It is my aim to have a bunch of guests from various gaming and technology websites within each episode, discussing the latest developments while dipping into retro nostalgia.

For our first edition, please welcome Marty Greenwell – writer, editor and new podcast host at ConsoleMonster.com, Peter Willington – Handheld Editor & Community Manager at PocketGamer.co.uk and Ken Barnes – Editor at PureXbox.com.

Topics:

• Overall presentation style compared to PS4 announcement
• The name ‘Xbox One’ discussion
• The look of the actual console hardware
• The console specifications
• Still confusion over used games and ‘always on’ – Xbox FAQ
• Xbox One HDD is non-removable, supports external USB storage
• Xbox One lets you save and restart your game at any point
• Smart Match and recording & sharing of gameplay
• Expanded Achievements
• The new Kinect that is now a standard feature with Xbox One
• The updated controller features
• No backwards compatibility for retail titles or Xbox Live Arcade purchases and Xbox 360 controllers not supported, but will allow media transfers

We hope you enjoy the podcast.

The use of touchscreens in smart phones and other devices is certainly not a new invention and in fact the reasons why this direct interface makes sense from a user stand point remain as true as they did in its inception.

User-Friendly

I remember over a decade ago, I was enduring the rigours of the driving test theory examination. A touchscreen was quite a novel device however even then, the understanding that the technology could be used in such a way was already apparent.

iOS music player playback & volume controls

You needn’t be the master of the computer universe with technical diplomas and awards coming out of your ears. With just the use of your finger, you could control your destiny quite literally.

Almost anyone can use a touchscreen be they an infant or much further up the age scale with the elderly. With this wide age range of individuals, the possibilities available to developers can be a little overwhelming.

Training

Very little tuition will be required for any staff members or home users if the app has been created with ease of use in mind. Reducing additional costs for businesses and allowing everyone to enjoy the wonders available.  

Virtual Peripherals

Although certain phones have featured full qwerty keyboards that cleverly slide out from behind the screen, they inevitably added extra bloat to the size of the device and additional weight. The same applies to other exterior add-ons and a far better solution and a more practical one was to incorporate virtual touchscreen alternatives.

iOS Virtual QWERTY keyboard

Matching almost exactly the real-life counterpart, the virtual keyboard provides a similar experience without the need for additional hardware. It doesn’t stop at just a keyboard; this same virtual philosophy can also be applied in other areas, reducing the clutter of buttons, switches and dials.

This version includes a Flac Lossless option, improved audio mastering and slightly reduced reverb.

LINK: Inherit the Earth ‘Fan Made’ Soundtrack for ScummVM

Version 1.2 includes FLAC lossless audio as well as the standard Ogg Vorbis option and features improved audio mastering with slightly reduced reverb.

You can download the update from my website:
LINK: Beneath A Steel Sky External Music Download

FLAC lossless audio has been a requested feature of my ScummVM Music Enhancement Project for many years and I am happy to announce that my Simon the Sorcerer enhanced soundtrack also includes this as an option for download.

Version 2.3 includes FLAC lossless audio as well as the standard Ogg Vorbis option.

You can download the update from my website:
LINK: Simon the Sorcerer External Music Download

To find out more information about WPtouch, visit the Brave New Code website.

Version 2.1 includes FLAC lossless audio as well as the standard Ogg Vorbis option and features improved audio mastering with slightly reduced reverb. I am still searching for the complete MIDI soundtrack at the correct slightly slower tempo, so if you have any assets that would help – please contact me.

A big thank you for the countless emails I have had about this particular release and of course to Terry Pratchett for allowing my enhancements to be released for your enjoyment.

To install, extract the music from the zip file and copy it to your Discworld folder on your hard drive. Make sure you have the latest version of ScummVM (minimum v1.0). For best quality (although not mandatory), start the ScummVM program and select Discworld. Now select [Edit Game], switch to Audio tab and set Sample Rate to 44kHz.

If you would like to consider donating, please click the button below:

To download the soundtrack, click one of the links below:

• FLAC Lossless – Stereo (662MB)
  Discworld – Full Soundtrack Version 2.1 (4th May, 2013) (78 hits)
• OGG Vorbis – Stereo (174MB)
  Discworld – Full Soundtrack Version 2.1 (4th May, 2013) (87 hits)

Previous versions…

• High Quality – OGG Vorbis – Stereo (129MB)
  Discworld – Full Soundtrack Version 2.0 (17th August, 2009) (5728 hits)
• Low Quality – OGG Vorbis – Mono (24MB)
  Discworld – Full Soundtrack Version 2.0 (17th August, 2009) (894 hits)

Webmasters: Please do not link to the files directly, instead link to this page!

Glyn was kind enough to send a number of images from his musical history to be included in the trailer and it also features one of his tracks in full from the CD:

To mark my (first) forty years as a musician I’d like to take you back in time – starting with a collection of brand new recordings, made using a mixture of Yamaha and Nord instruments, before stepping back through the years to include some of my favourite tracks from the early days. I hope you will enjoy them too.
Glyn Madden – The Yamaha Club

Editing the trailer in Adobe Premiere Pro CS6

Glyn Madden’s ‘Reflections‘ CD is available from The Yamaha Club website.

