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Netflix, Best Buy: “HD DVD Bad, Blu-ray Good”

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on February 11, 2008Posted in: Movies, Technology

My, how fast the machine works.

Both Best Buy and Netflix gave the ol’ press release one-two punch today by announcing plans to phase out support of the HD DVD video format in favor of Blu-ray. Best Buy’s press release basically says that starting in March, they will give better product placement for Blu-ray discs and players while also having salespeople recommend the format to prospective consumers. They still say they will sell HD DVD discs and players, but it’s quite obvious that come this time next year we probably won’t be seeing much of our red-boxed friends. Netflix’s press release has more decisive language, with definite plans to stop buying new HD DVD immediately while also removing existing HD DVD titles from circulation by year’s end.

So is this why they didn’t ship me Gone Baby Gone on HD DVD today? I was kinda pissed about that. As a recent new owner of an HD DVD player, I can say I’m a little surprised how quickly things are shaking out in this format war. I’ve watched enough movies via Netflix in the past month to justify my purchase already, but I didn’t expect Netflix to drop the format completely so quickly.

Oh well, I guess the next step is to wait for the blowout clearance sales for HD DVD titles so I can grab some titles before we inevitably get gouged by monopolistic Blu-ray prices.

Netflix goes Blu-ray exclusive [hi-def digest]

Best Buy recommends Blu-ray [hi-def digest]

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Charles Barkley Survives The Cyberpocalypse

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on February 11, 2008Posted in: Internet Phenomena, Sports, Video Games

I can’t believe they’ve done this.

I supposed I’m a little late to the party on this one, but it’s too awesome/jaw-dropping to not at least pay lip service to this ridiculous game. Apparently some potty guys calling themselves Tales of Games Studios have created a post-apocalyptic 16-Bit RPG starring none other than D-Wade’s favorite buddy, Charles Barkley. It’s not a joke, it’s a real, complete game. The game is a full-featured action-RPG in the vein of Final Fantasy, Secret of Mana, Crystalis, etc. In fact if you are enough of a nerd you can probably spot the similarities right off the bat in that trailer up above.

If that’s not enough to tickle your panties, then check out the game’s synopsis:

The Great B-Ball Purge of 2041, a day so painful to some that it is referred to only as the “B-Ballnacht”. Thousands upon thousands of the world’s greatest ballers were massacred in a swath of violence and sports bigotry as the game was outlawed worldwide. The reason: the Chaos Dunk, a jam so powerful its mere existence threatens the balance of chaos and order. Among the few ballers and fans that survived the basketball genocide was Charles Barkley, the man capable of performing the “Verboten Jam”…

If that doesn’t sound like it’s worth your time then I don’t know what is. From what I’ve seen this is quite possibly the best post-cyberpocalyptic game ever made.

Tales of Game’s Studios Presents: Barkley Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden [gamingworldforums.com]

(includes link to download)

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Audiosurf Releases Friday On Steam

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on February 11, 2008Posted in: Music, Video Games

When I heard Audiosurf would be coming out in February, I just kinda assumed it was going to be the end of the month because that’s usually how these things work.

Au contraire, mon frère.

I just got word that Audiosurf releases on Steam this Friday for only $9.95 ($8.95 if you pre order it before then). A demo will also be released if you’re undecided on getting it. If you missed the boat on this game, read my recent Indie Game Spotlight on it.

To sweeten the deal even more, the game comes with the soundtrack to Valve’s Orange Box, including the lovable Portal credits song, “Still Alive.” On top of this, the game also has achievements as one of the first titles to take advantage of Valve’s new Steamworks package.

Support great indie developers and affordable digital distribution!

Excuse me while i fire up Steam to preorder it.

Audiosurf on Steam [steampowered.com]

Audio-surf.com

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What’s Wrong With This Heidi Montag Video?

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on February 6, 2008Posted in: Internet Phenomena, Music



A nummy Twix bar to you if you can spot what’s wrong with the above video for Heidi Montag’s new song “Body Language”.

(answer after the jump)

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Indie Game Spotlight: Audiosurf

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on February 6, 2008Posted in: Indie game spotlight

With the rise in popularity of games such as Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and Singstar, the amalgamation of music and interactivity has reached the mainstream masses in recent years. As more and more people are exposed to music games, the complaint of “I don’t like the song list they have.” invariably surfaces sooner or later. Since it’s virtually impossible to cater to each and every person’s musical tastes, developers have done their best to have a little something for everyone. But what if you could use any song you have as the basis for such a game? Not just as a soundtrack, but as a crucial foundation to how the game is played. That’s exactly the basis for independent developer, Invisible Handlebar’s upcoming release, Audiosurf.

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Bob Lefsetz Thrusted His Arm At U2 3D

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on February 5, 2008Posted in: Movies, Music

Music industry hyperbole-sensei, Bob Lefsetz viewed the new U2 3D movie on IMAX recently and has wasted no time in imparting his CAPS LOCK LADEN opinion to loyal Lefsetz Letter readers.

Don’t go to the Website, don’t watch the trailer, stop reading this right now and get your ass to the THEATRE!

Apparently he enjoyed it.  So much so that he did what is quite possibly the pottiest thing a human can do at a movie theater:

I thrust my arm in the air and sang along even though Felice and I were the only people in the theatre!

Much love to Felice who was probably shaking her head at lil’ Bobby.

That being said, I’ve viewed the film myself and I must say it was simply amazing.  3D films have an unfair stigma of being cheesy/corny/gimmicky, but this film is certainly none of those things.  It’s the closest experience to actually being at a live music concert.  Now, that may seem like a trite statement, but I mean it in full earnest.  The 3D effects in the film are tastefully done, so much so that you almost don’t even notice them there.  It just feels natural.  Yet you’ve never experienced something like it before.  That, my friends, is a true mark of innovation.

