pouët.net

8-bit Memoirs Issue #1 released!


I've put this in Java -> Diskmag, although it is more like Blu-ray -> eBook, though it's made to look like a diskmag to boost the retro feeling. :-)

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.



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!

8-bit Memoirs takes up 23 gb because of the 5-hour long playlist with background music + the 50 videos that supplement the stories. These videos are high quality 720p@50fps.

I MIGHT create a smaller version of 8-bit Memoirs at some point in the future, without videos and also with a much much shorter background playlist - but at the time of writing it is in no way a priority for me.

This current version is made exactly as I wanted it to be: As a Blu-ray Disc. For those who'll burn the ISO to disc, it doesn't matter if it's 23 gb or 23 mb.
(Although I've previously gotten feedback that people wouldn't want to "waste a disc" on just 80 mb. Impossible to please everyone, eh?)

This was a 5-year long project, authoring the content, creating videos, having illustrations created, buying a ton of various equipment to be able to create the various parts. Please do not complain that I'm giving it all away to you for free. Thank you.

Well I can't argue with your statement psenough. If this was indeed a DVD it should probably be put in the wild category.

But this is not a DVD. It is a Blu-ray ISO.
All Blu-ray players are capable of running Java (and quite well). It is part of the Blu-ray specification. 8-bit Memoirs is thus a Java app. More specifically, it is a JavaME BD-J Xlet. (Which is why you need software player that supports BD-J if you want to play it on your PC).

This has proven to be very difficult for most people to understand. Another question I've heard a lot: "Why don't you just put everything on YouTube?". It's very clear that most people think this is just a bunch of videos. It is not. It is an eBook containing the equivalent of 250 pages of printed text, that you read in your own pace while listening to background music - and then you also have 50 videos available that supplement the stories. (Optional to watch, but nice to have handy).

Here is a (short) list of other Blu-ray Java prods on Pouet:
http://www.pouet.net/lists.php?which=59
Check out the Funky Fresh demo to get an idea of what you can do with Blu-ray Java.

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!

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.

I've added a torrent download link for those who don't like http downloads.

And here's an updated list of TV-boxes and hardware media centers that should play the ISO from harddisk and/or USB:

Any Android TV box with VidOn XBMC Pro installed:

Egreat A5 / A10 / A11
Egreat S5A / A1080
HiMedia Q10 Pro
VidOn.me AV200
VidOn.me TV box
Zidoo X9S / X10

Other (non Android) players:

Dune HD Base 3.0
Dune HD Duo
Dune HD Duo 4k
Dune HD MAX
Dune HD Prime 3.0
Dune HD Pro
Dune HD Smart B1 / D1 / H1
Dune HD Solo Lite
Dune HD Solo 4k
HDX BD1
Netgear NeoTV 550
Popcorn Hour A-200 / A-210
Popcorn Hour A-300
Popcorn Hour C-200
Popcorn Hour C-300
QNAP NMP-1000P

Also; if your PlayStation 3 is jailbroken, you can just put the ISO in the BDISO folder and mount it with webMAN or multiMAN. (So I've been told anyway. I don't own a PS3 myself).

In the future you will also be able to use VLC and Kodi on your PC, but currently still waiting for the developers of libbluray to fix a critical bug.

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.

Go to this link to see a list of (supposedly) supported hardware media players:
http://www.iboum.com/net-media-players.php?bd=yesfull&ppp=40&pg=1

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

Thanks!

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.