Daft Punk's early album launch

French dance music group Daft Punk at one of their massive gigs. Picture: Publicity Mad Dog Source: Supplied

• Daft move - album live streams online before worldwide launch

DAFT Punk's hugely anticipated new album Random Access Memories was put up to stream on iTunes this morning days before its apparent exclusive Wee Waa launch.

The Australian release date which was set to be at midnight this Friday, the first worldwide, is now out the window as low quality pirated streams of the album hit the web in the past week.

The album can now be listened to in full which has been music to the ears of millions of the robot's fans worldwide, but they'll need to wait until the official release dates to purchase a copy.

Fellow French producer Madeon tweeted: "I feel so full and empty. This album is everything I wanted to hear. It's also so much of what I wanted to make."

Him and many others have been flooding the internet with their thoughts on the album which have traversed the spectrum from positive to negative.

Fans are expected to descend on the NSW town of Wee Waa for the launch of French electronic music duo Daft Punk's lates album but the superstars won't be there. Picture: Craig Greenhill

Billboard's review of 80 out of 100 encapsulated the love/hate relationship with the album describing it as a "messy album, filled with passages that can be trimmed and one or two too many plodding songs. But it's also fantastic to hear these masterminds trying again."

Leading up to today the French pop group have been brewing a hive of panic and hype in the tiny northern NSW town of Wee Waa – despite being some 17,000km away in their native Paris.

NSW police have been forced to issue a stern warning to fans after it was confirmed the French electro-pop duo would not be turning up at Wee Waa for the worldwide launch of their new album this weekend.

The ex parte ‘launch' coincides with the 79th annual Wee Waa show – expected to inflate the sleepy hamlet's 1,600-strong population by as many as 4,000.

Daft Punk's latest album launch is highly anticipated.

It is understood police are fearful of road fatalities as fans embark on huge treks from across the country for the three day celebration.

Mayhem is expected to descend on the rural township and police have established operation Hadrian to ensure the safety of fans and residents around Wee Waa.

The operation headed by Superintendent Jenny Hayes will include police dogs, the riot squad and PolAir.

"We are anticipating that most of the thousands of people heading to Wee Waa for the Daft Punk album launch will be travelling long distances, and we advise them to plan ahead and factor in rest breaks," Ms Hayes said.

"Also take the time to plan your celebrations. Make sure you have booked somewhere to stay, decide how you are getting to and from the launch party, and plan to be responsible.

"Officers will be out in force at the event and local licensed premises and there will be no hesitation in taking action for alcohol-and-drug-related offences.

"If you refuse to leave a licensed venue when asked, you will be fined $550. Know your limits – if you play up, you will be locked up."

The global launch party for Daft Punk's latest album Random Access Memories will take place this Friday night at the Wee Waa show and according to the town's website, the festivities will be manic despite the absence of the French stars.

"This event will see national media and many fans descend on the Wee Waa show to enjoy the spectacle," the website says.

The album launch kicks off at 8.30pm and will include a full ‘playback' of the album. Rumours are circulating that a live hologram of the Euro stars will be beamed onto the stage.

Daft Punk – consisting of French musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter – are a hugely popular international act.

The new album has already enjoyed chart success with lead single ‘Get Lucky', featuring American singer Pharell Williams, climbing to number one in Australia as well as in the UK and Europe.

The duo has been diplomatic when pressed on their non-attendance in Wee Waa, describing the unconventional album launch as "poetic". 

"'It felt for us that this record has a certain aspect of random quality, and the idea of breaking the barriers between cities and the countryside, or between the musical genres or any sort of classification," they told Fairfax Media.

"The idea of launching music in a small town in Australia is by itself part of the fictional narrative that feels like it's a scene of the film."

As for fans wanting to hear the much-anticipated album for the first time, the cat was let out of the bag by Daft Punk themselves – streaming it live on their website early this morning.

View the original article here

Too early for super definition TVs

A model stands next to Samsung 110-inch 4k Ultra HD TV at the Samsung booth at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Source: AP

THE message from the companies making the new breed of super resolution 4K TVs is good things come to those who wait.

If you were one of the few thousand people around the world who have rushed out and bought one off the first-generation 4K TVs, you could be forgiven for thinking you've dived in too early because there is currently no practical way of playing true 4K content on your set.

The 4K TV format gives four times the resolution of HD TVs and is designed to fill your field of vision more so that you sit closer to it than you would a HD TV.

With the first batch of 4K TVs released costing $25,000 to $40,000, the issue of 4K content has been something of a moot point for the industry as there were not enough people with 4K sets to worry about it.

But the second wave of 4K TV releases brings the technology closer to the general consumer market.

Sony will release two 4K TVs in Australia in the middle of the year. Local prices have not yet been announced but the Sony 55-inch HD TV sells for US$5000 in the US.

Jeremy Glassman, Sony's manager for emerging platform development, said consumers were understandably confused about the new range of super definition televisions and the content they will watch on it.

''These are still very early days,'' Mr Glassman said.