I’ve seen U2 four times and each time I waited 8 hours in front of the venue in order to get a prime spot in the pit for the show.  Does the movie match that experience of the concert?  Of course not, there’s just no way to replicate the vibe, the intensity, the MUSIC of being there in person.  But you could argue the experience of the movie might exceed that of being in the nosebleed seats, and Lefsetz, in fact, does mention this.  I got goosebumps and chills while viewing the movie as if I was at a real U2 show.

While I can’t bring myself to slather on anymore hyperbole, I will say that Lefsetz is right about this one.  Whether or not you like U2, do yourself a favor and go see this film.  You won’t regret it.

Read Lefsetz on U2 3D [lefsetz.com]

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Benn Jordan Infringes His Own Label’s Copyrights

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on February 2, 2008Posted in: Articles, Music

So the hip thing to do these days is releasing your album for free online and operate on a “pay if you like it” business model. But what if you’re not a big, established artist (Radiohead, Trent Reznor, etc.) with the moneyhats to pay for bandwidth and other digital distribution costs?

You pirate your own music.

At least, that’s what Benn Jordan (aka The Flashbulb) has done with his newest album, Soundtrack to a Vacant Life. Jordan’s taken the liberty of uploading his own album to a couple of torrent trackers, including renowned oink “replacement”, what.cd.

Why did he do this? According to his blog:

Well, they’ll be there in 24 hours anyway, and this way I can:
1. Be sure that people aren’t getting fakes.
2. Be sure that people aren’t getting bad rips (soooo many people have asked me about the “static track” on M³)
3. Be sure that people know where they can buy the album, or, “donate” to the artist by including an html file with a personal message.

Benn’s reasons certainly make sense from a practical standpoint. Any new album is going to find its way onto these torrent trackers soon after release, it’s just inevitable. And having information on how to buy the album from sanctioned sources is certainly better than having no information at all when your music is pirated. But is this a good business move for his fledgling record label?

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What I’m Listening To (January ’08 Edition)

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on January 26, 2008Posted in: Music, Music Picks, Reviews

One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to stop being jaded about music and actually listen to new stuff. It’s a good thing I did, because theres a bunch of really awesome records out now. I hope this continues on throughout the year and I can make these posts a regular feature.

The album art/title will take you to the Amazon product page for the CD. The Myspace link will let you listen to some songs. I’ve made it a point to put my favorite song pick so you know which track to go for if you’re in an impatient mood.

That being said, here are my favorite new records of the first month of 2008 (after the jump):

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Last.fm Goes On Demand

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on January 25, 2008Posted in: Articles, Music

CBS owned social music site, last.fm, announced on Wednesday that they would begin offering full-length track streaming of over 150,000 songs including catalog from the four major record labels.The two major points of the release are:

  • On demand, ad-supported streaming via the last.fm website or client – 150,000+ licensed songs with a limitation of 3 plays per track per user
  • Pay-Per-Listen royalty scheme – artists/labels will get paid based on the number of times their songs have been streamed (independent artists will get paid directly from last.fm)

First of all, I want to applaud CBS and last.fm for taking their service in this direction. I’ve used last.fm for a couple of years now and the number one wish I had was full-length track streaming. 30 second previews are simply useless as a music discovery tool. Like the recent fall of DRM, on demand free full-length track streaming seemed unattainable just one year ago. It’s good to see that progress is being made in catching up to actual consumer behavior. That being said, this service has a ways to go before it starts to become an indispensable music tool.
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As If The Writing On The Wall Weren’t Any Clearer

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on January 18, 2008Posted in: Music, Video Games

NPD just released their year-end figures for 2007 video game sales:

1. Halo 3 (Xbox 360) – 4,820,000
2. Wii Play with Remote (Wii) – 4,120,000
3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360) – 3,040,000
4. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PS2) – 2,720,000
5. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) – 2,520,000
6. Pokemon Diamond (DS) – 2,480,000
7. Madden NFL 08 (PS2) – 1,900,000
8. Guitar Hero II (PS2) – 1,890,000
9. Assassin’s Creed (Xbox 360) – 1,870,000
10. Mario Party 8 (Wii) – 1,820,000

Now, let’s compare these figures to Soundscan’s 2007 year-end figures for music cd sales:

1. “Noel”/Josh Groban: 3,699,000
2. “Soundtrack”/ High School Musical 2: 2,957,000
3. “Long Road Out of Eden”/Eagles: 2,608,000
4. “As I Am”/Alicia Keys: 2,543,000
5. “Daughtry”/Daughtry: 2,497,000
6. “Soundtrack”/Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley: 2,489,000
7. “Minutes To Midnight”/Linkin Park: 2,099,000
8. “Dutchess”/Fergie: 2,064,000
9. “Taylor Swift”/Taylor Swift: 1,951,000
10.”Graduation”/Kanye West: 1,892,000

I wonder which industry is doing better.

I’m going to point out a couple of obvious things. The average price of one of those video games is about $50. The average price of one of those CDs is about $10.

A scant few years ago this sort of thing would be UNHEARD of. Music is universal. You can play music CDs on pretty much any modern device anywhere (car, stereo, computer, alarm clock, etc.). To play any one of those video games you need to make an initial investment anywhere from $130-$400. AND you need to be at home or near a TV you can hook it up to.

The music CD is dead, people. We need a better way to buy our music and we need it now.

Oh, and video game industry? Don’t make the same mistake the record labels did. You’ll be facing the same problem very soon when it’s technically feasible for big budget games to be as easily consumed as music is currently.

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