Adobe Flash 10.1
If you’ve visited many websites you will most certainly have come across Adobe Flash – whether you know it or not. This ubiquitous software plugin is used to drive many of the more visually appealing websites, as well as act as the ‘engine’ behind the video players used on websites such as YouTube and BBC iPlayer. It is in fact estimated that something like 70% of all video available online is produced on Flash.
Well, that would be understandable if Flash was outstanding at video playback… but the irony is that it can actually be quite slow! There are certainly many reasons why Flash is widely adopted, but performance of video playback can’t be one of them. Flash’s problem is that it relies upon the CPU to do all the decoding of the compressed video data. That’s fine if you have a PC with a pretty fast CPU in it – but if you haven’t, then you might find that video of a certain quality plays back poorly.
The biggest problem lies with video encoded using the H.264 CoDec (Coder/DeCoder). This is a highly compressed video format which has become increasingly used because of its usefulness in delivering High Definition video, with as little data as possible. It’s downside is that it relies on some quite hefty computing power to decode it in realtime at sufficient speed to deliver 25 or 30 frames per second smoothly.
Users of lower powered PCs, and netbooks especially, will therefore be glad to hear of the impending release of Flash version 10.1. Amongst a multitude of other improvements one of the most exciting is the utilisation by Adobe of the hardware decoding capabilities of many current graphics cards/chipsets, such as those made by AMD or nVidia. Many of these cards support h.264 decompression and can handle it much faster than many CPUs can. And the nice thing is, that a number of current netbooks for example use such chipsets – so with Flash 10.1 they can finally display 720p HD video (and perhaps even 1080p) which is produced with Flash, smoothly!
Flash 10.1 is still in Beta – but you can download a Beta version and try it out yourself (but be prepared for possible problems… you may wish to revert back to the standard version 10 if you do encounter them). Visit www.adobe.com and do a search on Flash 10.1.
Canon PowerShot SX1 IS
The Canon PowerShot SX1 IS was launched in the UK around the end of 2008. Most digital cameras these days seem to have a life-span of little over 12 months, as the camera makers rush to continually update their product line and introduce revised versions every six to 12 months.
In the case of the SX1 however it is still going strong – which says something about how good it was when first introduced.
What is unique about the SX1 is that it was the first non-SLR digital camera to offer Full HD (1080p) video recording, in addition to its 10 megapixel, 20x zoom, still capabilities. A number of other digicams around at the time offered 720p HD video, but none offered 1080p, and certainly not at the high bit rate offered by the SX1. In fact, so good is the HD video of this camera, that few other rival models exist today which can deliver the same results. Which goes some way to explaining why Canon have yet to update the model.
As I was so impressed by the SX1 at launch I eventually bought one. I was not disappointed and continue to enjoy using it today.
Here is the ‘mini-review’ I wrote some time ago…
…
After much research I chose the SX1 (over SX10 or Panasonic FZ28) as a replacement for my A610.
Despite reading reviews, my first impression was that it was larger than expected… and perhaps a little heavier. Expectations are subjective of course, but this is no `pocket’ camera! It’s very solid (think `small DSLR’ rather than `compact’), and though mainly plastic it’s very well built. The lens surround is metal, and there’s a metal tripod thread. It feels comfortable when held, and the weight should help avoid camera shake (as does excellent Image Stabilisation).
(Note – if you `rock’ the camera gently whilst off there’s a slight clunking noise, sounding like a loose item inside. You don’t hear this when switched on. Apparently Canon say that it’s perfectly normal. So don’t be disconcerted!)
The second thing that stood out was the clarity of the display. The 2.8 inch screen is considerably larger than my A610′s and very crisp and colourful. The viewfinder display is less impressive, but useable, but with the main screen so clear I’ll probably use that more.
The 20x zoom lens is quite long when extended and reach is impressive. The lens cap is a pain – ideally it would be attached with a cord, but it can clip to the neck-strap. I miss an `automatic’ lens cover but there you go.
If you’ve used another Canon compact you’ll find the UI and menus familiar. There are many options to navigate, but all are accessed via a straightforward system, with `shortcut’ buttons provided on the body (MF, ISO, Macro, Timer, Exposure compensation and a dedicated video record button which is really useful – no need to find video `mode’ before filming). The widescreen display is used well with info neatly arranged to get the most from the space provided. In `normal’ photo mode the image occupies the central area with settings shown on the right and left avoiding obscuring the image. Switch to widescreen mode for stills (and HD video) and the image then occupies the full width.
