8-bit Memoirs Issue #1 released!!!

[mr_lou]

8-bit Memoirs Issue #1 released!


8-bit Memoirs is intended to become a series of eBooks about how different authors experienced the computers and consoles back in the 8-bit era, written from the perspective of the kids we were at the time.

I'm proud to be able to present you with the first issue of 8-bit Memoirs, written by myself.

The computers and consoles I experienced back in the 8-bit era includes the Philips Videopac G7000, the Amstrad CPC and the Amiga. So the stories in issue #1 describes how I experienced (some of) the games on those systems, and how I experienced creating my own BASIC stuff on the Amstrad CPC.

My stories contain supplemental illustrations, screenshots and videos - and there's a 5-hour long playlist to accompany you while you're reading, consisting mainly of the Amstrad CPC and Amiga music I made back then, but also some tracks by various artists of IndieGameMusic.com


I have wrapped all the stories in a somewhat retrostyled diskmag-like GUI, because I've always found diskmags extremely cosy myself, and my biggest wish is that 8-bit Memoirs will give you the same nostalgic relaxation that diskmags has given me in the past. I also wanted to boost the retro-feeling while you're reading, and I think the diskmag-like GUI helps doing that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKadWBm9CQA


8-bit Memoirs is completely free!

Issue #1 is available as a 23 gb ISO file that you can download from www.8bitMemoirs.com
(If you don't want 23 gb taking up space on your harddisk, you can choose to put it on a USB stick instead).

You can play this ISO file on your PC with any software media player that supports BD-J. I strongly recommend Cyberlink PowerDVD for this. Otherwise VLC is your buddy. (Although VLC is still in its early stages of getting BD-J support, so it's not the best way to experience 8-bit Memoirs at the moment. Expect bugs!)

Other devices should also play the ISO file, either from harddisk or from a USB: Devices such as the Popcorn Hour, or Dune HD Smart D1. In the near future you can also expect various software media centers, such as Kodi, to be able to play it.


The recommended way of experiencing 8-bit Memoirs Issue #1 is on a real Blu-ray player though. This includes the gaming consoles PlayStation 3 (and later) and Xbox One (and later).

But burning the ISO to a disc requires a Blu-ray burner, and not many people have one of those. You could buy one of course - they are exceptionally cheap nowadays - but that still only makes sense if you plan on using it for other things too.

If you don't want to buy a Blu-ray burner, but still prefers having a physical disc, then you can simply buy disc from me. It comes complete with printed label and cover for 17 Euro including shipping (regardless of your location). This disc can be bought from www.8bitMemoirs.com.


Thank you for your interest!

 

[mr_lou]

I have been researching a bit, and have found a list of media players that should be able to play the ISO from harddisk and/or USB:

Egreat S5A / A1080
Dune HD Base 3.0
Dune HD Prime 3.0
Dune HD MAX
Dune HD Duo
Dune HD Smart D1
Dune HD Solo Lite
Dune HD Solo 4k
Dune HD Duo 4k
Netgear NTV550
Popcorn Hour A200 / A210
Popcorn Hour A300
Popcorn Hour C200
Popcorn Hour C300

So if you have yourself one of those devices, you should be able to enjoy 8-bit Memoirs on your TV from the sofa.
Just remember to switch the setting to "Full BD Menus" instead of "Simple BD Menu".

(Some devices may need latest firmware).

If you have success with media players not listed above, please let me know. I'm very curious!

 

[mr_lou]

I have added an option to buy a budget version now for 7 Euro: A disc without print and without a case. Just plain white on a mat surface.

 

[Storm]

Very interested to have a look. Downloading now.

 

[mr_lou]

Very interested to have a look. Downloading now.

Cool
I hope it'll bring you lots of nostalgic relaxation.

Sadly I have to tell you though, that VLC and Kodi both has a critical bug at the moment: Every time the playlist goes to the next track, they crash. Developers of both VLC and Kodi and libbluray has been notified (several times). We suspect it's a bug in libbluray, which both VLC and Kodi uses. But sadly I have an impression that it's not of a particular high priority for them, and there's nothing more I can do.

The workaround is to simply pause the music by pressing SPACE. That way you won't run into the bug. You'll obviously not be able to hear the music then, but you'll still be able to browse the stories.

But PowerDVD from Cyberlink works great. Alternatively there's a list of other devices on 8bitMemoirs.com that should play the ISO. And finally you of course have the option of burning the ISO to a Blu-ray disc and play in any Blu-ray disc player.



Meanwhile, I've added a torrent as a download option on the site.

 

[mr_lou]

Small update:

VLC is improving. A few weeks ago (or so), I tried the latest nightly build on a Windows machine, and playback had improved. Might be worth a try now.

In other news, I learned about iboum.com; a site that contains a lot of info on various hardware media players, and lets you do a search specifically for players that supports full Blu-ray Java menus - and which therefor should be able to play 8-bit Memoirs from harddisk and/or USB.

