GreenButton revolutionising on-demand compute tasks with Azure
Posted Thursday, September 1, 2011 at 4:36 pm by Jason Cartwright
This year, Tech.Ed broke the keynote into 2 distinct audiences, IT Pro and Developer. One of the most impressive demo’s during the developer keynote was from GreenButton. CTO of Green Button, Dave Fellows showed off how a large 3D rending job can be distributed across Azure to perform incredibly time expensive compute tasks, in a matter of seconds rather than minutes.
During the demo attendees seen a complete 3D rendering drawn block by block in just 20 seconds, a task that would typically take around 30 minutes. This was achieved by distributing the workload across a number of high powered servers, but because the compute hours spent was low, the cost of using this extreme horsepower amounts to very little.
GreenButton has plugins for major modelling applications like Blender, as well as a SDK to allow developers to integrate with their existing applications. With a simple elegant web front end, jobs are not only managed, but also costed. Green Button provides a cost back to the users of just how much that task cost, so there’s no waiting for an end of the month bill.
This kind of immediate horsepower at an affordable rate will fundamentally transform the way design and animation firms work. Wether it be creating the next Pixar movie or working out the fluid dynamics of an F1 car, GreenButton on top of Windows Azure is making a massive impact in the economics of business.
I got a chance to sit down with Fellows and discuss the New Zealand origined company, to discuss GreenButton at Microsoft’s Tech.Ed conference.
More info @ http://www.greenbutton.net/
On-demand TV takes off in Australia
Posted Friday, May 13, 2011 at 3:29 pm by Jason CartwrightThe following guest post is by Sarah Routledge who writes for Australian broadband comparison site Compare Broadband, which offers independent advice on choosing the best internet plan.
On-demand TV over the internet is finally taking off in Australia in a big way, with FetchTV, Telstra’s T-Box and Foxtel on Xbox the main options.
While US on-demand services like Hulu are still a long way off in Australia due to rights issues, Australian consumers still have access to a range of great services over their ADSL broadband connection.
FetchTV
iiNet and now Internode have made deals with FetchTV, an on-demand IPTV service that offers extra TV channels and movies over an ADSL2+ or fast ADSL connection. Optus plans to launch a similar service soon on smartphones and tablets.
Through a set-top box, customers can rent the latest movies, such as The Social Network and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The box can also be used to pause, rewind and record TV shows, with a terabyte of recording space available.
iiNet‘s full FetchTV service costs $19.95 a month when the set-top box is bought outright for $399, and $29.95 a month on a 24-month contract if rented. Customers must also have a BoB or BoB Lite modem.
iiNet is offering a free BoB Lite modem for a limited time to new customers who are bundling their broadband and FetchTV package together. Internode offers the same deal as iiNet but Internode allows customers to use their own modem, provided it’s IPTV compatible.
Crucially, both iiNet and Internode offer these services unmetered. This means customers can select a relatively low data plan and still watch TV and movies to their heart’s content.
Foxtel on Xbox
Billed as a more convenient and contract-free alternative to cable, Foxtel’s offer of premium TV channels on the Xbox has generated a lot of interest.
In order to access the service, users need a Foxtel on Xbox 360 online profile, an internet connection of a minimum 1,500kbps, an Xbox 360 console, a subscription to Xbox LIVE for FOXTEL On Demand access or a subscription to Xbox LIVE Gold for channel packages.
Prices start from less than $20 per month and additional packages from $10. Alternatively, customers can rent individual movies without paying a monthly subscription.
Provided you already have an Xbox and an Xbox LIVE Gold subscription, this is an easy way of accessing extra channels and on-demand content and will work with any Internet Service Provider (ISP).
The downside here is all the content counts toward your download limit, so you will realistically need a Terabyte or unlimited ADSL2+ plan to get the most out of your subscription. Foxtel also cannot broadcast NRL and AFL games over the internet, under the current rights agreement.
Telstra T-Box
Telstra currently offers seven Bigpond channels on its set-top T-Box, including AFL and NRL match replays, as well as the free-to-air channels. Foxtel has also struck a deal with Telstra, which means T-Box customers will soon be able to watch Foxtel channels over the internet.
All the free-to-air channels are available to pause, record and rewind, plus a library of movies are available to rent on demand. The T-Box costs $299 to buy outright and there is no monthly subscription fee, as with FetchTV. However, you will need a Bigpond broadband plan, from $49.95 a month. Downloads are unmetered, so the service won’t eat into your broadband quota.
Internet TV in Australia
At the moment, a broadband plan and a set-top box is the best way to enjoy TV and movies on demand. However, Smart TVs with internet connectivity are the latest gimmick from manufacturers, so IPTV will soon be available to more households as people upgrade their technology. It’s likely that more ISPs will offer their own versions of IPTV as the market grows.
Hands On: PS3 Movie Store (updated w/video)
Posted Thursday, May 20, 2010 at 2:51 pm by Jason Cartwright
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| Service | PS3 Movie Downloads | Xbox Zune Video Marketplace |
| Catalogue | Extensive | Growing, but limited. |
| Image/Sound quality | Excellent | Excellent |
| HD/SD | Both | Both |
| Rent / Buy | Both | Rent only |
| Pricing (A$) | $6.99 (HD) / $5.99 (SD) Older titles are $1 cheaper. |
$6.93 (HD) / $5.94 (SD) Older titles are A$4.95 (SD) |
| Time to watch after initiating playback | 48 hours | 24 hours |
| FAQ | PS3 FAQ | Zune FAQ |
While both services are similar in specs, the PS3 version is more expensive, however that’s counteracted by the extra time you have to watch the movie. Both options look and sound great and both can run into the occasional buffering even on ADSL2.
Personally I’m lucky enough to have both consoles, so it’s great to now have another option for on-demand digitally distributed movies. The choice of where to rent will likely come down to the library for me, given the experience is very similar. I do like that PS3 uses real dollar amounts rather than the Microsoft Points system on the Xbox 360.
For those who who have either an Xbox 360 or PS3, then your obviously stuck with what you’ve got, but those considering a console purchase, the good news is you now have a viable option regardless of whether you land in the Microsoft or Sony camps.
I don’t think many people will be buying movies on the PS3 Movie Store, cost wise you’d be much better off buying in a retail store – to buy HD movies cost A$32.99, while the SD version costs A$24.99.
One last thing you should be aware of is the data used when downloading / streaming a movie from the PS3 Movie Store. Whilst Microsoft has partnerships with a number of Australian ISPs to deliver the content unmetered, there’s no information about Sony doing the same. So make sure you check with your ISP, before burning through your data cap in an afternoon.
PS3 Movie Downloads are available now from the PlayStation store item on your XMB.
Video Walkthrough
