Widescreen Wallpapers

Which flat panel technology is the best? LCD or plasma? Get mean, get personal, because you can’t be banned for anything you say in this thread. And anecdotes are as valid as scientific study.

First of all I own a ps2 in which i legally took the bios from**
Anyway

My first queston is: Can I use my mouse as a controller for games I play on Pcsx2? If so, how?

My second is: I’m trying to play Metal arms off of my ps2 disk. It works fine on my ps2 for reference by the way.
I’ve setup pcsx2. Downloaded the plugins, and etc.
None of my ps2 games seem to be working with pcsx2. If anyone can tell me recommended settings, Thanks.
Here are my System specifications:

——————
System Information
——————
Time of this report: 2/26/2009, 20:32:00
Machine name: H7K
Operating System: Windows Vista™ Home Premium (6.0, Build 6001) Service Pack 1 (6001.vistasp1_gdr.080917-1612)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Gateway
System Model: P-172S FX
BIOS: Ver 1.00PARTTBL
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T5750 @ 2.00GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.0GHz
Memory: 3070MB RAM
Page File: 1107MB used, 6489MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 10
—————
Display Devices
—————
Card name: NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip type: GeForce 8800M GTS
DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0609&SUBSYS_0690107B&REV_A2
Display Memory: 1756 MB
Dedicated Memory: 477 MB
Shared Memory: 1279 MB
Current Mode: 1440 x 900 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: Generic PnP Monitor
Driver Name: nvd3dum.dll,nvwgf2um.dll
Driver Version: 7.15.0011.6746 (English)
DDI Version: 10
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 11/16/2007 02:33:00, 5263360 bytes
WHQL Logo’d: Yes
WHQL Date Stamp:
Device Identifier: {D7B71E3E-4549-11CF-9169-9B2602C2CA35}
Vendor ID: 0×10DE
Device ID: 0×0609
SubSys ID: 0×0690107B
Revision ID: 0×00A2
Revision ID: 0×00A2
Thanks for the idea, and yes Metal Arms is not currently working for the pcsx2 pg or pcsx2. However, several other games I have tried are labeled as playable and working.
Yet those games will not work either. If anyone has any other ideas please help. Or knows anything abotu setting up the mouse.

newVideoPlayer(”/secondlight_1_giz.flv”, 506, 404,”");
Here’s a neat trick: This Microsoft Surface table projects an image on its screen, but hold a piece of paper or glass over it, and you see a secret second layer of user interface.

The trick that Microsoft Research figured out for SecondLight make sense, when you hear it:

The screen is an LCD that can switch between opaque and transparent, alternating 60 times per second. There are two projectors underneath, each one flickering at 30 times per second. One of the projectors is timed to shine up under the screen when it’s opaque, while the other is—yep, you guessed it—timed to shine through when the screen is transparent. Anything held above the screen will show what’s being projected by that second projector.

The craziest thing about it is that the second projector can actually follow special objects, projecting the runner you see in the first video anywhere the panel goes, and in the appropriate proportion.

You probably noticed that the duelin’ 30Hz projections make my videos wavy, but the developers said that the same thing could be done at any frame rate possible, so it’s easy to imagine 60Hz and 60Hz, and not crazy to think that we might see two times 120Hz.

newVideoPlayer(”/secondlight_2_giz.flv”, 506, 404,”");

Microsoft’s TechFest is an annual jamboree of innovation and gadgetry from Microsoft Research, which means that while none of it is coming out as is in products in the near future, it’s essentially what product development people use to add cool stuff to their actual releases. I’m here all day.

A horrible reminder about how you could get screwed by Circuit City’s merciless liquidiation overlords: Two customers bought shattered LCD TVs—you’re not allowed to open the box to check ‘em—and are totally out $1100.

When you buy anything from Circuit City’s liquidators, it’s sold “as is” and can’t be returned for any reason. Fine, that’s how these things work. The screwjob happens because stores are telling people they can’t open anything till they pay for it, meaning you can’t check something out before you buy it to make sure it works—or isn’t totally busted into a million useless pieces. Consumerist says that they’re not optimistic about getting the credit card company to help out if you do get bamboozled, either.

They’ve got reports from Minnesota as well, where a family paid $1500 for a busted TV after not being allowed to open the box. Fox reporters there were apparently kicked out of the store for trying to investigate. And here’s another unreturnable piece of broken merchandise from Kotaku:

Odds are, if you do get a TV from Circuit City, it’ll be fine—just remember there’s just the very real possibility you could wind up losing a thousand bucks with no real recourse. And there won’t even be the dude from Let’s Make a Deal there to make you feel better. [Boston Channel via Consumerist, Image: Getty]

I am not pleased with the performance of my laptop.
I am a gamer and have come to find out it is not possible for me to play the 7 Games for Windows games i have purchased.