Click here to see a list of (supposedly) supported hardware media players.

If you own one of those players and decide to give it a go, please do share your results.

Thanks!

 

[mr_lou]

It was brought to my attention that 8-bit Memoirs was mentioned in issue 177 of RetroGamer magazine. Subsequently I found this sampler:
https://issuu.com/futurepublishing/docs/ret177.issuu

Page 10 does indeed mention the project.

While it's of course nice to be mentioned, I can't help finding it amusing how many people completely ignores all my reasons for choosing Blu-ray as the format. Instead, it's rejected as an "odd format". Well, sure, we can agree it's definitely not a mainstream format - it's much better!

That's the whole point.

To my logic this confusion can only spawn from ignorance and quick-to-judge without looking into it. So, in an attempt to (hopefully) broaden your mind, here are all the reasons why I found Blu-ray to be the perfect format for 8-bit Memoirs:

• Size: The 5-hour long music playlist and the total of 9 hours of supplemental HD video takes up 24gb. Had it been a website, I risked needing to pay additional hosting fees - just to give it all away for free. After spending 5 years and way too much money making this project, just to give it all away for free, I naturally didn't want to also pay an additional hosting fee. Instead, I wanted to use torrents. (Now, there is a web download available (for now) too anyway. This is because my host decided to sponsor the project (for a while anyway). Gigahost has been an overall very pleasant experience).
• Impression: On a real Blu-ray player, the 50 fps videos will be displayed at 50 hz, giving an awesome 1:1 smooth result, exactly as it actually looked back in the day - and that's of course what we want. A PC in turn looks crap when showing 50 fps videos on a 60 hz monitor. Jerky and not giving a true impression on how it actually looked back then.
• Durability: A Blu-ray disc is long lasting. You'll have it the rest of your life. Had it been a website instead, it would eventually die. Probably within the first decade I imagine. Meanwhile, the chances of software players suddenly removing Blu-ray support is very unlikely. So even if physical discs disappears in the near future (which I don't believe they will), we'll always have software media centers that can still play the project.
• Compatibility: Blu-ray can be played almost anywhere nowadays. If you have the disc, you play it in your modern gaming console (Like PS3 and XB1 and later models of both), or standard Blu-ray players (including the new UHD players). If you don't have one of those, you can play the ISO with a software media player on Windows / Mac / Linux - or on one of the many hardware media players that supports BD-J (I've found 77 different models so far). It's entirely your own choice. You can navigate with your gamepad, or your remote control, or even with your PC mouse (if the player supports it of course). The project was intentionally created in a way so that it could be viewed on that many different platforms. So yes, with a software player like PowerDVD, you can use your PC mouse to navigate the pages, just like you did with a diskmag back in the day. VLC has yet to implement mouse support though.
• Stability: As I'm sure we can agree; Blu-ray is a "dead" platform. That's exactly what we want! Because that means it doesn't change. And that means that 8-bit Memoirs will run forever without me needing to do any kind of maintenance whatsoever. And that's what I want: To be able to say: "This project is complete now. It's out of my hands", instead of needing to fix a website that breaks every now and then due to new standards and whatnot.

I hope this clears up everything for anyone who's been confused about why I chose to go with Blu-ray. And hopefully, someone out there might even appreciate it too.

It's quite possible that I will create other versions of 8-bit Memoirs in the future. Like e.g. a light webversion, or Desktop Java version. But it will be without all the videos then, and the background music playlist will also be much shorter. And making such a version is in no way a priority for me at the moment.

If you do not appreciate my efforts, and the fact that I'm just giving it all away for free, then this project obviously isn't for you. But maybe issue #2 will be. Depends on what platform the next author chooses. You see, each author is free to pick his own platform, and it's up to the reader to acquire a player for this platform. Be it a certain emulator, or a certain eBook reader, or a certain media player. It'll be interesting to see what it'll be. (Assuming someone out there is up to it).

 

[Simon_G]

The problem is not the medium you have chosen per sey, but more your own arrogance, which unfortunately for you shows through clearly in your posts.

You were called out on this on the Retro Gamer forum and I am sure you will be called out everywhere else you are trying to pump this thing.

The majority can't be wrong, regardless.of what you think.

 

[mr_lou]

The majority can easily be wrong. Has happened many times throughout history.
In this case though, I'm not talking about the majority, but rather a small group of people that is either biased and/or don't take the time to look into the advantages of the format.

I'm not trying to "pump" this thing. Why would I? It's free. I'm not making any money on it. Roughly 10% is buying the physical disc, the other 90% are downloads - as I expected from the start. It's been free to download from day 1. It's my way of giving back to the community, mostly the Amstrad CPC community. I spent 5 years and way too much money creating it, only to give it all away for free - and you expect me to put up with rude people like yourself complaining they don't like it, without at least trying to explain why they should give it a chance? Complaining that I'm giving it away for free.

