Posted 11/19/09 at 03:50:14 PM by Bart Salisbury

It’s not an easy thing, conceptualizing bunches of data. Efforts at visualization range from the simple (elementary statistics), to the complex (Mark Lombardi’s Global Networks, for example). The clever jakes at Microsoft Live Labs have debuted their way of visually managing lots of data with Pivot.

According the Pivot web site: “Pivot makes it easier to interact with massive amounts of data in ways that are powerful, informative, and fun. We tried to step back and design an interaction model that accommodates the complexity and scale of information rather than the traditional structure of the Web.”

At its heart, Pivot is a database manager. It works on a “collection” of data that is tagged with an image. The image, reflective of its underlying data, is then manipulated using keywords and filters. Data can be stored locally or online, with the number of data points in complex arrangements limited only by available storage capacity. High resolution images within the dataset are manipulated using Seadragon, Microsoft Live Labs’ image manipulation software.

But wait, there's more!

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Posted 10/30/08 at 02:40:37 PM by Alex Castle

It was at the beginning of 2008 that the Blu-ray/HD DVD format war came to an end, and it looks like the beginning of 2009 is going to see the start of a new battle. Blu-ray just got a new competitor, and if maker Royal Digital Media can deliver on their promises, it could mean big trouble for Sony’s format.

News of the new format broke by way of a press release from DreamStream, who RDM has contracted to provide military-grade, 2,048-bit encryption for the discs. Compared to Blue-rays paltry 128-bit encryption, the new format should prove significantly more of a challenge to crack, which must look good to publishers looking to protect their IP.

RDM says that their as-of-yet-unnamed HD disk will be able to hold 100GB of data, and will support 1920p video. That means that a single disc will be able to hold about 4 hours of super-HD content.

The best part about RDM’s new format? According to the press release, it’s based on “inexpensive red laser technology” and therefore the discs and players will cost about as much as traditional DVDs and players.

The format is scheduled to launch as soon as the beginning of 2009. It’s going to be interesting to see if they can keep their promises. If they can, is this going to spell the end of Blue-ray? Tell us what you think after the jump.

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Posted 10/01/08 at 12:53:51 PM by Michael Brown

This multi-function Wi-Fi device is super handy in some applications; utterly useless in others. It’s great if you have an extensive hardwired network and want to deploy a wireless access point and a three-port switch in a room your Wi-Fi router can’t otherwise reach. But it sucks as a wireless bridge because of its extremely poor range.

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Posted 07/31/08 at 08:11:55 PM by Michael Brown

Accell’s UltraAV HDMI 4:2 Audio/Video Switch is either a Dr. Jekyll or a Mr. Hyde of a home-theater product. The creature you’ll encounter depends on the video source you connect to it. Read on to find out just what we're talking about.

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