''There is still no native 4K solution right now. As interest grows, there may be a solution down the track.''

Source: Supplied

The Blu-Ray Disc Association has yet to ratify a standard for companies to put 4K content on a Blu-Ray disc.

In the interim, Sony has started releasing ''mastered for 4K'' Blu-Ray disks which are upscaled to look better on a 4K TV than on a conventional HD TV.

While cable networks, including Foxtel, have announced they were looking at 4K channels in the future, there is currently no way for a cable provider or broadcaster to get a true 4K signal into your home.

When technology companies like Sony and Samsung demonstrate the features of their 4K TVs, they screen high-definition content that is ''upscaled'' to look better on a 4K TV or connect special 4K capable computers to their TV.

''I think consumers are often looking for the next best thing,'' Mr Glassman said.

''And I think 4K, especially driven by CES this year, is really starting to permeate public consciousness.

''While a lot of consumers are still happy with DVD and a lot of consumers are still happy with Blu-Ray and rightly so, (4k) is gaining awareness.

''It's always the question whenever new technology arrives: where is the content; what do I do with this?

''As consumer awareness grows and interest grows, as TVs get out there and it becomes more mainstream, native 4k content will grow and come along which will be important for consumers.''

While technology companies and broadcasters continue to wrestle with how to deliver 4K content to 4K televisions, the pool of 4K content is growing.

Sony makes two 4K professional video cameras which are used in TV and movie production, including on films such as Skyfall, Oblivion, Argo, Salt, True Grit and Smurfs 2.

Nearly half of US cinemas now project 4K movies in 4K, and the international trend is for most cinemas to have 4K projectors in the next few years.

5 facts about 4K TV

* Because of the higher resolution, the optimal viewing position when watching 4K TV is about one-and-a-half screen heights away from the image compared to three screen heights away for HD.

* There is limited 4K content you can play on a 4K TV - but it does play higher definition content which will look better on a 4K TV than it does on a HD TV.

* Not all 4K TVs are equal. Sony, Samsung and LG have all released 4K TVs but each company has its own take on the standard. In a Sony demonstration this week, it put it's own 85 inch 4K TV beside the LG 85 inch 4K TV and played the same content. The image on the Sony TV was far clearer and had much more detail particularly in dark areas.

* You can save images on your camera in 4K resolution and then play them on a 4K TV in true 4K. There might not be 4K content to play on a TV yet, but it does make for a superb, if expensive, family album.

* As with other developments in TV screen resolution, the aim of 4K television is to match the image quality you see in a cinema where 4K projection is becoming more common.

View the original article here

Too early for super definition TVs

A model stands next to Samsung 110-inch 4k Ultra HD TV at the Samsung booth at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Source: AP

THE message from the companies making the new breed of super resolution 4K TVs is good things come to those who wait.

If you were one of the few thousand people around the world who have rushed out and bought one off the first-generation 4K TVs, you could be forgiven for thinking you've dived in too early because there is currently no practical way of playing true 4K content on your set.

The 4K TV format gives four times the resolution of HD TVs and is designed to fill your field of vision more so that you sit closer to it than you would a HD TV.

With the first batch of 4K TVs released costing $25,000 to $40,000, the issue of 4K content has been something of a moot point for the industry as there were not enough people with 4K sets to worry about it.

But the second wave of 4K TV releases brings the technology closer to the general consumer market.

Sony will release two 4K TVs in Australia in the middle of the year. Local prices have not yet been announced but the Sony 55-inch HD TV sells for US$5000 in the US.

Jeremy Glassman, Sony's manager for emerging platform development, said consumers were understandably confused about the new range of super definition televisions and the content they will watch on it.

''These are still very early days,'' Mr Glassman said.

''There is still no native 4K solution right now. As interest grows, there may be a solution down the track.''

Source: Supplied

The Blu-Ray Disc Association has yet to ratify a standard for companies to put 4K content on a Blu-Ray disc.

In the interim, Sony has started releasing ''mastered for 4K'' Blu-Ray disks which are upscaled to look better on a 4K TV than on a conventional HD TV.

While cable networks, including Foxtel, have announced they were looking at 4K channels in the future, there is currently no way for a cable provider or broadcaster to get a true 4K signal into your home.

When technology companies like Sony and Samsung demonstrate the features of their 4K TVs, they screen high-definition content that is ''upscaled'' to look better on a 4K TV or connect special 4K capable computers to their TV.

''I think consumers are often looking for the next best thing,'' Mr Glassman said.

''And I think 4K, especially driven by CES this year, is really starting to permeate public consciousness.

''While a lot of consumers are still happy with DVD and a lot of consumers are still happy with Blu-Ray and rightly so, (4k) is gaining awareness.

''It's always the question whenever new technology arrives: where is the content; what do I do with this?

''As consumer awareness grows and interest grows, as TVs get out there and it becomes more mainstream, native 4k content will grow and come along which will be important for consumers.''