Version 2.2 includes FLAC lossless audio as well as the standard Ogg Vorbis option and features improved audio mastering with slightly reduced reverb. Also a couple of the tracks utilise improved looping.

You can download the update from my website:
LINK: Simon the Sorcerer External Music Download

GWR Manor Class

Train Simulator 2013 weiß schon jetzt mit einem beeindruckenden Angebot an Downloads zu überzeugen einschließlich der großen Eisenbahnen der Vergangenheit. Mit der neuesten Ergänzung, der Manor Class oder Class 7800, wird diese Tradition standesgemäß weitergeführt.

GWR Manor Class Review featured in Train Sim Magazin

123456►

Class 3700 ‘City of Truro’

Class 3700 ‘City of Truro’ Review featured in Train Sim Magazin

Die Great Western Railway (GWR) hat dem National Railway Museum die „City of Truro“ gestiftet, eine Lokomotive mit einer 4-4-0 Radsatzanordnung und roten, auffälligen Design-Elementen, während 19 andere leider verschrottet und nie wieder gesehen wurden.

1234...8910►

London to Faversham route with Class 395

London to Faversham Review featured in Train Sim Magazin

London to Faversham Review featured in Train Sim Magazin

London to Faversham Review featured in Train Sim Magazin

Manchmal reicht es einfach nicht, nur von A nach B zu gelangen. Wir müssen unser innerstes Verlangen nach Geschwindigkeit befriedigen, und London-Faversham bietet sowohl die typischen Reisegeschwindigkeiten, wie man sie von herkömmlichen Strecken erwarten würde, als auch Hochgeschwindigkeitspassagen, bei denen Sie Ihre Lust auf berauschende Geschwindigkeiten ausleben können.

1234...101112►

In 1956 – 1959, the Class 101 Diesel Multiple Units were built by Metro-Cammell at Washwood Heath in Birmingham, proving to be one of the most recognisable locomotives of its era due to its fantastic success and only being withdrawn as recently as 2003. Upgraded from a previous Class 101 pack, it now features the Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) livery. With its bold orange and black sides plus bright yellow front, the Class 101 for its age is still an attractive piece of transport heritage.

You can download the full magazine in English below:
> Simulator World Magazine – April 2013

Strathclyde Class 101 Review in Simulator World Magazine

1234567►

Different surroundings offer different challenges and many of these you will need to address.

Indoors

Playing a game at home with Sonic Dash for iOS

At Home

There’s no place like home and for the app creator, a nice place to begin as really the only limitation is your imagination. Go crazy and create an interface that achieves all of your targets as at home, the only person you need to impress is the user. Always follow good interface practises of course, but in this location you won’t suffer the typical concerns of other environments mentioned below.

The Office

Productivity is all about speed and efficiency in a working environment. Avoid fancy and lengthy animations that can grind everything to a halt.

Sounds also should be extremely limited. Nobody wishes to hear beeps and other repetitive audio cues within an office as it disturbs other workers. Instead, look for other methods of indicating progression or function with graphical elements or other less invasive methods such as vibration.

The Workman

If an app has been created as a reference source or tool, the chances are that both hands won’t be available. While grasping a small portable device, the only available digits the workman can employ may be his thumb, so be careful to design an interface that doesn’t rely on multi-touch gestures or overly complicated swipes. Try to centralise all of the button presses as it will feel more natural with only a single hand available, reducing the need to stretch. 

The Great Outdoors

TomTom Satellite Navigation app on iOS

Out in the Car

Keeping your eyes on the road is far more important than monitoring a display. With only a moment or two available to glance at the screen, the information presented needs to be instantly recognisable, without any kind of confusion.

Text should be quite large and easily legible, so avoid an overly complicated colour scheme that affects the font’s visibility. Work out where the most important information should be located within the display and remove unnecessary jumble.

The vehicle will be in two states. One while the vehicle is sitting still and the other of course on the move. In a static position, the driver could be offered additional features. When in motion, options should be limited to avoid distracting the driver.

When driving, triggering a function on the screen with a wobbly finger isn’t ideal, so help the driver by including large buttons.

In Public

Whether in a zipped pocket or fashionable handbag, the trusty mobile phone is usually best left there until absolutely required to protect them from accidental scrapes and to reduce the chances of loss. The latest gadgets also come at a fairly hefty price and are often an easy target for thieves.

Therefore out of the relative safety of your home, be it on public transport or out for a leisurely stroll, the less visible the hardware the better. Consider how you can limit user interaction. Offer automation wherever possible, removing the need for constant user intervention.

A big thank you for the countless emails and tweets I have had about this particular release and of course to the ScummVM team for implementing the external audio files I have created – allowing my enhancements to be released for your enjoyment. Also to the original game music composer Ben Daglish for his excellent work within the game.

