If you lost your menu items like I did, ssh into your apple tv and follow the instructions below

Type:
wget http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/858897/XBMC/Launcher-3.2.beta3-debug.run

Type:
chmod +x Launcher-3.2.beta3-debug.run

Type :
./Launcher-3.2.beta3-debug.run

Enter the appropriate password “frontrow“  and answer “YES” when it asks to restart the finder.

4) From your AppleTV Menu> Launcher > Downloads, install boxee and or XBMC.

ATTENTION!!!!  Do not select Launcher 3.1

Simple.  If you need to create a patchstick, download atvusb-creator.  Follow the directions on the Google code page.

On December 24th 1906, the world heard its first extended voice radio broadcast.  It was from Massachusetts and the broadcast was received by “sparks”, otherwise known as the communications officers on merchant ships in the Atlantic.  Since then it seems that radio has made a few technology advances in how we receive their product but since the onset of FM has been stuck in a technology black hole and refuses to accept that the world around them is changing.  Technology is changing and the method to deliver their broadcasts is going to change.  I will admit that the radio industry has made a few attempts to leap forward with the times but have been run over with a truck much like Frogger.  These are my views on some of the mistakes that have been made and where radio needs to advance too.

I have been a Broadcast Engineer for 12 years.  I started when i was 20 years old and just recently have left the industry to pursue bigger and better things in the IT sector.  In my career I have worked for 2 different radio companies that shall remain nameless but are quite large .  In the time that I slaved over 50,000 watt transmitters and rodent infested transmitter sites in the middle of no where, I got to play with some pretty cool stuff.  Systems to digitize the music library, automation systems, RDS (Radio Data Systems), transmitter remote controls, instant news services, broadcast consoles that were fully routeable and HD Radio.  I watched all of these systems evolve quite a bit in the last 12 years to the point where they function reliably and efficiently with the exception of HD Radio.  I will get to that in a min.  All of the companies that produce these systems have embraced the new technologies, the Internet and the idea that everything is going to computers.  Radio has tried to go another route with the deployment of HD Radio.

HD Radio is the industries answer to improved quality and delivery to you the listener.  CD quality music with the option to hear more stations with the inclusion of HD2  over-the-air to your radio ( If you spend 200 bucks to buy an HD radio).  Has anyone heard HD Radio.  Does anyone even own an HD Radio.  More importantly, is anyone planning on going to buy one.  I think the answer is an overwhelming NO.  If you think about it for a second, you would realize that the average commuter has a 20 min drive to work each day.  In that time they are on the phone or drinking their coffee and  thinking about the work they have to do that day.  With that said lets knock the listening time down to 15 min each way.  There are plenty of radio stations and other devices such as CD’s and MP3 players that will deliver exactly what you want to hear with out spending the money on a new radio. The overwhelming majority doesn’t  listen to the radio at home. They have the TV on or are on the computer.  Does that really justify spending 200+ dollars on a new radio.  The improvement in audio quality isn’t to bad but definitely not enough to prompt me to buy a new radio.  They do sell an add on device to receive HD on your existing radio but who wants to deal with the extra display unit sticking out from your dash tethered to a cable.  I have one of those by the way and it sucks.  The only reason I have it is because I got it for free. So HD Radio was a move towards doing something new (sort of) but in my mind is going to fail horribly.  Good job guys on investing hordes of money into it.   If your still reading, the key sentence in all of this was “They are on the computer”.

So, where do I think radio needs to go now.  It is pretty obvious in my mind.  THE INTERNET!!!!!!!!!  Everything is going to the Internet and why should radio be any different.  The advances that programmers and developers have made in just the last few years on Web 2.0 have basically started the ball hurdling down the hill aimed at broadcast services along with many other things.  Now i know what a lot of people are going to say at this point, ” I listen to my local stations on the web while I am at work”.  This is true, many radio stations do have online web streams.  The stream you hear on your computer is the same as the one you hear on the radio.  Its just a rebroadcast. They need to start developing original content for the web-streams and start promoting them the same as their over the air channels.  Create web-streams with different music formats, talk content and data services.  Start pushing the technology to their advertisers in order to get them to spend money advertising on the web-streams.  Basically abandon the HD Radio medium and focus the same efforts and ideas on the Web.  The need to drive your listeners to the computer is now.  This is where the business is going to end up in less than 10 years. How and why you ask?

