I don’t do a PhD here, but I do went to a university somewhere

Aidilfitri 2009

Sepanjang Raya 2009

After watching Freeview|HD programs which were upscaled from SD to HD, the picture quality is improved from SD to HD. But I do not think I need to invest in an upscale DVD player, since the upscaling process is done anyway (either by the LCD TV or XBox360 when watching standard DVDs).

And speaking of DVD player, if I wanted to buy a DVD player anyway I think the best choice is to go for a Blu-Ray player. By observation, the price of these players have come down over the last few years & they will come down even more. By now the price is even lower than the famous PS3. But by the introduction of the slim version of PS3, the price margin is even smaller between the Blu-Ray players & the slim PS3s, and from my experience it will drop even more in the future (common sense).

So, slim PS3? or a Blu-Ray player?

Taken from NSTOnline, 17/8/2009

Digital content on TV for all in 3 years
Siti Nurbaiyah Nadzmi 2009/02/08

CATHODE ray tube (CRT) television sets may be standing on the ledge before being dunked into coffins and have their epitaphs written in technology graveyards, but not quite soon.

In three years’ time, the Government TV and radio network RTM will be offering 19 free-to-air channels through digital terrestrial broadcasting. And contrary to common belief, the CRT set can display digital content.

“What you need is a set-top box to decode the digital signals,” said RTM’s deputy director general (engineering) Abu Bakar Abdul Rahim.

RTM’s nationwide digital terrestrial broadcast in 2012 will offer a standard-definition resolution to over 95 per cent of the population, which means the public will be able to enjoy DVD-quality sound and visual on TV.

Of the 19 channels, Abu Bakar said, one channel will be dedicated to full high-definition resolution programmes.

“We are looking at documentaries, international news and sports events, as some news stations like Al-Jazeera and Korean Broadcasting System have already produced their programmes in HD.”

Trial runs of digital terrestrial TV broadcasting (DTTB) by RTM began in September 2006 to 1,000 respondents. Due to overwhelming feedback, the network has installed another 1,000 set-top box decoders in Klang Valley homes. The respondents are currently receiving six TV channels, including TV1, TV2, sports and music, and seven radio channels through the decoders.

After upgrading five studios, an ingest room (where all programmes are stored and labelled before transmission), a master control room and a multiplexer suite at Angkasapuri last year, RTM began its digital broadcasting through the Kuala Lumpur Tower linked to the Ulu Kali tower in Genting Highlands, covering the central west coast region of the peninsula.

Digital broadcast is more efficient in data transmission than analogue signals. The latter needs separate transmitters, but DTTB is compressed into a single bandwidth and transmitted as a single channel. The set-top box decoder will unpack the single channel into strands of multi-channels, in RTM’s case,

19 channels.

To explain the concept, Abu Bakar used the analogy of a bus on a highway. An analogue signal is like a bus, which is allowed to carry only one passenger, so TV1 and TV2 will have to hop onto different buses. The digital signal, on the other hand, is like a single bus ferrying 19 channels simultaneously.

What’s more, the digital video broadcasting (DVB) system used by RTM is so smart that it can recognise, label and calculate, frame by frame, how much bit rate on the shared bandwidth each channel would need. If on a bus, one can imagine how big a seat the passenger would need.

For instance, if TV1 is screening a talk show, it would need less bit rate than TV2 which is showing the fast action of a Formula 1 race. But if the next frame cuts to the F1 presenter and TV1 is showing a news clip of war and famine, the DVB system will immediately alter the compression to allow optimum quality on both channels. Imagine a flexible seat to accommodate the passenger’s needs on a bus.

It is sophisticated, but technology is dynamic, Abu Bakar said. “We will have to continue adapting to changes.”

And broadcasting full HD would mean a passenger with a larger seat on the bus.

Last year, RTM experimented by broadcasting the Beijing Olympics in full HD, and respondents gave a thumbs-up to the intricate visual detail and superior sound received on their TV sets.

