guild's tree-mendous healing druid) during last weekend's Karazhan run: How about a trinket chain?It makes a lot of sense. Blizzard implemented a keychain to get keys out of our inventories, and considering that we're all hauling around tons of trinkets lately (I had seven on me, and one of our warriors had eight with him), this seems like the first place Blizzard should go to thin out the inventory. It's not like trinkets are huge items-- why should they take up 1/16 of Netherweave Bags when you can fit 200 arrows in the same place? Spare trinkets should have their own tab to sit in, something that grows the more you get, just like the keychain.Of course the obvious solution would be to just not carry so many trinkets around. But there's so many of them for every situation-- healing, solo grinding, raid healing, DPS, PvP-- that it's no wonder everyone at 70 has such a collection. Blizz should give us a chain to put them on.
Wii Warm Up: When you just can't take any more Dragonball
Don't get us wrong, we used to like Dragonball Z. When we were, like, twelve. But with the announcement of yet another DBZ game coming to the Wii, we can't help but think of all the other deserving anime franchises that could use the gaming treatment. The import Naruto titles on the 'Cube were spectacular, and we hear that the Bleach and Full Metal Alchemist titles aren't half bad.You guys probably watch more anime than us, so which series, no matter how obscure, would you have make its way to the Wii? How about Read or Die, which could make very interesting use of the Wiimote for the various paper-based powers, or maybe Hikaru no Go, as a cool boardgame/RPG tandem title? Come forth, otaku, we summon thee!
3.03 OE-B firmware unlocks full-res video
Dark_Alex's "Open Edition" firmware has all of the functionality of Sony's official 3.03 firmware ... and then some. Previous versions of this homebrew-friendly firmware allowed for playing back illegal copies of ISO files. While we don't support such piracy at PSP Fanboy, we do have to commend Dark_Alex and the latest revision of his hacked firmware: it plays back full resolution (480x270) AVC video, something Sony has been very reluctant to support (with P-TV being one key exception).If you're running a homebrew-capable PSP, you may want to consider upgrading to this hacked firmware. Downgraders are available for PSPs, firmware 2.71 and below, for those of you interested in downgrading, and then upgrading to this hack. I personally hope that Sony realizes that this is a major blow, and seriously considers officially unlocking the PSP's video capabilities in a future firmware upgrade. Until then, one of my PSPs will be running 3.03 OE-B.
Full Auto 2 coming to the PS3
Full Auto, the game that features combat-racing and an arguably avoidable overall experience, released on Satan's Microsoft's Xbox 360 console months ago and received tepid reviews overall. So, given the game didn't work out very well on the 360, Sega is making its sequel a PS3-exclusive in Full Auto 2: Battlelines. The first title's developer, Pseudo Interactive, will once again be on board, so hopefully they've learned from their mistakes and plan on bringing a much more worthwhile experience to Sony's newest system. [Note: The above image is from the first title, there has not been any media released on the announced sequel at the time of this post.]
