Wednesday November 07, 2007

- MacBook Pro: Already HDCP compatible? - Lionel - 11:12:37

First a report from Reymac, one of our forum members:

Here after is my experience with Leopard and BD media:
Hardware:
- Sony BWU-100A BD drive in an external FireWire enclosure, firmware 1.0e
- Macbook Pro 17" @ 2.16Ghz, 1GB RAM -ATI Mobility Radeon X1600

Software:
As you already reported it, Apple DVD player launch when the disc is inserted but then crashed.

Vista...
Windows Vista Integral Edition installed on the MacBook Pro, using different drivers than those provided with Leopard DVD.

1) Vista recognizes the external Sony BD drive (normal)
2) I download Cyberlink Advisor from http://www.cyberlink.com
Once installed Cyberlink Advisor scan the hardware configuration for its ability to play BD media: all check points are passed, except for a BD media player!
Amazing, as it would imply that MacBook 17" from the previous generation (Napa refresh) is already HDCP compatible!
So, I decide to install the Cyberlink BD player package bundled with the BWU-100A. I only install Power DVD, then I insert a BD movie: Arthur and the Minimoys. Vista rapidly warns me about a serious compatibility issue. I click on "continue", then Power DVD shows up, but could not play the BD media. However, Power DVD offers me to download and install an update. Once it is done, Power DVD is now in version 7.3 and... the movie starts playing! It works! I test several of my BD movies, only one is not working as reported to be coded for region B.

So what should be concluded?
The MacBook Pro 17" clocked at 2.16GHz is already BD hardware compatible. So if BD movies fail to be played properly with Apple DVD player, this is purely a problem with the software part. Let's hope Apple will quickly update it.

If the MacBook 17" turns to be HDCP-ready, chances are high that all MacBook from the same revision as well as the current models are HDCP-ready on the hardware level. So, all those models should be able to play BD media as long as Apple released the proper version of its DVD player, and that one can plug external BD drive. iMacs being also built on the same Intel Mobile platform than the MacBook Pro, they should also be HDCP-ready.
Another member reports to have performed the same operation with a HD-DVD drive, and it worked!

[translation by Linathael]

- Wireless 802.11n Router: New model from Trendnet - Lionel - 10:59:40

Source : Trendnet

Trendnet, a company well known for the quality and prices of its products, just unveiled the TEW-631BRP, a wireless 802.11n draft 2.0 router.



With two antennas, it features 4 Ethernet LAN ports, as well as 1 WAN port to plug a fiber cable or ADSL modem. It offers 3-year warranty for 99.90€ (all taxes included). It should attract users who do not need wireless storage unit/printer sharing or not willing to invest in a more expensive solution with the Airport station.

[translation by Linathael]

- Leopard and RAID Volumes - Lionel - 10:58:34

Source : XLR8yourMac

We first faced this problem when installing Leopard on a Raptor-based RAID0 volume. This issue was then confirmed by other users worldwide: it can be difficult to install Leopard on software-based RAID volume created with Tiger. The system will not boot; and you will have to press "Alt" key during booting procedure to select the RAID volume. It remains unclear why it affects only some users.
The only way to proceed is to stop the Tiger-created RAID volume then to create a new one from Leopard, however, it implies to erase all data available on RAID HDs. Of course, this was not an issue for us, as we had cloned our system on an external drive. As we already mentioned it, perform a data backup or a clone your entire system before installing Leopard.


[translation by Linathael]

- Leopard: How to Change the Login Desktop Background - dulrich - 10:57:13

If you do not enjoy the login desktop background, you can change it. It is saved in /System/Library/CoreServices as DefaultDesktop.jpg. If you have root account permissions, you can rename any .jpg file as DefaultDesktop.jpg.
To perform the operation from your root account:

% cd /System/Library/CoreServices
% mv DefaultDesktop.jpg DefaultDesktop.jpg.org
% cp /Library/Desktop\ Pictures/Aqua\ Blue.jpg /System/Library/CoreServices/DefaultDesktop.jpg
% chown root:wheel /System/Library/CoreServices/DefaultDesktop.jpg
% chmod 644 /System/Library/CoreServices/DefaultDesktop.jpg

Think of applying back all permissions: -rw-r--r-- on root:wheel.
PS: do not perform the procedure if you do not feel confident with the terminal

[translation by Linathael]