AtomicBaboon!?!

Amazon.com and TiVo teamed up to make Amazon's Unbox service available on the TiVo. So, I can bring up the menu on my TiVo and browse movies for rent or purchase and have them downloaded directly to my TiVo. I grabbed "Smoking Aces" and "The good Sheppard" last night.

The first movie downloaded was Smoking Aces which is just under 2 hours long. It took longer than that to download it. It started downloading around 6:54 PM and didn't finish until sometime after 10:00 PM. They aren't DVD quality videos so I did notice some compression artifacts, but they weren't bad. They are better than the picture I get from cable.

I also have a 16:9 television, and have my settings in TiVo adjusted to account for that. However, since the resolution of the movie was lower than that of my screen it was stretched out when I played it. It didn't look bad except that it only stretched horizontally. This struck me as odd since the movie was wide screen. So, I ended up having to use the zoom feature on my television to stretch it vertically. After that it looked great. The sound was good and the picture wasn't bad. That said, I would rather watch it on DVD. I bought a fancy TV and Stereo because I like a good picture and sound.

The rentals cost me $3.99 for each movie. This is comparable to a normal video rental price-wise, but what you get in return leaves a bit to be desired. As I stated before, it isn't DVD quality and I had to fiddle with some settings to get it to display correctly. Another issue is that once you press play you can only keep it and watch it for 24 hours before it is automatically deleted. So, to get the "convenience" of being able to download movies directly to my TiVo without leaving the house I have to sacrifice picture and sound quality, the ability to watch it more than once in a week, and I had to manually adjust things. Add to that the fact that it took at least 3 hours to download the movie I am not sure it is worth it. I could have driven to the video store and picked up the movies on DVD and been back watching them in 20 minutes.

It is a neat idea but they need to work on it. Dropping the price would be a good start. I could see paying maybe $1.50 or $2.00 at the most, but $3.99 is pushing it. I should also be able to watch it for 3 to 5 days like I can when I rent a regular movie. I would even be interested in a Netflix like system where I download say 3 videos at a time for a flat monthly rate, and when I am done with a movie I can delete it and the next movie in my queue will download automatically.

The limitations are due to the same stupidity we hear about from the MPAA all the time. People in charge of the industry that are trying to fight where technology is sending us instead of embracing it. Until they figure that out cool ideas like this will be limited by their short-sightedness.

I think I need to adjust the layout of my site. I mentioned before that the way I have things setup doesn't lend itself well to adding more links. Having everything at the bottom like I do is a little cumbersome.

I may give in and do what everyone else is doing and put my links on the side(s). I ran across a GPL'd Word Press plugin for StumbleUpon that lists what you have recently stumbled... upon. I downloaded the source and plan on writing a Python version that I can use on my blog. If I do that I am not sure where I would put the list it produces in my current layout. I would also like to add more links to blogs and websites that I like.

I also need a cartoon baboon. I have an idea in my head and I have tried to get it down on paper but it never turns out the way I want. If any of you know good artists let me know. Maybe if I can explain what I am looking for to someone with a little more talent they could pull it off. A funny looking baboon with a green glowing behind would be funny.

I completed all the songs in Guitar Hero II with 5 stars on Medium difficulty last night. Now I am attempting to play them on Hard. That is an addicting game.

Tonight The Moxie is hosting a free show at The Gillioz. They have details on their site. I am going to try to make it over there. The Gillioz has 1100 seats in it, making it the largest theater in Springfield. I have only seen the lobby so far and it is a pretty amazing building. Then I might grab a tasty beer at Patton Alley.

Anyway... I could keep rambling... but I need to get some work done so I will stop here. Have a good day.

I ran across another film called "Sunshine" that looks like it could be really interesting. Set in the future where our sun is dying and mankind sends a group of people to the sun in an attempt to re-ignite it. Of course, they run into problems on the way there.

It has some interesting people starring in it. Martial arts action star Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Tomorrow Never Dies), Cillian Murphy (28 days later, Batman Returns), Chris Evans (Fantastic 4), and Rose Byrne (Troy, Star Wars Episode II, Marie Antoinette) who is also in the upcoming sequel to "28 Days Later" called "28 Weeks Later."

Sunshine is directed by Danny Boyle who did 28 Days Later, Trainspotting, Shallow Grave, and is the executive producer for 28 Weeks Later.

Anyway, it looks pretty cool. It comes out in September. Official Website. IMDB Information.

I just read that the sequel to the Russian fantasy horror movie "Night Watch," appropriately entitled "Day Watch," will be released in the US on June 1st.

Trailers and Movie Clips for Day Watch

I had the opportunity to enjoy the newest Bond film Casino Royale the other day and I must say I was very impressed. Take the witty and clever Bond your used to, and add the action and realism from Bourne Identity and you have the new Bond. Great action sequences where Bond isn't only kicking ass, but getting his ass kicked in the process. That's not something you saw in the previous Bonds. Sure, he would get captured and slapped around a bit, but it wasn't realistic. Here, it is much more believable, and Bond isn't some wussy guy in a tux with a tiny pistol sipping martini's and looking all sharp all the time. Sure, he does a little of all that, but he's one tough bastard that fights dirty, is resourceful, and is (again) believable. I would not have a problem believing someone like this guy exists. I have always been a fan of Bond, but I think this is the best thing to happen to the character since he was created.