STILLS
The `$6 Million’ question is how good is the image quality? I’d say very good.
Overall quality of picture in terms of sharpness, focus, colour, exposure and so on, is very good. In terms of `noise’, from what I’ve seen the SX1 delivers generally good results. Initial tests were mainly indoors in natural light – a `worst case scenario’ test. Generally the SX1 coped well and shots in brighter light are obviously better! Using `Auto’ at mainly 100 or 200ISO shots were clean and tidy. At normal viewing resolution no real noise is visible. Zoomed to 2, 4 or even 6 megapixels images are fine and prints at 6×4, or perhaps even A4 size, should be fine.
At 100% the 10 megapixel indoor images do exhibit some `graininess’. However, this is probably `normal’ for most 8+ megapixel compacts, which are pushing the limits of what a small sensor can achieve. With good light outdoors, I’m sure the SX1 is capable of producing superb shots, and at 10 megapixels opportunities are presented for cropping and enlarging.
Outdoor shots, despite dull weather, have come out very well. The zoom allows you to get in very close to subjects. Also, the wide angle (28mm) is great for group and indoor shots.
HD VIDEO
A large attraction of the SX1 is its Full HD video (1080p). With this the SX1 is something of a pioneer.
I shot several videos and converted to WMF using WinFF on my PC for smooth playback (see comments other review). With settings of 30000bps, 30fps, 1920/1080, the WMFs played back smoothly. Quality is superb – every bit as good as hoped for. Surprisingly, though Canon recommend Class 6, video worked fine with my Class 4 card (Sandisk Ultra II, 8Gb).
Indoors video came out fine, and though the SX1 can `overexpose’ in bright light it is no worse than my `normal’ camcorder.
One great thing is that you can grab 2 megapixel stills from the video. This is like having 30fps `burst mode’ on the camera. Just convert to .wmv and via Windows Movie Maker you can save any frame as a JPG – perfect for 6×4 prints!
HD video is all I hoped it would be. Shoots fine, looks superb, CD quality sound, easily transferred to PC (no more `capturing’ from tape) and with right software excellent results are achieved. It really does give you an HD camcorder in a stills camera. You’d want a good capacity card (16GB=56mins), but 16Gb are now available from about £20. The SX1 fits less video on a card than many HD camcorders, but there’s a simple reason: Most HD camcorders encode at between 15 and 24Mbs – whereas the SX1 shoots at around 43Mbs!!…. And it shows!
EARLY CONCLUSIONS
The SX1 is a great, all-in-one, `bridge’ camera. Well built, great zoom & wide angle, feels solid, takes good pictures, and superb video. With many features, manual controls, macro, 4fps burst mode, and so on, you get a lot for your money. There’s a neck strap (you’ll need it), a useful remote control for photos, video and playback, a composite video lead for TV, a USB lead, and PC software for photo/video playback. Sadly the main manual is on CD and for HDTV playback you’ll need an HDMI cable. The camera takes AA batteries – personally I like that – AAs are cheap, so easy to carry spares, and good rechargeables last a fair while.
The SX1 isn’t a `small compact’ nor a DSLR, but for high zoom, less bulk, and HD video in a stills camera the SX1 is the ideal choice. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
iPad unleashed
On the 27th January Steve Jobs finally unveiled Apple’s new iPad tablet computer to an expectant audience. The much anticipated device drew a range of reactions. Some have hailed it as a ‘game changer’ – others are disappointed.
The web has been awash with articles and comments about Apple’s new device, and one major website which has given the iPad extensive coverage is the BBC. It’s been noticeable in recent years how the BBC has latched onto the excitement which seems to follow each new Apple launch, and covered the launches as ‘major events’. Few other PC companies could attract this kind of media following… but is it warranted? Or is the BBC and other parts of the media simply providing Apple with a lot of free advertising?
The iPad is certainly an interesting device. But time will tell if it is indeed a ‘Game Changer’. It is by no means the first ‘tablet’ computer on the market, and given its similarities with the iPhone (which it seems to be something of a big brother to) much of its ‘look and feel’ has been seen before – just not in something this big. But one thing is for sure – Apple knows how to make good software, and how to market a product. The mere fact that this is APPLE’s tablet gives it a huge headstart over its rivals. After all, the iPhone is not the ‘best’ of its breed, but the way Apple’s software on the iPhone works, the way they market it, and the simple fact that it is made by Apple has granted it great success.