Radio companies are not the most efficient operations to run.  The costs involved to pay for and maintain facilities, transmitters, towers and staff are quite high.  Just think about the electric bill that it takes to run a 50,000 watt transmitter site when your transmitter is running at 60% efficiency.  Add this to repair and maintenance costs of buildings and equipment and it gets pretty high.  Now think about what you could do with the Web.   Centrally locate your facility in a large market and be able to broadcast via the internet to the entire world.  This means fewer facilities and less cost.  The inefficient transmitters would be no more. The possibility of an unlimited amount of programming and the only constraint would be available bandwidth.  Use geotagging in your commercials to sell and play local content to specific markets.  The most important reason would be the ability to have your content heard through devices such as cell phones, computers, Internet Tablets and anything else that can access the Internet today and future devices such as in car computers and Internet enabled car stereos.  Most of these devices people already have in their pockets and they already have the capabilities.  This eliminates the requirement of the listener  to spend anymore money in order to recieve your content.  You get better Radio and the broadcast companies get their listeners to drive their sales.  Sounds good!

This is where radio is going.  Most of the technology to make it possible is already provided to you through your computer or cellphone.  The missing pieces such as city-wide or nationwide Internet access is being worked on as I type.  Computers are already being installed in cars to bring you advanced data services such as the Microsoft SYNC system in Fords.  The SYNC system is an early idea that will be expanded in the very near future to include added functionality such as Internet access while you drive.  You will also start seeing competitors to the SYNC system being installed or offered by the major automobile makers.  Combine this with the technology already available to us and its not hard to see where the future of radio is.  The first broadcasting company to partner with a technology provider such as Verizon, Nokia, Apple, RIM, Sprint, ATT or Google to be a part of further developing this new delivery method is going to be the winner. Radio that costs less to produce, reaches more listeners, and provides better service.  Its not hard to see that this is where radio is going.

I received the Hava Platinum HD in the mail a couple weeks ago and quickly ripped it out of the package (Christmas Morning Style).  The contents included the Hava Platinum HD, Ethernet cable, 2 Component HD cables, 2 AV cables, powers supply and CD.  The Component and AV cables are standard RCA connectors on one end and 1/8th inch 4 contact phono connectors to interface with the Hava box.  The Hava Box is capable of streaming HD channels across your network and has HD pass through so you can place your Hava Box in-between your cable box and TV, hence the two HD cables.  Audio is only standard stereo unfortunately and is handled by the AV cables minus the video plug.  Hell, if you wanted 5.1 surround, go sit in front of your 72 inch plasma with your 3000 dollar surround system with your 18 speakers.  That’s what you bought it for.

Heres the rundown:

Hava Platinum HD- HD and Standard Definition, IR blasters for cable or Sat box control,wired Ethernet only, recording or time shift capabilty to a PC and NO built in tuner.

Hava Wireless HD – HD and standard Definition, Standard Definition tuner built in, IR blasters for cable or Sat box control, wireless bridge built in, recording or time shift capability to a PC.

Hava Titanium HD – HD and  standard definition, IR blasters for cable or sat box control, wireless USB dongle with future support for N networks, recording or time shift capability to a PC.  This unit also has an internal hard drive or 2 USB ports to plug in an external drive for recording.  This function is in beta now. No built in tuner.

As of today, Hava only supports Windows based software for the player.  The software has a nice interface and is easy to set-up and use but the real advantage these units have over the Slingbox is that they are developing the client for the N800 and Linux support.  Thanks for showing the penguin a little respect.  More on this later when I get my copy of the Internet Tablet software.

Better graphics, a much improved navigation system, and a lot more vulgar language.

The graphics.

You probably already got a good taste of the graphics from all the pre-release screenshots released all over the web but, let me tell you, they live up to the hype. This version of Grand Theft Auto didn’t leave any of the next generation platform capabilities out. The cars are better and are about as good as the first version of Burn Out was on the 360. The character models are improved to the point that you can actually tell the different types of Liberty City residents apart at a distance. The physics model is better which makes destroying your ride or getting flung off you bike a lot more fun. All in all, a job well done.

