22-May-1999 [Artur Marques]
Today [23:59]: #1) SW ONLY DVD getting your attention; #2) DX7 is ready; #3) Promises
Software ONLY DVD players getting your attention
Answering to a visitor's request: YES, XING DVD is not the only software only DVD player you can try for free, without limitations. Why don't you people test the CYBERLINK solution, from www.cyberlink.com.tw. Cyberlink sells the POWER DVD player, currently on its version 1.5, which installs a MPEG driver of its own. I prefer the XING alternative, which - I repeat - you should hurry up downloading from http://www.xingtech.com/downloads/.
I've noticed some undesirable features on POWER DVD: some problems handling region protected DVDs; some problems handling non-NTSC mpegs; some problems when slowing from 2x play speed (or more) to regular playing mode. Still, it is a product in development, and it does such wonders as AC3 output, IF you are using some Creative Labs sound cards, depending on the EMU chip your card has: AWE64 GOLD and LIVE should handle it.
DX7 is "feature ready" for some weeks now. BETA testers are already running it, so regular consumers should have to wait [only] some more 1, 2 months for the goodies. Amongst performance improvements and new graphic features, the DX team is calling developer's attention on the Direct Music API, which is very powerful, but not really very much used in current software. This month Microsoft is trying hard to "teach it" and you should be finding several white papers on the subject, in the specialized websites.
Music is one of the most changing arts these days. There really is happening a shift on the audio contents' creation scheme. Some of the best musical scores you find in software toys, are NOT written by people who know how to write / read music, but by people who know how to build it, loop it, make it born from nothing or from samples...
I know I've promised the AUDIO website to be available last week, but I've been attacked by too many school works :-) However, it is really about to happen...
The Buffy, the Vampire Slayer video is ready and will be posted tomorrow! Yesterday's Buffy pictures are gone and replaced for new ones who try to give you a more accurate idea of the final picture quality of the reasonably sized MPEG video...