Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Steve, 1999

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  • Rich of Observationz, in reply to BenWilson,

    The ring-bound tech manual which you could buy for the C64 was brilliant. It contained the information that most of the other manufacturers required you to discover for yourself, by disassembly and tracing circuits.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz, in reply to BenWilson,

    No, but I did build a pirate ship

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg, in reply to Jim Cathcart,

    I haven't seen the same arrangement elsewhere.

    They do offer refurbished models throughout S.E. Asia with warranty - or at least they did when I saw the advertising a year or so ago. I guess that still exists. JB Hifi in Queen Street was selling old model MBP 17"s at prices below $3k in July, although I have no idea how many - it may have just been the one or two on display.

    I have to say, the best after sales support I've ever had from a computer manufacturer has been from HP. They've replaced out of warranty motherboards at no cost and corrected a fuzzy screen, once again at no cost. Result: happy daughter. Machines are rubbish, but the service was fantastic.

    Apple, OTOH, have been obstructive and refused to honour a factory recall of a known fault without my paying, until went up the chain by asking repeatedly to speak to the next person up - I ended up with VP of Customer Relations in Singapore, who asked how far up I intended to go with this? 'Steve' I replied, and they then fixed the fault gratis. I was asked not to tell anyone. Ha.

    There was a huge thread on the refusal to honour the recall on the Apple forums, much of it subsequently being deleted - as seems to be case when any threads there get too critical of the mothership. Obstruction in this case seemed to be corporate policy and a guy at Apple here quietly said that the problem was far bigger than they had at first assumed - this was the reaction.

    So, love the product. Not quite so sure about some of the corporate philosophies.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • Biobbs, in reply to Lilith __,

    My first computer, in the early 80s, was a 48k Sinclair ZX Spectrum. It had a whole 7 colours, and unlike it’s predecessor (the 1k, monochrome, ZX-81) was marketed as a games machine! It had no monitor, the keyboard and joystick connected to your TV.

    Was it red?

    http://www.muzu.tv/gb/loureed/my-red-joystick-music-video/22663/

    The River Mouth, Denmark • Since Jan 2011 • 114 posts Report Reply

  • andin, in reply to Jim Cathcart,

    “Why isn’t there an entry-level DAC that’s iPod-ready – i.e., an iPod dock with a third-party DAC? That would be good

    Onkyo had been working on this in Japan, but they have still yet to progress from the digital media transport.

    Snap Still need an external dac hmmm This is from 2009 I hope they havent been sitting on their hands since then. Or is the site on delay. HDMI wired Dac’s only come looking to be hidden away

    Best information I found was:

    More and more PC motherboards are equipped with HDMI outputs, such as the AMG780G based motherboard I have. You’ll find a number of graphics cards with HDMI outputs too. The focus until recently has been video related but now we’re seeing graphics cards processing (or passing) audio via their HDMI socket .
    DAC’s with HDMI inputs; they do of course exist in the form of home cinema receivers.
    I’m pretty sure it’s a dead cert that these cards will happily stream two channel audio to your receiver. What I can’t answer is whether or not you’re getting bit perfect audio or whether Vista will be playing with your sound. I don’t imagine any hifi DAC would ever be equipped with an HDMI socket as USB, SPDIF optical/coax and firewire connections all provide enough bandwidth to cope with two channel audio.

    You can of course take the HDMI connection to a home cinema receiver to benefit from the dolby/DTS HD formats whilst also playing your two channel music through the same amp – it is, after all, just an external amp with a DAC.

    Thing is though, are cinema amps the best way to playback two channel audio ? probably not. But if you’re trying to achieve an all in one package then that would be the way to go I think and some are of course very musical according to the reviews. Arcam receivers are very musical, so I have read

    How it goes with Apple I have no idea. The Apple TV has an optical out, I wonder if two channel would sound any different out of that via a dac vs HDMI ….
    Back to Steve not Steve B … the other one.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report Reply

  • Geoff Lealand,

    It would be helpful to have a glossary or Guide for Dummies so we can figure out what you guys are talking about sometimes ;-)

    Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report Reply

  • Lilith __, in reply to Biobbs,

    Hi Biobbs :-)

    Was it red?