We’ll see if the iPad follows in its footsteps.
Benchmarks – Just how to make sense of performance
With the ever increasing number of different CPU models incorporated in today’s PCs, not to mention graphics cards, memory and hard disk drives, it can be a bewildering exercise trying to figure out just how the performance of one machine compares to another.
When we come to browse the varying laptops and PCs available, we’re confronted with clock rates, number of cores, memory bus speeds, caches sizes and so on. But what do all these numbers really mean, and how do they really translate in terms of actual performance? Does a 2Ghz processor always go faster than a 1.6Ghz processor? Do I need Dual-Core or Triple-Core? Does a larger CPU model number always mean it’s quicker?
The simply fact is that faster clock rates DO NOT necessarily translate into faster overall performance, as all the factors need to be combined. A Dual Core processor at 1.6Ghz is usually faster than a Single Core processor at 2.0Ghz for example.
So… how can we brush aside all the model numbers and claims and find a real ‘Miles Per Hour’ figure for the processor of graphics card in the PC we’re considering purchasing?
The easiest way is to look at some actual ‘benchmarks’, and indeed to find a good website which compares the various CPU models and graphics cards out there, based on these benchmarks. Benchmarks are various performance tests which are run on each machine. They measure how quick it is at performing various types of tasks and grade the results accordingly. By combining a number of different benchmark results from various benchmark tools together you can combine the results to produce an ‘average’ speed by which one machine can be compared to another.
What we really want when researching PC models is a website that lists benchmark results and enables easy comparisons. One of the best I’ve come across is cpubenchmark.net . This site provides various charts and lists comparing processors, graphics cards, hard drives and so on. It really is a great aid to research and I highly recommend it.
HP Pavilion All-in-One MS228uk
HP have just released the new MS228uk ‘All-in-One’ PC here in the UK. This new ‘All-in-One’ follows in the same family of PC’s which HP introduced not so many weeks back with the MS215. The MS228 is, if you like, a big-brother to the MS215.
HP MS220 Series 'All-in-One'
I have to say that I really liked the look of the MS215 when I first saw it, but couldn’t help feel a bit disappointed, and somewhat underwhelmed, by the actual specification. Whilst ‘acceptable’ at the price, it didn’t exactly have the fastest of processors or a great deal of memory (2Gb). A number of laptops in the same price range came with double that memory and much faster processors.
That said, the MS215 still presented an interesting proposition, especially in a market segment where it didn’t really have too many rivals. Above it, at the higher end (£750+), were the HP TouchSmarts, the Apple iMacs, and a number of Sony ‘All-in-Ones’ amongst others. And below it (in the £300 to £400 price bracket) were a number of ‘nettops’ with rather limited Intel Atom processors and specifications. Along with the Dell Inspiron 19 the HP MS215 slotted in somewhere in between. It lacked the touch screen capability of the more expensive TouchSmarts, yet provided most of the other facilities which most users would want from a mid-range home PC.
With a nice 18.5 inch display, good-quality built-in speakers, good hard disk space, integrated wireless connection, Windows 7, and a tidy ‘all-in-one’ design which eliminated cables, and added a certain sense of portability to the machine without some of the limitations of a laptop, the HP MS215 did appeal to a certain market segment.
But… it still felt underpowered. And I think HP were listening to the reactions of the press when they launched it, as now, hot on its heels, they have delivered to us the upgraded, souped-up, more-powerful, MS228.
The MS228 is, to all intents and purposes, the same machine as the MS215 but now includes 4Gb of Ram (double the MS215′s), a 500Gb hard drive (plenty of space for most users), and a much faster AMD Athlon II X2 250u processor (the MS215 had the 3250e). This processor really is what the MS215 should have had first time around, and with this specification HP have quickly lifted the MS200 series out of the ‘possibly missed opportunity’ category into the realms of ‘attractive proposition for the price’. I believe they have a much more potent machine on offer here… and the best bit is that the price hasn’t gone up! In fact, bought direct from HP it is even cheaper at only £445 in the UK.
But, alas, the MS228 is not without its failings, and I can’t help but feel a little bit frustrated with HP here. It wouldn’t have taken much to fix some of the following and deliver the ‘ideal’ mid-range ‘All-in-One’.