Navigation.

You are now given a GPS in every car so finding your way through a much more complex city is easier then it was in GTA III. No more circling a way point trying to find it. Along with the normal mission objectives and points of interest, you  can enter the map by hitting start and put your own way point on the map. This route is highlighted in green. It makes it much easier to find the paint shop when you are running  from the cops. No more driving past it to end up getting pinned by the Po-Po on a dead end street. Be aware that the city is way more complex then anything we have seen before. Imagine scaling up the Call of Duty Four maps and then trying to drive trough all the twists and turns while being chased. Makes it a lot more fun.

Crossing long distance on the map is made easier by the use of public transit and cabs if you have the cash. The cabs can take you to any objective at any point for a nominal fee. After you complete a certain number of missions for Ronan, your cousin, you can call for a ride from his cab service by using your cell phone.

Mission management.

All your contacts and mission status are handled through your cell phone. Need a job? Someone will call you. Want to plan a date? Just call. I don’t want to spoil it for you but, it doesn’t take long to make a virtual woman scream your name in GTA IV. Over all the game pace is a lot faster with this system. It does take some of the exploring out of the game but, like all other versions, you can goof off all you want.

Later on in the game you start to use email for contact management. I hope at some point in the game that Niko gets a cell phone with email as having to visit the internet cafe to check your messages is kind of a pain. I will say that some of the personal ads on the in game internet are pretty funny. I won’t spoil it anymore than that.

Humor.

Remember all those funny ads on the radio in GTA III and sometimes having to wait to hear them? Not anymore. The ads, especially the political ads, are some of the funniest ever. If you don’t appreciate vulgar humor (Why are you even considering this game if you don’t?) then you better put this one back on the shelf. It’s constant. Actually, listening to your cousin go on and on about the female anatomy can get old after awhile.

There are new radio stations, more music, and the citizen of Liberty City never seem to shut up so, if someone in your house is easily offended, keep the sound down.

Combat.

I was not expecting it but, the combat system has been upgraded. Beating your victim is no longer a button mashing event. You actually have to block and duck from time to time. You can also disarm your opponent  and use his weapon against him. You learn to do this with the first couple of missions. GTA IV also includes a crude cover system a la Gears of War or Rainbow Six. So when you get into a gun fight you can actually take cover and strategically shoot it out.

Basically the designers of GTA III took everything that was great about that version and improved 10x. They also did a good job of addressing the faults. We will all have to play a little longer then a few hours to tell how well they did that but, for right now, it looks pretty good.

Get It Now

The current online price is around $192.00 plus shipping. Based on earlier reviews of similar products, the performance should be top notch.

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Intel has tweaked its processor price list, cutting up to 50 per cent off what it charges for desktop CPUs.

The big reduction came to the 2.66GHz Core 2 Quad Q6700, which now costs $266, down from $530. The 2.4GHz Q6600 is also cheaper now: down 16 per cent to $224. For those of you not in the know, the Q6700 part is an overclocking monster thanks to its 10x multiplier.

The other big reduction was applied to the 3GHz Core 2 Duo E6850, which had 31 per cent taken off its price, bringing it from $266 to $183.

I guess it’s time to hit newegg.

1. If you have cable TV or satellite your probably just fine. The cable companies will still be broadcasting their content in standard definition. They do have digital content on their systems but you wont be able to see it.

2. Buy a new TV

3. Purchase a digital to analog converter box. This is a unit that will accept the digital broadcast and down convert it to a standard definitions analog signal that your 1970’s console TV will accept.

If you fall into the group that never purchased cable or satellite TV and are still watching Opie and Aunt Bee crunk it up in Mayberry, you will need a set-top box. This is more than likely, partly, due to the fact that many people cannot afford to pay for cable or sat TV. There is help out there though. Congress created the set-top converter box coupon program to help lower income families continue to use their analog televisions after the transition deadline of February 17th 2009. The program allows households to acquire up to 2 coupons worth 40 dollars each that can be applied to the purchase of qualified converter boxes. You can then take these coupons to any participating store which include Wal-Mart, BestBuy, Circuit City, and Radio Shack to purchase a converter box. To apply for this coupon, go to www.dtv2009.gov .

Remember February 17th 2009