Guy Cocker » tech

YouTube HD Videos

guycocker — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:12:10 +0000

Just over a month ago, I posted a rather cryptic blog titled ‘YouTube HD‘ with an example video in high definition. I’d read on Wired that YouTube had just started rolling out HD support, and as I already uploaded many videos in such a format, a bunch of my movies automatically received an update.

In the meantime, it looks like HD has been fully integrated into the site, and compatible videos automatically have a ‘Watch in HD’ link below the picture. This feature is only possible with reasonably fast connections–my parents’ 1MB broadband is far too slow–but for those with the bandwidth, YouTube HD is a mile away from the blurry videos that have typified YouTube content.

I’ve been a bit of a sucker for high definition ever since I took my first job writing for a home cinema magazine. Earlier in the year I paid $35 for Viddyou, just because it supported unlimited uploading of HD videos. But with Viddyou’s chuggy video player and Vimeo‘s recent removal of all my game-related videos, I’ve never really had the proper solution I’m after. YouTube HD may not be ‘proper’ HD, but as it’s the most popular video site and has no limits on the size and content you upload, it’s just become my favourite video site again.

Panasonic DMC-FX500 Review

guycocker — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:13:17 +0000

I’ve just got the Panasonic DMC-FX500, which is a compact digital camera that can shoot in 720p. To test the camera out, I shot in and around the office, including a look at my setup for reviewing LittleBigPlanet. Click the HD button to make HD.

Sony PlayTV Review

guycocker — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:30:06 +0000

Sony’s PlayTV arrived in the office a while back and I was lucky enough to give it a whirl ahead of its release. Aside from an ugly box and a lack of a PSP transfer facility, I like PlayTV, and if I had a PS3 I would definitely check it out. In-depth impressions will be going up on GameSpot shortly, but in the meantime here’s a video I captured during testing.

guycocker.com on iPhone and iPod Touch

guycocker — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:04:55 +0000

With the new iPod Touch being released yesterday, I thought I should update my blog to work with the site. Thanks to the excellent BraveNewCode plugin, the site should now automatically format itself for the iPod Touch and iPhone whenever you visit on the device. Let me know what you think!

Boxee for Mac

guycocker — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:06:44 +0000

Tipped off by a post on Lifehacker, I downloaded a new piece of software called Boxee for the Mac yesterday. Currently in alpha, the project is essentially a new frontend for Xbox Media Center, only with added social interaction. This means that you can see what your friends think about films/albums/TV shows, while you can broadcast your recommendations over services such as Twitter.

As media centers become more and more common in the home, Boxee offers a glimpse at the future of media consumption and sharing. Checking out trailers of my friends’ favourite films, listening to my last.fm radio stream and watching Revision3 shows from one single interface is really powerful, and while Boxee is still young and relatively buggy, it’s definitely something I’ll be keeping an eye on.

I love Apple, but…

guycocker — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 21:07:37 +0000

…they certainly attract some ‘interesting’ characters. This guy had walked right off of Nathan Barley and into the Apple Store when I was in yesterday. Wonder if he had his bluetooth headset linked up to his Wasp T12?

Rory Reid’s Phallic Obsession

guycocker — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 17:34:42 +0000

I was just searching CNET.co.uk’s printer listing when I came across this page.

I’m not sure what’s scarier–the story itself or Rory’s strange grinning.