    No, it was not! And I'm not convinced Lou Reed is talking about computer games, either.

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz, in reply to andin,

    Are you just after improvements to audio quality? Get a professional sound card?

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic, in reply to Rich of Observationz,

    Are you just after improvements to audio quality? Get a professional sound card?

    Here's a start.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

  • Biobbs, in reply to Lilith __,

    No, it was not! And I'm not convinced Lou Reed is talking about computer games, either.

    Well if you want computer games...why didn't you say so?

    The future never looked so old...

    The River Mouth, Denmark • Since Jan 2011 • 114 posts Report Reply

  • Lilith __, in reply to Biobbs,

    The future never looked so old...

    Funny, I was just listening to that yesterday. Quaint, now!

    Must have been around that time one of my big brothers was working for a computing outfit in Chch. That was in the days of punchcards, and for many years afterwards we used the discarded punchcards at home for writing phone messages on. I remember how some had only a few holes and others so many they were like lacework, and hard to write a message on without your biro slipping into the holes and marking the kitchen bench. Mum was always wiping off the biro marks with meths and telling us we should be more careful.

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report Reply

  • andin, in reply to Rich of Observationz,

    Are you just after improvements to audio quality?

    My home stereo is just dandy thanks for asking. Would eat 99% of home theatre sound systems.
    I knew there were ipod dockable DAC's

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic, in reply to Biobbs,

    The future never looked so old...

    Incidentally, the video was filmed at what used to be ControlData's Sydney office. Back in those days, ControlData was as big as IBM, HP and what is now Unisys. It never fully recovered from Seymour Cray jumping ship and going it alone.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Kumara Republic,

    Incidentally, the video was filmed at what used to be ControlData's Sydney office. Back in those days, ControlData was as big as IBM, HP and what is now Unisys. It never fully recovered from Seymour Cray jumping ship and going it alone

    I will alert the editors at NZ On Screen to this awesome little bit of background.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to andin,

    I knew there were ipod dockable DAC's

    But over $1000 at retail in NZ. Ouchies.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz, in reply to Russell Brown,

    So, dock your iPod to a computer and play the files off it through an audio interface attached to the computer.

    For $1000 you could get a neat little ITX box and a quality interface.

    The iPod does act as a USB drive, doesn't it?

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    How to get ahead with an iPad...

    (possible NSFW bit near the end)

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • 3410,

    The iPod does act as a USB drive, doesn't it?

    No.*

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

  • recordari, in reply to 3410,

    The iPod does act as a USB drive, doesn't it?

    No.*

    Or alternatively, yes.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • 3410,

    Or alternatively, yes.

    That's what I meant.

    (I appear to have successfully erased most of the unpleasant memories of iPod ownership. :) )

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic, in reply to recordari,

    Or alternatively, yes.

    Not if you have an iPod Touch, unless you install a 3rd party app.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

  • andin, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Ouchies.

    Well exactly, which is why I prefer second hand gear. Just gotta know which has stood the test of time.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    Yes, I think Kyle is mathematically wrong, even given his assumptions. If someone wants to work it out, the formula is here.

    Not maths, reading. I saw five words, and read five letters :(

    As you were.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Andrew E, in reply to andin,

    “Why isn’t there an entry-level DAC that’s iPod-ready – i.e., an iPod dock with a third-party DAC? That would be good

    Slightly cheaper than that expensive Wadia DAC, I just read about this US$249 iPod DAC. A bit more likely to be within my price range, and that of others, I'd have thought.

    (No connection to product, etc.)

    174.77 x 41.28 • Since Sep 2008 • 200 posts Report Reply

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