Using pure digital recording methods and Yamaha workstations, it is my personal aim to increase the quality of the music, however still remaining true to the originals. Using ScummVM, to which I will be aiming the tracks to be used for exclusively, we will all be able to enjoy the game music all over again with hopefully a far superior sound quality.
ScummVM Music Enhancement Project

Instructions

To install, extract the music from the zip file and copy it to the ‘Touche’ folder on your hard drive. Make sure you have version 1.6.0. (or later) of the ScummVM software when released, or the latest daily build. For best quality (although not mandatory), start the ScummVM program and select ‘Touché: The Adventures of the Fifth Musketeer’. Now select [Edit Game], switch to Audio tab, tick the ‘Overide Global Audio Settings’ and set Sample Rate to 44kHz.

Download the soundtrack below:

• High Quality – OGG Vorbis – Stereo (43MB)
  Touché: The Adventures of the Fifth Musketeer – Full Soundtrack Version 1.0 (18th December, 2012) (333 hits)

The HDR-1010S is the latest set-top box from Humax to take advantage of Freesat (via a satellite dish), as well as offering a new feature known as Free Time.

I have been a Sky subscriber for many years, so it’s inevitable I will be comparing the two set-top boxes within this review – as well as its predecessor the HDR-1000S.

What is Freesat?

Freesat requires a satellite dish rather than using your outside aerial, although this offers a lot of advantages. Satellite television has always enjoyed a huge assortment of channels, often outstripping other methods of delivery and the same also applies here.

Freesat has over 150 digital channels, including TV, radio and interactive services. If you or a previous occupant of your home have had a Sky satellite dish installed, you can even re-use it for receiving Freesat. This is certainly handy, although do check your warranty information if you currently use a different satellite television provider to make sure it won’t affect the terms of your cover.

If you have to start from scratch, you will obviously require a satellite dish to be fitted to receive Freesat. In this case, Freesat recommend you book an installation directly through them, although you can also choose to use a local installer.

Although offering a very similar selection of high definition programming compared to Freeview (over an aerial), it is Freesat that has the potential to deliver the greatest range of HD channels in the future. You can view the channel listing on the official Freesat website.

Hardware

Front of the HDR-1010S

The Humax HDR-1010S replaces the black finish of its predecessor the HDR-1000S, with a new white design while also incorporating built-in wireless connectivity (802.11b/g/n MIMO 2×2). If the thought of an Ethernet cable stretching over a large distance disturbs you, or it’s simply not possible due to the location of your router – the HDR-1010S is the model for you.

It also comes with a 1TB internal hard drive as standard, which is used to store all of your recordings with plenty of room for a variety of individual programmes, movies and TV series.

If you were a Sky subscriber previously, chances are that the satellite dish and the leads that connect to it are compatible with the Humax device. You can connect a single feed or preferably two to your Humax HDR-1010S without any installation costs if this is the case. Two feeds are best so you can record two programmes simultaneously or record one channel while viewing another.

To look at, the Humax HDR-1010S is a fairly unusual yet appealing device. Not the typical rectangular box with straight lines you might expect from a set-top box, instead a white sloping design with the overall dimensions pretty small compared to my Sky+ HD hardware – finished off with a chrome-like strip that houses a few buttons. Although it is nice to see a colour other than black available in the range, in practise it may prove to be a little more difficult to place among your other hardware as I found, surrounded with the classic black devices.

The various ports available on the back of the Humax HDR-1010S

HDR-1010S Ethernet Port and more…

The front of the HDR-1010S features a few navigation controls and the power button, as well as a conveniently placed USB port that is revealed by opening a flap. Also included is a basic display that details the current channel you are watching among other things and a few text indicators that are unfortunately incredibly hard to read.

Around the back of the unit, there are ports for two satellite inputs, HDMI, composite video, stereo audio, scart, SPDIF, ethernet, USB port and of course power.

Interface & Remote Control

When connecting the Humax HDR-1010S to my HDTV, I was quite simply astonished at the increased picture quality that came through compared to my Sky+ HD box. I never had problems with the Sky device’s picture quality before, however there was certainly a very noticeable bump in detail and colour reproduction that looked absolutely sublime when switching to the wonderful HDR-1010S.

The HDMI output from the HDR-1010S also sends a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound stream, which my Sky+ HD box refused to do and instead I had to resort to Optical Out. Another big plus for the Humax device.

HDR-1010S remote control

The remote control itself is a very light yet long device, featuring the typical buttons you would expect including playback controls, navigation options and numeric keys. As remotes go, it is competent enough for operation, but just doesn’t go far enough to provide a truly user-friendly experience. The Sky+ remote playback controls can be easily used in complete darkness if need be due to its clever positioning and size of the buttons, unfortunately the Humax remote is a little more tricky. There are some nice touches though, for example I adore using the right navigation selector to advance a recording by 30 second increments – far more useful in my opinion than using the dedicated fast forward button in most scenarios.

HDR-1010S (left) HDR-1000S remote (right)

Compared to the previous HDR-1000S remote, a few of the buttons have been relocated. ‘Home’ is now no longer placed among the navigation controls and instead finds itself just below with a clear colour surrounding it to stand out a little more. Where the ‘Home’ button once was, a ‘Search’ option is found – providing a quick way of locating content from the TV guide listings. ‘Text’ has also now shifted to the top row due to these other alterations.

