Another recovery update

I had my last appt last week to get my next steps in my recovery. While I still have to use the crutches to get around, I am cleared for 50% weight bearing on my leg. This allows me to try and get around with one crutch. Now, this was pretty difficult when I first started, but now that I have had a couple days of practice with it I am pretty good at getting around in this manner. I still use both crutches when getting around most of the time, but when I need to carry something, or am going short distances, one crutch is good enough. I have to get around in this manner for 2 weeks, then I can start full weight bearing. With full weight bearing, I get to start my physical therapy. It will be nice to start getting the strength back in my leg. Not using it for such a long period of time really has done it's job in making it weak.

More HD-DVD

I recieved my VGA cable for the XBox 360 the other day. Of course I couldn't wait to set it up. I couldn't do a full setup (the wire is routed in front of the entertainment center right now) but it is working just fine.

I have a Samsung HLS6187W DLP HDTV hooked up to my 360. This unit has a 'game mode' which bypasses some of the video enhancement circuitry, allowing for increased response time between the video game system and the TV. I am using 'game mode' with the VGA connection to the TV. With recent dashboard updates to the XBox 360, the VGA output to the TV can be set to 1980 x 1080 (I think that's it) which is the full resolution of the set. When I first hooked it up, I had a bit of underscan on the set (underscan is when the picture doesn't fully fill the screen). This was easily corrected using the P. SIZE setting on the television. After stretching out the video, I couldn't be happier.

Not only does using the VGA adapter provide 1080P resolution for video games, it also allows for full 1080P from the HD-DVD player! Of course, I immediately put in King Kong to relish in the splendor of 1080P when watching a movie. It's a sight to behold.

Go Phoenix Suns!!!

I have been a Phoenix Suns fan for quite a while. With the Suns making it to the Western Conference Finals 2 years in a row, there are high expectations for them this year. The NBA playoffs kicked off this weekend, and the Suns are playing the Lakers in the first round.

They just finished up the game, and The Suns won 95 - 87! I wouldn't say that the series has gotten off to a great start, as they only scored 39 points in the first half. But they finally found their groove, and seemed to shake off those jitters from the first half. One down, 15 to go. 15 you say? Yup, you need to win 16 games to win the championship :)

Next game is on Tuesday, and they better win this one. I don't want to see a repeat of the series going to 7 games like last year!

HD-DVD

It's all about time. And after some time, I finally decided to give the next generation High Definition portable media a try. One of the things that is holding back this technology is that there are 2 competing standards vying for supremacy in the consumer space. One is Blu-Ray, the other being HD-DVD. Think of this competition being similar to the VHS/Betamax competition way back when.

Both formats have their benefits and downsides, and it is still not very clear who is going to win out. So, instead of forking out $500+ dollars on a standalone player, I decided to take advantage of owning an XBox 360 and picked up Microsoft's addon on HD-DVD player. It was a breeze to hook up, and after a software update I was ready to play high definition videos. HD-DVD is capable of outputting 1080P resolution to the TV (and thankfully, my TV handles 1080P through HDMI and component) Unfortunately I am hooked up through component to my TV, and there is a limitation in the HD-DVD licensing (at least this is my understanding) that you cannot output greater than 1080i over component. So I am basically running at 1/2 the resolution that I can run.

So, what do I do? I have gone and ordered a VGA connection cable for the XBox 360, which will allow me to view movies in full 1080P resolution. :) I will give you an update on how all that is going about when I get it all set up. Of course, it is going to take me some time to get this done as I am still pretty limited on my mobility.