There’s yet another release of Terminator 2 on DVD, the “T2: Extreme DVD” in a cool embossed metal box. One of the features you’ll see advertised is an ultra-high resolution version of the movie with 5.1 sound for your PC, in addition to the regular version for your DVD player.
Now take a look at the “recommended” hardware requirements for the high resolution version:
– A 3GHz processor
– 512Mb of RAM
– 128Mb 3D video card
– 24 bit/96KHz multichannel sound card
– Display settings of 1600×1200 or above
That is some serious hardware. It’s relatively difficult to buy a computer that meets those requirements today. My poor little 1.8GHz processor and 64Mb video card couldn’t come close to playing the movie.
Digital rights management rears its ugly head, too. In order to play the high-resolution movie on your computer, your computer acquires a license online. The fine print says that the license is free today, but it only allows you to play the film for five days, after which the license has to be acquired again – and they can change the terms any time. To prevent you from watching the movie until you pony up some money, for example.
You’re going to hear lots of noise about high resolution video and high definition television this year. Watch for fine print and hidden expenses!