Included with the Humax HDR-1010S

The interface in conjunction with the remote control works well, although lacks again crucial refinement. The remote control features four coloured buttons, however unlike the Sky alternative the Humax device doesn’t utilise these ‘stand-out’ controls within the navigation to skip to regularly used functions. For example, the Humax recordings interface requires you to press ‘ok’ on the remote, revealing a list of operations including resume, about, watch from start, close menu, keep and delete. Ideally there should be a key along the bottom of the screen utilising the colored buttons, where the blue button for example could be delete. The list system is just too clumsy for quick operation and even more bizarre is that in other areas of the interface the coloured buttons are actually used! Puzzling…

TV Guide Now and Next display

Compared to the Sky TV guide, the Humax design is actually far clearer. With a nice large font, clean colour scheme and even channel logos – it is sharp and inviting. Navigation is a little slow, which isn’t helped by fairly elaborate transitions that animate as you hop from one section to another. The noticeable lag, although no doubt designed to add a layer of interest and pleasure, actually achieves the opposite. It’s just too much and slows down the operation of the platform. Either a faster processor should be included, or the animations reduced.

TV Guide (EPG) in full

It’s also not obvious from the front whether the device is recording unless you have amazing eyesight, would have been nice to include a subtle blinking red power light or other more obvious indication. The display on the front of the HDR-1010S displays the current recording or channel, however I really don’t see why we need this panel. There is certainly enough on-screen information to compensate and it makes the device look a little dated in truth.

Recordings display

Another downside is that there is no filter for showing only HD channels in the TV Guide, instead a lengthy list of genres including entertainment, news & sport, movies, lifestyle and others are available. You can however create yourself a list of favourites, so here seemed to be a good location to store the few high definition channels available on the Freesat platform.

Free time & On Demand

If your Humax HDR-1010S is connected to the Internet, you can enjoy additional features.

By simply navigating to the left of the TV Guide timeline, you enter an area which allows you to look back in the past and launch programmes that were previously shown earlier in the day. This is limited to only a few channels currently including BBC and ITV, however it does provide a convenient way to use your TV guide to view missed programming and if available – play them back at will. This allows you to remain in the TV Guide and saves you manually opening up a seperate On Demand app such as BBC iPlayer and locating the item yourself, although of course this is also an option…

On Demand services

BBC iPlayer and ITV Player are included with the device and offer a dedicated area to view each provider’s available streaming content. This is perfect if you have forgotten to record a programme to the internal storage as there is a good chance it will be available to stream instantly over the Internet instead. Channel 4 and 5 apps are shown on the Humax box as coming ‘soon’, so hopefully we won’t have to wait very long for these to appear. What has been added though is just as important and that is a YouTube app.

YouTube on the HDR-1010S

YouTube is a content giant not just for professional video content creators, but for amateurs as well. If you needed a reason to create a YouTube account, this is it! With a YouTube account, you can create a subscription list of ‘channels’ you wish to follow covering all manner of subjects and this appears within the Humax YouTube app. Viewing YouTube content through a large television screen is a wonderful experience and although I have various devices that can access this content, the Humax is by far my preferred choice. It’s quiet, includes an attractive user interface and links in to my account with only a few simple steps (computer required). There is a slight bug where ‘loading’ blinks on and off at various times during playback, however I hope this will be corrected in an update soon.

You can even play MP3 music, view JPEG photos and watch various video file formats using the HDR-1010S either from a USB stick, network-attached storage or capable media sharing device such as a computer.

Conclusion

The Humax HDR-1010S boasts a jaw dropping picture quality, a visually impressive interface – all while packing in numerous additional features to take advantage of online functionality.

As much as I enjoy the HDR-1010S, it isn’t a truly ‘premium’ experience yet, due to a fairly complicated navigation system provided by Freesat that simply doesn’t match the Sky+ HD alternative for clever concise operation. It’s an impressive set-top box, but it could have been an exceptional one with just a little more consideration. However, that isn’t to say that this Humax offering shouldn’t be considered, in fact if you want to remove the tiresome monthly payments for a subscription service yet wish to hold on to the advantages of a satellite system – the HDR-1010S delivers the essentials with stunning picture and sound quality.

I haven’t missed the Sky platform once and with more channels gradually appearing on the Freesat platform, the choice available for TV viewing has become a lot more interesting!

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

As part of the funding incentive, they are releasing samples for free at various points in the campaign. On this occasion, a selection of video game retro type loops containing bass, drums, FX and more to play around with.

Using GarageBand to import the free loops, adjust the panning and add a couple of unique instrument tracks – here is my finished Chiptune inspired track.

You can also listen to my podcast interview with Leo Zullo from Wired Productions, who are creating eJay Pure.

Joining me in this latest podcast are Marty Greenwell, Reece Warrender, Steven Bourke and special guest Steve Ince.

Steve Ince is an award nominated writer and game designer, best known for his work on Revolution Software titles such as the Broken Sword series and is currently working on a freelance basis.

Monster Cast is an un-scripted casual podcast, where Console Monster staff members come together and discuss the latest news in gaming over the past few weeks.