The MS228 (and MS215 for that matter) has a few drawbacks all relating to its display and graphics support which really could do with some improvement. They may not bother everyone, but they do ‘hold it back’. Firstly, despite having an 18.5 inch display which is larger than the largest of laptops, the screen resolution only has a maximum of 1366 x 768. This is the typical resolution offered on most current 15.6 inch laptops these days. 17 inch laptops usually offer 1600 x 900, so with an 18.5 inch display I don’t really understand why HP couldn’t have provided such a resolution. It might not be a deal-breaker (as 1366 x 768 is fine for playing back 720p HD video, for viewing photographs, browsing the web, and so on), but many users would appreciate the extra space that a higher resolution would offer (especially on web-browsing).
That might not be such an issue if you could connect the machine to an external display, such as a higher resolution monitor or HDTV. Many laptops now offer an HDMI external connection to allow you to do this, so with a 15.6 inch laptop you can plug in to another display for when you want to ‘see more’ of your work. With the HP MS200 series however, you’re stuck with what you’ve got. The built-in display is all there is. No HDMI port, no DVI port, not even an external VGA port!
So that’s a shame. Like I said, it might not bother many, might not bother you, but I really would have liked to have seen either a higher-resolution display on the MS228, and/or an external HDMI. Also, an HDMI INPUT would have been nice to see. That would allow you to use the built-in monitor as a display for other machines. For example, if you had a 10 or 11 inch netbook with an HDMI output, you could then connect it to the MS228 to use as a large monitor. But… alas, no can do.
Finally, my other disappointment with the MS200 series is the in-built graphics card. The ATI Radeon HD 3200 is certainly better than the standard Intel 4500 graphics which many lower cost machines ship with, but it isn’t amazing. It certainly isn’t aimed at gamers… and neither perhaps is the MS228. But something a bit more powerful would have been nice, then at least you’d have the option of playing some of the more recent games, whereas as it stands most of the latest titles would need to be played on the lowest graphics settings or resolution, if indeed, they’d play at all. Older games should play fine, however, and that may be all that most HP 228 prospective customers would want. But… why spoil the ship for a ha’penny’s worth of tar?
The technical specifications DO list a Mini PCI internal port on the MS228… but it would appear to be occupied (perhaps with the wireless networking card). That might provide the opportunity for adding a faster graphics card… but perhaps not. Without looking I can’t say if there would be the space (some of these graphics cards can be quite big). But, for its intended market, I suspect that the built-in graphics card might be all that’s needed. If you have no interest in games – no problem! This machine will cope just fine with photos, internet, email, wordprocessing, and even HD video (even 1080p should playback fine, albeit at 1366 x 768).
SUMMARY
So… how would I rate these machines? Well, I think at this point in time the MS215 would be somewhere around a 7/10 and the MS228 an 8/10. With a few improvements however, HP could easily have made it a 9/10.
Nevertheless, with the advent of the MS228 HP have certainly raised the game of their MS200 series PCs. It will be interesting to see whether the MS215 now fades from view, or whether HP simply drop the price and keep it available alongside the MS228 as the entry-level model.
The Wireless Mouse
There seems to be a trend these days for replacing the good old mouse with a hamster. Gone are the tails that tied the rodent to it’s home and battery-powered wireless ‘tail-less’ mice haven taken over desktops with a flurry. It’s a nice idea if it wasn’t for one thing – no tail, no mouse! Call them hamsters, but they ain’t like me!
Anyway, if you’re in the market for one of these impostors you’ll probably be entirely bewildered by the range of choice. A quick search on Amazon (for example) will bring up just about every type, size, shape and colour you can imagine. One or two I quite like include…
Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000
The Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000
(Especially the red one! )
Logitech M505
And the Logitech M505 – not the cheapest, but it has a nice, really small, USB plug which will fit really unobtrusively in the side of a laptop.
But what do you think? Are ‘hamsters’ as good as they seem? Or does having to change the batteries annoy you? Are they just a ‘fashion thing’ or truly practical?
Welcome to The Message Mouse
Welcome to The Message Mouse.
This is the home of The Message Mouse – a mouse with a view, a mouse with a thought, a mouse with an opinion… a mouse with an idea.
Drawing inspiration from his owner, who has been involved in the computer industry for nearly three decades, The Message Mouse is here to share his thoughts, views, comments and reviews of all things technological that happen to inspire him… and perhaps a few things not so hi-tech from time to time.
Enjoy – and thanks for visiting!
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