'3.
Virtual lounge
Downloadable TV and movies are here, and as Jack Mottram explains, all you need is some patience.
s if anyone ever needed further proof. the consumption of music is
firmly entrenched in the digital domain. Thanks to the ubiquity of
MP3 players. the huge range of filesharing applications available and the success of legitimate services like the iTunes Music Store. downloading music is a way of life. Video content isn‘t lagging too far behind. though at present downloading DVD-quality films and broadcast- quality television remains a niche activity among web users.
This is due to a number of factors. First. you‘ll need patience: even with the fastest broadband connection. downloading a copy of a DVD will take hours. even a day or two. Second. you‘ll need technical competence since. while most clients used to download films and videos are simple enough to use. making the most of their features or setting them up to automatically download your favourite TV show takes a fair bit of fiddling. And those with qualms about infringing copyright need not apply. If you‘re downloading a film today. chances are you're doing it illegally. though television programmes remain a grey area since time-shifting could be considered fair use. just like recording on your VCR or PVR.
When it comes to downloading films without breaking the law. choices are thin on the ground. The recently launched Box()ffice365.com is a good example. It aims to offer films at some point but. presumably plagued by licensing difficulties. its current catalogue is made up of live comedy and music videos (such as Scott (‘apurro and Bob Marley live shows).
Movienow.com offers a host of films of the direct-to-video genre. so if
trashy horror. true-life stories and kung-fu liicks are your bag you‘re sorted. America has a few sites tip and running with far more content: expect the UK to follow suit as copyright laws are ironed out.
So. it‘s the TV addicts who look likely to be the first to benefit from mainstream download services. As ever. it's the BBC that is pushing the technology. with T/lt’ Mighty Boos/i being the first show where you can download the next episode before it‘s screened on BBC}. It‘s now developing a set—top box that will archive everything broadcast on free-to- air television for a week. BT. meanwhile. plans to serve TV over broadband. with trials beginning early next year.
So. when it comes to video online. we are now in the equivalent of the Napster era for music. with films and TV available for the tech-savvy user who doesn‘t mind infringing copyright restrictions. It won't be long before the iTunes era kicks in. with quick. easy downloads available to all.
For legal downloads, try www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/mightyboosh.
THE
PLAY
Reviews
PSZMBOX
BIG MUTHA TRUCKERS 2: TRUCK ME HARDER (Empire) 00
Like most forms of populist entertainment. gaming has the uncanny ability to annoy the snob. No matter the size of the explosions. the sweatiness of the sex or the power of the heroism. the snob will be unhappy. claiming the book/'fiIm/record/ game is missing something. a point. a purpose. BMT2 is a good example. though only because it turns everyone into a snob. Every Southern hick joke imaginable is present. along with dumb police. tight Daisy Dukes and alien landings. The trucks are huge and the driving is. at least initially. fun. fast and relatively addictive. But there's something missing. a point. a purpose. Without any real depth to the gameplay. never mind the characterisation or story. BMT2 is as toothless as many of its protagonists. When you consider the E/i'te-by- Truck possibilities. the relentless mediocrity really nips. Eventually you'll turn up your snobby turned-up nose at it. (lain Davidson)
WORMS 4: MAYHEM (Codemasters) 000
For those who have a special place in their hearts for the utter genius of the first Worms title and are waiting for its genuine successor. keep waiting. This isn't it. For everyone else. Worms 4: Mayhem is a pretty enjoyable multiplayer combat/strategy title that mixes cartoon violence with clever tactical opportunity. The three-dimensional maps are more refined than in previous games and. though you will get worms caught on scenery from time to time. are designed for extreme mayhem. And for those who wish to create rather than destroy. the option to devise weaponry. coupled with some clever customisation. makes for a welcome
addition. But combat is the hook on which Worms hangs and in this respect Mayhem is enjoyable. over the top and sufficiently open to encourage malicious invention. But it's still not even close to the immediately satisfying yet endlessly challenging perfection of its oldest ancestor The wait continues
(Iain Davidson)
PS2/XBOX
SUPER MONKEY BALL DELUXE (Sega) 000
More apes in spheres than yOU c0uld ever wish fOr. The premise is devilishly simple: roll your monkey in his hamster ball around increasingly fiendish levels all the while attempting not to drop
off the edge into the ever-beckoning void. It’s that old favourite Marble Madness but with a simian twist. It's a nerve shredding experience where even the slightest flick of the wrist can send your chosen primate hero to an early grave. When this came out. way back when. on the Game Cube it was a Show stopper. but games evolve faster than almost any other medium and the high point of 2001 now just looks dated. Why it's taken four years for a port (albeit with added extras. over 300 puzzles and a selection of party games) to emerge is a mystery. Still addictive. packed with that 'iust one more go” irresistibility factor. but what now feel like flat graphics. twee passe sound FX and mind- numbingly irritating chirpy music. this a fun diversion rather than the ‘must have' of yore. (Henry Northmore)
T A r - COMMUNITY
Du" Men.s Club We all need a place to call home. If
. —.... you‘re a dull man. welcome in. we've "w W" W' u i kept you a seat. This is the perfect
; forum for discussing how many
combine harvesters and roundabouts , exist in the UK.
l www.dullmen.com
CATS
For some reason interweb nerds seem to love cats over any other life form. And here's another example of the sheer cutesy joy to be had looking at their little furry faces. while in sinks (and
basins).
catsinsinks.com
22 Sop—(3 Oct 2005 THE LIST 101