Topics include…

• Disney closes publisher LucasArts
• DLC, EA, Xbox Support and the wrongs of Digital Distribution (Marty)
• Official Microsoft Statement regarding comments by Adam Orth – “Creative Director at Microsoft Studios. Get involved” – regarding #dealwithit
• Ouya console fires back at criticism
• Capcom ‘working’ on confirming DuckTales Remastered for PC
• Sega Europe admits to misleading Colonial Marines trailers
• The Sun reckons PS4 will be released in October
• EA: DRM is a dead-end strategy, was never discussed in SimCity meetings

Also, if you stick around until after the ending goodbyes – Steve Ince gives us an insider view of development for games including the latest Broken Sword title currently in progress!

The HDR-1000S is one of the latest set-top boxes from Humax to take advantage of Freesat (via a satellite dish), as well as offering a new feature known as Free Time.

I have been a Sky subscriber for many years, so it’s inevitable I will be comparing the two set-top boxes within this review.

What is Freesat?

Freesat requires a satellite dish rather than using your outside aerial, although this offers a lot of advantages. Satellite television has always enjoyed a huge assortment of channels, often outstripping other methods of delivery and the same also applies here.

Freesat has over 150 digital channels, including TV, radio and interactive services. If you or a previous occupant of your home have had a Sky satellite dish installed, you can even re-use it for receiving Freesat. This is certainly handy, although do check your warranty information if you currently use a different satellite television provider to make sure it won’t affect the terms of your cover.

If you have to start from scratch, you will obviously require a satellite dish to be fitted to receive Freesat. In this case, Freesat recommend you book an installation directly through them, although you can also choose to use a local installer.

Although offering a very similar selection of high definition programming compared to Freeview (over an aerial), it is Freesat that has the potential to deliver the greatest range of HD channels in the future. You can view the channel listing on the official Freesat website.

Hardware

Front of the HDR-1000S

The Humax HDR-1000S comes with either a 500GB or 1TB internal hard drive. This is to store all of your recordings and no matter which storage option you choose, there will be plenty of room for a variety of individual programmes, movies and TV series. The price difference between the two capacities are negligible, so opting for the larger storage makes a lot of sense.

If you were a Sky subscriber previously, chances are that the satellite dish and the leads that connect to it are compatible with the Humax device. You can connect a single feed or preferably two to your Humax HDR-1000S without any installation costs if this is the case. Two feeds are best so you can record two programmes simultaneously or record one channel while viewing another.

To look at, the Humax HDR-1000S is a fairly unusual yet appealing device. Not the typical rectangular box with straight lines you might expect from a set-top box, instead a pleasing black sloping design with the overall dimensions pretty small compared to my Sky+ HD hardware – finished off with a chrome-like strip that houses a few buttons.

The various ports available on the back of the Humax HDR-1000S

HDR-1000S Ethernet Port and more…

The front of the HDR-1000S features a few navigation controls and the power button, as well as a conveniently placed USB port that is revealed by opening a flap. Also included is a basic display that details the current channel you are watching among other things and a few text indicators that are unfortunately incredibly hard to read.

Around the back of the unit, there are ports for two satellite inputs, HDMI, composite video, stereo audio, scart, SPDIF, ethernet, USB port and of course power.

Interface & Remote Control

When connecting the Humax HDR-1000S to my HDTV, I was quite simply astonished at the increased picture quality that came through compared to my Sky+ HD box. I never had problems with the Sky device’s picture quality before, however there was certainly a very noticeable bump in detail and colour reproduction that looked absolutely sublime when switching to the wonderful HDR-1000S.

The HDMI output from the HDR-1000S also sends a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound stream, which my Sky+ HD box refused to do and instead I had to resort to Optical Out. Another big plus for the Humax device.

The remote control itself is a very light yet long device, featuring the typical buttons you would expect including playback controls, navigation options and numeric keys. As remotes go, it is competent enough for operation, but just doesn’t go far enough to provide a truly user-friendly experience. The Sky+ remote playback controls can be easily used in complete darkness if need be due to its clever positioning and size of the buttons, unfortunately the Humax remote is a little more tricky. There are some nice touches though, for example I adore using the right navigation selector to advance a recording by 30 second increments – far more useful in my opinion than using the dedicated fast forward button in most scenarios.

Included with the Humax HDR-1000S

The interface in conjunction with the remote control works well, although lacks again crucial refinement. The remote control features four coloured buttons, however unlike the Sky alternative the Humax device doesn’t utilise these ‘stand-out’ controls within the navigation to skip to regularly used functions. For example, the Humax recordings interface requires you to press ‘ok’ on the remote, revealing a list of operations including resume, about, watch from start, close menu, keep and delete. Ideally there should be a key along the bottom of the screen utilising the colored buttons, where the blue button for example could be delete. The list system is just too clumsy for quick operation and even more bizarre is that in other areas of the interface the coloured buttons are actually used! Puzzling…

TV Guide Now and Next display

Compared to the Sky TV guide, the Humax design is actually far clearer. With a nice large font, clean colour scheme and even channel logos – it is sharp and inviting. Navigation is a little slow, which isn’t helped by fairly elaborate transitions that animate as you hop from one section to another. The noticeable lag, although no doubt designed to add a layer of interest and pleasure, actually achieves the opposite. It’s just too much and slows down the operation of the platform. Either a faster processor should be included, or the animations reduced.