One of the engineers at RTM described the experience as: “The visual detail was astounding. You could see every strand of the athlete’s windblown hair and the raindrops bounced off the track on tight shots. The thunderous applause filled the room as if you were part of the crowd. It was so breathtaking that nobody moved away from their seats during the opening and the track events.”

To experience HD, the audience will need a good plasma or LCD TV plugged in with an equally good home theatre system. Here, the CRT models would not be able to deliver the visual detail, nor the Digital Dolby 5.1 surround sound.

The advantage of DTTB, which is received by a regular antenna, over digital satellite broadcast is that the transmission will not be interrupted by bad weather, and RTM will be installing an additional 1,000 sub-stations to iron out pocket areas blocked by higher grounds.

The network is targeting 2015 for a complete analogue shutdown.

If frugality is the rule of the day, you may still want to keep your faithful TV sets before switching to the sleek plasma or LCD panels.

*Update

Here they have Freeview, but not all the channels are in HD, only 3 & the rest are upscale from SD, nonetheless it’s a new experience for me in watching TV, even the upscale channel are sharp & clear.

To my family in Malaysia, & my friends whether they’re local or abroad I would to like wish them, as they say ‘Selamat Menyambut Ramadhan & Selamat Berpuasa’.

(Di kala kamu membeli pelbagai tamar & kurma serta nasi ayam golek & kambing panggang di pasar ramadhan yg bertaburan di sana-sini & di pelbagai jalan yg mempunyai pelbagai nama, jgn lupa kami di sini ok!)

Aku terlepas auction utk set Bose (Lifestyle Series 5-25), retail price for a new set is $3999, harga dlm trademe start $800, tuan punya nak balik kampung, so semua nak let go. Disebabkan aku dah angkat Wii, jadi aku letak dlm watchlist je. Final price $900++. Pergh, bagi aku ok price tu. Sebab pakcik aku beli kat M’sia utk 2 set Bose Lifestyle Series nih dlm RM16 ribu! (mase tu la). Bye bye Bose, I’ll definitely miss u

Check lagi dlm trademe, ade org nak jual 3 set Bose (BOSE lifestyle 20 music system, BOSE lifestyle SA 3 stereo amplifier, BOSE Acoustimass 5 Series 3 speaker system & BOSE 161 speakers) start price less than $1000 (tapi skrg bid dah $1000 lebih). Walaupun previous model, bagi aku masih lagi berbaloi kalau nak beli & masih lagi murah jika dibandingkan dgn kualiti bunyi yg di hasilkan oleh elektronik & corong speaker berjenama Bose ini. Karena sesungguhnya aku dah dgr bunyi yg terhasil, walaupun sumber CD pada masa tu lagu Beatles mono! Ya mono, bukan stereo! Tapi dgr mcm stereo & mcm Beatles tgh main band live kat depan aku masa tu (talak tipu aaa, kalau tak caya call aku, kita gi dgr kat rumah pakcik aku).

Tapi ape nak buat, bak kata Jafrul “fulus bukan takde, tapi tak cukup”.

Utusan Online, 17/8/2009

Perginya seorang pejuang nasyid

SETIAP pagi, seperti biasa sebelum melangkah keluar dari rumah untuk ke pejabat, Mohamad Asri Ibrahim dibekalkan erat pelukan isteri yang mengiringinya hingga ke pintu sambil mengucup tangan sebagai doa agar perjalanan suami selamat pergi dan kembali.

Namun pagi 13 Ogos lalu, entah kenapa Mohd. Asri atau lebih mesra disapa Ustaz Asri, ayah kepada enam orang anak itu begitu tergesa-gesa untuk pergi, hingga tidak berpeluang isteri tercinta Haliza Shahadan, 39, memeluk erat suami seperti biasa.

Walaupun tindakan Ustaz Asri berlainan daripada biasa, namun Haliza atau lebih mesra dipanggil Noor Jannah tidak menyangka apa. Cuma yang terfikir, suami tersayang tergesa-gesa kerana ada tugas sudah menanti pada 10.30 pagi itu.