But as I said, if you don't appreciate my effort, and if you really hate Blu-ray so much, then obviously this project isn't for you. But now I have described why Blu-ray is the ultimate format for a project like this, so other people has a chance to make up their own mind. No other format gives me all the things combined listed above. Regardless of what you apparently think. (Prove me wrong).

 

[Simon_G]

I don't need to prove you wrong. This is not the playground and I am not 12.

Not everyone has a blu-ray player, nor do they have games consoles or media players
Your own admission above tells us that Kodi and VLC have issues playing the content
The download is far too big to stick on a phone or tablet
The majority of content is consumed on portable devices

Your defense of Blu-Ray as the ultimate medium is somewhat shambolic given the above. Although I understand that you have put all the time and effort into it and therefore you will be defensive regardless of whether you believe you have messed up or not. A tiny bit of research and you may have trodded a different path with more uptake and less criticism.

The thinking of "if I build it they will come" simply does not work in any aspect of life, and assuming that people will bother to find the right player to experience your creation shows your arrogance more than anything else you have written so far.

Regardless of the quality of the work you have produced, I doubt the thinking behind the execution, as do many others.

If you were trying to get as many people as you could to view your work, then I am afraid you have failed, miserably.

Asking someone to download 24GB, even for a freebie, is ridiculous. The fact that you cannot see that is half of your problem.

Good luck with your venture. I won't be replying as it is pointless trying to converse with someone who has no interest in listening.

 

[mr_lou]

Not everyone has a blu-ray player, nor do they have games consoles or media players

Absolutely true.

Your own admission above tells us that Kodi and VLC have issues playing the content

Also true. This was a set-back. VLC worked when I tested. Then they introduced a bug - one that has been fixed again now, as far as I understand. You blame my project for a bug in one of several options? VLC is constantly under development. Bugs will arise every now and then.

The download is far too big to stick on a phone or tablet

Absolutely true. The Blu-ray version is not for phones nor tablets. For the first 4 years of the project, it was the plan to make a phone version too though, just without all the videos and also with a much shorter/different playlist. This might still happen.

The majority of content is consumed on portable devices

Probably. I doubt the majority is watching movies on their phones though. Movies require/deserves a bit more concentration. I feel 8-bit Memoirs does too.

Your defense of Blu-Ray as the ultimate medium is somewhat shambolic given the above.

None of the devices above lets me view a 50 fps video with actual 50 fps because their displays all have a refresh rate of 60hz or 120hz. This results in jerky movement in scrolltexts and characters. Plenty of this on YouTube and elsewhere already. And a phone app wouldn't allow me to include all the video and music. Also: A phone app will be dead in less than a decade because of new phones and OS etc.

Although I understand that you have put all the time and effort into it and therefore you will be defensive regardless of whether you believe you have messed up or not. A tiny bit of research and you may have trodded a different path with more uptake and less criticism.

There's been a handful of people criticizing my choice of platform - before knowing what the project even was. Most of them took back their critique when they realized what it was.
So it seems some research should indeed have been done yes - but not by me. I did plenty. I've also done websites for a living for the past 15 years, which is how I know it would be a silly choice for a project like this. (3 previous similar projects worked as good examples of this).

The thinking of "if I build it they will come" simply does not work in any aspect of life, and assuming that people will bother to find the right player to experience your creation shows your arrogance more than anything else you have written so far.

Those I made the project for did come. Download traffic speaks for itself, and I've received a lot more positive feedback than the few platform-oriented negative comments. I'm happy with the amount of people I've managed to give some of their favorite kind of entertainment to.

If you were trying to get as many people as you could to view your work, then I am afraid you have failed, miserably.

That's not what I was trying to do. It was clear from the start that I was targeting a niche group. I'm fine with that.
My problem is with comments that are clearly made by people who has no idea of what the project really is. I can't just say "Ok fine" to that. Naturally I gotta try to explain. And in most cases I do succeed in doing this.

Asking someone to download 24GB, even for a freebie, is ridiculous. The fact that you cannot see that is half of your problem.

People has reported that the HTTP download takes about 3-4 hours. You're of course free to have the opinion that 3-4 hours is too long, or that you don't want 23 gb on your harddisk, and you won't use a USB stick for it. Entirely your own choice. Anyone who's interested in the project will have a different opinion.

Good luck with your venture. I won't be replying as it is pointless trying to converse with someone who has no interest in listening.

Likewise. I feel the same.


If anyone else knows, I am curious to know if there are any other way to watch a 50 fps video with actual 50 fps.
I'm also curious to hear suggestions for other platforms that would give some of the same attributes that Blu-ray does. Something that can easily be preserved while remaining in a playable ready state - not requiring any kind of hosting fee.

 

[mr_lou]

eBook version now available:

EPUB: http://www.8bitmemoirs.com/dl/1/8bitMemoirs-Issue1.epub

PDF: http://www.8bitmemoirs.com/dl/1/8bitMemoirs-Issue1.pdf

The eBook version has the same content as the Blu-ray version, except for the 5 hours of background music and the 9 hours of supplemental videos.