TV Guide (EPG) in full

It’s also not obvious from the front whether the device is recording unless you have amazing eyesight, would have been nice to include a subtle blinking red power light or other more obvious indication. The display on the front of the HDR-1000S displays the current recording or channel, however I really don’t see why we need this panel. There is certainly enough on-screen information to compensate and it makes the device look a little dated in truth.

Recordings display

Another downside is that there is no filter for showing only HD channels in the TV Guide, instead a lengthy list of genres including entertainment, news & sport, movies, lifestyle and others are available. You can however create yourself a list of favourites, so here seemed to be a good location to store the few high definition channels available on the Freesat platform.

Free time & On Demand

If your Humax HDR-1000S is connected to the Internet via an Ethernet cable, you can enjoy additional features. Unfortunately, this model doesn’t include built-in wireless networking – but there is a new version just released known as the Humax HDR-1010S that does. A compatible wireless dongle can also be purchased.

By simply navigating to the left of the TV Guide timeline, you enter an area which allows you to look back in the past and launch programmes that were previously shown earlier in the day. This is limited to only a few channels currently including BBC and ITV, however it does provide a convenient way to use your TV guide to view missed programming and if available – play them back at will. This allows you to remain in the TV Guide and saves you manually opening up a seperate On Demand app such as BBC iPlayer and locating the item yourself, although of course this is also an option…

On Demand services

BBC iPlayer and ITV Player are included with the device and offer a dedicated area to view each provider’s available streaming content. This is perfect if you have forgotten to record a programme to the internal storage as there is a good chance it will be available to stream instantly over the Internet instead. Channel 4 and 5 have been shown on the Humax box as coming ‘soon’, however it has been months and still no developments. What has been added though is just as important and that is a YouTube app.

YouTube on the HDR-1000S

YouTube is a content giant not just for professional video content creators, but for amateurs as well. If you needed a reason to create a YouTube account, this is it! With a YouTube account, you can create a subscription list of ‘channels’ you wish to follow covering all manner of subjects and this appears within the Humax YouTube app. Viewing YouTube content through a large television screen is a wonderful experience and although I have various devices that can access this content, the Humax is by far my preferred choice. It’s quiet, includes an attractive user interface and links in to my account with only a few simple steps (computer required). There is a slight bug where ‘loading’ blinks on and off at various times during playback, however I hope this will be corrected in an update soon.

You can even play MP3 music, view JPEG photos and watch various video file formats using the HDR-1000S either from a USB stick, network-attached storage or capable media sharing device such as a computer.

Conclusion

The Humax HDR-1000S boasts a jaw dropping picture quality, a visually impressive interface – all while packing in numerous additional features to take advantage of online functionality.

As much as I enjoy the HDR-1000S, it isn’t a truly ‘premium’ experience yet, due to a fairly complicated navigation system provided by Freesat that simply doesn’t match the Sky+ HD alternative for clever concise operation. It’s an impressive set-top box, but it could have been an exceptional one with just a little more consideration. However, that isn’t to say that this Humax offering shouldn’t be considered, in fact if you want to remove the tiresome monthly payments for a subscription service yet wish to hold on to the advantages of a satellite system – the HDR-1000S delivers the essentials with stunning picture and sound quality.

After one month with the Humax HDR-1000S, I haven’t missed the Sky platform once and with more channels gradually appearing on the Freesat platform, the choice available for TV viewing has become a lot more interesting!

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Think Simple

People who use app capable devices are not always your typical technological stereo-type. The portrayal of nerds and geeks have been associated with technology enthusiasts for many years. More recently with the widespread appeal of gadgetry, talking about the world of transistors, capacitors and diodes can even be classed as ‘cool’ by the very same people who a decade ago would have scoffed at the thought.

They have become a success due to one very important factor – they are simple to use!

Apple iOS Operating System

Not a Computer

Due to the fact that there are a group of users who are not completely confident with their computer skills, the need to carefully consider your labeling, arrangement of buttons and set of icons is crucial if your app is designed for a wider audience. Avoid typical computer terminology wherever possible unless the term is as descriptive as it suggests. For example, not everyone understands the meaning of cut, copy and paste and to the newbie may suggest a decorating application.

Typically your user-base may not be so wide ranging, in which case you can concentrate on other areas more closely.

Arrangement

Every operating system has its own way of achieving navigation. It has evolved and indeed simplified over time. Even now, I doubt the best solution for getting around a touch screen device has been invented, but until that magical day, you need to play by the rules.

Apple App Store

Don’t attempt to re-invent the wheel unless you have something really special up your sleeve. The user will be accustomed to pressing in the corners to step backwards and forwards, looking for an edit option in a particular area of the screen and so on.

Follow these precedents that the applications bundled with the device utilise to avoid unnecessary confusion. If a swipe gesture is used to delete an item, then use the exact same method as it will have become instinct to the user and reduce any complaints in your direction.