Pagi itu, Ustaz Asri dan Rabbani dijadualkan menyanyikan lagu tema Syahadah musim kelima sebuah rancangan terbitan RTM yang akan disiarkan sepanjang bulan Ramadan, di Auditorium P.Ramlee, Angkasapuri.

Namun suratan takdir telah menentukan. Kelainan sikap Ustaz Asri pagi itu rupa-rupanya petanda beliau akan pergi buat selama-lamanya meninggalkan isteri, anak-anak dan dunia yang fana ini.

Tidak siapa menduga, ketika Noor Jannah sibuk di rumah mengurus anak-anak, ahli anggota Rabbani berusaha membantu memulihkan Ustaz Asri yang rebah tiba-tiba ketika mahu memulakan latihan menyanyikan lagu tema tersebut.

Dan… dalam suasana tenang dan sepi, ketika syahadah dibisikkan di telinganya, Ustaz Asri yang rebah dan pucat wajahnya, longlai di pangkuan sahabat-sahabatnya.

Meski hati mereka digayut rasa sedih, namun tidak mahu mengaku kalah. Dengan semangat setia kawan dan dipanjatkan beribu doa, dengan menaiki van milik mereka, Ustaz Asri dibawa ke Pusat Perubatan Pantai.

Namun takdir menentukan segala-galanya. Allah lebih menyayanginya dan tepat pada pukul 11.45 pagi, doktor mengesahkan Ustaz Asri yang dikenali sebagai pejuang lagu-lagu nasyid meninggal dunia kerana sakit jantung.

Dilahirkan pada 3 Ogos 1969, pemergian Allahyarham amat mengejutkan ramai pihak terutama kepada mereka yang meminati koleksi lagu-lagu dakwah nyanyiannya bersama kumpulan Rabbani.

Selama 12 tahun memperjuangkan irama nasyid, kini, segalanya hanya tinggal kenangan dan akan terus terpahat di sanubari setiap daripada kita semua.

Dan, sememangnya, kita semua perlu menerima takdir dan hakikat bahawa Ustaz Asri kini sudah tiada lagi untuk mengingatkan semua dengan lagu-lagu berbentuk dakwah dan nasihat.

Semuanya sudah termaktub sebagai mana janji Allah SWT dalam al-Quran bahawa setiap yang hidup pasti akan merasai mati.

Rebah ketika menjalani sesi latihan sempena pelancaran program Syahadah, rintihan dan tangis sendu mengiringi saat jenazah Allahyarham dimandi, dikapan dan disembahyangkan sebelum dikebumikan di Tanah Perkuburan Islam Seksyen 21, Shah Alam.

Selain seorang balu, Haliza Shahadan@Noor Jannah, Allahyarham meninggalkan enam anak iaitu Mohd. Nasimudin, 15; Mohd. Fathi, 14; Nur Afikah, 12; Mohd. Ilham, 10; Sufiyah Munawarh, 6 dan Hamdi Rabbani, 4.

Dua hari sebelum itu, penulis berkesempatan menemui Allahyarham ketika majlis menandatangani perjanjian persembahan Rabbani di Hotel Singgahsana, Petaling Jaya sempena Ramadan tahun ini.

Ia merupakan kerjasama ke-18 tahun berturut-turut Rabbani bersama hotel itu.

Allahyarham yang sentiasa ceria pada majlis itu berkata : “Kadang-kadang terdetik di hati saya, jika Singgahsana tidak mengundang kami pada tahun ini, tidak mengapalah.

“Tetapi, jika tidak ada tawaran daripada Singgahsana, ibadah kami sempena Ramadan tahun ini bagaikan tidak lengkap kerana ini merupakan salah satu cabang ibadah Rabbani.”

