That's Entertainment has been in a massive upswing for at least the last couple of months. The podcast is back, we've got some games on the site, and I even managed to put up a few videos recently.
I'm going to be able to get back into it a little more, now, however. A few days ago, I purchased a Hauppage HD-PVR device so that I could record software a little easier.
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| It's like it's scanning my body for weak points. |
Before, the process was very cumbersome, convoluted and expensive. I had a DVD recorder, which of course had size limitations. I was only able to record about 4 hours worth of material, meaning that I had to be very careful about what I was recording. Typically, I could only fit about two games on each DVD. On top of that, using the DVD recorder meant playing the game with downscaled, standard definition graphics. In order for me to give each game an objective, unbiased review, I had to play through them twice - once in HD, and once in SD. It really was a pain in the ass. On top of that, I had to write the reviews, edit them, record the audio... it was all very time consuming.
Now, I can at least cut back on some of the redundancy. With the Hauppage, I can record in high definition, straight away. My first experience is the most important, because I'm more patient, I'm more eager to find secrets, and I'm taking in all that the game has to offer. Also, because the Hauppage let's me record straight to a PC, the size limitation is practically eliminated.
I had some fears with the device until yesterday. Whenever I recorded, the presentation was fine. The raw production didn't have any issues either. It was only when I was looking at the converted MP4 file that the video looked like absolute dog shit. I wasn't sure what was going on. There was no real reason, as far as I could tell, that the video would be that ugly. I downloaded quicktime to try and see if a different video player would make it look better. No dice. Running through the jungle in Far Cry 3 was like stumbling down the stairs after a drunken night of debaunchery. It looked awful.
Finally, I tried to see what it looked like on my other PCs. Thankfully, everything turned out fine. They're a little more up to date, and even the files that were saved on the PC for recording looked as perfect as they did while I was recording. So, for anyone that has a Hauppage, or is interested in buying one, keep that in mind if your first experience with it isn't positive.
All that said, the device is still a clunky beast, with so many wires it makes the Kraken from Pirates of the Caribbean jealous.
So, with all that said, it's going to be much easier for me to get back into the game a little bit. I'm mostly going to be playing catch up, because software still costs money. Whenever I can, though, I'll get new videos up, in addition to retro reviews and lost gems.
The That's Entertainment YouTube channel may also feature second opinion pieces soon. My girlfriend, Rhianna, is considering offering a more feminine perspective on certain games, like Skyrim, Dragon's Dogma and Dynasty Warriors. It should be interesting, especially considering she gets bad vertigo - don't expect her to review any high speed racing games, is what I'm saying.
Still, despite the growth that That's Entertainment is seeing, the books still have to take up most of my attention. I'll try and be fair to both of my passions, though. While it is a slow march forward, I am coming back to YouTube, and this time, I'll do my best to stick around.
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