Be Brave

Although matching wherever possible the same user interface utilisations with the operating system is a sensible one, don’t be a slave to it either. Your app could be revolutionary if you take a few risks, but do ensure that navigation and function feel natural. If testers of your creation are lost and have difficulties understanding your own control formula, going back to the drawing board may be required.

eJay Pure is expected to release on iOS and Android tablets in November 2013 if funding is successful and is designed to give beginners the opportunity to create electronic music that can be shared with the community online.

In the podcast we cover the eJay legacy, designing for a touchscreen interface and what we can expect with eJay Pure.

Now after a long wait, eJay is back however this time possibly appearing on iOS and Android mobile platforms if a Kickstarter campaign to raise £150,000 by Thursday Apr 25, 8:31am BST is successful.

According to the Kickstarter page, eJay Pure has been in development for 9 months and will be the first eJay product to be completely free and to appear on mobile devices.

eJay Pure is the first multi-genre eJay product developed especially for iOS and Android users. It will incorporate professional and up to date music samples, mixed with simplified music creation functionality.
eJay Pure Kickstarter

Features…

• The first multi-genre eJay product including rock, dubstep and all things electronic!
• The first eJay product to go mobile and completely free to use
• Designed especially for touch screens
• Largest catalogue of samples available – over 100,000
• Multi-track arranger with integrated Mixer
• Import your own samples and export your mix
• Intelligent sample organiser and previewer
• Completely social network integrated from the ground up
• All creations are royalty free

Below you can listen to and download for free a full track I created on Dance eJay 2 for the PC many years ago…

I am pleased to inform you that those who own Roku devices (such as the Roku LT I reviewed) can now install my new channel ‘James Woodcock’s Podcast‘ onto their televisions, to stream the latest audio and video presentations.

The app features the 30 most recent podcasts and then further categories that splits the content into Gaming, Technology and Audio Only sections.

James Woodcock's Podcast accessible on a Roku device through a TV

Currently to install the app, all you need to do is select the small Roku logo at the very top of my website. Sign-in to your Roku account and then you are given the option to add the channel.

Once upon a time, watching a movie at home meant ordering a DVD online, waiting for it to arrive, then having it sit on your coffee table for weeks until you were in the mood to watch it.

Then we invented Roku—the original streaming player. Now, millions of people use Roku to choose what they want to watch instantly. Whether you’re exploring over 300 channels of movies and shows, delving into what really interests you, or just stumbling across something new, Roku makes it happen easily, instantly and affordably. Movie night—or any night—will never be the same.
Roku UK Website

Main menu of ‘James Woodcock’s Podcast’ Roku app

List of recent podcasts with thumbnails, title and description

Podcast episode screen

Of course, my podcasts are also available via RSS and iTunes.

Previous titles in the series required an initial payment to purchase the game, however in this latest gorgeous looking release you pay nothing upfront. Instead, micro-transactions are included which in the long run could actually cost you quite a bit of money if you are desperate to repair, upgrade and purchase vehicles.

This isn’t the first title on mobile platforms to include a payment structure such as this and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

Here is a little gameplay I captured from a 3rd generation Apple iPad:

Hyper-realistic. Pure fun. And FREE. Real Racing 3 sets a new standard for mobile racing games – it really must be experienced to be believed.

Trailblazing new features include officially licensed tracks, an expanded 22-car grid, and over 45 meticulously detailed cars from makers like Porsche, Lamborghini, Dodge, Bugatti, and Audi. Plus, racing with friends gets kicked into another dimension with the reality-bending Time Shifted Multiplayer™ (TSM) technology.
Apple App Store

Strathclyde Class 101 Review

Zwischen 1956 und 1959 wurden die Class 101 Doppeltriebwagen (DMU) von Metro-Cammell in Washwood Heath in Birmingham gebaut, eine der bekanntesten Lokomotiven dieser Zeit aufgrund ihres überwältigenden Erfolgs. Sie wurde erst 2003 aus dem Betrieb genommen.

Strathclyde Class 101 Review featured in Train Sim Magazin

1234567►

Union Pacific SD45 Review

Die SD45 erreicht eine Höchstgeschwindigkeit von 90mph (145km/h) und hat dabei einen aus 20 Zylindern bestehenden Motor mit einer Leistung von 3.600 PS. Sie wurde zuerst später aus zweiter Hand als anerkannte Arbeitskraft erworben.

Union Pacific SD45 Review featured in Train Sim Magazin

1234...678►

Also joining me in this latest video podcast are Marty Greenwell and Steven Bourke.

Monster Cast is an un-scripted casual podcast, where Console Monster staff members come together and discuss the latest news in gaming over the past few weeks. Using Google+ HangOut! we stream Live as we discuss the past month in gaming.