While technology companies and broadcasters continue to wrestle with how to deliver 4K content to 4K televisions, the pool of 4K content is growing.

Sony makes two 4K professional video cameras which are used in TV and movie production, including on films such as Skyfall, Oblivion, Argo, Salt, True Grit and Smurfs 2.

Nearly half of US cinemas now project 4K movies in 4K, and the international trend is for most cinemas to have 4K projectors in the next few years.

5 facts about 4K TV

* Because of the higher resolution, the optimal viewing position when watching 4K TV is about one-and-a-half screen heights away from the image compared to three screen heights away for HD.

* There is limited 4K content you can play on a 4K TV - but it does play higher definition content which will look better on a 4K TV than it does on a HD TV.

* Not all 4K TVs are equal. Sony, Samsung and LG have all released 4K TVs but each company has its own take on the standard. In a Sony demonstration this week, it put it's own 85 inch 4K TV beside the LG 85 inch 4K TV and played the same content. The image on the Sony TV was far clearer and had much more detail particularly in dark areas.

* You can save images on your camera in 4K resolution and then play them on a 4K TV in true 4K. There might not be 4K content to play on a TV yet, but it does make for a superb, if expensive, family album.

* As with other developments in TV screen resolution, the aim of 4K television is to match the image quality you see in a cinema where 4K projection is becoming more common.

View the original article here

Too early for super definition TVs

A model stands next to Samsung 110-inch 4k Ultra HD TV at the Samsung booth at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Source: AP

THE message from the companies making the new breed of super resolution 4K TVs is good things come to those who wait.

If you were one of the few thousand people around the world who have rushed out and bought one off the first-generation 4K TVs, you could be forgiven for thinking you've dived in too early because there is currently no practical way of playing true 4K content on your set.

The 4K TV format gives four times the resolution of HD TVs and is designed to fill your field of vision more so that you sit closer to it than you would a HD TV.

With the first batch of 4K TVs released costing $25,000 to $40,000, the issue of 4K content has been something of a moot point for the industry as there were not enough people with 4K sets to worry about it.

But the second wave of 4K TV releases brings the technology closer to the general consumer market.

Sony will release two 4K TVs in Australia in the middle of the year. Local prices have not yet been announced but the Sony 55-inch HD TV sells for US$5000 in the US.

Jeremy Glassman, Sony's manager for emerging platform development, said consumers were understandably confused about the new range of super definition televisions and the content they will watch on it.

''These are still very early days,'' Mr Glassman said.

''There is still no native 4K solution right now. As interest grows, there may be a solution down the track.''

Source: Supplied

The Blu-Ray Disc Association has yet to ratify a standard for companies to put 4K content on a Blu-Ray disc.

In the interim, Sony has started releasing ''mastered for 4K'' Blu-Ray disks which are upscaled to look better on a 4K TV than on a conventional HD TV.

While cable networks, including Foxtel, have announced they were looking at 4K channels in the future, there is currently no way for a cable provider or broadcaster to get a true 4K signal into your home.

When technology companies like Sony and Samsung demonstrate the features of their 4K TVs, they screen high-definition content that is ''upscaled'' to look better on a 4K TV or connect special 4K capable computers to their TV.

''I think consumers are often looking for the next best thing,'' Mr Glassman said.

''And I think 4K, especially driven by CES this year, is really starting to permeate public consciousness.

''While a lot of consumers are still happy with DVD and a lot of consumers are still happy with Blu-Ray and rightly so, (4k) is gaining awareness.

''It's always the question whenever new technology arrives: where is the content; what do I do with this?

''As consumer awareness grows and interest grows, as TVs get out there and it becomes more mainstream, native 4k content will grow and come along which will be important for consumers.''

While technology companies and broadcasters continue to wrestle with how to deliver 4K content to 4K televisions, the pool of 4K content is growing.

Sony makes two 4K professional video cameras which are used in TV and movie production, including on films such as Skyfall, Oblivion, Argo, Salt, True Grit and Smurfs 2.

Nearly half of US cinemas now project 4K movies in 4K, and the international trend is for most cinemas to have 4K projectors in the next few years.

5 facts about 4K TV

* Because of the higher resolution, the optimal viewing position when watching 4K TV is about one-and-a-half screen heights away from the image compared to three screen heights away for HD.

* There is limited 4K content you can play on a 4K TV - but it does play higher definition content which will look better on a 4K TV than it does on a HD TV.

* Not all 4K TVs are equal. Sony, Samsung and LG have all released 4K TVs but each company has its own take on the standard. In a Sony demonstration this week, it put it's own 85 inch 4K TV beside the LG 85 inch 4K TV and played the same content. The image on the Sony TV was far clearer and had much more detail particularly in dark areas.

* You can save images on your camera in 4K resolution and then play them on a 4K TV in true 4K. There might not be 4K content to play on a TV yet, but it does make for a superb, if expensive, family album.

* As with other developments in TV screen resolution, the aim of 4K television is to match the image quality you see in a cinema where 4K projection is becoming more common.

View the original article here