I seek help about my laptop from others because on this case, i do not know what im talking about.

These are the specs for my Dell Inspiron 1720:

Operating System: Windows Vista™ Home Premium (6.0, Build 6000) (6000.vista_gdr.080917-1612)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
System Model: Inspiron 1720
BIOS: Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A03
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) Dual CPU T2310 @ 1.46GHz (2=2 0CPUs), ~1.5GHz
Memory: 1014MB RAM
Page File: 1319MB used, 960MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 10
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 6.00.6000.16386 32bit Unicode
DxDiag Previously: Crashed in DirectShow (stage 1)

Display Specs:
Card name: Mobile Intel(R) 965 Express Chipset Family
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Chip type: Mobile Intel(R) 965 Express Chipset Family
DAC type: Internal
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2A02&SUBSYS_01F21028&REV_0C
Display Memory: 251 MB
Dedicated Memory: 0 MB
Shared Memory: 251 MB
Current Mode: 1440 x 900 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: Generic PnP Monitor
Driver Name: igdumd32.dll
Driver Version: 7.14.0010.1272 (English)
DDI Version: 9Ex
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 7/2/2007 00:13:58, 2363392 bytes
WHQL Logo’d: Yes
WHQL Date Stamp:
Device Identifier: {D7B78E66-6942-11CF-6077-F 821ADC2CA35}
Vendor ID: 0×8086
Device ID: 0×2A02
SubSys ID: 0×01F21028
Revision ID: 0×000C
Revision ID: 0×000C
Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_A ModeMPEG2_C
DDraw Status: Enabled
D3D Status: Enabled
AGP Status: Enabled

If there is anything else you would need to know, just ask.
Thanks in advance.

Samsung. They’re still on top, leading the US flat panel market with 20% of the market share. But Sony, who used to be in second place, has been pushed to third. The culprit? Vizio.

Here’s how the flat panel television market looked as of Q4 2008:

20.2% - Samsung
14.3% - Vizio
13.5% - Sony
10.7% - Panasonic

So why is Vizio doing so well? We’re guessing people like buying cheap televisions. But incidentally, if you’re in the market for a cheap set, we recommend the Toshiba Regza. [Reuters]

Here’s a good reason to start saving for next fall’s Black Friday: HD Guru says Honeywell will sell an 82″ 1080p LCD in the US this year.

Honeywell—better known for top secret government contracts—is really just licensing its all-American name to the Taiwan-based Soyo, who will be producing the 300-pound monster of a TV set. Features include 120Hz motion-blur reduction, a 178-degree viewing angle, 3 HDMI inputs (only 3?), and a stated dynamic contrast ratio of 120,000:1. Its model number is the painfully long MT-HWGWT8218AM.

Sharp and Samsung, competing LCD producers, have shown off the 82″ size, but according to Gary at HD Guru, neither promised to product true HDTVs for public consumption just yet. Price is TBD, but while any 82″ TV is definitely going to cost you something, it might not be as expensive, coming from a tier 2 (or tier 3) company like Soyo/Honeywell. Get the details, including its sick 5-year warranty, at HD Guru. [HD Guru and Honeywell CE]

The Canova dual screen LCD laptop from V12 Design we profiled back in July is slowly exiting the concept phase and could actually be headed for the all-important production stage of development.

The boost in street cred is due entirely to the fact that V12 Design has hooked up with an American firm called Estari to help with development. Estari, as you may know, is in the business of developing all sorts of dual screen computer things, including a 2-VU dual screen laptop from way back in 2007.

Today, in 2009, their web page has changed to reflect the news that they’ve teamed up with V12 Design to make a laptop that looks like what the OLPC XO-2 would look like if it mated with a Lambo.

But will this revolutionize the laptop, as Estari’s marketing suggests? Judging by the fact that many of you are probably reading this on a traditional laptop, coupled with the fact that Estari’s 2007 effort seems to have been lost sometime in 2007, I’m skeptical, at best.

[Notebook Italia via Engadget, Estari]

Amazon’s Kindle 2, announced on Monday, is the probably the best ebook reader you can buy. But neither it, nor any other reader out there, will be converting the masses anytime soon. Here’s why:

The Current State of Suck
Amazon will sell a lot of Kindle 2s. If they can keep up with demand this time, they’ll sell more than the original Kindle, supposedly now in the hands of 500,000 people. But it’s still not the breakthrough reader, the one that will dramatically overturn and recreate the literary market.