Topics include:

• Sony announce the PlayStation4 – we take a closer look at the details
• Sony PlayStation4 technical specs revealed
• ID software comment on hardware ease of use
• Games featured…
• Killzone Shadow Fall: You play as an elite Shadow Marshal charged with keeping tensions between the Helghast and Vektans from boiling over.
• inFAMOUS: Second Son: Seattle is the setting and Delsin Rowe is the new hero with the ability to manipulate smoke.
• DriveClub: Social connectivity, cutting-edge graphics and the world’s greatest supercars feature in the latest title from Evolution Studios.
• Knack: Turn into a gigantic fighting machine thanks to the power of ancient relics in this vibrant new adventure.
• Watch_Dogs: Learn what it is to have complete control over a hyper-connected city.
• The Witness: The latest puzzle game from Jonathan Blow, creator of Braid.
• Destiny: A brand new first person shooter from Bungie Studios.
• Other titles being readied include Diablo III from Blizzard.
• Lessons learned from dreary PlayStation3 E3 reveal?
• Viewer comments & questions
• The next Microsoft console and what we need to see to compete with Sony’s PlayStation4 announcement

Freeview and Freesat are non-subscription based television services that offer a tantalising alternative to other cable and satellite providers who require a monthly fee.

Recently, Revolution Software successfully raised $771,560 to develop Broken Sword: The Serpent’s Curse via a Kickstarter campaign, proving that this genre continues to thrive within the gaming community.

There are two things to keep in mind…

Firstly you can insert an image that will represent your channel on various platforms be it on a desktop computer, mobile device or even a television screen. Information on the new image requirements are located on the YouTube Channel Art Guidelines page.

Secondly it is recommended to create a video advertising your features to encourage users to subscribe to your YouTube Channel. It’s all about giving visitors a taste of what’s to come, which in turn will attract additional subscriptions.

Here is the video for my channel below using Adobe After Effects, Audition and Premiere Pro:

If you use software from Adobe, it is quite easy to find purchasable templates which can be heavily customised to suit your needs.

So if you have a YouTube Channel, it would certainly be a good idea to start thinking about your new graphics and a promotional video.

The Yamaha Club website uses WordPress as its Content Management System (CMS), which allows Glyn to manage the posts and pages of the main website. A fair number of years ago, I installed the software and an available theme – customising them to match the Yamaha Club branding. Recently I have been keen to take advantage of the higher resolution displays the vast majority of individuals now utilise. Originally there will still many visitors using 800×600 so that had to be catered for, however time has thankfully moved on. In the age of ‘Retina’ displays (also known more generally as HiDPI), it is also important to ensure that the new graphics stand the test of time.

New design for the Yamaha Club website by James Woodcock

In the last few days with all this in mind, I have completed the updates for the Yamaha Club main website and the separate shop system.

Update Highlights

Here are just a few of the changes and new features available…

• Wider theme
  Takes advantage of higher resolution screens.
• Increased font sizes
  Easier to read and makes better use of the space now available.
• New Yamaha Club logos and branding
  Optmised for HiDPI displays, looking ahead to the future as it becomes more mainstream.
• Improved Social Networking support
  Facebook, Twitter and others are better integrated within the site design, allowing you to follow the Yamaha Club and share posts & pages with ease.
• News via e-mail
  Sign up for free to the latest Yamaha Club related news via email subscription
• High resolution favicon.ico
  This appears in the address bar, tabs and bookmarks of browsers and represents the site with a small icon.
• Mobile themes
  Owners of smartphones can navigate the website in a new mobile optimised display for both the main website and shop.

There are many more code changes to improve search engine scans of the website and also to make Glyn’s life a little easier as well of course.

I hope you enjoy the updates.

The article begins with an introduction by Glyn Madden, Editor of the Yamaha Club Magazine:

James Woodcock is our very own ‘gadget man’. He spends his day-to-day life surrounded by the latest gizmos and electronic wizardry and, as he is also a knowledgeable and experienced keyboard user, we thought he’d be just the man to report on the CVP600 series Clavinova’s new technology…
Glyn Madden – Yamaha Club Magazine

‘A Touching New World’ featured in the Yamaha Club Magazine

A sequel is already in development, with a possible release in November 2013. Utilising the Kickstarter website, Inherit the Earth 2 hopes to reach their goal of $135,000 within the next 25 days to ensure its completion.

Inherit the Earth 2 is the sequel to the video game Inherit the Earth: Quest for the Orb. Like the original, this sequel will be in the adventure genre, where exploration, puzzle-solving and story-telling are the major aspects of the game play.

This sequel will be produced by The Wyrmkeep Entertainment Co. and feature entirely new art, music and story, incorporated with a modern adventure game engine. We expect that a number of the developers that worked on the original game will be involved in developing the sequel.
Inherit the Earth 2 Kickstarter

This project will only be funded if at least $135,000 is pledged by Monday Feb 18, 3:41am GMT.

[UPDATE - 29th January, 2013]

The Kickstarter has been cancelled with the following explanation:

Well, the final project video did not come out the way I had hoped, and additional changes to the video cannot be made in a timely fashion.

Which leads to the problem that the overall presentation of the project is simply not compelling enough to convince non-fans of the original game to pledge, and it’s now obvious that the project will not reach anywhere near its funding goal in the 20 days remaining.

Therefore, I am cancelling the Kickstarter.

I would like to thank everyone that did pledge!
Inherit the Earth 2 (Cancelled) on Kickstarter