- MacBreak
Infobox Podcast
title = MacBreak
caption = MacBreak title card
host =Leo Laporte ,Merlin Mann ,Alex Lindsay ,Justine Ezarik ,Kendra Arimoto andEmery Wells
url = http://pixelcorps.tv/macbreak
picture format =Podcast ,1080p (HDTV )
status = Unknown
began =
ended =
genre =Technology
ratings ="MacBreak" is an
internet TV show hosted byLeo Laporte ,Kendra Arimoto ,Alex Lindsay ,Justine Ezarik andEmery Wells from the TWiT.tv network and thePixel Corps . The podcast is dedicated to Apple's Mac computers and other Apple products such as theiPod ."MacBreak" was the first podcast in
1080p high definition format, with the release of an episode on the [http://www.twit.tv/ TWiT] web site in the format. According toLeo Laporte on theTWIT podcast, MacBreak caused bandwidth problems for its service provider,Libsyn ."MacBreak" is a production of the TWiT.tv network in association with Pixel Corps. It is filmed in San Francisco, California on a greenscreen set at the
San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking . Each episode, the live-action greenscreen footage is keyed and composited over a virtual 3D set by members of thePixel Corps . This process is explained in the "Road to 1080p" episodes.Starting in April of 2007 with the release of [http://www.pixelcorps.tv/macbreak65 MacBreak #65] , "MacBreak Minutes" hosted by
Merlin Mann andKenji Kato began to appear along with full MacBreak episodes. "MacBreak Minutes" are short tips that consisted of an application or tool featured in a one-minute condensed video.Regular MacBreak guests/alternate host have included
Kenji Kato ,Mark Spencer ,Craig Syverson ,Cali Lewis andDr. Kiki Sanford .As of [http://www.twit.tv/mb29 MacBreak #29] , the opening titles were changed to reflect the new lineup of hosts.
Amber MacArthur was no longer listed, replaced by Merlin Mann andKendra Arimoto .Justine Ezarik became a host onJanuary 12 ,2007 .MacBreak Weekly
. The content differs from MacBreak in that the discussion mainly covers Apple related news from the previous week. Other segments include a "Pick of the Week", where the hosts discuss various software and hardware they find useful.
There used to be a "Whine" section where the hosts complain about certain features of various Mac OS X applications they wish would be improved. A running joke is that Alex Lindsay tends to pick products with exorbitant price tags, and thus the panel has created a unit of currency, the “Alex” which is equivalent to the retail price of the current version of
Adobe Photoshop (approximately $700.00 US). It is sometimes used as a unit of price for the "Picks of the Week" segment, while free items are said to be “zero Alexes”. The show is often very casual and relaxed, and the hosts get off topic quite a bit which seems to contribute to the overall tone of the show. A recent feature on the show includes a special jingle first introduced by Merlin Mann and then supplied as a full blown song titled "Rathole!" which is played when the conversation veers very far off from the original topic. Another recurring theme is Leo Laporte's habit of buying Apple products just before they are discontinued, the price cut or the product changes. This started when he bought aPower Mac G4 Cube on the day it was discontinued. (This was referenced in episode 12; "Smokin", see: http://twit.tv/mbw12) It has become a joke throughout the shows, mostly betweenMerlin Mann andScott Bourne .The podcast has had a host of show notes writers, the current being Shash. [ [http://twit.tv/mbw65 MacBreak Weekly Episode 65] ] He is often mentioned on the show and his comments, made via
Skype during the show's recording, are sometimes talked about (for example in episode 70). Shash also appeared on the show during episode 77 ("Fries Done!"): see http://twit.tv/mbw77References
See also
*
this WEEK in TECH
*Pixel Corps External links
* [http://pixelcorps.tv/macbreak "MacBreak" official website]
* [http://twit.tv/mbw/ "MacBreak Weekly" official website]
* [http://pixelcorps.com 'PixelCorps' official website]
* [http://willhallmusic.com/category/audible/macbreak-weekly/ "MacBreak Weekly" Book Picks]
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