Dalam pertemuan itu, penulis sempat mengajukan soalan dan bertanyakan pendapat Allahyarham mengenai Rabbani yang boleh dilabel sebagai kumpulan nasyid nombor satu negara berdasarkan undangan menyanyi di pentas yang tidak pernah lekang.

Allahyarham dengan rendah diri berkata : “Alhamdulillah, Rabbani masih aktif. Bukan hanya konsert, Rabbani sering kali bersama dengan masyarakat. Komitmen setiap ahli kumpulan juga menjadi penentu kepada kejayaan Rabbani.

“Menjaga hati rakan-rakan juga penting. Contohnya, jika saya seorang dipanggil dalam sesebuah majlis, saya akan katakan tidak boleh kerana semua ahli Rabbani perlu diundang sama. Kita perlu utamakan rakan-rakan.”

Begitulah setia dan kasihnya Allahyarham terhadap ahli anggota Rabbani yang dianggap bagaikan saudara sendiri.

Bercakap mengenai Allahyarham, dengan berita pemergiannya itu, bait-bait lagu dakwah dan zikir munajat yang sering bermain di bibirnya tatkala aktif bersama Rabbani dan juga Nada Murni mungkin sukar untuk dilupakan.

Perginya Allahyarham merupakan satu kehilangan yang besar kepada lapangan nasyid tanah air.

Dalam waktu ini juga, pastinya kita akan mengingati lagu berjudul Pergi Tak Kembali, ciptaan KRU dengan lirik oleh Allahyarham yang pernah dipopularkan Rabbani sekitar 2000.

Lagu itu cukup menginsafkan dan mengingatkan kita semua betapa kematian itu adalah sesuatu yang benar dan pasti berlaku.

Hayatilah lirik karya lagu tersebut :

Setiap insan pasti merasa,

Saat perpisahan terakhir,

Dunia yang fana akan ditinggalkan,

Hanya amalan yang dibawa.

Terdengar sayup surah dibaca,

Sayunya alunan suara,

Cemas di dada…lemah tak bermaya,

Terbuka hijab di depan mata.

Selamat tinggal pada semua,

Berpisah kita selamanya,

Kita tak sama nasib di sana,

Baikkah atau sebaliknya.

Amalan dan takwa jadi bekalan,

Sejahtera bahagia pulang…ke sana.

Sekujur badan berselimut putih,

Rebah bersemadi sendiri,

Mengharap kasih anak dan isteri,

Apa mungkin pahala dikirim.

Terbaring sempit seluas pusara,

Soal-bicara terus bermula,

Sesal dan insaf tak berguna lagi,

Hancurlah jasad dimamah bumi.

Berpisah sudah segalanya,

Yang tinggal hanyalah kenangan,

Diiring doa dan air mata,

Yang pergi takkan kembali lagi.

What will you achieved when you have a Wii, a 27′ high definition ready LCD TV with 2 components video inputs (as well as built-in digital tuner) & a component video cable?

Oh, be sure you don’t have any heart diseases & epilepsy, and you have plenty of room in front of your TV.

Nasib baik ada notebook spare, at least my children can watch their favourite “Upin & Ipin” cartoon without using my wife’s notebook.

Not much regarding the notebook, P3, 512MB Ram, 20 GB HD… bolehla nak tgk video, but not too bad ;). Ada lagi satu notebook, tapi tak boleh start sebab plug adapter dah patah & memory dah kena ambik.

Last week I checked AA website for my car insurance, lucky for me the website can produce an online quote according to my requirements. So I entered all the required information and there it was, a 3rd party car insurance quote (yes, I decided to take a 3rd party instead of a 1st party; since it is considered as insured). And I saved the quote (as a soft copy that is).

AA Insured, definitely, at last

So today I ‘actually’ went to a nearby AA Centre (Albert St., after a long, long delay) & took the 12 months insurance for my car (I should have taken the insurance when I received the car, *sigh*). Well, 10 months to go.

*Update

I’ve received my insurance cover the following week (after a few days waiting). My wife brought it to me from the mailbox.