People call it the “iPod of books,” and in some senses that’s true. The first iPods didn’t overturn any market. They were just marginally better than their competitors, but they were limited to Mac users only, had mechanical scroll wheels and were easily damaged.

Desire for the original iPod is like desire for the Kindles—it reveals that there is a very real mass of people who do want this kind of device. But getting from the original iPod to the hottest new models may prove to be an easier journey than going from these original Kindles (and Sony Readers) to the perfect reading device, primarily because of display technology—readers are, after all, designed for the singular purpose of displaying content that’s easy on the eyes. As of now, there are two display camps—electronic paper and LCD—and both have far too many compromises at the moment to be adequate for a reading revolution.

E-Ink vs LCD
Most readers, including Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s Reader, use a type of electronic paper called E-Ink. These displays are known scientifically as electrophoretic, and involve the arrangement of pixels on a screen like you would draw on an Etch-a-Sketch. That is, energy is used to sketch, but once the pixels are in place, they stay in place without demanding power.

E-Ink differs from the LCD screen you’re likely reading this on (unless you subscribe to Giz’s new Kindle feed) in that it’s not backlit. Like legitimate paper, it must be held under a light source, but proponents say that’s easier on the eyes. You’re not staring at any rapidly flickering light bulb, just calm black pixels on a grayish background.

And because E-Ink only uses power to change pages or images, but not to display a given page, E-Ink-based electronics can run for days without recharging. The problem with that E-Ink is expensive, slow (you can’t have moving cursors or any kind of video) and boring. No color, crummy contrast, crappy resolution. Though reading actual text in good light is pleasant, the limitations of E-Ink are painfully obvious to even the least-techie of users.

Standard LCDs on your computer or an ebook-friendly smartphone aren’t any better. They could be too small, and if they’re not too small, they require too much power to run for any prolonged length of time. (E-Ink can go for days—getting a single day out of any LCD device would be a coup.) Above all, it’s just not a comfortable display to read on—sure you might stare at a monitor eight hours a day, but no one wants to read a novel on a glowing, constantly refreshing screen when they’re lying in bed, trying to relax. It’s doable, sure, but make no mistake, it’s a harsher experience.

The Dimly Lit Future
So what’s next? Plastic Logic presents the rosiest picture of the future of electronic paper displays, a perfectly-sized flexible plastic touchscreen that’s basically all E-Ink display, plus Wi-Fi.

I talked to Time Magazine’s Josh Quittner, who’s been intently researching readers, and he loves the device. The problem, he says, is that it’s both too innovative and too slow—it’s made entirely of plastic, even the transistors, requiring brand new fabs to produce it. So not only will the initial version will be expensive as hell, with a 10.7″ screen, but it’ll be standard black on gray. Color, which E-Ink has developed in the lab, won’t be coming out until 2011—possibly too late. Not even God knows what the market will be like in 2011—try to imagine what you thought cellphones would be like in 2008 from back in 2006.

Mary Lou Jepsen—who designed the XO Laptop’s breakthrough reflective LCD screen and her new company, Pixel Qi, are reinventing the LCD again, and their display, if it lives up to its promises, could be the other way forward. In fact, she told me that she predicts that “in 2010, LCDs designed for reading will overtake the electrophoretic display technology in the ereader market.”

She says that Pixel Qi’s displays are actually more readable than e-paper, with “excellent reflectance, high resolution for text, sunlight readability”—just as easy on the eyes when the backlighting is turned off, but with the key advantages of full color and fast refresh, for pages that update as fast as video. Jepsen says it’s even possible to get a week of battery life from LCD tech, of course depending on the device the screens are embedded in. Infrastructurally and perhaps historically speaking, the odds are in LCD’s favor. Even new versions will be incredibly cheap and quick to manufacture because they can be made entirely in existing factories without requiring new, specialized equipment.

What’s Really Gonna Happen?
Which display tech will win out is may prove to be more economic than aesthetic, but ebook readers are here to stay. The presumption that everyone will eventually read books on an electronic display of some sort in the future is so fundamental I haven’t bothered to question it, mostly because nobody else does either. (Even if you love books, ebook reading makes sense.)

If you believe there’s a future for a dedicated device that exists solely to display books and newspapers and whatever other forms of the printed word you want to read, then E-Ink and similar tech makes sense, as long as it eventually can cost less and refresh faster. The battery-life advantage is huge. But if you think that a reader will be just one function of, say, a multitouch tablet that’s also your netbook, PDA and video display—and it’s a device you charge every night—it’s pretty clear that a multi-talented LCD display is the future.

As Quittner told us, someone’s going to figure this out. It’s just a question of who and when.

Old book image: ēst smiltis no ausīm/Flickr