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With video on its deathbead, Jack Mottram examines DVD writers and beyond.
ideo is the latest medium to fall into the hands of the producer-
consumer. Software like Apple's iMovie allows the easy creation of
near-pri)fessional grade video content. whether you‘re into guerrilla
filmmaking or wedding videos. The professional choice method of
distribution. DVD. is open to all now too. A bog-standard internal drive like the l’ikaone Classic-Io will set you back a mere £29.99. while those alter something a bit more flash to plug into their shiny laptop can plump for the l.a(‘ie D2 range. good looking Firewire drives that can cope with — deep breath — DVD+R9 (Dual Layer). DVD-R. DVD-RW. DVD+R. DVD+RW. (‘D-R and (‘D-RW.
That confusing slew of acronyms is perhaps a hint that DVD is heading the way of the floppy disc or cassette tape: each incarnation of the DVD format is a response to our growing need for space. with Dual Layer offering 8.508 on a single disc. Blu-ray. the latest entry to the format war.
offers 2508 per disc by. mysteriously enough. using a different colour of
laser to burn data. A handful of gigabytes doesn‘t go very far though. and with llDTV around the corner. the memory requirements for storing and sharing video are set to rise exponentially.
So. if shiny discs are on the way out. what does the future hold for users keen to distribute their homespun video masterworks'.’ Hard drives. As our memory requirements increase. so does the capacity of available hard drives but. significantly. instead of going up. the price per byte falls.
A hog-standard hard drive isn‘t. in and of itself. much use. which is where Personal Video Recorders (PVRs) come in. The likes of Sky+. Tivo or home-brewed devices running software like MythTV are well on the way to becoming a standard component in home theatre set-ups. but. for now. lack the portability and convenience of a quickly burned disc. focussing on time— shifting telly. not sharing user-created content.
They do. however. point the way to a possible future. With broadband speeds increasing. and swarming P2P protocols like Bittorrent already a viable alternative to conventional distribution networks. video sharing looks set to make its way to the web. and the chances are it will have a community feel. The success of online photo-sharing site Flickr twww.llickr.com) suggests that. instead of burning that wedding video to disc. happy couples of the future will pass well-wishers a URL. In the short term. hard drives have the edge over DVD: SOB keychain drives are already available with enough room for two DVD-quality feature films. but are small enough to slip into a breast pocket.
So. while you can pick up a DVD drive for next to nothing. it might be best to wait for the networked hard drive future. rather than add to that dusty pile of CD. floppy. MiniDisc and Zip drives in the cupboard.
Revuews 2801.90 DS; PC SPLINTER CELL:
CHAOS THEORY (Ubisof‘t) O...
Apparently Sam Fisher found his knife. All those missions. all those bad guys crept past and StllfCXZéiiQd. all those cells splintered and only now has he discovered there's a combat knife strapped to his thigh. He should take off those tri~optical goggles more often. This length of sharpened steel is pretty much the most radical change in this verSion. The stOry still stinks the house down — weird fOr something so endlessly explored in “literature — and the v0ice acting. Sam aSide. adds to the stench. But it does look good and the animation. particularly in the stealthier sections. really excels. There are new combat moves. thanks to that blade. but they are cosmetic: leaVing enemies alive or dead makes no difference to the outcome. The multiplayer aspect introduced in Pandora has been expanded upon and IS now almost as much fun as the solo game. SO Chaos Theory is another slice of that familiar Splinter Cel/ magic many love. And those who don't. well. why not have another stab? llain DaVidsonl
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T E PUNISHER (THO) .0
Frank Castle is r‘rt ';i".-.:t-tt‘e rnil‘ superhe'o. View is nothzr‘g super about him ar‘.:i he never .loes anything heroitx He simply punishes Granted. there's a reason f punishments. dead family members and alI that. but it's (llllClsl‘) forgotten as Frank goes about his punishing. He has lost it. (lll‘.(?ll to wilder and wilder acts of violent. bloody insanity
or the
always seeking that elusive vengeance. The punishment becomes an end in itself. Much like his computer game. Once the exaggerated
Violence numbs the excued senses. once the blood and guts and screaming and pain become nothing more than button pushing then The Punisher is finished. If is a sOuIIess. meandering action adventure. And no amount of kerbing (getting a lawbreaker to bite down on a pavement edge so yOu can stomp on his headi Or chipping (lowering someone into a woodchippen can prevent the inevitable concluSion. The Punisher is definitely yOur run-of—the-mill computer game.
ilain Davidsoni
gEVIL MAY cmr
(Capcom) 0000.
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(ltl\{)llll‘t’lfx vit‘l a iili over excited by all the fift‘;i§ll‘illllt‘f} their soiiiplex inat‘hiner‘. can produce All that hardware. all those buttons and analogue sticks. \N’hat they forget is that dexterouslv putting into play all those variations can be a total pain in the ass. and it's dull. more like driving lessons than the actioirfuelled release gaming should be. So say hello to [)ev/i/ Mai. Cry (i. Sure, it has fancy. slick combos and gorgeous cut’scenes but at its core this is heart-in-the-iiiouth action from the start, Big swords. big guns. big monsters and you've gotta back through the lot of them. This is proper intuitive gaming, harking back to earlier days but Wllll all the graphics and tricks only the next gen consoles can offer. Learn four fighting styles. pick up cool weapons and kill kill kill. AS Simple and beautiful as that. Never forgetting that Dante. yOur half demon hero. is one cool motherfucker. But a word of naming: this game is hard as nails — teeth gnashingly tricky. iHenn/ Northrnoret
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Super nifty wee website for making yOur Own shOrt mOVIes. As user-friendly as they come. this is the best fun we've had on the net for ages. Then send your cool customised animations to yOur pals.
Pure genius.
www.dfilm.com
rug-uni
. on Please come back. I know it says
d . . DIY but this has a twist. Recycle
" _- records. Coke bottles and even
‘ f cheese graters to create hip ‘ ' ‘ household accessories. All Simple to f do. with clear. eaSy-to-use
‘ :’—i instructions. Minimum effort for
d ‘ maXimum pay-back.
- www.thriftdeluxe.com
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